Adventures of Badgergirl

11 Random Things

2012-01-29T12:45:00.001-06:00

There's been a game going around the blogosphere. It's all about randomness. And I like randomness. Jess tagged me to play along and since I return to the working world tomorrow, I thought this was a good way to end my furlough.

The Rules:

Post these rules.
You must post 11 random things about yourself.
Answer the questions set for you in the post you were tagged in.
Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
Go to their blog, FB page, or where you can grab their attention and inform them of their obligation to the blogosphere.

11 Random Things:

I've broken one bone in my life: My right wrist when I was in kindergarten and fell off a piece of playground equipment.
I lived in the state of Indiana for exactly 365 days. Not kidding. Moving truck pulled in on Halloween and left the next Halloween.
I will never like bananas. Don't like the smell. The texture. The taste.
I've played the violin and piano since third grade.
I get pretty freaked out during nasty storms if I'm alone. I love them when I'm with people, but if it's just me I get scared. I blame it on the summer I lived in Indiana when it was constant storm after storm with so much lightning during the night if felt like the middle of the afternoon. I had this fear I'd die or get hurt and nobody would know since I didn't know a ton of people.
I was supposed to be at Camp Randall in October 1998 the night Drew Brees threw for 400+ yards and "Jump Around" became a tradition. Instead I was at my brother's wedding. I spent most of the reception in the bar watching the game. And of course I still remind him about it.
It's kind of hard to get into prison, but I've been there more times than I can count. All for work purposes of course. :)
I never liked to run when I was younger. Dreaded the annual mile run. Makes me wonder what high school me would say when I find out I now run half marathons for fun.
My first concert was a Dave Matthews Band concert at the Kohl Center in Madison in 1998. The most recent concert I went to was Lady Gaga in Milwaukee in 2010. What? My Dad wanted to go.
I have a tendency to procrastinate. I always tell myself I work better at the last minute.
The only pet I've had was a Beta fish named Felipe my college roommates got me. Felipe was an unsocial fish, just stared at the wall. I didn't really want him to begin with, so there's a chance I "forgot" to feed him or clean his bowl. Stubborn little fish. He wouldn't die. So one night in March he got a new home in Lake Mendota.

Questions asked by Jess at Run with Jess:

I know you're a runner - but have you ever watched/cheered at a race?
I got a chance to spectate and cheer on a friend of mine at Ironman Wisconsin in September. It. Was. Amazing. My friend Jeff is a seasoned IM competitor, he's finished either 10 or 11, so getting the chance to stand along the road in the rural countryside west of Madison and cheer for the athletes and then bike around campus like crazy to cheer for Jeff during the marathon portion was a ton of fun. And watching the other athletes, especially those who were somewhere in the first loop of the marathon when the pain of the day started to set in but refused to give up? Totally inspiring.

Where's your favorite place to run?
It's a toss up between Menominee Park, where I can get a nice four-mile loop in through the park, out to the point and back along the water, or the Wiouwash Trail, where I can just zone out and run. I tend to lean towards the Wiouwash Trail.

Would you rather be able to run fast OR far?
Ideally both. But since I've got to choose, I'd rather be able to run far.

Name one bad habit that you want to break.
I admit it. I'm a nail biter. And when I'm stressed out? It gets worse. Someday I'll stop forever. Hopefully.

If you could trade lives with anyone for just one day, who would it be?
I think working PR for the U.S. Olympic Team would be pretty cool. Imagine all the stories that could be told about the (mostly) everyday athletes who have put in the work to make a dream a reality. And yes, it would probably need to be more than one day. :)

Your ideal workout would consist of...
A long run with friends. And make it in Madison, just because I wasn't really a runner in college and missed out on so many amazing running routes!

Name one food item that you'd like to magically make "healthy."
Pizza.

What's your favorite distance to run and why?
I like the half marathon distance. It's far enough that it's still a challenge to me, yet considering I've finished a number of them, I know I can cover the distance and still have fun.

What's the one thing about running that you DON'T like?
The battle scars I'm left with on those days when I forgot to use the Body Glide. Ouch.

What's your favorite cross-training exercise?
I like my bike.

What sports did you play in high school?
I played tennis. Hated having to do the half-mile warm lap around the school before practice. And now I run long distances.

Technically I'm supposed to come up with 11 questions of my own and tag a bunch of people. But this thing's been going around the blogosphere for a good chunk of time now. So instead, if you want to participate, tell me something random about yourself in the comments!

The taste of winter couldn't have waited a few more hours

2012-01-28T13:04:00.000-06:00

I know not every training run can be fantastic. I know that. But this morning's run? I swear that was the hardest 9 miles I've ever run.

Seriously.

Between feeling like I was going to puke as I was driving to the park, a headache, a somewhat cranky IT band and the 2 to 3 inches of freshly fallen snow that made footing a bit tricky, it had all the makings of a less than stellar run from the get go.

Oh, I forgot to mention the wind. For the love of all things sacred Mother Nature. Did you really have to give us 30 mile per hour winds this morning? Thankfully it was from the west so by the time we hit Mile 2 we were done running into the wind. At least until we turned a corner somewhere around Mile 6.5 and we were heading straight back into it.

Brutal. I just wanted to be done. My Brooks Cascadias were covered in snow. It was cold. And windy.

Thankfully I had Peggy and Krystal with me to pull me through to the end. Otherwise there was a possibility I would have found some sheltered spot off in a snowbank and cried. And then froze.

But I finished. In a not so stellar time. But the 9.15 miles got done. And waiting for me when I got back to my parents' house? A driveway big enough to fit 3 cars that needed to be shoveled. So I traded my running jacket for my mom's winter jacket, went through three different pairs of gloves/mittens before I finally found a pair that kept my fingers somewhat warm and shoveled.

Over an hour later - told you it was a big driveway - I couldn't feel my toes, my face was numb and I was cursing my Dad for never teaching me how to use the snow blower. But the snow was shoveled, the run was done and a hot shower was calling my name. Oh, and my legs are screaming at me way too much for 9 miles. I blame the snow.

I think I've earned the right to be completely lazy the rest of the day.

Four Friday Furlough Facts

2012-01-27T13:47:00.000-06:00

1. Furlough. Yup. That's what I've been doing this week. The week of forced, unpaid "vacation" is almost becoming a yearly tradition at my employer. And while I've completely disconnected from work (which is kind of nice), I've also kind of unplugged this week. No blogging. No reading blogs. I've checked in on Facebook and Twitter occasionally, but haven't done much updating myself. And honestly? It's been kind of nice. Although I do admit come Monday I'll be ready to dive back into the world of social media.

2. Even though I haven't been working, that doesn't mean I've been doing a ton of stuff. There's been reading. And relaxing. A little bit of bumming around town. Watched the Badgers beat Indiana. Kind of low-key. I like it.

3. I have done some running. A Tuesday night group run with Krystal, the girl who paced me at the Oshkosh Half Marathon last year (and told me she'd be pacing me at the upcoming Seroogy's 15K). Wednesday was just a quick 3 miles on the treadmill and there was another 5 miles done on the treadmill Thursday night. During that run I did the first mile in my new pair of Brooks Pure Connects. I got one of those Active Schwaggles and ended up getting a good deal - only having to pay $55 for the shoes (normally $90). And I've been hearing so much about them that I was almost stalking the UPS man when he brought them on Thursday. I wasn't planning on doing all 5 miles of my run in them. And actually it was tough just doing a mile. They're definitely different than my Brooks Ghost 3s that I normally wearing. I could tell my foot was landing different, my stride was a bit different and oh boy, could I feel it in my calves. Like I said, definitely different. The jury's still out if they'll be added into the running shoe rotation and how far I'll run in them.

4. Oh, and I guess I should fess up that I did celebrate a birthday this week. I turned the big 3-2 on Tuesday.

Three Things Thursday

2012-01-19T20:42:00.003-06:00

1. After running Tuesday and Wednesday I decided to take tonight off. Really it was more that I was already at work late, I was starving and I had a few errands that needed to be done. So no running.

2. I won't have that excuse next week. It's the return of the week-long furlough, those great "unpaid" vacations my company has gotten into the habit of giving employees. I'll be spending most, if not all, of the week at my parents' house. There will be time for running. And hopefully some strength training and biking. And since my Dad is recuperating after having carpal tunnel surgery, I'm sure there will be some shoveling if there's snow. And I won't forget about that training plan I need to write. Or books I have to read. I'm pretty sure I'll find some ways to fill a week's worth of me time.

3. Does anyone else watch "Revenge?" OMG. I love this show. As in, I cannot miss a minute of it. So. Good. It's my must-see TV show. And considering I don't watch a ton of TV, that says a lot.

Hmm, a blank calendar starts staring me in the face in February

2012-01-17T20:53:00.003-06:00

Guys. I'm scared.

Here it is, the middle of January. And my training plan I'm currently following? It's done in about 2 or 3 weeks. After that? The calendar is just one big blank slate. Except for those two half marathons I'm registered for in May and two relays this spring.

So here's the problem.

I've got to come up with a training plan. Myself. Something I've never done before.

Gulp.

I have a vague idea of what I want to do. But sitting down with my pen and a blank calendar? That's kind of scary. So of course I've been putting it off. But like I said, time is winding down on my current plan. I've got to get over the fright and try to come up with a plan on my own. And of course it'd be nice if it was a plan that actually worked and got me to my goals. Anyone have any suggestions for a newbie-training plan maker?

Wish me luck.

Three Things Thursday

2012-01-12T20:27:00.000-06:00

1. Nothing like going from capri-wearing 50 degree weather to mid-20s and snow in a period of 24 hours. Oh well, such is weather in Wisconsin. Since it was still snowing pretty heavily, blowing and dark when I got out of work tonight I opted to get my run in on the treadmill at the YMCA. Nothing too exciting about the run. 5 miles. A decent pace. And a somewhat cranky IT band. Hmmm. Hasn't been bothering me too much lately. Also haven't been running on the treadmill lately. Coincidence? Maybe. But making a mental note to spend some quality time with my foam roller yet tonight.

2. After I got done with my run I wandered over into the weights area. GASP! And I even did a few reps on some of the machines! GASP! Not gonna lie though. I'm a little bit intimidated in that area. Especially since the machines are new and I'm not quite sure what everything does. What I do know is that I need to figure out some kind of strength training routine. Because I think it will help if I incorporate that into my training. After I got freaked out in the land of weights, I headed back into the cardio room and spent 15 minutes on the stationary bike. Call it cross training if you want, but really it was an excuse to catch some of the Badger basketball game.

3. Speaking of Badgers and basketball. Yes, they won tonight. Snapping a three-game losing streak. And the added bonus was that the win came on the road. But that's not the important thing. On Sunday I get to see Renee! We're going to the Kohl Center to see the Badgers take on Nebraska. But we're meeting early to watch some football - hello the Packers are playing - and talk about all sorts of things, not limited to but including Badgers, running, triathlons, Ragnar Chicago and Revenge. Can't. Wait.

24 hours later, I'm much happier

2012-01-11T19:39:00.002-06:00

It's kind of hard to find a picture of a happy badger, they're all kind of angry. But he looks kind of happy to just be chillin' in the grass.

Source

What a difference a run makes.

After being somewhat crabby and resembling on angry Badger the last two days, tonight I'm much happier. It's amazing what 4.5 miles in the darkness with my running shoes can do. Let's not even talk about the fact that I ran that 4.5 miles outside in a pair of capris. In January. In Wisconsin.

It was glorious.

I probably could have even ditched the jacket and just gone with long-sleeves, but I thought I better wear the Brooks Nightlife jacket since it was almost 6 p.m. and pretty dark out. Don't want to become roadkill. I won't become too used to the running attire I was sporting tonight. If the weatherman is right, I should wake up to a fresh layer of snow tomorrow morning and by the time it's all done, there should be 5-8 inches of the white stuff on the ground. Yes, I'm looking forward to this.

Another plus to the run? I almost have perfected the snot rocket. It never fails, whenever I run, my nose runs too. I don't have to be sick or battling allergies. My nose just runs. And in the summer I'm usually wiping it with my shirt. This becomes a bit tougher in the winter and I usually end up using my gloves. But tonight since it was so balmy I didn't even bring my gloves and the jacket sleeves? A bit rough on my nose. So I paused for a moment and tried out my snot rocket capabilities. Not too shabby. Now I just have to perfect it without having to stop while running.

Want to run. Couldn't run. Must run.

2012-01-11T08:30:00.000-06:00

Source

Warning.

This is what happens when I really want to run, but two days in a row I can't because of work. One day spent by the river waiting for a press conference leaving me with frozen toes and one late night meeting at work on a day when temperatures are hovering near 50 degrees in January. In Wisconsin.

And of course those two days I wanted to run. And I couldn't.

Hence the anger. Yes. I'm a bit crabby.

And just a heads up. If I don't get to run today? I will be a very, very, very angry Badger. We're talking Honey Badger levels of anger. Won't be pretty.

Three Things Thursday

2012-01-05T20:34:00.000-06:00

1. Last night after work I made the hour drive north to Green Bay to meet up with my friend Peggy for the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon/Half Marathon kickoff event. Even though I've done this race in the past, I've never gone to one of the kickoff parties. But this year, when I read the announcement I knew I had to go. See last night the guest speaker was Sarah Reinertsen, someone who's crossed the finish line at Ironman Hawaii. But more notable, she's the first female leg amputee to cross that finish line. Her first attempt she missed the bike cutoff by 15 minutes and got a DNF, but she went back the next year and finished all 140.6 miles. It wasn't the IM story that was inspiring though. It was the story of her growing up, overcoming obstacles, that left a mark. Watch this. It's only a small chunk of what she covered during her presentation Wednesday night, but it was enough to leave you thinking and yes, I almost shed a tear.

2. And since we were at a running event, it only made sense for Peggy and I to sneak in a run. After all the event hoopla was done, we went out to our cars, grabbed our running bags and headed back inside the bar to change into running gear. Yes, people looked at us like we were crazy. But we couldn't pass up the opportunity to run together. And what better running back drop that in the neighborhoods surrounding Lambeau Field at night? Great run.

3. Except for that block when a snarling, barking, crazed eye dog came off the porch and charged at us. Yikes! He wasn't on a leash. I can only assume they had an invisible fence since he stopped at the edge of the grass. And did I mention he was kind of snarling, kind of growling and barking at us? And that he was a little ferocious looking - especially his eyes that were all demon-like possessed looking. Add in the fact that I'm leery when it comes to strange dogs I don't know since I was chased by a big dog when I was little and you have one of those heart-stopping moments. It felt like an eternity. Not cool dog owner. Not cool at all.

I'm headed back to Green Bay

2012-01-04T09:30:00.000-06:00

When the announcement was made in November that there wouldn't be a lap through the players tunnel or around Lambeau Field, a lot of folks decided to hold off on running the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon and Half Marathon.

I'm not one of those people.

For starters it's so close, I don't have to worry about booking a hotel. I can sleep in my own bed and drive up. And it's a race that holds a special place in my heart. It's where I returned to distance running after a two-year hiatus due to the Monster in my head.

So for the third year in a row, I'll be toeing the line with thousands of other runners on May 20. I may not end with a lap around Lambeau Field, but I'm still going to love every step of that 13.1 miles through the city of Green Bay. And hopefully this year I won't encounter the steady 40 mile per hour winds at the 11.5 mile marker. That was brutal.

See you in Green Bay!

Books! A 2011 Year in Review

2012-01-03T08:30:00.000-06:00

I read in 2011. And despite a good effort during the end of the year, I fell short of my yearly goal to read 40 books. And you know what? I'm OK with that, because I look over my list and I was able to read some good stuff.

I finished the year with 36 books for a total of 13,202 pages. Remember I read 41 books and 14,047 pages in 2010 and 39 books and 12,549 pages in 2009 - the last time I missed the 40-book goal. Now for a fun look at some numbers. With 36 books finished and 13,202 pages read, that comes to an average of 3767 pages per book. The longest book I read was Les Miserables at 1,260 pages (please don't tell me you're surprised) and the shortest was the 160-page Green, Gold and Glorious, which recounted the Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl run. And truthfully, most of those 160 pages were pictures. So the shortest non-picture heavy book was a tie - Charlaine Harris' A Touch of Dead and Mitch Albom's Tuesdays With Morrie which were both 192 pages. There were a couple of authors that made my list multiple times: Sara Shepard (9), Suzanne Collins (3), Charlaine Harris (2) and Tatiana de Rosnay (2).

I did read a bunch of good books this year and there aren't too many on the list that I can't remember what the heck the book was about (but yes, there are a few). I have to admit, I wonder what kind of numbers I would have put up if that 1,260-page monster Les Miserables didn't take me three months to read. I'm pretty sure I would have surpassed that 40-book goal otherwise.
Overall, not a bad year. Here's what I spent my time reading:

A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris
Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner
The Body and the Blood by Michael Lister
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson
Green, Gold and Glorious by the Green Bay Press-Gazette
Everything Nice by Ellen Shanman
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jacyee Dugard
Flawless by Sara Shepard
Perfect by Sara Shepard
Unbelievable by Sara Shepard
Wicked by Sara Shepard
Killer by Sara Shepard
Heartless by Sara Shepard
Wanted by Sara Shepard
Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior & The Golden Retriever Who Saved Him by Luis Carlos Montalvan
You Are An Ironman by Jacques Steinberg
Miracle Beach by Erin Celello
Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson
Twisted by Sara Shepard
A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay
Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Room by Emma Donoghue
Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

So what are my reading goals and plans for 2012? Well of course there's the annual 40 book goal. I kind of liked having a longer classic on my list, so I'll probably find another one to read. I'm not sure which classic I'll choose though.

Right now I have a few titles that have been sitting in my too read pile: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese and Truman Capote's In Cold Blood are two that I can think of off the top of my head. And of course any titles that spark my interest as I go through the year.

Any suggestions on books to read in 2012? Classics or otherwise? Happy reading!

Welcome back to the Rose Bowl!

2012-01-02T13:56:00.000-06:00

Source

It's Rose Bowl Day!

In a matter of hours, my Badgers will be taking the field in Pasadena, Calif. I can't wait. It should be a good, high-scoring game. But I'm still pretty sure we're going to find out what roasted duck tastes like. Those Oregon Ducks, in their flashy uniforms, are going down.

I got my run in this morning while watching the Rose Parade on TV. I find it fitting that when I stepped on the treadmill and turned on the TV, the U of Oregon band was marching by. And by the time I hit the 0.75 mile mark, the Badger band was high stepping down Colorado Boulevard, playing "On Wisconsin." Watching the parade was a nice way to distract myself while getting in the first 2.5 mile run of the year.

Now I just need to find a way to occupy myself for the next 2 hours. Cannot. Wait.

Go Badgers!

Running 2011 in numbers

2012-01-01T16:44:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a fun and safe New Year's Eve!

I'm looking forward to 2012, tackling some goals and seeing what the year has in store for me. But first, a quick look back on 2011 in terms of running.

I'm happy to announce that New Year's Eve morning, I got myself out of bed and headed over to my group long run. It was a good run. And when I hit the stop button on my Garmin, not only had I finished 6.1 miles for the morning. That also meant that I logged

900.1 miles

in my running shoes during 2011. Guys. That's a lot of miles (for me). To put it in perspective, that's about the same distance it is from Oshkosh, WI to Athens, Georgia. That's kind of far. And kind of cool to realize I ran that far.

I admit, I had a goal of running 1,000 miles in 2011, but that plan fell apart in October and November when I lost my running mojo and started a "run when I feel like it" plan. But I'm OK with that decision, because I needed it. After hardcore training for the first 9 months of the year, I needed a slight break. And when I consider that my previous yearly mileage high was 590 miles (in 2010), I'm really OK with my 900 miles.

So what else did I do running-wise in 2011? I

Ran four half marathons
Ran four 5Ks
Ran one 10K
Ran one 5-miler
Ran one "other" distance (the 1-mile Santa Scamper)
Completed a Tough Mudder
Completed an indoor triathlon
Set new PRs in the 1 mile, 5K, 10K and half marathon distance
Logged three 100+ mile months
Joined a running group and met a pretty amazing group of people that taught me, pushed me and motivated me when it came to running but also have become good friends.

Yeah. I'd say it was a pretty good year.

So what's on the goal list for 2012?

Run 1,000 miles
Try out a new race distance
Try a relay
Run more half marathons and continue to run them faster
Add in strength training - a goal I've had in the past but always seem to fail at miserably.

I'm looking forward to 2012 and seeing what it has in store for me.

The year that was 2011

2011-12-30T09:30:00.000-06:00

I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that there's a little more than a day left to 2011. Crazy. It went fast. There were some highs and lows. Some triumphs. Some struggles. A pretty decent year.

January

Nothing like starting out the New Year with a disappointment. Yes. Watching my Badgers lose to those Horned Frogs from TCU was hard. But it could only get better. Right?

I decided to join a training group. I was scared. I had never run with a group before. But it turned out this was one of the best decisions I made this year. Not only did I find that accountability and guidance I needed when it came to preparing for a half marathon, but I met the most amazing group of people. People I logged countless miles with. Who I learned from. But most importantly, people I call my friends. And with the training group and a group of friends in hand, I set out to accomplish a goal for the spring half marathon season and adopted the Dream Big Work Hard mentality of former Badger J.J. Watt.

