Yesterday was an awesome day for running! After a week of days where the temperature hovered around 32, we had a high in the 50s, so we were able to run in shorts and pullovers. The race was at Stanky Creek at 2pm and I think I found a good meal to eat before a race like that. Around 11:45 I ate a turkey sandwich with a granola bar and a clementine and my stomach was fine all afternoon.
We got there a little after 1 and Drew and I decided to run the full course for a warmup - and I was thinking about how far I've come since last year. Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine coming to a 5K and running the course as a warmup! We ran it slow and it took us about 31 minutes. Then we just stretched and drank some water until the race started.
I tried to start close to the front so I would not get boxed in because the race starts on a sidewalk then darts into the forest across a narrow bridge into singletrack. Well, my plan was foiled by some little boys! The little kids always start near the front of the race and it is always a pain to try to pass them. But as soon as the gun sounded the little kids in front of me almost fell so I got trapped behind them and got passed by a lot of people. After the bottleneck at the bridge (I had to walk to get through!!) my plan became to not get passed once and to pass as many people as possible. And that is exactly what happened - I think I passed probably 18-20 people and no one ever passed me. I even passed a couple of people who always beat me, so that was nice. My finishing time was 27:08 and as I finished Drew yelled at me to smile, so hopefully my finishing photo will be better than my last two! So I improved on my time from last year and I got second in my age group. I think my time is a decent one because I normally finished 5Ks around 25:00 and Drew finishes around 20:00 and we were both about 2 minutes off our norms. Drew finished in 22 something. I'm currently first in points for the series for my age group, but I'm a little nervous about keeping that lead - the next race (8+K) is the day after the Sylamore 25K!! We'll see.
So the race ended and Drew and I got water, ate a gel, and took off again. My goal was to reach 18, but we were tired from the race and my left hamstring has been bothering me for about a week now. I started off okay but the as the miles went by I felt worse and worse - plus Stanky creek has so many ups and downs. I tried to bail out after 4, but Drew pushed me to do 4 more - he knew I would be kicking myself later if I stopped, so thank goodness my husband knows me like that! We finished the 8 mile loop and stopped after that to end with 14.2 for the day. And I don't feel that bad about it with a race thrown in there. We were sooooo tired once it was over. I just plopped down on the ground.
But then I picked myself up because we were going to McDonalds where we feasted on fries, burgers, and nuggets! It was awesome. My hamstring is worrying me though so I have been putting icy hot or bengay patches on it. I'm not going to run or bike for two days to give it plenty of rest, so hopefully it'll start to feel better soon. Hopefully I'll have some good pics to post soon!
Happy running!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Swampstomper 2008!!
What a great day for a race and what an awesome race it was!!
To get ready for this race I tapered for two days and rode the bike quite a bit, plus I ate a lot of carbs on those two days. Saturday night I laid all of my gear out on the couch and tried to get some sleep. I've been fighting a cold so I was up most of the night, but when my alarm clock went off I was up quickly. I got dressed - tights, pants, two shirts, pullover, hat, thick socks, and gloves - and Michael picked me up at 6am. The temp outside was 28 and don't think it got much above that the whole day! It was freezing!!
The race was at Shelby Forest and it started at 7:30. We got there around 6:45 and met up with Laura, Patrick, and Vince and we tried to stay warm in our cars for as long as possible. We waited until 7:25 to finally get out of the car and then run over to the start. There were about 150 runners there and we were all jumping around waiting for the RD to say go! Finally we were off!
The first 1/2 mile took forever because the race starts on asphalt and then turns into the woods and there is about a 150 foot drop with stairs, so all the runners get backed up. Laura and I ran the entire race together, so once we got through that we settled in to a nice pace that hovered between a 9:45 mile and 10:15. The first section of the race is about 3.7 miles and it is fairly flat with a few small climbs and Laura and I were just trucking along. We got passed by quite a few people, but I knew we would be seeing some of them again later on!
