Just a minute of my time...

Race number 5 in my 12/12

12 in 2012

And so we have reached the 5th month and I have ran my 5th race at the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon!  It was a good race, except for the heat and the flu bug that I came down with the night before which kept me from getting a good nights sleep.

This being my 3rd Rite Aid Cleveland half, I was able to see an improvement in my time over the three years.

• 2010 I ran the race in 2:26:25
• 2011 I ran the race in 2:24:12
• 2012 I ran the race in 2:18:58  122 out of 305 (my age group)

Definetly an improvement, though I had hoped to do better. I think between the fever, sore throat and chest congestion, along with the high temps just really drained me quickly. Which concerns me for the upcoming race I have at the end of June? Is it going to be too hot? and how will I learn to cope with the hot weather? I'm hoping the bigger part of my slower race time was the onset of the flu that weakened my immunity.

We had a great time all weekend long! Spending Friday at the expo and lunch at 100th Bomb group with Chelsea, Kathy and Christy and then heading downtown by 3pm on Saturday to get checked into our hotel, which happened to be right next to the casino.  Something I didn't even know at the time of booking the hotel.

We met some of the most amazing people at the pasta dinner, like one of our favorites.... Marathon Maniac Steve.  Who was the sweetest, kindest, most inspiring runner I have ever met! He told us of his favorites of the almost 200 marathons he's completed, and here found us again when we were heading back to our hotel. I'm definetly looking up some of his favorites for next year, whatever my goals are...

And as usual, my gear of choice... Lululemon capri and top, Chica band, ifitness belt, a playlist made jut for Cleveland marathon and the only thing I wore differently... my Nike running shoes. I need new running shoes and I'm definetly going back to my Brooks!

 

Kentucky Derby Half Marathon

Completed number four in my 12 for 2012 this past weekend in Kentucky! I was excited to see the city and had no expectations for the race, especially since I had just ran a half the weekend before!

After Chelsea finished her last exam, we headed out to Cincinnati to pick up Jill and her daughter. After a four hour drive to Cincinnati, we only had two hours until Kentucky!

Our first stop once arriving was to hit the expo. We always feel better once we've collected our bib and packet for race day. Now its time to eat, since the city seems so busy, we thought it best to head towards our hotel and find a restaurant nearby. Using my Urbanspoon app, we located several restaurants. Unfortunately we learned that you needed reservations...

We found restaurants, drove to them or called, only to find they too were busy or needed reservations. By this point we are all starved and cranky and trying to figure out just where we were going to find a pasta meal that would fill us up for race day?  Finally Blu Restaurant could squeeze us in, but we had to get there quickly. After driving in circles, we end up right back in the city where we had left some time earlier...

Finally, with a pasta meal in us, we were ready to get to our hotel for some much needed prep time and rest time.

This was the most unprepared I have ever been for a race! Thinking dinner wouldn't be an issue, not finding the start line the day before the race and having no idea where we were going to park were just a few of the things I never want overlook again...

Once we arrived at the start I still had the nervous feeling in my stomach like I usually do before a race. It was colder, but seeing the sun coming out convinced me to leave my coat at baggage check, and try and stay warm until the race began.

The race itself... amazing!  I felt the best I ever have running, as each mile approached I thought "wow how did I get this far already?" Even having some left at the end to be able to sprint to the finish.  Although it made me question did I keep too much in reserve during the race.  After all I finished with an official time of 2:11:33 still shy from beating my PR of 2:11:25 yet coming in a few seconds sooner than my race from the weekend before of 2:11:38

Running through Churchhill downs was amazing, probably my favorite part of the run!  There were many bands and drumlines that made the route entertaining as well. And I ran this entire race without my headphones. It was a nice change, to listen to those around me breathing, talking and sharing stories with others!

As always two of my race day requirements aided in my successful run... My ifitness belt and my Chica band! Finally, in the fourth month I am done with my 4th half marathon.... time to get back to the list and plan for what is next!

Run to the beach half marathon

My 3rd half marathon in my 12 for 2012 series...

I watched the weather for the entire week, until finally I said it will be what it will be and there is nothing I can do about it but plan for the worst, and well.... we kinda got the worst!

With all these spring like temperatures we've been having since February, I thought a race in April would be perfect weather. But look at Boston marathon at 80+... you just never know.

Kathy and I went the day before to get our packets. It was her first half marathon in years and she was so excited, then when we got the cute jackets we were even more excited! What is it about work out clothes?

All the things that Kathy expressed concern over the day before, didn't seem to bother me. She thought for sure she wouldn't be able to sleep, not be hydrated enough, not be able to run without injury, etc. Me, I've done this before, its no biggie... right?

Yet, I did not sleep well the night before and within the first few miles of running I'm feeling sore and winded? What? This is supposed to be easier for me, I've done this before. Then I realize, this is NOT easy, it is not meant to be.  For some reason, after a race I feel so good and forget pain it took to reach my goal!

