This week I have been getting back into the groove after having Spring Break last week. The seminary was closed Wednesday through Friday, so I got to enjoy a nice and relaxing five day weekend! It was so great. It didn't hurt that the weather was absolutely perfect during the break either - sunny and in the 70's/80's everyday. I spent a lot of time outside in the backyard with Emma and it was fabulous.

I was able to get some good swims and rides in last week, plus some later morning runs. I wanted to run some in the heat (a relative term) because I don't know what the weather will be like in Nashville on race day. I've trained through a cold winter and a pretty mild spring, so I'm hoping to get some warmer runs in over the next few weeks. I'm definitely tapering down, and I am enjoying the rest. In addition to my three weekday runs (ranging from 4-8 miles), I will do 12 miles this Saturday and 8 miles the next Saturday. The Saturday after that will be race day!

I've already compiled my packing list for the trip and have a manila folder of all my race registration info, our hotel info, Emma's kennel info, etc. This may seem OCD, but it really helps me mentally prepare for the trip and the race. I could not handle it if I had a lot of loose ends and paperwork everywhere. I need all of the papers in my folder to be organized by day, and then alphabetically. And I need my packing list to be ordered with sub-headings and then the items listed in the order of probable use. Now that's not very OCD is it? Oh well - it helps me tremendously!

Chad and I had a great Easter weekend. We spent Saturday night with friends in Wilmore enjoying smoked brisket (Chad smoked it for 15 hours-it was delicious!) and pulled pork, plus homeade cole slaw and other veggies. I contributed a bunny cake, which turned out better than I thought it would!
On Easter morning we went to church in Wilmore to see our little friends Morgan and Athan be baptized. It was a very special way to spend Easter Sunday!

On a disappointing note, I didn't get into the New York City marathon through the lottery. I didn't really expect to because it is so huge, but I was still holding onto some hope. The way the NYC marathon works is through a lottery - once you enter your name into the lottery you are guaranteed to get into the marathon within three years. You can luck out and get in the first year, or it might be the second year, or the third year. And once you get in, you have three years to use your race entry. Chad's dad got into the race two years ago, and his friend Mr. Doug got in three years ago. They planned to run NYC last year, but were unable to due to scheduling conflicts. Since they want to run the race together, they have to run it this year since this is Mr. Doug's last year with a valid lottery entry.

Last November, after watching the race coverage on NBC, Chad's family decided that we would all go to New York in November! As soon as the lottery opened, I put my name in. I was really hoping to be able to run the race with Chad's dad and Mr. Doug, but I think it might be just as fun to be a spectator. The NYC marathon is so huge that it seems like just being a spectator will be an experience in and of itself. Plus, I have never been to New York, so just being able to go to the City and see all of the sites will be amazing!

Turkey Strut 5k race report

Training Log
Distance: 3.16 miles
Time: 24:29 (a 25 second PR!)
Average Pace: 7:44/minute

Food Log
Pre-run: bowl of Golden Grahams with a banana, small cup of coffee, water
Post-run: a clementine orange, blueberry bagel with cream cheese, hot chocolate
Lunch: 6 in turkey on wheat with american cheese, tomato, pickle, black olive, 1 snickerdoodle cookie, 1 bag cheetos, 20 oz. cherry Coke
Dinner: hamburger with cheese, tomato, chips & dip, corn, brownie with vanilla ice cream

The Turkey Strut 5k this morning was a great race for me. It is probably the last 5k I'll do this fall/winter, so it was nice to end the fall "racing" season on a good note!

At 8:00am, I drove to the registration area to pick up my shirt and number. I was pleasantly surprised with the shirt - it is a gray long sleeve number, with a simple design on the front (a turkey running) and it fits really well. I have a ton of race shirts, but very few fall into the category of cool design + good fit. After picking that up, I drove back home and did some last minute bathroom things, changed into my running stuff and then ran back to the site for a warm-up before the race. The route I normally take to the City/County park takes me 2 miles, but on my run I found a shortcut that took only a little over 1 mile, so that was a pretty good warm-up.