The first aid station came up quick at the end of the first section and we grabbed water and some food. Since we were just running the 25K we decided not to bring water - plus aid stations were about every 3 miles - and I was glad we did this. The next section was beast. It was only a 2.9 mile loop but it was constant climbs and drops. Up 200 feet, then down, then repeat. Just when I thought we were done, there was another. It was freaking hard, but we power hiked up them then got down as fast as possible. Finally we were done and back at the aid station where we grabbed some more water and some pretzels.
At this point Laura and I were still feeling pretty good - we were talking and very upbeat and having a lot of fun! So we took off on the next section which was another 3 miles and it was similar to the first section - a few ups and downs plus some running through some bamboo and some creek crossings and we had a blast running through this part. This section leads to the turn around in the race so we were seeing the front runners come back and we enjoyed cheering them on - either by their place or their race number. I think a few of them thought we were crazy but I think we entertained many. This actually helped the time go by because we were at the turn around in no time. I ate a clif gel here and some MnM's and we were back running very quickly.
Basically the last part of the race is the exact same minus the beastly loop of hills. We made good time back to the last aid station where we had some frozen water that was hard to drink - it was freezing out there! Then we were off for the last 3.7 mile section and it was here that we started to catch people. I think maybe we caught about 8 people or so because there were some volunteers cheering people on and when I heard a lady say 2.5 left I took off and Laura was right behind me. We were flying through the last section and were pumped when we made it back to the stairs that held us up in the beginning of the race!
We crossed the finish line unofficially in 3:11:54 (the course was 16.4 miles) - which I believe is a great time for us. We enjoyed the post race chili and fire, picked up our medals (which are really cool by the way - I'll have to post a picture), and then cheered on the guys going back out. Drew didn't get in the race, but he showed up and ran with Michael on his 2nd 25K loop, so we sent them off. Michael had all kinds of icicles in his beard and Laura had ice in her hair! It was ridiculously cold! But it could have been much worse - the Swampstomper lived up to it's name last year when it rained and the course was very swampy. Luckily the course was dry this year.
All in all, it was a great day. I felt awesome running, had fun with Laura, great course conditions, awesome volunteers and RD - I'm glad I did it and I'll be back next year!!
**I don't have a lot of pics because my camera battery froze up in the cold. I do have a couple that I'll post tomorrow once my camera battery gets back to normal!
Happy running!
To get ready for this race I tapered for two days and rode the bike quite a bit, plus I ate a lot of carbs on those two days. Saturday night I laid all of my gear out on the couch and tried to get some sleep. I've been fighting a cold so I was up most of the night, but when my alarm clock went off I was up quickly. I got dressed - tights, pants, two shirts, pullover, hat, thick socks, and gloves - and Michael picked me up at 6am. The temp outside was 28 and don't think it got much above that the whole day! It was freezing!!
The race was at Shelby Forest and it started at 7:30. We got there around 6:45 and met up with Laura, Patrick, and Vince and we tried to stay warm in our cars for as long as possible. We waited until 7:25 to finally get out of the car and then run over to the start. There were about 150 runners there and we were all jumping around waiting for the RD to say go! Finally we were off!
The first 1/2 mile took forever because the race starts on asphalt and then turns into the woods and there is about a 150 foot drop with stairs, so all the runners get backed up. Laura and I ran the entire race together, so once we got through that we settled in to a nice pace that hovered between a 9:45 mile and 10:15. The first section of the race is about 3.7 miles and it is fairly flat with a few small climbs and Laura and I were just trucking along. We got passed by quite a few people, but I knew we would be seeing some of them again later on!
The first aid station came up quick at the end of the first section and we grabbed water and some food. Since we were just running the 25K we decided not to bring water - plus aid stations were about every 3 miles - and I was glad we did this. The next section was beast. It was only a 2.9 mile loop but it was constant climbs and drops. Up 200 feet, then down, then repeat. Just when I thought we were done, there was another. It was freaking hard, but we power hiked up them then got down as fast as possible. Finally we were done and back at the aid station where we grabbed some more water and some pretzels.
