#13

#13 – New Year’s Double

**This race happened like a month ago, but I just haven't gotten around to documenting it! Life...it's crazy right now, but crazy good!

So, I'll take you back to 12/31/14.

After waking up the day after Christmas with a horrid little “gift” (sore throat, fatigue & some good ol’ nausea) and having to take a few days off from work, I probably shouldn't even have been out there on NYE. 

With weather predictions getting colder and colder, rain and maybe even ice on New Year’s Day, I had pretty much decided that I’d only get to do one half of my double and was really kind of sad about it.

The NY Double of 2014/2015 just wasn’t meant to be, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t try and knock it out of the park on day 1.

I met my MRTT friends bright and early Wednesday morning because this marathon wasn’t just a marathon.  It was a marathon + a 5k.  An ultramarathon of sorts?

I ran the 5k easy with my friend Kelly (who just happens to be running for two!) and we became Team Penguin and Pistol Pete (see our hats).  The 5k pretty much flew by. 

The rest of my friends and I met for a picture and a few of us went back to our cars to warm up before the half and full marathon started.  That’s the great thing about this race.  There are no parking fiascos, if you forget something you can easily run back to your car, or in this case, use it as a refuge of sorts!

Warming time was soon over and the race started.  This particular race is a looped course of 6.55 miles.  So for the full (do the math), it is 4 loops around.  Now to some, this might sound really dull and monotonous, but in all actuality, it is *really* fun!  There were a few brave MRTT souls along with their mini’s that came out to cheer for a bit, so I saw them several times.  Plus, you get to see lots of friends and acquaintances between 6 & 8 times on the course.  It’s great to get that extra lift, a high 5 or even just a smile.  The drop tent is also key.  Because it was a cold day, I realized after my first lap that I was sorely overdressed and was able to drop clothes, pick up snacks, etc. each time I circled the course.  The race director is pretty amazing the way she thinks of all of these things…(an ultramarathoner herself). 

My celebratory #13 at mile 13 pic.

Since I wasn’t sure (ok…I had pretty much made up my mind) that I was going to run the next day, I decided to push the pace on this day.  I maintained a 10-11 min mile pace the entire way.  Towards the end it was getting cold and despite all of my layers my feet & legs were getting pretty cold and I feel like it slowed me down a bit.  Another interesting thing that happened…I used my amazing new Jabra wireless headphones (a Christmas gift from Mr. Southern Fried Soul) not realizing it would drain the battery of my phone at warp speed.  So basically, no music for over half of this race, just a lot of conversations in my own head.

Regardless, I finished.  #13 was in the books! 

4:46:33 (after completing a 5k earlier that day!)

Even though I was disappointed that this ultimate challenge (the double 5k/double marathon) just wasn’t going to happen for me (I felt horrible the evening of NYE), it was still super fun and a top notch race. 

#13 also brought a second place finish…missing 1^st by less than a minute (kicking myself now for poking around in a couple of spots for too long).  I was pretty stoked about this as I came in 4^th last year (this happens…A LOT).   I didn’t collect my finisher’s plate for doing both days, but I did get some pretty sweet glassware to toast my year in. 

This race will definitely be on my agenda again for 2014/2015.  I’m not sure if I’ll try to attempt the double again, but I know one day will be on my race schedule.  It was a great way to end 2014!

As a side note….I had a lot of brave souled friends who went out to complete day 2 of this challenge in the freezing rain.  You, my friends, have more mental toughness than I can dream of! 

 

The Friday Five - 2015 Goals

I love thinking about and planning all of the things I want & am lucky to have the opportunity to accomplish this year.

I think putting goals "out there" is one of the best ways to hold myself accountable.

Some of my running/fitness goals this year are to:

1. Get closer to a 4:20 marathon time, but continue to finish in the 4:30s more consistently.  I've gotten a little "off" this past year.  So I'm regrouping, looking at what has worked in the past and what hasn't.

2. Still chasing that sub 2 hour half marathon.

3. The Endurance Buzz trail race series; 5 trail races over the course of the year will get you this pretty lil' thing.

4. 5k PR (current PR is 27:41).

5. Make to another "100 club" at the new Pure Barre studio I've been going to.

Personal goals:

1. As always, spend as much time with this kiddo as possible!

2. Marry this guy (and plan a wedding)!

3. Get through this last (and most difficult) year of grad school.  By this time next year I will be less than six months out from my career dream.

3.5.  Treasure the time I have left with this pretty girl.  She is just getting old.  My heart hurts for her and the trouble she has moving around, yet she still has the biggest zest for life.  She remains excited for her "walk" every. single. day. despite the fact that it's down to basically steps and sniffs.

4. Meet up more often with friends.  I am lucky enough to have all of these *amazing* friends, after a coffee date today, I decided it's time to make more room in my schedule for them.

5. Go to bed earlier.  1am bed times are just not cool.

Tell me one (or two, or five!) of your goals!

