December Recap/Stats

December Recap/Stats

Miles Planned/Ran: N/A / 77± M

Rest Days Planned/Taken: N/A /17

Highest Mileage Week: 19± M

Long Runs Planned/Ran: 2 / 2

Hill Workouts Planned/Ran: 0 / 0

Pace Workouts Planned/Ran: 0 / 0

Xtraining Workouts Planned/Ran: 0 / 0

Current Book: - (Reading) The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow; a story of woman and a forty-year friendship. If you've ever had a girlfriend growing up this book will touch your heart... maybe notsomuch for the guys though. (Finished) The Stormchasers by Jenna Blum; It is about a set of twins who share a dark secret but have lost touch do to ones mental illness. It was a quick read and the backstory of stormchasing was really interesting. Couplehood by Paul Reiser; Yes it's a slightly random selection, but it was given as a gift and was actually a really cute and funny read. There was definitely a lot I could relate to living in couplehood myself nowadays.

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Mythbusters

Current Colors: Navy Blue. I only recently realize how fab it looks on me! (Just wait til you see the pics from the wedding I'm attending tonight and the dress I'm rocking for proof!)

Current Obsessions: Soup. I want it 24/7.

Current Drink: Let's be realistic, do I ever really stray from the H2O? Noppers.

Current Song: "Like a G6" - Far East Movement (Not because I love it but more because I didn't know what a G6 was and Spike had to tell me. FAIL!!!)

Current Wish-List: For my couch to be delivered in less than 6-8 weeks. A girl can dream right?

Current Need: Life is pretty much perfect these days. (Except for that whole Winter factor.)

Current Triumph: Going seven entire days without running and not going crazy and killing anyone. :)

Current Bane of my Existence: Winter.

Current Goal: To make it through training for Cleveland injury free and ready to BQ!

Current Indulgence: Holiday Eats. Nuff said.

Current Blessings: As always my family, friends and Spike.

Current Excitement: Spike's sister's wedding this evening and ending/starting the year kissing my luv! Cheers to 2011!!!

How'd your December shape up?!?! I'm thinking I might shake things up around here for next year and have a new format for these monthly recaps. Stay tuned and HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE!!! Let's make it count!!!

Running is what you make of it; Make it an Adventure!™

3 Things Thursday

1. You know you're a runner when... you spot a group of runner's running near your apartment complex and scream out "STOP THE CAR" and make your boyfriend pull over so you can jump out and ask them if they are a running group and when they meet. The good news is that not only did they stop and let me know the who, what, when, where of their group but they even directed me to their website! I now have a group to run with on Wednesday nights AND after emailing with one of the organizers, I found out that there's even a few members who are training for a spring marathon that I might be able to buddy up with! SO EXCITED! What's the craziest thing you've ever done to make new running friends???
   
   
2. Going commando... So I keep forgetting to pack underwear when I pack my run bag for mid-day runs which means I've gone commando a few times lately. Maybe some of you would opt to go commando the rest of the day rather than on the run but I just can't do it. I'd rather suck it up for a 45 minute run than the rest of the work day, especially since I've been all about the sweater dress and tights these days, but I must admit, prior to getting my awesome new running pants (review to come) the lady parts were getting a bit frozen...
   
   
3. Major Household Purchases... Spike and I capped Christmas at $50 because our real present to each other was investing in a new couch and last night we finally settled on one and got it ordered! I can't wait for it to arrive... in 6-8 weeks. This is the first major purchase the two of us have ever made with another person, big stuff in the relationship world. What's the first major purchase you ever made with your significant other?
   

Monday Mash: Post Christmas Edition

Happy Monday-Post Christmas-New Year's Eve Week!!! I hope y'all had a tremendous holiday weekend spent with all your loved ones, family and friends! Like most of you, I was crazy busy but amidst the madness I was able to find some time to relax with my beloved Spike and enjoy our first Christmas together (in the same state that is). Here's some of the highlights:

• First up I got to see my Jamily who was in town from Florida!!! YAY!!!
  
• The afternoon of Christmas Eve we spent some time with my fam then headed home to bust out a speedy Christmas Eve run together before settling in for the night.
  