Kathy and I stayed togeether for the first 5 miles, but slowly she started getting ahead of me and I just didn't have the breath to keep up.  The body ached, sure... but it was the tightness in my chest that prohibited me from pushing it harder than I already was.

It rained on and off throughout the race and there were times when the rain was quite welcome. Then we had the wind and rain pelting you in the face as you ran by the lake. This became quite trying. I was so cold, I would pull my hands into the sleeves of my jacket, only to be over heating moments later and pull them out. As I approached mile 13 my hands were tingling and I was losing feeling, they were so cold! I continued to push myself and run harder, I needed to finish!

The sweetest thing besides seeing the finish at the end of the race was seeing my husband there to surprise me! Kathy's husband came as well as her two kids and we all gathered at the finish!

My official time, 2:11:38...  I'm proud of my time, I'm proud of every race I run and that I push myself to new limits...I know now that I need to run more trail runs and sandy beaches so it doesn't hinder me in my next race.

All in all it was an awesome experience. My first race in the cold and windy rain, and I survived and was 14 seconds from a PR.  I Arrived home in need of a long hot shower, the time and warmth to shrink my swollen hands and feet and then I was basking in the glow of another 13.1 completed!

After checking results I found out I won 3rd place for my age group! I get to pick up another award this week, since we left shortly after we finished race. This is my first placement in my age group! I don't care if it is a paper ribbon, it has me giddy!

Joel and I met up with Kathy and the group from Milts for dinner after race and shared our tale and medals!

 

Fitness Friday

Checking in on running and race totals...

So here we are in the 4th month of the year already... my how time sure does fly!  I'm feeling good about my race schedule and while close with my miles, I'm a little behind there, so before I head out for a run I thought I would do a little update.

Cherry Blossom shirt we fell in love with at Lululemon in DC!

Busy working on my speed and miles and actually seeing improvement! Excited to what this racing schedule has in store for me!

Miles for 2012

• January 01, 2012 ran 6 miles  total miles run                         6
• January 03, 2012 ran 8 miles                                                14
• January 05, 2012 ran 1 mile in 8:03                                     15
• January 06, 2012 ran 7 miles                                                22
• January 07, 2012 ran 5 miles                                                27
• January 08, 2012 ran 3 miles (Hinckley)                              30
• January 10, 2012 ran 10 miles in 98:23                                40
• January 11, 2012 ran 5 miles                                                45
• January 13, 2012 ran 10 miles in 97:41                                55
• January 14, 2012 ran  5 miles                                               60
• January 16, 2012 ran 5 miles                                                65
• January 17, 2012 ran 10 miles                                              75
• January 19, 2012 ran 5 miles                                                80
• January 21, 2012 ran 7 miles                                                87
• January 23, 2012 ran 6 miles                                                93
• January 25, 2012 ran 7 miles  in 66:51                               100
• January 26, 2012 ran 4 miles                                              104
• January 28, 2012 ran 6 miles                                              110
• January 30, 2012 ran 10 miles                                            120

January total 120 miles

• February 01, 2012 ran 6 miles                                            126
• February 03, 2012 ran 7 miles                                            133
• February 04, 2012 ran 4 miles                                            137
• February 11, 2012 ran 5 miles                                            142
• February 13, 2012 ran 6 miles                                            148
• February 15, 2012 ran 8 miles                                            156
• February 16, 2012 ran 1 mile in 7:29                                  157
• February 18, 2012 ran 10 miles                                          167
• February 20, 2012 ran 4 miles                                            171
• February 22, 2012 ran 3 miles                                            174
• February 26, 2012 ran 13.1 (Williamsburg half)                187

March

• March 02, 2012 ran 6 miles                                                193
• March 05, 2012 ran 7 miles                                                200
• March 06, 2012 ran 5 miles                                                205
• March 10, 2012 ran 13.1 miles (Columbia SC half)           218
• March 13, 2012 ran 8 miles                                                226
• March 15, 2012 ran 6 miles (26:06 3 miles)                       232
• March 16, 2012 ran 3 miles                                                235
• March 18, 2012 ran 6 miles                                                241
• March 20, 2012 ran 9 miles                                                250
• March 22, 2012 ran 1 mile                                                 251
• March 23, 2012 ran 4 miles                                               255
• March 24, 2012 ran 5 miles                                               260
• March 25, 2012 ran 10 miles                                             270
• March 28, 2012 ran 3 miles  PR 25:23                              273

April

• April 1, 2012 Cherry Blossom 10 mile race 1:44:10          283
• April 3, 2012 ran 5 miles  PR 42:20                                   288
• April 4, 2012 ran 3 miles                                                    291
• April 7, 2012 ran 9 miles in 77:58                                      300
• April 9, 2012 ran 7 miles                                                    307
• April 10, 2012 ran 3 miles                                                  310
• April 11, 2012 ran 5 miles                                                  315