Big *thanks* to the the Friday Five link up with the DC trifecta, Courtney @Eat, Pray, Run DC, Mar @ Mar on the Run and Cynthia @You Signed Up For What?

The Friday Five - Top Five Moments of 2014

It seemed like 2014 passed like a flash.  I feel like I was *just* celebrating the New Year of 2013.  What happened?!?!

Part of the reason 2014 passed so quickly was because it was so. much. fun.  Seriously one of the best years ever!!

Top Five Family Moments (in no particular order of course!)

1. Ryan and I got engaged....in Hawaii no less!  The only way I could describe is it that it felt like a dream.  The whole trip was that way.  Maui is truly paradise.

2. Taking Louis to NYC!  It was amazing seeing the wonderment in that little boy's eyes.

He is still enamored by the Statue of Liberty and the Subway. Running part of the marathon (albeit just a little part) was the icing on the cake.

3. Two trips to MN to see my Grandpa & Dad/surprise my Mom for Mother's Day.  My Grandpa, Louis' namesake, will be 97 in February and has, shall we say, cheated death about that many times as well.  When I saw him in May, I thought I would be saying goodbye, yet he is now getting ready to celebrate his birthday next month.  Sharp as a tack, yet a little hard of hearing, our visits are always precious.

4. Christmas with Louis!  I know it's second nature for most parents to get to spend every Christmas with their kiddos, but I only get the part of the break every other year that includes Christmas day.  So when we do get Christmas together, we make it extra special, and this year was no exception.  Lots of Christmas movies, hot chocolate and elf fun made for a super memorable holiday.

5. A new kitty cat!!  Tyrian Lannister (we are kind of die hard Game of Thrones fans) joined our clan right before Thanksgiving.

He fit in from the get go and it the most lovable kitty ever!  While 4 pets is *kind of* a little bit over the top, it's also a lot of fun and very rewarding to open your heart to a rescue pet.

Top Five Fitness Moments

1. 100 Pure Barre classes!  It took me a little longer to get to the number than I had hoped, but right after the NYC marathon, I made it.

Now I've moved on to a studio closer to my home and am well on my way to another 100 class club.

2. Two races where I placed in my age group.  For a couple of years, I was constantly coming in 4th (I did a couple of times this year as well!), but I finished 3rd at my first trail race, a full marathon, in February & placed 2nd in my age group in the marathon on New Year's Eve, missing first by only 31 seconds.  This was a BIG goal for me this year and I'm happy to have finally achieved it.

New Year's Eve sway - 2nd place despite a bad cough and no voice

3. The NYC Marathon.  No explanation needed.

4. Becoming a Marathon Maniac by completing 3 marathons within 90 days.  My friend Luisa and I both achieved this at the same trail race in which we both placed within our respective age groups (she won!).

5. Mom's Run This Town.  This isn't necessarily a moment, but this group of ladies are worth mentioning.  I've had SO much more fun running since I became a member, a co-leader and a friend to *so* many of our group members.  Many of these ladies are not only my running buddies, but also true friends.  It's hard going to races alone anymore, because you realize just how much more fun it is with your friends.  It's also amazing to have such a tight knit group in which you can share both your victories AND your failures, whether athletic or personal, you find friends are there to cheer you on or pick you right back up.

While it has been an *amazing* year, I think 2015 is going to be even better yet!

Happy New Year!

#12 - The Dallas Marathon

A revisit with a nemesis of mine.

The Dallas Marathon, previously known as the White Rock Marathon.

The last time I ran this race (in 2012), I had an epic meltdown of a day.  I was on pace to finish around 4:20 (which would have been a huge PR for me) and ended up finishing over an hour slower than that due to humid conditions and a rockin' case of dehydration and the pukes.

So I signed up to run this again last year, got iced out, and because they offered those of us who were cancelled on last year a too good to be true entry fee and our medal from last year, I figured why not.

Back tracking to a couple months ago...

My MRTT frunners Faith and Nicole told me if I agreed to run with them at a little bit of a slower pace, they'd both do their first full marathon.  Of course I said YES!  I love seeing friends complete huge 'mile'stones and wanted to live vicariously through them, reliving my early marathon days (which really weren't *that* long ago).

Unfortunately Nicole got injured, but lucky for me, Faith was still game!

Packet pickup the day before the race was a breeze!  Considering new rules were put in place where each runner had to pick up their packet/bib in person (security reasons), the expo was a lot less crowded that I thought it would be.  Although several big names ran this race...Meb, Deana (both of whom handed out medals at the end!), the Halls, none of them were at the expo.

Race Day

Early that morning I met a group of MRTT frunners to ride together on the train to the start.

We had planned on all meeting up for a picture, but crowds prevented that from happening.  So we took lots of group pictures!  Just smaller.

I met up with Faith and a couple other friends and we loaded into an extremely crowded corral.  Despite have 20k runners, the Dallas Marathon only has 3 corrals. We were both surprised when we saw a familiar face in the sea of people.