  Christmas Schmoopy
• Christmas was OUR day; we slept in, had breakfast, exchanged gifts (Guess who's being taken to a Wings game?!?!? YAY!!!), took a lengthy stroll around town that ended with a white wash instead of snow angels (Thanks a lot!!!), lounged around quite a bit after that before deciding to go see The Black Swan. (Edge of your seat thriller! Must see!!!)
  
  Christmas stroll thru town.
  
  BTW - Christmas Pot Roast was a raving success!!!
  
  
• Sunday, before heading over to Grand Rapids to celebrate Christmas with Spike's fam we bundled up and headed out to run the Operation Jack Satellite Run in honor of Sam wrapping up his 61st marathon of the year for Operation Jack!!! It wasn't the easiest run, admittedly I was having a rough time of it, but it was for a great cause and if Sam can run 61 marathons in one year surely I could suck it up for 6.1!
  
  6.1 M for Operation Jack RUN & DONE!
  And just because I think it's hilarious, here's a pic of my Christmas run last year...
  Oh how times (i.e. location and climate) have changed!
  
  
• We also picked up a gym membership. With December being labeled as "mild" by the locals Spike assures me we'll need it come January & February for when things really get bad, so it looks like I will have to start learning to like the dreadmill before too long... *shudder* :(
  
  Well that's it for me, how was your holiday weekend? What did Santa bring you?!?! More importantly, how cold and nasty out does it have to be before you bring it inside???

3 Things Thursday

It's Christmas Eve-Eve and my "Friday"! w00t!

1. Worth the click: If y'all have not caught these two blog posts this week you are in for a treat:
   
   
   Quinton from Q on the Move had a run in with the big red guy and hilarity ensued... "Twas the night before Christmas"
   
   
   And then... (hee hee and THEN!!!) Lindsay over at Chasing the Kenyans made her big singing/rapping/chipmunksounding debut with "Raise your 'ade"
   
   
   
   
2. Operation Jack Satellite Race: T-minus 2 days til Sam FINALLY wraps up his 61st marathon of the year for Operation Jack. SIXTY-ONE marathons in one year! All to help raise awareness for Autism!!! AMAZING!!! The final marathon, the Operation Jack Marathon, is Sunday the 26th and Sam is hosting a satellite race for those that can't make it; 6.1 M for the cause. He's trying to get runner's in all 50 states and as many other continents as possible to join in. He's still missing runner's from Delaware, Iowa, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming. If you or someone you know lives in this state please pass on the info!!! If you're not in those states we still want you to join us, I know y'all want to run off those Christmas treats plus you get to post a race recap on Monday!!! It's $25, goes to a great cause, and all participants will receive Op Jack shirts & medals. Full details and registration here: http://operationjack.org/61/?i=d
   
   
3. Domesticated: My beloved Rixy got me a crock pot for Christmas so I'm going to attempt to be all domesticated and make Spike & I pot roast on Christmas day... keep your fingers crossed I don't kill us both!!! What do y'all do for Christmas dinner? Turkey? Ham? Turducken? What big plans do you have for the holiday weekend?
   
   
   Wishing all of you a Festive Festivus and all that other jazz!!!

Wordless Wednesday: Alpena, MI

I have seen the Enemy...

What kind of racer are you? Do you run races for fun? To compete for AG awards? To PR? For bragging rights at the water cooler?

After the Jingle Belle 5k the other day Erica & Nicole told me how a group of girls were rather rude about wanting to pass them and it got me thinking about what kind of racer I am. After much deliberation over the matter I decided this:

I am not, by any means a competitive person. (Except for the occasional Duel to the Death with certain Running Frenemies.) Long ago I realized that there will always be someone faster, who will run further, and that will inevitably win the race. I'll never be that person... but I admire each and every person that toes the line from the one who breaks that tape to the one that brings up the rear. To me, at any race, it's all about getting out there, getting your run on, and giving it your all.

My "all" will never match your "all"... He might be using this race as a training run... This might be her goal race, She might just be pacing a friend... this is his first 5k... her comeback from an injury, etc...

All of our goals are different but in the end we all have one thing in common; To Finish. It is in this that we should unite as one. As PunkRockRunner would say; "Enjoy the art of movement!" to which I add; Whether it's fast, slow or otherwise.

But to be fair, I wasn't entirely honest by my statement of not being a competitive person. See there is this one girl... We have similar paces and close races. She doesn't show at every race but always the ones that count, the ones I'm trying to PR.

