The run that almost didn't

In looking at the weather for this weekend I realized that Sunday was looking much nicer, as in a good 10 degrees warmer with little wind. I ended up making Saturday a TRI day at the gym which moved my 12 mile run to Sunday.

Saturday night we got the call to hang out for a friends birthday and decided not to be the dull married couple we have been lately. The beers were going down kinda easy and before I knew it I was on my 4th beer. I needed to stop anyways so I could navigate home and we ended up getting home around 1:30. I made sure to suck down a glass of water so I wasn't dehydrated in the morn.

We were having a birthday party for my Grandma who turned 77 today and I needed to be there around noon. That meant leaving around 9am to ensure I had time to get my run in and shower. I rolled out of bed as late as I possibly could and I knew I may have to cut the run short.

I set out to do a scenic path around the city and through most of the parks, perfect for a nice solo run. It was nerve wracking going out for my first solo winter run, with pacing for the last few months all my long runs were at a slower pace. This was my test to see if I could keep a steady pace and what my current pace is. The goal is to get down to 9:09 on the long runs to reach one of my goals (Sub 2 half!).

I had to remind myself at the beginning to dial it back and keep it easy, I always start off too fast on my own. I found that line where I could breathe easy without laboring. I was doing great and had to walk on a few icy patches but overall conditions were good. I would run in the roads on less busy roads or in the bike lane if it was plowed. Around mile 5 I stumbled upon a view of the lake with some fog rolling off the ice. I had to stop to take a picture!

I kept my pace fairly consistent except for the mile I had a dog run after me and eating GU at miles 5 & 10. With the icy conditions I couldn't multi-task very will, but overall I kept an average 10:20 pace, better than any prior long training runs.

I am hopeful this may be my year  and I can achieve my lofty goals! Had footing been better I felt I could have done faster, so hurry up and melt the ice already! I'm sick of having my water turn into ice chunks before I can even drink it.

I am taking today as well deserved Rest day after putting in 32.25 miles in this weekend. My legs sure feel i

Race Recap: Seroogy's 15K

Today was graduation day for all the Winter Warrior runners. The weather was looking to be consistent to what we had trained in so far. A chilly morning with some icy spots and some snow flurries, thankfully the wind really was not very strong but after a short time most people had frost tipped hair, eyelashes, beards, etc. I had run the 5K before so I knew part of the course which was the first 2 miles and last mile of the 15K course. It was great to see the scenery for an area of town and we ran through a short park trail at the turnaround location of the course.

I was pretty peppy all morning and throughout the race, which is truly an oddity for me. I was so excited for all the runners and to finally help Janet cross the finish line in 1:51:13. She just started running 6 months ago and jumped from a 5K to a 15K, which is more than I ever did in my first year running!

I had such a great time, and for the last 4 miles of the course we were playing leap frog with 2 older ladies and one had a little radio in her fannypack on her back. It was fun following her and when "Party Rock Anthem" came on I was literally dancing in the street while running. I think most people wanted to kill me as I had tons of energy and we were running uphill around mile 7.5 when this happened. This was a far shot of the ladies but they had neon knee high socks and some bright colored pants on!

After the race we all got together to take a picture, after I wolfed down a hot chocolate and few little chocolate meltaways they had out. Now that is my kind of race!

Here was the swag we got from the race: Long-sleeve tech tee, Cheese (the lips) and a chocolate bar.

It truly was a great experience and I don't think I've ever had that much fun at a race. I even got a picture from the race photographer where I was smiling!!

I really need to learn how to have that much fun when I am racing for myself as it will make the miles go by so much faster. Maybe this is what I needed to open that door. All in all it was a great day and I can't wait to push myself in my own training now.

WW Wrapup - Race Day!

Tomorrow is the Seroogy's 15K run, which is graduation day for the Winter Warriors program. Who can beat getting hot chocolate, cheese & a chocolate bar after the race? I just hope that it's not quite as chilly as last year, the water froze in people's cups before they even got to drink it! Cool thing is Runner's World is going to be there taking pictures of the event, but it will be for the Feb. 2014 Issue so I will probably forget about it by then! They are going to be setting up under the Fleet Feet tent and we are hoping to get a picture in with our group. Here is a pic stolen from our coach before one of our milder temp runs.

I have not run a 15K so it will be a PR for me. I'm pacing so I won't really be running it for me, but to help our runners finish. I have the slowest runner in our group so I can't wait to see her face when she finishes! She has only ever done a 5K before and I'm going to have so much fun pushing her.

I am hoping to actually use the Fleet Feet program in the summer/fall for marathon training to help ensure I get that PR for the Chicago marathon and enjoy running even more than I already do. The coach for the program is really knowledgeable and super speedy, aka 4:17 is his fastest mile. I also like having a group to do the long runs with and one weekly night run to keep you motivated.

I finally found a half marathon program to try and get my sub 2 so I'mlooking forward to moving on.  I can finally test myself to see what pace I can do on my own consistently on a long run. But I will miss having to be there each Saturday morning to help get my butt out of bed! There is a group that leaves about 15 minutes earlier than we meet but I would probably be the lone slower runner and why get up early when you don't have to in the winter?? I like waiting to early afternoon to go for my long run in the winter when it's a tad bit warmer.

Would you rather run a race to reach your goal or someone else's goal?
It's a toss up for me as I love seeing others push themselves but also love the satisfaction when you achieve something that you put your mind to!

Engagement Anniversary

Leave it to my husband to remind me that 2 years ago on Super Bowl Sunday he proposed! I swear he never remembers anything, but obviously that has changed for the better. It was a magical day, my beloved Packers were going into the big day playing HOT and we all had high hopes they would win. I had planned on spending most of the day in the bar, in order to get a good seat and the UW Badgers were playing before the game so we figured, why not?

My husband had left to go hang out with his sister and then heading over to the bar. He surprised me by coming home before I was getting picked up to pop the big question! I never knew it was coming either!! He managed to hide the ring in our house for a few weeks prior, in the fuse box of all places. What a sneaky guy. What followed was a full day of celebrating at the bar and concluding with a Packers win.

Funny how 2 years makes a big difference in your life as I really couldn't care much about this year's. My day consisted of being Betty Homemaker cleaning & doing laundry. As I was organizing and going through some old paperwork I had in boxes stacked in my office I found one of those computer "match games" they did around Valentine's Day and I had a good laugh, look who's #9 on the list...

YEP, my current husband!! I don't know how well those things really work but I guess here is some proof that it does. Although we both agree that had we dated in high school it would have never worked!