June Recap/Stats

June Recap/Stats

Miles Planned/Ran: 50*±/ 65.22± M

*In my 2010 Goals I stated that when not in training I wanted to maintain my base with anywhere between 50-70 miles per month - With only 2 days of this being actual training for Grand Rapids, I'm happy with the outcome.

Rest Days Planned/Taken: 17 - but def not planned! Stupid Lankle!

Highest Mileage Week: 21± M <- LOL! This will be changing very soon...

Long Runs Planned/Ran: 2/2

Hill Workouts Planned/Ran: 3/2 <- Missed one last week during base training.

Pace Workouts Planned/Ran: 0/0 (First one is Thursday!)

Xtrain Workouts Planned/Completed: 1/1 <- New addition to the monthly stats, want to start keeping track of these as well. I'm counting the one for this week starting my training but I did quite a few more over the course of the month.

Current Book: - Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes; A classic I've always wanted to read that was conveniently located on Spike's shelf.

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: The A&E Tri-fecta: Hoarders, Obsessed and Intervention

Current Colors: Bright Pink, it always seems to be my Summer staple.

Current Obsessions: I don't think I really have any right now...

Current Drink: Tried and true H2O

Current Song: "Break your Heart" Taio featuring Ludacris - Spike gets so excited every time this comes on cuz he thinks Luda's opening rap is ingenious and proceeds to rap along. Have you seen my Whitey McPasty boyfriend?! Cracks me up every time.

Current Wish-List: A new wardrobe; Professional, Casual, Running and otherwise. I am in serious need of a revamp!

Current Need: A 9 to 5

Current Triumph: Landing a part time gig until I secure gainful full time employment.

Current Bane of my Existence: Lankle

Current Goal: To make it through Grand Rapids Marathon Training Cycle Healthy, Strong and headed towards a BQ!

Current Indulgence: Cherries. I can't seem to get enough of them!

Current Blessings: As always my family, friends and boyfriend.

Current Excitement: Starting the Grand Rapids Marathon Training Cycle!!!

How'd your June shape up?!?!

Running is what you make of it; Make it an Adventure!™

COMMENCE TRAINAGE!

A few weeks back I posted that Marathon #3 would be The Grand Rapids Marathon here in Michigan on October 17th (approx 16 weeks from now) and also weighed the pro's and con's of attempting to shoot for a BQ or not... Well today I'm here to share that decision and then some!

When Coach EK and I discussed my BQ aspirations, he gave it to me straight (it's not going to be easy) and then set out to create a training plan. Meanwhile I did my best to maintain my base despite my lingering Lankle issues. Today I will begin said plan, with just over a 2 week base and a 10 mile long run max. Not nearly as strong as I'd like but I'll have to take it and run with it, as it were...

Introducing: THE PLAN

Monday: Hill Workout - (Not knowing my hill situation, Coach EK has had to improvise how I approach my hill workouts. Rather than focus on repeats or mileage he has me on a time based workout at a set pace. I will max this cycle at 70 minutes. Based on the rolling hills of death I now utilize, I should end up somewhere around 14 repeats or so, give or take.)
Tuesday: 4 Mile Recovery Run or Xtrain - I almost always utilize this day as a xtrain day.
Wednesday: MLR (Medium Long Run) - Tops out at 9 miles
Thursday: Pace Workout - (Due to my past issues doing conventional speedwork, Coach EK created pace workouts to substitute; I start with a warm up mile at a moderate pace and then a set amount of mileage at race pace, followed by a cool down mile of moderate pace.) Tops out at 9 miles.
Friday: Rest - The legs that is. I will utilize this day for strength and CORE workouts otherwise.
Saturday: Long Run - Tops out at 22 miles
Sunday: Recovery Run - 4 Miles at Recovery Pace and more xtrain/CORE/Strength workouts

My highest mileage week will put me around 60 miles, I have 2 races lined up within the cycle (10 M & Half) and a few long runs all of which will be run at race pace to test my progress. I intend to document all my training on Daily Mile and will post my long run recaps here weekly along with anything else of note.