I feel her looks of disdain and can hear her snide remarks telling me there's no way I'm going to beat her today. I try my best to stay cordial with her but sometimes all that smack talking gets to me. I've let her get inside my head and sabotage more than a few races. Every time it happens I curse myself for not being stronger.

Who is she you ask?

I'm certain I've spoken of her before... this b*tch that gets inside my head like no other...

Negative Nancy.

I have seen the enemy and she is me.

She is that extra I need to shave off to PR. She is the hills stacked up before me on a hill workout. She is that 8:20 pace I need to maintain to BQ. She is every goal I have ever set before myself to achieve. She is my one and only true enemy at any race, during any training run, and is enemy enough for me to never feel the need to compete with anyone else around me. Only the Elite are jockeying for first, the rest of us are just running against ourselves and the clock...

Ultimate Holiday Gift Exchange!

Jill of Run with Jill hosted the Ultimate Holiday Gift Exchange this year and a few days ago I received a mysterious package in the mail via ZombieRunner.com Clearly my Secret Santa is awesome! Anything from Zombie Runner is bound to be some kind of runner porn so imagine my surprise when I open up my package to find this awesome stash:

That's a DynaFlex Mini Sports Massage Power Roller, some RED Nathan Wrist Rockers (Someone pays attention around here!), and a hele hele akabill amulet. The amulet is made by ultramarathon legend akabill of Hawaii. He began making amulets for special runs on the mainland, sharing them with people he liked and people he felt needed aloha. The amulets began to take on special meaning, as runners wore them for good luck in races. "hele hele" means "go go" and is part of an exuberant Hawaiian song which reminded my Secret Santa of my personality. This guy is good. Yup I said guy. This guy:

Yes siree peeps, my Secret Santa is none other than the infamous Jamoosh, although the card said it was from Jamoosh & Lady J so maybe it was all Lady J? I kid... I know this was all Jamoosh and the attention to detail was not lost. If you don't already follow Jamoosh you should, he is absolutely hilarious on the regular, posts awesome pictures like the one above, loves beer, his wife and can always be counted on to post and give really great advice about training. He's ran 18 marathons to date and currently training for his next conquest so the man knows what he's talking about which is why I've gone to him for advice myself.

Thank you so much Jill for hosting the exchange and extra special thanks to Jamoosh for the incredibly thoughtful and awesome gifts! They will all be put to very good use!!!

As an aside my gift should been en route to it's destination so if you haven't received a gift yet it quite possibly could be because you got stuck with me as your exchange partner... :)

Have a fantastic weekend y'all!!! I'm headed up to Alpena, which is way up north but not quite the UP, where I'm going to most likely freeze my butt off and maybe end my running sabbatical. Anybody know of anything exciting to do around there? What say you Michigander peeps?

3 Things Thursday

1. Spreadsheets: It's the most wonderful time of the year... SPREADSHEET SEASON!!! I, like I'm sure most of you, love it when I get my shiny new training plan to start off my next training cycle. Coach EK sent me over my revised Cleveland training plan earlier this week and I got to work color coding it and rewriting it into to my training shorthand and then hung it on my fridge like the piece of artwork that it is. My favorite part of receiving it though was Coach's email attached with these words of wisdom:
   
   
   "Some of the runs are listed as EZ pace. That means easy! Conversational. Perhaps even no watch. The workout is just to run for fun, or to get the lactic acid out. No shennanigans. (He knows me well! LOL!)
   
   It is not an easy plan - but then, the best things in life are won through hard work :-)"
   
   

   Base training begins Jan 3rd! Can't wait to start filling in those empty cells! Who else loves them a spreadsheet?!?!?
   
   
2. Operation Jack: If you don't already know about Operation Jack here's the deal, Sam is a father of an autistic son and has been running a marathon a weekend (Sometimes more!!!) since the beginning of this year to raise awareness and funds for Train 4 Autism. December 26th Sam will run his final marathon in Los Angeles and since most of us can't make it there to participate or support him he has set up a satellite race, a virtual race if you will, and is encouraging one and all to run, walk, bike, rollerblade or crawl 6.1 miles in support. You'll get a race t-shirt and a finisher's medal for participating and they're aiming for participants in all 50 states. Y'all know this is very near and dear to my heart!!! As if you really need an excuse to run 6.1 M (That Christmas food-baby isn't going to work itself off!!!) so join me and a whole slew of other people across the globe as we support Sam & Operation Jack. Register for the race HERE.
   