February

The Green Bay Packers won a game. You might have heard of it. The Super Bowl? Yeah. That was cool.

Crashing my car during a snowstorm and less than 2 hours later putting it in the ditch? Not so cool.

March

I ran through some pretty crappy weather this winter: Snow, sub-zero temperatures, wind, ice. But the day I tripped over a water main cover and did a face plant on the sidewalk wasn't icy. Heck, it was down right balmy. I walked away with a pair of bruised knees, but a pretty spectacular 11-mile run. And that in itself was pretty nice consider that face plant happened somewhere around Mile 2. Speaking of running, I logged my first 100-mile month ever! I finished with 111.7 miles for the month.

I learned it pays to go to traffic court. Goodbye $200 citation I got when I crashed my car in February.

April

Like I said, I ran in some pretty cruddy weather. Well I guess it prepared me for the Oshkosh Half Marathon since I saw rain, sleet, snow and an icy cold wind from the north on race day. All of the work I put in must have helped though since I finished in 2:30! An almost 14-minute PR baby!

May

I've been chasing a sub-30 5K for what seems like forever - OK, maybe just since I started running in 2007 - and I finally got it in May at the Sole Burner 5K.

And then there was the Green Bay Half Marathon. After turning in a 2:30 HM at Oshkosh in crappy weather, I thought sub-2:30 was in the cards. Well, it could have been if the steady 40 mile per hour winds didn't show up right around Mile 11.5. So close.

June

I ran my first 10K ever.

July

It was hot.

And I manged to fall off a 12-foot wall during Tough Mudder. While the fall hurt, Tough Mudder ended up being a pretty cool event, especially with the group of teammates that I had. Will I do it again? Uh, not sure.

In non-running events, I got to take part in an Honor Flight during AirVenture. It was me and a plane full of WWII Navy vets and we spent the day in Washington D.C. An absolutely amazing experience.

August

I never thought I'd be able to do this, but I decided at the last minute to run a half marathon. We're talking 5 days before the race I registered. OK. It was because I won a free entry into the Madison Mini, but still. I never thought I'd be in the running shape like I was where I could just decide spur of the moment and be ready.

September

Nothing like heading down to Madison and spectating at Ironman Wisconsin to get you in the race mood. Some friends and I headed down to watch our friend Jeff complete his 10th Ironman. Absolutely amazing and inspiring experience. It totally got me ready for the next week.

Then I toed the line at the Fox Cities Half Marathon. With inspiration from IMWI going through my head, race day advice from Jeff and my own determination, I gutted it out and finished the race in 2:19:27, another new PR! So happy.

October

I did my first organized bike ride in a couple of years when I tackled the Trek Breast Cancer Awareness ride with my friend Peggy. There was a Badger game with a Twitter friend Renee. And I lost my running mojo. Mostly due to burn out from all of the training I did all yearlong.

November

Still missing the running mojo, but that was OK because there was another Badger game with my friend Nicole.

Then an unexpected trip to Lambeau Field with Peggy for a Monday Night Football game to see the Packers crush the Vikings.

December

My IT band decided to hate me this month. So lots of quality time spent with the foam roller. My third go around with the Fleet Feet group started

So I guess it was a pretty good year. Can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for me.

Three Things Thursday

2011-12-27T21:40:00.002-06:00

1. I don't want to complain, but I'm going to for a moment. Numbers. I like looking at them. How many miles I've run in a day, week, month, year. How fast I ran those miles. But lately? I don't like the numbers. Leading up to the Fox Cities Half Marathon I could bust out a 4-5 mile run with sub-10 (barely) minute miles. The last month? The pace has been closer to 11:30 minute miles for a 4-5 mile run. And it feels hard. I know the colder weather plays a little bit of a role. I know my mileage has decreased. And I know I've been babying my IT band and slowing down. But still. It's frustrating to see those kind of paces. And I know right now I'm at the point where I'm just building a base and maintaining endurance and that speed will come in a few months as the spring half marathon season gets closer. But still. It's frustrating to see those numbers.

2. Continuing on the numbers theme, with one run left in 2011, I'm 6 miles from hitting my (adjusted) goal of hitting 900 miles for the year. Back in January I was aiming for 1,000, but then there was 9+ months of pretty intense training and four half marathons. And by the time I hit the massive PR at Fox Cities, I just wanted a break. So I cut back on mileage in October and November, ran when I felt like it. And watched the goal of 1,000 miles slip away. But I'm still pretty happy with hitting 900 considering my previous yearly high was 590-something. So one run left on Saturday. And it just happens to be 6 miles. But I might just make it 7 so I can say I ran 901 miles. :)

3. I always thought New Year's weekend was supposed to be the slightly less hectic weekend of the holidays. Not so for me this year. A family gathering after work Friday, that early morning long run on Saturday followed by a New Year's Eve wedding. Then the Packers on Sunday. And of course - the highlight of the long weekend in my opinion - the Badgers in the Rose Bowl on Monday. Should be a good weekend, but I may need a vacation to recover from the holidays!

Where'd Christmas go?

2011-12-27T21:06:00.001-06:00

Wait. What do you mean it's already Dec. 27? I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. You typically spend weeks preparing for Christmas and then it's over in a blink of an eye.

The Christmas highlights:

The long holiday weekend started off with a Christmas Eve morning run with Peggy and the Winter Warriors group. And get this. There was even a fresh layer of snow! So happy. Needless to say that 6-miles was a great way to start off the holiday festivities.
There was lots of family time. And I may have been the aunt that got her niece and nephews hooked on Angry Birds. To the point where they really didn't want to give me back my phone Christmas Eve night and it was the first app my niece wanted to download on her new iPod Touch that Santa Claus brought her.
Of course after not having a migraine for months, one arrived just in time for the Christmas Eve/Day festivities to begin. Great timing head.
I got some pretty nice gifts. And about 75 percent of them may have been Badger-related, but I'm perfectly happy with that. :) There was a nice Wisconsin hoodie (just in time for the Rose Bowl next week!), a Wisconsin pillow pet, some Wisconsin duct tape, a headlamp (no more fearing for my life when I go running at night), a little DVD player for my bedroom and a cool medal hangar from Gone for the Run to hang my half marathon medals on were among the highlights. I'm happy.
Oh, and you can't forget that Green Bay Packers win over the Chicago Bears Christmas night to wrap up home field advantage during the playoffs!

Today it was back to work. And I swear it took me all day to realize it was Tuesday, not Monday. Thankfully it's a four-day work week. Granted next weekend? It's going to be crazy: A late family Christmas gathering, a weekend long run, a friend's wedding on New Year's Eve, a Packers game to watch on New Year's Day and then the Rose Bowl on Monday. I may need a vacation just to recover from New Year's weekend!

Three Things Thursday

2011-12-22T17:59:00.000-06:00

1. It snowed! Finally! Granted it was only a inch. But still! When I woke up this morning the ground was white! It snowed! And then it promptly melted by lunch time. Looks like Mother Nature isn't going to be very helpful either and I've got to prepare for a not-so-white Christmas. More like a Christmas with greenish-brown grass. Not cool, Mother Nature. Not cool. Especially since I live in Wisconsin.

2. I've kind of lost the running mojo this week. Other than the 4 miles I ran with the group on Tuesday night, I've managed to skip all of my runs this week. Oops. Monday I needed to finish Christmas shopping. Wednesday I needed to wrap presents. And tonight? I just wasn't feeling it. And it probably didn't help that I didn't eat decent all day. Another oops. So I didn't run.

3. And considering I'm 18.7 miles from hitting 900 miles for the year, I probably shouldn't be skipping runs. But I think I still might make it. There's 6 planned on Saturday morning and another 6 planned for the final day of the year. That leaves me with 6.7 to sneak in between Dec. 25 and Dec. 30. Should be do-able. I hope.

HBBC catch up

2011-12-19T09:00:00.000-06:00

I've been slacking on posting the HBBC recaps.

Let's see, I've covered Week 1 and also Week 2. That means I need to give you Weeks 3 and 4. You'll notice there's still a lot of points coming in from stretching, once again, credit goes to keeping the IT band happy. Although I have to admit, it hasn't been as angry with me lately. That's a good thing. Which means I'm going to continue to roll.

Week 3
Dec. 3 - 7 (5 run, 2 stretch)
Dec. 4 - 1 (stretch)
Dec. 5 - 5 (3 run/walk, 2 stretch)
Dec. 6 - 6 (2 run, 2 stretch, 1 FV*)
Dec. 7 - 5 (3 run, 2 stretch)
Dec. 8 - 5.5 (3.5 run, 2 stretch)
Dec. 9 - 2 (1 FV, 1 walk)
Total: 31.5

Week 4
Dec. 10 - 7 (5 run, 2 stretch)
Dec. 11 - 1 (walk)
Dec. 12 - 4.5 (2.5 run, 2 stretch)
Dec. 13 - 6.5 (4.5 run, 2 stretch)
Dec. 14 - 2 (2 stretch)
Dec. 15 - 6 (4 run, 2 stretch)
Dec. 16 - 3 (2 stretch, 1 walk)
Total: 30

*FV = fruits & veggies

Weekend long run fail

2011-12-18T20:42:00.003-06:00

This is the story of the weekend long run that was supposed to happen but never did.

Before I went to bed Friday night I did what I always do. I gather all of my stuff and put it in piles so I didn't have to hunt around in the dark for that random pair of running tights or my Road ID or figure out why my Garmin wasn't turning on.

Note: If you find yourself with a fully charged Garmin that refuses to turn on, plug it into the computer and press reset and mode for 10 seconds. This "soft reset" should work. It did for me. And yes, I realize everybody probably knew this trick, but I was the one freaking out and scouring the Garmin website at 11:30 p.m. Friday night.

My Friday ritual included setting the alarm for 6:15, which would give me plenty of time to get dressed and head out to Plamann Park to meet up with my running group.

Except there was a problem. My alarm either never went off or I've gotten really good at turning it off in my sleep. Because when I woke up it was light out and the clock was reading 9 a.m.

Oops.

After posting a status update on Facebook - because everyone really needs to know I slept through my alarm and missed my long run - and answering a few Facebook messages that were worried why I wasn't at the group run that morning, I got up and got ready for the day. I could have done the 5-6 miles I needed to do solo, but I had to head over to a friend's house and help him pack a moving truck. I there until dark and then needed to go to a benefit for a family friend's son who's got some kind of tumor on his brain.

So there were plans to do it today. When I got up I didn't feel like running, so I told myself I'd do it after the Packer game. And, well, as I'm sure you've all heard, the perfect season is no longer. And I really wasn't in the mood to run after watching the Packers play like poo and loose to the Kansas City Chiefs.

So I didn't run. And that, my friends, is the story about this weekend's long run that never happened.

This doesn't surprise me

2011-12-16T15:54:00.001-06:00

So I was putzing around on Facebook the other day and I came across the app that pulls your Top 10 status updates of 2011. Here's what mine were:

Why does it not surprise me that even in my real, non-blog life, running, the Badgers and Packers are what consume my life?

Three Things Thursday

2011-12-15T16:02:00.002-06:00

1. Took advantage of this not working thing and snuck in another mid-day run with Peggy and her pooch Belle. And let me tell you, if it wasn't for our plan to meet up and run I probably would have headed to the nearest treadmill today. It. Was. Windy! For most of our run the wind wasn't too much of a problem, but when we made that final turn and headed west straight into the steady 30 mph winds? Yeah. That was brutal. And I forgot to mention. It was straight uphill. Double brutal. But we finished.

2. I think I'm still thawing out from that run.

3. Other than nearly getting blown away, it has been a productive vacation day. Doctor's appointment. Check. Oil change and tires rotated? Check. Instructing my Dad to find a cheaper place to get the rest of my car repairs done? Check. Dropped off my Toys for Tots donation? Check. Spend the rest of the afternoon watching Season 3 episodes of Glee (there's 9 of them and I've only got 3 more to watch). In progress. And I think there's even a Badger basketball game on TV tonight.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Taking advantage of the benefits of no work

2011-12-14T08:00:00.000-06:00

So it was a tough work week. One day. Not kidding. You're probably saying, really. How could one day be so bad. But you know how Mondays in general are hard? Coming back after a weekend? Well just imagine having to go back in on Monday, knowing that all that stands between you and six days of workless bliss is one eight hour shift.

Yeah. It was hard.

But as soon as that clock hit 5:30 p.m. on Monday, I was out of there. I did a little shopping with my Mom and then headed up to my parents' house for my vacation. And even though it was late, I knew I had to get my short run in. And we're talking a run of the 2-mile variety. Shouldn't be so hard. But it was. I swear, during that first mile on the treadmill I was jumping off onto the sides every quarter-mile. The second mile got easier, but the run never became completely unsluggish.

It was rough. Brutal. But I finished.

And on Tuesday - my first full day of vacation - I got to go for a lunchtime run. In the daylight. With Peggy and her pooch Belle. It was a glorious 3.5 miles. For starters it was in the 40s, we live in Wisconsin and it's mid-December. A run in just long sleeves? I'll take it - although I am getting a little antsy for snow.

But the best part of the run was just getting a chance to catch up with Peggy - my running partner in crime for the last year. It's been way too long since we pounded the pavement together and today's 3.5 miles was just what we needed. In fact, we finished up our run and tacked on an extra mile walk for a cool down.

And then promptly made plans to meet again on Thursday at lunchtime for another run.

I think I like this no work thing.

Baby it's cold outside

2011-12-10T11:00:00.001-06:00

So it was a little chilly this morning. We're talking 7 degrees with a wind chill of -10.

And while I may have momentarily thought about turning the alarm off, skipping my morning group run and getting the 5 miles done at some other point in the day - say when the temps reached 20 - I didn't. I got out of my warm bed, threw on my cold weather running gear and headed out.

I'm glad I did. It was a good 5-mile run with my friend Amy. We got to talk running, catch up on life and even talked about this whole idea of careers and how you need to be passionate about what you do.

In the end it was a good, cold 5-miles. Honestly once we started running it wasn't bad until we hit the turn around point and started to head back to the park. And that was only because a stiff icy wind had picked up.

We kept an easy pace and threw in a few very short walk breaks - mostly so I didn't make my IT band angry. Overall it didn't give me problems during the run, although it was starting to get a little achy during the last half mile, but that was to be expected.

And even though it was cold, it was nothing compared to Day 1 of the Fleet Feet half marathon group last year when it was zero and wind chills approaching 20 below. Today was downright balmy compared to that.

Now. It's a Saturday. And I have no Badger football to watch. What am I going to do with myself.

Tossing around ideas for 2012

2011-12-09T09:00:00.000-06:00

It's never too early to start planning a race calendar for 2012. And while it's taken me this long to actually bring the subject up here on the blog, that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about it. Because I have.

At this point, I haven't actually registered for any races. Wait. Take that back. I think I have (I'll get to that in a minute), but I know some of the bigger ones that I definitely want to do. And while a lot of the races I'll do in 2012 will be ones I've done in the past and are becoming my "regulars," I do want to branch out a bit and try some new ones. And I'm pretty sure that will be happening.

So what am I thinking of for 2012? Well there will be half marathons. And I'll even dip my toe into the relay craze. And there's a tiny part of me that wants to tackle a sprint tri again. And of course some 5Ks and I'll even try a new distance - the 15K.

February
Seroogy's Valentine Run 15K - I haven't registered for this yet, but I'll be doing it since it is the goal race for the Winter Warriors program I'm doing. First attempt at a 15K. You know what that means, automatic PR!

April
Run Away to the Bay - This is a new relay here in Northeast Wisconsin that takes you along a 55-mile route from Oshkosh (my city) to Green Bay. The girls in my original Fleet Feet half marathon group and I are talking about doing it. Should be fun.
Oshkosh Half Marathon - Back to the scene of my first 2:30-half marathon. Again, also in the city where I live. Hoping there's better weather than there was last year.

May
Sole Burner 5K - This one has become an annual race for me with my Dad. Site of my current 5K PR.
Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon - quickly becoming one of my favorite half marathons. There won't be a loop through Lambeau Field this year (construction on the south end zone), but I'll still be there since it's a great race.

June
Ragnar Relay: Madison to Chicago - I'm super excited about this one. I'm joining up with 11 other bloggers for a team. I'm pretty sure this will be an amazing experience. Can't. Wait.

July
Firecracker 5K - Another family tradition. And always hotter that heck.
Chicagoland Trek Women's Triathlon - The site of my first tri. Toying with going back this year. It's an all women's event and very focused around those impacted by cancer.

August
Madison Mini Marathon - Really liked this course when I ran it this year. Can't complain about a half marathon that starts and ends on the campus I love.
Cheesehead Half Marathon - If I don't do the Madison Mini, this is an option. The plus, it's super close to home.

September
Fox Cities Half Marathon - Another local race and site of my very first half marathon and current half marathon PR.

October
Freaky 5K - A local 5K that I've done several years. Nice Halloween race.

November
Santa Scamper - That 1 mile fun run before the Christmas parade
Turkey Trot (5 miles) - Get the run in before the Thanksgiving feast
Noodleini 15K - Never done this before, but would be a nice way to keep the running up after half marathon season is over.

Hmm. Could be a busy year. But like I said, not all of those are set in stone. And there is a little part of me that would still love to be able to do a destination race somewhere. Still need to think about that and find out if my bank account will allow it.

So I've told you my (tentative) plans. What are yours? And will I see you at any of these races?

Three Things Thursday

2011-12-08T08:30:00.000-06:00

1. The foam rolling is working. I've been diligently spending time torturing myself with my foam roller, multiple times a day, this week. So far I've gotten three runs in this week - two short 2-milers and one 3-miler as the training plan calls for - and my IT band really hasn't been bothering me much. Yay! So the plan is definitely to keep torturing myself daily.

2. We're getting our first real taste of winter here in Wisconsin the next few days. What does that mean? I'll be running in temps that are most likely in the low teens early Saturday morning. That's like a heat wave compared to the sub-zero temps we ran in last winter.

3. I'm counting down the days. I've got today, Friday and a Monday shift left and then I'm off until Dec. 19. Needless to say I'm ready for a break. And concentration at work has been a bit non-existent.

John Mellencamp said it best, it hurts so good

2011-12-05T20:39:00.001-06:00

I've been spending a lot of quality time with my foam roller the past few days. And I can definitely say it's one of those love-hate relationships: I love the results, but oh boy do I hate that red piece of foam when I'm actually using it.
Let me back up.

Ever since I managed to fall off a 12-foot high wall and bang my knee at Tough Mudder - who am I kidding, running up and down a ski hill repeatedly probably didn't help either - I've been having issues with my IT band. Up through the Fox Cities Half Marathon in late September it would mostly bother me on long runs, usually once I hit Mile 8. It was never painful. It just got super tight. And of course then I'd start alter my stride. And it was just a bit cranky. But not so cranky that I couldn't keep running.

After setting that monster PR, I backed off on running in October and November. I still ran, but my "schedule" was one of those, eh, I'll run when I feel like it. And most of the runs were in the 3-5 mile range. On average I'd get 2 or 3 in a week. Nothing like the 30 mile weeks I was logging when I was running 5-days per week.

Well I've started back up with a training plan. And I don't know if it was the crazy downhill with the Santa Scamper, the longer Turkey Trot, the increase in mileage or a combination of all of them, but the last two weeks my IT band has been ANGRY.

And I got worried. Let's just say it hurt and bothered me so much during Thursday's 3-mile treadmill run that I was thisclose to just hitting stop sometime around 2 miles and quitting. And of course it wasn't just the IT band, but also a spot in my lower inside calf. And it hurt to walk out of the YMCA. I was almost in tears on the way home and of course in my mind I'm thinking stress fracture and boot was in my future.

But a rest day and a long, slow run with my friend Myriah on Saturday helped. She's battling a knee injury herself, so I was able to pick her brain about IT bands and what to do. But perhaps the best part is that neither of us was opposed to sprinkling walk breaks throughout our run. It definitely wasn't the fastest 5-miles I've run, but it felt good considering the circumstances.

And Myriah's advice (which was what I was expecting): Foam Roll. A lot. And schedule a massage with the sports massage therapist that we both see.

So that's what I've been doing. And tonight's run wasn't awful. It actually felt pretty good. And the IT band is a tiny bit cranky tonight post-run, but more of a grumble, not a full fledged temper tantrum like last Thursday.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a date with my foam roller for a torture session.

I'm smelling roses

2011-12-04T19:35:00.001-06:00

Source

Football season in Wisconsin has been a good one.

The Packers just beat the Giants with a last second field goal to go 12-0. And last night? Oh boy, last night. My Badgers had me nervous. Seriously. To the point where I was pacing. Walking around in circles during commercial breaks. But they pulled it out - albeit thanks to some poor Michigan State player who picked up a roughing the kicker penalty - and beat Michigan State to win the first Big Ten Championship Game and earn a spot - for the second year in a row - in the Rose Bowl.

Who needs to watch the National Championship Game - we've already seen LSU and Alabama square off against each other once this season and it wasn't pretty - when you can watch the Badgers play Oregon? Oh, it will be a good one.

******

Time for a HBBC Week 2 update. Lots of stretching and foam rolling this week since my IT Band is SUPER angry at me. So angry that I was nearly in tears after my run on Thursday. Expect to continue to see those stretching points showing up next week as well.

