April Recap/Stats

Miles Ran: 77 M - So close to 100 I can almost taste it!

Miles Biked: 38 M

Miles Elliptical'd: 3 M

Rest Days: 8

Races: Twinkie Run (4/1 - 25:01, 2nd AG due to twinkie penalty), Lansing Marathon 5k (4/22 - 21:19, 1st Female Overall - The results have been adjusted and I'm now officially first again! Woot!), Interact 5k (4/28 - 25:36, 1st AG; small race, no recap as I ran as part of my long run.)

April Bling: Twinkie Run AG Cup, TBD LM 5k "Prize," and Interact AG "Gold" Medal

Completed Paintings:

Tink!

I called this one; Porch Night

Current Reads: (Reading) Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier; "From the moment she's struck by lightening as a baby, it is clear that Mary Anning is marked for greatness. On the windswept, fossil-strewn beaches of the English coast, she learns that she has "the eye"-and finds what no one else can see. When Mary uncovers an unusual fossilized skeleton in the cliffs near her home, she sets the religious fathers on edge, the townspeople to vicious gossip, and the scientific world alight. In an arena dominated by men, however, Mary is barred from the academic community; as a young woman with unusual interests she is suspected of sinful behavior. Nature is a threat, throwing bitter, cold storms and landslips at her. And when she falls in love, it is with an impossible man."

Just starting this, so no opinions formed yet.

(Listening To) 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami; "The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo. A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84—”Q is for ‘question mark.’ A world that bears a question.” Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled."

I'm not going to lie, this book is hella weird.

(Finished) Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran; This book dragged a little bit and I was disappointed that it ended right when I was really getting in to it.

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Nothing that I can think of really. 

Current Obsession: Painting my nails now that I've discovered Essie's no chip, top coat.   

Current Song: "Somebody that I used to know" by Gotye featuring Kimbra

Current Wish-List: That I could return to NYC & Central Park for another run, this time w/ Spike

Current Need: Nada, life continues to remain awesome.

Current Triumph: Knocking a minute off my old 5k PR!!!

Current Bane of my Existence: The wind. Eff you wind!

Current Goal: To pull off another PR performance at the River Bank Run 10k.

Current Indulgence: Cupcakes from the Sugar Shack.

Current Blessings: Having my brother living close to me again!

Current Excitement: May is going to just as insane as April was; we have friends coming in to town this weekend for the Borgess races, River Bank Run next weekend along with my friend Julie's baby shower, and finally, getting our engagement photo's done the weekend after that.

How'd your April shape up?!?!

Running is what you make of it, make it an Adventure!™

5 for Friday

Sooo I totally slacked on you guys and missed "3 Things Thursday" yesterday. Whoops. To make up for it, here's "5 for Friday" with two bonus "things!" Oooo!!!

• Bling, bling... So remember when I said there were no awards given out for the Lansing Marathon 5k I PR'd at this past weekend? Well it seems they've had a change of heart and are going to give overall and age group finishers three deep for each race a "prize." Prizes will be announced on May 5th and then we'll get to pick them up on May 26th. I wonder what they could be?

Love the official race photo's of me "flying" in to the finish!

• Giveaway... Just a reminder to get in on the "Dead Running" and fitness giveaway I posted about earlier this week! I'll be choosing the winner next week and that winner will also be put in for the grand prize fitness drawing.
• Wind, blows... I don't know about where you're at, but it's been windy as all get out around here for the last couple of weeks and I'm SO OVER IT! I know I'm supposed to be thankful for every run, good or bad, but this 20+ mph wind is killing me out there. Mother Nature can we please get a reprieve?!?!
• Long runs with races... This weekend I've got another eight miler on deck and I've decided to break it up by running five miles before a 5k. (Don't worry, my legs will assure you that I've had enough PR's for one week to try to attempt another one!) I know many of you do this for longer races, using them as training runs, but have you ever worked in a shorter race as part of a longer training run?
• Olympics... So am I the only one getting totally geeked out over the Olympics? The ads give me goosebumps and I've been devouring all info on the different running related events. Only 90 days til they start!!! Woot!