   
3. Running Sabbatical: I am currently on Day 5 of my self prescribed Running Sabbatical and the initial itch to run has been replaced with the joys of sleeping in, staying warm and eating Christmas cookies. (None of which qualify for HBBC points!) Life is great! BUT... I can't wait for my next run, of which I'm quite certain I will look like this:
   
   
   What I'd tell ya, I love me a fun run!

Tuesday Trial: Arctic Ease

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Artic Ease to test and review their ice alternative product, which ironically enough B.o.B had just talked up a storm after having been wrapped in it after MCM. If B.o.B's raving reviews hadn't already won me over to try it out, Shelley the rep who contacted me, sealed the deal by telling me that she too was a redheaded runner. :)

Arctic Ease is a re-usable cold therapy wrap that helps treat soft tissue aches and injuries. As an ice alternative, it's similar to an elastic bandage and doesn't need refrigeration. Per their website: "Arctic Ease wraps and pads are an incredibly simple but effective alternative to traditional cold therapy. They absorb heat energy from the body to cool the covered area. The absorbed heat is then lost to evaporation, which allows for hours of targeted cold therapy. Arctic Ease is ready to use right out of the package -- no refrigeration is necessary. And mobility isn't limited since Arctic Ease conforms to the affected area without the need for clips or tape. Arctic Ease is reusable, odorless and environmentally friendly."

I tested out Arctic Ease for the first time after my second leg of Ragnar; wrapping up my left knee (i.e. my aggravated I.T.B.) a few minutes after my run and experiencing almost instant relief! It's basically looks like an ace bandage coated in Biofreeze only you don't have to mess with clips like ace bandages have, the tape adheres just by pressing it against itself, and the smell was less potent than that of Biofreeze. (And WAY less intense than that of my beloved, tried and true Tiger Balm.) It doesn't leave a big mess on your hands or make you feel all weird and tingling if you don't wash it off immediately. After I had my knee all wrapped up I slipped on my warm up pants and chillaxed my way through the remainder of my teammates legs with my knee feeling like it was enveloped in euphoric, almost menthol like bliss.

After my third leg of Ragnar I wrapped both legs up, left knee again and right ankle to calf area, both of which were seriously killing me after all that back to back to back running. I wish I had thought to snap a pic but didn't, either way, once again, it was euphoric bliss and I kept raving to B.o.B and anyone else who was listening how great it was and felt. I was definitely sold! If B.o.B and I aren't enough to sell you on this, Amanda over at 5 Mile to Empty just happened to also review Arctic Ease yesterday and how she wrapped herself up in it after her recent Vegas Marathon conquest.

My favorite part about this product is the convenience factor, especially when you're traveling for a race like most of us tend to be, because it's easily packed and doesn't need to be refrigerated. Just think about all those times post-race you wished you had an ice pack but didn't and wouldn't til you returned to your home, apartment, hotel, etc... Or if you're like me, you come prepared with an ace bandage and one of those ice packs you crack to activate but end up looking rather interesting with this big ol' lump hanging off your leg. You can order it online directly, from Walgreens/CVS or they have a Where to Buy locator and you might be able to find a store near you that actually sells the product. (Nowhere round my parts unfortunately.) I can't say enough how much I loved this product and plan to pick up a stash to keep around for post-race aches and pains. You should def give it a try too!!! Thanks Arctic Ease for letting me review this awesome product!

Disclaimer:

• Per FTC Guidelines: Arctic Ease provided these items for my personal use at no cost to me. Opinions shared are my own and are favorable as a direct result of my own personal use.

Jingle Belle 5k Fun Run Race Recap

Jingle Belle 5k Fun Run Race Recap

Pre-Race: After meeting up at Jen B.'s, we all loaded up into Spike's SUV with strict instructions not to look in the back... see Spike had made some "special" spectating signs as this was his first time ever really being able to spectate me in a race and had gone all out. I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous what they might say, anyone who's ever spectated with Spike knows his spectating can be a little out there...