At this point Laura and I were still feeling pretty good - we were talking and very upbeat and having a lot of fun! So we took off on the next section which was another 3 miles and it was similar to the first section - a few ups and downs plus some running through some bamboo and some creek crossings and we had a blast running through this part. This section leads to the turn around in the race so we were seeing the front runners come back and we enjoyed cheering them on - either by their place or their race number. I think a few of them thought we were crazy but I think we entertained many. This actually helped the time go by because we were at the turn around in no time. I ate a clif gel here and some MnM's and we were back running very quickly.
Basically the last part of the race is the exact same minus the beastly loop of hills. We made good time back to the last aid station where we had some frozen water that was hard to drink - it was freezing out there! Then we were off for the last 3.7 mile section and it was here that we started to catch people. I think maybe we caught about 8 people or so because there were some volunteers cheering people on and when I heard a lady say 2.5 left I took off and Laura was right behind me. We were flying through the last section and were pumped when we made it back to the stairs that held us up in the beginning of the race!
We crossed the finish line unofficially in 3:11:54 (the course was 16.4 miles) - which I believe is a great time for us. We enjoyed the post race chili and fire, picked up our medals (which are really cool by the way - I'll have to post a picture), and then cheered on the guys going back out. Drew didn't get in the race, but he showed up and ran with Michael on his 2nd 25K loop, so we sent them off. Michael had all kinds of icicles in his beard and Laura had ice in her hair! It was ridiculously cold! But it could have been much worse - the Swampstomper lived up to it's name last year when it rained and the course was very swampy. Luckily the course was dry this year.
All in all, it was a great day. I felt awesome running, had fun with Laura, great course conditions, awesome volunteers and RD - I'm glad I did it and I'll be back next year!!
**I don't have a lot of pics because my camera battery froze up in the cold. I do have a couple that I'll post tomorrow once my camera battery gets back to normal!
Happy running!
Friday, January 18, 2008
Swampstomper here I come
I've been on part of the Swampstomper race course before, but it was years ago and Drew and I just hiked part of it one Saturday. I've been a little nervous about the race, so I decided to visit our Memphis trail running association's forum to search for past race reports. Here are the descriptions I found:
Those are only a few descriptions - there are many more! I emailed this to Laura and we both were really scared/nervous. I decided to comment a fellow Memphis runner/blogger who had gone to some of the training runs out there and he made us feel much better. This is what he had to say:
Seeing that made us feel much better...plus add in the fact that the weather is not going to be near as bad as it has been the past couple of years. Apparently what made it so crazy was massive amounts of mud and numerous creek crossings with water up past your waist. This year the course is much drier, so hotty toddy for us!
I've been drinking tons of water and eating lots of carbs plus resting. Swampstomper is my first "long" race of the season so I'm excited to see how I'll do. My A goal is to get as close to 3 hours as possible...but you know how goals go. I might get out there and just be lucky to finish or I might blow it out of the water. I found out tonight that another member of the Memphis Ultra crew got in the race - Patrick put his name on the waiting list and he found out last night that he got in! So we will have at least three members running. Michael is still waiting, but is he doesn't get in he'll be out there cheering us on with Drew!
Hopefully I'll have some good stuff to report on Sunday...I'll leave you today with a picture from last week's 3K. They just posted the pictures on the race website today.
I'm always amazed at what crazy faces I make!
Happy running - hopefully I'll have some good stuff to report on Sunday!
wow...that was really hard. i'm not really sure what to say about the course. it was freaky...
i just gotta say that all the people that went out on a second loop knowing what was in there deserve some kind of reward, like free counselling or something because we all obviously need it.
the only thing that got me back out there is something dave horton said on his PCT run..."once you make a commitment, you must finish it"....seriously, that is what got me back out there and several times cursing him for saying it. then once i got back out there it was like....."what would Pre do...what would Pre do"......crazy mental gymnastics....