"Dead Running" Fitness Giveaway!

I promised myself after the last product review/giveaway I did that I wouldn't do another unless something really awesome came my way and something finally has; the release of Cami Checketts’ novel Dead Running along with a huge fitness giveaway to celebrate!

Y'all know I LOVE a good book, and when I read the synopsis for this one, I was intrigued: "Cassidy Christensen is running. Running from the mercenaries who killed her parents. Running from a scheming redhead intent on making her life miserable. Running from painful memories that sabotage her dreams of happiness. With two very tempting men competing for her attention, she hopes she’ll finally have someone to run to, but can she trust either of them? When secrets from her past threaten her family, Cassidy decides to stop running and fight for her future."  (The "scheming redhead" especially caught my eye! LOL!)

Buy Now: $3.99 Kindle or $14.99 Print

Now truth be told, I have not finished reading this yet so I cannot give you a full review, but so far, I'm digging it. Drama and action? Check! Marathon Training? Check! Sexual Tension? Check! Are you intrigued yet? Good, because I'm about to offer the chance to win a copy AND get entered into a grand prize fitness giveaway!!!

The grand prize fitness giveaway includes:Experienced and beginner yoga packages from Hugger Mugger

Two MIO Global Active WatchesThree months online personal training from Fitcore Fitness

Three Lebert Stretch StrapsFitness Apparel from Running Chics

One pair of running shoes from Altra Zero Drop

iFrogz Earbuds and ArmbandsSix month adult membership: Smithfield Recreation Center

One month membership: Crossfit UAC

Autographed copy of Dead Running by Cami Checketts

To enter to win a copy of her book and the chance at one of these awesome prizes, simply leave a comment below listing the top three prizes you're interested in. I will choose a winner for the copy of the book next week. You can enter to win the grand prize on as many different blogs as you like, a list of those participating is featured HERE. One entry will be chosen from each of the participating blogs. Prize winners for the grand prize giveaway will be posted on Cami’s Blog. The grand prize contest closes: May 18, 2012. Open to residents of U.S. AND Canada.

Per FTC Guidelines: Cami Checketts provided an electronic version of her book "Dead Running" to me at no cost for my personal review. Cami has also agreed to provide a copy of her book to the winner at no cost to said winner or myself and that winner will also be entered to win the grand prize fitness drawing.

Lansing Marathon 5k Race Recap

The short recap: 1 min PR (21:19) + 1st AG + 1st Female Overall

Race Expo: Saturday morning bright and early Spike, Running Laminator, and I headed over to Lansing for packet pick-up at the Lansing Lugnut Stadium. It was a cold, windy, and overcast morning and an outdoor packet pick-up wasn't very pleasant for anyone; not the volunteers or us runners, hopefully next year they’ll pick an indoor place. After the expo we drove the course so Lam could see what he had gotten himself in to and then we stocked up on cupcakes for the post-race celebration before heading back home to relax and carb it up.

While driving the course we left behind some motivation for the racers. Spike said that some of it lasted for race morning but most had been blown off by the wind. Boo.

Pre-Race: Race morning came early and rocking our throwaways, we headed back to Lansing for the race festivities; it was chilly as all get out and the wind was starting to pick up. As the boys lined up for the 8 am marathon start I wished them good luck and made my way away from the start so I could see them take off before heading over to my own start line. My heart raced watching them fly by; there is just something about race morning that is so damn exciting, even when I was injured I got butterflies sending Spike off to race.

The guys and I in our pre-race Walmart throwaways.

Start Corral: There was a discrepancy about whether the 5k started at 8:15 am or 8:30 am so I made friends with two hilarious guys while we waited for whatever time it started, to start. They joked that if I lapped them I had to smack their butts as I passed; I was happy for the convo as I tried to keep my mind off the biting cold and my nerves.

