Life on a Run

New Year Fresh Goals

2012-01-10T17:57:00.000-06:00

2011 was an amazing year, so I've been a little slow to let go of it and embrace a new year. It's a little scary when last year was successful in so many ways. It would, in fact, be easy to sit back and bask in the glow of all that I accomplished and all the goals I was able to check off. However, that's not moving me forward. And I want to continue to grow and improve.

This blog has largely (ok pretty much entirely) been about running. And I do love to run and to write about running, but I want to expand it. I changed the name of the blog to Life on a Run. I think the new name keeps running front and center but allows for other posts. All name suggestions and feedback are welcome!

I have a lot of running goals for this year (not a surprise I know). I also have more general health goals than I did last year. The first goal I will share is losing weight. Yes, I know how cliche this goal is, there's no reason for anyone to tell me. I also know nearly everyone in America made the same goal. For me, I want to be free of the constant thinking and feeling like I should lose weight. I need to lose between 20 - 25 pounds. So it's not a huge number, but it's a number that sneaks in and steals happy moments from me, puts doubts in my head and slows down my runs. On the first day of 2012, I weighed 179 pounds. My ideal weight, according to my doctor is 145 - 160. I'm aiming for 155 by the end of 2012 or sooner.

Nutrition is going to be an area I focus on more. I've been doing a 12 week kettlebell challenge and they place a lot of emphasis on nutrition before exercise. I want to adopt this way of thinking. It's going to be a long process for me. It's the area I need the most improvement and I know it won't be easy or happen over night. Luckily, I have good friends and mentors who are helping.

As for running, I plan to run half marathons in at least 5 states. Those states are Alabama, Texas, Minnesota, Kansas and Indiana. I'm going to run a half marathon in 2:15 or less and finish a 5k in under 29 minutes. I'm also going to complete my second marathon. I'm so excited about the marathon. It's going to be the Chicago Marathon. I was in Chicago last year when it was going on and the atmosphere was unreal. I can't wait! Of course, I want to beat last year's marathon time. I'm going to log all of my miles this year, something I haven't done before and by the end of the year I want to be over 1,000 miles.

I have lots of other goals personal, family and work. It would take too long to list them all here. One of my goals is actually to read and visualize my goals everyday. Most importantly, I realize my goals are constantly evolving and changing.

Cheers to an amazing 2012!

Getting Married

2011-11-14T15:51:00.000-06:00

Mark and I have been dating for 6 years. We got engaged this past February at the Rock n Roll Mardi Gras half marathon (if you missed that blog post click here to read it). We've spent a lot of time talking about getting married. How and when we would do it. We agreed we wanted it to be simple, special and inexpensive. So we just needed the when.

My sister, Sarah, and I made wishes when the clock said 11:11 growing up. So the idea of doing it on 11-11-11 sounded perfect to me. Mark and I talked about a couple different ideas for what to do. Usually, our discussions got pretty expensive. So we decided to keep it as simple as possible.

On our first date, we went to dinner at Sunset Grill and then took a walk on the pedestrian street bridge downtown, so the bridge has always held a special place in our hearts. I know you can rent the entire bridge, but we were having a very small ceremony so there was no need for that.

We should really have started planning a couple months ago, but we started planning the details just before we left for Dublin. We wanted to be sure our pastor, David Foster, could perform the ceremony and that his wife Paula could attend. They have been great role models for us in what we want our marriage to look like. We also wanted to be sure Sarah and my future brother in law, Jeff, could come. That was our entire guest list.

Sarah and I went shopping for my dress the Sunday before we got married. Luckily, it wasn't hard to find the perfect dress. And being the sweet sister she is, Sarah bought it for me as a wedding present. I tried to convince her that Mark and I would be happy to get married in running clothes. She was not going to allow that to happen. Sarah also did my hair and make up the day of the wedding. It was so nice have her do it for me. In fact, I think life would be much easier if I could convince her to do it every day.

Even though it was a small, simple ceremony, I really wanted to have a photographer. I also wanted the photographer to be someone I know (this shouldn't be too hard, I know several). I asked my friend Beth first, because we grew up together and have been friends for a long time. Thankfully, she was free. Click here to see her facebook page and our picture preview. As you can see from the pictures, it was definitley worth it!

We got married at 11 am - hey, we had to stay true to the theme. The actual ceremony was short, sweet and perfect! We had so much fun taking pictures before and after the ceremony. When we were in Dublin, we saw lots of locks on the Ha'penny bridge. I remembered hearing about this tradition before. Lovers put a lock on the bridge and then throw the keys into the river. We thought it sounded like a perfect way to celebrate.

Lots of people have asked us if we had the boys there. And, of course, we get curious looks when we say no. Our main reason for not having them there was because we wanted it to be about us as a couple and as a partnership. We love both of the boys more than anything, but we also know our relationship has to come first if we are going to be good parents. We were a tiny bit concerned they'd be disappointed. But, they were fine. We told them at dinner Friday night. Their reaction? When can we get a bigger house and a puppy? Truthfully, I think they would have been bored with the actual ceremony, and I know they would have been tired of taking pictures before we were. We took them to the bridge on Saturday and let each of them add a lock to our lock.

The wedding was perfect. Yes, we would loved to have had a huge event and celebrate with all of our friends and family, but the reality was it wasn't something that we wanted to spend a lot of time and money (and stress) on. We just wanted to be married. It was everything we wanted it to be. And now we are excited to live happily ever after.

Dublin Marathon - Race Day

2011-11-09T20:34:00.000-06:00

It felt a little strange not to get up before dawn for a race. But the marathon wasn't starting until 10 am and our hotel was only a couple blocks from the start line, so there was no need to get up extra early. This is the first race I've participated in with such a late start. I must say, I liked it.

After we got ready, we met some of our Team in Training Teammates for breakfast in our hotel. This gave us plenty of time to go back up to our room 7 times for all of the things we'd forgotten or changed our mind about taking with us. We walked over to the start line about 9:30.

As we are standing there waiting for the race to start, I had a thousand different thoughts. Everything from admiring the great city to sheer terror and panic. At the expo I had picked up a pace bracelet to finish in 5:30. Honestly, my main goal was survival, and by survival I mean crossing the finish line upright and smiling. And I really hoped for less than 6 hours. I kept looking at the bracelet wondering if I could really finish and if, by some small miracle, I could do it in 5:30.

Go TEAM!

Next thing I know the gun is going off, and we are running. I'd planned on running 3/1 intervals for the race. But I wanted to warm up with just a slow jog. It was several minutes after I'd crossed the start line that it dawns on me I haven't started my watch yet. Well crap...the usefulness of the pace bracelet is pretty much gone now. I knew I'd started with about 14 minutes on the clock already. But I had no idea how long I'd run before I started my watch. Geez. Not the best way to start the race.

It was easy to forget about my timing problems as I'm running by Trinity College, the place Bram Stoker grew up, and all sorts of other beautiful places. As I see the first mile marker, I remind myself my goal is slow and steady. I spend the next mile going deliberately slower. I didn't even look at my pace until around mile 4. Surprisingly and a little concerning, I was under the pace I needed to be at to finish under 5:30.

Mile 4 also started the part of the race that was in Phoenix Park. This is easily one of the most gorgeous parks I've run in. Two other things happened at mile 4. I turned on my ipod for the first time, and I finally felt warmed up. Feeling pretty good, I ran through most of my intervals miles 4 - 10. I was also still pacing to finish under 5:30. Which is great, but I didn't put much faith in my projected time at this point. I was sure the end was going to kick my butt.

One of coaches said she would be between mile 11 - 13 and would run with us some. So when my feet cramped and I really wanted to take some pain medicine (no lectures here please, I needed this), I bargained with myself that I would wait until after I saw her or at 13 whichever came first. At mile 13 I hadn't seen her yet so I took some Tylenol knowing it would give me a little boost.

At some point here or just after several of the water stops were running out or had run out of water. The previous stops had been giving out bottles of water and sports drinks, so I had some fluid. I ran through 3 stops that were out of water. Just as I was getting really concerned and thinking about ducking into a store and buying some, the next stop had water (thank goodness).

I tried very hard at mile 13 not to think about the fact that I was only halfway through the race or that if this was a half marathon I'd already have my medal and be on my way to breakfast/lunch. This is also the point in the race, where I know I have to start sticking to my intervals and not running extra because I'm afraid I'll burnout otherwise. Sometime between 13 and 17, I pass a building that has a sign advertising Tennessee Fried Chicken! What?! I was so excited. I stopped to take a picture (the picture didn't come out, ugh). The owners of the building came out and I'm pretty sure I babbled something about being from Tennessee. I think they were a little surprised by my excitement.

Around mile 17, I found our coach, Sami, and she ran with me for a mile or mile and a half. It was so great to have her run with me and distract me from the fact my feet and legs were yelling at me to stop. And it was so much better having her here than it would have been having her at 11. A funny, unexpected thing happened here. I passed two of my teammates who I thought were way ahead of me. This gave me a much bigger boost than I could have anticipated. I was feeling great and still pacing to finish under 5:30.

At mile 20 it started to rain. I can't complain too much. I did choose to run this race in Ireland, rain would most certainly be part of it. I was ok with a little rain. At first, it felt pretty good. Then it kept raining. Then it rained harder. I'm not going to lie the last 6.2 miles seemed really long. The rain made it even longer. But I was still feeling pretty good.

I'm not sure I ever hit the infamous "wall". But when my watch died at mile 24, it was pretty disheartening. I was mostly disappointed that I didn't have set intervals anymore. So I would run and then walk. Then walk some more, then run. I'm quite certain at this point I'm kissing 5:30 goodbye. The last 2 miles were ridiculously long. As I mentioned our hotel was only a few blocks from the start and even closer to the finish. So imagine my surprise when I pass our hotel only to see the mile 25 marker. What?! NO. I know exactly where the finish is and I'm moving away from it! This was the worst feeling I had during the whole race. But it didn't last long. The reality and emotion knowing I'm just a mile away from finishing my first marathon set it.

Elation is what I felt for the last half mile or so. I'd gotten some great advice a few days before the race. It was to pause when I'm sure I'm going to finish, to take a couple minutes to reflect on my accomplishments, the work and sacrifices that has gone into preparing to meet this goal and to really be in the moment of realizing I'd met my goal. I'm not sure I have words to describe crossing the finish line. It was amazing and possibly the best feeling I've ever had. And I finished in 5:22. I'm not sure exactly how that happened. But I'm so happy with my time!

It pretty much stopped raining about the time I finished. I walked back to our hotel hoping I could change and get back down in time to see Mark come by our hotel. The timing of it worked out perfectly. He came by the hotel just as I walked out. I was worried I wouldn't be able to get back to him at the finish line. When I told him I would meet him at the hotel, I could see the disappointment in his face. So I decided to go back to the finish and see if they'd let me in. Luckily, I got a great spot and where I could see him finish and actually crossed the finish line with him.

I'm so proud of him! He finished in 6:09 and he'd been worried he'd need more than the allotted 7 hours. He'd also been injured during training and didn't get in as much training as he'd like to have done. But he was able to run his intervals the whole race, and he finished strong!

A few things I want to mention here. If you are running a race in a different country or far from home, I strongly suggest you do it with a team (preferably Team in Training). They had staff support people along the course cheering you on and they had supplies if you needed anything. They also had coaches on the course. Two coaches, in addition to our coach, ran with me during the race. It was a huge mental boost.

There were definitely places I think the race officials could improve. In my opinion, there is no reason to ever run out of water. Also, when I finished they only had small and extra small finisher shirts left. There was almost 2 hours of official time left at this point. When Mark finished, they'd already taken down the backdrop for the official finisher photos. It was a little disappointing. If the race has a 7 hour time limit, I'd like to think the people who finish in 6:59 get the same as the people who finish in 3:00. But, I'm definitely not focusing on these things.

The spectators were awesome!! They yelled out "well done" as we passed them. It was great. It helps that I love their accent so it was fun to hear the whole time. There were lots of kids along the course giving high fives and a few really great kids with fruit and cheese.

I was under the false impression that the course was flat. It was definitely not flat. They even had signs printed and posted as we were going up the hills. However, the hills weren't as bad as they could have been. Strangely, it was kind of a nice break to go up and, especially, down.

The race course was awesome. It was beautiful. And it helped that I was (mostly) unfamiliar with the course. I think the new things to see around every turn made great distractions. Before the race, I was sure by the end I would swear off ever doing a full marathon again. But I actually had the exact opposite feeling. I'm excited to plan my next marathon. And maybe someday an ultra marathon.

How hard can it be to get to Dublin? & Pre-race

2011-11-07T10:05:00.000-06:00

We were supposed to leave Nashville on Thursday, October 27 fly to Philadelphia, catch a connecting flight to Dublin and arrive in Dublin Friday morning. However, our flight to Philly was delayed - officially due to fog in Philly, but we aren't convinced that was the real reason. After much talking and negotiating the reps for US Airways on the phone told us to get on the plane when it finally boarded. However, the people boarding the plane told us not to that we'd miss our connecting flight. To keep the story short, we got on the plane and missed our connecting flight, which left us stuck for the night. The next flight we could make would be the same time Friday night.

