Hot Chocolate, Turkey Trots and Chilly Weather

Oh my goodness....is it seriously December already?!?! Crazy how quickly this year has gone already...and it's almost over...CRAZY!!



So I finished the Hot Chocolate 15K a couple weeks ago which is a race my sister and aunt usually do together. Sadly my sister wasn't able to do it since she rolled her foot and was unable to run, but was able to run with my brother in law and also with my niece as well. My niece, bless her heart, was kind and ran with me for the first 2.5K...I know she held back just for me, but it was nice to have someone to run with for the first bit of the race. While the rest of my family ran the 5K, I braved the 15K which honestly was a nice race...went through some of the neighborhoods I remember running during the Cap City Half Marathon and though it was a chilly day for a race I think it was actually a tad warmer than last year's race. This year they gave out cool "treats" along the race route. During the first 2.5K they handed out large chocolate chips...chocolate....during a race....ummm...YES PLEASE!! Love!! Now during the 15K the rest of the fuel stations offered marshmallows (chocolate and strawberry)...which by the way honestly was really tough to eat on the run...and may I advise that you don't just pop the whole thing in your mouth while you're running....it truly isn't a good thing. They also handed out Tootsie Rolls which after the marshmallows, I decided against eating the Tootsie Roll and saved it for one of my boys waiting for me at the end of the race....bless my family's hearts for waiting for me in the cold to finish the race. They deserve huge kudos!! And also the treats at the end of the race were amazing!! It's so nice running with family and getting together as a group...and I was so happy my niece got to come....a great weekend indeed!! And they had a pretty sweet medal for the 15K too :)

 

Then on Thanksgiving Day my youngest and my niece and I did our local Turkey Trot....it's the first year that our area has done a Turkey Trot...boy was it ever a cold and chilly morning!! It was spitting snow while we were running. It was nice running again with family....they really pushed me to keep a good pace. I averaged slightly over an 8 minute mile which for me is crazy!! It was a nice 5K course in our local park in the county. It was nice and they instead of giving out T-shirts, they gave out these really cool beanies....so nice for something different. So surprisingly, or maybe not so much, my son beat me in this race. How aggravating is it that my son who doesn't run on a regular basis and he runs better than I do....oh to have young legs!! He was really pushing himself bess his heart and I truly am very proud of him for doing this and agreeing to run with his old momma!! The neatest part on this race is that it was a family sweep in the medal department. My niece and my son both got 2nd place in their age brackets and somehow I managed to get 1st in mine...so it was a great day for us!! Best part truly though was running together and just being out there and supporting a good cause. And also burning calories before the turkey feast...lol!!

So now that my race season is officially over it's kind of nice to run only when I want to and for as long or as hard as I want. I ran a 10K this morning and boy was it ever chilly...and it got chillier the longer I went...but at least I made it home before it started to rain. Running in the rain, especially cold rain, is the worst!! So now plan to just take it easy through the holidays and then see how things go come January. After all everything depends on the weather...even though I have access to a treadmill, I am not a fan and I'd still have to go out in the weather to get to it. So we shall see....though I will have to get things in gear come February to gear up for May's Cap City Half Marathon.

Well since I probably won't be back before Christmas, have a very blessed and joyous holiday. Don't forget the reason for the season!! Blessings and have a happy 2015!!

It's really OK

I know this post is going to sound weird at first and you'll probably say, "What does this have to do with running?" but go with me for a second.

First of all, so sorry for being away for so long. Life with school starting for the boys, county fair and scouts...life is crazy....I write when I can, and the time to write is few and far between.

Ok, so....like I said, go with me here....I've been a stay at home mom most of the years my boys have been home. I may have done some odd jobs here and there, but pretty much always been home. I've had the question posed to me several times while being a stay at home mom asking...."If you could do any job outside the home, what would your dream job be??" And as truly interesting and intriguing that question honestly is...the thing that always popped into my head when asked this particular question is....I would of course choose something I love doing....but then in the same thought there was always that fear of, if I'm doing what I love every single day, would I grow tired and soon learn to hate it?? 