The Race: It was a two loop course around the Lansing Capital area and for the first time in my life, I lined up one row back from the start line. I knew that being an inaugural race, there probably wasn't going to be a big turn out because the real fasties in the area were running the half/full or would have raced the day prior at a more established race in the area. I was right, and as they sent us on our way I immediately found myself within the first few runners. There was a left turn about .1 in and just after that I overtook the only other girl I could see and never looked back!

The first lap was all about figuring out the tangents and the second lap was about running them better. I caught up with the only guy within reach and decided to just stick with him for a while because the pace felt sustainable and I needed the company. When you're used to running in the middle of the pack always surrounded by other runners, being virtually alone is a really surreal feeling. There were no clocks on the course, save the finish line clock that was set up for the marathoners, so I only allowed myself to look at my watch at the mile beeps. At mile two I  knew I should PR so I just put my head down and gutted out what was left as best as I could, despite the nasty winds that blew me around with each gust. As we rounded out the final mile every volunteer we passed yelled "Lead Female!" so I got a pep in my step and pulled away from the guy as he yelled "Finish strong!" So I did. 

Documented chicking, complete with angry face. 
Stupid wind.

Final Chip Time: 21:19 / 6:52 P - 1 Minute PR!!!

5/234 Overall

1/140 Women Overall

1/13 AG

Can't wait to tell my grandkids that I won a 5k once! Gotta love a small, inaugural race!

Post-Race: After finishing I caught my breath and thanked the guy who I had paced alongside, Carl, for the help. Then I headed to my car to switch into my spectating gear and meet up with Spike's sister so we could cheer him and Lam in. I got a call soon after from Lam telling me his race had not played out as he had expected so I told him where to meet us and we kept our eyes peeled for Spike. Thankfully not long after that Tim came running by finishing the half and let us know that Spike should be coming up behind him. Not five minutes later I spotted him off in the distance and we started cheering like crazy! I won't spoil his race recap (you should go read it instead!), but I will tell you I wasn't the only one with a PR that day. 

So proud of him.

Post-Race Thoughts: This was an inaugural event series featuring a full, half and 5k, and was not without its issues  along the way. I hope that they will be able to iron them out for next year because overall I think it could grow into a great event. As for my thoughts on the 5k race, from what Spike said they ended up going with a well-used course from other local 5k races that was really flat and fast and I took full advantage! I do want to extend a huge shout out of thanks to all the volunteers, they were so great! If I do not end up running this event next year, I will definitely join the ranks.

Race Weekend is Upon Us!

It’s officially race weekend friends! Spike is as ready as he can be for the inaugural Lansing Marathon on Sunday and I’m shooting for a legitimate PR at the 5k. I’m sure like most of you out there, when you train for a big event you also have a reward in mind for yourself for post-race, whether that’s a well-earned Boston Finisher jacket or a vacation getaway; a new pair of Lululemon’s or an extra large serving of fro-yo. Around these parts we do things a little different; Spike starts stockpiling all the junk food he so covets, but refrains from consuming while training.

I actually found him petting the box of Cheezits at the store.

I’ve already been informed we’re ordering Jet's Pizza for dinner Sunday night and that he plans to gain back all of the 35± pounds he’s lost in a single sitting. While I don’t believe that is physically possible, I will refrain from challenging the matter. I’m actually really proud of him and think he deserves this bingefest; this training cycle has not been easy and he went in with absolutely zero base. He’s also trying a two week taper for the first time ever and had a shorter training cycle then what he’s used to. He’s come a long way over the last 14 weeks and I am praying to the running gods that all his hard work will pay off with favorable weather and no more last minute race course changes!

As for myself, as I said earlier, I am shooting for a legitimate 5k PR; which is <22:19. (My current standing PR from the 2010 BAA 5k.) My training for the River Bank 10k has been going well and my speed sessions leave me feeling hopeful that I can pull off a PR this weekend at Lansing. My reward will be a luscious cupcake from the Sugar Shack, my new found cupcake addiction manufacturer. I swear to you they put either crack or pixie dust in their cupcakes. Probably both.