Team in Training was awesome and got us hotel rooms for the night. The airline said we could have our luggage but was never able to produce it. Which was a little concerning, but several people had told us to pack our race gear in a carry on. So we at least had some clothes.

The most disappointing thing to me was potentially losing a day in Ireland. I've never been to Philadelphia and was happy to spend a day there, but not at the expense of a day in Ireland. While we were still at the airport, I asked Mark what he thought about asking the airline to extend our trip a day. He called, worked his magic and they agreed to change our return flight to Friday instead of Thursday. Awesome!! Now we could enjoy our bonus time in Philadelphia. We really had a great day there.

Our flight to Dublin was problem free (thank goodness!). We got to Dublin on Saturday morning and went straight to our hotel. The staff at our hotel were great and the hotel itself was awesome! After taking a little nap, it was time to go to the expo. It was a lot smaller than I'd hoped for, but it was still a good experience.

On Sunday morning we participated in the international breakfast run, which is open to all runners from other countries. It was a really cool experience. They started the run with flags from all the countries who had runners. It was a short 2.5 mile run. At the end of it, I felt crappy and was seriously questioning the race the next day. But I had a few minutes of positive self talk and reminded myself that I'm not even warmed up at the end of 2.5 miles, so I can't make a good judgement of how I feel. I also told myself that this run was just to get loosened up for the marathon (oh my word, a marathon!!!) the next day.

Sunday night was our inspiration dinner with Team in Training. Our teammate, Jim Asker, was the speaker. He told his story of being diagnosed with a blood cancer and fighting through it. He did a great job speaking and it was moving to hear his very honest story. One thing he said really stuck with me during the race. I don't remember it word for word, but basically it was this - when he was going through treatment and his body was so weakened, he would have given anything to be able to run or smash a tennis ball. He said he can't imagine having a healthy body and not using it. Wow! There were very few dry eyes in the room at the end of his speech. He made us proud! It was also a great reminder of the reason we were there. And that all of our hard work in training and fundraising is making a difference.

We were careful to go to bed early the two nights before the race (even though it was so tempting to stay out and explore and enjoy the city). We also ate lots of carbs and tried to be as ready as possible for the race. After the dinner, we went back to our rooms and got all of our stuff ready for the race the next morning.

See You Soon Dublin

2011-10-26T18:24:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that this time tomorrow I will be in the air on my way to Dublin! And in just over 4 days I will be running my first marathon! It's finally starting to sink in that this is actually happening.

Mark and I are so extremely grateful to every single person who contributed to our fundraising efforts to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through Team in Training. Whether it was a dollar or $350, each donation meant a lot to us and fueled us to continue fundraising and training. We are waiting on the last batch of checks we mailed in to be posted but our total should be just over $11,000. We could not have done it without so much support from so many people. There is no way to say thanks enough. And most importantly we are $11,000 closer to curing blood cancer!

I also can't say thanks enough to all of the positive comments and all the encouragement we've received. Just thinking about how many people have reached out and encouraged us in the last 5 months astounds me and gives me so much confidence.

I'm a bundle of nervous energy right now! I'm, of course, nervous about the race itself. I'm also a little bit of a nervous about the flight. My goal is to sleep through most of the flight, which will be helpful since when we arrive in Dublin it will be 8:45 am. And in order to get my body on Dublin time I'm not going to sleep until that night.

My mantra until and during the race is - "I'm trained. I'm ready. I am an endurance athlete." I throw the last one in because, while it's true, it also makes me smile and think about all the fabulous training I've had with Fleet Feet and my great running friends!

Our race is on Monday (Halloween). It starts at 10 a.m. Dublin time. Which should be pretty early in Nashville. My main goal for the race is to finish it smiling and to soak up the experience. I'd like to finish in 5:35 to 5:45, but I'll be happy with anything under 6. Sometime after the race is over, I should be able to post on Facebook that we are finished. Also, I hope to update here too.

We are thankful for any prayers, happy thoughts, good vibes and other mojo you want to send our way during our trip and race.

Out of My Comfort Zone - into a Personal Record

2011-10-10T12:07:00.000-05:00

On October 1, I did Winchester's Southern Plunge Half Marathon. I chose this race for two reasons. One - it was a free race from active advantage. Two - I was going to be in Winchester for a girl's weekend and I needed to get a long run in. Strangely, I like running alone in a group, but I'm not so good at running all alone. So the race was the perfect way to make sure I got in a long run and stayed on track with my marathon training.

The night before the race, I tried to think of excuses not to do the race. Here are a few. I don't want to leave my friends (this would never work, they were all sleeping when I left). I "overslept" (ugh, i thought about this one but really I couldn't do it). Then I discovered the perfect reason not to do it, I'd left my watch charger at home! Aside from my shoes, my watch is the one thing I depend the most on to get me through the race. However, as much as I thought I wanted out of the race, I really didn't want out. I was just afraid.

Every race I've done has been with a group or with Mark. This was to be my first race without someone else running it or at least cheering me on. Also, I knew it was going to be a small race. I'm always terrified of being last. This fear was confirmed when I got to the start and there was hardly anyone there. Although a small race means no lines for the bathroom! And, of course, I was extra nervous without my watch. The race would definitely be a chance to grow as a runner.

Of all the thoughts I had swimming around in my head, setting a personal record was not one of them. After all, I had just PR'd the weekend before. And I seem to average a PR every 6 months or so. Not mention all of the reasons I listed above. Once the race got started, I was in the back of the pack - quite literally. The first few miles were hilly. And to be honest, I hate the first 3 miles of every run. I tried not to panic and to just trust that I could finish.

At mile 8, after finishing what was two steady miles mostly uphill, I asked the girl beside me if we were ever going to go downhill. She said yes, but not for long. Which was fine with me, all I needed right then was a small downhill. I had wanted to run waterstop to waterstop, but I'm guessing I walked about 30 - 45 seconds every half mile. So when the girl beside me looked at her watch and said I'd finish in less than 2:30 I was shocked. Shocked and motivated to keep my butt moving! I told her I'd PR'd the weekend before finishing in 2:25. She replied that if I kept on pace I could beat that.

I kept running though I still think I walked briefly every half mile or so and through the waterstops. I felt really good. And my conversation with the other runner had changed my confidence. I knew the race had started close to on time. A little ways into mile 12, I looked at my phone for the first time to see the time. It was 9:14. I knew I could PR if I could just keep it up for less than one mile. I finished in 2:22:51!!! I was 100th out of 137 (see I told you it was a small race).

I'm amazed I could PR on another hilly course without my watch. Or maybe it's that because of my watch and how fast I "think" I can run, I've been holding myself back. I'm running the Middle Half this weekend, which had been my goal race to PR at (the last two PRs were happy accidents). It's a flat course. I still think I can PR. Now should I wear my watch or not?

*The Dublin Marathon is 3 weeks from today!! This Friday is our fundraising deadline. We are so close to our $10,000 goal/minimum. Please help us reach our goal! http://pages.teamintraining.org/tn/dublin11/emilymark

Still Glowing - Women's Half Marathon

2011-09-26T18:07:00.001-05:00

To be totally honest, I expected to get through the Women's Half and to enjoy it. However, I didn't expect to PR and certainly not by 5 minutes. My PR before this weekend was 2:30 on a very flat course in New Orleans. You can say a lot of things about the Women's Half course in Nashville, but flat is not on that list. My official time for the Women's Half was 2:25:02!

Gail and I started the morning with a 2.15 mile warm up run. Now before anyone gets too upset, yes we used to make fun of the people who warmed up before a half marathon too. What can I say, we've become those people - feel free to make fun of us. The warm up was great because I was able to start the run and not feel completely miserable at first.

Before the run, there was a moment of silence to celebrate Lynn Manzelmann, a friend and amazing woman, who died after last year's event. It was a touching and very classy moment. Great job to the race organizers for including this moment. It was perfect. It was also great to see so many people wearing the purple "Celebrating Lynn" ribbons. Just as the race started, I looked to my left and saw several mutual friends of mine and Lynn's waving at me and cheering for me. All of these things together was very moving and got my race started off great!

I started the race a little fast, and I knew it. But amazingly, I was able to maintain a steady pace. This is my first half to run without intervals. I was a little worried about not having that security. My plan was to walk through the water stops and maybe a few other times. I walked the water stops and about 8 more times. But I was ok with it and still maintained a good pace. According to my watch my average pace was 10:55, but my official average pace was 11:03. My goal during the race had been to keep it under 11. I feel really good about how I was able to run and really excited about how I'll be able to do at future races.

The last mile of the race includes going up a bridge (of course you get to go down it too, but you have to climb first). Before I got to the bridge I was greeted by the Fleet Feet cheering station. It was awesome and so motivating to see your friends cheering for you. This is where Mark spent the race, and I'm fairly certain he enjoyed this just as much as running a race. Following the Fleet Feet station was the Team in Training water stop...yea for more familiar smiling faces!

Then comes the hill...the hill that has been named "I Will Hill". Major credit to the Women's Running Half staff for making signs for the bridge. It started with a sign that said "I Will..." then there was an assortment of signs that said things like achieve, succeed, overcome, dominate and more. The last sign said "celebrate". It was awesome and really great distraction.

The night before the race Nicole planned a dinner for us. When we all got to the restaurant, she had ordered us a cake and made everyone goodie bags. It was an awesome way to spend the night before the race. One of my favorite things about running is the amazing friendships I have made.

Showing our FF pride

It's no secret that I love Fleet Feet. I think it's the best store in the world (and I'm a girl who loves to shop). I love going in there because everyone is so knowledgeable and encouraging. I'm able to run, because of their fabulous training programs. Mark wanted to go by there after the race and pick up something. When we walked in, everyone congratulated me and knew my time and that it was a PR. Talk about warm fuzzy feelings, I was full of them. It was the perfect way to celebrate my race!

*Mark and I will be running our first marathon on October 31st in Dublin with Team in Training. We have to raise $10,000 in order to participate. So far, we've raised just over $9,150 so we only have $850 to go! Please help us get there! Our deadline is October 14. All the money we raise benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Visit our website to make a donation and for more information. http://pages.teamintraining.org/tn/dublin11/emilymark

A Runner's Rite of Passage

2011-09-21T13:32:00.000-05:00

An alternate title for this post Black & Bruised

If you've been a runner very long at all or ever looked through an issue of Runner's World, you've probably heard of runners getting black toenails. (yes, I know it sounds awful, and lucky for you fabulous readers there will be no pictures in this post.) Seasoned runners have tons of stories about how their toenails have turned black and eventually fallen off. When you hear these stories, you can't help but detect a certain hint of pride in their voices.

My first experience with any sort of toenail problems was in the spring after our double half marathon weekend (miss that post? read about it here). The second race of that weekend was hilly and wet and very hard on the toenails. After the race, several of my toenails were bruised underneath. A couple of them recovered, but 2 turned black and eventually came off over the summer. I will admit I felt a tiny bit of pride knowing I'd hit this milestone...but mostly I felt annoyance and pain.

Last weekend near the end of the long run, I started to notice that my toes felt tender. Upon inspection, two of them have blisters underneath the toenail - who even knew that was possible? Worse than how bad they look is how bad they hurt! I'm not exaggerating when I tell you it hurts when the sheet touches them when I go to bed. I'm taking it easy this week and hoping they stop hurting by the Women's Half on Saturday. I know in another week or so they are not going to be pretty. At least it is almost time for boots! I'm thinking I might need a new pair of boots to console myself.

* Mark and I will be running our first marathon on October 31st in Dublin with Team in Training. We have to raise $10,000 in order to participate. So far, we've raised just over $8,000 so we only have $2,000 to go! Please help us get there! Our deadline is October 14. All the money we raise benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Visit our website to make a donation and for more information. http://pages.teamintraining.org/tn/dublin11/emilymark

Today's Run & a Clothing Note to Guys

2011-09-18T18:44:00.001-05:00

Today we ran our longest run ever, and our longest run before the marathon. Gail, Mark and I decided to run with the Nashville Striders. Gail and I were going to do the full 21 mile route and Mark was backing his mileage down a little since he's still recovering. Going into the run, we knew we would be at the back of the pack. And we were. We were the last 2 people to finish the run, but we had prepared to be at the end and were ok with it. Thankfully, there was still water and Gatorade at all the stops.

We started at the Kroger on Del Rio in Franklin and ran to Grassland Elementary and back. If you've never been there, you should drive it sometime. Not only to appreciate how far it is, but also because it's a beautiful route. There are beautiful farms and views of the Harpeth River.