Nov. 26 - 6 (4 mile run, 2 stretch)
Nov. 27 - 1 (1 stretch)
Nov. 28 - 4.5 (2.5 mile run, 1 stretch, 1 FV*)
Nov. 29 - 5 (3 mile run, 2 stretch)
Nov. 30 - 6.5 (2.5 mile run, 1 walk, 1 FV, 2 stretch)
Dec. 1 - 6.25 (3.25 mile run, 1 FV, 2 stretch)
Dec. 2 - 3 (1 walk, 1 stretch, 1 FV)
Total: 32.25

*FV = fruits and veggies

Three Things Thursday

2011-12-01T14:30:00.000-06:00

1. So it's December, which means there are 31 days left in the year. 31 days to finish goals, especially those two big ones involving numbers for me: read 40 books and run 1,000 miles. Sadly I might miss both. I already touched on the books yesterday. The 1,000 running miles? I'm going to be close, but I don't think it's going to happen. Not counting today's run - which will get done after work tonight - I need to run 159 more miles to hit 1,000. That's a lot of miles. And it isn't going to happen. I was on track through September, but then I opted to go for a "run when I feel like it" schedule in October and November. And I needed it. But that leaves me 159 miles short. So at this point I'm just aiming for as many miles over 900 as I can. Any number I end up with will be a new yearly mileage PR for me. My highest yearly mileage to this point was 590 last year.

2. As fast as the year has gone, I'm pretty sure December is going fly. Which is scary because I've got so much to do. Decorate. Clean. Shop. Wrap presents. Family gatherings. Read. Run. Celebrate. Recover. Thankfully I've essentially got a week of vacation in the middle of the month (had to schedule the days and all the time around the holidays was already claimed).

3. Badgers. After I get done being a Warrior on Saturday morning the rest of the day is devoted to the Badgers. First it's the basketball game against Marquette and then at night its a rematch on the football field as Wisconsin takes on Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game. Crossing my fingers the football game doesn't end like it did in East Lansing.

November reading recap

2011-11-30T20:58:00.001-06:00

Seriously. How is it the end of November?

Anyway. November. Books. I finished three books in November for a total of 970 pages. That brings the total to 30 books and 11,018 pages. Hmm. I've still got to finish 10 more books in the next 31 days if I want to hit 40 books for the year. That might be tough, unless I start including children's books. Last year at the end of November I'd finished 36 books and 12,367 pages. Quite a bit more. But then I remember. There was that 1,260-page monster Les Miserables that I tackled earlier this year.

Anyway. What'd I read this month?

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
Twisted by Sara Shepard
A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay

Before I Go to Sleep wasn't a bad read, but I felt like I'd read it before. I mean to the point where I was reviewing my reading log for the last five years. Never appeared in the log, but I swear I'd read the book before. Either that or it was a pretty predictable plot, because I felt like I knew exactly what was coming and most of the time I was right. Twisted. What else to say except that it's the latest installment in the Pretty Little Liars series. And A Secret Kept? Take my advice. Don't even bother to pick it up. It's not worth the time.

I've got a few books planned for December. I'm in the middle of Out of Oz, the fourth installment in Gregory Maguire's Wicked Years series, and I just picked up Room by Emma Donoghue since I've heard good things. That's two. I do have Sarah's Key by de Rosnay, but after A Secret Kept I'm not sure I even want to attempt it. Although I have heard it's better. I dunno. Check back next month to see what I decided to do.

Any suggestions on quick reads?

Festival Foods 5-mile Turkey Trot

2011-11-29T12:24:00.000-06:00

I didn't stand a chance when it came to trotting after turkeys on Thanksgiving morning.

While I was glad I got out and logged the 5 miles and even managed to set a new 5-mile PR, I admit. My head was not in this run. There were probably a couple of reasons.

I realized at 11 p.m. the night before that while I had my running shoes and an outfit, my Garmin, iPod and Road ID were sitting on the living floor. At my apartment in Oshkosh. While I had my other iPod at my parents' house with me (which was odd since it's been staying in my work bag for the last, oh year), I didn't have any options for a watch. Looks like I'd be running this race naked.
I went to the race completely solo. My mom - my main support crew - had to stay home. Someone had to watch the turkey or else we'd be eating a charred bird for dinner.
The first mile? Complete craziness. So crowded.
It didn't help that my left IT band area was cranky. I think it was due to running hard at the Santa Scamper two days earlier. But it was cranky. And somewhere around Mile 2 (or what I thought felt like Mile 2), it started to let me know it.
So there were walk breaks. Earlier than I would have liked. And more of them than I would have liked. I kept them fairly short though and kept running.
At one point - somewhere after the water stop, so maybe around Mile 3 - I felt like I was running so slow that I was starting to mentally prepare myself for seeing a time greater than one hour when I crossed the finish line. It was at this point that I really mentally checked out. I just didn't seem to care anymore, which is odd for me and not something I've ever experienced in a race. But I kept running. Kept putting one foot in front of the other even though my IT band was screaming.
The only mile marker I saw was the Mile 4 marker. Once I passed that I knew the end was in sight, so I refused to walk anymore. I ran. It didn't seem fast, but I ran.
And then there was the finish line. I crossed it, ran into a friend from my Fleet Feet group, grabbed my personal sized pumpkin pie and headed home.

Later in the day, sometime between helping my mom prepare the Thanksgiving feast and watching the Packers beat up on the Lions, I went online and checked my official time: 52:58. Uh, what? Considering the amount of time I spent walking, that was surprising to me. Makes me think I took those first 2-3 miles a lot faster than I thought I was. But I'll never know because my Garmin was hanging out in Oshkosh while I was running in Menasha. And for the record, my previous 5-mile PR (set at the Oshkosh version of the Turkey Trot in 2009) was 54:55, so a nice little improvement. Of course I wonder what kind of time I could have turned in had my head been in the race for the entire 5 miles.

Oh well. Overall it was a tough race mentally, but I'm OK with the end result.

And the turkey I consumed later in the day? So worth it.

Warriors, Badgers and Booties...in other words, a weekend wrap up

2011-11-28T19:52:00.001-06:00

I know, I know. I still owe you a Turkey Trot recap. That's coming up. But first I've got a few weekend house-cleaning thoughts.

For starters, the Fleet Feet Winter Warriors training group kicked off on Saturday morning. Let's just say it was a complete different morning than that day in January when I got out of bed and nearly froze to death in sub-zero temperatures when my first go around with a Fleet Feet group started.

The group looks like it'll be a nice mix. Some speedy folks, some slower folks and a bunch in the middle. We only had 4 miles on the plan, but it was nice to be able to run and catch up with Rita, a girl who was in the spring group that I haven't seen since May, and Jeff, one of the coaches from the prior two sessions that has now moved out of state. I definitely didn't set any speed records - and I was reminded that I haven't done much hill work since, oh September - but it was a good start to the training program.

Baby Badgers! They're not so fierce looking now, but good thing the grown-up version will take on those Michigan State Spartans Saturday. Don't mess with grown-up Badgers. Source

After I was done being a warrior Saturday morning it was time to catch up on some of Season 2 of Glee before the Badger game started. I won't go into detail, but Wisconsin beat up on Penn State. They showed no mercy, and of course it didn't help that Penn State kept turning over the ball. So now it's on to Indianapolis for a rematch with Michigan State Saturday in the first ever Big Ten Championship Game. Bring it.

Booties. What could I possibly have to say about booties? Well Week 1 of the HBBC - the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge - is over and I need to do a bit of a recap or what I did last week to bust my bootie.

Nov. 19 - 1 (1 mile walk)
Nov. 20 - 1 (1 mile walk)
Nov. 21 - 2 (1 mile walk, FV*)
Nov. 22 - 3.5 (1 mile run, 1.5 mile walk, stretch)
Nov. 23 - 2 (1 mile walk, FV)
Nov. 24 - 8 (5 mile run, 1 mile walk, 1 FV, stretch)
Nov. 25 - 3 (2 mile walk, 1 stretch)
Total: 20.5 points

*FV = fruits and veggies

*****

And in non-weekend news, I went for a run tonight after work. In the pitch black. I only needed to do two miles, so I thought I'd be OK with running in my neighborhood while wearing my neon yellow Brooks Nightlife jacket. The only problem? There are no sidewalks, traffic likes to disobey the 45 mile per hour speed limit and go about 55 mph, the shoulder of the road isn't very wide and since I'm almost on the outskirts of town, there aren't a lot of streetlights, which makes it kind of dark.

In short: Until I get myself a headlamp and reflective safety vest to go with my Brooks Nightlife jacket, I won't be running outside in my neighborhood after dark. I just don't feel comfortable and really don't want to become roadkill. Any have any suggestions on headlamps? Either kind to get or where to go to buy one?

Santa Scamper Race Report

2011-11-23T10:00:00.000-06:00

This isn't so much a race, but more like a fun run before my hometown's Christmas parade. No chip times. While there are bibs, you don't get a number. Rather you get a W, M, B, or G (women, men, boy, girl, clever, huh?). It's a fun run though, up the main drag in downtown where the streets are crowded with people waiting for the parade.

This year's edition can be summed up in four parts:

Part 1: The first quarter-mile
The start is a little chaotic. Organizers try to make it organized but it doesn't happen. Sure you have the bright neon yellow sign indicating the speedy folks should be up front followed by the 6-minute milers, 7-minute milers, etc. all the way back to the walkers and strollers. But you still end up with families with little kids lining up at the front. Knowing this, I tried to position myself near the front. Heck, I think I was next to the 7-minute mile sign (never gonna happen). The race starts and we go. And for the first quarter-mile I'm dodging the families and little kids who just decide to walk. Or better yet, the little kids who run and then stop dead, turn around and look for their Mom and Dad. This leads to lots of weaving and lots of dodging. And a slower start than I was hoping for.

Part 2: The second quarter-mile
I've managed to separate myself from a good chunk of the kids and am just able to run. Keep a steady pace. No dodging. No weaving. Just me and the pavement.

Part 3: The third quarter-mile
This features a great downhill. Unfortunately I don't think a lot people know how to run a downhill. I like to fly. Let gravity take hold and gain a few extra seconds. Everyone else? It's like they put on the brakes. And decided to come to a halt like 3 people wide. Right in my path. Do you know how hard it is to weave and dodge while flying downhill? It's hard. There were two instances where it wasn't possible to change direction at the last minute and I was that runner who squeezed in between two people. Couldn't help it.

Part 4: The final quarter-mile
Straightaway. Flat. Again, I had separated myself from a good chunk of people so I could just throw the hammer down and make it to the finish line, which is situated at the top of a small little incline. I hit the line, pushed stop on my Garmin and looked down. I was really hoping to turn in a faster time this year than I did last year.

I did it. Barely. But I did it.

I finished this year's Santa Scamper in 8:55, one whole second faster than last year (when I didn't seem to have to do as much weaving and dodging). A new one-mile PR. I was happy. I collected my Dilly Bar and water and walked back uphill for the parade. I'd say it was a good night.

One PR down. One more to go this week.

Scampering and trotting

2011-11-22T11:00:00.000-06:00

Remember how I mentioned my "off-season" was about to come to an end?

Well, it technically comes to an end today I guess. Because I've got two, count them, two races scheduled in the next three days. Throw in a regularly scheduled rest day on Friday - although I guess I'm still trying to wrap my head around being allowed to have a rest day when I haven't been running much lately. *shurgs* - and follow that up with the first official training run of the Winter Warriors program.

Yup. Pretty sure the off-season is over as of today.

So the two races, what are they?

Tonight it's the Santa Scamper. I don't know if you could really consider it a race. It's more of a fun run. A one-mile dash down College Avenue in Appleton before the start of the Christmas parade. It's a fun one. Last year I turned in my fast mile EVER (8:56). I'm going to see if I can beat that this year, but I might have to pull cool aunt duty and run with my 9-year-old niece. We'll see.

Then Thursday, before I consume turkey and watch the Packers (hopefully) beat up on those Detroit Lions, I'll be running the Festival Foods 5-mile Turkey Trot. I ran the 5-mile version in 2009, the only other time I ran a 5-mile race, and skipped out last year due to cruddy weather and not wanting to get sick the week before I left for the Rock n Roll Las Vegas (a decision that obviously didn't work since I ended up sicker than a dog for that half marathon). Yes, the mileage hasn't really been up there the last two months, but I'm hoping I've still got enough in me to bust out a new 5-mile PR Thanksgiving morning. Besides, can't go wrong with a Thanksgiving Day turkey trot where you're guaranteed to walk away with a pumpkin pie (not that I like pumpkin pie).

Hello there blog, a week-long catch up in bullets

2011-11-21T21:47:00.001-06:00

Seems like I've disappeared from this blog the last week. Well, it was kind of crazy. Busy. Fun. I give you bullet points.

Monday Night Football at Lambeau Field. Need I say more? Amazing experience. So glad my friend Peggy asked me if I wanted to go. The pre-game salute to veterans was pretty cool and the game? What can I say, the Vikings never stood a chance. :) I got home super late after the game and was dragging the entire day at work. But it was so worth it.
Wednesday I went to an info session for Fleet Feet's Winter Warriors program. It's a training group that targets a February 15K. I need a group and something to get me back on track with a regular running schedule. The last two months, my "off-season," has been exactly what I needed. After busting my butt for 10 months, I needed a break, to just be able to run when I wanted to, not when a schedule told me to. But it's time. Time to get back to some regularity. Time to start logging some long runs again. Prep for the 2012 half marathon season starts not so bright and early at 7 a.m. on Saturday.
Speaking of the 2012 season, I've been thinking about race options. A post to come.
Saturday night there was some bachelorette fun. A friend of mine is getting married in the Dominican Republic in early December, so we headed out for dinner, girl time and drinks to celebrate on Saturday. It was fun. And let's just say, I'm not so used to 2 a.m. on Saturday mornings.
Throw in some pretty good football games involving the Packers and Badgers over the weekend and forcing myself to finish a not so good book and that was the end of the weekend.
And tonight? I wanted to run. I did. But I had to resist the urge to put on the running shoes and head out. Instead I had to make myself look presentable for a first date. Oh boy. That was a rough one. Longest 60 minutes of my life. May have to save that story for a later date. :)

Football makes Fridays pretty fantastic

2011-11-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

Friday afternoons around 4 p.m. are always pretty spectacular. I'm in a good mood. There's only about an hour of work left before I can sneak out of the office for the weekend.

But yesterday? It was pretty amazing. Why? Because of this.

Source

No. Sadly Aaron Rodgers didn't walk into my office. That, my friends, would have been unbelievable and I'm pretty sure you would have been able to hearing me screaming with joy across the blogosphere. Nope. Instead I got a phone call. Again, not Aaron Rodgers. Nope. I got a phone call from my friend Peggy asking me if I wanted to go to the Packer game against those hated Vikings on Monday night with her.

Um, you don't need to ask me twice.

Needless to say I'm pretty excited. Packers. Aaron Rodgers. Clay Matthews. Greg Jennings. Monday night football. Oh, and did I mention this will be my first trip to Lambeau Field for a regular season football game? Yup. It's only taken me 31+ years to finally make it there (I really don't count that pre-season game I was there for in 2008. I was sitting in an air conditioned suite, it was the Bengals - or Browns, not quite sure which orange team from Ohio it was - and I saw more of the practice squad than the starters).

Can't wait.

Three Things Thursday

2011-11-10T21:14:00.001-06:00

1. I think I can call myself a real runner now. I lost part of my toenail! After Fox Cities in September, I ended up with a blister under one of my toenails on my left foot. I knew it would probably be a half marathon casualty, I just wasn't sure how long it would stick around. The past few weeks I've been able to pull the nail away from the nail bed completely and tonight after I soaked my feet, I was trying to loosen it some more. Eventually the hard nail part came off my toe. Yay! There's still a layer of softer tissue (maybe the leftovers from the blister?) that's still attached to my foot, but even that's holding on by just a small piece. So I expect it to come off soon. Is it weird that losing a toenail makes me a little bit excited?

2. I got three runs in on the treadmill this week. I'm not adjusting to this pitch black at 5:30 thing very well. Let's just say I'm looking forward to getting something longer in outside this weekend. The worst part about tonight's run? Trying to get home from the YMCA. Apparently when my city holds a holiday parade (Yes, holiday. Not Christmas), they feel the need to shut down almost every street within a half-mile radius of downtown. Ugh. And then I get stopped by a train. Ugh.

3. Anyone been paying attention to what's going on at Penn State? As a news and sports junkie, I've been reading a lot of it. And all I can say is, wow. And I'll say this. Joe Pa needed to go. But there are a lot of folks still at PSU who also need to be gone.

I wasn't the only one wearing red

2011-11-06T21:59:00.002-06:00

So I'm halfway through my 6-day break from work. And I'll be honest. I haven't done much so far. And it's been great. The highlight of the time off will definitely be Saturday, when I took a road trip down to Madison to catch my second - and final - Badger football game of the season.

I wasn't even into the stadium and I ran into this Badger outside of Camp Randall Stadium. Sure he's no Honey Badger, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to make him mad if I ran into him in a dark alley.

The Badger football team huddles up during pre-gram warm ups. Considering they were coming off of two straight last minute losses, I'm pretty sure the theme of the pre-game pep talk was: Hey guys, we CANNOT lose a third straight game at the last minute.

There was the typical Badger Band pre-game show, and since my friend Nicole (who I went to the game with), has some pretty sweet tickets on the 50-yard line, I had a pretty good view. Look who was running right to me! It's Bucky!

There was a football game being played. And while the first two possessions by Purdue left me worried, the Badgers decided to play Wisconsin football. Monte Ball? He was an absolute beast on Saturday - rushing for a career-high 223 yards and three touchdowns.

Now, this is an early November game. Yes, it was a bit chilly and windy. But temperatures were in the lower 50s when the game started at 2:30 and probably dropped to the upper 40s by the time halftime rolled around. During halftime the Purdue folks pulled out their heaters and fired them up. And obviously the Purdue players were cold since they immediately huddled around the warmth. Weaklings.

This was a football game, but I can tie in some running to the post! During one of the commercial breaks, they honored the men's cross country team, which won its 13th consecutive Big Ten title last weekend.

After the break between the third and fourth quarters and "Jump Around" was finished, people started to file out of the stadium. What, the Badgers were up 52-17 and since the sun had set, it was starting to get a bit chilly. But I stuck around. Because dang nab it, I was going to see soak in every minute of Badger football that I could. Wisconsin ended up winning 62-17.

And look who I ran into in the halls of Camp Randall Stadium post-game? It's Bucky! OK. So it was really just a cutout that was part of a display (don't ask me what the display was, I didn't actually look at it), but I couldn't pass up an opportunity for a photo with that Badger!

Overall it was a great trip to Madison. Now I get to watch the rest of the games this season on TV. I'll be back next year though!

Three Things Thursday

2011-11-03T13:28:00.001-05:00

1. What's that you say? Don't bother going back into work until next Wednesday? Well you don't have to twist my arm. That's right. Today's Day 1 of six work-free days. I had some vacation time to burn and since taking time off around the holidays was out of the question (too many others had already requested it), I found myself using random days in November and December.

2. I don't have a ton of big plans during this stretch of time. Mostly relaxing. I am heading down to Madison on Saturday for my second Badger game of the year. Let's hope they turn things around. I'm not sure I can handle another last second loss. I'm toying with heading down to Devil's Head State Park, a place I've always wanted to go but haven't made it there yet. And I really have no excuses for not getting my runs in. There will also be reading. And the library timed it perfectly and filled my request for True Blood Season 2, so there will be some time spent watching vampires.

3. With Tuesday being Nov. 1, I decided to pull out Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. You know November has 30 days in it. Perfect. I've owned the DVD for over a year, but I've never actually made it all 30 days. Heck, I don't think I've even made it 10 days. But I want to try. Mostly because I know I need to start incorporating some strength and core training into my routine and I'm currently at a loss of where to start. So why not have Jillian tell me what to do and yell at me? Day 1. I finished. Didn't feel too bad. Day 2? Let's just say I took a rest day. The quads? They were killing me. Yeah, they're not so used to all the lunges and squats. Ouch. But I threw in a short run on Wednesday night, and although I still can feel it in the quads, I think I'm going to go for another round of the Shred later tonight and run this afternoon. Wish me luck.

October reading recap

2011-11-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

I wasn't running so much this month, but I guess I was spending that extra time reading.

I finished six books in October for a total of 1,731 pages. That brings the yearly total to 27 books and 10,048 pages, compared to 32 books and 11,292 books at the end of October last year. Still behind schedule, but I've made up some ground. The 40 book goal still looks kind of tough, but a little bit more doable. With two months left in 2011, I've still got to read 13 books to hit the 40 book goal. That averages out to 6.5 books a month. Can I do? We'll see.

What'd I read in October?

Killer by Sara Shepard
Heartless by Sara Shepard
Wanted by Sara Shepard
Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him by Luis Carlos Montalvan
You Are An Ironman by Jacques Steinberg
Miracle Beach by Erin Celello

Yup. More of that young adult lit took up a good portion of the month. But you won't see much more. I've only got one book left in the series, unless Sara Shepard writes a few more in the next few weeks. So I might need to find another quick-reading series. You Are An Ironman was pretty good. No. After reading it I do not want to do an Ironman. Although I do have the urge to get back into triathlons next year. But it was a feeling I was having before reading this book. More like one I've been feeling since, oh June when I didn't line up at the swim start at the High Cliff Tri. Miracle Beach was a great debut novel by a Wisconsin author. Read it if you get the chance and Until Tuesday was a great look at a returning war vet and also the whole concept of a service dog and how important they can be for a person.

