Race Report: Emerald City Quarter Marathon (and a new PR)

Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start….(nothing like a little Sound of Music to start off your Tuesday, right??)

Friday turned into impromptu party night :-\ Yeah, I wasn’t expecting it either. I knew I had a race on Sunday, yet I was sucked in by fun people, a holiday weekend and beers. A couple beers after work turned into a reception on campus followed by an after party in downtown. Blargh. Let’s just say Saturday had one theme – HYDRATION. I drank lots of water, some Gatorade and laid low. Hubby deemed it cool enough outside to finally make a pot of chili, so my carb up dinner the night before the race was veggie chili over brown rice. Yummo. Oh – and a slice of jalapeno cornbread.

Sunday morning – I’m up at 5:00am to get dressed and brew some coffee. I step outside to feel the temps. Ummmm, COLD. It was 45 degrees Fahrenheit outside. 45? That’s a good 20 degrees cooler than anything I have run in for nearly 5 months. I also knew though that mid to high 40s are my favorite temps to run in. Sure it’s chilly for the first few minutes, but then you warm up and it feels great.

I got to the race site about 45 minutes prior to start time. I jogged over to the venue start area and snagged a port-a-john before the lines grew. Did my bizness and hauled straight back to the car. I played on the interwebs and soaked up a few more minutes of heat. With about 15 minutes left until start time, I ditched the jacket and headed over to the start line. For one of the first times, I actually did a quick jog before the race started. For some of you veteran runners, this may seem crazy to you – “for the FIRST time?” Yes, yes. I haven’t ever had that much confidence in my runs, so I always saved up any energy I had so I didn’t die on the course. Sunday though, I knew I needed to get warmed up. I took the opportunity to jog about a tenth a mile out and back – got my temp up, and I found a place in the start chute.

Here was my plan: start with the 11 min/mile pace group, speed up a bit then ensure that the 10 min/mile pace group sign was never out of sight. That way I wouldn’t go out too fast but I knew what my goal would be in catching up. I stuck to this. Started out a bit slow when the traffic was thick, then I started to kick it up. I got in front of the 11 minute pace group about a half mile in and just kept pushing it a bit more. The course was winding and flat – but pretty. Farmland, pumpkin patch, horses running in a field, geese flying overhead. A beautiful morning for a run. About 3.5 or 4 miles in, the group split: quarter marathon to the left, half marathon to the right. Let me tell you, I was thrilled to be going left! Ha! It was at this point we entered Glacier Ridge Metro Park. This glacier must have just smooshed everything because that place was flatter than the gulf coast of Texas!

It is in this park though that I PASSED the 10 minute per mile pacers. I passed them. I know – I can’t believe it either!!! I knew I only had a couple miles or so to go, so I kept pushing it. I said to myself over and over, “You have felt worse in a workout and you don’t feel anything like that right now. This is not supposed to feel great, it’s supposed to be uncomfortable. You are supposed to push yourself more than you thought you could.” And I did. I kept encouraging myself, telling my inner critic that I could indeed do this. “The faster you go, the faster it is over. If you do less than 10 minutes per mile, you will be done in less than 20 minutes….” “…less than 15 minutes” (Gu Break) “…less than 10 minutes. Come on, you have got this. You just may pull it out, kid.”

I really had to suck it up that last mile. I could see the turn to head back to the finish and it looked so far away. But I could see it. I could see the flags for the finish chute. I could hear the music pumping. I was so damn close. So I pushed it a bit harder. I ended up in a cluster of about 5 or 6 women with a few hundred yards for the finish. “Get every second off your time, sweetie, push it all now!!!” So I hauled. I hauled as fast as my little leggies could take me. (The pictures from this moment are not going to be flattering, I am sure.) I passed a few of the ladies and saw the finish clock: 1:05:40. Since I started near the middle to back of the pack, I knew I would get some of that time back on my official chip time. But I knew I had it – I just knew I had it.