This sweet guy cheered us on

The course is really hilly. The first 18 miles were pretty great, but the last 3 were really tough. I'm sure a lot of it was just mental. However, doing 21 miles today makes me certain I can finish the full in Dublin in 6 weeks and one day (not that I'm counting). If nothing else I gained lots of confidence today. My average pace was 12:28, which is awesome, considering over half of my half marathons were at this pace. It makes me think I've either gotten faster or I've been holding back too much on my halfs or maybe some of both!

Now for the most entertaining part of the run...at the water stop at mile 8, well 8 for me Gail, we see a guy who's already turned around and is on mile 14. Clearly, this guy is really fast. And I know everyone wants to optimize their speed and some people do this by wearing less clothing. And I'm fine with guys running shirtless (some of them, I'm really ok with them going shirtless). However, I do think men should wear shorts that are an appropriate length. This man's were not. They were really short and his junk was hanging out the bottom of the shorts. Thankfully, there was a liner, but still. Guys - we do not want to see your stuff hanging out of shorts during a run. It's not an attractive look, ever.

Probably the second most entertaining thing that happened (and probably karma for me talking about the man in the small shorts) was after the run. When I got back to Kroger, I went inside to change and to get chocolate milk. I went into the bathroom and thought to myself that it looked different than before the run. Yes, you guessed it, I was in the men's room. Luckily, no one else was in there!

Next week is a drop week and I'll be running the Women's Half on Saturday. My goals for the race are to have fun and to beat last year's time. I'm also trying to convince myself to let this be my first half without intervals. I'm planning to walk through the water stops and give myself permission to walk 3 other times during the race.

Mark and I will be running our first marathon on October 31st in Dublin with Team in Training. We have to raise $10,000 in order to participate. So far, we've raised just over $8,000 so we only have $2,000 to go! Please help us get there! Our deadline is October 14. All the money we raise benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Visit our website to make a donation and for more information. http://pages.teamintraining.org/tn/dublin11/emilymark

Happy, Hopeful & Humbled

2011-09-14T09:06:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of a sticker I bought for my car in March to celebrate my decision to do the Dublin Marathon. Of course, I'm not putting it on my car until after the race. I can honestly say there have been many times over the last few months that I was unsure if I would get to use the sticker. However, I'm very excited to be able to confidently say, we will be going to Ireland and running the full!

Why have I been unsure until now? $10,000 is a lot of money to raise. It's been difficult. It's always been very rewarding. Right now we are up to $7600 raised. A big thanks to my company, Home Warranty of America, for matching $2500 of the money we've raised. Their donation made a huge difference! I feel sure we can get the remaining $2400. Want to help us raise that last $2400? Visit our website for more information.

We had a great weekend of fundraising and training last weekend. We set up a bake sale after Fleet Feet's Women's Half Marathon Training on Saturday. My original plan was just to have chocolate milk (by far the most popular thing we had), Gatorade, water and a few cookies. But then something unexpected happened - several people started offering to bring things. So we had drinks and a huge variety of baked goods. Thank you so much to Gail, Delaina, Jeanie, Angie, Rene, and Nicole for contributing yummy snacks!

The response to our sale was amazing to say the least. Including a generous donation we received after, we raised over $900 Saturday. And we had tons of baked goods left. As important as the donations we received, was the encouragement and stories we heard. Everyone was so positive and motivating. It was also moving to hear people tell us about their loved ones who had blood cancers. With the baked goods we had left over we set up a smaller sale at our Monday night Tin Roof 2 run and raised another $300. Wow...we are amazed and humbled that so many people are supporting us.

Because we were fundraising on Saturday, Gail, Mark and I did our long run on Sunday. 18 miles on the Natchez Trace. We've not run the Trace before. Which means we had no idea, it would be so hilly. Gail and I were doing 3/1 intervals and almost every run felt like it started out uphill! But I'm definitely not complaining, because it went as well as I can imagine 18 miles going. The weather was perfect. Mostly overcast and the temperature stayed in the 60s and 70s. We even had negative splits. If you know me, you know pacing is not my gift. I almost always start out too fast. But we started out in the mid 13s and at the end of 18 my average pace was 12:32 a mile. And the last mile was my fastest at 9:30.

Mark has been battling several leg issues since we've been training. He was able to finish almost 17 on Sunday. And he was beaming at the end of the run! It's been awhile since he's been this hopeful that he could finish the race. I'm so proud of him.

One great thing about Sunday's run was that David (Gail's other half) picked us up at the end of 18 miles, so we could run out 18 and not do an out and back. It was great to run out straight, but driving back you realize 18 miles is a long freaking way!

Gail has been the most amazing person to train with. Not only does she let me whine and complain and talk her into crazy ideas, she's also planned and set up all of our water and refueling stops. My advice to anyone training for their first full is to find a partner like Gail (but not Gail, because I've already taken her). Speaking of my crazy ideas, this week's run went so well, I was actually entertaining the idea of an ultra marathon. Of course, I'm tabling this idea until I've survived my first marathon.

Mark and I are so thankful to every person who has helped us fundraise and made donations. Our fundraising deadline is October 14. Please visit our website if you want to help us with our final fundraising push.

Franklin Classic

2011-09-07T16:01:00.000-05:00

On Monday, Mark and I participated in the Franklin Classic. I ran the 10k and the 5k. Yes, I know it seems a little ridiculous to run both races, but it was only $5 more to do both and since I'm training for a full, it seemed like a good idea to do both. Luckily, I was able to convince Gail that she needed to do both too, so I didn't seem like a total crazy person, well at least I wasn't the only crazy person. I'm also so proud of Nicole and Jeanie who did both races too!

The race was fabulous. I've been training to run this race without intervals. Although I did walk some the majority of it was all running. And I beat last year's time for the 10k by 4 and a half minutes! The weather for the race was absolutely perfect. It may not have seemed perfect when we started since it was raining, but the light drizzle felt great during the run. Or maybe it felt so nice, because Saturday's run was insanely hot and humid.

While, my runs were really good and I'm excited about my own accomplishments, the best part of the race was seeing and cheering for the new runners who have been participating in Fleet Feet's No Boundaries Couch to 5k Program. Seeing those runners cross the finish line was the highlight of the race. I'm so glad I went and cheered for them after I finished. Tracey and Drew did an outstanding job coaching the group.

This program is how I got started running two year's ago. I remember very well how excited and nervous I was on my first race. Most people in this program have never run before and never imagined they would be a runner. It's amazing and motivating to see the participants transform and their confidence soar from the start of the program to race day. If you've ever wanted to start running or know someone who does, Fleet Feet is about to start a new Couch to 5k program. Go to Fleet Feet Nashville's page for more details.

Special congrats to my friend and running mentor Joe who took over 11 minutes off his 10k time from last year!! Amazing! And this gives me hope that I can get faster too.

Mark and I will be running our first marathon this October in Dublin with Team in Training. We have to raise $10,000 in order to participate. All the money we raise benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which is a charity we've actively supported and volunteered with the last few years. Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer. Please help us find a cure. Visit our website to make a donation and for more information. http://pages.teamintraining.org/tn/dublin11/emilymark

2 months, 61 days or 1464 hours

2011-08-31T09:41:00.000-05:00

Two months, 61 days or 1464 hours from now Mark and I will be running in our first full marathon. I'm not sure if I should jump up and down because I'm excited or throw up because I'm so nervous. We've run as far as 16 miles already. I'm sure I could go a little more, but I'm not sure I could go 10 more...at least not yet. I know that's the point of training. But it's still so hard to believe we'll be running 26.2 continuous miles that soon.

We must raise a total of $10,000 in order to go to Dublin for the race. So far we've raised $3,226. What I'm learning is that fundraising a large sum of money is also a marathon. It has all the same highs and lows. A lot of people have asked how much of the money we raise goes to costs associated with the race. The answer is less than 25%. So more than 75% of your donation goes directly to fund blood cancer research.

Please help us reach our goal and participate in the race, but more importanly help us find a cure for blood cancer. I'm sure if you don't have to think long to start making a list of all the people you know whose lives have been turned upside down by cancer. Choose to make a difference and fund cancer research.

If you've already donated - thank you so much! If you haven't donated yet, here's your chance! I know 2 months is far away...but the more we raise now the fewer gray hairs I have on race day!

Please click here to help us.

Make a Difference

2011-08-15T12:04:00.000-05:00

Mark and I are running the marathon and fundraising in honor of a sweet, spunky little girl named Tanner. I fell in love with her right away. I asked her mom Beth to share with everyone a letter of what your gift means to families like hers...

I thank God every day for the people who have come before us who raised the money that funded research that got my eight-year-old daughter, Tanner, where she is today -- exactly four days into our new life without chemo.

How cute is Tanner!?

On June 1, 2009, a nervous young resident at Vanderbilt Children's fumbled through an explanation of abnormal white cells that led me to finally ask the question, "Are you trying to tell me she has leukemia?" Tanner was a normal, healthy five-year-old who had just finished her kindergarten year and was looking forward to a summer of swimming, ballet camp and vacation bible school. In one awful day, everything changed for the worse.

Tanner endured two years and three months of grueling, constant chemo treatments -- not because she had any complications, but because that is the normal treatment protocol for a girl with ALL (Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia). Boys, sadly, endure an extra year of treatment.

In the first month of treatment, Tanner had a port surgically implanted, two bone marrow biopsies, four doses of IV chemo and 30 days of high dose steroids. My feisty daughter could no longer walk up the stairs, couldn't get herself up off the floor without help, and needed a cane most of the time. She lay for long hours staring at the ceiling, completely robbed of her personality by the steroids.

She eventually watched as all her friends returned to school, held a virtual prisoner by her compromised immune system. She missed birthday parties, playdates, trips to the skating rink, and simple pleasures like eating out in a restaurant. She lost her hair not once, but twice. She gained fifteen pounds from steroids, only to lose it all, and then some, two months later. At some points, she became so overwhelmed by anxiety, that she needed anti-depressants to just help her function.

I'm so inspired by her!

But, through it all, Tanner fought... and Mark and Emily ran. Because we all believe there is a better way; that no child should have to give up two or three years of their childhood to a disease we could potentially cure. We met Emily and Mark when Emily chaired the 2011 Man and Woman of the Year campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Tanner was honored to serve as Girl of the Year. Tanner and Emily immediately hit it off -- kindred silly spirits -- two people with boundless energy and hearts of gold who have a great desire to help others.

I'm so proud of my daughter for what she has accomplished, and am eternally grateful to people like Emily and Mark for all that they do to help families like ours. I'm ever mindful of my obligation to "pay it forward" and be sure that we are paving the way for more humane treatments for blood cancers, or, better yet, a cure! Please know that should you decide to support Emily and Mark by donating to their Team in Training run in Dublin, you will not only be supporting two wonderful and selfless people, but will also be helping to assure no family ever has to endure this nightmare again.

Thank you,
Beth Page

Progress - Look How Far You've Come

2011-08-10T13:39:00.001-05:00

It's easy for me to get caught up in my next goal and forget how far I've come. This can be true for lots of areas in my life, but most of all it can be applied to my running life. It's also easy for me to be disappointed in myself when I'm not where I want to be in relation to my goals. It's harder for me to take a step back and appreciate the progress I've made. But when I do, it's truly motivating.

I began running 2 years ago this month with Fleet Feet's No Boundaries program. On our first group run, we ran 1 minute and walked 2 minutes. We did this for 30 minutes. I was sure I would die from the effort. We did this to train for my first 5k. A 5k is 3.1 miles. On the first night of training, I remember feeling like a 5k might as well be to the moon because it seemed just as impossible.

Today, I am training for my first full marathon. I've completed 10 half marathons. I've ran in all sorts of other races from the Ragnar Relay to several local 5ks. I've also always run intervals. Every race I've ever run was as an interval runner. I'm training to run my first race (Franklin Classic 10k) without intervals. On Monday night at Tin Roof 2, Gail and I ran 6 miles without intervals.

It was an amazing feeling to complete that run. There have been many days when I was absolutely sure I could never give up my intervals. There also days I was sure I could never run more than 5 miles or 13.1 miles. On Saturday, I will run my first ever 16 miler!

I'm a slow runner - back of the packer. I've consistently run my miles in the 12:30 time range. Recently, I've been able to run in the 11s! But it's easy for me to forget that I started at 14 minute mile.

I have so many more goals as a runner. I want to be faster. I want to run a half in each state. I want to run a half without intervals. I could go on and on. But right now I think it's important that I pause and look back and appreciate the progress I've made. When I think about the progress I've made, I'm excited. I feel strong and capable. If you find yourself struggling, take a step back and appreciate the journey that's brought you here. It's helped me.

Guest Post from my Sister - My Sister the Runner

2011-08-05T10:39:00.000-05:00

*Unsolicited writing from my sister...you can see how lucky I am to have a fabulous sister!

Sisters are the best!

If you know Emily and myself you know we are pretty opposite.

