Family, Friends, and Flowers (HFHM Week 8)

So, it's been 2 weeks since I've posted.  Sorry about that, but life has been one big blur of sorts lately between training, working, and general living and blogging sort of got pushed to the sidelines.  Here's my attempt at a recap of Week 8.  Hopefully I'll be able to catch you up on Week 9 later this week (before my recap of Week 10 is due if I'm lucky)!

Training Week 8:

After my 10 mile run with Mr. R&R the day before, I spent Monday night foam rolling my legs, doing dishes, and generally recovering.  By Tuesday I felt good enough to do the 4.5 miles my training plan prescribed.  I felt good enough to run negative splits!

Wednesday night was another Strider Fun Run at the same park as the last one I attended.  Once again it was chilly and windy when we started running, but that didn't really bother me much since I actually prefer cooler weather when attempting to run my ass off.  I took off like a bat out of hell and found myself as the 2nd place female at the one mile mark.  Unfortunately, I think the real speed demons showed up and I was passed shortly after Mile 1.  I really didn't mind getting passed by that woman - she was obviously having a better night than I was.  What did bother me was the woman who popped out of a side trail and pushed me into 4th. Yes, I know it wasn't a real race, so it's technically not cheating, but COME ON!!!!  The turn into the wind didn't help matters any since I didn't have my two human windshields this time.  I admit fully that the bullshit voice started whispering at that point and a few more women slipped past me.  The monster hill allowed a few more to get in front of me.  Grrr.  I tried to put the irritation out of my mind as I looped around the pond (the goslings are growing fast!) and pushed up the final hill.  As I came down the last hill, I was the 11th place female from what I could tell.  I saw one girl not too far in front of me, so I sucked it up, started running faster, and sprinted past her for 10th place.  That is why you never slow down as you approach a finish - someone might be gaining on you.

Afterward I was discussing the whole "woman who popped in off a side trail" with Mr. R&R and he said that another woman did the same thing later in the course.  For almost 2 miles there were no females in front of him and then all of a sudden, one popped in off a side trail!  What the heck!

Thursday of that week was my Friday since I'd decided to give myself a 3 day weekend.  After work, I had the opportunity to act as a running coach to two of my co-workers.  I took them out for 3 miles after work and it was a very different experience for me.  They're both very new to running and both run at very different paces, so the majority of the miles were spent running back and forth between them and motivating them.  I give them both credit...they were both struggling, but they kept going and when we finished they both said they wanted to do it again soon.  No bullshit voices there! It also made me incredibly grateful to the people who have coached me (namely Mr. R&R and the Iron Cheerleader) - this coaching stuff is tough stuff! I had originally planned to use the run with them as a warm up before hitting the bike when I got home, but when I walked in the door I found Mr. R&R all suited up in his running clothes and decided to join him for a couple easy miles.  My legs felt light and springy, and it felt good to run at my normal pace.  Afterward, we hit up a nearby Mexican restaurant where I may have had one more mango margarita than I should have - but it was my Friday!

Friday was a fun day for me.  I slept in, took my time getting a few things done, and then got to join Little Sister and Tiny (but growing like a weed) Nephew at the zoo!  We only spent about two hours at the zoo, but my nephew really seemed to like it. According to Little Sis, he really likes watching the fish.  I have to say, I was really skeptical about this claim, but as soon as we entered the fish building he was straining to get out of his stroller and Little Sis happily obliged.

He was mildly amused by this wily looking fellow

but as soon as she held him in front of one of the giant fish tanks, his little arms and legs began flailing everywhere and he was all smiles.  Once he grew bored (and Little Sis and I had enough of the shrieking school groups surrounding us) we moved on to the aviary with one purpose in mind: penguins.  We sped through the stinky, open aviary and headed straight for Little Sis' favorite animal.

Watching Little Sister show her son her favorite animal was really cool.  Actually, just watching her with him in general...well...let's just say it made me a little misty-eyed.

And the penguins put on quite a show for them.  One kept swimming back and forth in front of them, making Tiny Nephew shriek with laughter.