Last but not least, while not advertised as a technical course, I found myself on my Kiester enough times, not to mention crawling on all fours plenty of times including the final ascent to camp. If anyone heard cussing in the distance, it was me and please take no offense
I now must rest and try to forget, though the promise of physical distress will never let me forget.
This 25K was easily as difficult as any marathon I've completed. It was a strange experience to "bonk" after only 13-14 miles of running. Truly a mentally and physically exhausting run! Happy to report three slips and only 1 spill.
It has been a while since I have completed that distance anywhere. That course on that day was easily the hardest run I have ever attempted and finished. I have run further and run faster, but never have I put so much effort into something so difficult and it just became more so as the miles rolled along. I'm glad I stopped at the 25K.
Those are only a few descriptions - there are many more! I emailed this to Laura and we both were really scared/nervous. I decided to comment a fellow Memphis runner/blogger who had gone to some of the training runs out there and he made us feel much better. This is what he had to say:
White 1 is about 3.7 miles. Very steep downhill from start, then fairly flat.
--aid station--
red loop is about 3 miles. A lot of elevation changes with some flats. T
--aid station--
white 2 is about 3 miles. There is a lot of elevation changes and a creek (should be dry) to cross. Also includes some blacktop and a bathroom. This is the turnaround.
--aid station--
Reverse white 2 & 1, skipping the red loop and you be finished!
Seeing that made us feel much better...plus add in the fact that the weather is not going to be near as bad as it has been the past couple of years. Apparently what made it so crazy was massive amounts of mud and numerous creek crossings with water up past your waist. This year the course is much drier, so hotty toddy for us!
I've been drinking tons of water and eating lots of carbs plus resting. Swampstomper is my first "long" race of the season so I'm excited to see how I'll do. My A goal is to get as close to 3 hours as possible...but you know how goals go. I might get out there and just be lucky to finish or I might blow it out of the water. I found out tonight that another member of the Memphis Ultra crew got in the race - Patrick put his name on the waiting list and he found out last night that he got in! So we will have at least three members running. Michael is still waiting, but is he doesn't get in he'll be out there cheering us on with Drew!
Hopefully I'll have some good stuff to report on Sunday...I'll leave you today with a picture from last week's 3K. They just posted the pictures on the race website today.
I'm always amazed at what crazy faces I make!
Happy running - hopefully I'll have some good stuff to report on Sunday!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
WCCS 3K - 1st race of the season!
Sunday was my first official race of 2008 and it was a pretty good one. A 3K is 1.86 miles and I ran it in 15:07 for an 8:07 pace, which is not too bad for me on a trail. I ran this race last year in 15:27 and one of my goals was to improve from last year and I think 20 seconds in such a short race is great. Perfectly fine with me!
I forgot how fast this race is. It takes place at Overton Park and the start is in a field. So everyone basically sprints the first 200 yds then the course takes a sharp right and starts to eventually head into a single track trail. So if you want a good position in the single track, you literally better sprint as fast as you can. Last year I got caught behind some kids and it sucked. But I had a decent start - I got behind this girl I know who is fast and tried to stay with her for the first part and I did an okay job, but then I had to let her go. Then I just focused on my race and finishing as strong as possible. My official time is 15:07 but when I crossed the line in the chute finish the clock said 15:04, so I'm not sure how that works. An improvement is an improvement!
Next up is the Swampstomper 25K on Sunday, so this week I'm just going to run about 20-25 miles then see what I can do at the race. It should be interesting because today I googled the race and found some interesting descriptions of it. I'll talk about those another day.
Happy running!