I got my cool medal, some water, a banana. I stretched a few minutes then headed to the car. Drove home and was greeted by a wonderful breakfast casserole, homefried potatoes and orange juice. Then I started stalking the race website. I wanted to know my final time so badly. Finally, around 3pm that afternoon, I got my wish. Results were posted:

1:03:50
6.55 miles
9:50 average per mile

(I used my "stopwatch" on the iPod for a few of the miles, and I actually clocked one mile at about 9:30)

I finally beat my ceiling of 10 minutes per mile. I absolutely cannot believe it. I am elated. Thrilled. Beyond happy. Holy crap. I can do this. I did this. I did it.

Let’s just say I am still very much on Cloud 9. Well, cloud 9:50 to be exact!!!!!!!

Komen on Saturday

Well, I am still running. Not doing the long distances anymore, but I'm still running. I have been running a 5K three times a week in the morning. A friend from work is training for a sprint triathalon, and I met her once last week and will meet her once this week to do the Buehler trail. I also ran Buehler once on my own last week and once with Lauren. This morning I did my home 3 mile run, and tomorrow I will meet my work buddy. This is all in preparation for this Saturday's Susan Komen 5K race. I am again doing the competitive run. I would LOVE to get a sub-30 minute time on the race. Not sure if it's possible, but I am going to try. Last year's chip time was 35:48 (37:27 on the race clock posted at the finish). When I ran the race for the first time, in 2005, I ran it in 30:26 (30:57 on the clock posting). Let's see if I can do it!

I also have to take in effect that the night before, I will be attending Jeff and King's annual "Prince vs Michael Jackson" party on Ninth Street. I have unfortunately had to miss the past several Jeff and King productions, but I will be sure to be at this one. I will get a few hours of dancing in before dancing off to sleep. If you are looking for one of the best Durham dance parties of this year, this is it! (click on the photo to go to the Facebook Event page)

What I learned from my first Half-Marathon

Running on Race Day - I think this was around Mile 6??

Some general observations and life lessons picked up during my 3.5 month journey to running 13.1 miles:

1) Hard work pays off. (I really needed to learn this lesson.)

2) Rest days are just as important as the days where you push yourself. We need rest to nurse injuries and just to give ourselves a break.

3) Running with a friend (or two!) is a million times better than running alone. They push you, you push them, and you have someone to share the pain with.

4) Have a plan and follow it. It takes out all the guess work, and you know exactly what you need to do each day.

5) Having the proper equipment to succeed is absolutely necessary! (getting the right shoes made my pain go away and stay away.)

6) When someone asks you to do something crazy, say YES. (I never would have attempted this on my own - but thanks to Mer asking me to participate, I accomplished something truly awesome!)

7) We have the potential to do so much more than we think we can. (I thought this was a crazy quest - turns out I am fully capable of running 13.1 miles!)

8) Spandex, when used in the correct setting, can be your best friend. No thigh chafing here!

9) Morning workouts suck. (I have confirmed that working out in the morning does not work well for me.)

10) Regular exercise improves your mood, your health and your psyche. (Although I never lost much weight, I definitely reshaped my body. I was also in a great mood more often than not.)

11) Advil is a miracle drug.

12) Runners come in all shapes and sizes - there are plenty of us out there pounding the pavement that are not shaped like upright gazelles. Don't let your size stop you from running.

13) If you plan on running to lose weight, you need to change your diet, too. On average, you burn 100 calories for every mile you run. So, while you are toning your body and getting muscle definition, you aren't shedding calories at a crazy rate. Running alone will probably not shed much weight off you.

14) Running in the rain is pretty awesome.

15) You perform a lot better in a race than you do on a normal run at home. Running with others is fun and exciting!

That's all I got for now.......

But truly, race day was awesome. The Grandover Resort was lovely - the indoor pool and hot tub were a fantastic distraction the afternoon before the race. Olive Garden did not disappoint for our carbtastic dinner the night before. The race itself was great. The course was rolling, but not crazy hilly. It was a fantastic first experience for a half marathon. I can't believe I did it, but I did. Huge thanks to Lauren and Meredith for being awesome training partners. I am so proud of us!