Since she found her love for running I’ve had a lot of people ask me if I’m now running too. Well I’d hate to break the opposite trend we have going so no I’m not a runner. I have to say that Emily has found a focus and a discipline with her running that I can’t help but admire.

Admiration is a feeling I’ve know all my life growing up with a older sister like Emily.

No matter where life takes her, no matter what her busy schedule demands of her she has always kept one eye on me. She has always looked out for me and guided me through many of life’s troubles.

Two years ago when Emily was campaigning for Women of the Year I quickly realized it was not for the title or any perks that came with it. She was spending hours of her time planning events, networking and seeking donations for a much greater cause. When you see a sick child there is no reasoning that can make it make sense. And for Emily there was nothing that would stop her form helping in any way she could. Her continued support of the cause shows how deeply it touched her.

My fiancé often tells me I have a “bleeding heart.” I so quickly feel the pain and suffering of anyone around me and want to do whatever I can to help them. Well here is one characteristic where Emily and I couldn’t be more alike. I got my compassion from her and her “bleeding heart” is calling her to help children with leukemia and lymphoma.

I am happy to support Emily and Mark while they raise money for such an amazing selfless cause. We all have healthy children in our lives; let’s reach out our “bleeding hearts” to those that aren’t as healthy.

Please use this secure link to make a donation http://pages.teamintraining.org/tn/dublin11/emilymark

Longest and Hardest Run Ever and Why It Matters

2011-07-30T15:35:00.000-05:00

Mark and I were planning on running 14 miles today. We were going to run at River Park where Team in Training was meeting, but our plan was to start at 5:30, an hour before the rest of the group, to avoid the heat and because we were going a little farther. Seems like a great plan, right? Well nothing went according to plan.

Instead of getting up at 4:30, we turned the alarm off and slept until 5:30. My stomach very much did not want to participate in the run. After 2 bathroom stops, we finally made it in time to start after the group. But it was overcast and not yet ridiculously hot, so there was hope.

When we got to 2.5 miles we saw lightning and took cover just before the storm hit. On the radar it looked like it was going to quickly pass, but then it appeared to move right on top of us for a long time. We waited about 30 minutes and after the most severe weather was gone we took off. Which, of course, was hard after not moving for so long. It rained on us for the next 8 or so miles.

I'm so familiar with routes at River Park that I didn't do much to prepare for this run. Big mistake. When we got to Ravenwood, we'd only been 4 miles. So we went down Raintree and then back and then through Oakhall. Then we came to Crockett Park.

At mile 8.5, I realize we are only 1.5ish miles from our car. What to do? We both really wanted to get 14 in (ok maybe me a little more than Mark), but our car was so close. And our conditions had been so bad for most of the run. My shoes felt like they weighed 10 lbs each. It seemed so easy to just go back then, but we decided we were committed to 14 so we, somewhat hesitantly, turned around and ran the opposite direction of our car.

This was a big moment for me - it was a mental win. It was a moment where I recommitted myself to the full the marathon in Dublin, to fundraising $10,000, to training on a set schedule no matter what, to eating properly to fuel my run and to my goals. It's also the moment that reminded me why I signed up for this to begin with. Because I have a choice to run, and people cancer have no choice. They don't choose to be sick. I choose to help them.

making silly faces with Tanner

For the next several miles I thought about sweet Tanner Page. And how I would gladly run this far everyday if it meant she didn't have to have treatments for over 2 years and that she could just be a sweet, spunky little kid. I also thought about my friend Jennifer Dunn who lost her son Chase to blood cancer. I can't even imagine what she's been through. When I wanted to quit today, thinking of Tanner and Chase and their families kept me going.

When we got back to Ravenwood, we should only have had 4 miles to go. However, with the detours we had taken it was really 5 miles. At this point, my ipod was doing crazy things. It had a mind all its own. I couldn't turn the volume up or down or change songs. This isn't tragic, but somehow it kept playing Christmas songs, which got really old when the sun came back out and it felt like it was a million degrees out.

The last few miles were by far my fastest - yes I'm surprised too. I ran ahead of Mark with only about 4 miles to go. Which was probably a smart thing to do, especially because I'm sure he wanted to kill me when he realized we were going to run 15 miles instead of 14.

Since it's been a few hours since we finished, I can say it was a really good run. It was hard, but empowering.

Our full marathon is just 3 months (holy crap) from tomorrow! Our running only makes a difference if we also fundraise. Please consider making a donation. Visit our website at http://pages.teamintraining.org/tn/dublin11/emilymark. Thank you so much for cheering us on and supporting us!

Letting Go of the Security Blanket

2011-07-11T16:05:00.002-05:00

It's been almost 2 years since I started this running journey. I began with Fleet Feet's No Boundaries Couch to 5k program. Training ended with us being able to run 4 minutes/ walk 1 minute. I was an interval runner, which was just fine with me. I loved my walk breaks.

However, there was a tiny part of me that wanted to run without intervals. Now to be clear, when my legs and lungs were burning and my watch beeped signaling a walk break, that tiny part of me was quick to shut up. But there's still been this desire to move beyond intervals.

A while back I learned Fleet Feet would soon begin a 10k training with a goal of running it without walk breaks. This is very exciting because, I know myself well enough to know my chances of success are greater in a group. I also knew a few my friends would be doing the training too. It's much easier to stop and walk when I'm alone than it is when I'm in a group.

A few weeks ago on one of our Monday night runs, we decided to try it without intervals. I ran 2 straight miles. The most I'd ever run without a walk break. Then on July 4th, I ran the firecracker 5k with someone who was finishing the no boundaries 5k training and wanted to run the whole thing. It was my first 5k without intervals, though I did stop and walk a few times. And in the interest of full disclosure, I had to let the person I was running with go ahead of me during the race. She was so fast; I couldn't keep up! But it was a giant step for me to run the race without the comfort of intervals.

Last Thursday at our group 10k training, I ran 3.5 miles without walking at all! Drew Jones is leading the 10k training. Before we started the run he said, it doesn't matter how slow we go just don't walk. So I played that over and over in my head when I wanted to walk and kept pushing. And amazingly, I was able to finish with a much faster time than my normal 3.5 miles.

I'm excited to be a part of this training and to be challenging myself. I've known for a long time that I was physically able to run without intervals...but it's been a matter of convincing my mind. I know it's going to get harder as we increase the mileage, but it will be worth it! I'm planning on running my shorter weekly runs without intervals and keeping my intervals for our long runs and for the marathon. My goal is to start the half marathon training next January in a non-interval group!

* Mark and I will be running our first marathon this October in Dublin with Team in Training. We have to raise $10,000 in order to participate. All the money we raise benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which is a charity we've actively supported and volunteered with the last few years. Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer. Please help us find a cure. Visit our website to make a donation and for more information. http://pages.teamintraining.org/tn/dublin11/emilymark

Happy Birthday Mark!

2011-06-30T10:06:00.000-05:00

The couple who runs together stays together, right? Well, Mark and I certainly hope so! Today is Mark’s birthday. I would tell you how old he is, but I’m pretty sure he would be unhappy with me sharing that fact. He made me promise and swear I wouldn’t buy him anything for his birthday, which I’m unhappily complying with. Of course, I don’t count the cards (one from me and one from the boys) as buying a gift.

Mark's first 5k

Since I can’t buy him anything for his birthday, this is his gift. A whole blog post about him. I’m sure most of you are thinking you would rather have a gift card on your birthday. But, hopefully, Mark will appreciate this. And since this is primarily a running blog. I will talk about Mark Sharp, the runner.

Often people ask us who was the runner in the relationship first. The next most popular question is if we have always been runners. The answer to the first question is me. The answer to the second one is absolutely not. Sometimes people then ask if I “make” Mark run. This is always comical to me. In a great relationship it’s strongly discouraged to “make” your partner do something. I never tried to talk him into or bully him into running. I just shared how much I loved it, and he could see all the positive changes it had made in my life.

The truth is I fell head over heels in love with running (ok, I fell in love with the feeling of accomplishment I get from running, not so much the act itself), and it was contagious. At first, Mark was my cheerleader. He came to every race and found places to spot me multiple times during each race. It was a huge help to me mentally and emotionally. And then one day he got the itch to run.

But starting a running plan wasn’t as easy for Mark as it had been for me. Just as I started running, Mark got sick. It took us a long time to figure out what was wrong. In the end, he was diagnosed with heart failure. Trust me when I say this is never something you want to hear about the person you love. It was a very scary time. Also, this is a very condensed version of the story. Ask him to tell you the whole story sometime, it’s amazing!

Mark's first half marathon

After getting his condition stable and talking to his heart doctor, he decided he would join Fleet Feet’s No Boundaries Couch to 5k Training (the same place I started). He often says running saved his life. Which is at least partially true. His heart condition has improved tremendously. I’m so proud of him. Most people would have used a heart condition as an excuse not to run. Instead, he used it as motivation to become healthier.

Sidenote: It's been almost exactly one year since Mark's first race. The Firecracker 5k last year was his first. Happy running anniversary!

In the last year, Mark has completed 5 half marathons and several 5ks. And he's inspired tons of other people to reach their running potential. He’s mentored brand new couch to 5k runners and half marathoners. Additionally, we recently started training for our first full marathon with Team in Training. It will be October 31 in Dublin, Ireland. One of the many things I love about Mark, is his loving, giving and generous heart. When we first started talking about doing this full marathon as a fundraiser, he quickly agreed to do it too. He was anxious to use this race as a platform to help cure blood cancer and to make a difference.

Please consider making a contribution to our fundraising efforts. It would be a great birthday present for Mark! We have to raise a total of $10,000 so far we have raised just over $1,000. Click here to go to our fundraising page.

My favorite picture of us
when we got engaged after
the Mardi Gras Half

Happy Birthday Mark! I love you. I'm so proud of you. And I’m glad I get to spend the rest of my life with you!

I Hate Cancer

2011-06-28T14:48:00.001-05:00

When we are little, we are taught not to use the word hate. It's something I teach our boys. Hate is word I don't use lightly. Mostly, I'm a lover, not a hater. But, I can't bring myself to use any other word in conjunction with cancer. I don't dislike it or feel lukewarm about it. I simply hate it.

With that said, a lot of good and a lot of love come as a result of cancer, and for that, I'm thankful. I think you see the best in people during hard and trying times. However, if cancer ceased to exist, I'd be more than ok with it.

I can't list all the people I know who have battled cancer. It would take too long, and you'd probably stop reading. My heart is so full of love and prayer, for my friend, Sherry Ellis, who was just diagnosed with colon cancer a few days ago. She's handling it with a positive attitude and peacefulness that can only come through God. I'm in awe of her and proud to be her friend.

Everytime I hear of a friend having cancer or meet someone like Tanner Page and her mom Beth, I have the same feeling. The feeling is hard to describe...but it's a desperate, helpless feeling. I like to fix things and make them better. But cancer is something, I can't easily fix. I know I can pray and I do. But I NEED something to physically do.

So, I run. It seems simple. Running. How does it help? Beyond all the personal benefits, it gives me a platform to fundraise and create awareness. As I'm sure you all already know, Mark and I are training for our first full marathon with Team in Training. I'm immensely excited about the marathon and the trip. But I'm even more excited to know what I'm doing is making a difference and changing lives. Team in Training benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which specifically provides funds for research and patient support to blood cancer patients. But often the research reaches to other forms of cancer.

If you are interested in supporting our efforts our website is http://pages.teamintraining.org/tn/dublin11/emilymark.

A Reason to Run

2011-05-31T11:09:00.000-05:00

Here we are making silly faces with Tanner

Five months from today, Mark and I will be running our first marathon in Dublin. We are training for this race as a part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. We have to raise $10,000 in order to participate. At this point, I'm not sure which is scarier, running 26.2 miles or raising $10,000. Of course as I say this, I immediately think however hard this is, it's nothing compared to having a child with Leukemia.

Our inspiration for this race is a sassy, seven year old girl named Tanner Page. Tanner was diagnosed with Leukemia (ALL) in June 2009. She has a very good prognosis and is responding to treatment well. She will finish her treatment this year (girls with Leukemia have treatments for 2 years. it's 3 years for boys). As you can imagine, it's been a very difficult thing for her to deal with on a socially. But when you see her, she's so full of energy and life. It makes me certain if this little girl (and her amazing family) can go through this, then surely we can run a marathon and raise $10,000.

Speaking of the $10,000, what does this money go to? 75% or more of the funds we raise will go directly to support the mission of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). The other 25% will go to cover costs associated with the race and training. LLS funds a lot of researchers. Since they have been participating in research survival rates have dramatically increased. They also use the funds for patient support. This includes (but it's definitely not limited to) co-pay assistance, patient literature, support groups, staff and much more.