The weather was absolutely perfect - it was a clear and sunny day, with no wind, and it was somewhere in the low 40's when the race began. Chad and my friend Sarah and her baby Cora came out to cheer me on, which was so fun! We decided not to bring Emma at the last minute, because the ground was covered in dew, and since she is so low to the ground, we were afraid she would get wet and freeze out in the low temperatures. To make it up to her, I took her for a long walk at the park once we got home!

It is hard to say how many people were at the race, but I would say somewhere between 50-60, so it was a pretty small race. The course is hilly, but surprisingly fast. At the start, you run out of the park area and take an immediate downhill into a neighborhood. The course then takes you around and back through the neighborhood, combining a series of uphills and downhills. My strength definitley comes going up hills - I love going up hills! I put my head down, increase my leg turnover and really churn up them. But, I really need to work on my downhills, because I just haven't figured out how to best use them to my advantage. I have long legs, so I should be able to glide down them, but I haven't quite figured out how to do that yet.

From the beginning, I could tell that I was the 5th woman overall. My goal was to pass two of them, to get 3rd. There was a lady right behind me almost the entire race, and she really pushed me to go faster. I know I would not have set a PR if she hadn't been breathing down my neck! Eventually, we both passed two girls who dropped back to walk. But then the lady behind me passed me, so she was in 3rd and I was in 4th. This was around the 3k mark and I was really running out of steam. My goal at that point was to not let any one else pass me, and try as hard as I could to pass her in the final stretch.

I never did pass her, so I came in as 4th woman overall. It sucked to be so close to getting in the top 3, but I was still very proud of my PR and my overall placement! I was able to get 1st in my age group as well. After the race, I thanked the lady for pushing me so hard - I told her I got a 25 second PR because of her! She told me that I was really pushing her, too and she didn't think she would be able to pass me. That made me feel good that it worked out that way - we were both able to push each other to do better than we thought we each could do.

Running 5 days per week has really helped. I know I would have been slower in this race had it not been for my recent weeks of training. This race also solidified my decision to really start incorporating speed work into my training. I know it will make the difference for me in these smaller races, and will help with my overall marathon training.

I have some good pictures from the race that I'll put up in my next post!

Whole Wheat Gnocchi vs. Nachos Supreme

Training Log
Distance: 3.17 miles
Time: 28:32
Average Pace: 9:00 minutes/mile

Food Log
Breakfast: oatmeal with banana & 1 tsp. peanut butter, coffee
Lunch: vegetable beef and barley soup with saltine crackers, milk
Snack: Kashi dark chocolate cherry bar
Dinner: whole wheat gnocchi with grilled chicken, spinach and marinara sauce, piece of whole wheat toast

This morning during my run I was listening to an old running playlist on my iPod. "Jesus Walks" by Kanye West came on, and it reminded me of one of my first Wilmore group runs almost three years ago. Before we would set out on for the run, we would pray together as a group. I didn't know this the first time I went, so I was all ready to run with my iPod (I normally fell right in the middle of the pack and ran alone, so I wore the iPod) and then someone was like "ok, lets pray." At this point, I already had my music going, and the iPod was located a few layers down, and I had gloves on. It would have taken a lot to fish it out and turn it off, then turn it back on and get it situated again, so I decided to just leave it playing. I'll never forget standing in a circle with people who were praying, as Kanye West was pumping through my ears and making me feel like I needed to punch someone in the throat!

Tonight I really wanted to stop at Taco Bell or McDonalds for dinner. It would have been fast, easy and oh so delicious. But, I knew that we had gnocchi, spinach and grilled chicken at home. So, I made whole wheat gnocchi with a marinara sauce that I put chopped spinach and sliced chicken in. It was so good and really filling. And I know it will be much better fuel for my run in the morning than a double decker taco would be!

After eating, I watched Running on the Sun - a documentary about the Badwater ultramarathon. All I can say is WHOA. I've read about Badwater in Dean Karnazes' book Ultramarathon Man, but watching a documentary on the race really puts it into perspective. It is a 135 mile race in Death Valley, held in July each year. To get an idea, winners normally finish the race in 27-28 HOURS. This documentary was filmed in 2002 I believe, so the times are probably a little faster now. I can imagine maybe (and that's a big maybe) one day doing a 50k trail race, but I cannot imagine doing a 135 mile race through Death Valley!!