WE DID IT

WE DID IT

2 hours, 30 minutes and 33 seconds

More to come once I am able to fully process the awesomeness that was Saturday!!

Running Log: RACE DAY

Tomorrow is race day, folks. It has been a long four months getting here. Please send good vibes towards High Point tomorrow. We start at 7am. By this time tomorrow, I will be in the Red Oak Beer tent celebrating my first ever half marathon!!!!

HOLY CRAP!

PS - Yesterday I went out to Duke's East Campus for a quick run. I checked my training log, and back in January when I started running, it took me about 11:30 per mile. Yesterday I decided to gun it and run it fast - not so fast I couldn't finish, but I ran fast enough to really push myself. 9:19 per mile. Not too shabby.

Team "I hEArT Durham" vs "Man vs Food"

Exciting Doughman Development! Turns out that the Travel Channel's "Man vs Food" will be competing in and filming the Doughman on May 23! How awesome is that?? Supposedly the Man vs Food folks are putting together an all star team. This just may mean that Team I hEArT Durham won't come in last. Surely we can beat Adam, Anthony Bourdain, or that Bizarre Foods guy....right?? (we have no idea who the team members will be - I'm just hoping Bourdain will be there!)

ROCK ON!

PS - THERE IS STILL ROOM FOR A FEW MORE TEAMS!!!!! If you are interested, go to the Doughman website: www.doughman.org and sign up TODAY!


Running log: This is the LAST week of training! Half-marathon is on Saturday. This is a taper week, so we will only do the Buehler trail on Tuesday and a short two mile run on Thursday. Friday is off to the Grandover Resort in Greensboro to relax and wait for race day at 7am on Saturday!!!!!

Running Log: TEN

Tomorrow is a milestone. Tomorrow we do a ten mile run. Wish us luck!

Race day is next Saturday, May 2. Where on earth did time go??

Tofu Virgin No Longer

I have been a vegetarian for 4 years? Three and a half? Something like that. It took a long time for me to learn how to cook all over again. In the beginning, I relied a lot on meat substitutes that provided a familiar style of food and convenience. I still eat fake meat things, but I would like to cut them out and save them for special occasions only. To do this, I knew there was a frontier I needed to conquer - tofu. I enjoy tofu. I order it when I am out dining places, but I have never attempted to prepare tofu in a dish at home.

So last night I tried it. One of the tofu dishes I love the most is at P.F. Chang's. They have a tofu version of their lettuce wrap that is mind blowing awesome. A great mix of salty, crunchy and savory. Just so good. It's normally what I order for my "meal" there. I decided to look up a recipe that would replicate that type of taste. I don't think the recipe I used work perfectly, but it did turn out mighty tasty. Here's what I used:

1 18oz block of extra firm organic tofu
soy sauce
red pepper flakes
3-4 cloves fresh garlic
handful of sliced baby bella mushrooms
half a can of sliced water chestnuts
canola oil

First, I attempted to dry the tofu. I should have done this longer, but it still worked out okay. I cut the block into about 9 slices and put it on folded paper towels on a cookie sheet. I put another layer of paper towels on top of the tofu and then put a kitchen towel on top of that. I gently pressed the tofu to get the water out. Overall, I gave about 5-10 minutes to dry out the tofu. Once that was done, I put some nonstick spray onto a cookie sheet. I cut up the tofu into half inch by half inch cubes and spread them on the cookie sheet. I drizzled soy sauce over all the tofu and then sprinkled on some red pepper flakes and freshly ground black pepper. I popped that into the oven at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

While that was baking, I used my handy food processor to cut up the garlic, water chestnuts and mushrooms. I think I ground them up a bit too fine - try to keep the water chestnuts somewhat chunky as they can add a great crunch to the dish (I lost a bit of that crunch since I ground them up too small). Once the tofu comes out of the oven, put a tablespoon of canola oil into a frying pan on med-high heat. Once warm, add in your mushroom/garlic/water chestnut mixture and lightly saute. Then, add in your tofu. I added about 3/4 of what I baked since i wanted to save the rest of the baked tofu for the panang curry we are making later this week. Mix in the tofu and let everything heat together. Splash on a a bit more soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

I served the tofu mixture over a thai rice mix we bought at Harris Teeter a few weeks ago. The tofu came out really well, and it was almost better today at lunch.