That being said, so goes my upcoming post....no I haven't been asked to become some elite 40 something runner with tons of sponsorships...though that would be nice...sort of...but...there I do believe comes a time when too much of a good thing does indeed become too much. As many of you know, I came into this love of running by watching an online scrapbooker friend's journey into getting healthy and fit. I watched her journey for several months and after wallowing in my self pity for long enough I finally pulled up my boot straps and said, "if she can do it so can I!" and thus began my slightly over 4 year journey of getting myself fit and healthy. This past week I hit a milestone and since August of 2010 I have logged just over 3,000 running miles. I never would have dreamed that a little thing called "Running" would have taken me so far and put me in touch with so many amazing people!! This year has been a pretty big year with my running 2 half marathons (Capital City and Emerald City), doing our local Indian Mud Run and many 5Ks and 10Ks here and there. I will be running the Hot Chocolate 15K here in a few weeks with my awesome sister, aunt and niece. While training for the 15K these last several weeks I noticed that my runs had been getting slower, not only that...they've been getting harder to do...and I've had this slight knee twinge since Emerald City that though it doesn't hurt per se, it just has felt kind of wonky. So when I started thinking about my running year so far I realized that I have pretty much been in "training mode" since January when I started training for Cap City. Right after Cap City was the Indian Mud Run, after that was training for the Feed the Need 10 K and then Emerald City...I've been pretty much on some sort of training plan for 11 months. After thinking a lot about it, I've decided that after the Hot Chocolate run and the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day that my son and I have decided to do together, I am going to be giving myself a much needed break. So for the month of December and maybe even part of January I will be taking a break...will I go without running for that long?? I don't think I could...lol...but I am going to cut way back...at least that's the plan. Instead of running 4-6 days a week I may cut back to 2-3...and instead of running longer distances I may just cut it back to around 3 miles with an occasional longer run thrown in if I feel like it. As much as I love running, it's starting to get to a point where it's becoming like something I HAVE to do instead of something I WANT to do...and we all know there is a big difference there. Not only that, the last several weeks my runs haven't been all that great...more like a "At least I got that done" than, "OK, that was a great run and I think I'm making progress." Definitely been a more quantity over quality, which is really starting to show...a lot!! Sometimes, even with a good thing, you at times need to scale back, re-group and just let things go a little bit and then go back at it again with fresh eyes....and legs :)

So that is that....while I am on hiatus so to speak...I hope to write though about my running plans for 2015....if things go the way I want it to....2015 is going to be an EPIC year in my running. I got several halves I'm looking at and a couple other cool looking races that will be so incredible...if I can pull them off and get hubby's schedule to work with it...it will be awesome....God willing!!

So until then...happy running!!

Emerald City Half Recap and Milestone Anniversaries

I know this post is a tad overdue since my half was like almost three weeks ago, but better late than never right??

So the Emerald City Half Marathon in Dublin, Ohio. For starters...I really liked this race. A lot smaller than Cap City...only about 3,500 racers which was a good number....not too crowded. The thing I really liked though about this race was the course. Not too many hills, so it was relatively flat...just a few minor inclines, nothing I wasn't used to. But the best part was that about 6 miles of the course was on the residential bike/walking path so it was scenic and nicely paved...and better yet, it went through some nice shaded wooded areas which was a welcoming site with the sun coming up and the heat and humidity rising...a true treat indeed.

Overall I felt pretty good going into this race. I don't think I was quite as prepared as Cap City as I didn't do quite as much cross training as I would have liked, but running wise I was prepared. During the first part of the race I felt pretty strong...felt good....until mile 9 when I started to feel a twinge in my right knee that started to bother me...I slowed down a little but pushed on. The next 4 miles were tough, though when I got to mile 12 I just tried my best to ignore the twinge in my knee and the fatigue I was feeling from the heat and humidity. The pain in my knee wasn't unbearable, it was just annoying more than anything. On a pain level of 1-10 I would have given it a 4-5. When I finally saw the finish line I was almost in tears though...I was just ready for it to be over...by now it was after 9 am and the sun was out and it was getting pretty hot and muggy. Shortly after I crossed the finish line I saw my hubby who was waiting for me and I just hugged him and cried...I was so tired and wasn't feeling too good. He lead me over to where the water, cold towels and sprinkler system were and pretty much shoved me under the sprinkler...boy did that ever feel good!! So thankful for the iced towels too!! After having a yummy blueberry bagel and some awesome Snowville Creamery chocolate milk (boy is that stuff ever good!!) I began to feel a lot better. Sad part was that I totally forgot to go over to Buffalo Wild Wings for some of their awesome wings...still bummed about that.