After the penguin show, we stopped out for a quick lunch before Little Sis had to take Tiny Nephew to his Grandma's and herself off to work.

My next stop on Friday afternoon was Emery's (aka: The Toy Store for Triathletes). After last summer's spectacular wipe out at the Shoreline Duathlon I had some doubts about the state of my helmet.  There are no visible cracks in it, but the general rule of thumb is that if you crash in a helmet, it's time to replace it.  I also wanted to replace my shoes since I've never been able to get rid of the annoying clicking noise under the right cleat.  When I walked in, the store was completely quiet and Brent Emery himself was available to help me out.  We discussed what I was looking for in a helmet as well as my price point and I soon found myself having Brent fit multiple helmets on my head.  Eventually, I settled on this:

Bontrager Circuit

Next up was new shoes.  Brent brought out several styles and helped me figure out what was best suited to my needs.  I originally wanted a triathlon specific shoe, but he helped me find one that was good for both road and triathlon riding - and made sure that I wouldn't bang my toes against the ends while I'm riding.  We figured out which cleat type I have (he had to look it up since I suck at remembering these things) and set up a cleat fitting appointment for Monday evening.

I drove home with plans to drive out to the pool and spend some quality time soaking up chlorine, but no sooner had I walked in the door than Mr. R&R called to let me know that his plans for drinks with his friend from out of town (The Groom from the wedding in Puerto Rico) had turned into a full on Usual Suspects reunion.  My pool plans were quickly abandoned and I spent the rest of Friday night catching up with The Groom (and getting to know his absolutely lovely wife, The Bride), Mr. Fix-It, Nacho Nurse (and their little girl), Dancing Queen, Maverick, and Who-Ha.  The only ones missing were Goose, Miss Placed, and Black Betty.  We've all kind of moved on to different places in our lives, so we don't get to see each other much any more.

I probably should have gone for a long run on Saturday or Sunday, but since we were a week ahead on long run mileage, Mr. R&R and I opted to spend the weekend ripping out the rotted old boards and railroad ties that surrounded the flower beds along the side of our house and replacing them with a new, brick border.  Sounds easy, right?  Let's just say that ripping out the old border was the easy part.  Next came leveling, re-leveling, and figuring out how to make a clean break in a brick in order to fit the allotted space.  By Sunday afternoon, we'd finally gotten both flower beds edged and popped in a few plants.  It's amazing how big of a difference a little change can make!

Let's Hope I Don't Kill Them All!

We also managed to find time to fire up the grill on Sunday afternoon in order to make a beer can chicken.  If you've never tried it, I highly recommend this method of cooking a whole chicken.  The meat was super moist and so tender that it was almost falling off the bones!

Looks obscene. Tastes Divine.

I closed out week 9 with:

Swim: 0 yards
Bike: 0 miles
Run: 12.95 miles
Strength: 0
Total Miles: 12.95
Total Time: 2 hours, 9 minutes

Spring At Last? (HFHM-Week 7)

It seems that Mother Nature might finally be getting her act together...well at least sort of.  The week started off pretty chilly/windy/rainy, but ended up gloriously warm and sunny.  I'm not normally a fan of 80 degree days in early May, but after surviving the Polar Vortex all winter - it felt pretty damned good to run in shorts!

Monday was a day of rest after last week's 9 mile odyssey.  The only productive thing I did was go to the grocery store!

Tuesday was chilly and windy, but I put on my running tights (and thermal shirt and windbreaker) and headed out for 4.5 miles with Mr. R&R.  My legs felt like they were made of lead for the first 2 or so miles, but they eventually loosened up and stopped whining at me.  I even surprised myself by not going out of my way to avoid some hills!

Wednesday's run was just a hot mess.  I was supposed to go to the track and run 8x400 @ 5k pace, but the track was occupied and the thought of running in circles made me twitch.  Mr. R&R proposed a 3 mile race pace effort instead and I quickly agreed.  The first mile was fine.  It wasn't the easiest pace in the world, but I was holding my own.  Somewhere around the 2 mile mark the wheels really started to come off.  To put it nicely, my gastrointestinal system decided to stage a protest.  I spent the last mile running when I could and walking when running just wasn't an option.  And of course, the GI issues lead to the Bullshit Voice rearing it's ugly head.  It's one thing to have to battle my body or my mind, but the two together can be a pretty lethal combination.  I was in a crappy mood for the rest of the night after that.