I plan to consume said cupcake whether I PR or not. 

Obviously.

Good luck to all of you running or racing this weekend! Keep your fingers crossed for Spike and I and we'll catch ya on the flipside with race recaps!!!

3 Things Thursday

1. Florida Long Run... Last Saturday while in Florida, I went on my longest run this year, and of this 10k training plan, eight miles! Harold wasn't able to run with us afterall, so Spike and I decided to hit the more local Seminole Wekiva Trail. We really enjoy this trail as it's mostly shaded and pretty scenic. Although it was awfully humid, we lucked out with an overcast morning, and for me anyway, it was a great--albeit sweaty run.
   
   
   
   Obviously green was the color of the day!


2. Jamoosh... Jamoosh has been a long time blog friend of mine, so when I found out he was in the Mitten for work I annoyed him until he agreed to meet Spike and I for dinner. :) Naturally I selected the local brew pub for my beer-loving connoisseur friend and we chatted away about all things running over some great food and brew.
   
   
   
   Would it kill you to smile?!?!?


3. New Addition... After many years of dutiful service, Hermes was officially retired on Monday. He was a good Garmin, but between loosing his voice many months ago (i.e no mile beeps) and then his strap breaking recently, causing me to have to use a hair clip to keep him on my wrist, Spike decided I deserved a replacement. Behold, my fancy new, nameless Garmin 110:
   
   
   I've taken her out for a run already, but still need some time to get used to her. She also needs a name, preferably before this Sunday's race. Anyone have any great names for this pink and gray beauty that will be adorning my wrist from here on out?!?! So far I've come up with Lulu (to keep with my trend of "L" names; Leela the bike, Lola the car, etc...) and/or Gigi cuz it's fiesty and fun. What do you guys think?
   

3 Things Thursday

1. Southbound... Tonight we're headed to Florida for the weekend to celebrate my friend Ebs' 30th birthday. While we're there we've lined up a long run with my beloved running frenemy, Harold, and his girlfriend and I can't wait! We've had a tradition since I moved away of meeting for a run when I visit, but the last few times I was injured. We've got eight miles on deck and the weather is actually supposed to be decent! (i.e. Not melt-your-face-off hot.)
   
   
   
2. T-T-T-Training... Lots of exciting stuff happening in my running world; Saturday I ran long, seven whole miles! I had Spike drop me off at a trailhead and I ran to the next one. I was nervous it wasn't going to go well since I wasn't quite recovered from my NYC trip, but it actually went great and Spike's suggestion to not look at my watch until I finished made all the difference in the world. Then on Monday, I ran my first track workout in over two years! Despite the wind, it went better than I expected; I am loving having a training plan again!
   
   
3. Side stitches... Does anyone have any theories on these things? I had the toughest run this morning and it was all because I had the worst case of side stitches the entire time. Was it because I didn't get enough sleep last night? Because I didn't eat anything before my run? Was I dehydrated? I swear I've never had these plague me for an entire run before! What about you? Any horror stories to share?
   
   

via

Crossed Off The Bucket List

So once again I went a week without posting. Sorry about that peeps! After the Twinkie race last Sunday (props to all of you that realized it was an April Fool's joke [that crazy recap was written by Spike, not me]) my week was non-stop work in preparation for my NYC trip. I flew out Wednesday afternoon and stayed through Friday morning. Thursday was one big giant, work infused blur, but I did manage to make the most of my down time and meet up with some friends and squeeze in a few runs!

Hello from Central Park!