Sunday

Training Log
Distance: 3.3 miles
Time: 28:52
Average Pace: 8:44 per mile

Food Log:
Pre-run: Whole wheat toast with strawberry jam, water
Post-run: bowl of Golden Grahams with a sliced banana, coffee
Lunch: small Baja Chicken sandwich on wheat from Quiznos, with Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips and Dr. Pepper
Snack: coffee mug of vanilla frozen yogurt
Dinner: Chicken fajita tacos with chicken, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, chips and salsa on the side


Today has been an inspiring day. My father-in-law ran the San Antonio marathon in just a little over 4:30 (4:34 I believe). He has trained for marathons before, but was always plagued with injuries like plantar fascitis that took him out of the race. He is also a cancer survivor. His main goal is to run the New York Marathon next year, but he and his running partner thought it would be a good idea to get a marathon under his belt this year, in preparation for New York. I talked to him yesterday after the race and he said that he felt a huge sense of accomplishment, but that he also felt like he had been to hell and back. That's quite a statement for a Southern Baptist pastor! But, I know he had a great time and I hope that I can run New York with him next fall. I put my lottery entry in, and I will find out in March if I get in for 2010. If I don't get in, our plan is to go to New York with Chad's mom, his sister Payton and her husband Jay to support him and cheer for him in the race. So either way, I am definitely looking forward to the first weekend in November, 2010!!


The other really inspiring thing I saw today was a segment on CBS about Matt Long, an Ironman and NYC firefighter who was hit by a bus during the NYC transit strike a few years ago. He was on his bike while he was hit, and his bike impaled him and practically gutted him like a fish. Doctors thought there was no way he would survive, but two years later he finished the New York marathon in a little over 7 hours. This summer, he completed Ironman Lake Placid. I read about his story in Runner's World and was really moved, but to see him and his family members and friends talk about all he has gone through, it was just really incredible. It really puts not running due to a sore throat, headache or back pains (anything really!) into perspective. Information on his foundation can be found at www.iwillfoundation.com

Thursday

Training Log
Bike trainer
Time: 30 minutes

Food Log
Breakfast: bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios, coffee
Snack: Kashi dark chocolate cherry granola bar
Lunch: leftover spaghetti with a spinach and mushroom salad, with light ranch dressing
Snack: small piece of cake and M&M's at an office baby shower (the cake was so good!)
Dinner: 4 slices Pizza Hut thin crust pizza w/ black olives and red onions
Dessert: vanilla yogurt with granola

Sunday

Training Log
AM Run
Distance: 2.27 miles
Time: 19:44
Pace: 8:41

PM Ride
Distance: 11.6 miles
Time: 47:02
Average MPH: 15.0

Food Log
Breakfast: bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios, glass of orange juice, cup of coffee
Snack: donut at church
Lunch: Chipotle burrito bowl - rice, black beans, corn salsa, cheese, guacamole, chips
Dinner: bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats

I decided to take my bike out for a spin this afternoon, as the weather has been absolutely beautiful today. I haven't ridden on the road in about two weeks, and I could definitely feel it. I wanted to get in a nice and easy ride to flush out any built-up lactic acid in my legs and to stretch out a little bit. Tomorrow will be a rest day, and I am looking forward to it!

Back in the pool

Training Log
AM
Time: 25 minute swim

Food Log
Breakfast: Banana, mini Clif peanut butter bar, 8oz coffee
Snack: none
Lunch: 6in turkey on wheat, with American cheese, tomatoes, pickles & black olives
Snack: none
Dinner: "Mexi bowl"
Dessert: 2 Reese's dark chocolate peanut butter cups

Today was my first time back to the pool in about a month. I didn't have a specific workout planned - my goal was to simply get back in the water and try to swim for 25 minutes without drowning! Surprisingly, it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I can really tell that my lung capacity has diminished some, but I am hoping that by swimming one to two times per week in the off-season, I will be back up to speed come triathlon training season.

After warming up for about 10 minutes by alternating freestyle and breast stroke, I did 4 sets of 100 yards, with 50 yards of breast stroke in between each set. Next Thursday, I will swim for 30 minutes, with the goal of doing 10x100 (with 20 second rest between each set) in between 15 to 20 minutes. I am also going to try to get a short cool-down swim in after my long run this Saturday.