I forgot how fast this race is. It takes place at Overton Park and the start is in a field. So everyone basically sprints the first 200 yds then the course takes a sharp right and starts to eventually head into a single track trail. So if you want a good position in the single track, you literally better sprint as fast as you can. Last year I got caught behind some kids and it sucked. But I had a decent start - I got behind this girl I know who is fast and tried to stay with her for the first part and I did an okay job, but then I had to let her go. Then I just focused on my race and finishing as strong as possible. My official time is 15:07 but when I crossed the line in the chute finish the clock said 15:04, so I'm not sure how that works. An improvement is an improvement!
Next up is the Swampstomper 25K on Sunday, so this week I'm just going to run about 20-25 miles then see what I can do at the race. It should be interesting because today I googled the race and found some interesting descriptions of it. I'll talk about those another day.
Happy running!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
A Different Look at 2007
**Race today was good...I'll post tomorrow with a race recap once I find out my official stats!
I was tagged by Dave for a 2007 race questionnaire. So here we go!
1. Most memorable moment on the trails in 2007.
There are so many, but one thing I truly loved was getting to know my brother-in-law and my friend Laura better on many long trail runs. It's amazing how much you talk about on these runs! One specific moment was finishing the Stumpjump 50K. I trained long and hard for it and to actually finish it under extremely hot conditions was awesome...even thought I paid for it for about a month!
2. Best new trail discovered in 2007.
Since I started trail running in 2007, so all of them in Memphis (there are only about 5-6)! I had never heard much about trail running before this year and I will do it for years to come. But my favorite trail here in Memphis would have to be the Wolf River trails blue trail.
3. My best performance of 2007.
In terms of speed and how I felt afterwards, I would have to say the 5 mile race I ran as part of the Memphis Runner road race series. My pace was 8:35 and I felt awesome afterwards because I never thought I could do something like that. But after the 50K I felt pretty dern proud of myself, but it was not my best performance.
4. I don't know how I previously survived without...
Well, something material I've grown to love/need this year is my ultimate direction hand held water bottle. But one I I learned about survival and running is having a good base built! I didn't know I didn't have one until the Stumpjump, so that is what I've been concentrating on, so we'll see how it benefits me this spring!
5. The person I would most like to meet on the trails in 2008.
Similar to Dave's response, anyone who loves to run trails and especially people who blog and run around the Memphis area!
6. The race I am most excited about for 2008.
The trail race I'm most excited about is the Sylmore 25K. Most of members of the Memphis Ultra are going over there together and running. It'll be a new trail, good competition, and good company. The road race I'm most excited about is the Nashville Marathon - my first marathon ever and I'll be running it with my good friend and training partner Laura. Plus so far I've recruited three friends to come run the half marathon option. So that race weekend will be fun all around!
I tag Michael, Patrick, and Chris! Happy running!
I was tagged by Dave for a 2007 race questionnaire. So here we go!
1. Most memorable moment on the trails in 2007.
There are so many, but one thing I truly loved was getting to know my brother-in-law and my friend Laura better on many long trail runs. It's amazing how much you talk about on these runs! One specific moment was finishing the Stumpjump 50K. I trained long and hard for it and to actually finish it under extremely hot conditions was awesome...even thought I paid for it for about a month!
2. Best new trail discovered in 2007.
Since I started trail running in 2007, so all of them in Memphis (there are only about 5-6)! I had never heard much about trail running before this year and I will do it for years to come. But my favorite trail here in Memphis would have to be the Wolf River trails blue trail.
3. My best performance of 2007.
In terms of speed and how I felt afterwards, I would have to say the 5 mile race I ran as part of the Memphis Runner road race series. My pace was 8:35 and I felt awesome afterwards because I never thought I could do something like that. But after the 50K I felt pretty dern proud of myself, but it was not my best performance.
4. I don't know how I previously survived without...
Well, something material I've grown to love/need this year is my ultimate direction hand held water bottle. But one I I learned about survival and running is having a good base built! I didn't know I didn't have one until the Stumpjump, so that is what I've been concentrating on, so we'll see how it benefits me this spring!