I am glad I finally mustered up the nerve to make tofu - it wasn't tough, and it was actually really tasty!!!!!

Running log: Saturday's run went really well. We lost about .5 miles because of a race taking place on the Tobacco Trail, but overall we did about 8.5 miles. Took us around an hour and forty minutes. This week we have a 5 mile run on Tuesday and Thursday, and Saturday will be a 10 mile run. After that, we almost go on a break for a week - just a 4 mile and a 2 mile run next week and RACE DAY IS NEXT SATURDAY!!!!!!!

Next to last long run - 9 MILES

Tomorrow's run will conclude Week 10 of 12 in Half Marathon Training. I can't believe that Saturday will be two weeks until race day. Crazy. While I feel the most prepared I have been, I am also starting to feel the most nervous. I have been running the Buehler trail twice a week with the addition of the fitness trail. It comes out to a total of 3.71 very hilly miles. While we should be running 5 miles at this point, I am hoping the challenge of the hills makes up some of that distance.

This Saturday, we will run 9 miles. EEK. I am actually rather nervous. We put together a route that will allow us to run from point A to B, which we have all decided is much better than running to a halfway point and turning around. Please send good vibes to the three of us on Saturday morning!!!!

A running first: The Al Buehler Cross Country Trail

The Al Buehler Trail Route
(click the photo above and follow the hot pink to see my first running trip around the trail!!)

I finally did it. Yesterday after work, I ran the Al Buehler Cross Country Trail. I have walked that trail many many times. I have walked the trail and run the hills. But I have never gone out expressly to run the course from start to finish. It was always just too scary to even attempt. On that trail, you see the real runners. You know what I mean - "real runners." It's not for wussies. Needing a break from my 6:30am runs down MLK Pkwy, I decided on a 5:30pm run through Buehler.

And I made it. I made it.

Yes, I had to walk a couple of times. There are a couple of hills, one in particular, that are absolutely killer. I had to walk up half of one and another I had to walk shortly after running up the hill itself. I also added on the fitness trail and the connector to Buehler. All in all, it was less than 4 miles, but it was probably the toughest and most fun 4 miles I have yet to run. I know now I can do it. That's a huge first step. I can run this.

I may do an evening run there every so often now. Wow. This is big :-)

I also found a great quote today.

"We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are." - Anais Nin

24 days - and then it's finally over

Don't get me wrong - I am VERY VERY proud of the accomplishments of my running partners and me to the point. We are busting our butts and putting in some serious miles for this training. We have worked really hard the past 8 weeks, and the work is paying off. This past Saturday, we ran eight miles. EIGHT MILES. I had no idea it was even possible for me to do that. The even crazier thing is that our pace is right on track with every other distance we have run. As we add on the mileage, we really aren't slowing down any. That is pretty awesome.

But to keep that up, that means the weekday runs must continue. The weekday runs are now up to 5 miles each Tuesday and Thursday. Technically, I should have also been doing short runs on Wednesdays and Friday. But that ended this week - with the longer distances, we get two rest days. Therefore, I should add in one short run a week. I may try to start adding that in after work one day each week.

The whole point of this is, damn, there is a lot of running in preparing for a race. Sounds obvious, yes? I love my runs on Saturdays with Mer and Lauren. I get nervous before them, but I like them so much better than the crappy solo runs during the week. Since I have also been doing them in the mornings, I very often want to take a nap by mid morning. For some, early morning exercise energizes them and sets the tone for their day. For me, it makes me sleepy.