I've noticed that vegetables are pretty lacking in my diet. I wanted to fix it with my dinner tonight, so I made a "mexi bowl." This dish is inspired by my sister Megan, and it is a great and fast meal.

I put a handful of tortilla chips in the bottom of a bowl, and covered it with a few spoonfuls of a warm black bean, kidney bean, corn, green bell pepper, red bell pepper and green chile mix. I topped this with some mexican blend cheese, a teaspoon of sour cream and a diced fresh roma tomato. It is cheap, fast, very easy and SO good. Plus, I like that I got a good mix of vegetables, fats and protein in one dish!

Family Visit

(Warning - this is a long post! Also, you can see my sister's report of the trip on her blog at www.texascrossfitter.blogspot.com)

Last weekend, my family came from Texas on an impromptu trip to visit us here in Kentucky. It was so great! When we moved to Kentucky three years ago, we figured that we would get to see our family twice a year - for Christmas and for a summer vacation. But each year we have been really lucky because we've been able to see at least my family or Chad's family at one other point in the year, too. I love love love getting to see family, so I was ecstatic a few weeks ago when my mom called and said that she, my dad and my sister wanted to come visit us. Plane tickets were purchased, a rental car was reserved, and about two weeks later they pulled up in our driveway!

They flew from Houston to Louisville on Thursday, and arrived in Nicholasville at about 12:30am...which is pretty much the crack of dawn for my family. I definitely get my "early to bed, early to rise" genes from my mom and dad. I was actually pretty worried about them driving from Louisville to Nicholasville (about an hour and a half drive) so late at night. But they arrived safely about 12:30am!

After talking and catching up for a little bit, and letting the dogs play together for a while (I was so glad Megan was able to bring Pod, her chihuahua!) we decided to turn in for the night. We didn't have any concrete plans for Friday, so the big plan was to sleep in. Well, I slept on the couch with Emma and it was pretty much like sleeping on a couch with a toddler. She slept soundly on Thursday evening while we were waiting for my family to arrive, so when they arrived (and with her special friend Pod, no less) she went crazy. Megan and Pod were sleeping in our extra bedroom, and Emma spent most of the night completing a routine of sleeping on the couch (where she would force me to sleep in a cramp-inducing state, as she likes to lay perpendicular on the couch), then waking up and jumping off the couch, then crying at Megan's door, then getting back on the couch after I was like "Emma, EMMA!". She did this about every 15 minutes.

So Friday morning came pretty early! Luckily the next few nights were much better, as the dogs played hard during the day and slept pretty soundly at night. Once we were up and moving on Friday, we had breakfast and coffee (which my mom makes the best coffee, by the way) and then headed into Wilmore so I could show them the seminary where Chad attends and where I work. I'll note here that my parents have visited us twice (my mom three times) and have seen a lot of the sites. But Megan, as you may remember from my Cincinnati marathon posts a few years back, has only been able to come up once. And that trip was a disaster, and only allowed her to see the view from the airport and back. So, we wanted to show her a lot of cool things around Central Kentucky this time around.

After going to Asbury and showing them around and introducing them to my co-workers, we headed into Lexington to go to Keeneland. I was really glad that they chose to visit in October, because I knew we could go to Keeneland. Keeneland is a stunningly beautiful horse track in Lexington, and they only race twice a year there - in October and April. So it was kind of a gloomy day, chilly and overcast, but I knew that we just had to go to Keeneland.

Keeneland is different from most tracks in that it is built mainly of stone, and has tons of green space. Other race tracks I've been to like Churchill Downs and Louisiana Downs have so much concrete, which really makes Keeneland so beautiful in comparison. As we were going into the front gates to buy our tickets, a nice man gave my dad a free ticket. Admission was $5, so it was nice to get a free admission ticket! Once we were in, the guy walked by me and I said "thanks again for the ticket" and he gave me a $10 food voucher. So that was nice! Except for the fact that we bought $40 worth of hot dogs, chicken tenders, drinks and bread pudding for lunch, and forgot to use the voucher! Doh! But we used it later to buy pretzels and peanuts. We stayed for two races, and my dad actually won $20 in one of the races!

