Laying Low for Awhile

We had a great weekend camping, but I have come to the conclusion that, with the kids home a lot during the summer and some pressing work projects going on - not to mention trying to keep up a running schedule! - I have precious little time to blog and, more distressing, to read and comment on others' blogs. I am trying to fit in the reading when I can, but my time for that is very sporadic. So I think I'm going to be blogging pretty infrequently between at least now and the fall, though hopefully I can pick back up again more regularly then.
I'm working hard on the healthy eating side of things, and also planning out a training schedule for my fall half-marathon. My main obstacle these days is my daughter, who's been waking up by 5:30 or so every morning, making my early morning exercise very difficult to get in! We're experimenting with later bedtimes for her, etc., since I have found that the early morning workouts are what enable me to keep up a running schedule.
Well, the kids are shouting for me again - gotta go!

Goin' Camping

We're headed off tomorrow to camp with 5 other families for the weekend at a beautiful state park near the Finger Lakes. Don't know how the schedule will pan out, but I'm definitely packing the running clothes - might be my only moments alone! Hope everyone has a great running/racing weekend.

Onward and Downward

So, this morning I sent in my registration for this half-marathon! It's supposed to be absolutely beautiful, and the family is up for spending a weekend in the Adirondacks - who wouldn't be?! The full marathon course is supposedly wickedly hilly, but the half-marathon is mostly flat with a few hill sections (which I like!).
My main focus now, in addition to the training, is shedding some weight (hence the "downward" part of my title). Inspired in part by wanting to run a bit faster! I'm convinced I'll never be a super-fast runner - I think I have 100% slow-twitch muscles - but I would like to test my limits and find out just how fast I CAN run. I like the idea of pushing myself to my own limits and seeing what I can make my body do.
I have been feeling great since the Boilermaker - no soreness, no extra fatigue - so I don't think I need to wait too long before picking up again in earnest on a training schedule. My first post-race run was scheduled for this morning, but was thwarted by both my early-waking 3-year-old and some wicked thunderstorms that came through. But either later today or tomorrow morning I'll be out there again!

What a Blast!

If I had to use one word to sum up my Boilermaker experience, it would be: FUN!!! Lots of spectators, lots of great music, enjoying the challenging course, finishing comfortably, and sharing the experience with friends.
My husband stayed home with the kids since we figured things would be too crazy to bring them. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had hoped to see both Lara and another friend of mine from high school who was running the race. As I was driving there EARLY Sunday morning, I started worrying that maybe I wouldn't find either of them, and would be doing the whole thing by myself. But, remarkably, I ran into both of them before the race - it was great to see some friendly faces!
Lara and I were in the same starting corral (the last one!) and chatted while we were waiting for the beginning of the race. She seemed cool as a cucumber - I, on the other hand, was a bit of a Chatty Cathy, so I was hoping I wasn't bothering her too much! I jogged around a little, since I was worried about my tight left calf, but it seemed okay. Once the cannon was fired for the start of the race, it took us a little over 10 minutes to get to the start line. It was funny to be shuffling along towards the start and hear the announcers say the leaders were at mile 1, mile 2...(the winner finished in just over 43 minutes!).
The first few miles just felt like a relaxed training run. That part of the course wasn't too hilly, but there was a very strong headwind - it felt great from the cooling aspect, but definitely slowed down the pace; those miles were all right around 12 minutes for me.
After that, we headed into the hillier 4th mile. When I got on the hills, I really felt like it was worth it to have done so much hill training around where I live - I felt strong, and passed quite a few people. I was conservative on the long downhill in the 5th mile, since I think cruising down that one on the development run is what spanked my calves in the first place. After that, we came down on to more major streets with lots of spectators as well as some sprinklers and showers - those felt SOOO good! There were lots of funny signs that people were holding up, many of them having to do with how many miles were left until FREE BEER. I felt really happy during miles 6-8, and even raised up my hands and waved them back and forth when we passed a radio station truck playing "Celebration," and encouraging everyone to do that.
The 9th full mile was LOOONG, with the sun blazing on us and a long gradual uphill, and that's where I saw a number of people off on the side being treated by medical personnel. But once I got to the last .3, it was downhill from there (both literally and figuratively), and I knew I had done it!
Now, here's the best part: Lara and I had been running together on and off during the race, and alternating who was in front at different times. I had lost track of her for awhile during that last 2 miles or so. Just as I got to about a tenth of a mile from the finish, she pulled up next to me and said something along the lines of "Let's rock and roll!" So we turned it on and went across the finish line together! What an awesome way to end it!
Afterward, I got to meet her husband and son, and her husband took some pictures of us. He is the friendliest guy in the world, and cute, too! I also met up with my high school friend, and we got to spend some time during the post-race party getting caught up on things and discussing the race.
My only complaint about the post-race party was that it was VERY beer-oriented. I like a refreshing beer as much as the next person, but after 9+ miles of running and with my stomach being a tad queasy from the effort, after a few sips of beer I really wanted to find some water. My friend and I walked all around the party area, passing about 15 beer tables, and I could NOT find water! I ended up getting some lemon-lime soda, but it wasn't the same.
Anyway, I came home, took a shower and a rest, and then my family and I went to a neighbors' house for a cookout and volleyball party. A lot of my neighbors were asking me about the race, so that was fun.
I'll plan to be back next year for it! And Lara and I discussed the fact that we knew the RBF-er's were with us, so THANKS!!!