We have been involved with LLS for 3 years with the Man Woman of the Year campaign. In 2009, I was a Woman of the Year candidate. The next year I co-chaired the campaign and Mark was a very active campaign volunteer. This year I am serving as the campaign chair and Mark is mentoring a candidate. When we started as volunteers, we didn't have a personal connection. Since then we've met so many people who's lives have been changed because of a blood cancer. It is an amazing organization.

We ask that you please join us in our race to raise vital funds to wipe out blood cancers. Please visit our fundraising site to make a donation.

Thank you so much for all of your support!!

Flying Pig Half Marathon

2011-05-01T13:23:00.000-05:00

Going into the race today, I knew there was a chance of rain. All week the time of the rain/storms moved up earlier and earlier. Driving to the race this morning it started to storm. So we put on garbage bags and headed to the start line. The start line was chaotic due to the rain and it still being dark (the race started at 6:30 am eastern time, which is 5:30 am central time). We should have started in corral D, but I think it was more like B. Which means, we got passed a lot in the beginning. And it rained really heavy for the first 4 miles.

Mark decided to walk the race as he's still recovering from an injury (He was able to finish it with little pain -yea!). Gail was a little ahead of us, and we got separated from her near the start. Chrystyna and I struggled the first 4 miles. It was clear our bodies were not recovered from yesterday's run. Talking during the beginning of the race, we realized we probably could have trained better by running long runs on back to back days - if you are ever planning on doing back to back races, I suggest training by doing long runs on consecutive days. The first 4 miles of the race, we mostly walked and weren't sure if we'd actually run much more of the race.

As the rain eased up, our attitudes also improved. We were genuinely having a good time by mile 5, and we stuck to our 2/2 intervals. Around mile 5 or 6 the elevation of the course started climbing and climbing. When we got near the top there was some beautiful views of the river and the city. The last 3 miles of the race were all downhill. Can I just say having the last 3 miles be downhill is a very beautiful thing? We ran most of the last 3 miles straight. It felt good to run down, and at that point, we were afraid if we stopped running we wouldn't be able to start back. It was a light rain or misty from mile 4 to mile 11 and then the rain came back harder.

This race is very well planned out and everyone involved in it from race officials to volunteers had fabulous, positive attitudes. The expo was well organized and attended, especially considering how many races were this weekend. Every runner received an asics tech shirt, asics backpack (which is surprisingly nice) and a poster. This race wins for the best swag! The waterstops were really good. They were every mile. My favorite was a high school football team. They were very spirited and entertaining.

During the race we swore we wouldn't attempt such a crazy thing as two halfs in one weekend again, but within 15 minutes of finishing we had decided we might try it again. There are several things I will do differently next time. But it was a great experience, and I'm very glad we did it. Sometime during yesterday's half, I realized today's race would be my 10th half marathon. All 10 have been completed in the last 15 months. Wow! If you had told me 2 years ago, I would be finishing my 10th half marathon today, I would have laughed.

For my next running adventure, Mark and I will be training and fundraising for the full marathon in Dublin, Ireland (I don't usually say Ireland, but someone thought I was talking about Ohio when I mentioned it the other day) with Team in Training. I'll have a blog with more information about it very soon.

Derby Festival Minimarathon or Race 1 of 2

2011-04-30T11:19:00.000-05:00

This was a really great race! The course was beautiful and had very little elevation changes. I highly recommend adding this race to your list of races to run. There was pretty good crowd support at the beginning, middle and end. The temperature outside was cool when we started and warmed up, but it never felt too hot (there was a nice, light breeze most of the race).

The very best part of the race was running through Churchill Downs. It was amazing to get to run through there. We stayed on pavement and not the horse track, but it was awesome. Horses were running and were beautiful. There were also lots of available bathrooms, which couldn't have come at a better time! Mark (who didn't get to run due to an injury) was waiting on us as we exited Churchill downs. It was a great time to him and motivated me for a couple miles.

Gail, Chrystyna, Victoria and I ran together the whole race. We probably started off just a little too fast. But we felt really good most of the race. Hopefully, we didn't jinx tomorrow's run.

As we were running today, I kept thinking about how far we've come in the last year. I felt really good today. It never really felt like I was going to die (extreme, I know, but I really felt that way a couple times last year) or that I wouldn't be able to finish. Feeling so good today, makes me really excited to see where I'll be as a runner this time next year.

The finish of the race was really well done. They kept the festival theme going and had carnival rides and some food stands where you could purchase carnival food. They also gave out lots and a variety of snacks to finishers. The best part of the finish was the small cartons of chocolate milk (yes, I had 2, don't judge).

Though overall the race was really fabulous, there are a few places I think they could really improve. The first is the water stops. They were laid out well, but the majority of them gave out small bottles of water, which in theory sounds like a good idea, but didn't work out too well. First you had to open them. And it created twice as much work for the clean up crew as most people tossed the lids and bottle separately. Second, they didn't offer a sports drink until around mile 10. I could have used it much sooner.

The race (and company of course) was really good. I'm a little sad I didn't get to see my training group finish the Country Music Half, but I'm sure they were all outstanding! Now it's time for an ice (or maybe just cold water) soak and to head to Cincinnati for tomorrow's race!

Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon

2011-04-29T09:55:00.001-05:00

*originally posted on nashvilleandbeyond.com

Can you feel the energy in the air in Nashville? Extra excitement is buzzing around town. In case you’ve been living under a rock – I mean in case you didn’t already know – this Saturday is the Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon.

Even if you aren’t a runner, you can find a reason to be excited about the race. It’s easily one of the top 10 road races in the country based on attendance. Over 35,000 of your closest friends will lace up their shoes to run. Many of those people will come in from out of state, which gives us a great opportunity to showcase our fabulous city.

If you are running the race – best of luck to you! It’s a great race and an awesome experience. Running a race is one of my favorite ways to see a city. If you aren’t running the race consider volunteering or cheering the runners on. Having participated in the half last year, I can say it makes a huge difference to those of us running to have people cheering along the route. If you are feeling creative make a sign, most runners welcome the distraction and enjoy reading your sign!

For the last 4 months I’ve been pacing a group of runners for Fleet Feet Nashville’s training program for this race. Every Saturday morning instead of sleeping in, we’ve been up early to train. This is going to be the first half marathon most of them will complete. It’s been a truly amazing experience to watch each of them grow and prepare for a goal as big as running 13.1 miles.

If you want to feel inspired or encouraged, find yourself a place near LP Field (the finish line) and watch thousands of people meet their goals on Saturday morning. Each of those finishers has been training for months. They’ve gotten up extra early in the morning or stayed up late at night to get in their miles. They’ve been training in both freezing and hot temperatures, the rain, the snow and the sun. No matter how hard or easy the race has been for them, you will see each of them break into a huge smile as they cross the finish line. The feeling in the air will be joy, exhaustion, elation, but most of all, accomplishment.

For more information on the race, road closures, volunteering, being a spectator and much more check out http://nashville.competitor.com/.

Double, Double, Toil and 2 Fabulous Races

2011-04-29T09:37:00.000-05:00

First things first, good luck to all the runners I've trained with for the Country Music Half. You all are more than ready. You will rock the race. I can't wait to hear all the details about how fantastic you did. I'm so proud of all of you! I wish I could be there to run with you or cheer you on, but I'll be there in spirit!

I'm not sure who thought it would be fun to run back to back half marathons, but I know I eagerly agreed. Today, I'm a little more apprehensive...it must be nerves. Tomorrow, is the Derby Festival Minimarathon (I don't actually think of 13.1 miles as a "mini") in Louisville. Sundy is the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati. There are about 10 people from our running group doing Louisville, and 4 of us will be going on to Cincinnati.

The goal for both races is survival! I've been giving myself a pep talk and reminding myself this is not the time to set a PR. And the best part is, I will add two states in one weekend.

Look for blog updates after each race!

Ice Bath aka Torture

2011-03-12T14:14:00.000-06:00

I've heard all of the benefits of the ice bath, but I tried it once and jumped out after about 15 seconds. Holy crap, people willing do this? I'm sure it would be an effective form of torture for our military.

However, after hurting for nearly a week after the New Orleans half, I decided I would have to give it another try. I'm proud to say I made it 15 minutes today! Of course, I'd have gladly spent that 15 minutes running more, but I don't think it would have had the same effect.

Here is my ice bath survival guide:

- A positive attitude - this is for your own good (definitely didn't have this on my first attempt)

- Warm clothes (t-shirt and my hoodie on top of it)

- Hot hands warming patch - ok this was probably overkill, but the first attempt was a disaster so this helped...it actually did a lot to keep my core warm

- Steaming hot drink - I chose pear tea...YUM

- Ipad and facebook (facebook could easily be substituted for Angry Birds)

I got in the tub with lukewarm water and gradually increased the water to all cold and started adding ice. There is NO way I could get straight into an icy tub. I stayed in for 15 minutes. I've heard if you don't stay in a minimum of 10 minutes it's not doing you any good. Since my first 2 minutes weren't really cold, I decided to stay 15 minutes.

Now an hour later my hips, legs and feet are still cold despite being under a blanket for an hour. I'm taking this as a good sign. Hopefully, sore muscles are not in my future!

Tom King 2011

2011-03-12T14:00:00.000-06:00

Tom King last year was my first ever half marathon. I remember being so nervous and afraid of not being able to finish. This year's race was my 8th half marathon. I finished 5 minutes faster this year.

My goal in the race was just to finish faster than last year. After setting a personal record in New Orleans less than a month ago, I knew it would be hard to do it again so soon, so I decided just to enjoy the run and beat last year's time.

I feel like I've come so far since last year. Last year I struggled, and by mile 10 I was sure I was never running again. This year I was calm and confident. I will probably never say running a half is easy...but it is definitely enjoyable. I know I smiled ear to ear this race. Why? Because I can run. Because I know I can finish. Because it encourages others. Because even with the pain it's worth it.

So many of my friends ran this race and it was so good to see them before and during the race. Two of my friends were even crazy enough to run the half and the 5k that was before it. Pretty sure if the 5k was after the race no one would be running it.

Mark at the finish! He had a hard run, but
I'm so proud of him for finishing strong!

The best water stop of the day was, of course the Fleet Feet/East Nasty stop at miles 1 and 12. It is always so good to see smiling faces of people you know and hear them cheering for you!

I think Tom King will be the one race I do every year...and hopefully, every year will be faster than the year before!

Recovery

2011-03-06T20:04:00.000-06:00

An alternate title for this blog post was going to be "How I Fell Off the 28 Day Challenge Wagon." It's disappointing news I know. And it KILLS me to tell you that I didn't make the 28 day challenge. I did every day up to the Mardi Gras Half. I even got in more than a mile walk the next day.

So what stopped me from doing it the next day? I was sore. And not just a little sore. I've been sore lots of times, but never like this before. I've been trying to figure out why since the race. In addition to being sore, I was exhausted!

This was the first race I've ever run that I feel like I treated it as a race. Every other time, I feel like I've treated it as a training run with a medal at the end. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just wasn't prepared for the toll it would take on my body. Usually during a race, I do exactly what I do during training runs.

Not this time. I ran the half a minute faster a mile than I run my training runs. I also ran a lot more than my intervals. Frequently I skipped the walk interval or at least cut it short. I think the additional running and speed (I have to laugh a little when I say speed, because I'm by no means fast!) made me really sore and tired. Now I understand why you need rest days after a race. The general rule is one day per mile. I took about 10 rest days.

Other contributing factors to my overly soreness:
- rough terrain - the last 2ish miles had lots of gravel on the road, essentially making it a run and a core workout
- lack of hydration - I was plenty hydrated before and during the race, my mistake was not hydrating properly after the race
- walking lots for 3 days before the race - I have no idea how much we walked but I would guess it was at least an equal distance to the race

After being so sore, I'm slightly worried about the back to back races I have planned (and already registered for) on April 30th and May 1st. Hopefully, I've learned from my last race. I won't be trying to set a PR at either race, so I'll have to tell myself to take it easy. I'm also planning to try the feared ice bath and hope it helps.

My next race is Tom King this Saturday. I'm hoping I can stick to my plan and not be sore the next day. I really need it to build my confidence for my back to back races.

I'm so proud of everyone who started the 28 day challenge and everyone who stuck with it and completed it, especially my little sister!

Best. Day. Ever.

2011-02-13T14:52:00.000-06:00

Wow! I'm not quite sure where to start. I'm sure you all really want to know about how Mark popped the question. But I'm going to make you listen (well, read really) all about the race first. In yesterday's blog, I rambled about my deep affection for New Orleans, so I'll spare you that - except to say now I love it even more.

The weather couldn't have been special ordered any better. I didn't look, but I'm guessing it was 50ish when we started. A little chilly, but it felt good once we got going. I stayed pretty close to Erin, Gail and Mark at the beginning. At about mile 1.5, Mark told me I was going too fast for him. I offered to slow down but he told me to keep going. Not essential to the story - but it's good to know for later.