But, we only have a few weeks left. It's inching up closer and closer. I just reserved our hotel room in Greensboro for the night before the race. We have a place to stay. That is pretty darn real.

In the meantime, I'll keep running.

OH - The Louis CK show was pretty darn good. I just forgot how many stairs are at Charlie Goodnight's. Poor Mike :-(

Bradys Night Out - Charlie Goodnights!

Mike and I are heading out to the big city tonight! woo hoo! Raleigh, here we come? What is dragging us ALL the way to Raleigh on a school night? A comedy show! Thanks to my friend Becky in Minneapolis, I found out that comedian Louis CK was on tour. I adored his HBO show "Lucky Louie" and enjoyed his last HBO special (poster below). Seeing him live would be pretty awesome. I checked his gig line up and found out he was in Raleigh for one night only - TONIGHT. I found this out while Mike was in his second surgery. I debated - should I buy the tickets? Will Mike be able to go to Raleigh? Will he be able to get around in a comedy club? I decided that YES, he could make it work. When I finally decided to bite the bullet and purchase the tickets, the 8pm show was already sold out. Bummer. Luckily, the 10:15 show still had plenty of tickets. 10:15 it is. (I checked the site and both time slots are now sold out!)


Therefore, tonight Mike and I will mosey on out to Raleigh, maybe grab a pint and some pretzels at the Flying Saucer, then head over to Charlie Goodnights. We may be a a bit tired tomorrow morning, but with the way the past few months have gone, we deserve a night out on the town! Review of the show tomorrow!

The poster for the current tour!

RUNNING LOG: My weekday run this morning concluded the 4.5 mile weekday run series. While that is exciting, that means starting with next week's Tuesday and Thursday runs, I bump to 5 miles. I will continue that for the next 3 weeks. Egads. Luckily I have been running a very hilly 4.64 miles each Tuesday and Thursday morning for the past 3 weeks. Hopefully the addition of less than half a mile won't make much difference. Today marks 1 month til race day! HOLY CRAP!!!!

Running Log: Lucky 7

SEVEN MILES. We ran SEVEN MILES on Saturday morning. That sounds crazy to me. And even after I got home and told Mike, I still can't really fathom that we ran seven miles. Crazy.

The great thing to report is this: those crappy 4.64 mile runs I have been doing? The ones that make me cry and shatter my confidence? The ones with all the hills? The ones that have been making me hit the pavement at 7am? Those crappy runs have prepared me SO well. To think, I was actually questioning my ability to run at all after these runs. But the truth is, the terrain I run on my weekday runs is tough. It's hilly and it's difficult. But it made running that seven miles on the Tobacco Trail very very doable. I was amazed.

After the crappy running week I had, I was considering changing up my route this week. The training program calls for this Tuesday and Thursday to also be 4.5 mile runs. I am going to keep doing that run that kicks my ass during the week. Because it's that ass kicking that is allowing me to handle the long flatter runs.

Hey, I think I may actually be able to do this :-)

Running Log : A new milestone

This weekend, I hit THREE running milestones.

First, I ran the most miles in one week than I have ever run. My week total from Monday-Sunday is 18.48 miles. Crazy. I did 4.64 Tuesday and Thursday, the Great Human Race 5K on Saturday and a 6 mile run on Sunday. 18.48 miles. Wow.

Second, I am pretty pumped that Saturday I beat last year's Komen "competitive" 5K time. This weekend, I ran Durham's Great Human Race in 31:50. In last year's Komen Race, the 5K took me over 35 minutes. The Durham race was also really hilly, so it feels good to cut about 4 minutes off my time in less than a year, even with lots of hills. I also finished 27 out of 58 runners in the Female 30-34 Age Group. That means I finished in the top 50%. I am also very psyched about that! HUGE thanks to Lauren and Meredith for being awesome running partners in Saturday's race!!!