I've got no shortage of things to read in November. As always happens with library holds, a bunch of my requests came in at once. And of course the two biggest ones are due back the soonest. Which means I've got less than two weeks left to make it through some monster novels. Good thing I've got a bit of time off coming up.

YMCA Freaky 5K Race Report

2011-10-30T19:58:00.001-05:00

This was a fun Halloween race. And the first race I've ever dressed in costume for.

My parents and I got to the park just after 8 a.m. on Saturday morning and after meeting up with my brother, his wife and their kids, we only had to wait around for about 30 minutes before the race started. It was a little chilly out - about 35 degrees with a ton of sun and no wind - so it was a bit cold, but not to bad. We eventually headed over to the start line and I found us a spot in about the middle of the pack - ahead of a huge cluster of strollers, but it turns out it was still a bit too far back because there were a ton of walkers that I ended up having to weave through.

Before we knew it it was go time.

I really didn't have any expectations going into this race. My running hadn't been very stellar in October, but I was pretty sure I could turn in a decent time, even if it wasn't a PR. I just wanted to see what I could do.

Right out off the bat the race starts with a pretty decent downhill as we head out of the park and along the river. I was running, letting gravity pull me downhill and I saw my oldest nephew run past me. I figured my brother or his wife were right behind me. Let's just say I got a bit of a shock when I glanced to my right and saw my 60-year-old father running downhill next to me.

Uh, there's no way I'm letting my Dad beat me downhill. And I might have told him that as I took off. I didn't see him again until the finish line.

I got down hill and kept running. I knew after a short flat section along the river we'd be heading back uphill. It's not a very long incline, but it's fairly steep. And it feels long. I admit, I wasn't sure how the hill was going to feel. Even though I ran a ton of them this summer, I haven't touched a hill since Fox Cities just over a month ago. And while the hill was brutal, I made it to the top and ran every step. I did take a short walk break at the top though. I kept running after that. Through some neighborhoods and another park, past a high school and through a water stop at about 1.8 miles.

We ran through another neighborhood and before I knew it, I was rounding the corner and the western edge of the park was coming into view again. I knew it was just about a half mile and I'd be at the finish line. I picked up the pace, crossed over some railroad tracks and turned the corner. A tiny wanna-be uphill and I was turning into the park and making my way to the finish line. I picked up the pace again, and based on how I felt, I probably left a little too much in the tank before that finish chute kick.

I ended up finishing in 30:32, not a PR, but I'm pretty happy with it. And it's definitely a PR for the course (I ran this race in 2009 and turned in a time of 34:11).

I didn't pay much attention to my Garmin during the race, but I was aiming to keep my splits between 9:50-10:00 pace. I ended up turning in splits of 9:43, 10:06, 9:52 and :50. Remember Mile 1 had the uphill/downhill combination and the short walk through the water station was accounted for in Mile 2. Pretty happy with those numbers.

So I'd say it was a good day. After I got down, I helped cheer for the rest of my family as they came in. And yes, I got some compliments on my race "costume," too bad it didn't send any good vibes the Badgers' way - for the second week in a row they lost a heart breaker courtesy of a Hail Mary pass. I swear. That team is going to be the death of me.

Mostly wordless Friday

2011-10-28T08:38:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone has a good weekend, whether you're running or not! I'll be back with a race report from the YMCA Freaky 5K at some point this weekend!

Three Things Thursday

2011-10-27T12:01:00.000-05:00

1. It's going to be a busy Saturday for me. It all starts off with the YMCA Freaky 5K in the morning. I'm going to race the race, but I'm also going to do it decked out in a "costume." Granted it mainly just involves a red and white tutu I made and some Badger gear, but still. I've never run a race in a tutu before. Looking forward to it. Then there's a family picture followed by supervising a kids' Halloween party for The Rugrats. And after all that?

2. It's time to keep the Badger gear on and watch the Badgers (hopefully) bounce back after last weekend's nightmare of a loss and beat Ohio State in Columbus. I swear, anything and everything that could have gone wrong - interceptions, a safety, a blocked field goal, a blocked punt and a crazy Hail Mary pass by Michigan State for a touchdown to end the game - did go wrong. Not a pretty game. Not a typical Badger team. Too many mental mistakes. I'm hoping they can put that nightmare behind them and go into the Horseshoe and play the way the real Wisconsin team plays. Because that was not the Wisconsin Badgers on the field last weekend.

3. And Sunday? I'm going to gun school. See on Nov. 1 a law goes into effect in Wisconsin allowing people to carry concealed weapons. And my bosses thought it would make a great story if we sent a reporter to one of the training classes people have to take in order to obtain a permit. Specifically have a "young, single woman who wants carry a weapon for her own protection" go through the class.

And since I'm the only one in our office who fits the bill - and just so happen to write about crime and other public safety issues - I'm going to gun school. 10 hours worth of it. A good chunk is classroom. But I am going to be spending 4 hours out on a shooting range. As in I needed eye and ear protection and was warned not to wear loose clothing because "hot brass" could fly down the front or back of my shirt. Uh. Ok.This should be interesting. Especially since I've only shot a gun once and I actually have no desire to carry a concealed weapon. Never mind the fact that I don't actually own a gun - but that's OK. I get to rent one for the day Sunday. All I can say is it's a good thing the Packers are on a bye week this Sunday.

Tis the season for challenges!

2011-10-26T19:28:00.001-05:00

So what better way to stay accountable through the holiday season other than signing up for some challenges?

In addition to my 1,000 mile for the year goal, I'm going to be involved in two other challenges (well, there's a possibility of a third, but the details are still be worked out on that one) - the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge and the Pile on the Miles Challenge.

Let's talk booties first. The Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge - or HBBC for short - is hosted by Amanda over at Run to the Finish. You earn points for things like running, eating your vegetables, and other forms of cardio and log your points for chances to win some pretty sweet prizes. This will be my third year participating in the challenge and I plan to throw up a weekly wrap up blog post for point totals. The challenge runs Nov. 19 through Jan. 6, so there's still plenty of time to sign up if you're interested. Go here and follow the directions. Come and join us!

Pile on the Miles...this should fit in well with my 1,000 mile goal. The challenge is hosted by Monica of Eat Run Repeat and the premise is simple. Rack up miles running and walking instead of packing on the pounds during the month of November. Log at least 5 miles per week and get entered into drawings. Go to this post for rules and how to sign up.

So what are you waiting for? Go pile up some miles and bust your booties! I know I'm pretty excited.

The blog is back!

2011-10-25T21:32:00.003-05:00

Tap, tap, tap. Is this thing on?

I think I've fixed my computer issues. Or at least fixed them enough for my computer to be functional for another couple of months so that I can get a nice check from the tax man to buy myself a new computer. At least I hope it'll hold out until then.

Anyway.

You didn't miss much while I wasn't blogging. Not only was I not blogging, I wasn't really running either. I think the last nine months of pushing myself for those half marathon PRs finally caught up to me. I just wanted a break. To not have to worry if I missed a run or didn't log a long run over the weekend if I didn't feel like it. I just wanted to run when I felt like running.

And honestly, I didn't feel like running much. It was so infrequent that I'm on pace to hit my lowest mileage month of the year. And it will be a bit of a scary low number. Of course that kind of puts a wrench in my plans to hit 1,000 miles for the year and as a result I'm going to need some major mileage months during November and December to hit that goal. Gulp.

But I think I might be back on track. I ran tonight. I wasn't sure how far it was going to be. I have been feeling good - battling a wanna-be cold and this nasty headache that has refused to leave my head for the last few days - but after I was done with work tonight, I made myself hit the YMCA treadmill (it was windy, colder and on and off rain). At first I was shooting for 3 miles. Then I made myself hit 4. And honestly I was feeling good, so I aimed for 6. And I did it. Hopefully this means I'm back on track with the running.

I do have a couple of blog posts in mind to catch you up on what's been going on. I'm crossing my fingers I can get to them in the next week. And as long as my computer behaves, I just might be able to get them posted.

It's good to be back!

Please stand by

2011-10-13T19:58:00.002-05:00

While I'm not dead, there's a chance my computer is nearing death.

It hasn't been working. I think it might have a virus, but I can't run my virus software because apparently my hard drive is essentially full, even though I've taken every document, photo and video off it and moved it onto an external hard drive.

Cross your fingers I can figure something out and hopefully I can get back to blogging soon.

Three Things Thursday

2011-10-06T20:04:00.005-05:00

1. Don't get me wrong. I like this Indian summer we're having here Wisconsin. Really can't argue too much when we've got temps in the upper 70s, sun, no clouds and barely any wind. The thing I don't like? I'm kind of over the whole, "dripping so much it looks like I just stepped out of the shower" phase when it comes to my runs. If I was running at noon, during the hottest part of the day, maybe I could understand. But I went for my run at 6 p.m. tonight and by the time I got home 4 miles later, the sun had set and it was starting to get dark. And I was still dripping wet. Hey Mother Nature. Let's compromise. How about upper 60s? That would make me happy.

2. Uh, what am I going to do this weekend? The Badgers have a bye week and the Packers don't play until Sunday night football. That's a lot of extra time to fill. Oh yeah. That's right. I've got a 25-mile bike ride for breast cancer awareness on tap along with having to fit in an 8- or 9-mile run. And a whole lot of extra time to enjoy the outdoors. Can't wait.

3. I can't avoid it. I've got to mention something about Steve Jobs. I admit. I'm not the type of person that needs everything Apple. Yes, I have an iPod (two actually - a shuffle and a classic). Yes, I considered getting an iPhone, but I ultimately went with a Droid. I like my PC. I don't have an iPad. But I like the Apple products.

I keep going back to that commencement speech Jobs gave at Standford in 2005. He said some great stuff. Things that apply to all aspects of life. And because this is my blog, I can do what I want. And I'm putting those nuggets of information here. Mostly for me, but maybe they'll make you think as well.

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever."

"You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Yes, they're the three quotes that everybody has been throwing around on Twitter and Facebook. But that must mean the man when on to something when he said them if they still pack a punch six years later. I think the man knew about more than just computers. RIP Steve Jobs.

October could be another good month!

2011-10-05T20:46:00.001-05:00

Remember all the good stuff I had going in September? A Labor Day 5K, Ironman Wisconsin spectating, a monster PR at Fox Cities?

Well October looks like it could be just as fun.

It all starts this weekend. When the calendar flips over to October it seems like everything turns pink. And for a good reason: It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Well, this year I'm going to publicly do something to try to raise awareness. I'm riding in the 25-mile Trek Breast Cancer Awareness Ride on Saturday morning with Peggy. Like so many other people, it's a disease that's affected my family. My grandmother passed away from the disease when I was 4. So I figure riding 25 miles this weekend, decked out in pink, is the least I can do. Plus it's supposed to be gorgeous.

Then next weekend? This Badgergirl is heading to Camp Randall! Yup! I'm going to see Wisconsin beat up on Indiana with Renee on Oct. 15. So. Excited. And it's homecoming. Yay!

And don't forget Halloween. But that weekend I'm also running the YMCA Freaky 5K. And I'm going to have fun with it. Yes. I'm running in a costume. Can't wait.

There will also be reading. And running, gotta keep chasing that 1,000 mile goal for the year. And while the month isn't quite as chock full of goodness as September was, I still think it'll be a pretty good month.

Not much substance here

2011-10-03T22:07:00.002-05:00

Badgers. Packers. Brewers.

Sigh. That my friends was an amazing weekend in Wisconsin sports. But even with all of those great games to watch, I did get a few other things done this weekend. A long run on Sunday. Putting together the perfect pink outfit for a Saturday event (which I'll tell you more about later this week). And enjoying this Indian summer that we're getting here in Wisconsin.

Today was a day off of running. But like I said, we're having some pretty spectacular weather here in Wisconsin for early October. Upper 60s to lower 70s. Sun. Great weather. So instead of letting this stuff go to waste, when I got home I changed my clothes and hopped on my bike for a short ride before it got too dark. I ended up getting in a 45 minute ride, about 8 miles at an easy pace. I felt nice to change it up and hit the road on my bike instead of for a run. The one thing I realized though? When it's 65 degrees outside, you can totally get away with a t-shirt and shorts and be comfortable. But when you're on the bike? A short-sleeved t-shirt is a bit chilly. Oops. Oh well. It was still a good bike ride.

September reading recap

2011-10-01T11:51:00.002-05:00

Welcome to October.

It's a big day here in Wisconsin. You knows. Brewers. Badgers. And at some point I need to fit in a run - since it was a "feels like" temperature of 35 this morning and I didn't pack clothes for that kind of cold, I had to push it back. But first, I give you a quick monthly reading recap. Because I've been reading.

In September I finished five books for 1,572 pages. That brings the yearly totals to 21 books and 8,317 pages. Compare that to last year when I had finished 26 books and 9,362 pages by the end of September. I still have that pesky goal of 40 books by the end of the year. I'm just over halfway with only three months remaining in the year! I need to average 6.3 books per month to finish with 40. Eek! It'll be tough, but it might be doable. Might.

So what'd I read in September? Take a look.

A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Dugard
Flawless by Sara Shepard
Perfect by Sara Shepard
Unbelievable by Sara Shepard
Wicked by Sara Shepard

Do you see a theme here? Yes, I knocked out four straight books in the Pretty Little Liars series. Yes. It's a series aimed at teens - four prep school girls from a swanky Pennsylvania suburb who are tormented by a stalker they initially thought was their dead friend. But guys, it's good. Sucks you in. Can't stop reading them. I've got three more to read - that I know of - and I can't wait to finish them.

So you can beat there will be some more Pretty Little Liars reading in October. And I've got a couple others sitting on my shelf that came in at the library. And of course they're all due back by Oct. 25, which means October should be a pretty busy month reading-wise.

Three Things Thursday

2011-09-29T20:44:00.001-05:00

Source

1. I seriously can't wait for Saturday. Not only is it the opening weekend of Big 10 football, but Nebraska's coming to Camp Randall to take on the Badgers. A match up between to top 10 teams? I'll take it. I'm jealous I won't actually be in the stadium, or even Madison, where the atmosphere is bound to be absolutely electric. But you can be sure that I'll be sporting my Wisconsin red and parked in front of a TV watching every second of the game. Can't. Wait. Go Badgers! And looking for something good to read? Here's a great piece on Wisconsin's offensive line - or rather, those Big Uglies with a caveman spirit. Love it.

2. OK. Running. I should talk about that. Three runs in three days. I think it's safe to say I've found my running mojo again. And it feels good.Now I've just got to find a few races to keep me on track. I'm already planning on doing a Halloween 5K for fun and I'm pretty sure I'll be putting together some kind of "costume" to run in. That would be a first! And in November there's always the Santa Scamper before the Christmas parade and a turkey trot on Thanksgiving Day. But I think I'm going to add in a 15K on Thanksgiving weekend. I've never done that race distance before, so automatic PR! And December? Well there's a local 5K I've always wanted to run, but schedules have never meshed. This year might be the year. And don't forget, the 1,000 mile goal for the year is still out there...I'm 249.5 miles away from hitting it.

3. Speaking of races. Remember when I ran the Run for the Paws 5K on Labor Day? I came home from work tonight and found this in my mailbox. My 30:30 time (on super tired legs) was good enough for third place in my age group (30-39). Nothing like a small race to get myself some age group bling. Come to think of it, the last time I ran the race - in 2009 - I also came home with a third place age group award.

Bonus: It's actually a huge weekend in the state of Wisconsin for sports. There's the Badgers. But there's also the Milwaukee Brewers, who open up postseason play at Miller Park Saturday afternoon against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a second game planned for Sunday afternoon, the same time the Green Bay Packers are going to be battling it out against the Denver Broncos at Lambeau Field. Oh it will be a good weekend. Can't wait.

Not a whole lot to say

2011-09-28T20:43:00.004-05:00

I've got nothing today. So you get this instead.

Oh, I guess I did have a pretty spectacular run tonight. Based on the last two days, I think I might have found my running mojo that went missing for the last week.

My desire to run went AWOL

2011-09-27T20:06:00.001-05:00

I won't lie.

The running has been very very minimal since I crossed the line at the Fox Cities Half Marathon just over a week ago. I had that 3-mile run late last week. And then I had good intentions to get something longer in over the weekend.

And well, I came up with more excuses than miles. Rain. The treadmill wasn't appealing. I had to watch the Badger game Saturday afternoon. Name the excuse and I probably used it.

Once again, I had good intentions on running on Monday. Heck, I even packed a gym bag to take to work since I knew it was going to be raining - hard - all day. But then I worked a little late. And I came up with an excuse not to turn left and head over to the YMCA after I left my work parking lot.

But tonight. I put an end to the excuses. I had the gym bag in my car again, but opted to go home and run outside since it was cool and overcast and there wasn't a chance for rain. I set out for my run, not really knowing how far I was going to go. I just wanted to see what it felt like. And you know what? It felt good. My pace was comfortably hard but I was enjoying the run. I ended up doing 4.65 miles. I would have loved to tack on an extra 1.5 miles for an even 6 miles, but it was starting to get dark and I wasn't dressed appropriately for night time running in a neighborhood with no sidewalks and busy streets.

So it felt good. My plan is log a few miles again tomorrow after work and then meet up with a friend for about 4 miles on Thursday after work. And this weekend? Something longer will get done, just not sure how many miles, when or if they will be run solo or with some of my Fleet Feet buddies.

Three Things Thursday

2011-09-22T20:23:00.001-05:00

1. I went for my first post-Fox Cities half marathon run tonight. It was perfect running weather - cool enough for long sleeves, but still comfortable in a pair of shorts. Loved it. When I headed out I wasn't sure how far I was going to go. I wanted to see how the legs felt and my one toe on my left foot has been bothering me this week, it's some combination of a blister and bruise. But the legs were feeling good when I hit two miles, so I tacked on an extra mile. It was nice to not worry about pace or time and just run tonight.

2. Granted even if I wanted to care about pace, I couldn't. I ran the run naked since my Garmin was dead. It was low on a battery Sunday, so I hooked it up to the charger. And today? I couldn't even get the thing to turn on. Hmmm. Is my Garmin dead? Nearing death? Was the lack of audible beeps at the mile intervals a warning sign? Thoughts?

3. A belated recognition of a momentous occasion here on the blog. Sometime over the weekend, I believe it was the Ironman Wisconsin spectating report, I posted my 1,000th post. That's a lot words that I've spewed forth on this blog. Here's to the next 1,000 posts.

Fox Cities Half Marathon Race Report

2011-09-20T22:57:00.001-05:00

It's two days later and yes, there's still a tiny part of me that still doesn't quite believe that happened.

All day Saturday while I was getting ready - picking up my packet, figuring out what I was going to wear, going to the team dinner, even falling asleep - I was relatively calm and relaxed. Maybe it was due to the fact that this was half marathon No. 4 for the year or because I've run the distance so many times I know I can do it.

I dunno. Relaxed. Not freaking out. Yet still a little bit odd.

The relaxation carried over into the next morning. I got up in the dark, got myself ready and Mom and I were ready to hit the road at 6 a.m. As we were driving over to the starting line area, I'm checking Facebook and Twitter. And I get a message from my friend Jeff, one of the assistant coaches from the running group and 10-time Ironman finisher.

Sure I came up with the time goals, but I hadn't really given a whole lot of thought to how I was going to get to those goals. Run my own race. Throw down the hammer. Sounded like a plan to me.

With Myriah and Peggy, part of the Fleet Feet crew, before the race.

We parked and walked over to the starting area where I met up with my teammates. Coach Jim introduced me to another one of his runners, Danielle, and mentioned we ran about the same pace and suggested maybe we run together. But I admit, I was feeling a little selfish. I didn't want to run with anyone. Remember, run my own race (my adopted-at-the-last-minute race plan). I smiled. Nodded my head. Wasn't overly committal and went to find Peggy. A quick pit stop at the port-a-potties and it was time to get ready to run.

Standing in the mass of people, Peggy and I exchanged a few last minute pointers and race strategy, then the horn sounded and it was go time.

I think of all the miles I logged this summer and I couldn't have done it without Peggy.

I went out at a steady pace. I kept myself reigned in. I didn't want to go out too fast. I wanted a nice easy pace for that first mile and then to kick up a notch or two about a mile in once the crowd thinned a bit. Somewhere around Mile 1 I noticed Danielle in her pink running gear. I kept my distance from her, but I think she knew I was there too.

I ran.

Pretty soon we passed the Mile 2 marker and shortly afterwards were heading up the overpass that goes over Highway 441. At the top of the overpass I glanced down at my Garmin, which I had set to the pace screen. And I was surprised when I saw I was holding a 9:50 mile, and that included the uphill on the overpass. I kept running, letting gravity pull me on the downhill.

I wasn't constantly watching my Garmin, but every so often I'd sneak a peak at it. And the pace was always in the 10:00 to 10:15 minute/mile range. But I felt good. I admit, there was a little part of me that was worried that I was going to crash and burn somewhere around Mile 9, but I was feeling good. It didn't feel like I was working hard. So I kept it up.

