1200 miles

My husband and I joined the Birmingham Track Club for the first time last year. We mainly joined because they were offering a great value on BTC sponsored races in 2013, but it has become something more than I expected. Each year BTC proposes a challenge for members to run 1200 miles in a year. As this year started I was preparing for my first half marathon and so I thought I'd give the challenge a try. I started running in the spring of 2011 and had worked my way up to running 14-16 miles a week. Once I started training for the Mercedes half marathon I obviously stepped things up, but I was far from the 23-25 miles I would need each week during the course of the year. January 2013 was a good month with 111 miles, but February was short and tapering for the 1/2 marathon cut my miles short, but I decided to stay with the challenge. It has been a long year, but I have learned so much about myself and running. I have completed 2 half marathons, and many races from 5k's to10 milers. I feel like the challenge has taken me from someone who just jogs for exercise to an actual runner. The challenge is one month from completion and I am feeling so accomplished because I know I have less than 100 miles to run! Of course with the WDW half marathon in January I will get more miles in than 100 :) I also know that the challenge will just start all over come January 1, but I'm ready!    

Weekly chase

We had such a nice holiday and now to survive the next 3 weeks before Christmas break! I have so much to do- grading papers, Christmas shopping, writing a semester exam and prepping for the WDW half marathon in January just to name a few! It is also the last month of the Birmingham Track Club 1200 miles challenge. It will be my first year to participate and I am so excited that the goal is in reach (just to start again on Jan 1 of course!).

On to the chase- (last week's updates follow)
Goal 1- Figure out how to get my afternoon runs in with the rainy weather we have this week, yuck :( I also need a 7 or 8 mile run, WDW weekend will be here soon! I am shooting for 25 miles this week.
Update- I managed to get 25.25 miles in, yay! I had two 6+ mile runs, but didn't get in anything longer. I am lucky that I teach and can start a run about 3:30, but I still have to pick ME up by 5 and get home and get horses fed and homework done. I need a free Saturday morning to get a longer run in! 

Post run in the rain Monday!

Goal 2- Type the minutes from my last Garden Club meeting. Somehow I am the secretary and have really not done a good job! The next meeting is this weekend, so I NEED to get the minutes done!
Update- Minutes done and sent to members!

Goal 3- Grade my creative writing classes short stories, that I have had for way too long!
Update- Well, these are still in my school bag. I'm going to carry this goal over to this week. Grades are due soon, and there are more papers coming, so this goal will be done this week!! 

Last week- 
Goal 1- I only need 20.5 miles by Sat for my 100 this month! My goal is to get my normal 23-25 so I have some leeway going into the last month of 1200 miles!
Update- Well... I met one part of my goal :) A combo of extremely cold weather and the holiday prevented me from getting my normal mileage, but I did get 20.75 so I completed just over 100 miles for the month. 

Goal 2- Get my house clean Wed. because everyone will be at my house for Thanksgiving!

Update- Success! I rescued the house (well the public parts, don't open any closets or my bedroom door!) and we had a lovely Thanksgiving!

Weekly chase

I missed last week, sorry! I've just got to get into the habit of setting my goals each Monday! My goals for this week are:
Updates for the week follow each goal- 

 Goal 1- Try to get 26 miles in so I have some "padding" going into Thanksgiving week. I know I will get busy next week and not get all my miles in! The road to 1200 miles is too close to mess up now!
Update- I got in exactly 26 miles! Yay! 

Goal 2- Read a book with ME a minimum of 3 nights this week. We have been so good about doing her homework but we have been slacking in the reading department!
Update- We read 2 nights, not great, but better! 

Goal 3- Get through the trial chapters in To Kill a Mockingbird with my 9th graders. I need for them to be ready to test during the second week of December (which is soon!).
Update- Success! All we have left now are the last few chapters (my honors classes are done though!) 

This week's goals- 
Goal 1- I only need 20.5 miles by Sat for my 100 this month! My goal is to get my normal 23-25 so I have some leeway going into the last month of 1200 miles!

Goal 2- Get my house clean Wed. because everyone will be at my house for Thanksgiving!