All that being said, I have given myself the option to reevaluate/reassess my plan if needed. What I am about to take on is not for the faint of heart or health. My Lankle issues of late have me concerned and I refuse to jeopardize my health for a BQ. If it acts up I will take the necessary steps and back off the aggressive training. At the end of the day the goal is to Finish... in one piece with a smile on my face. Every time we cross that Finish Line we should feel a sense of accomplishment and victory, not everyone can run 26.2 and I want to be able to run it as many times as I can! (BQ or not.)

So here's to BQ dreams and many, many miles to run!

16 Weeks, 110 Days, 18 Hours and 16 minutes til Grand Rapids Marathon!

COMMENCE TRAINAGE!!!

3 Things Thursday

1. First and foremost, HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY TO MY BEAKER LUV!!! I hope you have a fantabulous day! I heart you so much!
   
   
2. And with that out of the way, GOOD LUCK TO ALL MY SEATTLE BOUND RUNNERS!!! Tall Guy Surfing, Jenny, Adam, Amanda, Marlene, Zoe, Steph, Sam, Tall Mom, and anyone else I missed; have a blast out there! Dream Strong, run Fast and BELIEVE in yourselves! I will be thinking about you guys on Sunday, can't wait to hear how ya'll did!
   
   
3. Sunday concludes base training and Monday starts the actual Grand Rapids Marathon training cycle. COMMENCE TRAINAGE! I will start the week out with a discussion of my goals, THE PLAN and a beginning of training reality check.
   
   Have a fantabulous weekend ya'll, I most certainly will as I head South to celebrate Beaker Luv's b-day, get a 10 M in with Harold and see all my beloved O-town peeps! Catch ya'll on the flipside!!!
   

Running + Heels = Angry Lankle

Many moons ago, during my first marathon training cycle I learned the hard way that heels and running don't mix. They aggravated my ITB and I spent the remainder of the cycle rocking the Office Mullet. (Dress clothes with flip flops)

So what WAS I thinking when I slipped on those wedges last night?!?! I mean, it's not like I was trying to run a race in stilettos or anything, I was just trying to look cute for dinner! And yet, here I sit, with hills on deck, a throbbing Lankle and only myself to blame. As I ice in misery and do another painful round of strengthening exercises the PT gave me, I recalled an article I had recently seen on Runner's World called High Heels and Running: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. The author, Coach Jenny, has some great tips, most of which I utilize, but at the end of the day I just don't think heels are for me; the forced posture, strain on my hips and ankles and my own instability are just a recipe for injury for this Redhead.

Ladies, what's your take on wearing heels? Can you still rock them while in training or have you had to retire them in favor of more ergonomically friendly flats?

Happy FATHA's Day

Sometimes I like to get all mushy on you guys and do a tribute post, today's tribute is to my FATHA in honor of Father's Day.

(First off the back story on why I call him FATH-A; for whatever reason he likes to call me and say "This is your FATHA" in a old Jweish lady-sounding Jersey accent. Cracks me up every time!)

My dad and I have a pretty unconventional relationship; without getting into it too much, he came into my life when I was 18 so we kinda missed out on all that growing up together mumbo-jumbo so we're more like pals then your typical father/daughter relationship. Sometimes we go a month without talking but the minute one of us calls the other we're on the phone for hours just cracking up at the hi-jinks of each other's lives.

When I first met my Dad I realized there was basically no way he could've ever denied me, to quote him, "You're a spitting image of me, only pretty." We also finished each others sentences and share a similar sense of humor; He spent a good chunk of the last few years calling me his spinster daughter and I make fun of him for being old. We have that kind of relationship. Just goes to show you "Blood IS Thicker than Water" and while he may not have been there for some of the more formative years of my life he's certainly been there for the last 10 years worth of milestones. Specifically he was there the day I graduated High School, College, and when I crossed the finish line of my first marathon. (Of the three I'm sure you can guess which one meant the most.)

When I first started getting into running my Dad made lots of sarcastic remarks yet gifted me funds to get my first pair of real running shoes. As I trained for my first Half he told me I was nuts and then got mad at me when I admitted to him after the fact that I wished he would've been there, he said he would've been there in a heart beat if he'd have known. He listened to me babble on and on about my training and when I asked him to come to Chicago to see me run my first marathon he booked the trip from Denver to Chicago even knowing that the chances of actually seeing me finish were slim. I saved the text message he sent me the morning of the marathon; "See u at the finish crazy runner girl! Love you!" I'll never forget his face when I met up with him after I finished, he was beaming and my cousin told me how he kept saying how proud of me he was while I was out running. The next day for my birthday he gave me funds to buy my next pair of training shoes.