So considering I was dealing with my knee and the heat and all, I really wasn't expecting much with my race time, but surprisingly I beat my Cap City time be about 6 minutes coming in at 2:08:53!! Was really tickled about that and very, very surprised.

So these last few weeks I've just been taking it easy...not running every single day and not running too far and not caring how fast I'm going...running just to run which is such a nice change of pace. I'm ready to get back to the joy of running again :)

So I just want to take the time to thank my hubby and kids for supporting me and my weird running habit...thanks for being my cheerleaders!! To my awesome sister who is always so willing to give me a place to stay when I come her direction...love ya sissy!! To my friends and family that prayed for me, gave me encouragement, texted me while I was running my race and for all that you do to support me...which also includes reading my countless running posts on Facebook....thank you so much!! It means so much to me!!

So onto other things and one of the main reasons why this post is so late in being written...my hubby and I just renewed our wedding vows yesterday. On Tuesday we celebrate our 25th anniversary and my hubby decided to surprise me with having us do a vow renewal ceremony with our closest family and friends. It was so beautiful and everything I had hoped it would be...I truly am very, very blessed. :)

So as far as my running goes, I'm pretty much done with any major races for the year. I do have a local 5K this coming Saturday called the Bacon and Legs 5K...which they are serving bacon at the finish line so this should be fun :). I am kicking around doing the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K again this year, but I'm thinking of doing the 15K this time because they do have a pretty sweet medal for those who do the 15K...not sure about that one yet, but I'm sure you'll hear about it if I do.

Well I think that's about all for now. Until next time, have an awesome Autumn season!!

Chaffing, Early Mornings and Computer Crashes....aka Half Marathon Training

I know these posts aren't as frequent as I had hoped or would have liked them to be, but that's the life of a mom with kids home for the summer and training for a summer half.

I'm just going to go right into my half marathon training...it's hard to believe that my next half marathon is in 14 days!! CRAZY!! But I'm kind of ready for it to be here. I feel like I have been training forever. Since my May half marathon and the beginning of training for this half marathon weren't too far apart, I feel like I've been in constant training. I'm ready to take a little step back I think and breath. Training has been good but tough with the humidity. Just makes it so hard to breath and then just juggling summer activities, mom stuff, extracurricular stuff, redoing the camper (that's a totally other long story)...most of my runs this summer have consisted of me getting up at the crack of dawn to get my runs in before the chaos of my day starts, which though I have enjoyed the morning runs and getting out before it gets too awfully hot out, I miss my ability to sleep in...but sacrifices right???

Today I had my last officially long run, (though next Saturday I do have a 10K I am doing, though I don't plan to run much farther than that). My plan was to run 12 miles since I missed doing my 12 miler last Saturday due to the 5K I did and the weather. So that was my intention, but I meandered a little off my usual route so it ended up being a half marathon...13.1 miles, which I'm glad I did cause it gave me an indication of how I would do hopefully for my actual half. Now granted I didn't start out doing this run with the intention of going 13.1, so I wasn't pushing myself or anything, but I finished in 2:09:04, which is almost 5 minutes off my best half marathon time. So that surprised me a bunch! So hopefully I can finally reach my race goal of doing between a 2:00 - 2:10...it's possible...it may actually be attainable. Here's hoping!! :)  The only thing I need to remember again is Body Glide....got some chaffing on my arms from my run this morning...ouch...really really really must remember that!!