Thursday brought 70+ degree weather and sunny skies.  After being stuck in The Cave on the trainer for months, it was time to take my bike for an outdoor ride for the first time since I wrecked during the Shoreline Duathlon last August.  I loaded my bike onto the rack and Mr. R&R and I drove over to the Rail Trail where I planned to ride 30 minutes out before turning around while he ran.  I was definitely nervous as I mounted my bike.  It's one thing to be locked into the pedals while the bike is in the trainer and can't tip over.  It's quite another to clip in on concrete!  Fortunately, I managed to clip in and start riding.  

Please Cheesus, don't let me tip over

It took 2 solid miles before I started to feel remotely comfortable riding again, but after that I started remembering how much I enjoy watching familiar landmarks come and go, the wind in my face, and the burning feeling in my legs when I shift into a bigger gear.  I had no real speed goals for this ride since I hadn't been on the road in so long, but I wasn't terribly pleased at the measly 15.6mph average either.  I know I can ride faster - now I just have to get back there!

In addition to seeing lots of runners, cyclists, and a handful of rollerbladers, I came upon these two fellows hanging out near a giant puddle at the side of the trail around the 7 mile mark.  They were just standing there, completely nonplussed by the humans passing so close by! 

Hangin' Out on a Sunny Thursday Evening

My bike and I arrived unscathed back in the parking lot about 10 minutes after Mr. R&R finished his run.  I was beyond happy that my only souvenir from the ride was a chain tat (okay, really a chain ring tat) instead of road rash!

We stopped home long enough to unload my bike and change clothes before hurrying out to the market to pick up greens for Walter and Spot and stopping at Noodles & Company for dinner.

I should have hit the pool on Friday after work, but Mr. R&R was out with friends and I had the house to myself, so I used the opportunity to make a batch of turkey meatballs to stash in the freezer, clean up Walter and Spot's house, work on my mom's gift for Mother's Day, and hang out with my boys.

My Fuzzy Friday Night

Saturday was another sunny, warm day and Mr. R&R and I had 9 miles on the schedule.  It felt really strange to be in shorts and a tank top after weeks of tights and thermals, but it felt really amazing at the same time.  Our goal pace for most of our long runs has been between 10:00 and 10:15, but with the sudden rise in the mercury and not being acclimated to it, we revised it to 10:15-10:30.  It's a very good thing that we did, because it. was. not. easy running in that weather.  I felt like I was running a lot harder than what the pace that showed up on my Garmin, but somehow it all worked out.  Mr. R&R was kind enough to share his handheld water bottle with me so I didn't have to wear my much-hated hydration belt and the lovely people at the county Parks Department have turned on a handful of water fountains a few weeks early.  I looked like a bird at a birdbath when we discovered this.  I was splashing water all over my head, arms, and legs.  I'm sure I looked insane, but I didn't care!  I even felt good enough to push through an extra mile - marking the first time I've ventured into double digits since last September!  My shoulders are also burnt to a crisp.  Maybe next time I'll be smart and remember to use sunscreen.

After showers and naps, we were both famished...and we'd thought ahead  Mr. R&R fired up the grill and we had a delicious steak dinner - and I felt absolutely no guilt about the amount of gorgonzola sauce I poured on my food!

Sunday was Mother's Day and a planned rest day.  My mom and I had lunch, took a short (1.5-ish miles) walk, stopped for ice cream and generally had a lovely day together.  I think the highlight for both of us was seeing some Canada Geese with their flock of 10 goslings while we were walking.

I also got to give my mom the present I  made for her on Friday night. I haven't given her a homemade gift in at least 20 years!

And on that note...it's time to get ready for another week.  What was the highlight of your weekend?  When's the last time you gave a gift that you made yourself?