He may not completely get why I love this running nonsense so much, but in his own way he supports it and is proud of me and that's what makes me love him so much. So this post is for you FATHA, thanks for believing in me, listening to me drone on and on, and for knocking up my mom way back when. Ha! Happy FATHA's Day! Can't wait to see you again, which will hopefully be sooner rather than later!!! LOVE YOU!

Like FATHA like Daughta - Happy FATHA's Day!

You know you're a runner when...

It's been awhile since I've done one of these and I've compiled this list over the last month or so...

You know you're a runner when...

• You utilize the time spent getting your tires chaged at Walmart to get in a 3 miler.
  
  


• You're stuck in traffic and you consider bailing your car on the side of the road cuz you could run to your destination faster.
  
  


• You consider empty calories when having a drink and opt for vodka and water or diet and captain.
  
  


• You have to remind yourself that you're injured when you almost sign up for a race that you couldn't possibly run.
  
  


• You hadn't even moved yet but you were already plotting out potential running trails.
  
  


• While driving along in Kentucky, you marveled at what glorious hill training runner's must have there.
  
  


• You attend an injury clinic and tell the specialist that no matter what you need to start base training for Marathon #3 not even leaving being injured an option.
  
  


• While working a relay it's almost painful to you not to run.
  
  


• While running hills you realize what a masochist you are because it's a "good pain"
  
  


• When you see runners while out running errands you almost, almost want to applaud them as you pass them in your car... and/or just feel jealous you're not out there running too! Lucky bastards!
  
  


• YOUR TURN! Leave yours in the comments!
  
  

3 Things Thursday

1. Lankle Update: The exercises the MSU Ortho Specialist gave me to do seem to be doing the trick! I have been getting in some solid base training for Grand Rapids Marathon with little to no issue and am on schedule to start the training cycle at the end of this month! Three cheers for a behaving Lankle! Hip, Hip, HOORAY!!!
   
   
2. Whilst running around the greater Mid-Michigan area I hit some hills on Tuesday. Naively I thought I could handle a 20 minute go at them per plan... 16 minutes later I wanted to die. Holy Hills Batman! These things here are the real deal and put my ol' overpass in O-town to shame! Me thinks I have some @ss kicking ahead of me...
   
   
3. Spike and I finally get to play house this weekend and spend it together! First up on the list of "To Do": A run together Saturday morning! What else should we get into? What do normal couples do during the weekend? I seriously have no idea. 8 months of Long Distance doesn't prepare you for just being a normal couple!!! LOL!
   
   
   

The Running Frenemy

The term Frenemy as defined by Wikipedia: a portmanteau of "friend" and "enemy" which can refer to either an enemy disguised as a friend or to a partner who is simultaneously a competitor and rival.

This is the story of my Running Frenemy Jordan.

Jordan wasn't always my Frenemy, in fact once upon a time he was just a fellow blogger (Formerly known as Chicago Runner) that went AWOL and became a Daily Mile addict instead. I'm not sure the exact time line of when he became a Frenemy but somewhere over the last few months we went from casual running exchanges/comments to all out smack talking. See Jordan and I have similar finishing times for all race lengths and at some point he made it his mission to take out all my times. Always up for a friendly rival (think Duel to the Death with Florida Running Frenemy Harold) we send each other daily smack talk to keep each other in check and accountable for our running.

To give you an idea of just how close our race times are let me break down our stats:

5k: Morgan: 22:19 PR - 4.19.10 / Jordan: 23:39 PR - 12.5.09
(He has an unofficial 22:49 from a Fun Run but it wasn't chip timed and therefore doesn't count.)
10k: Morgan: 50:20 PR - 11.15.09 / Jordan: 51.17 PR - 11.26.09
10 M: Morgan: - 1:31 PR - 2.9.09 / Jordan: 1:23 PR - 5.29.10
Half: Morgan: 2:02 PR - 3.1.09 / Jordan: 1:49 / 5.1.10
Full: Morgan: 3:56 PR - 2.28.10 / Jordan: 4:25 PR / 10.21.07

As you can see it's pretty close, although it's been well over a year since I've had a go at a Half and it's been 3 years since his first Marathon. He plans to "Destroy" my Full time on 10.10.10 in Chicago but he can't even begin to comprehend what I'm about to put into my Grand Rapids training...