I wasn't sure I could PR much less hit my goal time of 2:30. But after some encouraging words from Joe a couple days ago and several pep talks to myself, I decided to try. Before leaving the hotel this morning I looked at the chart for what pace I needed to keep to hit 2:30. 11:26 per mile. Wow, that's almost a minute faster than I normally go, and faster than I've ever run any race, including a 5k. It seemed hard but not impossible. I've always read your long runs should be a minute slower than your race pace. I thought I could reverse the logic and try to run a minute faster than my long run pace.

I felt great nearly the whole race. I finally found the elusive runner's high. I think I floated from mile 6 to mile 8. I ran longer than the 3/1 intervals my watch was programmed for. I couldn't have ask for it to have gone much better. At mile 11, I started to feel tired and achy...and had to continue my pep talk to myself. It was great to see Lou and Byron near the end. The course was very flat. But it was also uneven and full of holes and cracks. Let's all be glad that I managed to stay upright and not fall during the race.

I rarely keep track of my average pace or total time during a race. Usually it depresses me. Today I watched it like a hawk. I did great through mile 10 but slowed down a few seconds per mile the last 3 miles. The end result. 2:30:49!!! I was on top of the world! Or so I thought. I went to where I had seen Lou and Byron to see if anyone else had finished and hopefully to see Mark come in.

Mark set a new personal record too - 2:45. When I saw him about to cross the finish line, he asked me to meet him at the end. If you ever done a Rock n Roll race you know it's nearly impossible to get back into the finisher's area after you leave. If you haven't done one, once you leave it's guarded and there's no getting back in. I'm not usually much of a rule follower, but I also don't like conflict, so I wasn't terribly excited to argue with the guard to get back to the area.

I stretched the truth just a little to get back inside. The lady was not letting me in, so I said my boyfriend might be in the medical tent, and I needed to check. I mean, he could have been there, I didn't know for absolutely sure he wasn't. She was still telling me no and lecturing me when I just walked on in. When I found Mark, he wanted to get our picture made in front of the Rock n Roll backdrop - something I ususally skip. But I thought it sounded sweet. At this point there's a huge line of finishers waiting to get their picture made. Luckily, Mark had already talked to the photographer and asked if he would make our picture - I'm sure he'd told the photographer what his real plan was.

As we move in front of the background, Mark drops down to one knee and pulls out a ring. I'm shocked! I'm pretty sure he asked me 3 times before I could say something besides "oh my gosh!" Of course, I did say yes. Luckily, Chrystyna and Nicole finished soon after Mark and were able to take pictures of us. Something else you should know about this race series...the pictures are ridiculously expensive. But I'm sure I'll be buying the one from today!

Mark told me he wanted to ask me at mile 5, but I was too fast. Which is not something I hear very often! Mile 5 was to signify the 5 years we've been together. Yes, I am a very patient person. I hate that I messed up his sweet plan. But now I'm engaged and I have a stellar new PR plus there were camera's there to catch our happy moment. Now I'm really on top of the world. Best day ever!

Pre Mardi Gras Half

2011-02-12T21:44:00.000-06:00

I Ran Bourbon Street Sweaty Band

I love, love, love New Orleans. I've loved it since my first visit here in 2000. It's so rich in history and beautiful. Today we took a walking tour (not exactly sure that was my best idea ever) in the garden district. Everything was so gorgeous and we learned so much.

We've been here since Thursday. We went out Thursday night and stayed out very late...and had a fabulous time! Going to bed early tonight since the race starts at 7 am.

race number and shirt

Participating in the race are me, Mark, Gail, Chrystyna, Erin, Nicole, and Karen. Joe we thought was just going to be cheering us on, but our friends Lou and Byron surprised us all and came down tonight. Lou and Joe are going to run the half relay together.

The course is flat. And unlike some "flat" courses I've done before, everyone says this one really is flat...well there's one hill. Elevation of that hill is 35 feet. Sweet! I'm not even sure we'd call that a hill if it was in Nashville.

cute little tattoo sticker for the race

Originally, I was hoping to break 2:30 in this race. But during December, I didn't train like I should have, so I'm not exactly where I hoped to be. My current PR is 2:38. I really want to beat that tomorrow...but I also really want to enjoy the race and take in the sights. I guess we'll see how I'm feeling in the morning.

Goals, Goals, Goals!

2011-02-09T19:45:00.000-06:00

The best way to be successful in anything you do is to set goals. The goals need to be written down and reviewed often. At work, I have monthly goals, that are then broken down into daily goals. Daily goals means I always know where I am...and more importantly where I need to be.

I have lots of running goals - some long term and some short term. I've always wanted to visit every state. Since I've started running, I've altered that goal. I want to run a half marathon in every state. This goal will take at least 10 years to accomplish. Registration fees and travel expenses really start to add up. Short of winning the lottery, it'll take me at least 10 years to be able to afford to do one in each state.

For 2011, I have several goals.

1. Finish a half marathon with a time of 2:30 or better.

2. Complete my first full marathon in Dublin, Ireland. I'm thinking this accomplishment will need to be celebrated with a tattoo.

3. I have the standard issue "lose weight" and "improve fitness" goals. I'd like to lose 30 pounds. And before anyone says that I don't need to lose that much, trust me, I've seen the scale and the ideal weight range for my height...and yes I definitely need to lose 30 lbs!

4. Run 11 races in 2011. Originally, I was going for 11 half marathons, but with the addition of the full, I'm changing it to 11 races.

Here are the races I'm thinking of now:

February 13, Rock n Roll Mardi Gras Half New Orleans, Louisianna

March 12, Tom King Half, Nashville

April 30, Derby MiniMarathon, Louisville, Kentucky

May 1, Flying Pig Half, Cincinnati, Ohio

August 7, Rock n Roll Providence Half, Providence, Rhode Island

September 5, Franklin Classic Labor Day 10k, Franklin

September 17, Warrior Dash, Manchester
September 24, Women's Half marathon, Nashville
October tbd, The Middle Half, Murfreesboro
October 31, Dublin Full Marathon Dublin, Ireland

November TBD
December 4, St. Jude Half, Memphis

As for the 28 day challenge, I'm still on track! This Sunday is the first race of 2011. I love the city of New Orleans. I'm so excited about this trip. I promise to blog before and after the race!

Day 1 - 28 Day Challenge

2011-02-01T18:22:00.000-06:00

I am so excited so many of my friends signed up to do this challenge with me! At the end of the month, you will feel so good about yourself. On the hard days tell yourself it's just one mile.

Speaking of hard days, I always think the first day of something new is the hardest...much like I think the first mile of a long run is the hardest. When I gave up soft drinks and all sweetened drinks, the first day nearly killed me. Now almost 7 weeks later, it feels easier. Knowing this I expected the first day of this challenge to be difficult.

What I hadn't planned for was being sick the first day! In the middle of the night when I was wide awake and struggle to breath without coughing fits, I questioned why I had even signed up for this challenge and if I'd be able to do it. Before I (finally!) went back to sleep, I'd pretty much decided I wasn't participating. As you can imagine, I felt totally different about it when I woke up this morning.

Sadly, I wasn't miraculously better this morning. But my attitude had changed (does anyone have a good attitude in the middle of a sleepless night?). I knew I could do it and that if I'd convinced so many other people to do it, then I need to step up. As soon as I rolled out of bed, I put on my running clothes, laced up my shoes and headed out the door before I could change my mind.

I was also cursing myself for deciding to further challenge myself by making my one mile for the challenge each day a continuous mile with no intervals. What exactly was I thinking? This is pretty much the same feeling I get the morning of every half marathon.

I started my mile out slow and steady and gradually increased my speed. I finished the mile in 11:15. Wow! My average pace with intervals is 12:30ish. Now before anyone starts to think I've been converted, I'm not sure I could have done another continuous mile. But that one felt good! Well good minus the large coughing fit that ensued after the run...but I'll spare you guys those details.

It's looking like I'll still be feeling icky for tomorrow's mile. AND it's going to be a lot colder! But I know I'll feel great about myself at the end.

28 Day Challenge - who's in?

2011-01-18T18:25:00.000-06:00

I’m an interval runner. Usually it’s 2 or 3 minutes running and 1 minute walking. Sometimes I have to remind myself that running intervals makes me no less of a runner. In fact if Olympian Jeff Galloway runs intervals, then it should be good enough for me. But I can’t help daydreaming (usually on the couch in my pj’s reading Runner’s World) about running without intervals.

Occasionally, I will take my daydreaming so far as the first 3 minutes of a run before I decide I’m not ready to give up my intervals. It’s an almost constant internal debate. Give up the intervals...run longer. Keep the intervals...run faster. Sometimes I think I use the intervals as a crutch or a reward. I’m sure I’m conditioned enough to not actually need them. However, I enjoy them. They make running more fun for me.

I would love to tell you I’ve come to some brilliant conclusion. Sadly, I haven’t. But I am going to challenge myself.

Christopher McClintock is the half marathon coach for Fleet Feet’s Half Marathon training going on right now. He also writes a running resource section for the Brentwood Home Page. On Saturday, I discovered his 28 day challenge for the month of February. The challenge seems simple enough. Run 1 mile everyday in February. Accountability is key, so there’s a website you sign in on daily and record your mile.

Loving a challenge, I signed up immediately. I also posted it to Facebook and asked my friends to do it too. Physically, one mile a day will be easy for me. The harder part will be mental. My brain is really good at cooking up reasons for me not to do things. But it’s just 1 mile....12 minutes or less.

Today on my rainy run, I decided to make it a little more challenging for myself. I will run 1 continuous mile each day in the month of February. To some of you this will still seem like a piece of cake, but for me it will be a mental game. And I will prove to myself I can run without intervals...even if I choose not to give them up.

Who’s up for the challenge of 1 mile a day for 28 days? Make the challenge your own, but sign up to do it! Oh and did i mention there are prizes?

Spring Training - Day 1

2011-01-08T15:16:00.000-06:00

I love new beginnings! The start of a new spring training program is like Christmas for me. Everyone is so excited and ready to get started. Lots of people were starting their very first training program for their first half marathon! I can remember exactly how I felt on the first day of training last year - terrified!

Our running group from last year’s training has divided up, and this year we are all pacing interval runners. While I’m a little sad not to be running with my peeps, I’m very excited to be running with new people, a lot of them training for their first half. I’ve learned so much in the last year, and I’m excited to share it with my group. Mark, Erin and I are pacing the 3/1 group.

Pacers for 3/1 Erin, Mark and me

Much like last year, our first run this year included snow! Not a lot of it stuck, but the wind was fierce. Personally, I think a snowy run is the perfect way to start training. Once you’ve run in the frigid weather with snow blowing around you, you have little excuse to skip a run.

Tosha, Katy, Kim P., Taylor & Jack
before we started the run

Our group started small today. Kim P., Kim, Taylor, Tosha, Jack, Alissa and Katy were the first runners to start with us. We quickly started picking up runners from the 4/1 group. By the end of the run we were more than 20 strong. We had a fabulous 4 mile run! Everyone should feel really good about their run today - we rocked it! Even though it’s the shortest, the first one is often the hardest.

Because several of us are running the Rock n Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon on February 13, Gail, Erin, Delaina, Mark and I met at 5:30 (yep it was really freaking early) to run 4 miles before our group run. We had a great run. After 8 miles today, I feel closer to being ready for the half in 5 weeks!

Hopefully, it won’t snow too much and we’ll be able to run at Tin Roof 2 on Monday night. My goal is to run a couple more times this week. I’m already looking forward to our group run next week - minus the strong, chilling wind.

Here's our group at the water stop after 2 miles

What a Difference a Year Makes...

2011-01-07T16:55:00.001-06:00

2010 was a good year, I would even go as far as to say it was a great year. But I have high expectations for 2011. It’s going to be the best year EVER!

Sadly, I’ve neglected my dear little blog lately. I’m sorry for that. One of my goals for 2011 is to post on here every week. I know what you are thinking, but I will post weekly. And if I don’t someone please call me out on it.

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of my blog and the one year anniversary of when I started training for my first half marathon. It’s amazing how far I’ve come in a year. This time last year a half marathon was a big, scary dream of mine. Now it’s an accomplishment I’ve completed 6 times! Tomorrow I will be pacing a group of interval runners, instead of being the extremely frightened first timer.

I have so many goals for my running in 2011! One of my long term goals is to run a half in every state. So far, I have completed 3 states: Tennessee, Illinois and Georgia. I’m going to add at least 4 states in 2011, starting with Louisiana on February 13. I want to get faster this year and maybe run longer intervals.

By far my biggest goal for 2011 is to run the full marathon in Dublin, Ireland on October, 31 with Team in Training. I’ll turn 30 just 8 days before the race. Running a full and going to Ireland are 2 things on my bucket list. I think it’s the perfect way to celebrate turning the big 3-0! I’ll need help raising the $5,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, but we have plenty of time for those details in a future blog post.