Weekly Totals:

Swim: 0

Bike: 14 miles 

Run: 17.5 miles

Strength: 0

Total Miles: 31.5

Total Time: 3 hours, 44 minutes

Nailed It! (HFHM-Week6)

I know it's no secret around here that one of my favorite tv shows is Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch, but I also really, really loved How I Met Your Mother...especially Barney Stinson. And this week deserves a classic Barney-ism:

I nailed all my key workouts, managed to eat pretty well, and generally just felt great about the week.

Monday:
Monday started off with a the usual bowl of cereal at my desk, but was made extra delicious with the addition of fresh strawberries and raspberries. I'm ridiculously happy that good produce is slowly coming into season again.  Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against apples and bananas, but after eating them nonstop all winter, I'm ready for berry/peach/melon season.

I also took the chance of offending my coworkers at lunch time by scarfing down this protein-packed tuna sandwich!  The whole sandwich was pretty good, but swapping baby arugula in place of plain old romaine took it to a whole other level.

After work it was off to The Cave for 20 minutes of core strength and 40 minutes on the bike, followed by 10 minutes of foam rolling my legs.

 On Tuesday evening, Mr. R&R and I ran 4 miles together.  No leg cramps. No side stitches. Just pure, running fun...complete with negative splits!

The run was followed by pita pizza and more foam rolling.  The foam roller seems to be both my best friend (since it helps loosen up the tight spots in my legs) and my worst enemy (since it hurts like a mofo) these days.

I ran my first Badgerland Striders Fun Run of the season on Wednesday night. Mr. R&R and I met up with the group (including The Iron Cheerleader) at a local park and commiserated about the unseasonably cold weather as we stretched and prepared to run.  The Strider Fun Runs are a near-weekly occurrence from May to September that moves around a handful of local parks.  There's no chip timing, it's just you vs. the finish clock for 3-ish miles. 

Everyone slowly shuffled toward the starting area and as soon as everyone was in place, someone shouted "GO!" and we were off.  I've run this particular course before (same course as the Hot Dog Run from last summer), so I knew that the first mile was a slight downhill through one of my favorite places to run, followed by a steep, nasty, long (over a 1/4 mile long) hill around the 1.5 mile mark, and then mostly flat with a fast downhill finish.  To give you a better idea, here's the elevation chart from my Garmin that night:

I took advantage of the slight downhill for the first mile and clocked a 8:39.  This was also useful in escaping the chatter of some ladies who were behind me for a bit.  I tucked myself in behind two guys just past Mile 1 and used them as human windshields as we turned West and into a strong headwind.  I lost them on the giant hill since I slowed significantly on it. I hit Mile 2 in 9:02.  As I started my lap around the pond, I became aware of a guy running just off my shoulder and it was enough to make me speed up a little in an attempt to shake him.  For a while it seemed to work, but as soon as I slowed down a little, there he was, right off my shoulder again.  I pushed the pace a little more, since I hadn't been passed since before Mile 1.  I made it up the last little hill and kicked it into high gear coming down the hill...sprinting for the finish clock.  I made to the finish in 26:27 (avg. 8:56/mile).  Afterward, the guy who'd been hot on my heels for the last mile found me and I thanked him since he made me run harder. Funny enough, he said that I'd made him run harder than he'd planned because he was trying to chase me down!  I located Mr. R&R and the Iron Cheerleader and we chatted for a bit before making our way through the food line.  Oh yeah...Strider Fun Runs come complete with a weekly food theme and beer after the run.  As Mr. R&R and I were eating, he mentioned that he was pretty sure that I was the first female to finish that night.  I know it was only because most of the real speed demons weren't there, but it still blew my mind. Me? First? Really?

My legs were killing me on Thursday, so I did absolutely nothing other than foam rolling my legs.

Friday was a rough one at the office.  I'm trying to get through a massive project and it seems that for every step I take forward, I take 2 steps back. Fortunately I had a fantastic snack to power me through the afternoon:

Mozzarella, Tomatoes, Baby Arugula w/ Balsamic

After work, I stopped home to change and headed to the pool for the first time in far too long.  I had no goals other than 'Swim for 30 Minutes'.  I surprised myself and swam 1000yds in that time.  I was also pleased to discover that I can actually breathe on my right side without swallowing half a gallon of chlorinated water...which is something I couldn't do at this point a year ago.  WIN!