Then there was the time I was giving him ish because I ran further than him that day and I woke up the next day to an email with the subject: "While you were sleeping..." and a link to his DM account. (Click HERE to read the entry.) He gave his own little back story on our rivalry and posted a run he racked up to match my mileage that day literally while I was sleeping. LMAO!

To further our story, last month unbeknown to me he put up a little challenge on DM that stated that he would "sketch" out your name via a run to anyone that donated over $20 to his charity for Chicago Marathon. That night while discussing fundraising efforts I popped over and donated $26.20 to the cause to get him started and he informed me I was his first donation and would now have to sketch my name in the streets of Chi-town. Check out the link HERE. It's probably one of the coolest thing ever! And out of spite he made sure to run a "strike through" of said name sketch immediately following the run but ever the well mannered man, sent me a hand written "Thank You" card for my donation and a print out of the run map. :)


So after months of smack talking we finally met in person this weekend during the MC200. When we met up the morning of the race I had to laugh that he waltzed up wearing a "Punisher" shirt and proceeded to spend the rest of the race smack texting like it was his job.


Before I flew out on Sunday we met up and he took me on a 5ish Mile running tour of his part of Chi-town... well first we ran to 7-11 because I needed a banana (someone forgot to eat breakfast) during which he taunted me and sprinted ahead every chance he got. Then we headed towards North Beach and got a breathtaking view of the Chi-town skyline and of course, ever the picture whore, I set up a little photo shoot.

Clearly I am the better Photographer...

It was overcast and humid out but the breeze coming off Lake Michigan was amazing! I was a total tourist and kept making him stop so I could take pics as we made our way back and ran through Lincoln Park Zoo. Yes I said THROUGH the Zoo. As in we ran right through it, past the Ape cage and everything! So awesome! As we headed back he purposely made me eat his dust just to prove who was the better faster runner and insisted my Lankle injury was a hoax so I'd have an excuse to suck. Yup, I totally cooked that one up even though I didn't know I was working MC200 until just a few days ago...

It was such a trip to meet the Running Frenemy in person and go for a run around his part of Chi-town. Ladies of Chi-town be advised, he's adorable, fairly fast, 100% available and has been given the Redhead Running Seal of Approval / Cleared as a Non-Creepy McCreeperson! Hit me up for digits & contact info. ;)

But on the real, meeting Runner Bloggers/DM'ers/etc.. in person never ceases to amaze me at just how awesome (and convenient) it is to have running "friends" almost everywhere! I also think that having a Running Frenemy is important to your training; they keep you motivated and honest and the friendly rivalry is just the push you need to get out there and pound the pavement sometimes...

That being said, look out Jordan, you might be looking behind your shoulder for me now but soon enough you'll be eating my dust!!! Bahahahahahahhaha!!! (evil laugh)

MC200 Relay Support Recap

Before I begin this recap, let me start by saying that I have a whole new respect for Race Directors, Race Support/Volunteers and especially the Ragnar Relay Series.

For those of you that don't know, I got the opportunity to work behind the scenes on a relay event called the MC200; a 200 mile relay that goes from Madison, WI to Chicago, IL. (This has been an ongoing event for a few years now with a local Race Director who sold the event to Ragnar Relay beginning 2011. Ragnar provided support to this years event to get a crash course on the event details in preparation for the take over.) Christy and the Ragnar gang picked me up from the Madison airport late Wednesday night and after we went over plan of action for the next few days we hit the hay to prepare for the frenzy of course set up, take down and all the madness in between...