First order of business was, of course, running in Central Park. My hotel ended up being two short blocks from the south entrance with a view overlooking the park. After spending a solid five minutes with my face pressed up against the glass standing atop the desk, I managed to peel myself away to gear up. When I arrived at the entrance I stood there and just took it all in for a minute while I waited for Hermes to find a satellite. Once he was locked in I was off on the ultimate butterfly run*; I took this path and that, stopping to snap a pic when it fancied me, and hit my turn around point right at the reservoir. I noticed along the way that all the "real runners" in the park stuck to the roads, with good reason as the paths are clogged up with tourists, so after I made my way around the reservoir I stuck to the road and it was significantly easier. I know I had this big stupid grin on my face the whole run but I didn't care, it's not every day you get to cross something off your bucket list.

Run in Central Park
Check!

After the run I met up with Celia for sushi and not long after we were seated Lam made a surprise appearance! At long last I finally got to meet the famous Running Laminator! We had a great time at dinner and afterwards we hit up 16 Handles for some fro-yo that was amazing. No wonder all you NYC bloggers rave about it!

Thursday, as I mentioned above, was a work day from sun up to sun down. I have blisters from all the walking I did in dress shoes! By the time I got back to my hotel I was spent. I had really wanted to hit the town but I was so exhausted I decided that even though it was only 10 pm, I was calling it a night. I FB'd that my 18 year old self would be so ashamed of me. LOL!

Have I ever told you guys how I do not sleep well in other places? Well I don't, and for as tired as I was, I barely slept. When the horizon started to lighten I gave up and went up to the rooftop to witness sunrise over Central Park from 44 stories up. It was breathtaking and so worth the ungodly hour. Thankfully I had a run planned with Lam for not long after so I got ready and anxiously awaited his arrival. He had planned a "surprise" run for us; we started out in Central Park, then crossed into the city and ran past the Lincoln Center, down along the West Side Hwy/Hudson River and ended right at the Highline. I had mentioned The Highline at dinner on Wednesday, and how I had wanted to see it but didn't think I had any time to, thus the "surprise" part. We walked a decent stretch of it and it was just as beautiful as I thought it would be. I love the concept and execution and hope that Detroit takes a queue and does something like this downtown someday. We had the park virtually to ourselves and Lam humored my endless questions and ooh's and aah's. Have I mentioned lately how awesome it is to have made so many wonderful friends through blogging?

After the run I met Christy and Ally for a quick breakfast before I had to catch my plane. It was great being able to see my "Boston girls" for a few, even if I totally ran out of energy mid-way through the breakfast. Christy: "I'm pretty sure I just saw your eyes droop." Sorry ladies, I was beat!

All in all I think I made the most out of the short time I was there, but it definitely made me realize that I need to get there again with more time to spare. There's just so much to do, see, and run! Is running in Central Park on your bucket list?

*Butterfly Run: What Spike calls my way of running, I tend to run here and there all haphazardly with no set route, much like a butterfly flies.

The Twinkie That Wasn't

EDIT: This race recap is almost entirely fiction, written by Spike as an April Fool's Joke.

Today Spike and I participated in the A2A3 Twinkie Run 5K for ALS. As you can guess, Spike was obligated to run the event because of his unofficial sponsorship with Twinkie, and I decided I’d join in the fun. Initially, I figured this was going to be a fun run 5K, but then last night I had a very strange dream.

While Spike alternated between drooling and chewing on his pillow (dreaming of Twinkies?) I laid awake a nervous wreck. Finally, I drifted off into sleep and dreamt that I was in a starting coral full of giant Twinkies with bats. Every cowboy hat adorned Twinkie looked at me ominously and sternly slapped their bats against their delicious spongy hands. I wondered if I had forgotten to pick up my bat from the registration table. I asked one Twinkie what the bats were for and he said: “You!”

Bang.

The starting gun fired and we were off. I had barely crossed the starting line when one of the Twinkies smashed the bat against my leg. Pain radiated up through my body. And then another Twinkie hit my shin with his bat. The fear of reinjuring my leg and utter panic consumed me and I ran as fast as I could. I’m pretty sure I was kicking my legs in my sleep.

