You know you are not running hard enough when these are your race pics!

Closing the Book

So the more I think about Cleveland marathon, the more irks me!!! While all you worry warts out there can rest assured that I am taking it easy these two weeks, I feel like there is a fire lit under my butt to prove something now!!! So I am closing the book on that pathetic showing and looking forward.

Yet first let's note a few of the good things surrounding Cleveland marathon.

First and foremost-Time with Friends.

The day before I spent time with my ole college roomies and E during a run, the expo and lunch!



TriSaraTops and TriShannon



Trishannon, me and E!!!



Running into friends out on the course like GV here...not to mention all my peeps out there spectating! (I am actually hiding on the other side of him in the pic.)



-THE BEST CHEERLEADERS ON THE COURSE, E & A at my side!!!!
-Watching other friends putting forth some amazing efforts duing the day like my girl BH with us!!
-The rain ending and the sun coming out!!!
-The beer afterwards!
-The afterparty with with SERC buds!

At least it the weeekend had some real highlights, even if the result was not what I was looking for!

Mad Monday 5/19

Monday 5/12 -noon-5 Mile Track Workout on treadmill, 2 mile warm up, 4-600's at 1:30 (max treadmill speed) short cool/down
- Evening weight training session with HPL ( a little less reps and lighter weights than normal

Tuesday 5/13 - 5 Mile recovery run with the girls at lunch

Wednesday 5/14 - 6 AM spin class at JCC, evening stretching session with HPL

Thursday 5/15 - 3 Mile Race Pace Run ~23.59

Friday 5/16 - Rest

Saturday 5/17 - 25ish??? min run with TriShannon, E, and TriSaratops

Sunday 5/18 - Ran 26.2 Miles

Totals-------
Core - 2 sessions
Bike-20 Miles
Run-42.2 Miles

Finishing what I started

Yeah, the marathon did not go at all as planned.

I was targetting 3:30 and was pretty to pace through 11. Then I lost some time in the with a bathroom stop and was already starting to feel a little off. I so wanted to just turn at the half course and call it a day!

When Elizabeth and Aimee picked me up at the half (~1:51), I changed my plan to target 3:40 as I was just not feeling very good.

As I approached mile 14, I glanced down at my HRM my HR was starting to really sky rocket. After reaching 180 I started walking and proceeded to wheez uncontrollably. It took forever to catch my breath and about this time, I decided my goals were out the window and I would have to take finishing as an accomplishment.

I mean if I was not going to PR or BQ, what is the difference of finishing in 4 hours vs. 4:30?

The rest of the day continued in this matter. It seemed any period of prolonged running resulted in HRs ranging from 170-185 when I would have to walk again. Thank goodness for Aimee and Elizabeth as they kept me going with fun chit chat while we pretended that I felt good for camera men!

I felt terrible. My stomach felt binded up and I thought I might hurl at any moment and my chest ached from the heart working so hard. I can't seem to put my finger on the problem.

Here is what I do know-

Contrary to my normal routine, I had taken two Excedrin pills which contain caffeine and two Immodium pills prior to my run. The week prior was insanely busy and stressful and I had not had a good nights sleep in 5 days. Plus I felt off on Saturday.

I feel pretty blah today and it seriously feels like my chest is still sore. At this point I am just looking forward to a couple weeks of downtime.

In the grand scheme of things I am obviously disappointed that I was so far from my goal, but in life things don't always go as planned. I will take some small comfort that I finished while feeling so crappy and heck at least I got in some extra girl time with my ladies! I am now just ready for some R&R the next 2 weeks or so!

A slip of the tongue!!!

Get your mind out of the gutter!!!

So I try not to swear.

However, when passion flies every now and then a flagrant word may spew out of my mouth.

So I just watched my beloved Cavs lose in game 5. On a side note they are to blame for me sleeping in and missing the swim I wanted to get in. Darn them for keeping me up late and getting me so worked up I could not fall right to sleep after already staying up past bedtime!!!!