So I'm sure I talked about this before, but I have to say it again...I really like my training plan. If you are in the market for a training plan I highly recommend the ones from Run The Edge. I'm using the 13.1 Ultimate plan and I really enjoy it. I like it because it looks like a game board (love visual stimuli) and I get to choose the days I want to do what, I don't have to do them all, and as long as I get to the end of the week with enough "points" I'm good...and I get medals for how many points I do get...and who doesn't like a virtual medal?!?! I know, right!! So if you are wanting to get to a certain race goal, and would like to try a training plan, check these guys out. Not to mention it is created by Kara Goucher and her husband Adam, and also Tim Catalano. They are very accommodating as well. I recently emailed them because the hard drive on my PC crashed (and yes I was a dummy and didn't back up my training plan file.) so I asked if they could at least just give me the workouts for the last few weeks since I was so close to my half. They just went ahead and sent me a whole new plan!! So thankful and so amazed that they were so gracious! And yes I did back it up on my external drive this time! Seriously though, go check them out!! 

Ok well I have a camper that is in serious need of paint so I need to go take care of that today.

Since I probably won't be back here until after the Emerald City Half...wish me luck!! Have a great day!!

Indian Mud Run Race Recap and What Was I Thinking??

I know I'm a little late in getting this race report out, but late than never I always say...not to mention that these past several months honestly have been a huge blur...but enough of my crazy schedule...on to the recap.

So this was my second year doing the Indian Mud Run. Last year (and this year as well) I did it with my bestie Leslie. Last year the one thing most people complained about was that there didn't seem to be quite enough mud....well let's just say, Mother Nature made sure that there was no shortage of mud this year!! Our weather here in Ohio has been pretty much wet...wet...wet ever since the New Year...between tons of snow and the longest winter in years, to nothing but rain the last several weeks...yes...there was MUD!! Which honestly made the course this year far more, shall we say interesting?? I went into it not really worrying about a time element since I really had no intention of trying to hurt myself before my next half marathon in August...so Leslie and I just took our time, and we of course found some new friends along the way. We ran with a girl named Amanda, and then a bridesmaid, a bride and a groom...that were getting married later that day (CRAZY!!!) We just all kind of hung close together through the whole race. We were luckily in the first wave...and I say luckily because I can't even imagine what some of those hills and obstacles would have been like after a few hundred runners splattered and dug even more mud into it...yikes!! The thing I absolutely love most about the Indian Mud Run is that it's pretty much a natural course going through the woods...that alone is an obstacle in itself. The first hill is always the toughest which is pretty much straight uphill....and then straight downhill. After climbing over a log obstacle the huge cargo net is next...which is not one of my favorites....I hate climbing over that thing...but I made it and that's all that matters. The rest of the first half of the race is basically running through the woods, avoiding tree limbs and rocks. There was the rope climb that I just couldn't get up this year...not sure if it was the mud already on my shoes or what but I had to go around that one. The ravine was the next tougher obstacle...this year I had to use the rope to go down into the ravine...which was not fun and it was already very muddy and slippery...which again made things very interesting. 

The water slide...oh my the water slide...such an unpredictable obstacle. I had a hard time going down it at first...just couldn't get going...then woosh!! I was like a bullet!! My friend Leslie wasn't so lucky as another runner ran into her on the slide shoving her into the wall banging her head. After going through the woods some more we ended up at the canal. I crossed the canal further down where the non-swimmers were to go, but even there with all the rain we have had it was pretty deep. We crossed a net and then headed to the monkey bars crossing back over the canal and our group decided to take the ropes and boards across instead of the bars...which usually isn't a problem until one of the ropes fell off making the gap between the ropes quite large...I ended up having to hold on the edge of the monkey bars shimmying my way to the next rope and luckily for me the board didn't flip me into the canal...THANK GOD! Then another slippery mud slope downhill to the rock climbing wall...which was very hard this year since the "rocks" on the wall had gotten slippery and muddy making traction next to impossible. My foot slipped off one of the rocks and if it wasn't for my friend Leslie I probably would have fallen off for sure. By the grace of God I made it up the rock wall, then into the ice pit (crazy cold!) and into the mud pit...which I got very muddy in and then I avoided the electric fence area after the horrible experience I had with it last year when I had a wire wrap around my neck. I ended up finishing in about 1 hour 43 minutes...which was not fast by any means, but I made it in one piece which was by far the better option.  