When I got home, I ended up meeting Mr. R&R and some friends at the bar...and having at least one more beer than I should have.  Needless to say, that cemented a decision I'd made earlier in the week: I wasn't going to race the Trail Assail 5k on Saturday.  That decision was made partly due to the crappy, rainy weather we'd had all week.  I don't mind getting a little dirty, but all the rain lead me to believe that the trail would be more like a mud pit, which greatly increased the odds of getting hurt.  The other part of that decision came from I needed to run 8 miles at some point in the weekend and I was supposed to meet some of my teammates for a bike ride on Sunday morning.  Something had to give, and it was Trail Assail.

I ended up sleeping right up until gun time on Saturday morning!  After some discussion, I used Saturday as a Rest/Run Errands/Get Stuff Done day and let my friends know that I wouldn't be able to meet them on Sunday morning. 

Sunday was long run day.  Mr. R&R and I set out to run 8 relatively easy-paced miles.  It was breezy, sunny, and all around perfect running weather.  When we got to the 4 Mile mark, Mr. R&R asked me the same question that he asks me at the half way point every week: "Do you feel like you're half way done." Surprisingly, my answer was 'No'.  We were both feeling pretty good, so we ended up running an extra mile.  There were a couple of steep hills between Miles 6 and 7, which kind of tanked the pace, but we recovered and finished strong.  I'm starting to believe that something good might be brewing for the Hartfest Half !

I closed out Week 6 with:

Swim: 1000 yards (32 minutes)
Bike: 11.64 miles (40 minutes)
Run: 16 miles (2 hours, 34 minutes)
Strength: 20 minutes
Total Miles: 28.21
Total Time: 4 hours, 6 minutes

Where Did The Week Go? (HFHM - Week 5)

Seriously...the last week passed by in a the blink of an eye.  One minute I was sitting in the living room watching Walter and Spot play with their Grandma Naner and the next minute I was sitting in my in-laws living room celebrating Easter #2.

It was absolutely beautiful out on Monday - 70 degrees, sunny, light breeze - the whole 9 yards.  Mr. R&R and I set out for a nice 3.5 mile run IN SHORTS!!!!!  It's a good thing that the weather was fantastic, because the run was not.  The first mile was pretty uneventful aside from both of my shoes coming untied despite having been double knotted.  About a quarter of the way through the second mile, my left calf started to cramp a little.  It was annoying, but I tried to push it out of my mind and keep running.  I think I must have subconsciously adjusted the way I was running to compensate for the calf cramps because a quarter mile later I ended up with a miserable cramp under the right side of my ribcage.  I caved and stopped to stretch.  We got moving again and half a mile later I was forced to stop again to stretch out my various aches and pains.  Fortunately, that seemed to do the trick and we were able to run the rest without much incident. Of course my dumb self didn't look at my training calendar before we headed out - it was supposed to be a 4 mile run!

Tuesday was a quick trip to The Cave for 40 minutes of Pump and Shred (I skipped the lunge track since my right knee is being a bit tweaky).

Wednesday was a chilly one, but Mr. R&R and I bundled up and hit the local outdoor track for a brutal Groundhog workout (7x400).  The first few repeats felt good, and then I think I had a few brain lapses when my Garmin beeped for the rest periods, because I ended up running 3 speed laps in a row instead of sticking a slow lap in the middle!  By the time it was over, I was worn out and starving!

Neither of us felt like cooking, so we swung by a new-ish burger/custard place (the place that provided the bananas and chicken soup after Gary's Gallop) to pick up dinner.  I had no intention of ordering custard, but when I saw that the flavor of the day was sangria, I had to try it.  Verdict: Yum!  The rest of the night was spent on the couch watching the first episode of Deadliest Catch: Season 10.