I am laying in bed sulking the loss and I flip over to the news to catch the weather.

Fox was doing their 5 day forecast and there I saw it-Marathon Sunday's forecast.

And then it flew with emotion-

"F-ing BREEZY!!!"

I think the CAVS passion was carried over into the heat of this comment.

My husband, who sitting in bed surfing the net on the laptop, looked over at me and started laughing. "Did you just say F-ing Breezy?"

Caught red handed with my swear, I sheeplishly explain that I can deal with some light showers but what I really don't want is wind...especially coming back Marginal into town!

What can you do though? Hope the forecast changes and I get some friggin awesome weather, of course!!! If not, oh well, at least I got my secret weapons, E & A!!!!!

Mad Monday Update 5/12

Holy crap, is the Cleveland Marathon week already here???

Monday 5/5
- AM -2 Mile Run, 9.5 Miles Biked
- LUNCH- UBWO with E

Tuesday 5/6
- LUNCH-Track workout with E -6.7 Miles 6X400 repeats 1:28 dropping to 1:25 (I was totally sucking for air feeling out of shape!)
-EVE- Lower Body workout with Sean at HPL--squats and lunges galore (tail soreness kept getting worse through Thursday peak)

Wednesday 5/7
-5 Mile easy run with the girls-E, LP, JP

Thursday 5/8
-6 Mile Tempo Run 2 easy, 3 at 7 min mile, 1 easy. Between me having to go to the RR and my sore legs from HPL workout, I really struggled!
-EVE-Strectching session with HPL

Friday 5/9
-UBWO with Monica
-1000 yards swam

Sat 5/10
-10 Miles ran with TR and BB

Sun 5/11
Rest Day---Spent time with the mothers, saw Ironman, and played with the pug puppies Joey's aunt and gma got (I want one too!)!

Totals-
29.7 Ran
9.5 Biked
1000 yds swam
3 Strength, 1 stretch

The Doghouse

So Matches still has his mohawk as it has not yet grown out yet! (PIC NOT HIM, JUST WHERE HE IS IN MY BOOK AFTER LAST NIGHT!)

And last night about 4 AM, I am jolted awake by the loud thunderstorm crashing outside. I roll over hoping to go back to sleep when I hear the gate at the top of the stairs start banging.

You see we have these swinging cafe doors like a western saloon at the top of the stairs with a little clasp to keep the dog downstairs.

Yet lately he has learned that if he bangs and scratches hard enough, it will shake the hook right out of the clasp and whalla, time to eat Zippo the kitty's food! This just started this week and has now happended 4 times.

Well last night the banging was for quite another reason.

Scardy tough mohawk dog was so shaken from the storms that he wanted to come hang out with us. Despite my best efforts to coax him back downstairs it was not happening. I gave up, shut the door to our bedroom with Matches in there and went downstairs to go to the bathroom. Next it was my husbands turn as now he was awake.

He kicks Matches back downstairs and we go back to bed. A few frantic pawing moments 10 seconds later and he was back in the bedroom. My hubby and I looked at one another and I gave up and got up to shut the door to let Matches sleep in our room for the first time ever.

So after Matches quit panting and pacing so bad and settled down, I finally fell back to sleep. Like 15 minutes my alarm rang to get me up for spin class but I was now too tired to go.

I am blaming this one on my whoosy dog!!!! That mohawk did nothing to make you any tougher, you poser!

Now it is time to figure out a new way to keep the dog downstairs I suppose!

All wrapped up in one post!

OK folks I have been struggling with finding time for blogging so again, here is the short version so I can get back to the work I should be doing!

Delayed Mad Monday Update

Monday 4/28- 6 Mile run -46:59 in the rain
Tues 4/29- LBWO with HPL
Wed 4/30 (3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!)- 6 AM spin class, UBWO with MT
Thurs 5/1- Took Matches to park and ran intervals-5 Miles, Stretching with HPL
Friday 5/2 -7.75 Mile Run with E in thunderstorm, picture 2 very drowned rats
Saturday 5/3- Rest
Sunday 5/4 -Silver Springs Du -7 Miles Ran (2 5K's plus w/u), 18 Miles Biked

Weekly Totals
2 Strenth Training Sessions
36 Miles Biked
25.75 Miles Ran

Silver Springs Duathlon
WARNING--This is what you don't do!!!