Needless to say the difficulty of the course this year was huge....but it was a lot of fun. After the race was over I ended up with only a couple bruises and the only thing that truly hurt on me was my hands from all the ropes. Overall it was a good time, scary at times, but good.

Now my mindset is looking towards my next half marathon in August, The Emerald City Half Marathon. Initially I was thinking that this training should be easier since I would have the summer off and have extra time, but I'm so finding the opposite to be true. I'm finding it hard to get out of bed early to do a run before the sun starts baking the day, most of the runs lately have been pretty hot and humid....guess that will help me train for a late August half, but it's honestly not too enjoyable. Right now I'm about half way through my training and with all that is going on in my life at the moment, finding time to fit in my runs has been quite interesting. I have truly hit the "What was I thinking?" stage.

On a lighter note, I just finished listening to an audio book that my sister bought for me for me birthday. The book is "Running Like A Girl" by Alexandra Heminsley. If you are a runner, and a girl, you will totally relate to this book. Lots of laugh out loud moments. There are a few expletives in the book..so fair warning if those things offend you, but overall I couldn't stop laughing at some of the things she talked about. I recommend it!

And as if I haven't done enough half marathons lately...I already signed up for my first 2015 half signing up again for the Capital City Half Marathon. :)

Well that's all for now...I need to get some rest...these long days are really getting to me!! Have a great summer everyone!!

And Another Half Is In The Books

Yes...after all the training...all the dreaded treadmill speedwork runs during our very harsh winter...I finally conquered my third half marathon!! And as they say, third time is a charm!

Again I ran the Capital City Half Marathon and again it was a really good race and is still my favorite half so far. Only negatives I had were that it seemed a lot more congested this year than last year, and I still wish they would have a little more runner tracking than just at mile 5, but overall still a great, awesome race going through some great places in Columbus.

So the morning was a bit chilly...in the high 40s...and I decided I was still going to run in my tank and shorts...ok, maybe not the best idea, but overall it really wasn't too bad. My strategy was to make sure not to start off too fast, which I did pretty well at...of course the little sprinkle of rain during the first 3 miles made it interesting. And as I said, it seemed to be a bit more people this year...not sure if that's true, but it wasn't till about mile 3 when things started to clear out a bit where I didn't feel like I was going to step on someone. There was one point about mile 6-7 where I almost tripped over someone because someone stopped in front of me and the other runner next to me cut in front of me...luckily we all made it through unscathed. 

Overall I felt good most of the race. My right knee started bothering me towards the latter part of the race..not sure why...usually my left side is the one that hurts...but oh well. Of course I got to the dreaded mile 11...I have this mental game for some reason with mile 11...struggle getting past it. And God obviously knew that because shortly after I crossed the mile 11 marker, there was a woman standing on the corner holding up a sign, and it said, "Thank you for running for me because I can't...I have cancer." Now Capital City supports the American Cancer Society, and after I saw that sign I just teared up and it gave me the motivation to run those last couple miles.  At the end of the race I told my husband about this woman and her sign, and I told him, "And that is why I race." because he always struggles with the cost of race fees....I think he understood a little better after telling him that story.

So I get to High St. and I see that finish line...and though I didn't sprint for it like I did last year, I gave it all I had left and I was able to beat last year's time by over 7 minutes!! My time was 2:14:21!! My goal was to finish between 2:10-2:15 so goal accomplished!! 

I think there were several factors that helped me reach my PR this time around. First of all of course God for giving me the strength and determination to do it. Also my new training plan from Run The Edge I believe helped with all the speedwork and goal pace runs. And yes even the dreaded treadmill helped. Also I am a total believer now in strength training. I believe that really helped my running with helping build up my core and glutes and just giving me a stronger body. And Yoga to help stretch things out. It all worked together and I couldn't be more pleased. It was a lot of hard work and I'm not saying there weren't those times I did the workouts begrudgingly. But in the end hard work does pay off...so keep at it!!

