Rain, Rain, Go Away

Well, I was hoping to do a duathlon (no tri since I do not yet have a wet suit) at Caesar's Creek this weekend...but apparently that will not be happening. Due to the record amounts of rain we have received this spring, it was cancelled. The lake is unsafe and 19 feet above normal and the transition area is currently under water as well as all the boat docks that are needed for the rescue kayaks/boats that are out there for the swimmers. Bummer.


Truthfully, I was waiting to see what the weather said this weekend anyway. I can run, bike, run in the rain on my own without paying $50+. So maybe I'll still do that!

And...in tru Bethany fashion, I stepped on one of Sid's bones Sunday night and cut the bottom of my foot. I'm hoping I can put normal pressure on it by tomorrow.

Time Flies

I can't believe it's been over a week since the Derby Festival Marathon...

This week my tri kit came in! My friend Kelly was kind of enough to pick it up for me. Here it is!

Front

Back

I can't  promise any pictures of me actually wearing this will ever be posted on the internet...but I have it. It makes me feel official. 

Hopefully it makes me faster too.

I also got a cycling jersey. Since I am new to cycling I didn't have any so I figured why not?

Kelly put a nice little surprise in my bag with my kit too, isn't she sweet?

This week was more relaxing than most. I felt like running on Monday, but decided to rest a little more. My focus now is going to be on getting faster. I'm hoping to get back to the track next week. Track work outs are

hard to make myself do, but I really do love how they make me feel.

Surprise present from Kelly!

  Saturday was the Girls on the Run 5K. This is one of my most favorite events in the world. The girls I coach did absolutely amazing.

I was able to be a running buddy for one of them and it was so fun to run with her, encourage her and learn even more about her. She had an amazing attitude the whole time. The energy of 900+ 8-12 year old girls is definitely contagious!

I also finally got to go to one of the Barbell classes at my gym. I used to take this type of class all the time - years ago. It felt good...but I'm sure it won't feel so good tomorrow. I counted and we did a bazillion squats. I'm looking forward to making this a regular part of my work out routine!

Race Recap Part 2

I probably should have written this blog right after the race so it would be fresh in my mind, but driving home took a little longer than anticipated (an extra 2 hours!!!)...and dinner seemed WAY more important once I finally did get home. Sorry!

The race started at 7:30 a.m. and as we walked to the starting line we saw about a dozen hot air balloons floating over the city as the sun was rising. What a gorgeous and peaceful start to the day!

Around mile 5 Jen and I started to panic that there was not going to be any Gatorade on the course...

The marathon and half marathon (or mini marathon as the Kentuckians call it) stay together for the first 8-9 miles. One of the highlights of the course is running through Churchill Downs. We stopped for a few pictures and were lucky enough to see horses running on the track too!

Finally at mile 9 there was blue Powerade. I've never been happier to see a sports drink of any kind.


We entered Iroquois Park around mile 11. This is similar to the Eden Park climb in the Flying Pig marathon. The road through the park was curvy,  hilly, and shaded. It was a nice change of pace from the flat mostly residential areas we had been running in. I believe we came out of the park around mile 16. 

Goodbye shade.

There were only small sections of shade for the remaining 10 miles. It was very sunny and warmer than ideal for marathon running. A nice wind did cool us off after we hit 20 miles, however it was a headwind. There was also Mt. Everest at mile 23.  We powered up and over the hill and into the homestretch.

It was great running together the whole time. Chatting, being quiet, encouraging each other and other runners, laughing. It amazed me how much we sill have in common all these years later! Who else could I have discussed Lauren Tanner with at mile 10?


Congrats to Jen on marathon #16 and state #13!


Stay tuned, my #7 may be sooner than later!

Race Recap Part 1

Yesterday morning was the Big Day!  But of course it all started on Friday...

We arrived in Louisville just after 3 and checked in at the hotel before walking across the street to the expo.

View of Fourth Street Live from our hotel room

Directions at the convention center

I think the race directors either forgot to pick up some signs or didn't think runners needed to know where to go once inside the convention center. The expo was much smaller than we anticipated, so after we picked up our packets and I bought a visor since I forgot a hat, we decided to do a little minor sight-seeing.

