Serenity Now.
10 miles//11:58 pace with 20mph wind gusts in my face and a fair amount of walking.
I don’t allow myself to walk that much during a race so I’m feeling pretty good about this run.
Also, post-run I’m a sexy beast! Look at those strange sweat lines and dried salt on my face! Sexxxxxxxyyyyyy!
Happy Saturday friends! Thanks for all the love, support and encouragement! I couldn’t do it without you!
See you on the flip side of 10 miles!
Last long run for the Lincoln Half!
My Thursday evening run was sheer perfection. Seemingly overnight, spring has exploded across Southeast Nebraska. The trees and flowers are blooming and the air is permeated with their intoxicating scents. Mix that with people grilling out, mowing their lawns and a breeze from the south, along with blue skies and a beautiful sunset and you have the perfect spring night for a run.
I didn’t want to go all day. I spent most of my drive home (all 10 minutes of it!) bargaining with myself that I would run tomorrow. I managed to talk myself into the run. Some notes:
Have a wonderful Friday Friends!!
Scenes from my 10.2 mile run.
The flowers and trees are blooming!
I stupidly waited until 2:30 to run. It was 81°, and humid, and partly cloudy. The heavens opened up and it rained a bit on me. It was nice to get cooled off.
I got yelled at by guys in 2 cars within 30 seconds of each other. They were going opposite directions. It was kind of funny.
I’m a hot, salty, sweaty mess. But, I’m feeling better about the half in 2 weeks.
10.20 miles//12:17 pace.
Sunday Runday Funday!
Happy Easter!
My Lincoln Half Marathon training has not been the best lately.
In the past 3 weeks I’ve been sick with a head cold and a tooth infection. I’ve been busy with work and life. I’ve let my weekday runs go by the wayside. I’ve pretty much only run my long runs on the weekends. Maybe a mile or 2 during the week.
So it’s no wonder that my runs have been suffering. I feel like I’m not conditioned enough. Like my legs are dead and I’m super sore. So, with 3 weeks until the Half, I decided to get my proverbial crap together. Today, I ran 3.1 miles. On the treadmill. Without stopping. I usually take a few walk breaks. My legs felt good, for the most part, but they know what’s coming: I’m running 3 miles tomorrow too, and Wednesday, or Thursday. There will be a run on Saturday, and then I’m doing 10-13 miles on Sunday. So, in that spirit, here’s today’s post-run selfie. 3.1 miles//33:52 //10:54 pace.That was a good, sweaty run.
It’s time to re-commit to this. I have 3 weeks . I’m in good shape. I want a sub 2:25 half. I can do it. I WILL do it.
It’s on.
Spring has Sprung!
I forgot to wear my green on Monday. So today I’m making up for it tenfold. This is my “spring is finally here outfit.”
I’m still here. I don’t have much to say right now. Work is busy. Life is busy. I’m busy. But I’m still plugging away at life and running(ish). I’ve drastically cut down on my weekday runs during training right now. I need to get back at it, but March has pretty much sucked for me in that department. Only 40-something days until the Lincoln Half. I’m not worried about it. 11 miles this weekend. But I know I need to run for my sanity.
It’s going to be 67 degrees here today. So I think a run is in order first thing after work. Even though I need to go grocery shopping and make oreo balls for my co-worker’s birthday! There just aren’t enough hours in the day, are there?
Hope you all have a good Thursday friends!
Sometimes, I manage to get it all together. The hair, the outfit, and the makeup. Sometimes, but not all the time. When it happens, I like to document it. So you get to see it. Picture or it didn’t happen right?
Happy (Fat) Tuesday Friends!
The mind and body are pretty freaking amazing.
I was not in a good frame of mind to run today. I think I have a weird infection or something causing pain in a few of my teeth. Like the kind of pain that nearly has me in tears. I’ve dosed with meds and I’m rubbing numbing stuff on it every time the feeling starts to come back. I’m going to call the Dentist in the morning. I also did not get enough sleep Friday night and didn’t catch up on enough last night. So I’m exhausted. Not a good combo to run long with.
Add to that, it’s cold outside, windy, and this run had to be completed on the treadmill. Things did not bode well for my 9 miles.