After leaving Keeneland, we headed back home to relax for a little bit and play with the dogs. That evening, we went to Dick's Sporting Goods (a store my sister loves, but they don't have in Houston) and then to Moe's for dinner, which is also a place my sister loves, but they don't have in Houston! We knew burritos would be pretty good pre-race food, as we were running a 5k in the morning.

Saturday morning came, and we were all a little more rested than we had been on Friday morning. Chad had to go to Asbury to work for a few hours, so he headed into Wilmore and we headed to the 5k race site. The weather on Saturday morning was overcast and chilly, but seemed like it would be good racing weather. The greatest part about the race was that it was only about 3 miles away from our house, at the RJ Corman compound. RJ Corman is a local businessman who has made millions in the railroad industry. He owns like 100s of acres in Nicholasville/Jessamine County, and has nicely paved running and biking trails throughout his property, as he is an avid runner and cyclist. He is also a cancer survivor. He opens up a section of these trails for 5k races, and the "Tri Delt Dash" was the first 5k I've run at his place. He also holds the "RJ Corman Festival of the Fourth 5k" every year, but that is run in Wilmore.

The race began at 9:00am, and we arrived at 8:30 to pick up our packets. We got our packets and t-shirts, then made a quick bathroom stop before lining up at the starting line. Our plan was to run easy and have fun. I got a NikePlus Sportband a few weeks ago, and it is amazing! It's great having a watch for only $60 that shows distance, pace and time. I just can't justify shelling out $300 or so for a Garmin, so this Sportband is a great little tool. So, the gun went off and off we went. We settled into a nice pace of 8:55, and soon passed a lot of the people who had started off too fast. The scenery was absolutely beautiful - we passed creeks and ran through beautiful orange and yellow fall foliage. It was also great not being on a road, but being on private property. At about the 1 mile mark, RJ Corman himself and my marathon friend Alan passed us and we chatted for a little bit with them. But then they left us in the dust, ha ha. A little before the two mile mark, two guys cheated and cut their distance almost in half by cutting across the course. RJ Corman yelled at them and said they were disqualified - it was awesome! I'm sure they had no idea who he was, and didn't think they would be caught.

Megan and I finished in 25:30, which I thought was pretty good for a nice and easy effort. Just as we finished, it began to rain so we decided to not stick around for the awards (we didn't think we placed, anyway!) and headed to Main and Maple to get some coffee and hot chocolate. We relaxed the rest of the morning, and then got cleaned up to go to lunch at Pazzo's in Lexington when Chad got home. We had a great lunch of pizza and calzones, and there may have been some beer samplers involved for Chad and my dad...

After Pazzo's, we headed back home and took the dogs out to the dog park since the rain had cleared up. There weren't any other dogs out there, but it was great for Emma and Pod to get to run some energy off. My mom tried desperately to get a good photo of the two of them together, but they weren't having it! Dachshunds and chihuahuas just don't like to sit still when they are in close proximity to one another, I guess.

Saturday evening we headed into Wilmore to hang out with our friends. My parents had already met just about everyone, but Megan hadn't met any of our friends. We had a bonfire at the Strebecks with smores and hot cider - perfect for a chilly October night! I was really glad Megan got to meet everyone, as I am always telling them crazy stories about me and Megan. My mom and Megan also got to meet Harper Raborn, the newest and littlest addition to our group of friends!

Sunday morning we slept in a bit, then headed into Lexington for brunch at Alfalfa's. I've only eaten there once, after a 3k in Lexington last March, but it was so good and I knew my family would like it. After stuffing ourselves with pancakes, eggs, bacon, grits and quiche, we headed next door to the Fayette County Cigar store. My dad LOVES cigars and was in the tobacco industry for several years, so I think he really enjoyed being able to check out their humidor and chat with the owner.

Once we got home, Chad started on a chicken and sausage gumbo. Once it was at a good simmering stage, we headed out to Boyd Orchards. This place was amazing! It is an orchard with all kinds of "you pick" fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, we're too far in the season now and have already past their picking times. So, since we couldn't pick any fresh apples, we loaded up on apple donuts, apple cider, pumpkin pie and pumpkin donuts from their "general store". Boyd's was a really neat place, and I think Chad and I will head out there next spring/summer to pick some fruit and vegetables.