So what's next....well I have the Indian Mud Run in June that is a ton of fun so I need to start training on the trail for that. Then I have my sights on my next half marathon in August with the Emerald City Half Marathon and a new friend of mine just asked me about doing the Columbus Half Marathon in October, so I guess I'll kick that one around a bit as well...we shall see. There may be a few 5K's thrown in here or there but for now, this is the plan for the rest of 2014.

I just want to thank all of you that have supported me in my running efforts with your prayers and words of encouragement. I carry them with me when I run a race and it's what helps me get through. You honestly don't know what it means to me. Thank you so much!!

18 Days and Counting...and Race Re-Caps :)))

Well race season has finally begun here...not that the weather has totally cooperated in the beginning, but more on that later. Yes folks...it's hard to believe but there is only 18 days until my third half marathon!! Can't believe it's almost here already!! Time has flown by so quickly!!

So I've been able to run 2 races already since my last post. First race was the Lady Tutu 5K in Columbus at the Easton Shopping Center. I had the great privilege of running the race with my wonderful sister and aunt. It was a very cold and chilly late March morning with threats of rain, but luckily the rain held off until after the race...PTL!! Overall it was a fun race, chilly but fun! I was able to finish in 28:11...19th in my age bracket. Considering the elements and fighting a sniffle I felt good about my time. And it was a great weekend spent with some great people I love...even got to enjoy some Mellow Mushroom pizza together afterwards so it was good!! My youngest son spent the weekend with me as well so it was nice just to have that one on one time with him...we don't get one on one time very often so that was good too!!

The following Saturday I did the First Step 5K/10K race here in town....and again mother nature did not want to cooperate because it was another bitter chilly morning. I usually walk down to this race, but I'm so glad I drove because it was just too chilly to walk...not only that, yours truly had signed up for this race a couple months ago and I forgot that I signed up for the 10K race option....I knew I had good logic in signing up for the 10K since it was so close to my half...thought it would make for a great training run....so I go to the race thinking, "Ok, it's chilly, but it's only a 5K...won't be that bad..." God was surely laughing at me because I get there and realize I signed up for the 10K...ugh!! Needless to say I sucked it up and did it and even did my best 10K race time to date and finally getting under an hour with a time of 56:09!! Maybe the combination of the cold and knowing I had to do it motivated me. Whatever it was I was extremely happy with my time. It also helped that someone I usually race against was right in front of me...she beat me by 3 seconds but I loved it because it gave me something to strive for...great motivation there as well.!!

So now my next race is my half marathon. A little nervous as I just did an almost 12 mile run on Saturday and though I kept a pretty decent pace I just felt slow and sluggish and my legs felt heavy. Of course I did this run very late after a very long day...so regardless I'm thinking I'm still on pace to making my goal time for my half...fingers crossed :)  Again, I can't believe in less than 3 weeks I'm doing this again. I'm figuring out that long distance running is a lot like childbirth...it's a pain that's easily forgotten because I keep signing up for these things...lol!! Hoping to do the Emerald City Half in Dublin, OH in August, but that is depending on how I feel after this half and how I feel about training for a half in the summertime. We shall see.

Well I probably won't be back until after my half, so wish me luck and I will have a race recap then. Have a super day!!

I am not a chew toy...aka not the best week in running.