Further proof that I've never met a sangria I didn't like

Thursday was supposed to be a bike ride, but my legs were killing me, so I took an unscheduled rest day.  Friday was a scheduled rest day, so Mr. R&R and I took advantage of it by going out to our favorite running store on a quiet night so Mr. R&R could pick up a new pair of running shoes since his current pair had hit their maximum mileage - and I got a sneak peek at what my next pair of shoes will look like when the current pair hit their limit.  I'm a fan!

Saturday was long run day and it. was. awesome.  Mr. R&R ran with me again and it was the best long run I've ever had.  7 miles flew by - and felt more like 3 miles than 7.  I'm hoping this is a good omen of things to come over the next 7 weeks. 

The long run was followed by a quick lunch, a shower, and 80 minutes on my new massage therapist's table.  Once again, she managed to work out all the knots in my back and she released a lot of tight spots in my legs.

Sunday was a belated Easter celebration at my in-laws house.  I think the highlight of the event for me was when I took the funky socks out of my Easter basket (my mother in-law likes to give everyone novelty socks for holidays) and put them on my in-laws very tolerant (and somewhat indignant) Australian Shepherd.

Oh, the indignity!

When we got home, Walter had to up the Cute Factor by 1000 while Mr. R&R was cuddling him.

He scooted up that far on his own!

And on that note...I'm out. Monday morning is going to come way too fast!

Easter Overload

Hi! Walter and Spot here.  We've taken over our mom's blog again in celebration of Easter Walter and Spot day.  Yes, we're a few days late, but we needed a little time to recover from all the attention and spoiling!

You see, our Grandma Naner came over to have dinner with Mom and Dad spend the day with us and she brought us an Easter Basket!

Carrots and Parsley and Bananas...Oh My!

At first we weren't so sure about having an extra person in the house, so we hid in our favorite places before coming out to say hi to Naner.

If I scooch all the way to the back of my deck, they can't reach me.

Hiding under my box - on one of my favorite blankets

Our Grandma Naner knew exactly how to get on our good side...she got down on the floor and gave us carrots and lots of nose and ear rubs!  We rewarded her efforts with little nose bumps.

She even plays peek-a-boo with us!

By the time Easter Walter and Spot Day was over, we were exhausted.  The only thing to do was scarf down some of our goodies from Naner and then cuddle up and go to sleep!

Attention = Exhaustion

 We hope you had a good Easter Walter and Spot Day!

I Didn't Believe It Was Possible...

...Until It Happened.

I ran my first "tune up" race (a 5k) of the season today.  In the days leading up to the race, whenever anyone asked me how I thought I'd do, my answer was usually something like "It's gonna be ugly.  There are so many huge hills that I'll be lucky to get under 30 minutes."  I really wasn't expecting to have a good race, much less come anywhere close to my PR from almost 3 years ago. Yes, the first mile and a half was mostly downhill, but that meant that the last mile and a half was all. up. hill.  And one of those hills is the long, steep, monster hill I've grumbled about training on.  Only once in my life have I made it up that hill without walking - today was the second.

But let's back up a little first...

The race started and finished at the athletic complex of a local private college, so I was able to sleep until 7:30-ish this morning which was a nice change from having to be up at Stupid O'Clock.  It was chilly and overcast - perfect running weather.  We drove over to the college, parked, and I went to pick up my packet.  Mr. R&R made the last minute decision this morning to register for the race as well.  Last minute registration and packet pickup were both incredibly well-organized and every volunteer we encountered was super friendly. We still had over half an hour before the race started!

About 15 minutes before the gun went off, Mr. R&R generously offered to pace me to a sub-30 finish. I was all for this idea and quickly agreed as we ran a quick warm up lap on the track while discussing our race strategy: Go out fast. Try to minimize the suckage on the big hills.  After our lap, we finished stretching, listened to the national anthem (complete with two Canada Geese doing a fly over), and observed a moment of silence in honor of those who were killed and injured almost a year ago during the Boston Marathon bombing.