When we got home, we dug into the gumbo. It was so good - Chad is an excellent cook, and he makes a great gumbo. We were all really stuffed, but managed to eat pumpkin pie and/or chocolate pie afterward! The day felt a lot like Thanksgiving to me, which was neat since we will be away from family on the actual Thanksgiving this year.

They had to head to the airport on Monday afternoon, and I was sad to see them go but so so thankful that they were able to come visit for 4 days. I know it is a huge undertaking to travel nowadays - it is very expensive, plus they each had to take a couple of days off of work - so I was really thankful that they were willing to do all of that for little old me and Chad. And sweet Emma - they love her like a granddaughter. She was definitely spoiled during their trip as well!

Hopefully I will have pictures soon to post. On Tuesday, I am going to start my base training for my spring marathon training. This fall/winter/spring I hope to get this blog back on track and focus on posting my marathon training details. I'm planning to run the Derby Festival Marathon in late April. This way, I will be able to have my marathon season over before the triathlon season gets underway. I'm also going to incorporate swimming and biking into my marathon training. I am actually buying a fluid trainer from a friend this afternoon, so I hope to log a lot of miles on the bike this winter from the comfort of my living room!

Thanks for sticking in to the end on this post, I know it has been long!

Back in the Saddle Again

I kicked off my marathon and sprint triathlon training this week. I am fortunate enough to get a great rate at Asbury College's workout facilities, aka "The Luce Center," since I work for Asbury Seminary. My workouts last week were great, and I am really looking forward to my second week of training.

Training summary for the week:
Mon: Rest day
Tues: 2.5 mile run in 24:04 minutes, arms & core weight workout
Wed: 3.5 mile run in 35:15, legs & core weight workout
Thurs: 15 minutes on stationary bike, 15 minute run, arms & core weight workout
Fri: Rest
Sat: 3.1 mile "long" run (should have been 6...see below)
Sun: Rest

I really would have liked to have gotten a 2 mile run in on Monday, but it was my first day back to work after two weeks off and I wanted to be at my desk bright and early. So I used Monday as a rest day and began training on Tuesday.

My training plan called for a 6 mile long run yesterday, but I was only able to get in 3.1. I met up with some friends in Wilmore for the run at 8:00am and we hit the road at 8:10am. At about 8:20am, a torrential down pour began. We were running a 5k loop, and my plan was to run it twice. I figured that I was soaking wet anyway, so another 30 minutes out in the rain couldn't be too bad. But it got a little colder and the rain came a little harder as I approached the 3.1 mile mark and I decided to throw in the towel. Not literally, because I would have really liked to have a towel at that point. If I would have had a change of clothes I would have gone to the gym and finished the run on a treadmill, but I was soaked to the bone with no clothes to change into. My shoes and socks were totally soaked as I ran the last half mile and I really began to worry about being sucked into a storm drain, getting "trench foot" and/or my most likely fate, getting bad blisters. Luckily none of the above occurred.

We called it quits at 3.1 miles and each headed home for warm showers. I had a 10 minute drive to get back to Nicholasville and I was absolutely freezing when I pulled into our driveway. But a hot shower and coffee with friends soon after helped to warm me back up. I know the weather in Kentucky in the winter can be very fickle, so I hope to not have to cut any more long runs short during my training due to weather. From now on I think I will come prepared to finish my run on a treadmill if necessary.

Overall, I am feeling pretty good. Chad and I both are trying to eat better and cut back on processed foods. I am really trying to curb my eating and eat only when I am truly hungry - not just because I am bored, tired, emotional, etc. I think that food holds a much greater place in society and culture to be simply viewed as "fuel" - but I find myself repeating the "food is fuel" mantra when staring down a plate of brownies, cookies, chips, you name it. It has really helped me this past week.

I weighed myself on Tuesday morning and would like to drop 10 pounds between now and marathon morning. I think this goal is definitely attainable, and I look forward to dropping some pounds, increasing my fitness and endurance levels, and transforming my body over the next 3.5 months.