We arrived at the Delta Township Library just outside of an hour before the race which gave us plenty of time to get in a quick warm-up and during one of the multiple trips to the bathroom (because y'all know I have the worst nervous bladder) we met up with Nicole and Erika! They were looking like twin running ninjas while Jessie, Jen B., & I were seriously rocking the Christmas spirit!

We've got the Christmas Spirit!

(Jess, Jen B., & I)

Jingle Belle's; Me, Erika, Nicole, Jess & Jen

Start Corral: The start area was the library's driveway, with runner's toeing the line followed by walker's. Jess was planning to shoot for a PR so we sent her up to the front while the rest of us girls hung back a few rows and proceeded to be shush'd for giggling during the National Anthem. Whoopsie!

The Race: Running a fun run can be tricky for most people because it can be so hard not to get caught up in the excitement but not for me; it's the one chance I get to settle in to a comfortably fast pace and for once enjoy the company, scenery and miles of a race. It's was Jen's first fun run ever and she couldn't have picked a better race for it! It was fairly chilly out so comfortably fast was a necessity to stay warm, we got to look forward to seeing Spike's hilarious signs multiple times (although we usually heard him before we seen him) that I'm quite certain entertained more than just us on the course, and you needed to be paying attention because there were some deceptively slick areas thanks to the ice and snow. We spent the miles jingle-belling, chatting, laughing, thanking volunteers, cheering on the walkers and before we knew it we were in the final stretch where we decided to pick it up and pick off the less than festive girl in front of us as we brought it in to the finish.

A few of Spike's hilarious spectating signs...

The stick runner girl is saying "Whoa it's COLD!" LOL!

(Check out his spectating recap HERE.)

According to Hermes:

Mile 1: 8:26 P
Mile 2: 8:34 P

Mile 3: 8:01 P

.17: 8:00 P

Final Chip Time: 26:12 / 3.1 M for 8:27 P
Hermes Time: 26:22 / 3.17 M for 8:19 P
(I forgot to stop it at the Finish)

34/360 overall - 4th in AG 25-29

Post Race: After we hustled our way into the finish we rounded up Jess who had majorly PR'd (Just like we knew she would! w00t!!! Congrats again girl, so proud of you!!!) and Spike presented us with finisher gifts because he's the greatest spectator ever! (Thank you so much for coming out and cheering us on my love!!! It was so fun reading your hilarious signs and hearing you cheering on all the ladies!) We hung out for a few to make sure Nicole and Erika made it in before heading over to Bigby's where Spike treated us to some deliciousness before heading back to Jen's for a post-race celebration breakfast.

Post Race Thoughts: This race was the goal race for the Playmakers Women's Couch to 5k program and the ladies of Lansing were out in full force with 360 runners and just over 200 walkers. The course was a simple out and back from the library, into a neighborhood and back again allowing us to see Spike a total of 4 times all done and said. The race was chip timed with D-tags and all finishers received a pink winter headband with the race logo and a jingle bell bookmark. This was a women's only 5k run/walk and participants were encouraged to donate winter clothing and/or dry goods to the Women's Center of Greater Lansing. This was my first Playmakers event and I definitely look forward to running it again next year. What an absolutely perfect morning, I can not say enough how much I love me a fun run! This was the best way to wrap up the 2010 racing season!!!

Foto Friday: 1000!!!

Today's run with Fabulous, my co-worker, became a Monumental Mileage Moment; I logged my 1,000th mile for the year! w00t!!!

(Forgive the craptacular cell phone pic & ghetto fabulous sign...)
What a change of scenery for me eh?

It came much later this year than last but after an incredibly frustrating summer of injury, I am just happy to make it here at all. To celebrate my success of completing the Tall Mom Run 1,000+++ Club I am going to take all of next week off. Yup, I just said that. No running for one whole week after this weekend. I figure a voluntarily-enjoyed, rather than injury-induced running sabbatical is well over-do. I really, really, REALLY want to start training for Cleveland ready to rock so giving myself a little R & R before base training starts should hopefully be just whats needed to lead me to that BQ on May 15th.

You hear that body? I'm giving you a break after this weekend!!! Merry Christmas!!!

Have a fantabulous weekend everyone! Catch y'all on the flipside with a race recap from the Jingle Belle 5k!!!

3 Things Thursday

1. 2011: Is it just me or is everyone filling up their race cards for 2011??? I swear every other blog post in my reader is a 2011 race forecast and of course it's got me doing massive research and creating my own "To Do" list for 2011. Me thinks a blog preview is in order. Stay tuned...
   