But ya know what? Once I pushed past the first 2 miles, where I nearly cried from tooth pain, and my legs felt like pieces of wood, this run was pretty great!
My mind wandered to so many places during the run, my body relaxed and I enjoyed it.
Things of note: my treadmill resets at 99:59 so I had to start it up again to finish the run. It also resets calories after 999. So that’s awesome.
9 miles//1:38:06//10:54 pace.
Boom.
Sunday Funday indeed.
This marked my 3rd consecutive year running the Lincoln Half, and 4th Half overall. I was thirsty for a PR for this race. My first Lincoln I did in 2:42:57, Last year I did it in 2:33 and change, and I was so close to a sub-2:30 I could TASTE it. So I set about to get it.
We were worried about the weather all week, and we got a pretty perfect race day; temps in the upper 40’s cloudy and cool. No humidity at all. Perfect running weather. After meeting Holli, Bailee, and Lindsay before the race, we lined up and finally we were off!
Did I mention that my older brother and sister-in-law ran the half too? It was their first half. Last year my sis-in-law was pregnant and said that she wanted to run it this year. So she talked my brother into doing it with her. So proud of my family!
I kept up a decent pace; about 10:30-10:45/mile. I think I’ve told you that the course is pretty flat. Well, I lied. You might say Nebraska is flat, it might not have huge hills, but there are some good ones along the course. I hit the first rise just before the 5k point…I had to walk there. My secret goal of a no-walk half was suddenly over. I was irritated with myself and started running rather quickly. I saw my parents at the 5k point and slowed down for a photo…Then I was off, and heard my name being called and I saw my friends Tracey and Rose at mile 4! I started yelling and Tracey snapped this photo.
I love this picture! Seeing them energized me to keep going. Some race highlights: Lincoln has A LOT of good looking cops that were working the marathon! There was one who I stared at as I ran up to him, and by him-he was dreamy! And buff! Eye Candy in the morning!
After I made that turn, then I was at the next water stop. I then saw my friend Keith just before mile 6. I had told Keith I would get to him around 8:45…and he lives 2 blocks off the marathon route so he rolled out of bed and and got down there 2 minutes before I arrived! Good timing! I saw him, Yelled at him, and he said “go get ‘em Sugar Tits!” (that’s his special nickname for me! No judgement!) And off I went!
That part of the race is downhill for about ¾ of a mile so I was booking it. Then I got to the point where the race winds around to the Highway 2 bike path and narrows. I had some issues at this point. I walked and ran. I got a stitch in my side But every time I walked I thought about that stupid text message from Douche-Bag Scott that I had gotten the night before. THAT motivated me to keep going. Rage running is a thing. Right? It’s my thing apparently! And I did great when I thought about that text and how much of a douche Scott is/was.
“The Hill” is at mile 9ish. Its a long sloping hill, then it levels off, only to do another long sloping hill again. It sucks and I’ve always had to walk it. Whatever. It’s fine. That area is the Country Club with a lot of nice houses. One house had a spiral staircase in its backyard and a stone courtyard. I totally found it on Google Maps Street View. This is the house:
I then saw my friend and co-worker Linda and her son Myles. She yelled my name, and ran out and gave a hug and off I went again!
Miles 10-12 are a bit of a blur. I was so ready to be done. I just wanted to finish with a sub-2:30 and I saw the 2:25 pace group pass me and I was devastated. But then I decided that I had to run my own race, no matter what. I dug deep and started running again.
When I got to mile 12 I decided I would run it in. I got to about mile 12.5ish and saw Victoria! She told me to keep going and that I was awesome. So I pushed a little more and found the fire to go.
I crossed the finish line (at the 50 yd line of Memorial Stadium! Pretty cool for a Nebraska girl and Husker fan!) in 2:28:11. PR by more than 5 minutes. Victory is mine!
I was cold after the race:
Me and the sign my mom and dad made for me: (I love my medals!)
Afterwards, since it was Cinco De Mayo, my parents, brother and sister and I went to lunch at a local Mexican Restaurant. The Most Interesting Man in the world was there, so I posed for a picture with him:
This race was great! Next week I head to Fargo to run a 5k and Half Marathon with Bailee, Brooke and Johnna. I’m wildly excited for a Tumblr reunion!
Happy Friday Friends!
Runnin' Down a Dream 