Right before the Mile 5 aid station I saw a woman standing on the side of the road holding a sign. I can't remember exactly what the sign said, but I did see the word "Badgergirl" and remembered Jess had made a comment that her mom made a sign with my name on it. That was pretty cool. A random person who didn't even know me was cheering me on.

I kept running. Still feeling good. A tiny part of me was still preparing to crash and burn.

I saw my Mom around the Mile 8 marker and almost got run over by a milk truck moments later. Yes, I was on course. Yes, I had the right of way. Yes, he was an impatient trucker who should have been steering clear of a race course.

I kept running. This is a section of the course that I've struggled on in years past. Menasha's not a huge city, but it's a long city. And I swear we run it end to end. Right at Mile 9 we entered Jefferson Park where there was an aid station manned by the fine folks from Fleet Feet. As much as I wanted to slow down, I didn't. Couldn't let those folks down. There was also a bit of wind here, but I dealt with it. It was somewhere around here that I lost Danielle.

I was back out of the park and nearing my trip through Menasha. I caught my Mom right before the bridge and then booked up and over the bridge and into Neenah for the final 3.1 miles. As I passed that Mile 10 marker at the top of the bridge, I glanced down at my Garmin.

I was at 1:45.

And of course the thoughts in my head started swirling. That's 45 minutes to hit a 2:30. Good to know if I do crash and burn these last three miles. But also 40 minutes to hit that 2:25 I was aiming for, the B goal I set for myself. And if I'm really clicking, I've got 37 minutes to hit my A goal of 2:22. And maybe, just maybe 2:20 could be in the cards if everything goes exactly to plan. Nah. Never gonna happen.

I kept running. And did I mention I was still feeling good?

I ran through a neighborhood with big, older homes that I like and made a right turn. I hit 11 miles at 1:55. Still doable. Still feeling good. I rounded the corner and was headed up and over the final bridge. There's an aid station at the end of the bridge and typically I walk the aid stations. Well, I saw my Mom standing there - totally unexpected since after seeing her right before Mile 10 I wasn't planning on seeing her until the finish - and well, I couldn't walk when my Mom was watching. So I grabbed my glass of Gatorade and my cup of water and kept running. I turned the corner and I was in the home stretch.

I don't remember much about the final 2 miles. I was in the zone. Once I turned that corner, I threw the hammer down. Yes, they weren't my fastest miles, but I was determined to finish strong. And that involved no walking. Besides, I was still feeling really good.

You pass the Mile 12 marker right as you pass the street where the finish line is located. It's kind of mean, being so close to the finish yet knowing you've still got a loop through the park passed mansions and the lighthouse. And since we were running right next to the lake, the wind had picked up.

But I ran.

Yes. It was hard. But remember, hammer had been thrown. And I was thinking of all those people I watched at Ironman Wisconsin during the later stages of the marathon. You could tell they were hurting. But did they stop? No. They kept putting one foot in front of the other. And I thought of my friend Krista, the one who got me started in this whole running business, who finished her first 50-mile race the day before and was a rock star. Did she hurt? Probably. Did she give up? Not a chance.

And then about halfway to the lighthouse I glanced at my watch. I had just under a half-mile to go and my Garmin was reading 2:15. Unless something epic happened, I totally had a chance to hit a 2:20 or maybe even a sub-2:20. I pushed it. I wanted that sub-2:20. I worked all summer, running through the heat, the humidity, the runs that started when it was dark out. I put in the miles and honestly at that point wasn't going to let a half-mile stand between me and that sub-2:20 result.

So even though I wanted to slow down and take a short walk break as I rounded that corner and the finish line stretch came into view, I didn't. I fought. I threw the hammer down and I pushed it. I took my headphones out just so I could soak up the finish line atmosphere, but honestly I was in such a zone that I don't remember hearing anything. It was like me and me alone. There was no cheering crowd lining the chute.

Yes, that's me. Hands on my head, not quite believing the number I'm seeing.

This is what crushing your PR looks like.

I threw down a nice finishing kick and hit that finish line.

2:19:27

Honestly I almost couldn't believe that I did that. I mean, I didn't really have any stellar runs this training cycle. And there was never one run that I held close to a 10:35 minute/mile pace for an extended distance. But it was like Sunday was the perfect storm - perfect running weather, a nice amount of pushing by another runner (thanks Danielle), the right mindset and the right amount of confidence in myself.

Post race with Peggy and Amy. PRs all around for these Fleet Feeters.

For those keeping track at home, my previous half marathon PR was set at the Oshkosh Half in April (in less than ideal weather conditions) with a 2:30:05. So this race? That's almost an 11-minute improvement. And when you compare that to my result at Fox Cities in 2010, when I turned in a 2:43:58? Almost unbelievable the progress I've made.

But then I look back and think about everything I've done these last nine months - the early mornings, the hill intervals on a treadmill, the weekly long runs peppered with hills, the 4 runs during the work week - and I realized that I deserve that kind of improvement.

After all. J.J. Watt said it best. Dream Big. Work Hard.

My dreams were pretty dang big, even if I didn't realize what my dream was exactly other than improve my half marathon time. And gosh darn it, I worked plenty hard this year.

A Fox Cities teaser

2011-09-19T21:52:00.000-05:00

I owe you a recap of what happened at the Fox Cities Half Marathon on Sunday. And you would think since I had the day off of work today, I would have been able to get it written up. But it's not done.

For my Facebook and Twitter friends, they already know the results. For the rest of you, I'm leaving you in suspense. But I will show you this. And yes, I realize this is not the most flattering picture. But no one ever said running 13.1 miles was glamorous.

It's up to you to decide if you think that face means it was a good day or a bad day on the race course. I'll be back with the details on Tuesday!

Remember this

2011-09-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's race day. At this point I should be lining up at the starting line. And if there's anything going through my mind, I hope it's this:

Source

Gotta have some goals, right?

2011-09-17T11:00:00.000-05:00

So it's Race Day Eve.

Ideally I'd love to spend the day lounging around. Watching some college football, drinking some water. In general not doing a whole lot. But I don't get to do that.

Nope. Instead I've actually got a fairly lengthy "To Do" list. And some of it probably could have been tackled and accomplished on Friday when I took the day off. Oh well

For starters there's heading over to watch my nephew (who's in first grade) at his second football game. Well, it's more like mostly practice and learning the rules and a little bit of game. Then it's off to meet up with a friend for some race expoing and lunch. And the Badger game. But since it's not on TV (well, unless I find a bar with that particular sports package), I might just be listening to it on the radio. Throw in a team dinner and it's kind of a full day.

Oh yeah. I've still got to figure out what I'm wearing for race day. And should probably come up with a plan of attack for the race. While I haven't figured out a race plan, I do have some goals. And yes, I'll put them out there.

A goal: New PR, finish in 2:22. That's a 10:50 minute/mile pace. A lofty goal, but given the perfect conditions, feeling great on the run and having a stellar mindset, I might be able to do it if I leave everything on the race course.

B goal: 2:25. That's an 11:04 minute/mile pace. This is probably the more realistic goal. But still, it would be a fairly huge PR, besting my current PR by 5 minutes.

C goal: Sub-2:30. This would still be a PR. And I'd be happy.

D goal: Finish, don't die and have a good time.

Come on race day. I'm ready for you.

Ironman Wisconsin Spectating Report

2011-09-16T19:42:00.000-05:00

When you hear Ironman, it's not surprising to hear people say it was hard. But have you ever tried spectating at one? Dude. It was hard. Like, by the time my friend Jeff crossed the finish line, it almost felt like I had done an Ironman. Or something close.
But even though it was hard and tiring, it was so much fun. And I got so much out of it. An amazing day. I saw the pros who almost seemed to float through the 140.6 miles without breaking a sweat. The middle of the packers who looked strong throughout, even though you could tell they were hurting at times. And towards the end of the day as the daylight turned into dark and each and every step hurt, you could see the determination in people's faces. Because after all of the hard work they put in, they were going travel 140.6 miles and dang it, they were going to hear the announcer say, "(Name here), you are an Ironman" as they crossed the finish line.

Inspiring stuff. Just what I needed going into race week.

My Ironman spectating started off on Saturday. After running a 9-mile run, my last long run of the training cycle, I headed out with Peggy for Madison. We met up with our friends Jeff, Silvia, Myriah and Josh and scoped out the Monona Terrace area to get the scoop on the best places to watch the swim and logistically how to catch Jeff (who would be trying to finish his 10th Ironman) as he was coming out of the water and minutes later going out on the bike.

Of course after figuring that out, we needed food. So we all headed over to the Glass Nickel for pizza. And of course there were some last minute pointers on bike and run viewing as well as maybe some scheming about future triathlons in our futures. One which could possibly involve a tandem bike. Don't ask.

Race day dawned. Peggy and I loaded up my car and set off for Madison. Once down at the Terrace, we met up with Silvia and Jeff's dog Flecka. It was a mass of people. Everywhere you looked. People. Cameras. Athletes in wetsuits. The energy was amazing. Especially considering it wasn't even 7 a.m.

Soon the cannon was shot and the athletes were off. I wish I could have seen the swim start from the top level of the terrace, but still. Watching from lake level, you could still kind of get a picture of the washing machine like churn that 2,800 athletes produce.

We made a quick pit stop on the Capitol Square for food and caffeine, caught a little bit of the 9/11 observance and headed back to the terrace just in time to spread out and watch for Jeff as he came out of the water and took off on his bike.

Then it was time to head out into the area west of Madison to catch the bike. We went out to Timber Lane, which is about 3/4 of the way through the 40-mile loop that athletes bike twice. It's also home to a monster of a climb.

The atmosphere out there? Tour de France-like. People lining both sides of the street. People running uphill, shouting words of encouragement, as their Ironman in the making tackled the incline. And yes. There was even a group of guys dressed up in costume - one may have been wearing a pink feather boa and a coconut bra - that cheered triathletes on.

We saw Jeff come by twice, he looked good both times, and then headed back to downtown Madison to grab out bikes and start spectating the run.

Of our group, I was the most familiar with Madison since I went to school there, so it was left up to me to figure out the best places to catch Jeff on the run. Looking at the map, I found a couple spots that would allow us to see him on a few occasions. We headed out to the Memorial Union where we could see him at miles 6 and 7ish, then headed over by Camp Randall where we'd see him around mile 10ish. Next it was to the Capitol Square where we could see him at 12.6ish and then about 13.5ish.

The second loop we added in a few extra stops at Jeff's request. He was starting to struggle a little bit, but still looked good. There was an extra stop out by the Natatorium (not sure on miles, maybe 17), back to the Union (miles 19/20), Camp Randall (probably close to 23) and then the Kohl Center (Mile 25). We biked alongside him for about half of the final mile, encouraging him. And, dude. The guy picked up the speed in that final mile. He was keeping his eye on the clock and really wanted to hit that 13 hour mark. Midway through the mile he told us to go and meet him at the finish line.

We did. Ditched our bikes and ran to the finish line area. And somehow managed to miss him. D'oh! But we met up with our Ironman friend - and other friends - afterwards.

Overall it was an amazing experience. To see the triathletes. And the crowd support. And the grit and determination that the athletes had. All of that was worth the walking. And the biking. And the standing on the side of a hill for hours in the blazing hot sun.

Because I went get to Mile 11 on Sunday and I'm starting to struggle and just wish that I was finished, I'm going to look back. Those Ironmen struggled. It hurt. They could have pulled off to the side of the road as they were biking up Timber Lane - for the second time - and just threw in the towel. But they didn't.

They kept going. Because they wanted it. And in most cases, they got it.

So congrats to all the Ironmen out there who tackled Ironman Wisconsin. I'm thankful I got to see it. And to Jeff - thanks for letting me be a small part of your 10th Ironman finish!

Three Things Thursday: Fox Cities Half Marathon Edition

2011-09-15T08:15:00.000-05:00

1. So it's race week. Which means I've been antsy. And concentration has completely disappeared. I just want it to be the weekend so I can pick up my packet, figure out a plan and run my race. And of course the week has been dragging! Thankfully I thought ahead and took Friday off. But still. This has been the longest 4-day work week.

2. I've been light on the running this week. I skipped Monday to recover from my Ironman Wisconsin spectating and Tuesday it just got too late. I did get in 4 miles last night and plan on getting in an easy 2-3 miles tonight. Then? It's time to rest.

3. I'll be back with a separate post about race goals and looking back at my training. But rest assured, after the actual race itself? I've got the most important thing covered. An hour-long massage has been scheduled for Monday! Can't wait for that.

Actual photos of me running

2011-09-14T08:44:00.000-05:00

Hey. Remember when I ran the Madison Mini Marathon in August?

I've actually got proof that I ran it. I finally got around to looking at the professional photos that were taken. And while I liked some of them, I'm really not in the mood to pay the incredibly steep fees those photogs want. So I used the screenshots. Because it's not often that you come across a good race photo.

Waiting out the rain delay inside an air conditioned theater at the Memorial Union with @ptg1002 and @MsIndigo

This one is actually my favorite. I like to think I look a little bit like a bada$$ here. A runner on a mission.

So I might have a slight problem with looking down at the pavement sometimes when I run.

Heading onto the Lakeshore Path. Just a little over 2 miles to go.

Finish line sprint. Yes, I passed that chic in the yellow.

I look a little bit like death here. But mostly because I was hot and wet. But I needed to get the pic in front of the iconic Union Terrace chair.

Spectating report to come

2011-09-13T20:28:00.002-05:00

Guys. Spectating at Ironman Wisconsin? Hard. But so much fun!

And while I've (mostly) recovered, you'll have to wait a couple of more days for the full spectating report and what I thought. Mostly because my computer is being stupid. Seriously. Almost 5 minutes to load a web page? I don't even want to think how long it will take to upload photos.

But I'll leave you with this.

Because Ironmen? They're not too bad on the eyes.

Three Things Thursday

2011-09-08T08:30:00.000-05:00

1. Are you ready for some football? I know I am! I can't wait for the NFL season to kick off tonight at Lambeau Field. And you bet I'll be sporting my green Aaron Rodgers jersey tonight. The only bad part about today? Instead of heading up to Green Bay to take in all of the kickoff festivities that are going on, I'll be at work. Somehow I have a feeling my concentration level will be pretty close to non-existent.

2. Last night I headed out to meet up with Peggy for a run after work. We had 6 miles on our training plan and both of us have realized that 6 miles is about the cut off point for where running alone is tolerable. We can both do the longer miles alone, but find them so much easier and more enjoyable when we're with a running buddy. So we met up and ran. And the miles? They literally flew by. And they didn't feel hard. We took them pretty easy, even sprinkling in a few short walk breaks, but still finished with a fairly decent pace. We were happy.

3. And the run gave us a chance to make some more plans for this weekend. Because we're heading down to Madison to take in all the Ironman Wisconsin craziness and cheer on our friend, fellow Tough Mudder and coach Jeff as he travels the 140.6 miles. So excited. It's going to be an amazing and inspirational weekend. And I'm pretty sure I'll walk away on Sunday with the desire to add a triathlon on to my 2012 race calendar. I missed it this year.

Run for the Paws 5K Race Report

2011-09-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Given the face that I had run nearly 14 miles the day before, I wasn't sure what to expect when I lined up at the starting line for the Run for the Paws 5K on Monday morning.

It's a Labor Day race followed by a parade and festival (featuring free corn!) in a small town that my friend Amanda lives near. I did the race in 2009 and it was a nice small, local race. Knowing I needed to get 3 miles in anyway on Monday and that I hadn't seen Amanda in a few months, I signed up.

Of course, that was thinking my long run would be on Saturday and I'd have a day to recover. Dang Mother Nature.

Before the lightning pushed my long run back a day, I was initially thinking I'd use the 5K on Monday to test out my speed. It was supposed to be cooler and the route is fairly flat. Fast forward to Sunday night, I had legs that were feeling a little trashed (even though I sported my green CEP compression socks all day) and I was seriously thinking of hanging back with Amanda and just getting the miles in at the run/walk pace that she's used to.

But then race day dawned and the legs didn't feel too bad. We lined up at the starting line. I told Amanda I was going to go out and see how I felt. But she shouldn't be surprised if she found me on the side of the road midway through waiting for her.

The gun went off. I started running. There were probably only about 25 people running so I was fairly close to the front. Kind of weird feeling. Anyway.

First mile I was feeling good, but I didn't realize I was running a 9:30 mile. Huh. Guess my legs weren't as trashed as I thought they'd be a day after almost 14 miles. Somewhere around 1.2 miles the route made a left turn and we were heading north on a village street. Straight into the wind. Not a bad wind, but you could definitely feel it. I tried to keep the pace up though. Went through the water stop, grabbed a glass and walked for maybe 10 seconds. Started to run again. Second mile in 10:00.

About a half mile later we made another left hand turn and we in the home stretch. Unfortunately we were also heading uphill. Not a nasty uphill by any means, but enough that it caused my legs to start getting cranky with me. I refused to walk the uphill, waiting until I got to the top before I let myself walk for about 20-30 seconds. This is also when a pair of girls that were behind me - who I had been holding off the entire race so far - passed me along with another woman. Them passing me was kind of a downer, but then I remembered, hello, you just ran 14 miles yesterday. It's OK to take it easy.

I started running again, refused to stop. Made the last turn onto the finish line straight away and tried to kick it into a finish line sprint. I sprinted. But didn't have enough road to catch the three woman that passed me during that brief walk break.

I finished in 30:30. Not too bad considering it was on tired legs from the weekend's long run the day before. And considering it's just 40 second slower than my 5K PR? I'll take it. I got my finisher's medal and chugged some chocolate milk and water. We didn't stick around for the awards ceremony because the pancake breakfast at the high school was calling our names.

Moving the long run, but a good choice.

2011-09-06T20:52:00.001-05:00

Nothing like Mother Nature to throw a wrench into long holiday weekend plans.

I was set to have my final long run - 13 miles - before taper starts for Fox Cities on Saturday. The weatherman said there was a chance of showers on Saturday, but it wouldn't be until the afternoon. So did all the pre-long run stuff on Friday night that I usually do and went to bed at a somewhat reasonable time.

Well when 5:15 rolled around, I was not only greeted by the buzzing of my alarm, but also a huge crack of thunder, so much lightning flashing that I could have been confused and thought it was 5:15 in the afternoon and the text message alert sound from my phone.

"WTF? Do we have a contingency plan? Breakfast now, run tomorrow AM? Lightning and thunder."

After a brief, half-asleep text message phone tree with my running buddies Peggy, Myriah and Amy, it was a no-brainer. We're going back to sleep.

So I did. And I eventually woke up to sunny skies, a guilty feeling about skipping the run and then was blasted with the humidity. But plans were in place to get the run in Sunday morning.

We met up at the park - minus Myriah, who's been sidelined with some knee pain - and let me tell you. We were rewarded for waiting 24 hours. Some light cloud cover, no humidity and temperatures in the mid-50s! Guys, it was actually a little chilly! Loved it.

I ran with Peggy, we talked race strategy, general life stuff and started to make tentative plans for Ironman spectating. Jeff rode along side us for portions of the run and offered good advice. I was feeling great.

And then I hit Mile 10 and my left knee started getting cranky. It's been happening every so often since I banged it mid-fall from the Berlin Walls at Tough Mudder. I'm also pretty sure the crankiness is my body's way of reminding me my shoes need to be replaced. The pair I was wearing Sunday had about 350 miles on them and it was time to start breaking in the new pair for race day last week, but with limited runs (one 7-miler) I didn't start last week.

So the last three miles were a bit of a struggle. The pace slowed down a bit. A few brief stretch breaks just to try to get the tightness worked out. But there were also some mental battles in my head. Self-doubt crept in. Worries about the half marathon in two weeks and if I'll be able to pull out the kind of performance I want since I feel like I haven't had that one great long run this training cycle.

And all the negative thoughts? Jeff did the best he could to banish the negativity as he was riding next to me. Bluntly told me that those thoughts were a load of bulls&$t and that I've made the strides in training this time around and I'll be able to hit the goal. And when it wasn't coming from Jeff it was coming out of Peggy's mouth.

Basically they told me exactly what I needed to hear to get that little bit of confidence back that I needed in order to push through those final miles. And it was reinforced when I finished the run and hit stop on the Garmin. 13.7 miles in just over 2:35. And that includes the drop in pace, struggles with the knee and a few walking breaks in the final 3 miles.

Bring on the taper. Less than 2 weeks.

September could be a pretty good month

2011-09-02T20:12:00.000-05:00

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How is it already September?

Not that I'm complaining. Because I'm kind of looking forward to the cooler fall temperatures - if they ever decide to show up and stick around - and I've got some pretty cool things planned for the month.

But first I have to mention my Badgers.

Did anyone see that game last night? Bucky was on fire! Or I guess maybe his arms were on fire. See at Wisconsin we've got a tradition. Everytime the Badgers score during the football game, Bucky Badger does that number of pushups on a board that's being held up by the male cheerleaders. On a low scoring night it's not really a problem.

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But when the Badgers beat UNLV 51-17? That's a lot of pushups. In fact, last night Bucky did 233 pushups. His arms must have been burning. And while watching last night I decided I'm going to keep track of how many pushups Bucky does this year. Could be interesting.

So now that I've addressed the Badgers (who looked pretty amazing in their victory and I'm pretty stoked to watch our new QB Russell Wilson this season), I can move on to other exciting things I've got planned for September.