   
2. Facing the issue: What is up with my face? My skin has been freaking out since Old Man Winter came into town with his sub-freezing temps and bone chilling winds. Do y'all experience the same issue? How do you keep your skin clear and moisturized enough to look presentable during the winter? Got any must have products I should try? (Keep in mind I have really sensitive skin)
   
   
3. Jingle Belle 5k: Saturday will officially close up the 2010 race season for me with a fun run in Lansing called the Jingle Belle, a women's only 5k that benefits the Women's Center of Greater Lansing. Fellow runners/bloggers Jen B., Jessie, Nicole and Erika will be joining me and a plethora of other women as we take on the cold and run the streets of Lansing for this great cause. The pressure is off however and I am excited to get into the holiday spirit and ham it up for 3.1 M with some awesome running friends!!!
   
   How did you end the 2010 race season?
   

Of Schmoopiness & Long Runs

For those of you that follow me on Twitter or are a Facebook Fan you probably saw the "Flashback Friday" I posted that linked to the blog post I wrote last year where I revealed to all of the blogoshpere my love affair with Spike. Although we had been long distance dating for a few months by that time, that post was the first time I admitted it to the world that not only was I dating Spike but was pretty much head over heels for him. As you can imagine I was being uber girly as I re-read through that post and remembered how nervous I was that fateful day last year when Spike came to visit me for the first time in Orlando... little did we know of what the coming year would have in store for us!!! So as I wallowed around in schmoopiness, these beautiful flowers arrived which kicked off a perfect weekend of a romantic dinner Friday night and sleeping in late for the first time in I can't even remember when on Saturday. *le sigh*

After a gloriously lazy morning with my honey I decided to get a long run in before we went to dinner with family that night. I had a general idea of where to go and a guesstimate of how far it'd be and headed out to explore our new town. Between our trip, my mid-day runs with my coworker and Spike regularly working out of town, neither of us have had a chance to run our new 'hood yet!!! I hoped to get in 10 miles but hadn't run further than 8.8 M (my last leg of Ragnar) in two weeks so time would tell what my legs thought of that idea. As I set out my primary focus was on the terrain, with the snow comes ice and I'm a rookie when it comes to running on both. The first two miles is a nice wide trail with some wood bridges, where the snow and ice lurk, followed by one huge uphill for about a half mile and then it levels out and it's all shoulders and sidewalks til home with a few bunny hills sprinkled in along the way.

Looks like I've found where to run my hill repeats!!!

As I went along I mentally noted mileage versus location and places to stop to use the bathroom along the way; you know all the important details for future use. I managed to hit all the sights of the city before wrapping my way back home and wouldn't you know I felt like I could've ran another 5 miles when I arrived home having run 10 M. I hadn't looked at my pace once during the run so I was more than pleasantly surprised when I saw that I had managed just shy of an 8:30 avg for the run. It made me realize that if I could pull that off without trying than surely I could BQ Cleveland if I did! The best part was I'm totally getting down this dressing for the colder weather, I didn't feel the least bit sore yesterday and now I have a few different routes around the city. Weekend success!!!

I hope y'all had wonderful weekends too, I can't wait to make the rounds and read all the CIM & Vegas recaps!!!

Highlands Ranch Turkey Day 5k Race Recap

Highlands Ranch Turkey Day 5k

Pre-Race: Spike and I had run a 4 miler the previous day on the Cherry Creek Trail and weren't expecting much for this race given the altitude and hills the course was sure to have. We woke up to temps in the teens and dressed accordingly before heading over to Highlands Ranch Shea Stadium to meet up with Heather from Dietitian on the Run and her boyfriend D. She spotted me at packet pick-up and after a quick pic we all headed back to our car to stay warm and chat until the Start.

Yeah for Bloggy Meet-ups!!!

Start Corral: The start area was the drive leading past Shea Stadium and the race organizers did their best to keep the speedies up front and the walkers in the back with signage and volunteers directing. Because it was so cold our warm-up consisted of jumping up and down in place trying to stay warm while we contemplated whether or not we should/could race and/or run for fun. Moments before the Start I told her I'd do my best but she could pull away if needed, and at the very least we'd start together...

