Do You Sticker?

I was out running today & I was about 5 miles in & running through the corporate campus adjacent to my house when all of a sudden I hear (yes, I can hear with my headphones;-)) a car slow down beside me & this woman in a business suit starts yelling 'Keep going, Pick it up, You've got this!!!!' & Woohooing as she drives by.  As my mind is trying to process this odd occurrence.... 'do I know her?' & 'wth is going on?'...the car goes past me & it suddenly all makes sense because I see this:

Maybe I didn't know this woman but I guess we DO recognize our kind because I have to say that I Did pick it up and get a boost to my step in the middle of this long run.  I was out for 12. 

Can you tell where my cheering squad appeared?

Anyway, it was a glorious day today...sunny & 43F.  Once again, I feel the endorphins coursing through my veins & feel good about the world in general :-) So thanks, crazy running sticker lady....hope I see you running sometime!

Do you have a running sticker...I do!  I have never, ever put anything on my car in all my years of driving, but I earned my 26.2 & my car sports it with pride!

What is up with the place name stickers though? Is it bragging that you went on vacation & can put an OBX on your car?  Is there some secret code to figure out where you went? I have no idea what JI or HHI mean.  I don't get it.  I see tons of those around when I run.  Personally, I think it is weird...unless there is some hidden meaning to them that I don't understand. 

Endorphins, gotta love them!

Isn't it amazing how rejuvenating a run, even a short run, can be? I am in the midst of a 5 day stretch at work. The first 3-12's were rough. Exhausting. But today I had just under an hour free due to meetings (really boring ones :-P) I had to attend and did a quick change and got in just over 4 miles. It was FANTASTIC! I felt like a new person when I got back. Physically it was a boost, but mentally it was rejuvenating. Exactly what I needed to reset myself to be positive about the rest of the week :). But to my coworkers, I should apologize ... I skipped a shower for an extra half mile ;-). Have you ever done that?

And lastly, but by no means least!!! A HUGE shout out to Michael @ http://slowlytri-ing.blogspot.com/ on becoming a Marathoner!!!!!

Sometimes, Getting Out The Door is The Hardest Thing of ALL!!!!

2 or 3 times a month I rotate up to nightshift.  It sucks because my nightshifts are NEVER in a row...just one random night thrown in and then I'm back on 12 hour days the next day.  It kills me & I am like a zombie for a couple days afterwards.  One thing that helps diminish the nightshift hangover (and if you've ever done this kind of flip flopping, it really is like a hangover) is running. Even a short run. But it is the HARDEST THING EVER to get up after a crappy 4 or 5 hours sleep and GET MY BUTT OUT THE DOOR!  I know I have to & that I will feel worse if I don't, but it is hard. 

I'm always glad I did though, because some of my best speed runs are these days that I negotiate with myself to 'just run hard for 5K'. Today I managed to get progressively faster, which is hard for me. Check this out:

Today, I got out the door & it hurt, but it rocked!!! (And I do feel better!)

Tomorrow I start 5 12's in a row....so my running streak dies.  But I'll be back next week & ready for a long, long shakeout run :-)

Do you rotate shifts?
How do you cope with a disrupted sleep cycle????

Happy Running :-)

Happy Blogaversary to me!!!!!! Time to reveal my 2012 goals!

1 Year ago today, I decided registered for my first Marathon & my friend Hatchie who writes a sewing blog (if you are a sewer, you should check her out: Living the Full Catastrophe ) told me it was terribly fun & therapeutic.  I wrote my first blog entry: 592 Miles to lofty goals and the rest is history! I DID complete my first Marathon & you guys were there when the training did not always go according to plan! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Every of you who take the time to read and comment on my running journey makes a difference to me! You are all so supportive & awesome! You have made it all so much easier for me knowing you were all cheering for me in cyberspace :).

I have been toying with some more lofty goals for the past little while, trying to find the right balance between good insane (I know it's crazy and i don't mind the looks my co-workers give me because I love it!) and bad insane (knowing I'm going to have to force myself out the door and risk Not liking the run) and have made the wise decision (I believe) to reign in my crazy just a bit. (Don't worry, there's still plenty of uber cray cray to go around ;-))

First of all, I have decided NOT to do any triathlon this year. Honestly, it is OK, and I can do it (sprint) but I don't love it. Plus one of these days I'm going to fall off my bike and really hurt myself. I have decided to be SD's & Thing 1's cheering squad this year. They have been so supportive of me :)

Goal 1: race once a month.....January, check!
Goal 2: 1500 miles....I finished this with 1218.3...I think this is do-able (Inevitable) with the races I plan on running.
Goal 3: Spring & Fall marathons....already registered for the Goodlife Toronto Marathon on May 6th. This is the first week of training! SD will be joining me for the Half! Yay! Fall marathon is up in the air still, but I'm considering Niagara Falls International Marathon. Anyone run it? I think it would be cool to run in 2 countries in one race.
Goal 4: Here's the biggie: Run the Finger Lakes Fifties 50K race on June 30th. I will run just to finish. I think I can do this. I think I can, I think I can....
Goal 5: Just ENJOY the run. I would like to throw a couple half Mary's in there because I really just enjoy that distance, but I'm not going to kill myself to do it. If it works out as my one race a month then I'm in.
Goal 6: Stay healthy & strong. Work on the core at least twice a week.
Goal 7:  When it comes to training, actually DOING the speedwork regularly...I really haven't been.  At least not 'properly' according to Thing 1....since he is closing in on breaking a 5 minute mile, he probably knows what he is talking about.
Goal 8:  Join the local running club & give back a bit by volunteering at a race instead of running it. 