I know it's been a month since I posted last...sorry about that. Life is crazy here. But I have to say these past two weeks in running have not been the best to say the least...it's to the point where I was beginning to wonder if God was trying to tell me something. About ten days ago I was running my new route around the high school area when I came upon a young man walking his black lab. The dog was on a leash and I didn't think much about it. I proceeded to run around him at what I thought was a good clear distance, but the dog lunged and ripped the leash out of the boys hand and the dog ended up biting my left arm. Now at the time I really didn't think much of it...I honestly thought he just nipped me...I had never had a dog bite me before...until I was running a little farther and my arm started throbbing and I felt blood running down my arm. Luckily I was only a block away from my in-laws and luckily they were home. They helped me get all patched up, we found the owner...luckily the dog had it's shots and we got things squared away with him. I then proceeded to go pick up my boys from school and then head to the doctor's office. They couldn't give me stitches for fear of infection, but they did proceed to give my a tetanus and antibiotic shot...and I think the shots hurt worse than the dog bite. Geesh!! Though the dog bite really bummed me out (and I'll explain more so why in a minute) I think I was more bummed out that I was only a little over a mile into my run when it happened and it was the nicest day we had had this year...I mean just wearing a t-shirt weather....which is what I had on...no long sleeves, no jacket...just a t-shirt and capris. So yes I am a crazy runner because the loss of a good run bummed me out more than the dog bite....lol. Another reason I was bummed is that I knew the hubby would give me a lecture about the hazards of running. I pretty much got the "I'm going to lock you in the basement with a treadmill" lecture...which bless his heart...I know he says it because he cares and doesn't like to see me get hurt, but like I told him...I am not a caged bird...I must be free. It took him a few days but he got over it...lol. I went back out for a outside run two days later...yes I'm crazy. But I'll tell you I was nervous going back out there, I'm not gonna lie.


Then, as if the dog bite wasn't enough, this past Monday I was on the same route and I noticed this yellow Jeep Wrangler driving by me really slow. I didn't think much of it at first...thought maybe they were lost or looking for an address or something. Then it was on the next street over...not too many houses over there and it seemed to be going the way I usually go. I decided to go a slightly different way and headed down Cambridge Rd. where it ended up passing me and then turned into a driveway to turn around. Needless to say I wasn't waiting around to see if he was looking for me or not...I bolted down a side street, called the hubby to alert him what was going on and just took off. Needless to say I never saw it again. Maybe I was just being paranoid, but my intuition is seldom wrong and that "bad vibe" feeling I usually get was going off big time....I've learned to trust it when it happens. Ironically, I talked to another runner here in town and she told me she also had a yellow Jeep Wrangler follow her recently. So I am being very super cautious now while I run. I am now prepared when I go for my outside runs...I bought pepper spray for my keychain, and my lovely and most amazing sister sent me a lovely care package of a hand held pepper spray, stun gun and a joggy doggy weapon that I can use pretty much to stab someone with if necessary. I pity the animal/person who tries to attack me next time...lol!

I have to admit though, this kind of depressed me. That we live not only in a day and age where we can't feel safe being outdoors, but that even in my small town I can no longer feel safe. One of the beauties of living in a small town is that everyone knows everyone and you could walk down the street anytime and not worry. Not anymore....just makes me sad that there are people out there that want to purposely harm people. But I know God is in control and that He's watching over me. I knew that the day the dog bit me. It could have been so much worse!! And it could have happened somewhere where I couldn't get speedy help. I consider myself extremely lucky and I'm very grateful to God for watching out for me...as well as the Jeep incident. God was definitely watching over me then too. I am now very much more aware of my surroundings.

So I just want to say, if you're a runner out there....be careful. Know your surroundings. Be prepared and carry something with you to protect yourself...better safe than sorry.

On a much more positive note I was able to get an 11 mile run in today and it was a good one. Though I started a bit slow at first and my hamstrings were feeling pretty tight, I had a really good pace. I did my 11.1 mile run in 1:49:57 which is about a 9:54 pace....at that rate if I'm able to keep that up I'm positive I'll beat last year's half marathon time...woot woot. Pretty happy about that!!

So until next time...stay safe, be prepared and be aware.

Is it Spring yet???