2:00:15:21 and counting!

The Boilermaker web page has a clock counting down to race start time, and I just copied the time it was showing into my title - it's getting close!
I am feeling okay about things, except that my left calf is a little tight, which I discovered when I went out for a slow 2-mile run early yesterday morning. My calves were VERY tight for a few days after that 10K development run I did a week and a half ago - I think I didn't walk enough when I was done. And the tightness seems to be lingering. So I will be doing some walking and gentle stretching today, and hope that my slow 15-20-minute journey to the start line tomorrow will help loosen things up enough that it won't bother me during the race.
I decided not to really set any time goals for this race; finishing should be enough! And I keep reminding myself that 9.3 MILES IS A LONG WAY! - i.e., I need to be very conservative until well past the first half of the race. And if my calves are yelling at me, I'll be conservative throughout the race, since I want to be able to keep up a running schedule even after it's over!
One thing that's cool is that I'm sharing this experience with one of my oldest friends (one I've known since high school, who lives out of the country but is back in the area for a visit and decided to run the Boilermaker) and one of my newest friends (Lara!). I hope the crowds will allow for me to see both of them at some point!
Best of luck to anyone else racing this weekend!

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged by both Jack and Lara on this one:

1. What is your favorite long run pace?
Somewhere in the 11:30-12 minute per mile range.

2. What is your favorite (or typical) pre-run meal?
Depending on how long I'm going, either a banana or a whole-wheat bagel with natural peanut butter. And coffee, of course.

3. What was the distance of your first ever, official race? (This isn't a
contest, I'm just curious).
5K. And the thing my husband shakes his head about to this day is that I "hardwared" in that race. There were only 3 women in my age group, and I came in second and got a trophy!

4. Do you typically run in groups or run alone?
Alone.

5. Name one or two NEW running experiences (occurring within the past year),
that you have grown the most from.
1) Early morning running - one of those "nevers" that I'm now enjoying! 2) Writing this blog and using it and other blogs as inspiration for running!

6. What is your least favorite structure to run on/over?
Probably gravel-covered hills.

And since almost everyone I would probably think to tag has already been tagged, I'll leave it at that!

Whole Lotta Tapering Goin' On

Well, I've run exactly once (on Saturday, the 3-mile hilly loop from my house) since the 10K development run last Wednesday. I was planning to run this morning, but was thwarted by my 3-year-old, who just recently moved into her "big girl bed", so can now do things like come into our room at 5 a.m. saying she can't sleep. Luckily, we got her a full-size bed, so I just brought her back to her room and we both fell back asleep. But no run.
My head is still sort of spinning from having that unexpected week out of town, followed by hosting family at our house over the 4th of July weekend (lots of fun, but also lots of planning, cooking, entertaining, etc.). I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water in terms of catching up on day-to-day work and other responsibilities, so I don't want to push things too much with the running.
I was going to worry about it, by my husband was pointing out to me last night that there's really nothing I can do this week that would improve my performance in the Boilermaker, but I COULD screw things up by trying to do too much and being exhausted and/or sick by Sunday. Sounded logical to me! So I'll probably try to get just one more easy run in between now and then, to remind my legs how to move.
In the meantime, I'm trying to figure out a post-Boilermaker training schedule. I like the idea of trying to run a half-marathon in the fall some time, but first want to have some recovery and focus more on the eating side of things. So I'm not sure exactly how to plan my running.
What do YOU do between races?
Happy running!