Lastly, I did my longest run yet on Sunday morning. Lauren and I met to run 6 miles. Yep. SIX miles! I did have to ask for a short walk for the first time during one of our runs, but I still feel pretty good about it. When we hit Mile Marker 5, I had to take a short walk. We walked slightly less than a quarter of a mile and then finished at our regular pace. While I am very pumped about having run six miles, I am a bit unsure as to how we will add on 7.1 EXTRA miles between now and May 2. Scary.

Stay tuned, folks!

PS - Mike had his second surgery on Friday and is at home recovering. All is well, and hopefully he is now on the road to a full recovery!!!!!!

Open Hearts? Really? I see something totally different

Have any of you seen commercials or ads for Kay Jewelers' new "Open Hearts" line? Designed by actress Jane Seymour (supposedly), the line of pendants, earrings and charms is supposed to be two open hearts. The ad features the line, "If your heart is open, love will always find a way in." Okay, so yes - the sentiment is sweet. But is it just me, or does the "Open Hearts" pendant look a whole lot like a naked curvy woman turning around to look over her shoulder? Mike and I have been jokingly referring to the jewelry as the T&A line. (T&A? Um, a four letter word for boobies and a three letter word for the booty) What's your call?

RUNNING LOG: 4.64 miles this morning - but damn it seemed a lot farther than last time!

Running Log : Ran farther than I would walk

This morning's route

Today I set a new milestone. This morning I got up and started my run at 7:15am. By 8:05am, I had completed the run. I did 4.64 miles at an average pace of 10:48 per mile. I am totally happy with that. This was also my longest solo run so far. I did 4 miles once back in early January. My longest run ever has been 5 miles, and that was with the girls about 3 or 4 weeks ago. To do 4.64 today on my own was a big high!!!! And to explain the title of this blog post - today I ran farther than I would walk on my walking route. I once set out from the house to take a long walk. This was quite some time back - probably October or November. I walked the same route I ran today - well, part of it. There is a city gas pump down MLK Parkway where I turned around on my "long walk" those months ago. I remember getting to the gas pump on that walk, looking down MLK at the stoplight at Hope Valley Road. I thought, "Yeah, that's just too far. I better head back home."

Yet today I ran past the gas station, through the light that looked so far away at Hope Valley and down to Cook Road. There, at 7:40am, I stopped to take this photo. Cook Road, baby. Cook Road.

It's REAL - check out the snazzy countdown clock

YIKES! It is official! I paid my $50 this morning and am officially registered for the NC Half-Marathon. I added this cool little countdown clock on my sidebar to keep me motivated. Holy crap - only 46 days and change.

It seems that with the magic shoes, advil and ice, my ankle will be fine. We did a 4.5 mile run this weekend (was supposed to be 4 but a stray dog and a "shortcut" to avoid it added an extra half mile) in the rain, and it felt good to be back out there on the pavement. I have started myself back on the formal training program at Week 6. That means tomorrow and Thursday are 4 mile runs. This weekend I am scheduled to do the Great Human Race (a 5K thru downtown) in Durham, but if Mike ends up in the hospital overnight, I may have to pass on that one.

13.1 miles still seems nearly impossible, but if I keep up with it I honestly and truly think I can do this. And hell, I could always walk the last several miles :-)

Back to the Pavement

Mike's second surgery will happen some time next week. Not sure which day yet, but it shouldn't be nearly as bad as last time (we hope anyway). In the meantime, Mike is down to one pain pill every 6-8 hours. That is a huge improvement. In the hospital he was taking 3 every 4 hours, so the man has come a long way in only a week. That is fantastic. They also put a full cast on his leg yesterday at the doctor which means more stabilization, less weight and a more mobile Mike. Since his condition is improving a bit, I can start focusing on the fact that my condition is improving too.

