Last week...

Cause I was a slacker and didn't post anything on the other runs I did, or lack there of. Life starting to catch up with me and so was that unwanted "I'm not getting sick" sickness.

After the SPEEDY speedwork on Monday, I had a meeting with the ahhhhmazing Dr. Pat. He really does rock this. And I think what makes him "rock it" so much is that he is a runner too and he relates to what I am telling him and he genuinely cares about my wellness. I wish all doctors were runners. Maybe then I would like them more. So, some "dancing" shock therapy on my tush and hammy, and I was out the door with notes on what to do and what not to do and the confidence to get me thru the last of the  workouts until the week before, aghast, the 1/2. 

Tuesday night was also the greatest night ever! YOGA! SOA!  So, normally after yoga and I am all relaxed, I go home and watch Sons of Anarchy and get all worked up. Instead, I left the DVR do it's job and I waited. I needed to rest. I could feel ickiness coming on and I really needed to "nip it in the bud" and get some well deserved rest. And I was planning on getting up in the morning and running the last long run of 6 miles.

The plan was to meet and BE READY to run at 4:45AM. Well, that just didn't work. I woke up at 4am and felt, oh, not so good. Tired. A little achy. Throat scratchy. Not gonna happen. And it was super cold. There is always Thursday. Kelly was quite happy. Katie was too. Cristen, secretly I think she was too, but not sure she will admit it :)  So, we planned for Thursday but meet at 5 and just hope we can get the miles in, but if we can't, we can't. The realization is that, 8 days pre-race, one long run of 6 miles isn't going to affect my training and whether or not I am trained at this point. It's a little too late to be worrying about it. And honestly, with this minor little hip/butt/thigh issue, I really don't want to strain it more than I have to. This race means a lot to me.

So, Thursday, Cristen and Kelly meet me at the Rec and we start out of the rec. It's feeling good. Easy. Smooth. But it is super cold. I mean, really cold. It's different to run in the cold when I have trained the last 9 weeks in the HEAT. It takes longer for my legs to warm up. Takes longer to warm up my lungs. And honestly, if you can get brain freeze from cold weather, I am pretty sure I had that too. But, on the flip side, if the weather continues like this by the 1/2, then it's good to be ready to run in weather like that.  I had to stop and walk for a brief minute or two. My head just couldn't focus. It's racing at this point in the game. Panic. Brain freeze. I didn't hurt, except for the scary thoughts I am having. We only got 3 miles in that morning. And really had to push for the 3. Kelly had to get home by 6am. Sure, Cristen and I could have kept going. That is what we should have done. But we didn't. I just wasn't feeling it.  HATE THAT!  Well, it's over now. Pick myself up and get over it. Injury or time? Injury or run? Yeah, I keep telling myself that. Gosh, I sound like a wimp.

That was that. BFFAE and I had our annual Mandy's Sunshine 5k Run on Saturday in Greenville. We have done this race for the last 3 years (at least we think it's 3). It's really a great race for an even greater cause. Mandy was a 10 year old girl who passed away in 2005 of Wilm's Tumor. The race  benefits the Mandy Green Class of 2013 Memorial Scholarship fund and will provide scholarships to graduating seniors in the year 2013. We thought this was going to be the last year but it was announced before the start that the Hope Foundation will take over the race and another charitable cause. Our kids are the age that Mandy was when she passed. It really hits home for us. So we have made it our priority and always sign up for this race. 

And now I have an even more personal reason to do this race. I PR'd unofficially at this race.....37:59!!!! (according to the Garmin)  38:33 was my previous PR at the Breast Cancer Awareness race 7/28/12, also in Greenville, but a different route. The results aren't posted yet, so I haven't been able to confirm it...but when they are I will post it and let y'all know for sure! Although it's not a chipped race, I did not start my watch until I crossed that line and then did not turn off my watch until I crossed the finish line. This time was somewhat shocking to me, so I am anxious to get the results. I was really struggling to run. I was tired. I was sore from the horrible nights sleep. I didn't eat anything that morning, which isn't unusual for a warmer race, but it was easily in the low 40's that morning, if not upper 30's, and I should have eaten something to get me going. Cause the cold weather was not cutting it.  About 1.5 miles in I had to stop and walk for a few minutes. I waited until the water stop so that I would only walk as long as I had that water in my hand. Water gone, begin run. I stopped again one other time to refocus my head. Maybe a minute. Then I stopped one last time close to the 3 mile mark. I felt like I was going to puke. And honestly, not sure I didn't because I had to spit. Nasty. But then I saw the finish line. And I just started running. Fast. Or at least as fast as I could at that moment. I visualized the HS track. I was doing speedwork. 400 meters. That's all I had to do. I should have lapped my watch so I could see how fast I actually ran, but I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to be done. I didn't see the time when I crossed the line. I saw an 8. That was it. I have no idea what the rest was. We will see when the "official" results are posted. But regardless, I am happy!

On another personal reason why we like this race, it's in GREENVILLE...um, MAID-RITES. Hello yumminess! Tradition started last year with stopping at Maid-Rite and getting 2 sandwiches and a beer after the race.  And the tradition continued this year! And NOW it will continue every year! YAY!!! And we have a new recruit to this race! TONI!!!!  

Me, BFFAE, Toni...and the GUM wall!

Our MB friends came down from Cleveland this weekend to camp at Natural Springs Resort with us. Toni has been training for a 1/2 Marathon as well! (You could say that BFFAE and I got her into running after we did the Cap City 1/2 in May!)  Camping is usually fun...Except the night before a race, camping in a thunderstorm, in a tent, was not so much fun. It was cold. It was wet. It was sleepless. O-well. What was done, was done.  We had fun.

The race, on the other hand, was fun. And the after party was fun. Except I was really too tired to do much but sit back and watch Nate fish. That boy is so cool. It was nice to hang with him this weekend. During this training, I haven't given him much "he and I" time. So it was nice to hang with him. To sit back and relax. To watch my boy just be a boy and have fun and laugh. 

So the weekend is over and my countdown has begun. I have my toiletry bag packed. I've thought about what I am going to wear on race day. I've thought about what I need to pack for the weekend. I won't be doing much after the race. Back to my sister's for some Buckeye Football and probably a nap. Hang with my niece (gosh I hope she doesn't ask for a piggy back or for me to chase her...AGHAST!)  We have 2 football games this week. The yard needs mowed. And I still have two workouts planned; 4x400's and 2 mile tempo. No yoga Tuesday, would have to go Thursday night, but with a football game that night in Beavercreek, it's not gonna happen :(. Of all weeks too, I really may need this one. Have to figure that out. Hmmmmmm. Anyhow. Oh and a chiro appointment for one last adjustment before race day! How could I forget! 

That's that. For now. I have a draft written of random thoughts...

Until then....

Run. Strong.

-t-