Race Schedule

2/28/2012            Sentara Colonial half marathon Williamsburg VA

3/10/2012            Columbia South Carolina half marathon

4/01/2012            Washington DC Cherry Blossom 10 mile

4/21/2012            Run to the beach half marathon, Akron Ohio

4/28/2012            Kentucky derby half marathon Louiville KY

5/20/2012            Rite Aid Cleveland Half Cleveland, OH

6/24/2012            Columbia Station half marathon  Columbia Station Ohio

8/12/2012             Ultrafit Columbus half marathon  Lewis Center OH

8/21/2012            Little Miami Half            Cincinnati, OH

8/26/2012            Emerald City half marathon Dublin Ohio

8/28/2012            Buckeye Half marathon & relay Cuyhoga falls Ohio

8/29/2012            Columbus Half Columbus, OH

9/15/2012            USAF Half Dayton, OH

9/29/2012            Road runner Akron half marathon

10/07/2012          Towpath half marathon Peninsula OH

10/14/2012          San Francisco Nike women’s half (signed up, awaiting lottery picks)

10/16/2012          Nationwide Columbus Marathon Columbus, OH

11/5/2012            Stomp the grapes half marathon Hartville  Oh

11/5/2012            Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Indianapolis, IN

11/5/2012            Mason Half Marathon            Mason, OH

11/21/2012          Cleveland fall classic  Strongsville OH

12/2/2012            Tour de Ashland*            Ashland, OH

12/3/2012            Las Vegas Half marathon

• 2 away races checking flights and info to do
• Already signed up for
• Bold – best option races in 12 for 2012
• Already ran

Check out more fitness friday stories HERE

2nd half for 2012

Got to run another great race in South Carolina this past weekend.  The weather was perfect, the course was a challenge and I got to run with Chelsea, at least for a little while!

I heard it said recently "there is no such thing as bad weather for a race, just poor clothing choices" and I must agree... though I am still learning what is the proper choice, and found with this race Chelsea and I had opposite choices and they both worked out perfectly for us.

I wore my long sleeve lululemon shirt while Chelsea opted for the lululemon tank top. At the start of the race we were both cold, and I sure was happy with my choice, but around mile 7 or 8, I did start to feel a bit warm and tried to push my sleeves up a bit.  Then nearing the end of the race there was a cool breeze and I was thankful again for my choice of clothing.  Chelsea on the other hand said once she got running she too was thrilled with her choice.  So you never can tell what the perfect running outfit will be, it just needs to be perfect for you! 

Chelsea wanted a jumping picture and since I finished before her I was awaiting her arrival at the finish.  As she was approaching I began screaming JUMP over and over again.... and while I was so busy screaming it, I forgot to take the picture myself!  Good thing the photographers there got some good shots!  I love the girls faces behind her, and yes, I had quite a few people looking at me screaming at her, but in the end it all worked out!  Then I find out she had her ipod on, so she didn't even hear me screaming, just everyone around did!

Again I wore my Chicaband and ifitness belt and they both worked perfectly for me!  Chelsea on the other hand used my other ifitness belt and had issues with it the entire race.... next time I will have to see if it needs tightening or adjusting, because I just can't express how great mine has always been?

The hills in this race were extremely challenging, even more than Williamsburg, and while the city was beautiful and we went through many gorgeous neighborhoods, the park setting in Williamsburg was breathtaking.

Even though I forgot my garmin, I was impressed with how well I stayed on pace, especially with all the hills.  My final time 2:18:03

Williamsburg         2:17:52

Columbia               2:18:03

 

Journal goals

As we enter into a new month.... 5 days in now, I know what I need to do for the month of March

Journal...

I'm going through a lot of changes with my mother and her battle with dementia and my aunt reminded me that it might be a good time to write down the good memories and things about my mom to help me through the rough road ahead. Plus, in trying to spend quality time with her, I think art journals might be something we can enjoy together.

Plus I believe journaling helps us in other ways to get things out, achieve our goals as we write them on paper.  It was just over a year ago when I began writing my goals of going back to school, and the steps I needed to take to achieve those goals, and now here I am still loving what going back to school has brought to my life!

My goal is to write in my everyday journal and also dabble further in my art journals, and when feeling brave, I will also post them here throughout the month.  

Recapping:

January - No made in China

February - more reading (which I really enjoyed! Thanks Laura for the book recommendation!)

March - Journal 

My first of 12 half marathons for 2012

Finally the stars aligned and everything worked in order for me to run my first half marathon of 2012, although Chelsea was unable to do it with me, it was a beautiful and challenging race to be sure!