No matter how fast I ran, there was always a Twinkie faster than me, and every time I tried to pass a Twinkie I would get smashed in the shin with a bat. By the mid-point of the race I was sure both legs were broken but I kept running for fear of the beating I would receive if I dared stop. Delirious with pain and on the verge of blacking out I saw a Twinkie with a shirt that read: “The beatings will continue unit moral improves.” I sprinted past the Twinkie and jumped over his attempted attack on my legs. I had barely taken ten more steps when out of nowhere my right leg snapped. I could hear the cracking as I crumpled down. Dazed by pulsing pain I looked up as a Twinkie stood above me with a shirt that read: “Run Recklessly.”

I awoke in a jerk. What a crazy dream.

I though all morning about what the dream could be, but I wasn’t able to share it with Spike because he had gotten up early for his long run. I arrived at the race a few minutes before Spike made his way from Lansing—we had driven separately—and looked for signs of bat wielding angry yellow sponge-and-crème filled attackers, but found only normal sized Twinkies. Still I pondered, what did the dream mean?

When Spike arrived I handed him his bib and before I could tell him about the dream he started telling me about this kid wearing a t-shirt that said: “The beatings will continue until moral improves.” He was laughing as I felt shivers run down my spine. My mouth hung agape. I was terrified. I tried to tell him about my dream but could only manage a soft mumble. Spike had noticed the trays of Twinkies and ran off to retrieve ours. See, the race scorning works based on your finish time less the ‘Twinkie Bonus.’ Twinkie Bonus? Runners are offered two Twinkies during the race, one at the start and one at the half-way point. For every Twinkie you consume, a minute is taken off your total time.

Spike returned with our starting Twinkies and we posed for a few pictures. Can you see in my face how terrified I am? And then, the craziest thing happened. The Twinkie mascot—how had I missed him before—went over to a group of boys playing baseball in the park and took the bat so he could join in the game. I thought I was losing my mind. Spike, completely distracted by the sheer volume of Twinkies, was oblivious to my shaky emotional state. I finally got his attention when the race director began shouting announcements through is megaphone. I didn’t care, I grabbed Spike’s arm as the words that had escaped as mumbles before were about to explode into a symphony of hysteria. There was no way I was going to run this race. I knew what the dream meant. I was going to break my leg again if I ran this stupid 5K. I don’t even like Twinkies.

The words began to escape: “I can’t do this…my dream…Twinkies with bats…” But I fell abruptly silent as I noticed a younger woman standing in front of me wearing a pink shirt that read: “Run Recklessly.”

Bang.

It was then that I decided my original interpretation was wrong. I’ve been running for weeks now. I’ve done several 5 mile runs. My return to racing 5K was amazing. I wasn’t supposed to DNF this race. I was supposed to rock this race!

My legs began to churn over. Spike began shoving a Twinkie in his mouth. I ran happy. I ran with excitement. I wan with a Twinkie clenched so firmly in my hand its three lower orifices began to ooze white filling. I ran recklessly.

Before I knew it we were being offered our second Twinkie. I refused this one. We stopped briefly as Spike began shoving Twinkie number two into his mouth and were quickly back running. I was setting the tone. I was running tactically. I was running without fear. I was making the most of this adventure. I was passing people recklessly.

Soon we were running under a bright Twinkie shaped “Finish” sign. I felt exhilarated. My time was not a PR, but my experience was. I excitedly accepted my Twinkie shaped finishers medal. Nom. Nom. Nom.

The first set of results were without the ‘Twinkie’ adjustment and I was first in my age group. I couldn’t believe it. My dream. The woman in the “Run Reckless” shirt. Oh no! I realized I had only taken one Twinkie! That could change things. I eagerly awaited the official ‘Twinkie Bonus’ results.

There I was, officially, second place. My failure to consume two Twinkies had cost me the top spot in my age group. I couldn’t care less. I was ecstatic. I gratefully accepted my “Twinkie Run” pint glass and stuffed it with my yellow’ly awesome race shirt and posed for my victory shot.*

*Happy April Fools! This post was authored by Spike. (But the race recap was accurate as the Redhead did get herself an age group award.)