Thursday: We started out the day with an early morning 4 M run on a part of the course around exchange 3; through the quaint downtown area of Deerfield, WI and part of the Glacial Drumlin Bike Trail. Christy left us 1.5 M in so as another girl and I rounded out to the 2 M mark we decided to pick up the pace and negative split the run home. We ended up with a progressive run of: 9:40, 9:09, 8:31, 7:27 Woot! When we got back to the condo I popped an anti-inflammatory, rocked my recovery socks, cleaned up and we headed over to Madison to put together participant bags for packet pick-up and the Start Line. It was a long day but thankfully it was spent inside and with great company.

Christy & I setting up Packet Pick-up

Friday: Race Day! I was up and at 'em at 6am and just before I walked out the door to head to the Start I got a call from Christy needing me to drive to Exchange 12 to pick up some items that the Course Set Up Team forgot to leave at the Start. Begin crazy, insane day.

Exchange 12 was down in Wales Community Park in Wales, WI. I put the coordinates into the GPS and me and my rental VW Beetle were on our way! When I reached the exchange point I ran into my first issue; the items I needed were zip tied into a porta potty and I was sans any kind of sharp device. I ended up stopping a truck leaving the park to ask for a pocket knife and got quite the questionable looks, they eventually obliged but I'm fairly certain they were thinking the whole situation was sketchy.

After I retrieved the items needed I headed back to Madison to drop off the items at the Start and there I finally got to meet my Daily Mile Running Frenemy, Jordan, in person. (Back Story of this to come) I wished him well and then was back in the bug headed to Exchange 6; Lake Mills, WI... or so I thought.

Running Frenemy Jordan

30± Miles off course later I end up on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. The GPS coordinates in the info packet I had were incorrect. FML. I called my contact at Exchange 6 to let him know I was off course and needed the location address to plug in. He had gone off course as well and had just arrived so thankfully at least one of us was there when the first runners came in... but unfortunately the P.A. system was in my car. It was shaping up to be a long day...

I finally arrived at Exchange 6 about 11 a.m. and settled in to do safety briefing for Van 2's. For the next few hours we put on a safety demonstration every 15-20 minutes as the day raged on and began to rival a typical day in Hades. At one point as I returned from the store to get us supplies I followed behind an ambulance that was picking up a runner who had suffered from Heat Exhaustion. After that we had to start reminding the teams to stay on top of hydration and nutrition since it was not an aided course and I was amazed at how ill prepared the runners were for the heat. If there's one thing living in Florida has taught me is to always be prepared for heat. I also got to run into to Jordan again as well as EZEthan from Rise of a Champion. Gotta love the blogger meet-ups mid event!

Christy & I at Exchange 12 dropping supplies

Sometime about 5pm I was sent to deliver lunch/dinner to the Exchange Volunteers from Exchange #7 thru to #24 in Racine, WI. As I followed the winding course from Exchange Point to Exchange Point I got to take in the sights of small towns across the Wisconsin area and let me tell you, they are serious about their Ham Radios and they love themselves an Old Style. Sometime about 1 a.m. I was finally relieved of my duties and told I could proceed to the hotel in Chicago. I arrived about 2 a.m. sweaty, covered in dirt and bug bites and exhausted. I quickly showered and then melted into my glorious hotel bed for approx 3 hours.

Saturday: Finish Line Duty. When I arrived at the Finish Line at Montrose Park it was 7:30 a.m. cold, overcast and windy. What a HUGE difference a few hours can make here in the Midwest. Within minutes I was covered in mud, soaking wet and covered in cuts and bruises from lugging all the equipment for set-up across the grassy knoll. So goes the next few hours as the wind picks up and the weather continues to loom above us threatening to unleash it's fury... and about 10 a.m. it did. All our set up efforts were soaked in seconds as the rain came down sideways into the tents. As the rain poured and the lightning began to strike the teams were stopped indefinitely at all check points as the Hammies put the entire course on Red Alert due to weather. The other Finish Line volunteers and myself took cover in the back of the supply U-Haul and made the event Medic tells us stories to keep us entertained as we dubbed ourselves The Boxcar Children.