The Race: Besides feeling like someone was crushing my lungs the entire time and full on gasping for air at points, my legs actually felt really fresh and I was able to hold on to Heather much better than I expected. I was definitely giving it my all and made it a point not to look at my pace but rather run by feel and give myself the option to ease up if the altitude and hills got to be too much. We finally crested the course after multiple turns and hills and were able to negative split the race, finishing side by side with a victorious 7:30ish average! Take that altitude!!!

According to Hermes:

Mile 1: 7:46 P

Mile 2: 7:41 P

Mile 3: 7:17 P

.16: 6:29 P

Final Chip Time: 23:48 / 3.1 M for 7:41 P
(Hermes Time: 23:46 / 3.16 M for 7:31 P)

Post Race: After we made it through the Finish chute and the volunteers took off our ankle bracelets (I've never raced with these before... they were old school!) I immediately began coughing my brains out and proceeded to for the next hour plus. The thin air really does a number on you if you're not acclimated and I was a little embarrassed. We all recapped the race to one another and met up with Harmony of Harmony's Travels and her boyfriend the Barefoot Runner who had come to spectate. (I got to meet Harmony last year for coffee and lo and behold she and Heather live about 3 blocks apart!) Because it was Thanksgiving and all we had to get back to my Dad's so after a bit more small talk we all went our separate ways to celebrate the holiday.

Harmony & I - Thanks so much for trekking out to spectate! It was great seeing you again!!!

Despite the conditions Spike was able to pull out a Top 5% Finish!

Post Race Thoughts: The course wound through a neighborhood and out along a main roadway before hopping on to a trail for the final mile-ish into the Finish. When I wasn't gasping for air I was enjoying the scenery and the trail section was perfectly placed just off 2 miles to help you mentally gear up for the Finish. The race was very well organized considering there were 869 racers; from parking to packet pick-up, start area to anklet removal, the race coordinators did a n excellent job. The post race goodies were awesome with donut & pretzel holes, granola bars and beer! The Finisher's shirt was, as Heather described, a horrible mustard colored long sleeve cotton tee and has already been handed off to my little sister. Parking was easy in and out and there was barely even a line for the bathrooms (not porta potties!!!) minutes before the race!!! I will definitely run this race next year and highly recommend it to anyone that lives in the area.

Thanks again to both Heather and Harmony (and their respective men folk) for meeting up with us!!! Next year we'll try to allow for more time to hang out post-race and/or during our trip.

And that my friends is the last of my race recaps from vacation. Tomorrow resumes regular blogging about running randomness and the like.

3 Things Thursday

1. Race Recaps: I just want to thank y'all for bearing with me as I make it through all these race recaps from my trip. I only have one more left, the Turkey Day 5k, which I'll post later today and then that's it! Thanks also for dealing with how wordy they are... I don't know about you but I write my recaps so as to capture as much of the experience as possible so I can easily relive the moments when I re-read back through them later.
   
   
2. SNOW: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, SNOW is everywhere!!! Yesterday morning I awoke to my first snowfall and it hasn't stopped! I was itching to get out for my first snowy run but co-worker got caught up and I had plans after work. We'll venture out today and I am pumped! It looks like all the world is inside of a snow globe with big puffy snowflakes dancing around!
   
   
3. Off Season: I am officially in the off season til the end of the month and I'm very excited to just run for fun with no real agenda! Spike still seems to think I'm running too much but he and I have different ideas of "off season." What about you... what is your approach to the off season? When is your off season? Do you still run or do you go on hiatus?
   

Ragnar Relay Recap - Leg 3 & Finish

(If you haven't caught Leg 1 go HERE & Leg 2 go HERE first.)