5. The person I would most like to meet on the trails in 2008.
Similar to Dave's response, anyone who loves to run trails and especially people who blog and run around the Memphis area!
6. The race I am most excited about for 2008.
The trail race I'm most excited about is the Sylmore 25K. Most of members of the Memphis Ultra are going over there together and running. It'll be a new trail, good competition, and good company. The road race I'm most excited about is the Nashville Marathon - my first marathon ever and I'll be running it with my good friend and training partner Laura. Plus so far I've recruited three friends to come run the half marathon option. So that race weekend will be fun all around!
I tag Michael, Patrick, and Chris! Happy running!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
2008 races
**I believe I started this post on Wednesday and I'm just now finishing it up on Saturday! Sorry for the delay, but I had a major research paper (yes, a huge paper is a part of my history class) assignment turned in, so I've been grading, running, and visiting with my niece, who at this very minute is laying in my lap. Anyways, on to 2008!
I think I have my 2008 spring race schedule figured out. Notice I said spring. I'm just planning my training/races up to April, then I'm going to reevaluate and see what I might like to do in the summer and fall. I think I have a good mix of trail and road races and a good mix of long and short races. My shortest race will be a 3K and the longest will be my first marathon in April.
I think I attempted the 50K before I was really ready, so this spring I am focusing on building my mileage and getting stronger. My season starts with the 3K on Sunday and culminates with the marathon in April. Here are the races:
Winter Cross Country Series
I did this series last year and they were my first trail races ever. There are four races to the series: 3K, 5K, 8+K, and 10K. I'm doing these for a couple of reasons. First, there are not many trail races in Memphis, so I want to not only take advantage of them, but also support them. Second, I want to see how I have improved from last year.
Swampstomper 25K
This race is on the outskirts of Memphis and I am running it with Laura and it will be her first trail race ever. There are three races I'm running this spring that have longer options, so my friends in the Memphis Ultra will be running the longer options and I'll do the shorter, then cheer them on. The course, from what I've heard is usually pretty muddy and it is very technical with a lot of quick elevation changes.
Sylamore 25K
This race is in Arkansas and we are driving over there with Michael, Patrick, and Patrick's dad and we are all staying in this hotel/cabin almost 100 yds from the start. They are all running the 50K option, so I'll be finished way before them. Check out the link to the race to the right so you can see some of the pictures. It has a creek crossing 2 miles into the race and the last 2 miles of the race and sometimes the creek is up to people's chests! I've heard stories of people stripping down in the freezing cold, carrying their clothes above their head, then getting dressed again! I really don't think I'll do that, but I'll have to figure something out!
Mississippi 50 - 20K
This race is supposed to be one of the flattest trail races in the south, so it is great for a 50K PR and for a runner's first 50 miler. I'm going down to Laurel, MS with Patrick and Michael where they will be attempting their first 50 miler. I'm going to run the 20K option, crew/pace them. I have to hurry back, though, because I fly out for DC the next day!
Germantown Half Marathon
This will be my first half since the crazy Nashville half last year and I'm looking to smoke it! Laura, Michael, Patrick, and a few others are going to run this. As a sidenote, I originally had planned to run a 50K in AR this weekend, but I decided to hold off.
Death Run
Michael and I ran this race last year and it was our first "long" race ever. There are two options -the death run (15M) or the double death run (30M). I will be doing the death run and a few others will be doing the double death. This race starts on one side of Memphis and follows the Wolf River to the other side. There is little support, so you have to carry a lot of water, etc. yourself. Last year Patrick did the double and he peed blood afterwards!!!
Nashville Marathon
This will be my last race of the spring and my first marathon ever. Laura and I are going to run the full and I'm trying to convince some old soccer friends to train and run the half. Nashville is one of the rock and roll marathons so there are bands everywhere. It is just a fun race to run!