Turns out that the issue with my ankle is a case of tendinitis. I now have a long term injury from running. My severe over-pronation of my feet has done it's damage. I now know that the right shoes ARE important to preventing injury!!!! The good thing is that after taking two weeks off of running, taking a lot of advil and using ice and heat to treat the inflammation, I am feeling pretty much back to normal. With only about 8 weeks until the half marathon, I have a LOT of catching up to do. I did a run this past Saturday (only about 2 miles), a run yesterday morning (about 3 miles), and I will do another one on Thursday - I am going to shoot for a 4 mile run. This Saturday I am helping a friend move in the morning, so I will probably ask the ladies if we can do our long run on Sunday - I am going to see if there is anyway we can redo the 5 mile long run. Not sure if I can do 6 at this point in time.

Here's to hoping my ankle hangs in there, that Mike's recovery continues to go smoothly and is not too interrupted by the next surgery, and that the next 8 weeks will prove to be enough training to make it 13.1 miles on May 2!!!!!!!

Magic Shoes

My new shoes

It is finally that time - I am putting enough miles on the feet each week that I need to cough up the cash and get fitted for some shoes that really work. Thank goodness we all decided to take a week off the official training this week because I doubt I would have made it through with my ankle pain. Therefore, at lunch today I went to Ninth Street Active Feet and bought some new kicks. Turns out I am a severe over pronator, so I need motion control shoes to keep my foot in place. The shoes I got are the Saucony Grid Stabil 6. I won't get to run on them til next week, but I will keep you posted!

Running Log: Coach Bubba and Sore Legs

Even with Mike's injury now in our life, the training must go on. The North Carolina Half Marathon is sneaking up in a matter of about 10.5 weeks, and there is a lot of work that still needs to be done. This past Saturday, rather than doing the scheduled long run of 5 miles, Lauren and I ran in the Coach Bubba 4 mile run. Mike's Mom is in town, so I knew he would have someone with him. Therefore, I agreed to stick with the plan and participate in the race. After the alarm went off, I started to regret the decision. Lauren picked me up at 7am and we headed to downtown Durham. The temperature was a chilly 19 degrees. Yes, you read that correctly 19 degrees. We checked in and hauled back to Lauren's truck near the start line to sit in the heat until closer to start time. By the time we got out of the car, the temps were up to 22. Fantastic.

Running in races is a good time. With all the other runners around you, it makes you really feel part of something. Everyone is laughing, talking and ready to run. It is invigorating to be surrounded by a lot of runners. At least I think they are fun because I am never there to compete. The only competition I have is myself. I'm not taking first prize in anything, so the only person I have to beat is that little voice in my head that tells me to take a break when I am tired. All I want to do is cross the finish line.

The Coach Bubba run was nice. We started at the corner of Blackwell and Parish Streets and wound through downtown a bit before hitting the American Tobacco Trail. Only a short distance onto the AT trail, we were already a full mile into the race. The cool weather actually turned into great running weather. I had just enough layers to stay really comfy through the full 4 miles.

One of the most unflattering pics of me ever - but this is coming into the finish, and I like seeing that there are skinny runner looking girls finishing behind me :-) I do need to start wearing some more flattering running clothes though - my extra large jacket and baggy pants make me look extremely poofy.

I finished the race in 42 minutes, 29 seconds. For me, that's a personal best. That's only about 10:37 per mile. Wow. I am pretty psyched. To some, yeah, it's turtle slow. But to me, it's one hell of an accomplishment. We also didn't use mp3 players, as they were not allowed in this race. I saw a few folks with them, but at only 4 miles, I figured I could go without. And I did! I finished 202nd out of 268 runners. But hey, I did finish in the middle of the pack for my age group!!!!!! And big thanks to Lauren for running with me the whole race. Her support really kept me going!

Unfortunately, I am now having some nagging ankle pain. Since Lauren will be traveling this weekend, and both my running partners and I are experiencing a variety of leg aches, we are taking somewhat of a week off. My legs really need it. I need to soak my ankle a bit and I need to finally bite down and buy some custom shoes. I think that will fix a good chunk of my leg and ankle pain. Then next week it is back to the grind. To think - next Saturday will be a 6 mile run. Holy crap.