With Leg 1 & Leg 2 officially in the books we headed out to the last exchange point to get some rest. Little J was (wo)manning the wheel while Captain navigated and the rest slept, except me of course. I was wholly entertained by their convo to keep each other awake and when we finally arrived in Sanford they couldn't close their eyes fast enough. It had been a long trek thus far and we still had one more leg to go. The guys sprawled out on a tarp with sleeping bags outside of the van and us girls claimed a row of seats and got some shut eye. Well... they did anyway. This time it wasn't the nervous pees that was plaguing me it was tummy trouble. I've never, EVER had stomach issues before, during or after a race but for some reason I was a mess. Amidst endless trips to the bathroom I ran into Tall Guy Surfing & Jenny from Team Hot Legs and basically wasted almost every moment of our downtime. *Sigh*

LEG 3 RECAP

When I got the text that Spike was up and running I half-heartedly geared up one final time and made my way to the exchange chute only to sidetrack over to the bathrooms again. I ran in to Coach EK and told him how horrible I was feeling and we tried to figure out what could be wrong but weren't coming up with anything. Soon enough I was out of time to worry about it as I saw Spike round the corner and headed my way. What follows as he handed off to me was slightly awkward, completely hilarious and just a little schmoopy:

Now that's an exchange!

Real runner couples synchornize watches after kiss-offs.

Off I go to a round of applause! LOL!

See we had discussed ahead of time doing a big kiss off for our final exchange but Captain had specifically stated at the beginning of the race "No funny business between you two" so when Spike went for it, I wasn't quite prepared! LOL! In the end it was just what I needed to get my mind off how terrible I felt and start me off with a smile...

But the feeling didn't last long and almost immediately the nausea and cramping took over. It was just shy of 9 am, easily 78* already and rising fast. Thankfully it was pretty overcast so I wasn't cooking like my first leg but the heat and humidity definitely wasn't helping how I felt. I trudged along until the van met up with me for water and the Captain says to me "Don't lie to your Captain and say you're not feeling well when you're running like that" I looked down to find I was dropping an 8:30 pace just fine. This gave me hope and I continued to run on feeling better about that if nothing else. Just after Mile 4 the van was no longer able to support me as I would be running on a narrow shoulder on a very busy 55 mph highway in a conservation area. I kept at it and tackled a seemingly sizable bridge but shortly thereafter I fell apart. 5+ miles of solid sub 9's only to run/walk 10's for the remaining miles. The minute I stopped to walk I knew I wasn't going to be able to recover; I was exhausted, felt horrible and I couldn't get my legs to turn over again. I basically got about a half mile before I'd have to walk for a minute or two for the rest of my leg. I'm so disappointed in myself for stopping but at the time I let the way I was feeling get the best of me. Somewhere around mile 7 there was a Ragnar supported water stop and I drank two cups of water hoping it'd help but I was past the point of return so I just did my best to get to the exchange and hand off to C.Steve. (You can view this leg course and elevation by clicking HERE)

I made a gruesome discovery after my leg, my first ever bra chafe-age! Ouch!

LEG 3, VAN 2 RECAP
(Runner / Miles Ran / Pace / Notes from Run)

Red - 8.8± M / 9:26 P - Got passed by 4 / Chicked 3

Caribbean Steve - 8± M / 8:00 P - 6 Road Kills

P-Funk - 6.5± M / 9:18 P - 4 Road Kills

B.o.B - 6.6± M / 8:31 P - 5 Road Kills

Little J - 7± M / 7:36 P - 1 Road Kill

Captain - 7.8± M / 8:48 P - Captain jorts the team in to a victorious 2nd place Finish!!!

Notable Moments from the Van Log

"C.Steve busted his lip with his boob"

"I ran over 6 uteruses out there"

Red's "hurt is footed."

"Ramalamadingdong!!!"

"You're a tailgating S.O.B" - P-Funk to Captain

P-Funk looks excited to start her third leg!

B.o.B was very excited for water!

Is it just me or does it look like the Captain is tapping his watch telling LJ to speed it up?

Post Ragnar Ramblings/Thoughts

First and foremost I want to thank my team for once again inviting me on to Team HALF NUTS! Y'all are an awesome group of runners and I am thankful to have been a part of the fun team! Another Ragnar that will live down in infamy and a plethora of priceless moments to be remembered. I can not begin to properly recap how much fun I had or explain all the random hilarious things that happened out on the course. Ragnar is something you just have to experience to understand.

I also want to thank Ragnar Relay for putting together such a great event and an extra special shout out to all the volunteers out on the course. This is a HUGE operation that extends for 202 miles and after working a similar event back in July, I know first hand what it takes to put on a production of this size. Major props to all; volunteers, coordinators, SWAT crew and the race director.

The Bling

GO TEAM HALF NUTS!!!

Official Results: 12/90 Teams Overall & 2nd in the Mixed Coed Division
(Official Finish Time: 27:48:58)