Akk!!!!! I registered for my 1st Ultra!!!!!

I am feeling slightly nauseous....but EXCITED!  I have registered for the Finger Lakes Fifties on June 30th! They have a 25K/50K/50Mile options.  I am doing the 50K!  The great thing about this race is that the 50K runners have the 50 mile time limit.....so, hey, might be enough for me ;-D

Here is a course description:

The Finger Lakes Fifties trail runs consists of 25K, 50K, and 50Mile races. All three races will use the same loop course, starting and finishing at The Potomac Group Campsite located off of Potomac Road. You will be doing multiple loops in The Finger Lakes National Forest. The course is a 16.5-mile loop covering single-track trail, grassy pastures (complete with grazing cows and cow pies), and dirt roads. There is 1292' of climb per loop. 25K race = 1 loop, 50K race = 2 loops, 50 mile race = 3 loops plus a "baby loop" of 0.5 miles. 50K & 50Mile races start @ 6:30am and 25K race starts @ 8am. There are five manned aid stations (one that you will access twice actually making it six stations) per loop.

 Any suggestions on how to train for this????  Having never done this, especially going off-road onto a trail, is new territory...scary territory...it must be much harder considering the course times. 

So bring on your tips, suggestions.....SUPPORT!!!!! I need it all!!!!
Training?
Hydrating: handheld, camelback?
Fueling?

What is up with the No Headphones rules?!?

I have been scouring the Internet looking at races and what is up with the headphone paranoia? Seriously? I am a music runner. I like it. I'm not blaring it on 10. I run with them on open roads during training without managing to kill myself. So why do race directors suddenly feel I'm going to be running out of control with no awareness of my surroundings during their race???? Despite what they believe, I CAN hear the traffic and everything that is going on around me. Quite frankly, I have wished I COULDN'T hear the chatty Cathy beside me in several races! But sadly, I can. So why can't I run with my iPod? We all have to agree to be responsible for ourselves during a race anyway. So know this, Gettysburg & Mohawk Valley marathons: I would have registered for your races if you weren't prejudiced against my tiny pink iPod. Toronto has welcomed us with open arms.

Cookie & Hat 4 Mile Race/Resolution Run

PR! 4 Miles in 36:45!!!

I'm told I had the most embarrasing outfit in the race!

My 2 winners!

I cajoled my family (signed them up without asking them) into the local New Years Day race.  I told them they would thank me for it later.  Unbeknownst to me, the race organizer is insane (in a good way) & reworked the course to make it more 'exciting'....by exciting I mean muddy. But it really was fun & I posted a new PR (well....since I haven't run this distance in a race before...but it IS better than my best 4 mile split in longer races ;-D).  I had a goal in mind (35 minutes) when I started & it was looking good for the first mile (yay, 8:40 split) & then we went off-road. Really, really off-road. Like crossing a narrow rickety wooden creek bridge, having to jump a muddy water filled ditch (didn't quite make it....had a choice to join a line but didn't want to wait so I got a thorn in my hand from a prickle bush & my shiny white Kinvera's got a muddy soaking)....and my 2nd mile was a freakin' 9:45! Which is not bad.  No one was passing me or anything, but those woods were slippery & treacherous! We all had to slow it down to make it through without breaking an ankle!  Part way into the 3rd mile we got out of the woods and onto a gravel track, then it was back on the road to finish up the last mile. My 2 best miles were the first & last, going 8:40 & 8:47. Not very consistant running but it was fun! As I came out of the woods I spied Thing 2 off in the distance.  I was closing in on him.  At a half mile to the finish I thought I was in striking distance. At a 1/4 mile to the finish I came up RIGHT behind him. He saw me & took off like a bat out of hell!!!!  I tried, I really did, but I COULD NOT CATCH HIM!  I am so proud of him. He kicked it in & now I am officially the slowest runner in the house!  He was 4th in his Age group & 98/200 overall with a time of just over 36 minutes (he forgot to stop his watch).  The others didn't do too bad either.  Thing 1 was 6th overall with a time of 25:02 & snagged a 2nd place age group award!  SD was 14th overall & got his own age group award: 3rd place with a time of 27:20!  As for me, I was 8/32 in my age group (hot damn, that's awesome!) & 103/200 overall! 

Race socks...officially broken in

When everyone else moaned when they found out about the mud, Thing 1 said 'awesome'!

This was also my  Resolution Run for Amanda @ Run to the Finish, so score 8 running points for HBBC today!

Kinvara's broken in!

If I'd known these hand made cookies were the prize, I might have run faster! But at least Thing 1 shared :-)