After Nashville I'm going to see where I am with running and see where I want to go from there. I think I have a nice season planned out and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens!
This post has taken me over 30 minutes to type because I'm holding my precious niece in one arm and typing with the other!! I'll be posting plenty of her pics this year!!
Happy running in 2008!!
I think I have my 2008 spring race schedule figured out. Notice I said spring. I'm just planning my training/races up to April, then I'm going to reevaluate and see what I might like to do in the summer and fall. I think I have a good mix of trail and road races and a good mix of long and short races. My shortest race will be a 3K and the longest will be my first marathon in April.
I think I attempted the 50K before I was really ready, so this spring I am focusing on building my mileage and getting stronger. My season starts with the 3K on Sunday and culminates with the marathon in April. Here are the races:
Winter Cross Country Series
I did this series last year and they were my first trail races ever. There are four races to the series: 3K, 5K, 8+K, and 10K. I'm doing these for a couple of reasons. First, there are not many trail races in Memphis, so I want to not only take advantage of them, but also support them. Second, I want to see how I have improved from last year.
Swampstomper 25K
This race is on the outskirts of Memphis and I am running it with Laura and it will be her first trail race ever. There are three races I'm running this spring that have longer options, so my friends in the Memphis Ultra will be running the longer options and I'll do the shorter, then cheer them on. The course, from what I've heard is usually pretty muddy and it is very technical with a lot of quick elevation changes.
Sylamore 25K
This race is in Arkansas and we are driving over there with Michael, Patrick, and Patrick's dad and we are all staying in this hotel/cabin almost 100 yds from the start. They are all running the 50K option, so I'll be finished way before them. Check out the link to the race to the right so you can see some of the pictures. It has a creek crossing 2 miles into the race and the last 2 miles of the race and sometimes the creek is up to people's chests! I've heard stories of people stripping down in the freezing cold, carrying their clothes above their head, then getting dressed again! I really don't think I'll do that, but I'll have to figure something out!
Mississippi 50 - 20K
This race is supposed to be one of the flattest trail races in the south, so it is great for a 50K PR and for a runner's first 50 miler. I'm going down to Laurel, MS with Patrick and Michael where they will be attempting their first 50 miler. I'm going to run the 20K option, crew/pace them. I have to hurry back, though, because I fly out for DC the next day!
Germantown Half Marathon
This will be my first half since the crazy Nashville half last year and I'm looking to smoke it! Laura, Michael, Patrick, and a few others are going to run this. As a sidenote, I originally had planned to run a 50K in AR this weekend, but I decided to hold off.
Death Run
Michael and I ran this race last year and it was our first "long" race ever. There are two options -the death run (15M) or the double death run (30M). I will be doing the death run and a few others will be doing the double death. This race starts on one side of Memphis and follows the Wolf River to the other side. There is little support, so you have to carry a lot of water, etc. yourself. Last year Patrick did the double and he peed blood afterwards!!!
Nashville Marathon
This will be my last race of the spring and my first marathon ever. Laura and I are going to run the full and I'm trying to convince some old soccer friends to train and run the half. Nashville is one of the rock and roll marathons so there are bands everywhere. It is just a fun race to run!
After Nashville I'm going to see where I am with running and see where I want to go from there. I think I have a nice season planned out and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens!
This post has taken me over 30 minutes to type because I'm holding my precious niece in one arm and typing with the other!! I'll be posting plenty of her pics this year!!
Happy running in 2008!!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Preview of 2008 preview...
What? What does that title mean? It means I've been super busy (new niece, back to school, getting sick) and haven't had time to blog...and I'm making plans for 2008, so this is a preview of my preview....what? Maybe it's the cough medicine I'm on speaking....I'll get to the point.