The best thing about running in 2010 is the friends I’ve made. I’m not sure if I’d get up (very) early and run no matter the weather (freezing, extreme heat, sleet, snow, rain, and everything in between), if it were just me. I can think of many times I wanted to give up running because I was sure I wasn’t a runner. But having my friends running with me (or in Karen’s case way ahead) has made all the difference. I’m sure I’ve left someone out, but Gail, Chrystyna, Carol, Nicole, Erin, Joe, Karen, Lou, Byron, Victoria, Delaina, Jeanie, Kelly, and all the rest of you who I’ve run with THANK YOU! You have no idea how much each of you mean to me. Thank you for always encouraging and supporting me. Of course none of us would be where we are without the amazing people at Fleet Feet...best store and people EVER!

The other best thing (yes there can be 2 best things) about 2010 is that Mark started running with me and joined our little group. I hated leaving him to go run all the time, and now he’s there with me. It’s a great feeling to share the sport I love with the man I love! (yes I know it's a little mushy.) One of my favorite moments of 2011 was running across the finish line with him in his first half marathon!

I can’t wait to start a new training program tomorrow!

Ragnar Relay Tennessee - What an Adventure!

2010-11-13T15:12:00.000-06:00

The first ever Ragnar Relay was an awesome adventure! Our team name was "First Out Last In". We secretly hoped we wouldn't live up to our name. We started the race at the earliest possible time - 6 a.m. We had 12 runners on our team...6 in each van. I was in van 1 with Joe, Karen, Ryan, Gail and Chrystyna. Nicole and Mark were our fearless van 1 drivers.

My first run was at 6:45ish a.m. I started in the dark and run for a couple miles before the sun came up. The sunrise over the Tennessee River was absolutely amazing. Well, until the dog started chasing at me and barking at me. I think it was only for 3 or 4 minutes, but it seemed like 20 minutes or more. The best part by far was the donkey in the middle of the one lane road...actually, by the time I got there it was back in it's fence. But my team really hoped they would see me riding up on the donkey to finish my first leg. I finished my 6.2 miles, sadly not on the donkey. The picture to the right is one I stopped quickly to take...it was beautiful!

My second leg of the relay was at 8ish that night. I was decked out in my night running gear - reflective vest, blinking red light and headlight. Mark ran with me for this leg - thank goodness! This leg started in Winchester and then continued into rural Franklin County. What I learned is that after Winchester city limits there were almost no street lights and no shoulders on the roads. It was a really challenging 5.7 miles. Without Mark, I would have been a scared, crying mess. By far this was my most challenging leg of the race.

After van 1 finished all of our second runs, we got to "sleep". Though sleep is a very generous term. We were all trying to sleep in the van. We could have slept outside but it was freezing! During our runs this time the weather turned quite nasty. I luckily didn't have any rain, sleet or snow...but Chrystyna and Gail weren't as lucky! Poor Ryan had a really hard time during the race. He was battling time zone change, severe weather change and car sickness. Unfortunately, he had to leave us during the second round of runs.

When we woke up the next morning, Karen & Joe were both feeling really bad. Joe pushed through his run. Gail was sweet enough to change legs with Karen to give her more time feel better. My third and final leg of the run was really good. I was worried after the hard time I had the night before, but it was good and motivating.

The one mile to go sign was our favorite site during the runs!

I am so proud of our team! Much to our dismay, we did live up to our name. We were the very last team to finish...but barely. And technically, we finished ahead of several teams who didn't finish. There were a few teams we started with and really wanted to beat. "We got the runs" was the team we most wanted to beat. We heard they had some difficulties and didn't exactly run the race the right way...so we were last to the finish line but to us we still beat "we got the runs".

During the race, I made the big mistake and said I would never do another Ragnar race again. Of course, I have revised that decision and would LOVE to do another Ragnar. I'm thinking Havard to Yale or Wisconsin to Chicago.

Here we are at the finish line! What an amazing experience!

Nashville Women's Half Marathon

2010-09-26T19:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the inaugural Nashville Women’s Half Marathon. In my previous post, I talked about what made yesterday such a difficult day. However, I don’t want to forget what a great race it was! Prior to the race Mark and I had both volunteered for the race expo which was a lot of fun. It was great to see so many women excited about running. Women from 43 states registered for the Nashville Women’s Half Marathon. Amazing!

I will admit I had looked up the race course elevation map, which was probably not the best idea. As you can see it looks a little scary. Little did I know the actual course would be even harder than I thought! It was a really tough course and everyone should feel very accomplished just for finishing!

After the girls I run with and I had looked at the elevation map, we decided our goal was to finish together and smiling. We also decided we would have fun with it and enjoy ourselves. Mark and Erin were our personal paparazzi. We stopped to have our picture taken at some of Nashville’s recognizable places: the Hustler Hollywood store, Musica and Deja Vu.

Chrystyna, Gail, Nicole and I all finished within a couple minutes of each other. Victoria, Jeanie and Kelly all ran with us at various points. You all made running the race so much fun! I’m so proud of Kelly for finishing her first half and Chrystyna, Victoria and Nicole who all set personal records. My time was faster than my last half though not quite a PR, but I was so happy to help my friends get their PRs. I didn’t fall, which was an improvement from the last race.

One of my favorite things about the race was the personalized bibs. It was cool to have people yell out your name. It also helped when I recognized someone but wasn’t sure about their name. And it was a great way to motivate people who looked like they needed some extra encouragement. I also love the charm inside the medal; I’m wearing mine on a necklace right now.

Being a first year event, I was curious to see how the course support and cheerleading was going to be. It was fabulous! The Zumba team was my favorite. I’m sure they worked just as hard as the runners.

Congratulations to Women’s Running Magazine and to all the women who finished the race! It was a great event!

Lynn Manzelmann

2010-09-26T06:19:00.000-05:00

I’ve heard of runners collapsing on the course or near the finish line. I know it happens, thankfully rarely. Without looking it up, it seems like overheating or exhaustion would be the leading causes. It seems reasonable to jump to the conclusion that maybe the person wasn’t adequately trained. But as I learned, that wasn’t the case at all.

Yesterday after the Women's Half Marathon, while still in the post race party area, I heard a runner had collapsed near the finish line. It’s a sad thing to hear. You don’t expect it to be someone you know. Or someone you’ve talked to the last few weeks about training. Or someone who helped start and lead a training group.

Lynn Manzelmann is the runner who went down just before the finish line. I’d talked to her before the race. Along with other members of Nashville Cable, a women’s networking group, we’d gotten together before the race and had a picture made. Before the picture, she was telling me about the intervals they were going to do. She was so excited and so vibrant! I saw her running with some other fabulous ladies from CABLE at the half way point; she looked fantastic.

Lynn was well trained. She’d been training as long or longer than many other people running in the race. She had a heart attack. It was a 90% blockage. The last update I got last night from one of her good friends at the hospital was that her organs were shutting down, but she was hanging on. She needs a miracle to make it.

She’s strong. She’s a fighter. And she has a huge host of friends and fellow runners praying for her. Please continue to pray for her.

As a side note, the race was fabulous. I'll have another post this afternoon about the race.

Race Day Confession

2010-08-01T14:42:00.000-05:00

Today, I ran the Rock n Roll Chicago Half Marathon. It was my 3rd half marathon. The course was beautiful! It was a great way to see the city. My training had a little bit of a set back about 6 weeks ago when I tripped on a hickory nut and fell during a training run. I sprained my left ankle and scraped up my right knee pretty bad, and worse, had to take a couple weeks off from running.

The race started off great. I was running just over a 12 minute pace at the 3 mile mark. I was feeling really good about my run so far. Usually, the first 3 miles are my least favorite, but I felt awesome and was making great time. And I must have not been paying much attention, because the next thing I know I was literally being picked up off the ground by a really nice man behind me.

My fall was caused by a place in the road that was broken up and my over confidence and lack of attention to the road in front of me. I reinjured my ankle and scraped up my knee again. UGH! I spent about 10 minutes sitting on the sidewalk in tears hoping I could at least finish the race, but it seemed unlikely since I still had 10 miles to go.

After feeling sorry for myself for a while, I got up and hobbled a few minutes. I decided to test my ankle and see if I could run. I was able to run - most likely because I had my brace on my ankle which minimized the swelling. I was able to finish the race…just a little bit slower than I’d hoped.

Mark always does a great job finding a tall place to stand and cheer for me. I was afraid he would see my knee, which had been bleeding, at mile 6, but he couldn’t see it. It was definitely a tough mental race after I fell. But I’m really glad I could/did keep going!

The highlights of the race - besides the incredible views - were misting stations, ice cold sponges at mile 10, an icy cold towel and popsicles at the end of the run. I had been expecting it to be a little cooler, and actually the first half of the race felt great and then all of sudden the temperature skyrocketed!

The very best part of the race was after I had finished. As I was walking to meet Mark at the family reunion area, a girl came up to me and told me I did a great job. She said she’d been running with me for the last several miles, and I helped her finish. Awwwwwww! This made the whole race so much better for me!

Top 4 Signs You've Trained with Fleet Feet Nashville

2010-05-13T14:48:00.002-05:00

I've trained with Fleet Feet (FF) since I started running last summer. Even now that the official training has ended, I'm still running with friends who've trained with me in FF groups. What I'm just now realizing is there are certain things you take for granted after training with FF.

Last Saturday and this Saturday our group is meeting at River Park off of Concord Road. We were discussing it on Facebook, and we invited someone who asked "Where is River Park?" An audible gasp escaped my mouth when I read his comment. How do you not know River Park??? Then I realized maybe he just hasn't yet been bitten by the FF bug.

It made me think about what other ways I could identify FF runners. Here's my unofficial Top 4 Signs You've trained with Fleet Feet:

4. Chocolate milk is not just a recovery recommendation - it's the ONLY recovery drink.

3. You consider a run at River Park "home field advantage."

2. When you see a police officer during a run, you immediately look around to make sure everyone is obeying traffic laws to keep Tammy out of trouble.

1. You feel naked during your run if at least one item you're wearing doesn't have a FF logo on it.

Housekeeping notes - sorry to pick on you Joey if you read this. And I will post a CMM blog - soon.

Wanted: A Good Run

2010-04-18T19:27:00.001-05:00

So it's been awhile since my last post. Why? Well, lots of reasons. Two weeks ago our run was cancelled. Last week was my worst run EVER! I was in tears at one point (ok for those of you keeping it up it might have been two points). Thanks to Nicole and Gail for sticking with me even during the tears. I didn't even want to think about that run...much less write a blog about it.

My last blog was all about my best run ever and how great it was. Since then I've been plagued with bad run after bad run. And really, who wants to hear me whine and complain? At several points in the last couple weeks, I've even thought running wasn't for me. Needless to say, after 2 weeks of progressively worsening runs and only being a week away from the Country Music Half, I really needed this week's group run to be awesome - or at the very least good.

Yesterday's group run was exactly what I needed! I felt great. Last week, I had a lot of pain in the arch of my right foot. I rested all week. I probably should have gone to the doctor, but hoped I could get away with just resting. I had a little bit of pain, but was able to push through and it went away. I felt really rested and the run was easy - well as easy as a run ever is.

6 days until the Country Music Half. I'm so excited! Even though this will be my second half, it is my first big one and the one I've been training for since January. I'm trying to ignore all the talk of the hills and what a tough course it is. Instead, I'm reminding myself that I am a runner. I will have fun. I will be positive and smile. I will finish the race.

Best Run Ever!

2010-03-28T08:20:00.000-05:00

Saturday's long run was 12 miles starting at Grassland Park. The roads are a bit uneven and there are hills, but it's all worth it because it's a beautiful run! We previously did 7 miles there, but the further we went the prettier it was. Yesterday's run was my best run ever.

I usually struggle to find a rhythm the first couple miles, but the first 6 miles were smooth and easy, yes I did just say easy! Even after turning around at mile 6, it didn't get harder for me until about mile 10. I think I have a mental block at 10. I will work more on overcoming that next week when we do 10 - 12 miles on the race course.

So what was different about yesterday's run? I actually changed a few things. First, I started taking a sports multivitamin this week. I'm sure that helped some, but more importantly I changed what I did during the run. I've been just drinking at the waterstops, but this week I filled my new waterbottle with Gatorade and drank during the run; it was nearly empty at the halfway point, where I refilled it and continued to drink. I also started eating sports beans after about 40 minutes and continued eating them or Luna Moon chews until nearly the end of the run.

Mentally, I didn't look at the mileage on my watch and I tried not to think about how many miles we had run or how much we had to go. I focused on enjoying and embracing the run. I think it made a big difference in my attitude. I've always struggled with tight calf muscles. Chyrstyna let me borrow her foam roller and calf stretcher...I could tell a huge difference in my calf muscles. Both items are now on my list of items I need from Fleet Feet.