We knew that there was no chip timing for this race as we made our way into the starting area, so time would start as soon as the gun went off - not when we crossed the official starting line.  There was a quick countdown followed by an air horn blast.  I hit 'start' on my Garmin and did my best to push through the slower starters and stay on Mr. R&R's shoulder.  We turned out of the athletic complex and onto the familiar terrain of the parkway.  The first mile was all downhill - including the monster hill.  I rarely looked at my Garmin and instead focused on staying next to Mr. R&R and regulating my breathing.  We hit Mile 1 in 8:26!* 

The road flattened out until just after the turnaround point before beginning the climb up the hill I'd been dreading.  Strangely, it didn't feel as horrible as it usually does.  I was calm, in control of my breathing, and actually enjoying watching the back of the pack and the people doing the 2 mile walk coming down the hill on the other side of the road.  At the top of the hill (and the Mile 2 marker), a volunteer was calling out splits, and I was absolutely stunned to hear 18:xx as I had intentionally only been looking at the distance on my watch, not the time/pace.  Mile 2 was an 8:55.** 

After an all too brief dip in the road, it was all uphill back into the stadium.  This is where the suffering really began.  I was desperate for a short walk break as fatigue hit me hard and my breathing spiraled out of control - oh yes, the bull$#!^ voice was getting very loud. I begged, and Mr. R&R simply said 'No'.  For some reason, that was enough to make me squash the now kicking and screaming bull$#!^ voice back down and keep running.

We turned onto the track for the final lap and I think I finally started to believe that this was really happening.  As we entered the final stretch, a cross country style run from the end zone to the 50 yard line of the football field, Mr. R&R slowed down and said, "Go! Take It!" (he voluntarily let me come in ahead of him!).  I started my closing kick and I felt someone coming up on my shoulder.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw a ponytail and its owner looked to be in her mid-to-late twenties, but I wasn't taking any chances after what happened at the South Shore Duathlon last year (got passed in the last 1/4 mile by a girl in my age group), I dug way down deep and kicked a little harder. She dropped off my shoulder and out of my sight as I sprinted across the finish line in a glorious 27:33 - eclipsing my old PR by 1 minute and 18 seconds!  I don't think it would have been possible without Mr. R&R there pushing the pace and refusing to let me give in to the bull$#!^ voice. Best. Husband/Coach. Ever.

As soon as Mr. R&R cleared the finishing chute we moved off to the side and I dropped onto the turf; dizzy, out of breath, and absolutely shell-shocked!  After a few minutes, I dragged myself vertical and we made our way toward the post-race goodies.  I chugged a bottle of water and scarfed down a banana while Mr. R&R enjoyed chocolate milk and chicken noodle soup (I had a bite and it was really good!).  We were going to hang around to watch the kids race and wait for official results to be posted, but big fat raindrops started falling and we took that as our cue to bug out and go home.

Golden Garlic & Buckeye BBQ Wings

We enjoyed a victory lunch of chicken wings at Quaker Steak & Lube and by the time we got home, official results had been posted online.  It turns out that it was a very good thing that I out sprinted that girl at the end, because she was 31 years old...which puts her in my age group! 

Final Results:

Official Time: 27:33 (8:52/mile avg.)

Overall Place: 119/273

Gender Place: 33/141

Division (F30-34) Place: 7/25

* = Mr. R&R says this is where he started to suspect that I was going to PR.
** = Mr. R&R says this is where he knew for sure I was going to do it.

The Bull$#!^ Voice (HFHM - Week 2)

Monday: I should know better than to run the day after my long run.  Actually, I do know better than to do that, but it was warm and sunny out and the forecast called for cold/rain/wind the rest of the week, so I couldn't pass up the chance to run outside again. And fortunately, neither could Mr. R&R.  We headed out on tired legs for a very easy 3 miles.  I really love running with him because he has absolutely no interest in listening to what I've started referring to as "the bullshit voice".  The bullshit voice is that little voice inside my head that is always saying things like: 'This pace is too fast.' 'It's okay to walk for a little while.' and 'I can't do this.'  It's quite simple: If I want Mr. R&R to run with me, I have to tell the bullshit voice to shut. the. %@#!. up - or at least do my best to ignore it.

