Rocked the Rock n' Roll

Another one under our belts! Three years ago, for my first half marathon, I wasn't sure if I'd ever convince myself to do one again. But somewhere along the way, I got hit by the crazy stick and signed up for a full marathon. While I'd like to run another full sometime in my lifetime, I've realized that half marathons are a little more reasonable for everyday life - less of a time commitment and fewer sacrifices.

For this half - life got in the way (I'll blame it on this) and my training suffered a bit, but I didn't let it stress me out too much and got in runs when I could. I thought this would bite me in the butt at about mile 8, but boy was I wrong. We surprised ourselves with a solid run! Even sprinting up the last hill to cross the finish line. Sure, it wasn't my best time, but better than the Skagit Flats, for sure.

So my lessons learned: Don't stress yourself out if you don't get in a few of your weekday runs. Two hours of pain is worth feeling proud of your performance. A 13.1 mile piggy back from Maddie works wonders :)

A Hand-in-Hand Tradition

This is how we finish all of our races. We're that cool. Even though it was tough, I can see the sense of accomplishment in those raised arms. Thanks to Stephanie for sharing!

Ok, this will be the last Skagit Flats race post, I promise.

Half Effort for a Half Marathon

Yes, we're half crazy for doing this race. We have always told ourselves that we run races for the training, not for the actual race. The fact that half marathons and marathons take months of sweat and sacrifice to get into shape and our bodies love us for it - that's what inspires us. The Skagit Flats Half Marathon, well, that's another story. We started off on a good note, prioritizing runs over the summer fun that would happen around us. Then four weeks prior to the race (the most critical weeks of training), we fell off the wagon. I think I did maybe 6 runs in that last stretch, sprinkled with some nights at the gym. So it appears that now we were racing for the shiny medal at the end, not the training.

Was the race painful? Let's just say it wasn't pleasant.
Was my time really that much worse than normal? Umm, yeah. A good 30 minutes slower.
Do I regret choosing summer fun over running? Heck no!
Am I proud of this race? You betcha, I am. I still ran 13.1 frickin' miles!

So the morale of the story: Train for races. Don't do early fall races because they take away from summer fun. And most importantly, always ensure that you have race fans - they will literally be a jolt of energy to get you across that far, far-away finish line. Thanks to my Mom, Dad, Joe, Stephanie and Greg for cheering us on!

13.1 + 13.1 = 26.2

What do get when you combine this and this?

You get this! The Rock n' Roll Full Marathon.

(I'm tired from just typing that.)

I'm hoping to beat this guy. And I'm planning to embrace the new running trend*.

(*just kidding, there's not way I'd be that crazy. I'm already crazy enough...)

Pain is temporary, but pride is forever

This is the motto that was on the back of a runner's t-shirt during the Rock n' Roll Half Marathon this weekend. We must have took it to heart because by mile 11, I thought I was running to my death bed. My breathing was fine, but my muscles were shutting down. All I could think about was walking, but wouldn't let myself after all I had worked for so far... Must. Keep. GOING!

BUT, in the end, we were triumphant! Autumn, Maddie, Lizzie, Nick, Kathryn and I (among 25,000 others!) all finished in one piece. Kathryn and I ended up finishing the race together at 2:10:28! My goal was 2 hours, but I am extremely happy with this time (which originally we thought was a little less than this, but again, I'm so happy with my results!).

Some of the highlights:

• First and foremost, our adoring fans: Straubs, Steph, James, the Doherty's, Pat and Mary. It takes a diehard to wait on the sidelines for hours just to see someone run past in a matter of seconds. Thank you all!


• Also, a big thank you is on order for Pat, Kathryn's husband, who sacrificed his morning to forge through the incredibly bad traffic to get us to the race. I owe him a drink. Or two. Maybe another trip to the Little Red Hen is in order??


• The beautiful course, especially along Lake Washington.


• At one point everyone was pointing at this bald eagle and I overheard a lady saying, "Oh crap, is everyone pointing out another big hill?!"


• The funny water station volunteers who would be holding out water and yelling, "Bud Light, come and get it" or "Gin and tonic! It's your friend."


• Where the full marathoners split, there was a man yelling, "Come to the dark side" and all I could think was, "Oh, hell no!"


• The MJ tribute in one lady's lawn - complete with a framed picture and blasting Billie Jean.


• The makeshift band with a 10-year old boy taking his job oh-so-seriously.


• A woman in the blue wig or the lady with the sequined cape and shoe covers. There were just some overall fashion disasters going on.


• The mile 12 marker. Damn, it had to have been the longest mile in history.


• Somehow managing to gather enough energy to sprint to the finish line. DONE! (Well, until the next one on October 3rd.)


• Brunch with the Doherty's after the race - as Maddie puts it, we were playing with house money and could eat whatever we wanted. (I may have taken this too literally over the course of the day.)

Kathryn and me - I must say, it doesn't look like we just ran 13.1 miles.

Lizze, Maddie, Autumn and me dazzling the camera with our bright colors.

A Running Nirvana

I've done everything possible to completely prepare myself for my half marathon this weekend. I've completed the many runs, sacrificed many social outings, continuously hydrated myself (to the point that people might worry based on how often I have to pee!), grudgingly pulled myself out of my nice bed several mornings, bought new gear (I mean, come on, I want to look good when I'm running for hours at a time), found my energy supplement of choice (Gu Chomps = Awesome) and now I have to wait. Wait. Wait. Until tomorrow morning at 7am when the gun goes off.

I wonder how many of the bands will play MJ songs along the way. Or how many people will be wearing one shiny black glove. Or how many people will moonwalk through the water stations. I wonder. I'll let you know. Wish me luck!

11 weeks down, only 1 to go

Until I cross the finish line of my first half-marathon - 13.1 miles! As you would expect, it hasn't been easy. I've had to sacrifice hanging out with friends on several occassions. Sometimes I would sacrifice my sleep because I would wake up early just so I could actually do something that didn't involve running after work. I've even had to sacrifice that extra Friday night cocktail - opting for a glass of water instead - just so I could feel fully hydrated and prepared for my long weekend runs.

I've actually been somewhat surprised at how easily the mileage has built up over the course of my training. However, last weekend during my 11 miler, I thought my running abilities had crumbled right in front of my eyes. It was the first week that I was literally not able to squeeze a run in Monday-Friday, so I think that hurt me. I made the full 11 miles, but let me tell you, I was not a happy camper at the end. This week, I've felt much better on my runs, so hopefully my final long run before the main event goes well.

I've been keeping track of all my runs and I totaled them up - 197 miles in 11 weeks! Man, doesn't that just make you want to die? Or at least eat a cheeseburger or something.

This is how excited I will be when I cross the finish line (better go shopping to get this awesome outfit too):



In actuality, it might go a little more like this:

Any volunteers to help me cross the finish line? Tronics? Steph? Anyone?