The night before was the big wedding. Tons of family and friends. Everyone had a blast, as I knew we would. Yet I had more than my share of beers, shots and then Taco Bell.

Ahhh, yes, what could be a better idea after a lot of beers and a looming duathlon the next day???


Yeah, not so much...............

I woke up after a little sleep to drag my butt out of bed to the du. You see I really I had thought long and hard about not signing up, as I knew I would probably be hungover. I knew inevitably when you get these fun people together the night before at a wedding what was going to happen. Yet, for the Beast Series and for Team ER, I kind of felt obligated to participate, even if it meant not putting my best foot forward. And not being an A race on my schedule, I was going to party it up at the weddding!!!

With shades covering my blood shot eyes, I made my way to transition area and I think E knew immediately it had been a rough one (or one heck of a fun night, depending how you wana look at it).

So I haven't ate Taco Bell for like 2 years and for good reason!!!

So this is quite disgusting to me, even as I type this a few days later, but after all that drinking I managed to stuff down 2 cheesy gordita crunches and 3 soft tacos. The race was starting and even with my short warm-up I had not yet gone to the bathroom if you know what I mean....yeah, that means bad news bears.

With the horn we were off. Up hill the first mile and already the Taco Bell burps were starting. I just tried to keep myself dialed in and not get caught up in attempting to keep up with my girls E and A....like that could happen on this day anyway!!!

Around the 5K loop in 21:59 and into transition I went. After an ugly transition and taking forever to snap my helmet strap, I was off on to my bike. I played cat and mouse with one girl for awhile passing her for the final time about the half way point. I stayed about 200 yards behind one guy the majority of the ride. Up and down the hills I gulped the most quenching water of my life from my aerobottle as the alcohol gushed out of my pores as my speed ranged from 12-30. After 3 laps I pulled into the parking lot to see A heading out for her final run.

As I headed out of transition I saw E coming in on her bicycle. I was confused as to how she was behind me as I knew I did not pass her on the bike and she ran like the wind the first 5K. I exited transition behind one strong female cyclist who had passed me with about 3 miles to go, and I passed her right away. My heavy legs were not happy and neither was I, as I continued burping Taco Bell. The stomach was churning as I plodded along the first uphill mile. I knew E was going to catch me if I did not speed up, but not crapping my pants was higher on my priority list, so I kept myself in a maintainable range.

Just after mile 1, she passed me and said she had missed a turn on the bike course. Bummer for her, as she would have won! I wanted to tag along as she pulled away but I was afraid that pace might risk total taco bell meltdown, so I let her go. As I came around toward the finish line, you could hear A & E cheering me on like I was leading the olympics or something. What a way to finish the race!!!! My Team ER friends were also all on the sidelines cheering! Let me tell you how happy I was to cross that finish line!!! Heck, somehow I even manged to nab 3rd overall female (1:44:27), just behind my ladies A (1:41:56)& E(1:42:56).

Without further adieu, I was off to the bathroom. After hitting the bathroom and all that sweating out the poisons I felt like a new person! It was a gorgeous morning and I was glad I had sucked it up and came out to race after my fun night the evening before.

The whole morning was a blast (minus the hangover /taco bell issues) made possible by my two amigas, E & A (HOW FABULOUS THAT WE COULD CLEAN SWEEP THE PODIUM, if I am going to lose, I want it to be to them!!!), my CTC friends, my Team ER pals, the great RD and volunteers, and some nice weather!!!!



So next up is the big show at Cleveland. Have no fear friends, there will be no alcohol and no Taco Bell anywhere near that one (well maybe a little beer afterwards, but it is going to have to be at least another couple years before anymore Taco Bell!!!)