The first 2 miles were run at a really easy pace, which was a very good thing since my legs were still sore from the previous day's 5 miler and we were running into a pretty strong headwind.  I consoled myself in the last quarter mile leading up to the 2 mile mark that all I had to do was make it up the hill to the turnaround and then the last mile would be mostly downhill/flat and there'd be a nice tailwind.  No sooner did we turn around than the wind switched directions and that tailwind I'd been anticipating became a headwind and Mr. R&R picked up the pace!  Let me tell you - the bullshit voice, which had been pretty quiet, started shouting.  It was saying things like: 'I really need to walk a little.' and 'This is miserable. I don't want to be doing this.'  I could have whined at Mr. R&R and he'd probably have slowed down a little, but I didn't want to do it. I wanted to prove that I could suck it up and hang in there - after all, a big part of racing (especially short distances like the 5k) is learning to suffer because it's over so fast - so I sucked it up and stayed on his shoulder as the pace on my Garmin continued to drop.  By the end of the last mile, I was gasping for air, holding on for dear life, and doing my best to ignore the bullshit voice.  The last mile was a 9:03!  Take that bullshit voice!

Tuesday: My legs were a little creaky this morning, but that was to be expected after running 8 miles in two days after barely running at all in the last 6 months.  It was also rainy and crappy out, so I hit the trainer for a 30 minute spin (while Mr. R&R did his workout) followed by 20 minutes of HardCore Abs.  I learned a little lesson: Do the ab workout before the bike workout!

Wednesday: Rest Day.  I spent my night off from running parked in The Mane Wrangler's chair, sipping red wine, and discussing the best way to keep my highlights from turning 'chlorine green'

Thursday: It was cold. It was windy. I ran anyway.  Mr. R&R agreed to pace me through my first tempo run of the season (my least favorite form of speed work on the planet) so we set off at an almost too easy pace - and every so often, he'd pick up the pace a little.  Around the 2 mile mark we reached the peak of the tempo (2 minutes at under race pace) and then slowly began backing the pace back down.  By the time we were finished, I was pouring sweat and had the bullshit voice pouting in a corner.

Friday: I had dinner with Little Sister - just the two of us.  We met up at a new-to-me restaurant called CoopersHawk Winery around 6pm. The wine was good, the food was average, the company was outstanding!  I had initially planned on hitting The Cave when I got home, but that plan was made under the assumption that I would be home by 8pm.  I didn't roll in the door until close to 9:30 and I was nearly asleep on my feet.  Workout plans were scrapped and I hit the couch and fell asleep shortly thereafter.

Saturday: Um...yeah. Life happened, so not only did I not go to the pool, but I also skipped making up my missed time in The Cave.  On a positive note, Mr. R&R and I had lunch at Ono Kine Grindz...and that never makes me unhappy.

Aloha!

Sunday: It was a warm(ish), sunny, beautiful day and I had 6 miles on tap.  Mr. R&R joined me again (really liking this trend) and we took the first few miles easy, which is what you want to do on a long run, slowed down a little more for the fourth mile, and then cranked it up for Mile 5.  That mile was tough on my body, but Mile 6 was just brutal on my mind.  The bullshit voice was screaming at me.  My body ached, my heart was pounding, and I gave in.  I begged for a 30-45 second walk break to catch my breath/slow my heart rate - and then got really pissed off that I let that happen.  When I started running again, I still felt like crap. My hip was getting sore, I felt like I was fighting for every breathe, and every time I looked at my Garmin, I could have sworn I was running much harder than I was.  The bullshit voice flared up again and I actually started saying "shut up. shut up. shut up." out loud trying to beat it at its own game.  It's probably a good thing Mr. R&R was with me, or I would have looked like a raving lunatic!  The last mile was a fight, but I finished it...running.  I know, intellectually, that not all runs go well, but I really hate when they feel harder than they should!

I closed out Week 2 with:

Swim: 0 yards
Bike: 9 miles (30 minutes)
Run: 12.12 miles (1 hour, 59 minutes)
Strength: 20 minutes
Total Miles: 21.17 miles
Total Time: 2 hours, 49 minutes

 Next week will bring my first "tune up" race of the year.  Now the burning question is: Race with music or without?  What do you think?