Once we found the start Chelsea told me she wanted a jumping picture, the guys at the start just shurgged and said, "ya gotta do it now", so I did... and needless to say, I love the picture!  Chelsea, Ben and my mom had to leave the area, since they didn't know which roads would be closed off, and I was left on my own to stretch and prepare for the race.

Having my playlist ready on my ipod, once I hit play it fits perfectly in my ifitness belt. I cannot say enough about this belt, in fact I have two of them.  One that I keep with water bottles and one that is just for essentials in the zip pocket. The fact that the bib attaches to the bottom is one of my favorite things about the belt!  No more safety pins! And I just love how once I put it on, it stays in place on my hips!

finally a race photo I kinda like!

Since always having short hair, I've never done much with it for a race, but recently I tried out the Chica bands, and while I'm letting my hair grow out they've become more of a necessity. They are the best! Once you put them on, they stay put! I'm so thankful for these tiny things that make a big difference in a girls run!

As for the race, I couldn't have picked better weather if I had a choice! The sun was shining and the temperature was perfect between 45-50! The course itself had a lot of hills and I mean A LOT of hills, but this time I took each one as a personal challenge and pushed through them, all the while keeping my head up and enjoying the beautiful scenery as I ran through Williamsburg Virginia. I remember thinking, I need to enjoy this and just look at how beautiful it is! It was probably my best attitude I've ever carried in a race, and I'm sure it made a difference! 

At mile 10 I was at 1:45 and I thought a 2:14 finish wasn't out of the question.  I pushed it when I could, but the hills just didn't seem to end, and they really did slow my pace. My best race ever was the Air Force half at 2:11:25, but I must say I'm proud of my 2:17:52 for this race. With all those hills, and my first half of 2012 there's always room for improvement!

Check out more fitness friday stories HERE

The month of reading

With February being the month of reading and lots of traveling I'm hoping to get hooked into a few good books!

I've loaded my kindle with some recent best sellers and have some others that have been awaiting my attention. My hopes is to take that time I would be on facebook or any other social media and spend that time reading, along with car rides and hotel stays while keeping up with my 12 in 12 half marathons.

Here is a list of my recent book list, I would love any recommendations of your favorites...

• Now you see her by James Patterson
• The best of me by Nicholas Sparks
• The do over by Kathy Dunnehoff
• War horse by Michael Morpurgo

I got samples on my kindle of the following...

• 11/22/63 by Stephen King
• The Me project by Kathi Lipp
• The cold dish by Craig Johnson
• The lock artists: a novel by Steve Hamilton
• Issue at hand by Gil Fronsdal
• The art of saying goodbye by Ellyn Bache
• The last time I was me by Cathy Lamb

I hope to report back at the end of this month with a full list of new favorites!

 

No made in China

While I wasn't perfect in my attempt at NO MADE IN CHINA for 30 days, my eyes were opened to a lot of things I didn't notice before.

For one, I was surprised at where I found MADE IN CHINA.  My intial thoughts were, it would be in Walmart and Target dollar spot, but finding a majority of items in Kohls that were MADE IN CHINA as well as throughout Target, was extremely eye opening to me! Even some of my favorite clothing stores like NY & Company or Lululemon carried MADE IN CHINA items

Even scrapbooking, I have never so muched as looked at a label from 7 gypsies or Tim Holtz, and was oblivious as to where they came from!  Come to find out everything that I picked up from both of them were MADE IN CHINA.

And while I have nothing against China, nor was I trying to boycot any products. I wanted to be more aware of things and where they were made, support more American made items. This also taught me to wait on things, if I still wanted/needed it after the 30 days, then I could go back for it.

Hobby Lobby also carried a lot of MADE IN CHINA, and when working on a Valentine gift for friends I was stalled by the amount of items I could not purchase until Feb 1. But was able to find many of my supplies needed for my drawing class at Tri C. While the guy at Catans looked at me strangely because I wouldn't buy the pencil kit that had all the pencils I needed for $5 because it was MADE IN CHINA, I was pleasantly surprised to find them at Hobby Lobby, and all made in the USA! And the price was good too!

Lucky for me, the new Martha Stewert line at Staples is made in Mexico!

I did have a few times when I messed up and things MADE IN CHINA did end up in our house by accident, and one time I knew it... but couldn't resist a new running tank!

Now onto a new month... this month is all about READING.  Time to go grab a book!

 

January Work in Progress Kit

Found some time to play with my kit, and I knew the moment I saw it that it was going to be a mini, just had to figure out what kind of mini.

And then with so many monthly goals, I decided this would be perfect.  But instead of using the full sheets of chipboard that came in the kit, I cut one in half. Then cut all my paper to 4 X 6 which gave me 6 on each sheet, and then added the pocket.

I was so happy with the results and can't wait to spend the year filling it up!

you can find the Work in Progress kit HERE and you can find the other design team creations HERE