My goal is to continue with this magic formula of my best run and repeat it frequently! I know all runs aren't easy and great. But I hope the changes I'm making help me become a better runner.

My First Half Marathon!

2010-03-17T16:18:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday, I ran my first half marathon! I will try not to bore you with too many details. Since it was my first half all the details seem important to me. My official time was 2:44:22, for those of you who are none runners...yes the seconds matter, at least they do to serious runners and if they make or break a new PR (personal record).

The race was the Tom King Half Marathon. It starts at LP Field and ends inside the stadium on the 50 yard line - which was awesome! The course was very flat - ideal for my first or any half really.

I ran with Joe & Gail. We started at the very back. And for most of the first 2 miles we had a police and ambulance escort right behind us! For clarification, it probably would have been with us longer, but around mile 2 we entered onto the greenway trail. Our first 6 miles were probably way too fast, but as you can imagine, it's hard to slow down when you are being tailed by an ambulance.

Joe & Gail are exactly the kind of people you want running with you! They are motivating and supportive. They told me stories and helped keep my mind off of all the ugly things my legs were trying to tell my brain. We ran 3/1 intervals for the first 10 miles. After much begging on my part we ran the last 3 miles doing 2/1 intervals.

Mark, Jesse & Matthew came out to cheer for me. They were the best cheerleaders I could ask for. I saw them at the very beginning of the race and when I came onto the field at end. When I saw them at the end, I immediately teared up. They still had their signs they'd made, but had added air horns and the champagne bottle confetti poppers to their celebratory arsenal! Seeing them made the end of the race even sweeter!

Gail set a new PR and so did Joe's wife Karen (who is way faster than we are). I'm convinced Joe also could have set a PR, but he stayed with us and never even mentioned it. Carol met us at mile 11 or so and finished the race with us, which added some motivation. The Fleet Feet waterstop at mile 12 was awesome! Drew is full of energy and some of it must have rubbed off, because I had an extra spark after the stop. A friend of mine from high school, Daniel, was also at that waterstop. I was so excited to see him, I must have looked like I was going to attack him as I ran to hug him.

Here we all are at the end of the race!

Finishing the race, felt so good. It's amazing what you can train your body to do. Now that all the soreness is gone and the desperate moments in the race have mostly faded, I'm so glad I did it! Bring on the Country Music Half!

The Starting Line

2010-03-10T16:33:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, I will lace up my running shoes and run my first half marathon! I’m a mixture of nerves and excitement. I will have some of my running group from our Saturday morning runs with me – Joe, Gail & Carol, I couldn’t do it without you!

Lately lots of people have been asking me questions about running. Truthfully, I can understand the surprise in their voice when I tell them I plan to run several half marathons this year. My most athletic endeavor before last August was one week of tennis camp in high school, though I would argue the waitressing I did in high school and college could also be considered athletic.

So how did an extremely non-athletic girl start running? I owe it all to Fleet Feet and their amazing team. Secretly, I’ve always wanted to run, but every attempt I’ve made ended with me giving up 47 seconds into the run. Several of my coworkers have been runners and I have been curious and admiring of their sport.

One day last summer, Julie convinced me to ride with her to Fleet Feet during lunch. As she was checking out, the guy at the register asked me if I was a runner too. I casually laughed and said no…I’m sure my tone was total sarcasm. He told me about a program they would be starting in a few weeks called No Boundaries. It’s a couch to 5k program. This seemed totally doable!

As much as I wanted to do it, I also tried to talk myself out of it. Here are a few of my long list of excuses. “I won’t have enough time.” “I won’t be able to do it.” And my personal favorite, “I won’t fit in”. Despite these negative thoughts, I really WANTED to do it. So I convinced my best friend Rene to do it with me. If she was there, I was accountable to someone other than myself.

We started out running for 1 minute and walking for 2 minutes. I remember thinking surely I could run for 1 minute…I can do anything for just 1 minute. And I was right! We progressively added to our run time 30 seconds a week and then decreased the walk to 1 minute until we were running 4 minutes and walking 1 minute. At the end of our 10 weeks, I ran my first 5k. In December, I signed up for another training program at Fleet Feet to run the Country Music Half Marathon in April.

I would love to tell you I found the elusive runners high or that I was instantly hooked on running. But that would be a lie. Running is hard work and at times intense. I get out of my cozy bed before 6 a.m. on Saturdays for my long runs, even in the cold, rain, snow or sleet. A few weeks ago, I was nearly in tears midway through a short run because my calves had tightened up and were hurting. Why do I participate in this torture? Because I love the way running makes me feel. I feel strong, accomplished and confident. I also love the people I run with.

My advice to anyone who wants to start running would be to join the next No Boundaries group that starts in April. Don’t be shy and try to make friends with the people running with you. Chances are they are looking for a friend in this new scary world of running. For more information on the No Boundaries program go to Fleet Feet’s website http://www.fleetfeetnashville.com/.

I don't want to talk about my feelings!

2010-03-07T14:02:00.001-06:00

For the most part, that's usually a total lie. I'm pretty much an open book and talk about my feelings - often in excess! However, after running (ok maybe I walked it a little) up a hill and stopping at the water stop at mile 5.5 I really didn't want to talk about my feelings. Mostly because my feeling was that I was about to DIE! And we still had 4.5 miles to go. Obviously since I'm writing this i did survive my TEN miles.

Wait...what? Yes I am now a double digit runner! And it feels really good! Well, it feels really good when it's done. It really is an amazing feeling of accomplishment.

I missed the training run with the group last week because I was cave camping with the Cub Scouts. And by camping, yes we did stay the night in the cave. We also did a walking tour (easy) and the wild tour (OMG! total body workout and at some points really scary). Looking back on it, the wild tour was awesome and I would like to do it again - though, definitely not with a large group. However, during the tour, I told Mark repeatedly that I would rather be running. In fact, I think running is way easier.

To go on the wild tour you must be able to fit through this box...Holy Crap!

I went through this box on my stomach, but what they don't tell you is you will have to squeeze through a space this small (I'd argue some of them might be smaller) not only on your stomach, but on your back and sometimes sideways!

It was a lot of fun...but I missed running with my 3/1 no boundaries group. And yes I did my run alone when we got back.

Here are the boys when we were leaving the cave. They were totally exhausted! And so was I!

Running uphill is great!

2010-02-20T10:38:00.000-06:00

If you've ever run with me, it's likely you just choked when you read the title of this post. I despise running uphills. Often I cheat and walk up part of the hill. But one thing I do love is running downhill. Unfortunately you can't have the reward of downhill without work of the uphill. I would get all cheesy here and make it a metaphor for life...but I'll let you make those connections.

We ran 8 miles today! EIGHT miles! And even more importantly, I enjoyed it! This is our second week in a row that we went 8 miles. Today's run felt better than last week's...I guess that means this training stuff actually works! I'm so relieved to know I'm not getting up before 6 am on Saturday mornings for no reason!

My favorite exchange from today's run. We are at the bottom of a big (in my opinion anyhow) hill getting ready to go up. Joe says, "This is our last hill today. Right, Gail?" Gail, in a totally unconvinced voice, says, "Uh, sure." The moral of the story - Joe will say anything to get you to the top of the hill.

New Shoes!

2010-02-19T16:59:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited to try out my new running shoes tomorrow! I went to Fleet Feet on Monday and Christa helped me pick out the perfect shoe. At least, let's hope it's the perfect shoe. The best thing about buying my shoes at Fleet Feet is the experience. Everyone is friendly and says hello even if they aren't helping you. Christa was awesome. She took her time helping me and asked about any other issues I might be having. Which gave me the perfect opportunity to complain about how much my calf muscles hate me. Much to my surprise, she said she nearly quit running because of her calf muscles!! And I thought I was the only one. She gave me some great tips! I already have the stick, but now I'm using it every night before bed.

Of course going to Fleet Feet and not falling in love with something is nearly impossible, at least for me. Oh wait, maybe that's my shopping addiction in general. I did find the perfect running shirt while i was there.

New shoes and a new shirt what else could a girl want before an almost nine mile run. How about beautiful weather? Looks like I'm going to get that too! Likely it will still be quite cold at 7 am in the morning, but at least the sun will be shining and warming up!

Notes from Today's Run

2010-02-06T15:32:00.001-06:00

Last week's run was cancelled because of the snow. Just wanted to clear that up in case someone thought I skipped out on it.

Today's run was 7 miles. Tammy billed today's run as the most scenic. It was beautiful...especially if you don't count the hills. And we passed by Alan Jackson's house (see pics at the bottom). It was the longest run I've completed since I started running! We were only scheduled to go 6.5 miles...but we decided to be overachievers and go for a full 7 miles.

Here are a couple notes from today's run I thought I would share:

- If you are going to a new place for a run, don't trust your GPS to get you there on time. Sometimes it takes you the "shortest" way...which is not exactly the same as fastest. One really scary road later, I made it just as my group was headed out.

- Ladies, if you haven't already, please go to Fleet Feet and be fitted for a sports bra. I promise it's not nearly as bad as you think it will be and you will be doing yourself a big favor! I rank bra shopping with bathing suit and cocktail dress shopping as some of my least favorite things to do. However, Christi Beth and the other ladies at Fleet Feet make it much less of a chore. I promise you'll be glad you did.

- Courtesy of my dear friend Nicole, even when your in a hurry it's probably not a good idea to park on soggy ground (love you, Nicole).

Thanks so much to Joe, our chipper leader, Delana and Gail for a great run! Welcome Angela & Jack to our fun little group. Chrystyna & Carol, missed you guys!

pretty isn't it?

Alan Jackson's house

Pushing It

2010-01-23T12:11:00.001-06:00

If you had ask me 6 months ago if I could run 6 miles, the answer would have been no. An emphatic NO, with a "why would anyone want to do that" added to the end! And I couldn't have imagined getting up before 6 am on a Saturday morning and running 6 miles. However, that's what I did this morning, and I love it!

I still haven't found the elusive "runner's high". But what I have found are some great people, self confidence and an awesome way to burn a lot of calories! The best part about running with a group is the way we encourage each other. The first two miles of every run makes me want to quit. But being with a group of other runners keeps me going.

Today's run was especially good. I'm not sure if it was the mild weather or because I've finally started properly hydrating, but I'm thankful either way. At the end Joe suggested we push it for our last 3 minute running interval. Ummm....I've ran over 5 miles already...to me that IS pushing it. However, I did push it. We ran faster and felt great about the way we finished.

Here are the two major motivators for me to push it a little harder at the end of today's run.

Chick-n-minis, who wouldn't be inspired!

Ahhhh, my personal favorite.

Second Run

2010-01-16T11:16:00.000-06:00

What a difference a week makes. The weather today was awesome! I'd prefer it a little warmer...i like the shorts and tank top weather, but today was much better than 14 degrees and snow from last week.

Today's run was five miles, ok so it was just a touch shorter, but i see no reason not to say 5 miles. After all, I did have to walk to and from my car.

After running with the 4/1's last week, they were a little fast for me. Luckily when I got there this morning, a group from my No Boundaries group was there and had decided to run 4/1 but at a slower pace. I was more than happy to join them! We had an awesome run!

Thanks Joe, Gail, Carol, Christina and Corey for a great run today. Joe lead the way and did a great job. A positive attitude makes all the difference!

For anyone who has not been to Ravenwood High School, beware of the speed bumps (actually they are more like mini mountains, at least they are when you don't see them coming and hit them at 40 miles an hour...YIKES)!

The First Run

2010-01-09T10:23:00.000-06:00

Today was my first run training for the Country Music Half Marathon. I'm doing my training with the Fleet Feet...I highly recommend them for any running/walking needs you have.

The run for today was supposed to be an easy 4 miles, however mother nature had a little surprise in store for us. Though the snow was should have quit on Thursday, at least according to our weather people, I woke up to a fresh coat of snow on my car. Briefly, I thought about staying in and putting in my four miles on the treadmill. But I was already dressed and thought I would at least meet the group and check in since it was the first day. If it was too bad I could always skip the run.

I had been preparing to run in the freezing cold, but I had not been preparing to run in the snow. My biggest fear was slipping and falling...even on flat dry surfaces, I'm not exactly what most people would consider coordinated.

After signing in, I decided to at least start the run. Bargaining with myself, I decided if it was awful I could turn around. I started out in the interval group running 6 min and walking 1 min. But they proved to be way too fast for me. I fell back to the 4/1 group. It was a much better fit.

I made it the whole four miles, in the snow, uphill both ways. OK, so maybe not uphill both ways, but there were times it certainly felt like it!

Thanks to Rebecca, Erin, and Christina for starting with me...and to Christina who joined me in the 4/1 group and then we progressed/regressed to the back of that group. Judd is an excellent leader and came back for us at the end. It was a great start...and I'm looking forward to next Saturday...well as much as you can look forward to waking up at 6 in the morning on a Saturday and braving the freezing cold. But it will be worth it!