About 12:15 pm the weather had subsided enough to safely allow teams to continue on and we Finish Line volunteers worked in a mad frenzy to recover the area in time for the runner's to arrive. At 1:30 pm the first team crossed the Finish Line and I began my long, tiresome and at times trying role as the Pizza "Giver-Outter." Pizza was continuously being delivered in 15-30 minute intervals but due to the course begin held up a lot of teams had caught up to each other and were finishing in huge waves. So huge that we went from having a stock pile of 100+ pizza's to zero. The next delivery of 40 was wiped out in 5 minutes flat. Then I had masses of runner's staring at me hungrily and at times angrily until the next delivery. By 7pm my patience was worn thin, my feet had been soaked for approx 11 hours straight and were starting to show signs of Trench Foot, I was so cold I couldn't stop shaking and was running on Redbull alone.

I will never eat pizza again.

Upon examining my feet the Medic made me take off my socks and put on garbage bags to warm them up a little. Note the giant bruise forming on my left leg.

Christy sorting Finisher Medals in her sweet rain jacket

By 8:30 pm the final team crossed the Finish Line and we began take down. I added a ton more cuts, bruises and mud to my already beat up exterior as the road cones/caution signs single handedly beat my @ss. By 11pm-ish we were finally done and on our way to warmth and food. Sitting around the table at T.G.I.Friday's we exchanged war stories of the past two days, ate as much food as we could and tried to remain conscious long enough to make it back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel I quickly showered while Christy tied up some loose ends for the following day, and when I got out I found her passed out cold across her bed and had to wake her up to get her into the shower. By this time it was well past 1 am and she had been up since 4 am Friday morning. She was a Rockstar out there on the course and I tell ya, she is going to do some amazing things to this course/event next year as Race Director!

All done and said, even when I was totally getting my @ss kicked, I had a blast working behind the scenes for this event. I personally have always thanked my race volunteers and support staff but after this weekend I have a deeper appreciation and an insider's knowledge on just what it takes to put on an event like this. I can not say this enough but one last time, THANK YOUR VOLUNTEERS/SUPPORT STAFF! Even better, take the time to find the Race Director and thank them too!

Thanks Christy for hooking me up with this spot on the support staff, it was a crazy insane experience but a total blast and I can't wait to see what you do with it next year!

3 Things Thursday

1. Lankle Update: Yesterday I ran for the first time in almost 2 weeks and it was GLORIOUS!!! 3 Miles of pure bliss just listening to the sound of my foot falls on the sidewalk and marveling at the early morning splendor here in the E.L. The Lankle never reared it's ugly head but just to be safe, I took extra precaution when I got home. (R.I.C.E.) Run #2 will be here in just a few minutes on a lovely little trail...
   
   
2. Speaking of, guess where I'm at this morning? If you guessed Madison, WI you win! Why Madison, WI? Well the MC200 Relay (A 200 Mile Relay Race from Madison, WI to Chicago, IL) is this weekend and my fantastic friend Christy of It Just Looks Like Slow Motion who recently scored a gig working for Ragnar Relay (Go tell her Congrats!) hooked me up with a Support Staff gig for the event! I guess there are some benefit to being unemployed! LOL! After setting up today I'll head over to man the Exchange #6 check point in Lake Mills, WI and from there proceed on to the Finish Line in Chicago on Saturday. I'm so stoked not only to see Christy and support the race but I finally get to meet my long time Running Frenemy from Daily Mile, Jordan who will be running the relay! (And is also trying to convince me to run a 5k with him Sunday morning before I leave. I can't race you crazy fool I got a bum Lankle!) If you're running the relay make sure you swing by and say Hi!!! Good Luck Racers!!!
   
   
   
3. For those of you keeping count out there, this is now the second weekend in a row I won't be spending anytime with Spike. Seriously, who relocates across the country for her boyfriend and then doesn't get to spend anytime with him due to his work schedule and crazy weekends out of state? This Redhead. 2 weeks of living in sin and I've managed to see him all of approx 6ish days. FAIL.
   
   Alright that's it for me, off to run and then set up the course! Catch ya'll on the flipside with a MC200 Relay Support Recap! Rock those races and long runs everyone!!!
   
   

Decisions, Announcements and Attempting a BQ...

Summer... the time of year when a Runner's fancy turns to Fall Marathon aspirations; A race must be chosen, a training plan selected but more importantly some ponder THE question...

To train for a BQ or not to train for BQ?!?

After Gasparilla (3:56), where I PR'd by 12 minutes from my Chicago time (4:08), everyone questioned if I would go for a BQ next go around...