My running has been going fairly well. Remember after the Stumpjump 50K I was just beat up so I ran very little and biked a lot in November. Then in December I decided to run a lot of slow miles, continue to bike, plus do some strengthening. Well, I added up my mileage for December the other day and I ended up with 119 miles! I know to some that might not be a lot, but it's actually my 3rd highest monthly total ever. I had no idea I ran that much! Probably because they were all so dern slow. So it's January and I'm still plugging along. Laura and I have been running quite a few 10-15 mile runs over the past couple of weeks. Yesterday we ran almost 15 on the WRT and TDW at Shelby Farms - that is the longest run since the Stumpjump in October. And I'm feeling better running wise, so hopefully this will all add up to a nice spring racing season, which I'll get to hopefully tomorrow.
So tune in in the next couple of days for a preview of my 2008 racing season/goals!
By the way, my niece is still as precious as ever!! We took another nap together on Saturday. Babies are great to nap with!
My running has been going fairly well. Remember after the Stumpjump 50K I was just beat up so I ran very little and biked a lot in November. Then in December I decided to run a lot of slow miles, continue to bike, plus do some strengthening. Well, I added up my mileage for December the other day and I ended up with 119 miles! I know to some that might not be a lot, but it's actually my 3rd highest monthly total ever. I had no idea I ran that much! Probably because they were all so dern slow. So it's January and I'm still plugging along. Laura and I have been running quite a few 10-15 mile runs over the past couple of weeks. Yesterday we ran almost 15 on the WRT and TDW at Shelby Farms - that is the longest run since the Stumpjump in October. And I'm feeling better running wise, so hopefully this will all add up to a nice spring racing season, which I'll get to hopefully tomorrow.
So tune in in the next couple of days for a preview of my 2008 racing season/goals!
By the way, my niece is still as precious as ever!! We took another nap together on Saturday. Babies are great to nap with!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
2007 in review
I've been meaning to put this post up for a while now, but we have been happily distracted by this precious little lamb:
This is my favorite picture of Ella Kate so far - I think she looks a lot like my mom and sister from this angle. Plus, look at all that hair!
Alright, now to 2007, the year I became a runner. I can say that because when I was younger I ran to stay in shape for soccer and in 2006, I ran a few miles here and there just to get me through a 5K in December. But it was those few miles in 2006 that got me hooked! One year ago yesterday I ran what I called in my log, my first "long" run of my life - 6 miles!! And I almost passed out from it! But I made it and here I am 1,124 miles later still going strong. This year I ran one 3K, four 5Ks, two 5Ms, two 10Ks, one 8M, one half marathon, one 15M, and one ultra marathon. I was injured twice - achilles tendon strain and ultra marathon beat down. I went through three pairs of trail shoes and two pairs of road shoes. I made many new friends and became closer to family and friends through running - it's amazing what you talk about on long runs!
I'm still contemplating my races and goals for 2008, so I'll save that for another post! Hopefully I'll get to that this weekend, but we'll see - we have that wonderful little baby to visit!!
This is my favorite picture of Ella Kate so far - I think she looks a lot like my mom and sister from this angle. Plus, look at all that hair!
Alright, now to 2007, the year I became a runner. I can say that because when I was younger I ran to stay in shape for soccer and in 2006, I ran a few miles here and there just to get me through a 5K in December. But it was those few miles in 2006 that got me hooked! One year ago yesterday I ran what I called in my log, my first "long" run of my life - 6 miles!! And I almost passed out from it! But I made it and here I am 1,124 miles later still going strong. This year I ran one 3K, four 5Ks, two 5Ms, two 10Ks, one 8M, one half marathon, one 15M, and one ultra marathon. I was injured twice - achilles tendon strain and ultra marathon beat down. I went through three pairs of trail shoes and two pairs of road shoes. I made many new friends and became closer to family and friends through running - it's amazing what you talk about on long runs!
I'm still contemplating my races and goals for 2008, so I'll save that for another post! Hopefully I'll get to that this weekend, but we'll see - we have that wonderful little baby to visit!!
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