We wandered over to the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum. We arrived 5 minutes before the gift shop closed. We snooped around and took a few photos.We decided it was easiest to do the race sponsored pasta party, so we headed back over to the convention center for some pasta, salad and derby pie.

Then it was time to rest our legs and feet for the big day.

It was so much fun getting to spend time with Jen. This was only the second time we have seen each other in about 9 or so years, but it definitely didn't feel like it had been that long. We had a great time and  plan on doing at least a few more marathons together!

And apparently we both like bananas too!

I'll tell you about the race tomorrow.
 
By the way, you can subscribe by email to my blog and comments are now open to anyone, not just those with google accounts!

Pushup Challenge

In my insanity restlessness of tapering I decided it would be fun to start the One Hundred Push up Challenge.

Before

Why, you ask?   Why not!                                          

And now I challenge you to do it with me!

The beauty of it is that it doesn't matter where you start - the end goal is the same and the program claims it will get you there. It is also a very low time commitment. And doesn't require any equipment.

Here's what you need: yourself, 3 days a week, 10 minutes each of those days.

I've only done 2 days worth (tomorrow will be day 3). You start with 5 sets and rest 60-120 seconds in between sets. It's been a little easier than I anticipated so far.

Take the challenge if you dare and let me know how it goes!                                                                                                                                                                          

After

I am also now taking recommendations for my next triathlon and fall marathon!

Storms & Race week

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.coolestpicture.com

Lightening, thunder, rain and wind kept me up most of the night before my last (short) long run. In reality it was the dog that kept me up, but it was because of the storm. She is a hunting dog that is terrified of loud noises. Not really the greatest combo. She cries the whole time it storms. It started storming sometime around 1 a.m. and the worst hit around 2. They were long, bad, very loud storms. Unfortunately it was the third middle-of-the-night storm this week. Good thing she is cute.

Needless to say I was exhausted when it came time to run. I opted for a shorter run than I planned since the miles are really irrelevant at this point. I am either trained or not. It is like studying for a test 30 seconds before you take it. I decided that being so tired I had a higher risk of injury or just having a bad run and it wasn't worth it to me just one week before race day. I went for 8 miles instead of the 10-12 I had planned on.

I felt good and strong, but exhausted at the same time. It was a strange feeling. Not tired at all from the run, but my body was definitely ready to be finished after 8 miles.

I had the realization earlier this week that I really have not had any bad training runs. The worst was the last couple of miles of my 18.  For only 2-3 miles of such a long run to be bad though is actually pretty good I think. I really hope this isn't setting me up for a bad run on race day.

Marc had gotten up very insanely early to go turkey hunting that morning. I was very surprised to have a text message from him when I got back to my car. I called him and he asked if I wanted to meet for brunch. Yesss! I love breakfast food. Especially after running. We had a nice surprise post-run post-hunting brunch date. Made my day.

I can't believe the marathon is this weekend. I kept thinking during my run that this time next week Jen and I will be in Louisville logging another 26.2.  Wow. I hope marathon #6 is a solid, injury free race with a good friend.

And next week I get to start keep on training for #7. I hope it's lucky.

p.s. Happy race week to everyone doing marathons/half marathons this weekend!

The stuff dreams are made of

New best buds.

With the help of a good friend of mine, Erin Hamilton, I made the trek to Springfield, OH on Thursday to participate in Dean Karnazes' run across America. In one word it was amazing.

I was able to run with Dean for almost the whole 5K. I was shocked by this and it made it completely worth the almost 3 hour round trip adventure.

It's the first time I've ever run with a camera, but I am so happy that I did. Erin was able to see us along the way and meet us at the finish (it was a point to point 5K). She also took some great pictures!  Dean was so friendly and down to earth. It was quite the experience.  

No human has calves like this. Insane!

Although I am sure Dean will continue to do crazy things like this, it might have been a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.

It was so much fun and I'm glad I got to share the experience with such a great friend!