A BQ (Boston Qualify) is the Holy Grail for most long distance runners but it has never been a priority or goal of mine. I know that might shock some of you but my Holy Grail was Chicago aka Finishing my First Marathon and I achieved that and then some...

BUT as I trained for Gasparilla and after I crossed that Finish Line I couldn't help but wonder if I could Boston Qualify. I had some great training runs during the Gasparilla cycle and surely with a little more dedication and discipline I could push myself for a BQ right?

Then I pondered the important questions; Would I be able to dedicate the amount of time and energy needed to train for a BQ? Is shaving 16 minutes off my PR an achievable feat in one training cycle? Furthermore, can my body handle the harder training involved? More importantly, am I mentally prepared? Having a goal time for Gasparilla really stressed me out, but a BQ is a far more ambitious goal... can I handle the aftermath if it doesn't pan out?

As if reading my thoughts Coach EK shot me an email a few days after Gasparilla with this to say:

"Now what? ...take your trip to Boston. Take in the sights and sounds of the race weekend. Soak in the excitement. Watch the race, and just see what it's about. Then, if you want to train for Boston in the future.... We'll sit down, pick a race, and work out a training schedule. Just be forewarned, it's not going to be that easy. It will require more of everything. Time, miles, hills, etc. etc. It will take a lot of effort. So, think carefully before you go down that path.

Do I think you can BQ? Yup. First time you try? Good question. There is no certainty in the marathon."

No truer words have ever been spoken. This is why I look up to and respect Coach EK so much, he tells it like it is.

After that email I did two things:

First I re-read the Q & A post Aron did awhile back where I asked her about BQ'ing and how she dealt with overcoming the emotional aspect of not qualifying after putting in the physical work. If you haven't read her extremely thorough and informative answer I suggest you do. It really paints a good picture of going through the motions of the aftermath. Thank you again Aron for breaking it down for me, that post gave me a lot to think about.

Then I took my trip to Boston and soaked it all in.

Sooo... All that being said, you probably have a few questions no?

I'll answer the obvious one first: Marathon #3 will be The Grand Rapids Marathon - October 17th, 2010 in Grand Rapids, MI.

What are your thoughts on attempting a BQ? Any other questions? ;)

Foto Friday: Moving to Michigan

The story actually starts last Thursday as I got the hitch put on my car. What should have taken an hour at the U-Haul store took 4. That should've been my first clue that things weren't going to go as expected...
Friday I went back, picked up the trailer, loaded it up, cleaned up my apartment, locked it up and headed over to Kimmy's for my Goodbye Toga Party... but I made a stop at Goodwill first to drop off the last of stuff I wanted to donate. When I got back in the car it wouldn't come out of park. I freaked. I shut it off, turned it back on and tried again. I did this a few times... Nothing. I call Spike, I call Mr. Beaker Luv and consult my owner's manual. By the time Mr. Beaker Luv came to my rescue I had found the shift override button and had moved the car and trailer from behind the alley way to the front of the shopping complex. He had contacted the Toyota dealership on his way and they suggested wiring issues. Spike had Googled it and consulted family members in the auto industry and they confirmed the same. I called U-Haul and spoke with them, they told me there was no way possible that they could be responsible for this, that it must be something with my transmission. I was able to convince them to send out a tech anyway...
3 hours later, complete rewiring of the trailer, one nervous breakdown on my part and replacement of all the lighting fuses in my car that had blown out thanks to faulty wiring on the trailer, they had me fixed up and ready to go... Oh and one more thing, to add insult to injury I managed to step in a pile of Fire Ants (to which I'm highly allergic) that had made its home in the parking lot. FML!
After I had (mostly) collected myself, I finally arrived late to my own Goodbye Party...
After a late night of adult beverages, group hugging and crying it was up and at 'em. Rixy and I were on our way. Peace out O-town!

Lola the Little Engine that Could.

Alligator Heads... still in Florida.
What usually takes just over 2 hours took us 5 thanks to a HUGE traffic jam just outside of Gainesville. At one point we pulled off and took a nap just to eat some time.

Goodbye Florida...

Hello Georgia! Yee Haw!

These are Coon Skin Caps but kinda just look like Russian Fur Hats.