It starts this weekend. Sunday night I'm heading down to my old stomping grounds, the 'Burg, to hang out with Amanda, a friend of mine. On Monday we're heading over to Randolph, this little village near her house, for Run for the Paws, a local 5K and corn carnival. I did the 5K with her two years ago and am pretty excited to make a return appearance. The first time I did it was a small little race and I actually placed in my age group! Looking forward to seeing what I can do this year.

Next weekend? It's going to be pretty cool. My friend Peggy (who just started a blog, stop by and say hi!) and I are heading down to Madison to cheer on Jeff, a friend of ours and fellow Tough Mudder teammate, as he tackles Ironman Wisconsin. Even though I went to school in Madison, I never got to experience an Ironman since the event was first staged the fall after I graduated. So I'm super excited to spectate and cheer on all the athletes. Should be a pretty inspiring weekend and it comes at a great time because....

The next weekend is the Fox Cities Half Marathon. My 'A' race for the fall. I'm pretty sure there will be more written about this race as race day gets closer.

So a pretty busy month. And that's only the first three weekends! I'm ready!

Three Things Thursday: Game Day edition!

2011-09-01T06:20:00.000-05:00

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1. It's game day! In a matter of hours you'll find me sitting in front of a TV watching as the Badgers open up their season, and the entire college football season, against UNLV at Camp Randall. So. Excited. I've been waiting for what seems like forever. Or since Jan. 1 when Wisconsin lost a heart breaker to those darn Horned Frogs from TCU and JJ Watt cried during the post-game press conference. But it's a new season. And it could be a special one. And it all starts tonight. Under the lights. Kick off is at 7 p.m. And I'm pretty sure the concentration level while I'm at work today will be non-existent.

2. But before I get to watch the Badgers I've got a run date set up with a new running partner here in Oshkosh. I know Jes through Twitter and we're both in the middle of half marathon training and run about the same pace. So the plan is to meet up after work for a quick 5 miles. I'm looking forward to it!

3. Speaking of football. Did anyone see this? Apparently President Obama wanted to make a speech to the joint session of Congress on Wednesday, Sept. 7 but after some outcry from Republicans pushed it back to the next day. No big deal, right? Well, Sept. 8 just happens to be the NFL season opener. You know, the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers taking on the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field? I'm pretty sure there might be a few angry Packer fans in Wisconsin if the President's speech interrupts the game and we miss a chunk because TV shows the speech instead of the game. Just sayin'.

Bonus: As I was adding up mileage for the month of August I realized I had another 100+ mile month! I logged 113.45 miles for the month. That's the third time I've hit that number this year (or actually ever) and my highest monthly mileage total (previous high was 111.7 miles in March). This brings me to 677.75 miles for the year, and leaves me needing 322.75 more miles before the end of the year if I want to hit that 1,000 mile goal. Four months. Think I can do it?

Yup. They waited.

2011-08-31T21:44:00.002-05:00

Remember that 7-miler I skipped out on Tuesday morning due to a headache?

It was patiently waiting for me after work tonight. And I got it done.

It was fairly decent outside after work, a little warm, but no chance of rain. I should have just headed out to the Wiouwash Trail and gotten the run done outside. But I headed indoors. To the treadmill.

See, Andy Roddick was playing his first round match at the U.S. Open. Right when I would be starting my run. And me? I have a little thing for Roddick. So it was off to the YMCA and the treadmill so I could kill two birds with one stone: Get the run in while watching Roddick.

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Of course his match started late. But I did get to see a pretty incredible second set that was decided in a tiebreaker in the John Isner (another player who's quickly earning a spot on my must see list) and Marcos Baghdatis. I swear, the tiebreaker alone was long enough for me to pound out 2 miles! By the time the Roddick match started, I had three miles left to run, just enough time to watch the first set.

Overall a pretty good run and even though it was done on the treadmill, it went pretty quickly. Granted treadmill runs do seem to go faster when I've got some good TV to watch. Tomorrow it's back outside. Just in time for the mid-80s and humidity to return. Great.

They're still waiting

2011-08-31T06:30:00.000-05:00

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Remember I said the runs have been non-existent this week?

I missed Monday's 3-miler because it was necessary to go out and have 2-for-1 margaritas and Mexican food with my friend Jess to celebrate her taking the first step on a new journey. And I had good plans to get up early and do the 7 miles on the schedule before I went in for a night shift at work Tuesday. Woke up with a headache and just couldn't do it.

So I've got a big fat zero on my training log for the week right now.

That's changing tonight. After I get done with work those 7 miles I was supposed to run Tuesday are getting done. Because in 18 days I'll be lining up at the starting line for the Fox Cities Half Marathon. And there better be a new PR at the end of that 13.1 mile journey.

August reading recap

2011-08-30T22:12:00.002-05:00

There hasn't been much running this week - OK, there hasn't been any running this week - so instead of letting the sound of crickets take over the blog, I thought I'd give you the August reading recap since no additional books will be finished by Wednesday night.

After a slow start to the year, I think I got back on track in August. I finished five books for a total of 1,815 pages. That puts me at 16 books for a total of 6,745 pages for the year. For comparison's sake I was at 21 books and 7,991 pages by the end of August 2010. I'm still behind book wise, but I've got some light, fast, no thought required reading lined up, so hopefully I'll be able to catch up a bit. I still think 40 books for the year might be a stretch though.

Anyway. So five books for the month. What'd I read?

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Loved The Help. Dead Reckoning gets an eh. It definitely wasn't the best installment of Sookie Stackhouse's adventures. I had to pick up the Brashares book since I've read the other four Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books. Pretty Little Liars was classic young adult, mindless reading and yes, I'm looking forward to more of the series. And The Art of Racing in the Rain was a great read - life told through the perspective of a dog. Loved it.

So what have you guys been reading? Any good suggestions?

Three Things Thursday

2011-08-25T21:46:00.001-05:00

1. I admit. I quit. I was having one of those runs Wednesday. It was hard. My legs were not cooperating. It was hot. And windy. Even though I was suffering through the run with Jess by my side, I just couldn't do it. I was supposed to do an easy 3 miles. But even "easy" was painfully awful. I just couldn't.

So at mile 2? I quit.

I don't do this often. I can't remember the last time I bagged a run for a reason other than a nagging pain. My Garmin dinged at the 2 mile mark, I looked to my left and asked Jess if it was OK if we stopped. We did and walked the last mile back to her place.

I know we all have bad days. And a day later I'm pretty sure that's what Wednesday was, a bad day. A day that I'll be able to learn something from. But still. Pulling up and just quitting mid run? That was hard to do.

2. On the plus side, tonight's 5-miler went so much better. It was cooler. Not humid. I ran along the river. The only bad thing was the nasty flies and mosquitoes that kept trying to drain me of my blood whenever I even slowed down remotely.

3. Just a heads up. There's a possibility there might be a few more non-running related posts appearing in the next week. Because next Thursday night? As in seven days from now? Badger football returns! Wisconsin opens the college football season by hosting UNLV at Camp Randall. And yes. I'm just a tiny bit excited.

Madison Mini Marathon Race Report

2011-08-22T22:06:00.001-05:00

I've run in just about every weather condition we get in Wisconsin this year: snow, sleet, rain, ice, bone-chilling sub-zero cold, wind, hot and humid.

Thankfully the race directors at the Madison Mini Marathon didn't want me to add lightning to the list.That could be scary.

I kid you not, 5 minutes before the starting gun was set to go off, all of the runners who had lined up on Langdon Street for the start of the Madison Mini Marathon Saturday morning were walking back towards me. Apparently there was a nasty storm cell heading our way with heavy rain and lots of lightning. So they wanted us to seek shelter.

So along with 5,000 other runners I sought shelter. I ended up in a small theater on the second floor of the Memorial Union. The key to this location? Air conditioning (thank you UW cop with the bullhorn who tipped us off to this under utilized location).

And that's where I sat. For the next 90 minutes.

I'm not going to lie. All the while I was thinking, if I hadn't come down here today, I'd be almost done with the 15 miles my schedule calls for. Instead I'm waiting out a storm, my bagel I had for breakfast at 5:30 a.m. is gone and who knows when, or if, I'm going to get to run today. But I waited. And hoped that we'd get to run soon.

At 8:15 the cop wielding the bullhorn came into the theater.

"As long as there's no more lighting, we're set to start in 10 minutes."

It was go time.

I met up with Running Diva Mom before the race to get my Refuel With Chocolate Milk gear. I won the entry to the race on her blog to run with the Refuel team and this is the shirt I needed to wear.

It was still raining pretty hard when I lined up in Corral I near the 2:30 pace group. And actually, it was kind of chilly. But I wasn't going to complain.The DJ had the tunes going and the next thing I knew we were counting down and the starting gun was going off.

The first four miles took us through the east side of campus, around the Capitol square and back into campus passed the Kohl Center and Camp Randall before heading down to the Henry Vilas Zoo area. And I'd say the first 3 miles was run in the rain. It was actually kind of relaxing. I was feeling good. My pace was good. As I entered the zoo area, I passed the 4 mile marker and the sun came out.

We ran around the north side of Lake Wingra and then went into the UW Arboretum.

This is where things started getting interesting.

I run hills. I know I can handle them. But even with the hill intervals I do and all the hills Coach Jim throws into our Saturday long runs, I was expecting what I came across in Miles 5-10. It seemed like constant hills. They weren't all huge, but there were a couple of significant ones. But the worst part? It never seemed like you went downhill. It was always uphill. If it wasn't a steep uphill it was one of long, gradual inclines that never seemed to stop.

Now I felt strong on those hills. I passed runners. I passed people who slowed down to walk. And honestly none of them compared to the monsters I run on a weekly basis. But it was just the constantness. I could feel it in my legs. Somewhere around Mile 8.5 I knew I had to start incorporating a few extra short walk breaks. Up until this point I was just walking through the aid stations.

I exited the Arboretum and when I got to the aid station near Mile 9 I decided it was time to grab a salt tab. It helped a bit. My legs didn't hate me as much. I kept going, but kept sprinkling in a short walk break (about 30 seconds) in every half mile or so.

Not the official shirt, a training shirt I picked up at the expo for $10, but I like how it's got the route on the back.

I still kept an eye on my time. And I was still happy with the total time I was seeing. I hit Mile 10 at 1:55, giving me 35 minutes to turn in a 2:30 half, which is my current PR. I knew it would be close, but I thought I could do it.

By this point we're back on campus and about to turn onto the Lakeshore Path - one of my favorite areas of campus - and thankfully flat and shaded. I liked the path. I still felt pretty decent and was passing a few runners every so often.

Before making the last turn onto Langdon Street and the finish chute, there's a little uphill, but I killed it and had a nice strong finish chute kick - passing a few runners - before hitting the finish mat.

2:32

Two minutes off my PR. But you know what? I'm totally OK with it. It was a training run. I had to wait around an extra 1.5 hours during a delay. My weekly long run actually started 2.5 hours later than normal. Oh, and those hills. I killed them.

The race bling. Which doubles as a bottle opener. Appropriate for Madison.

So I'm pretty happy. Makes me wonder what a flat course and another month of training will lead to at Fox Cities in September.

Three Things Thursday: The Madison Mini Marathon edition

2011-08-18T12:23:00.022-05:00

1. It's Thursday! That means the weekend - and the Madison Mini Marathon - is almost here! It's been odd though this week. I've gone through the typical race week lack of concentration but it still seems a little surreal that I'll be packing my bags and heading down to Madison for a half marathon tomorrow.

2. Not only will I get to run a half marathon in one of my favorite cities - and hang out at the Memorial Union Terrace for the post-race party - but I also get to spend some time with Krista, a good friend of mine that I haven't seen in a few months. She's running on Saturday as well. In fact my running can be traced to her since she was part of the reason I signed up for my first half marathon in 2007.

3. Had my last run before the Madison Mini Marathon tonight. I met up with my running partner in crime Peggy and we logged 4 miles along the Fox River trail. We started about an hour before sunset, so it was kind of a dusky run, and a little buggy since it was along the river, but it was such a great run. Yes, the running was good. But it was getting the chance to catch up with Peggy and just talk about all the random stuff we hit on during the weekend long runs - but on a Thursday. Perfect last run before the Mini.

Those rules on the sign? You're supposed to obey them. Really.

2011-08-16T21:50:00.001-05:00

I'll be short tonight and get straight to the point.

I like dogs. I don't actually have one myself due to my somewhat unpredictable work schedule and the fact that I live alone. But I like dogs and someday hope to get one. That being said, I'm a little leery around big dogs that I don't know since I was chased by a big, mean dog when I was little.

So tonight when I'm running on the Wiouwash Trail, zoning out to my tunes and come across a big dog on the trail around somewhere around Mile 3.75? I was startled. And what made it worse?

He wasn't on a leash.

His owner was walking about 100 yards behind him with another little terrier - who was on the leash - and she didn't seem to care that a random runner just stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the dog. Didn't call the dog over. Didn't try to put the leash on it. Nothing. I would try to keep running but then he'd move towards me and bark. So I stopped dead again.

She finally gets up to the dog and grabs his collar and I take off running by him. I'm just out her ear shot when I look behind me and mutter, "It's called a leash lady."

The ironic thing? This all happened right near the trail head. And right by the sign that says dogs MUST be on leashes.

Other than that incident the 6 miles went fine.

Nothing like a last minute race to get excited for

2011-08-15T20:27:00.000-05:00

While the thought was always in the back of my head, I never really expected to get to the point where I could just sign up for a half marathon on a whim.

Today I did.

Thanks to winning a free entry from Running Diva Mom to run with the Team Refuel with Chocolate Milk, I'll be running the Madison Mini Marathon on Saturday. Yup. That's in five days. But it fits in with my training schedule (which has me logging between 13 and 15 miles) and I really can't pass up the opportunity to run a half marathon in one of my favorite cities - Madison, Wis. Plus it starts and finishes at the Memorial Union and winds through a good chunk of the University of Wisconsin campus.

And for this Badgergirl? That's like heaven.

Anyone else planning on running in Madison Saturday?

Three Things Thursday

2011-08-11T21:00:00.000-05:00

1. The UPS and FedEx man were my friends this week. See I did a little bit of online shopping last week when I was on vacation. I figured since I didn't spend much money by actually going places - other than Packers training camp and Family Night - I could justify a few purchases. And really, they were things I needed. Running related things. First up was a new Moving Comfort Charity sports bra. It's my absolute favorite sports bra for long runs. And for some reason I wasn't thinking a few weeks ago and wore it during Tough Mudder. Um, none of my clothes - including the sports bra - survived Tough Mudder. So a replacement was needed. And since I got a deal, I also ordered a tube of strawberry lemonade Nuun. And today the FedEx man brought me my package of clearance goodies from Brooks - two pairs of Epiphany stretch shorts II (in black and a blue color), a hat and this tank. Can't wait to go for a run and try out the goodies!

2. Let's talk about football for a moment. The Badgers open the season in 21 days against UNLV at Camp Randall Stadium. Excited! And the Packers, well their first pre-season game is Saturday but honestly the pre-season doesn't count. The real NFL fun starts on Sept. 8 when the New Orleans Saints visit Lambeau Field. That's only 28 days away. Not that I'm counting. Yes. I'm a bit excited for football season to start.

3. I almost was able to get in a run while at work today. Too bad my photographer wanted nothing to do with it. I got sent out to a barn fire in the county that I live in. The road the barn is on is a fairly narrow road to begin with and when you bring in fire trucks from five surrounding communities to fight the fully engulfed fire, it makes it a tight squeeze. So law enforcement closed down the road and wouldn't let anyone - even me - in. And of course due to its location, it was almost impossible to see the barn and flames from where they had the road blocked. We could have taken a jaunt on the Wiouwash Trail, which runs right alongside the barn, and my photographer could have gotten the shot she needed. But she didn't want to walk the mile or so from the trail head to near the property. Sigh. So late night at the office chasing down the barn fire meant I didn't run. Even though I had the chance while on the job.

A bit of a milestone

2011-08-10T20:29:00.000-05:00

It's pretty amazing what 15 degrees cooler along with absolutely NO humidity and a slight breeze can feel like.

Heaven.

I busted out my 3.25 miles tonight after work at a 9:45 pace. It felt so good. And the best part? When I was updating my mileage sheet, I realized I surpassed 600 miles for the year (barely). But what else does that mean? It means I've already logged more miles this year than I did during the entire 2010.

Only 399.75 more miles to go before I hit the 1,000 mile goal I set for myself.

Not going outside today

2011-08-09T21:32:00.000-05:00

Guys. It was gorgeous outside today. Temps in the 70s. No humidity. A nice breeze. Partly cloudy skies. Perfect summer running weather.

And I spent my time running inside on the treadmill.

What? The plan called for hill intervals. On the treadmill. And since I couldn't lug a treadmill outside (although that would have been a nice option), it was inside I went.

The indoor run wasn't too bad. Nice and easy warm up, 10 quarter-mile hill intervals followed by a recovery period and all of that followed by a cool down. I felt pretty good. Nothing was too achy.

Which was what I was hoping for. See, Saturday's long run? The one that was supposed to be 14 miles? I cut it short at Mile 12. If I had my way I would have quit at Mile 8, but since I was still 4 miles away from the park, I had to keep running.

Why'd I quit early? Well remember when I did Tough Mudder and I banged my knee against the Berlin Walls as I fell off the 12-foot wall? Well that knee is still a little achy at times. Saturday it decided to bother me. I don't think it would have been a huge problem, but my IT band on that same leg decided to be super cranky as well. So by the time I hit Mile 8 I was starting to hurt. And trying to alter my stride (bad idea Jen). And I seriously just wanted to stop, lay down in the grass on the side of the road and cry. Of course it didn't help that it was uber-humid Saturday morning either.

But like I said, I couldn't quit. So I kept running. Taking a few short walk breaks. Peggy and Sam, my running buddies, were great. I told them multiple times to just go (because Peggy was rockin' the run) and leave me behind. But they wouldn't. About 2 miles from the park we met up with Coach Jim and he ran the rest of the way in with me. He also suggested I call it quits early. After all, we had a running group breakfast date to get to!

So I've been spending some quality time with the evil foam roller. And stretching. And I decided to take an unscheduled rest day on Monday. And it must have helped a bit since the IT band wasn't angry with me tonight during the hill intervals.

Now I just have to hope this gorgeous weather sticks around Wednesday so I can take advantage of it tomorrow during my run!

Not so random question: Does anyone use salt tablets during long runs? I generally sweat a lot to begin with (totally envious of those girls who glisten or don't sweat at all), but with the super humid and hot summer we've been having, the amount I've been sweating has been ridiculous. Coach Jim has recommended I try salt tablets, see if they help at all. Just was wondering what other people's experiences with them have been.

Return of the Reading Recap!

2011-08-05T17:58:00.004-05:00

Remember how I used to read? And then post a monthly update of what I read? And then those recaps disappeared? Because I decided to tackle a classic earlier this year? And Victor Hugo's Les Miserables took me FOR-EVER to read?

I'm happy to announce, the monthly reading recap is back. Actually it could have returned at the end of June, but I forgot to post it, so I waited until July was done.

I finally finished reading Les Miserables on June 12, three days after my self-imposed deadline of June 9. It was a long book - it better be since it took me three months to read - but a good one. Although I could have done with less chunks of history. Yes, I know that section of the events leading up to the Battle of Waterloo helped the story, but it probably didn't have to be 75 pages. And the 50 or so pages on the convents? Could have been shorter. But the actual storyline was great. If you really want to tackle the massive 1,260 page book, I say go for it.

In addition to Les Miserables, I finished four other books in June and July. That brings my yearly total to 11 books (ouch) and 4,930 pages for the year. For comparison's sake, at the end of August 2010 I had finished 21 books for a total of 7,991 pages. Umm, considering my yearly goal is 40 books for the year, and I've only read 11, I better get going on the reading front. Any suggestions for quick, mindless reading?

So what have I finished since the last reading recap? Take a look:

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Yes, I loved the Hunger Games trilogy. If you haven't read them yet, go find yourself a copy. I think I tore through the three books in 12 days total. So good. Right now I'm working on The Help. I'm about halfway through it and hope to finish it up this weekend before I head back to the working world.

Three Things Thursday

2011-08-04T23:00:00.001-05:00

1. How is it already Thursday? While I like weekends the upcoming weekend means one thing. My vacation is almost over. I didn't go anywhere exciting during my week off. It was mostly a week to relax, putz and try to regain my sanity. It was a good week. I've still got 3 more days to take advantage of.

2. I did take a road trip on Wednesday up to Green Bay to watch Packers training camp. I love me some football. So I was excited when the lockout ended and training camp started, just in time for my week off. I'd never been up to training camp before, but it was pretty interesting watching practice and the players do the drills. Plus there's a tradition in Green Bay where the kids bring their bikes to Lambeau Field before practice and the players ride to and from the practice facility on the bikes. Amusing watching pro football players ride little kids' bikes. Especially if they happen to be pink sparkly bikes. And of course since the players are pretty accessible, everyone wants to get autographs. Me? Who needs autographs when you can get Donald Driver's and Clay Matthews' heads on a stick?