Easy Monday run

I feel so lucky to be able to run at my house. Our driveway is just over a quarter of a mile long, so on days when I can't get to the park or to town to run I can just run the driveway. It is perfect for me because my little girl (who is almost 6) can play in the yard or the house and I can still get my run in. It wasn't always so easy :) The added benefit is that the scenery is lovely!

RocknRoll recap

Our trip to Savannah started with a little excitement! ME had been fighting a cold all week and Friday morning it attacked. Just as we got ready to get in the car she threw up! Since there was no plan B she had to go with us, sick or not. I dosed her up with medicine and Mike grabbed a small garbage can and off we went! After she had a biscuit and a short nap, she woke up feeling much better and I breathed a little sigh of relief :) The trip was uneventful after that and we arrived in Savannah about 6 1/2 hours later.

We had a great place to stay on Hutchinson Island about 1 mile from the convention center and water ferry. We shared a house with Mike's running buddy Chris and his family, which worked really well for us. Chris's wife and daughter kept ME Sat. morning during the race and then met us in town. After settling in to our house we walked over to check in at the expo. None of us had ever run in such a large race so we were somewhat overwhelmed by the crowds, but being surrounded by so many runners was awesome! We picked up our packets then cruised the expo booths for a little while. I know when we go to Disney in January I want to allow more time at the expo!  I am sure there will be things I need :) Once we got back to the house the boys went grocery shopping and we had a standard chicken and pasta pre-race meal before getting organized for the race and heading to bed. 

I was so excited to wear my new chevron running skirt in the race. I had not done a long distance run in it, but it was too cute not to wear! I actually got quite a few compliments from spectators and racers. I did not get a good night's sleep due to a variety of things. ME couldn't settle down, then when we both finally went to sleep I had crazy dreams about running late the next morning. In all I got about 5 1/2 hours of sleep which is not enough for me! The next morning we were up at 4:30 am and headed to the ferry at 5:30. I had my typical protein bar and water before heading out the door with the boys. The ferry ride over was quick then we needed to find bag drop and the bathrooms! I was so impressed with the organization of the bag drop. A string of UPS brown trucks awaited us organized alphabetically. The largest race I have ever run was about 1/3 of the size of this race, so the size of the start was all new to me! 

I started in corral 15 and there were people as far as I could see in both directions. I started in the 2:30 time corral but I was actually hoping for a 2:10-2:15 finish. Our corral started about 20 minutes after the first corral, so it felt like a lot of hurry up and wait.

I couldn't even see the start from my corral! It was a chilly morning, but my excitement and the body heat of all the runners kept me warm (for the most part) until the start. 

The crowds of runners were overwhelming at times. I'm used to crowds the first few miles but in smaller races by mile 2 or 3 the area usually opens up. That was not the case in this race! I ran into or was bumped by other runners on several occasions.  However with all of that being said the crowd did make for an interesting and exciting run! People watching made the time go by. The spectator crowds were amazing! During miles 5-7 the number of spectators made me feel like we were in the last few miles of the race. It was perfect motivation to get over the halfway point of the race. Cardio-wise for me the race went very well. I did not feel like I struggled at all, but my thighs began to feel fatigued around mile 8 which was still a long way from the finish. I definitely need to work on my strength there before the Disney half in January. 

After the race I met up with Mike in the family reunion area. The post race snacks were perfect! I downed my water, gatorade, chocolate milk and power bar ASAP, then enjoyed an "adult beverage" :) I am not a huge fan of milk but I was pleasantly surprised by how refreshing it was! Our running buddy Chris was not too far behind then we met up with our families at the playground by Forsythe Park. I loved running in my new chevron running skirt from Running Skirts! It was so comfy and the pockets were very useful. I also enjoyed my Spi-belt. It is perfect for my phone. Now I just have to work on stopping to take more photos! It was the last race for my Brooks Glycerins. They have been awesome shoes, but the miles have taken a toll and it is time for new running shoes, Brooks of course! We had a great lunch at Moon River brewing and watched the Auburn game before heading to the water ferry and home. I wasn't sore after the race but the level of fatigue my legs felt was awful. I also got a strange headache that lasted most of the night. I'm not sure what that was about? Anyone have any ideas? 