Sign Capture FAIL. Tennessee! We ended up stopping for the night in Knoxville.

Where's this blue grass you speak of?

What a great Navigator! Aren't you supposed to be looking out for falling rocks?!?! LOL!

Florence Y'all! After seeing this, we kept shouting this the rest of the trip.

We had quite the religious experience in Ohio...

O.M.G.

Rixy was SOOO excited to have White Castle. *Barf*

Destination Complete.

21± Hours, 1,231 Miles and numerous bathroom stops later we finally arrived in Spikeville; Safe, Sound and sent straight to get massages courtesy of the best boyfriend ever...

And before I sent her back to the Sunshine State we made a quick stop at Meijer.
The Holy Grail of Grocery.

Have a great weekend everyone! Catch ya'll on the flipside with real running content! :)

3 Things Thursday

1. Lankle/Run Update: Last week after not running for almost a week I did a final 4 Miler in O-town and have been having a throbbing Lankle since. (BTW - Lankle = Left Ankle for all you new readers.) That being said, last night I hit up the Playmakers Injury Clinic and was seen by a specialist from MSU to get yet another opinion on what the heck could be wrong with this thing. Diagnosis: She couldn't quite figure it out either. All the obvious injuries for that area are not what my problem is. She thinks, like my Orthopedic did, that there's some kind of strain on the tendons around my fibula. She, unlike my Orthopedic, gave me some strengthening exercises to do a few times a day, told me to take ANOTHER week off and then try to run again next week and see if any progress has been made. To be perfectly honest, on top of everything else I'm dealing with, this is getting rather frustrating. I need to go for a run. My sanity depends on a run. Lankle will you PLEASE get your act together... I need to start base training STAT!
   
   
2. J-O-B Update: I've had 2 interviews so far and one lined up for tomorrow that is a second interview (The first was a phone interview while I was still in Florida, this one will be the first live interview) that I'm very excited about. *Fingers Crossed*
   
   
3. This weekend Spike and I are headed down to Chicago to visit our respective cousins. Go figure our first weekend together living in sin will be spent apart. LOL! He's got a bachelor party to attend and I am going to cheer up my cousin who's going through some rough times. We'll regroup on Sunday and drive back home together. What do ya'll have planned?
   

May Recap/Stats

Move Update: I have arrived safely to the great state of Michigan. Commence living in sin and adding to the unemployment rate!

May Recap/Stats

Miles Planned/Ran: 50*±/ 30.5± (Damn Lankle & Relocation. BOO!!!)

*In my 2010 Goals I stated that when not in training I wanted to maintain my base with anywhere between 50-70 miles per month - FAIL!

Rest Days Planned/Taken: Let's not go there shall we?

Highest Mileage Week: 15.5± M

Long Runs Planned/Ran: Do Longish runs count? 1

Hill Workouts Planned/Ran: 0

Speedwork Planned/Ran: 0

Current Book: - N/A. But I read "Empress Orchid" by Anchee Min (I can't wait to read the follow up, The Last Empress), "History of Love" by Nicole Krauss (very uniquely written) & finished last month's "Those Who Save Us" - Jenna Blum. (Finished it in 2 evenings flat)

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: I've been too busy to get caught up in anything too shame worthy lately...

Current Colors: Spartan Green thanks to my honey

Current Obsessions: Trying to locate gainful employment

Current Drink: Tried and true H2O

Current Song: "Smile" Uncle Kracker

Current Wish-List: A new wardrobe. None of my old interview suits fit me!

Current Need: See Current Obsession

Current Triumph: Making it to Michigan in one piece after a hellacious installation and rewiring of trailer. U-Haul FAIL.

Current Bane of my Existence: Lankle, lack of Employment Opportunities and people that continually ask why I moved to Michigan.

Current Goal: Find a job, get excited about Michigan, enjoy my Luv and stop crying at the drop of a dime whenever anyone mentions Florida.

Current Indulgence: Spike got Rixy and I a massage upon arrival Sunday. He is the greatest boyfriend EVER!!!

Current Blessings: As always my family, friends and boyfriend.

Current Excitement: The Future and all that awaits...

How'd your May shape up?!?!

Running is what you make of it; Make it an Adventure!™