Wow....has it really been almost 3 months since my last post?!?! We need to change that! Honestly things here have been a little crazy and I did take a sort of internet (mainly Facebook) fast for about a month...let me tell you I sure got a lot more done around my house doing that :)

So as I mentioned in my last post, winter runs were going to be interesting....and boy have they ever! Old man winter has been quite harsh in Ohio and to say that I'm sick of the white fluffy stuff is an understatement indeed! I'd say something about moving south, but by the sounds of things even the south has had a harsh winter, if not harsher, than ours. But I have faith...I heard bird chirping out my window yesterday and have smelled quite a few skunks roaming around so Spring is definitely around the corner....right??

So yes running has been interesting...last month I did several runs at the track at Kids America and even buckled to using my mother in law's treadmill. Now I'm sure I've mentioned before my disdain for the treadmill...in fact I lovingly call it the dreadmill...I dread running on that thing...it's just so boring!! But with our harsh weather conditions the dreadmill and I have moved on to a love/hate relationship. I've learned that I really like the treadmill when I'm doing interval training...so much easier to keep track of how far and how fast I'm going so it does make it a little fun. But trust me, The treadmill know the feeling I have for him and there have been a few times when the treadmill kicked my tush...I think just as a way to get even for my disdain for him...but regardless, we have learned to get along and that is a good thing because this winter has been brutal! And I've only used the KA track a few times...it's just such a short track and its usually as cold in there as it is outside...it just hurts my hip too much to keep going in a circle like that for very long, so yes the treadmill and I are learning to play nice.

Though thankfully this week has been a little better weather wise. All my runs so far have been outdoors and how glorious it has been!! Even stepping in ice cold puddles and dodging ice patches...running outdoors will always be my run of choice. So I'm about 6 weeks into my half marathon training and things are going well so far. I'm using this new training plan by Run The Edge which was created by Adam Goucher (husband of famous runner Kara Goucher) and Tim Catalano. I'm using the Ultimate 13.1 plan and I like it...it's kind of fun and cute for an ADD mind like mine. The only drawback for me is that they base their runs on time, not distance. So for instance if it says to do a 60 minute run...for some that mean a 7-8 mile run while for me it means maybe about 6 miles since I'm (cough cough) older and I'm just not all that fast. And if you are going to run a long distance race it's all about getting those miles in....so I may have to tweek this a little but overall it seems like a good program.

So I'm sure you have been frustrated these last several months wondering what my running plans for 2014 are....ok, maybe not, but honestly you haven't missed anything yet. I have no plans until the end of March and then running season will officially be in full gear. So the first race I have planned is the Lady Tutu 5K on March 29th. This is the same race I ran in August, however different venue and I'll not only be running it with my sister, but my aunt is joining us as well. Praying it's not too cold that day! Then I have plans to run the First Step 5K/10K on April 5th...I'll be signing up for the 10K since that will work great with my half training. I do this one every year as it helps those who are victims to domestic violence and bullying. Then of course I will be running for the 2nd year in a row, the Capital City Half Marathon. I absolutely love this half....I don't know what it is but I love running in Columbus and this race is very well organized. If you are looking for a good half marathon, this one is it. Looking forward to running it again. Then my only obstacle race so far this year is the Indian Mud Run. I love this course! Now I may be biased and honestly I haven't done any other obstacle courses, but I have seen what other obstacle courses have and the thing I love most about this course is that is mostly a natural trail course going through the woods. Yes there are plenty of man made obstacles to add to the fun, but the course itself without the obstacles (which I like to run throughout the summer) is tough enough. It's a great little course. Then the last race I plan to run (though I haven't signed up yet) is The Emerald City Half Marathon. This race is also in the Columbus area and I'll be honest...I'm totally doing this one for the bling. They have really cute Shamrock looking medals and the hubby has already told me that I'm doing this race. The only trepidation I have is that it being in August...August is hot...August is humid...and 13.1 miles is long. So we shall see if I commit to it, but that's the plan so far.

So that's it for my running plans for 2014 so far. I've kind of scaled it back a little this year compared to last year, but we shall see what the year holds. I will probably throw a few other races in the mix once info becomes available like the MDA 5K I do every August and the Feed The Need 5K/10K...and I will probably do the Hot Chocolate Run again...but again we shall see what 2014 holds. Until then, this is it.

So what are your running plans for 2014??