Sunday we all got up and went to tour Savannah. The easiest thing to do was taking a trolley tour and we just got off and visited the spots along the way. Favorite stops included the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, the DAR cemetery, another stop in Forsythe Park and River Street. ME ran the KidsRock race at Daffin Park and had a blast. The kindergarten race was only 1/2 mile along a tree lined track. The races were very well organized and fun! ME had a great time before and after the race, but she got nervous on the course with all of the people cheering. To be such an outgoing kid, she sure is shy in big crowds. She was all about the bling at the end of the race though :)  

All in all it was a great family adventure! Mike ran a 1:53:09, I ran a 2:11:28 and ME enjoyed her first big race!  

Savannah RocknRoll

I'm back at work today after a fabulous weekend in Savannah! Mike and I both beat our previous 1/2 marathon times and ME rocked it in the KidsRock race on Sunday. Watch my blog for a full recap of the weekend later today!

Vulcan 2013

Most local races start with my little girl, ME, and I driving to Homewood for packet pickup at Trak Shak. It's about 30 minutes away but I would rather the extra drive rather than a race day packet pickup. A trip to Homewood also means a stop by Homewood Toy and Hobby for ME and this trip wasn't any different. With packets in hand we were ready for our traditional pre-race chicken and rice dinner. Race day was chilly so I went with running capris instead of my new running skirt. Mike decided to wear a shirt, ha! After dropping a sleepy ME at my parent's house we met Chris and headed to Birmingham. It is crazy to think that the Vulcan run 2012 was my 1st 10k and now 6 mile runs are a regular distance for me! The Vulcan course is a rolling course from Linn Park, to Avondale area, up and across Highlands, through 5 Points South then back to Linn Park. The start of the race is somewhat hectic as everyone tries to cross the start mat, and find their pace, but it opens up by mile 2. My favorite portion of the race is Highlands. The homes and parks provide great scenery and there are usually some spectators to cheer on the runners. The Downtown Running Club had a great group out to support runners and there was another group setup tailgate style with a band. I am claiming this race as my new PR.I am doubting the course measurement from Auburn in April. That course was very hilly and it was hot. I felt great yesterday on the Vulcan course and really opened up (for me!) several times. I finished 30 out of 94 in my age group which makes me happy, usually I am in the top 50%. After the race I found my hubby ( who set a PR of 49:42, check him out at House Family Fitness on Facebook) and we stretched, rehydrated and snapped some quick pics while we waited on Chris to finish up. Once we found Chris, we all got our dry clothes, changed then headed to check out the post race refreshments. One of our favorite local breweries Cahaba Brewing supplied the adult beverages. Waffle House was selling belgian waffles for a $1 each, but was passed for free hotdogs and chips. The Vulcan race is one of my favorites!

Vulcan

We had a great race this morning! My husband broke 50 finishing in 49:42 and I finished in 57:42! ME and I are off to a birthday party, so I will write more later.

Ready for Vulcan

I had a nice 6 mile run with my running buddy yesterday. My left knee has been a little sore but feels much better this morning. My only runs on the schedule this week are short runs today and Friday before the Vulcan 10k on Sat. so maybe my knee issue is over!  If you are not familiar with Vulcan check it out at www.birminghamtrackclub.com and watch for my race recap this weekend. Happy running!

Sunday run with sister

My sister is in town and asked if I wanted to run this morning. She is just starting to run again so I was excited that she wanted to go. She did great! We did 3.8 miles and she only walked once! I wish she lived closer so we could run together more often.

Busy Saturday

Busy day ahead with setting up for tablescapes, cookout with new neighbors and Artstalk tonight in town. I'm putting on cold weather gear for the first time this year! It is 36 which is too cold!  Just going for a quick 3 miles in the driveway here at home (our drive is 1/4 mile then full steam ahead. The best way to start a busy day is with a run :)

2 weeks out

So we leave for the Savannah RnR 2 weeks from today!! Yea! But do I really have to taper:) I know the answer is yes, but the 1200 mile goal this year is driving me! I'm planning for 20 miles each of the next 2 weeks. I'm hoping for nice weather and a fast race for the Vulcan 10k too :) ME wants to do the kid's race in Savannah, which makes me smile! It should be a fun family trip!

Orr Park trail