3. There's been some running this week. A short treadmill run on Tuesday night followed by 6.3 miles of hill intervals at the YMCA on Wednesday. Today I got outside for my 4-mile run and even though it was kind of toasty out, everything was going fantastic through the first three miles. Then the final mile was brutal. But the miles got done. Now Friday is technically a rest day, but I might take a short bike ride before Saturday's long run - 14 miles. I've had it with the heat and humidity though. Bring on the fall running weather!

Tough Mudder recap

2011-08-01T18:55:00.002-05:00

The airplanes have left Oshkosh and I'm enjoying one of those relaxing vacations where you don't really have anything planned. So it's time to put together the Tough Mudder recap. Settle in with a drink, this will be a long one.

It's a week after the event, and while I've lost the scabs from my knees, I've still got some pretty impressive bruises on my legs. And I'm still thinking they were totally worth while because this was a pretty amazing event that I got to do with a great group of people. Definitely glad I did it.

Pre-Tough Mudder
Our start time wasn't until 1:20 p.m., so my friend Peggy, her husband Chad, their daughter and I didn't even leave for Peggy's parents' house in Baraboo until a little after 8 a.m. By the time we were ready to hit the highway, there was our running group, heading over the highway overpass on their weekly long run! There was some honking of the car horn, yells and waving and last minute words of encouragement from Coach Jim. Then we were off to become Mudders.

After meeting up with Peggy's Dad and her brother Jake we were off to the event site, Devil's Head, a ski and golf resort where the ~~pain~~ muddy fun was going to be held. We got our bibs, had our numbers tattooed on our foreheads and arms and then we waited. In the bright sunny sky and temperatures hovering near 90. Oh boy. Finally it was time to head up hill to the starting line. Where we met up with our friends Jeff and Siliva right before the starting

Tough Mudder

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Yes. That's right. The starting line is midway up the ski mountain, so you can start with 500 other aspiring Tough Mudders and run down the hill, trying to avoid the rocks and holes, during the Braveheart Challenge, before you begin the Death March, which takes you from the bottom of the ski hill all the way to the top. And it's a long march. We started out strong. Running the hill, after all, we run hills weekly, but about a quarter- to half-way up the hill we slowed to walk. Everybody else was doing it and remember, we still had 10 miles and 20-some obstacles to go. Didn't want to run out of steam too early.

Midway up the hill they organizers had the snow machines on, otherwise known as the Gauntlet. But instead of snow, we were pelted with ice cold water. And it felt so good. I just stood there for a moment. In the mud. But then it was time to keep going up, because the next obstacle was waiting: Hay bale mountains. Two of them. We climbed the bales and kept going up hill. It was one of those hills that seemed like it was never going to end.

But it did eventually and we were met with the Boa Constrictor, an obstacle that had you going through plastic culvert piping down hill into muddy water and then you had to go back up through another pipe. Not too bad.

Back down hill we went. Just a short jaunt over to the Funky Monkey, a set of monkey bars over a water pit. Not just any old monkey bars though. They began at a slight incline, hit a peak and then a slight decline. And random bars were greased with butter. Not that I would know any of this. Monkey bars? As I kid I could never do them. So I wasn't expecting to be too successful. I wasn't. I got two bars in before I lost my grip, fell to the water and swam across.

Remember how we had just ran downhill? Well now it was time to go back up to the top of the mountain. And waiting at the top? The Berlin Walls. Now, going in to the event, this was the obstacle that I was most worried about. I don't have a ton of upper arm strength. And these walls? They were 12-feet tall and had no where for you to get a foot hold or even a grip. But it was also the first obstacle where it really showed how important it was to have a great team.

And I did have a great team.

Standing in line waiting for the obstacle, I was wondering just how I was going to get to the top of the wall and over. But by the time it was my turn, the guys on my team - Chad, Jeff, Jake, and Peggy's dad Dave - had it figured out. Us girls - me, Peggy and Silvia - were going to get a boost. Peggy went first. She made it over but it sounded like a hard landing. Gulp. Then it was my turn. I went up to the wall, looking confused. The guys got into position, my feet were in their hands and I was given the boost up. I was somehow able to grab the top of the wall and pull myself up (although I'm pretty sure I was getting some help from below). I managed to swing my legs over. And I'm not exactly sure what happened next. I might have lost my grip. I might have let go too early. The next thing I know is that I'm falling. I hit my nose and bang my left knee into the wall. And then I hit the ground. On my back. And I've got a paramedic asking me if I'm okay or if I need to quit.

Um, I'm not even muddy yet. And there's still 8 miles to go.

I tell the medic and my teammates that I'm fine. I get up, walk around and check myself out to make sure I'm not bleeding or have anything that feels like broken bones. Just soreness. I'm continuing. Although I do decide to skip the second wall in the obstacle.

We all make it over and head on. Back downhill. Through the Devil's Beard, a huge cargo net that we have to hold over our heads as we walk under it. And of course we're going uphill. We hit the next section, the CLIFHanger, probably one of the steepest parts of the ski mountain. And it's super muddy. Thankfully it's just a long line of people at this point. The kind of line where you take a few steps. Wait. Take a few more. And all the while you have spectators who paid $5 to ride the chairlift up the mountain looking at you. At the top we realize why it was slow going.

Welcome to the Kiss of Mud. At the beginning of the day, it was lines of barbed wire set 8 inches off the ground over a pit of mud and rocks. But given all the water and people that have already crawled through we probably had a good 12-15 inches between the wire and mud. The worst part of this obstacle? Right in the middle you got a really rocky section. And we're talking big, sharp rocks. And remember how I banged my knee a few obstacles before? Yeah. That really hurt. But I kept crawling and made it through.

A pit stop at a snow making machine to attempt to wash off some of the mud and we're going downhill again. The downhills were slippery, muddy and steep. Kind of hard to keep your footing. Normally I like running downhills, but I wasn't too keen on trying it since I had a feeling it wouldn't end well. So I walked them.

At the bottom of the hill we're met with the Turd's Nest, basically a cargo net strung up between two platforms that you have to navigate across. Sounds easy, but actually doing it was kind of challenging. I took it slow, making sure to place my foot in the right place so I didn't end up going through the net and then once I reached the other side I got a hand from some of my teammates to get back up on the platform.

Then it was back uphill - this would be the fourth and final time up the mountain. And this time? It was the worst. More slippery paths. More mud. More steepness. Someone that we talked to before the start said the worst part of the race was the first 4-5 miles since it was all up and down hills. So true. Brutal. But we kept going.

At the top was the Log Bog Jog, a set of metal pipes that you had to climb over, under and around. and a little further on (during the final downhill) was the Shake n Bake. First we ran through water and then there was another cargo net set up across a sand pit. I think organizers were intending us to crawl under the net army style, but we all just walked.

We were finally off of the mountain and we making our way onto the golf course. Hooray! I could finally run some between obstacles. There was a nice long stretch of run along a wooded trail - a brief reprieve from the sun - before we got to the first big water obstacle.

Walk the Plank was set up on a golf course pond and we had to jump off a 15-foot tall plank into the pond and swim a very short distance before we got to the Underwater Tunnels, two or three sets of big blue barrels that we had to swim under. Let me tell you, it felt good to jump in the water although it was a bit difficult to swim wearing a pair of old running shoes that were caked with mud.

We got out of the water, hit up the second aid station (which had run out of bananas by the point, a bit of a fail) and kept on going until we got to the Spider's Web. We had to climb up a cargo net draped over a rock wall. After scaling the wall it was time for another short run along a wooded trail.

When we got out of the woods we were greeted with ice cold Powerade. And another set of Berlin Walls. Ummm, I already fell once. I don't really want to fall again. So I decided to skip the walls. This was the only obstacle I flat out skipped. I was a little disappointed, but I realized I made it over one of the four walls. Not too bad. So I cheered my teammates on. Then it was time to run some more

Up some rolling hills and then we were greeted with a fun obstacle, Greased Lightning. Basically a huge slip 'n' slide. Hindsight I should have gone down head first like everyone else, but I went feet first. Still it was a lot of fun.

Shortly after we came to the Fire Walker. Honestly, not as cool as I thought it would be. It was essentially a pathway cut through some hay bales that were smoldering. I didn't even see any actual flames. Just a lot of smoke.

A short distance away was Everest, a quarter-pipe that we had to run up. In theory it was fairly simple. Run as fast as you can and your momentum will carry you up the quarter-pipe until you can either grab on to the ledge and pull yourself up or can grab a teammate's hands. But there was a tiny little uphill before the quarter-pipe that slowed me down. The first attempt I wasn't able to grab hold of anyone's hands. The second time I got a grip with one hand, but couldn't grab the second hand I needed. After two unsuccessful attempts I decided to move on. The only obstacle I recorded a DNF on. Oh well.

The next stop was the Ball Shrinker, two ropes strung across a golf course pond that you were supposed to walk across. But it was easier to grab the top rope and pull yourself across the water backwards. Well, easy except for the beginning and end where my arms weren't long enough to keep me in the water. Lots of thanks goes to the random guys behind me who helped weigh down the rope for me in order to make it easier. Totally shows how Tough Mudder isn't about a personal best, but rather teamwork and helping out fellow Mudders. Thanks random strangers!

I made it across about half of Twinkle Toes, wobbly 2-by-4s that were set up as balance beams about 10-12 feet above water, before I lost my balance and fell in.

The next obstacle, Dry Wood, was nasty. It was another obstacle in a golf course pond. We had to grab a log and carry it with us as we walked a loop around the pond. I carried the log for a bit, but then the water got deeper than I was tall, so I started just pushing the log in front of me - hello, wood floats. But the worst part was the water. It reeked like cow poo and there was stuff floating in it that I'm not even sure what it was. And I'm pretty sure I don't want to know what it was.

Stinky water behind us, we kept going. It was hard to tell just how far we'd gone by this point, but we knew we had to be getting close to the end. The next obstacle was the Mystery Obstacle, where we were walking through knee-deep muddy water and randomly people would fall into holes they had dug out. I just kept my eyes on the people in front of me and tried to avoid those spots, but I did go down once or twice.

After another longer loop through a wooded path we came upon the Chernobyl Jacuzzi. Three dumpsters. Each of them filled with ice cold water that was dyed red, white (well, more like brown considering all the mud that had been washed off people) or blue. You just had to choose a dumpster, go in, swim under a little divider and get out. I choose the red dumpster (hello, Wisconsin Badger red). Yes, it was chilly. But it felt so good.

There was just one obstacle left: Electroshock Therapy. First we had to run up a slight incline and then we found ourselves standing at the start of the obstacle, with a party deck full of people watching us. The event guy tried to get us to link arms and run through 7 across but we weren't stupid. People were nervous. Hello, running through live wires. But then Jake just took off randomly. He made it through with no shocks. Then Chad went, he wasn't so lucky and got a nice jolt that sent him flying. Then Peggy's dad.

Then it was my turn. I wasn't too worried about the live wires (remember, I DID volunteer to get Tased a few years ago). So I ran. Midway through I felt a small shock. Nothing too bad. I think I would have made it through without falling in the mud, but I tripped on the hay bales that they had conveniently set up midway through the wires. And down into the sloppy, muddy mess I went. I'm pretty sure I came up with a smile on my face though.

After Peggy, Silvia and Jeff came through, we wall grabbed hands. And the Breezy Hillbilly Goatherds ran through the finish line together.

We were muddy. And bruised. And some of us were a bit bloody. But we were smiling. We made it through the 10 miles of 20-some obstacles and we survived. We earned those orange headbands.

We were Tough Mudders.

Looking back
The event was great. It was a challenge, something unlike anything I've ever done before. Not only does it test you physically, but it also tests you mentally. Because all of the obstacles have characteristics that some people may be afraid of - tight spaces, heights, water, fire, live wires. But you band together and work with a team of people to overcome those obstacles and fears and in the end you earn that headband.

Yes, I'll remember the obstacles. After all, it'll be a little difficult to remember falling off that 12-foot wall. And I'll remember the bruises (which still seem to appear overnight, more than a week later), the scabs on my knees and scars they leave.

But I think the thing I'll remember most is my teammates. If it wasn't for deciding to sign up for a half marathon training group, I would have never met any of them and I wouldn't have logged countless miles with Peggy and Jeff. Or gotten the phone call from Peggy the night after the Oshkosh Half Marathon in April asking me if I'd be interested in doing this crazy thing called Tough Mudder.

But more importantly, I wouldn't have gotten through those 10 miles at Devil's Head without the help and support of my teammates. Or had such a good time while doing it.

We'll always be the Breezy Hillbilly Goatherders. And Tough Mudders as well.

Three Things Thursday

2011-07-28T22:25:00.002-05:00

1. It is Thursday, right? Well, at least it is for another two hours. It's been crazy busy here. I feel like I've been going non-stop since, oh, last Monday. Thankfully I just have to make it through work tomorrow and I'll get an entire week - no more than a week if you count weekends - of absolutely NOTHING planned. Ah. Vacation.

2. Part of the craziness is due to the fact that it's AirVenture week here. Airplanes. I love them. But that also means long work days. I have to say that the 16 hour work day I put in on Wednesday was well worth it. I went to Washington D.C. for the day with about 80 Navy veterans who served in World War II. A pretty amazing day. Take a look here for what I wrote and the photos.

3. All of those late nights working have left me with very little free time. So that means I haven't logged a single running mile this week. I had good intentions today, but it was super humid and raining when it came time to run with my friend Jess. So we opted for dinner, drinks and a little girl talk instead. The other thing to suffer because of AirVenture? The Tough Mudder recap. I've gotten bits and pieces written and thought about it, but it's not done. This weekend. I promise.

Time to get muddy!

2011-07-23T13:20:00.002-05:00

It's time to see how tough I am! And get a little muddy in the process!

As this posts I'm starting Tough Mudder. Assuming I survive the Death March, make it over the Berlin Walls (twice), don't get caught in the Spider's Web and pass the test as a Firewalker before hanging out in the Chernobyl Jacuzzi and going through electroshock therapy, I'll be back with a ~~race~~ obstacle course report.

Three Things Thursday: Tough Mudder edition

2011-07-21T21:44:00.003-05:00

1. Guys, Tough Mudder is this weekend! I'm excited. And nervous. And a little scared. But mostly excited. Because while the course is going to be challenging, mentally and physically, I'm going to be doing it with a great group of people, including my favorite running buddies from the Fleet Feet group!

2. I still haven't decided what to wear during Tough Mudder. Given the amount of mud I'll be conquering, I don't want to wear anything too nice in case I end up ruining it. But I think I decided on a pair of bike shorts. And my old pair of Brooks Ghost 3s that got me through the wintry Oshkosh Half Marathon in April (because I'm anticipating those shoes do not survive Tough Mudder). Shirt? I haven't decided on that yet. Hair? I'm thinking two French braided pigtails with a bandanna. And the CamelBak that I got last weekend because it's still supposed to be pretty warm and I don't want to run the risk of dehydrating.

3. Speaking of the CamelBak. I bought it and it was after I got home that I realized I had just bought the version designed for kids. Oops. But you know what? It fits. It's the size I'm looking for. So I'm keeping it.

Bonus: My friend Peggy was looking for something to reassure herself (and indirectly me) that we weren't going to die on Saturday. She found this great blog post by David Shedd on Eastern Slopes. A great read. And I feel so much better about Saturday. But the chunk that really hit home for me?

"Sure, some people race it with the goal of making the Toughest Mudder 24-hour competition…good for them. For everyone else, it’s a race against themselves, a test of physical and mental stamina, a chance to get out of their cubicles and comfort zones with friends old and new."

That post where I complain about the heat and humidity

2011-07-19T19:01:00.000-05:00

Everyone has heard about the heat wave that's overtaking the country.

Guess what. It's happening in Wisconsin too. It started on Sunday, temperatures in the 90s and super humid so that it felt like temperatures were in the 100 to 110 degree range.

The Coach has recommended trying to run outdoors in order to acclimated to the heat. And I've tried. Really. I did. I had the alarm set for super early Monday morning, but after an awful night of sleep Sunday, when the alarm went off Monday morning there was no way I was going to get out of bed for a 3-mile run. So I turned the alarm off and went back to bed. Then I thought about going after work, later in the evening after the temperatures dropped below 90. But then some storms were moving through and I figured I'd lose my motivation by the time it was safe to run. So I opted for the treadmill.

Today was a scheduled treadmill run since it was hill intervals. I was planning on doing them before work since I was going in to work a later shift, but I woke up with a nasty headache.

My head hates the weather we're having. And was definitely letting me know.

So I skipped the intervals. I'll do them tomorrow, when it's supposed to be absolutely beastly out.

You listen to the weathermen and you get different answers about when the heat wave will leave Wisconsin. But me, I'm just hoping it gets a little cooler and less humid by the time Saturday rolls around because running Tough Mudder in these conditions - with a 1:20 p.m. start time! - would be brutal.

An 11-mile run: In pictures

2011-07-16T23:01:00.004-05:00

Given my lack of running this week, I was a little worried how this morning's 11-mile run would go.Would I die after a mile or two? Have to take way too many walk breaks? Rest breaks? End up calling for a ride home? How about I just opt for the 7-mile option.

Nope. Peggy was there. Jeff was running with us. This 11-miles was going to get run, gosh darn it. It wasn't really hot, hovering right around 70, but it was already starting to get humid. And best of all? It was completely overcast. No sun to bake us! The other runners in our group kind of milled around for a bit, prolonging the inevitable. Yes, sometime we'd have to start running. Peggy and I? We just wanted to get it done with. So we took off.

And because everyone likes pictures, I'm giving you the sights that I saw as I busted out 11 miles this morning.

The parking lot where we start. Remember that silver garbage can. It'll be key in about 2 hours or so.

We head out of the park and onto country roads. And since this is a Fleet Feet training group run, it wouldn't be complete without hills. Lots of them. We start early. Right around Mile 1.

If we're lucky we get a red light with lots of cross traffic right just before Mile 2. Most days we aren't lucky and we "run" the red light. Today we weren't lucky.

So far most of this run has been in the blazing sun. Not a whole lot of shade. After hitting up the highway overpass we turn into a neighborhood right at Mile 3. The best part? Shade. Lots of it.

We visit the second park of the run right around Mile 4. On the really hot days it's tempting to take a detour and find an excuse to go to the family ice center. Still looking for that excuse.

Out of the park and back to a busier road. Thankfully there are many options if an emergency bathroom break is needed.

Once we go back over the highway overpass again we head off onto a recreational trail right around Mile 5ish. Once again. Lots of shade. I like the trail. But we're not on it very long. Back into a shadeless neighborhood.

Oh! It's the high school I went to. And today we were lucky because they were watering the soccer fields. Yes. I ran through the sprinklers. All three of them. It was just what I needed at that point.

Back onto the road to the park. Except we're not almost done. We're only at Mile 7.5ish and still have 3.5 miles to go. So instead of taking the steep Ballard Road hill, where I often channel my inner J.J. Watt, we head off to the right. En route to a longer, steeper hill.

The hill. It's steep. And long. And mean. Because you think you're at the top, but then it curves a little bit and you find out it keeps going up. A rough one to run up, but very satisfying once you get it done. Today, it wasn't so good. Up until this point I was feeling good on the run. But about halfway up the hill my vision started to go wacky. I slowed to a walk for a few moments. Realized I hadn't been drinking enough fluid or taking my Gu Chomps on a regular basis. I got some fluid in me and started to feel better. So I started to run again.

This subdivision is full of mansions. Huge houses. The kind of houses I think I'd need a map for to find my way from the kitchen to the bathroom to the bedroom. We've spent many miles wondering which one will let us in for a Saturday morning breakfast. Or even to use their bathroom if needed. While the subdivision is constant rolling hills, at least the houses give you good scenery too keep your mind distracted.

We're done with the subdivision. We've got maybe 1.5 miles left. The end is in sight. Back on to a country road. And back uphill we go. We pass a turkey heading into the subdivision along with a flock of ruffed grouse.

We keep running until we hit the final turn onto the road that will take us back to the park. And of course there's one last downhill and uphill.

We turn into the park. Pass the sand beach, which doesn't seem to open until long after we're done with our run, and some baseball fields. My Garmin dings. 11 miles. But we've still got decent distance to cover. With one last baby hill into the parking lot. I actually pick up the pace. Once my vision went back to normal in the mansion subdivision I took it easy for a bit, but was feeling good that last mile. Ended with a nice kick into the finish.

The silver garbage can. The official sign to hit stop on the Garmin and stop running.

In all the run was 11.4 miles and I finished it in 2 hours, 13 minutes. Other than that brief episode on the hill, I felt pretty good throughout the run, which was surprising given my lack of running this week. Granted my legs and hips are screaming at me tonight. I'll deal with it though. Because doesn't that mean I worked hard today?

I hope you enjoyed the pictorial tour of my 11-mile run today. And yes, these pictures were obviously taken long after the actual run was done. And thankfully the run got done before the massive heat wave is supposed to hit Wisconsin tomorrow. They're talking about highs in the mid-90s Sunday with a heat index between 100 and 110 degrees. Not really looking forward to it.

Three Things Thursday

2011-07-14T22:46:00.000-05:00

1. I've spent 22 hours working the last two days. I didn't plan it that way. But when police announce they've busted up a major cocaine and heroin drug ring in the city that involved the sale of $4.5 million over the last year, you end up with long days. Very long days. But you end up putting out work like this.