Hi Lisa!!

We went over our game plan and before we knew it we were off.

Sticking with a new tradition, I made Faith take a picture at mile marker 1, marking her first marathon.

I told her at each marathon after this (she was kidding me that I was already planning more when we hadn't even finished the first one) she'd have to take a photo by the corresponding mile marker.  We had our despised first mile out of the way!

#12 for me!

The marathon took on a whole new route this year which took us through downtown first, then over to Highland Park, Swiss Avenue, the M streets and the dreaded Dolly Partons (use your imagination here).  In past years, the Dolly's came late in the race, around mile 20, when legs are tired and spunk is dwindling.  I think we were both happy to get them out of the way.  They didn't even seem that bad!

On our way there frunners Nicole (who got injured), Kelly & Monica came out on a dreary, drizzly morning to cheer us on.

We saw them at mile 9 & it gave us a much needed push.  They gave us the power we needed to forge on to the half way mark.

As we neared White Rock Lake, the mist turned into drizzle, which kind of felt good at the time...but, we had no idea what was about to come.

no rain...yet

Up until about the halfway point Faith and I were rocking the 2:1 intervals; run 2 minutes, walk 1 minute.  Faith's walk was more of a jog for me (I thought I walked fast!) and we maintained around a 12:30min/mile past the halfway point.  Out towards the lake we saw Faith's husband and kids.  Her kiddos were SO excited to see her!!  Definitely a high point in the day for her I'm sure!  Since the route doubled back at the lake, we saw them twice.

Then....the rain came.  We hit mile 16 and it pretty much started pouring.  After the lake, the route shot us out on the Sante Fe trail which was amazing and serene, but we were just soaked.  The rain hurt my face, our shoes where making sucking noises on the pavement and I'm pretty sure we both wanted to cry and/or quit at some point, but just didn't say it.  We kept telling each other "at least it isn't cold" to somehow make the pouring rain seem better?  Someone had the brilliant idea to hang speakers ALL along this trail and honestly, it kind of kept me pumped up.  Neither of us listened to music the entire day, so it was a nice distraction.

We settled into 1:1 intervals at this point, which was working.  Several times I looked at Faith (who was probably bonkers from my jibber jabber) and she kept saying "I'm trying".  Her determination was shining through.  I had no doubt she would finish this well within the time she thought she would.

Finally around mile 20 it stopped raining.  Amen!!  We forged back down Swiss Avenue (a beautfil part of the course, btw)getting closer and closer to downtown and our finish line.  Nicole stayed the duration and met us around mile 23 with her smile and some super powered cupcakes (she is my cupcake pusher & and an *amazing* friend).  She gave us some encouraging words and we kept trucking.

we needed to get here

I know those last few miles were hard for Faith.  They are hard no matter if you've run one marathon or twelve or twenty.  Heavy legs, dwindling energy supply and mental exhausting are not a great combo, yet your eye has to stay on the prize.  Faith's determination kept me from dwelling on my own discomfort.  I kept promising her she wouldn't die.  She kept telling me she was still trying.  We picked up the pace and ran one of our faster miles during the second half onto the finish.

Faith's husband and kids were at the finish and they were SO proud!  I was so proud!  I felt like I was running my first marathon again.

despite the crazy look on my face, a photog *finally* captured an epic finish!

We crossed the finish in 5:48:02 and collected our medals.

Since I was iced out last year and had completed the Dallas Rock and Roll half marathon earlier in the year, I came home with a haul!  All in a days work!

Prior to this race, I told myself and a few others I'd probably never do this race again, yet with the changes in the course and the improvement in support, I may think twice about saying never again next year.

Since I was able to run this race at an easier pace, my recovery has been minimal.  Great for someone who is running double marathons, double 5ks in 2 weeks (yikes!).

Paying it forward proved to be an incredible experience for me.  I was suffering from the running sads for several weeks after the NYC marathon due to a huge build up and a less than desired finish there.  I am now ready to hit my next goal and I'm pretty sure Faith is ready to sign up for another marathon!

the smile says it all!

It's a BOY!!

No.

Not a baby.

A kitty!!

Even though this blog is mostly about fitness and running, it's also about fun things.  Because we "needed" more pets (we already have 2 dogs and a "special" cat), we felt the need to rescue another kitten...mostly as a playmate for the kitty we already have.

a small gang of pets

So without further adieu, meet Tyrian Lannister (because Game of Thrones).

He is about three months old and couldn't be more adorable.  So far, he likes to sleep, steal food and get into trouble.

good thing I'm super cute!

He is super brave with his older and much bigger canine companions (pretty sure Roscoe looks like a dinosaur to him).  Khleo hasn't quite warmed up to him the way we thought, but she also has some personal issues (aka "crazy" cat).

He falls asleep while sitting up.

It's adorable.

 exhibit a

exhibit b

Khleo is not amused and demands the last word.