2. Of course those long days means my runs have been non-existent the last two days. I walked into my apartment at 8:30 on Wednesday and 7 p.m. tonight. And considering lunchtime was hours and hours earlier I was hungry. So eating beat out the run. Add the two skipped runs the last two days with a Tuesday hill interval work out that I cut short by a mile because I needed to be somewhere and that means the running this week has been lacking. I'm calling it a taper week before Saturday's 11-miler. Um yeah. Totally was tapering going into this weekend's long run.

3. Given this week, I've been thinking of forcing myself to become a morning runner. At least for the shorter runs. At least that way I'd get it done before work and if all heck breaks loose I won't feel awful about first getting home at 8 p.m. and opting for food over the run. Of course the weatherman telling us this prolonged massive heat wave is going to hit us this weekend and last into late next week either doesn't help. Running in uber-humid weather when the temps are in the mid-90s after work? Ugh. Might just have to try setting that alarm. Any suggestions on how to force myself to get out of bed in the morning?

Firecracker 5K Race Report

2011-07-12T17:04:00.000-05:00

Nothing like taking a week to write up a race report.

And normally my race reports are a little more in-depth, but I'll tell you right now. This one will not be a novel. There isn't much to say about it.

So the Firecracker 5K. It's held on the Fourth of July and this was the third year I ran it. My parents and I got to the park about 45 minutes before the race started and met up with my brother, his wife and their three kids. Then I ran into Sam, one of the coaches from my half marathon training group. There was a bunch of chatting before the race. And of course as we chatted it got hotter. And not a cloud in the sky.

After hearing a brief speech by three-time Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton it was time to run.

Of course the start area was chaotic. People really didn't quite understand that walkers and those with strollers should start near the back. And let's not even talk about the groups that would walk 6 people wide. Needless to say there was A LOT of weaving in the first half mile. Once I got through with that it was time to go uphill. But the hill wasn't bad - it shouldn't be given the number of hills I've done this year with the Fleet Feet group and Coach Jim! The first mile came in at 10:00. Not bad.

Nothing special about the second mile either. Some homeowners were sitting out on in their driveways, cheering on the runners. And those who were offering some relief from the heat with their garden hoses? You bet I ran through the water. It was getting hot. But there was also a good chunk of downhill in this mile. I ran the downhills, didn't hold back and it paid off. The second mile was my fastest, somewhere around 9:50.

The final mile? That's where the heat started to get to me. I had my handheld water bottle with me, so instead of taking a cup of water at the water stops and drinking it, I took it and dumped it over my head. It didn't help that there was absolutely no shade in the final mile. I caved and took two short, short walk breaks. There was some more uphills in this mile, including a bridge lined with veterans. I hit the last downhill, turned the corner and booked it into the finish line.

I ended up finishing the 5K in 31:14, not a new PR for me, but it is the fastest I've run this race and course by almost 2 minutes. So I'm happy given the conditions.

After the run we all grabbed some water and headed into the park to find some shade to listen to the University of Wisconsin Band perform its 5th Quarter. Good times.

Weekend wrap

2011-07-11T22:18:00.002-05:00

I'm trying a new training method.

Every Friday night, as part of my dinner, there will be a beer consumed. Just one. And it doesn't even have to be a big one. Just a small one. Here's my reasoning. The first week of the training program was Chickenfest. I had a beer. The 8-mile run the next morning went great. The second week? No beer. The 9-mile run was awful. This past weekend? There was a Spotted Cow consumed with dinner. The 10-mile run was OK. Not great, but not awful.

I think this Friday night I'll be doing the same thing. At least until I have an awful run the morning after my Friday night drink.

Anyway. The weekend long run. 10 miles. Lots of hills. All in the second half.

The first 5 miles felt good. The second half was tougher. Right around Mile 6.5 we hit the monster hill. It's steep. And long. And deceiving. Because you think you're done. But you round a slight bend and there's more uphill. I ran it. All of it. But shortly after reaching the top I lost contact with Jeff and Sherry, the two people I was running with. They weren't that far ahead of me, but I was definitely running solo. I met up with them at the 7.5 mile water stop. Just 2.5 more miles to go. And it was a game of cat and mouse. I'd catch them, they'd pull ahead. Repeat.

I had to do 10 miles, but the final mile included a loop around the park. For some reason I was on the exact opposite end of the park when I hit the 10 mile mark at 1:58. I still had a half mile to go before ending up at the parking lot. I kept running, but I slowed down, finishing the 10.5 miles in 2:04.

Overall I didn't feel awful about the run. It was better than last week's 9-miler. And the relentless hills in the second half of the run were tough, so I was expecting to slow down a bit. But I think part of it was mental. For a group training run, I ran a lot of this run alone. I'd say probably in the neighborhood of 4 miles or so. From that aspect, it was tough. But something I'd got to get used to because there's no guarantee I'll have someone to run with on race day.

After the run I got to sit around and chat with some of the other folks for a bit, which was nice. But then it was time to head home, get in a quick shower and get out to the airport.

Because I spent the rest of the afternoon flying in a four-seater plane with my brother at the controls.

Halfway there!

2011-07-07T21:21:00.001-05:00

Normally I don't do multiple posts a day.

But this is big.

Somewhere in the middle of my run tonight I hit 500 miles for the year. Which means I'm more than halfway to my 1,000 mile goal for the year! Only 498 more miles to run.

Three Things Thursday

2011-07-07T09:56:00.000-05:00

1. How is it already Thursday? Not that I'm complaining, but dang this week went fast. Granted maybe it has to do with that whole 4-day work week thing.

2. I've fallen off the push up wagon. At the beginning of June, I decided to start using the 100 push ups app for my Droid. And for the first 3 weeks I stuck to the plan religiously. I was doing some crazy push ups. By the time I finished my 5 sets, I had finished around 120 push ups. But then I missed a day. Which turned into 2. Then 3. I started the program for Week 4, but then missed a bunch of days again. It's been 9 days since I've done a push up. I need to get back on the push up wagon. Starting today. Or tomorrow.

3. Cars are expensive. And I'm not just talking about gas. Since mid-February I've paid my insurance deductible to get my car fixed after my accident, had to buy a set of 4 new tires and now just paid WAY too much for new shocks and struts. Apparently the shocks and struts thing is very common for the Ford Focus once it hits 100,000 miles. Just a heads up to Focus owners. Needless to say I gave my little blue Focus a stern talking to and told it that it is not allowed to break again until at LEAST 2013. Hopefully it listens.

Hello?

2011-07-06T20:54:00.001-05:00

Tap, tap, tap.
Is this thing on?

Seems I've gone and neglected the blog for over a week. Oops. Didn't really mean to do that, but life got in the way. To sum up the week: There was time spent with friends, including a Waterfest outing to see the Gin Blossoms, and a few runs. And speaking of runs? Well the runs last week were uber-crappy. None of them went well. From the 2 miles I struggled through on Monday to the first hill interval workout of the training cycle to a cranky calf muscle that made the 4 miles I did with a friend miserable and let's not even talk about the 80 degrees and super humid weather that only got worse throughout my 9-miler with the training group on Saturday. Like I said, runs last week? Yuck. None were good.

Then there was the long holiday weekend. Just what I needed. Time to relax and do whatever I pleased. Time that I obviously did not spend writing blog posts or reading and commenting on blog posts (I'm about to hit that "mark all as read" button my Google Reader, it's out of control!). There was a bunch of reading, some biking riding, the brutal 9-miler, fireworks and even a 5K race.

I'll get to the 5K race report this week, but I just wanted to check in tonight quickly and let you all know that I haven't forgotten about the blog. I'll be back tomorrow!

Bringing back the long group run

2011-06-25T22:36:00.000-05:00

There's something about getting the weekend's long run out of the way by 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning. And being able to do it with friends? Makes it so much better.
Today was the kickoff to Round No. 2 with the Fleet Feet half marathon training team. There were some faces from the first go around that were missing (so sad you won't be with us Jasmine!) and a couple who were just MIA for the week, but in addition to the girls I met and bonded with the first time there were a TON of new folks (hi Deanna!). I'm excited to get to know them over the next few months.

Since I've still got a decent base built up from the spring, I'm on an intermediate program. Instead of starting off with 5 miles, I was supposed to do 8 miles today. And lucky for me my running buddy Peggy has the same schedule. So we were able to set out for 8 miles of running, catching up and general girl talk.

I won't say the miles flew by in the blink of an eye, but they did go pretty quickly. I started to feel it in the legs during the last two miles, but I'm attributing that to the fact that I haven't had many 6+ mile runs during the last month. I still had enough left in the legs to attack the Ballard Road hill in the final 1.5 miles and finish strong though.

Once the run was done there was no time to be lazy. I had enough time to de-stinkify myself with a quick shower before heading out for a day's worth of fun at ChickenFest, the local community festival by my parents' house. There was a parade to watch, some food to eat, rides to go on with The Rugrats, games to play and music to listen to.

I don't think I was done until 4 p.m. That's a lot of hours on my feet. And yes, my legs are screaming at me tonight. But it's a good scream. I think.

Three Things Thursday

2011-06-23T22:09:00.001-05:00

1. I had a good start to the week. And then I skipped today's run. Not because I didn't have time. Not because it was raining. Not because I didn't want to. It was one of those days. Where the stress and frustration that's been building all week finally get to you and all you want to do is curl up in a ball in the recliner and cry. And that may have happened tonight. Which is why I didn't run.

2. Needless to say I'm ready for Friday afternoon to get here. And then the weekend. At least I've got an early morning 8 mile run planned with friends and new training group members. After the week I've had, I just need to be able to hit the pavement, run and not think of the things that have been bothering me this week.

3. One piece of good news? I scored a new pair of Brooks Ghost 3s online tonight from Running Warehouse for $53! That's almost half off. The new Ghost 4s were recently released, so of course my lovely Ghost 3s are being closed out, which means I found a pair for $59 and then had an additional 10 percent off coupon code. AND I got some free gifts - a Brooks Podium t-shirt and shopping bag - because I spent $50. Yay. New shoes.

Gettin' it done

2011-06-22T20:46:00.000-05:00

Source

Three days into the training program and I've hit all three runs. Yes. Two of them may have been runs of the 2-mile variety. But they've gotten done. So far for the week, 8 miles. That's all I ran in total last week. What? I've been slacking. Just a bit.

But the runs are done.

Monday was a last minute run date with my friend Jess. Tuesday I headed indoors to the YMCA because the weathermen kept talking about all this rain we're supposed to be getting (like, get yourself an ark you'll need it kind of rain). And while it wasn't raining when I left work, the sky looked iffy. So inside I went. Today? It wasn't raining. It humid though. But I didn't want to stay inside. So I booked it home, changed and headed out with the hope that I'd make it before the rain came. I was close. Just a few sprinkles during the last mile and some stiff wind to contend with. But I got it done.

Just another 4-miler tomorrow and a rest day before heading out for the first long run with the training group on Saturday!

#DBWH

The plan's set, time to get down to work

2011-06-20T22:19:00.000-05:00

The training plan is in my hands.

I mentioned last week that I've signed up for Round No. 2 with the Fleet Feet half marathon training team. Well this weekend after giving him some info about recent mileage, Coach Jim sent me my training plan.

For starters seeing the word intermediate across the top of the Excel spreadsheet, as in "Intermediate training plan," was a bit frightening. But if that wasn't scary enough, looking at the weekly mileage was. The first two-thirds of the plan were pretty much like what we did in the spring. But then I noticed the long runs were hitting 12, 13, 14 and 15 miles. In August. But the kicker? That 16-miler he's got down for the end of August.

Gulp.

But then I remember, Dream Big. Work Hard. That mentality got me my PR at Oshkosh and another near-PR at Green Bay. I'm sticking with it for this training cycle as well, because this Badgergirl's got big dreams that include another PR at Fox Cities in September.

I'm ready. I'll put in the work. Run the miles. Do the hill intervals on the treadmill or run circles around a track during speed work. And those long runs? They'll get done. Thankfully I'll have a running buddy by my side and because of that, I know we'll get the miles in.

The training plan started today. An easy 2-miler that I ran with my friend Jess. It was a little muggy, but the run felt pretty good. Day One done. Bring on the rest of the training.

#DBWH

That's what I call a good weekend

2011-06-19T21:52:00.000-05:00

That was a good weekend folks.

I started it out by helping my friend Jess celebrate her birthday on Friday night. I met up with her and some other peeps for a few drinks after I got done having dinner with my parents. Once we met up there were a few drinks consumed, some boys that were watched and many, many outfits that others were wearing that we critiqued. And it all ended with me staying up WAY past my bedtime. I can't remember the last time I was up until 2 a.m. And normally it wouldn't have been a problem but....

I had plans to go spectate at the High Cliff Triathlon on Saturday morning. And my initial plan was to get up at 6 a.m. so I could bike over to the race site (about 6 miles away) and avoid the traffic headaches. Well when my alarm went off four hours after falling asleep I decided to turn the alarm off for another hour. Well 7 o'clock came and went and I never woke up until 8:15 when a friend of mine called asking me where I was in the park. Oops!

After a quick shower I was off. After waiting for traffic control to allow me to park, I got to the park and met up with my friends. We were there to cheer on a friend's husband, who was doing his first 70.3. Obviously I missed the swim and he was somewhere out on the 56 mile bike course by the time I got there. Overall it was a great time cheering, not only for our friend's husband, but all of the other athletes who were out there tackling the 70.3 miles. And everyone was SO appreciative of the cheers they were hearing. Oh, and my friend's husband? He rocked his first 70.3, finishing in 5:40.

This is an event I've done the last two years (well, the sprint distance, not the 70.3) and I swear, the moment I got caught in traffic waiting for bikers to clear the intersection I was immediately wondering why I wasn't out there competing. And those questions in my mind ramped up once I made it into the park and throughout the day. But at the beginning of the year I made a decision (a hard decision) to take the year off triathlons and instead focus on the running. A decision I'm happy with. But still. That tri bug lingers a bit. Maybe I'll throw an unexpected tri onto the calendar later this summer. Maybe.

After heading home, I later met up with my friend Peggy and we went for a nice 15-mile bike ride and then had a good evening chatting on the patio with a few drinks. It was enjoyable getting a chance to hang with Peggy while we weren't logging running miles.

And today? Well today there was supposed to be a longish run (in the 7-8 mile range). But when I woke up it was pouring. And it continued to rain. Pretty much all day. And I just didn't have it in me to get on the treadmill and pound out the miles. So I didn't run.

But that will probably be the last unplanned rest day for a while. Because tomorrow? Training for the Fox Cities Half Marathon starts. And the training plan I got from the coach? A little frightening. More on that tomorrow.

Three Things Thursday

2011-06-16T20:42:00.000-05:00

1. I'm getting ready for Round No. 2 with the Fleet Feet half marathon training team! It's no secret I had an amazing experience with the group in the spring. Everything from the actual running, to the group I ran with to the friendships I made, the coaches I worked with and the results I posted. It was definitely the best $50 I spent in a long time. So when I heard there was going to be a group again training for the Fox Cities Half Marathon in September, a race I was planning on running, it was a no brainer. And when I heard the same coaches would be leading the program? Just point me in the right direction to pay my dues. So I'm signed up.

2. It gets better though. Because all of the girls I ran with this spring? They're going to be back for Round No. 2! Well, except for one running who is moving away due to a new job opportunity (we'll miss her!). I'm excited to keep running with these girls. And excited to meet the new folks, including Deanna at Miles to Run. The fun starts in a week!

3. Speaking of the the group...the girls and I originally had plans to meet up and head out for a run before grabbing some drinks last night. But then we heard the info session was last night, so we added that to our list as well. And when it rained all night? We opted to skip the run and instead went for some beers, pizza and laughs as we caught up on what everyone has been doing the last month. A good time was had by all.

Bellin Run Race Report

2011-06-13T22:40:00.000-05:00

I heard someone say this weekend that the Bellin Run was all of the excitement of the Green Bay Marathon packed into a 10K course. And they were right.

I had the day off of work Friday, so I headed up to Green Bay with my friend Jess for a lunch date with another one of Jess's friends before heading over to packet pickup. In true Wisconsin fashion, the weather had done a 180 since earlier in when it was 95 and uber humid. Friday it was rainy, windy and cold. Like maybe 55 degrees cold. But we picked up our packets and on my way home I drove the course. There were some hills, but after this spring's training I knew I'd be able to handle them.

After a somewhat stormy night, race day dawned bright and early and I slept through my alarm. Oops. Good thing my Mom poked her head into my room at 5:30 and woke me up. I got dressed, gathered my race day gear and prepared my pre-long run breakfast (two Eggo waffles with peanut butter) and we were out the door at 6 a.m.

In order to avoid the parking headaches that were sure to occur near the race site, we opted to go for the shuttle service that was being offered. I was a bit worried there would be a long wait, so I made sure we were in the Shopko parking lot at 6:30 a.m. when the first bus was set to leave. There was no need to worry. When we pulled into the parking lot we saw about 20 yellow school buses just waiting to load up with runners and spectators. First thumbs up for Bellin Run organizers.

Going into race day I knew there would be some of my other runner friends who were doing the race. But knowing that 18,000 other people were running, the chances of randomly running into anyone else would be slim. So imagine my surprise when I got to the shuttle line and there was Krystal, who paced me to my half marathon PR in awful conditions at the Oshkosh Half Marathon in April! We exchanged quick hellos, but didn't get a chance to talk since we ended up on different buses.

After a short bus ride, my Mom and I got to the race site. Walking into the park I spied some port-a-potties with very small lines. So I jumped in. I ended up not having to wait since there were MORE port-a-potties around the corner with no wait. Score! After a quick bathroom break Mom and I figured out a post-race meeting spot, took a few photos and went our separate ways. She set out for the start area while I set out to find Jess.

With 18,701 runners the starting area could potentially be chaotic. But they had a corral system set up (based on your estimated finish time) and you were only allowed in the corral that matched your bib. Before trying to find Jess I made one last pit stop at the port-a-potties and even though I was in the athletes' village with 18,000 other runners I STILL could just walk right up and not wait. Even though it was 30 minutes before the starting gun was going to go off. Seriously. Race directors of big events need to talk to the Bellin folks, because they know how to do the port-a-potty thing.

I eventually found Jess and we waited in the corral until it was go time. 15 minutes after the starting gun first went off we were crossing the starting line and we were off on the 10K.

Mile 1 - 10:10
With this many runners, of course the beginning will be a bit crowded. But I was OK with that. It forced me to hold back and take the first mile slower. I was running with Jess and that was great, even though neither of us said a word to each other. The other thing that kept my pace in check? It was a long gradual uphill.

Mile 2 - 10:12
Somewhere I lost Jess, but I knew she'd have it in her to finish strong. The first water stop was somewhere around the 1.6 mile marker and I used my half marathon strategy to walk through the water stops. Worked like a charm. Still a gradual uphill. Still feeling good.

Mile 3 - 9:35
Shortly after passing the Mile 2 marker, I made a left hand turn and I was greeted with this amazing sight. The street? One huge downhill and all you could see was a sea of runners. Amazing. But I didn't get caught up in the view because downhills? That meant it was time to fly. Great chunk of the course. While the entire route had a ton of spectators throughout, it was just a wall of people along this section.

Mile 4 - 10:10
Still feeling good and strong.

Mile 5 - 10:23
My slowest mile, but that's because for some reason there were two water stops within a half-mile of each other. I took advantage of both though because the sun was starting to peak out from behind the clouds and I was starting to get a bit warm.

Swiped from Jess's Facebook page

Mile 6 - 10:17
By far the best mile of the route. Nearing the park where the post-race activities were going on, the crowds lining these streets were ABSOLUTELY incredible! Constant cheering. Cowbells. I saw my favorite sign of all along this section, "Good Job Person I Don't Know."

Final 0.2 miles - 2:00
I'm not sure what happened but I hit Mile 6 marker and I pushed it. I felt like I was flying. A left-handed turn and then a block later a right-turn and I was in the home stretch. So many people lining that final straightaway. I shifted into another gear. Not sure where the speed came from but it felt amazing.

Final time: 1:02:49

Overall this was an amazing race experience. So many people lining the streets cheering for runners. The organization was top-notch (remember, no lines for port-a-potties!). A great atmosphere. A challenging course, but a fun course to run. I'll definitely be back next year.

I got myself some Bellin Run bling!

2011-06-11T21:56:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update.

I lined up with 18,701 other runners today and ran the Bellin Run, a 10K in Green Bay, Wis. And let me tell you, it was fabulous! I'll be back with a race report later this weekend!

Three Things Thursday

2011-06-09T08:28:00.000-05:00

1. After baking for the last two days, we've finally got some relief here in Wisconsin. No more upper 80s and 90s and super humid weather to deal with. Granted it's a bit of a shock to the body since the high today? Yeah, it was in the lower to mid-60s. A bit of a change. But I'm not complaining.

2. What does the cooler temps mean? I can finally head outside for a run again and not worry about dying from heat stroke! Super pumped to log a few miles after work tonight. But they'll be easy miles because...

3. I'm running my first 10K EVER on Saturday! I'm running the Bellin Run 10K in Green Bay Saturday. It's one of the largest 10Ks in the country and as of mid-day Wednesday, about 17,000 people had already registered and race organizers were hoping to hit that 20,000 runner mark. I'm looking forward to it. And thankfully the weather should be perfect running weather. Mid-50s at race time with a slight chance of showers. It would be nice if the slight chance of showers disappeared though.