At it again

Racing season is over (I think).
I ran my last 5K this past Saturday, the Autumn Challenge in the park in my "backyard".

And guess what?!

I took 2nd place in my age group! 

WOO HOO!

(little secret... I'm not exactly sure how many people were IN my age group, but it was very few)

The day was rainy and cold (42-degrees F), so I suspect many folks opted to stay home in their cozy beds than come out and run around like a crazy fool.
But THIS crazy fool did, and I had a great time (35:07) and scored some great goodies.

SO, then the obvious next question is...

What do I do now?

No more "training" is necessary, per se, but I'm loving my new-and-improved 20-pound lighter body and want to keep it slim and strong and healthy.

With the days getting shorter and the temps dropping (it's only going to get into the upper-50s this week), the amount of outside time could be limited.  So, the hubby and I decided to break out the P90X DVDs.

Yep.  We're going to jump into the insanity that is P90X... again.  (Our first attempt, in 2009, went quite well.)
It's a great muscle-building program, but very intense.
I have the time to commit 90+ minutes a day to these workouts, but we'll see if the hubby can (with his 10-hour work days).

My goals... I have two.
1) Maintain my weight (I have a little more fat I'd like to lose, and want to build muscle... I suspect that should balance in the pounds-department).
2) I want 6-pack abs.


Today was Day-1.  I finished my workout about 45-minutes ago and already I can feel my arms getting a little tight (today was the Chest & Back workout - lots of push-ups and pull-ups).  Looking forward to tomorrow... Plyo, my favorite workout.  We'll see if I'm able to sit up, however, the Ab Ripper workout is a killer.


I'll see you tomorrow for Turn The Page... Tuesday where I fill you in on all I've been reading as of late.  See you then!

Take it... to the limit....

The 8 in the Rough is touted as...
"...a fun, challenging and almost endless course of twists, single track, a bit of wide xc ski trail and park roads. It's not flat, and it's not dry. Pack your energy and have at one of the most exciting, hard core trail runs of the season in Western New York!"
 ...and they ain't lyin'!

Yesterday, I learned my limit.
A friend, and fellow runner, put it into perspective today (more on that later).

But first, here's the story.
You know I've been running a lot this summer, more than I ever have before.
I'm getting better at it, tho I still don't consider myself a runner.
I have to work hard at it - it doesn't come naturally like swimming or biking.
Running really challenges me.

But I LIKE that challenge.
I like being stubborn and saying "no, dammit, I'm not giving up"... even when I feel I'm making no progress at all.

Oh.. and you also know I've been totally digging trail runs, right.  (No?  Go here)

SO, when I was signing up for races this summer and saw "8 in the Rough" - an 8-mile trail run in my "backyard" I thought... hmmmm, might be tough, but might be a fun challenge, something to shoot for.
So I signed up.

I honestly wasn't sure how well I'd do in this race.  I never ran this distance before (5.5 and 6.5 miles were the closest I got - and one was in a rain storm (with lots of thunder & lightning) where I was literally running for my life).
One thing I did know was the awesome feeling I get when I run the trails.  I wondered if this "high" could carry me through the 8.5 miles.

And if the race was strictly a mental game, I could have done it.

But, it isn't.
So I didn't.

I made it to the 6.5 mile mark (I had actually started walking around 5.5, but there was no way out of the race except forward, so I kept moving).

What happened?  My hip started to really bother me.
Yep, the same hip I injured last year two weeks before my 1st triathlon. (I blogged about it here)
It was okay when I walked, but the pain flared up when I ran.

So when I came out of the woods, I bagged it.  I turned in my tag and went home.

Did I feel defeated or disappointed.  Yeah, a little, I guess. 
But more importantly, I felt proud of my accomplishment.  I completed 6.5 miles on a VERY challenging trail.

My friend and fellow runner (who I mentioned above) perfectly put it into perspective for me...
The 6.5 miles we ran on the trail today, equate to about 12 on the road.

Wow.
This made me really proud of my run.

AND
I learned a few things while I was out there...
I learned that I'm not ready for that big of a challenge (yet).  Maybe I'll never be... we'll see what next year brings.
I learned the REAL reason why I run - for fitness, for calorie burn, and for the trails,
and I confirmed that I'd rather be slow and happy runner (without pain) than push myself to place 18th in a race that really means nothing in the grand scheme of life.

That won't stop me from running in organized events... it's fun to run with others in a friendly competition... but I won't let it break me if I finish dead last or DNF entirely.

It's all about getting outside, being active, and having a good time.
Hope you had some good times outside this weekend.

Dirtiest 5K to date

I'm kind of surprised that I'm still awake...

Yes, it's only 8:00pm, but it's been a busy day.

A DIRTY day, too.

Today was the Dirty Girl Mud Run!

3.1 miles of mud, sweat, and obstacles... made for an AWESOME good-time!

So here we are... all pretty and clean... ready to run... 

Me and my sister

Team Brave Tarts

3000 women... need many port-o-potties

We're all checked-in... it's time to RUN!

... and then the obstacles begin...

(apologies for any of the low-res photos... 
I was using a throw-away camera during the run - to catch ALL the Dirty Girl action!)

The Barn Burner

Water Pit

The Wall (highest section is 8' tall)

Blurry action-shot, on the trail

Tire Pump

... then a little more running...

The weather was nicer than it looks here

... then back to obstacles!

Utopian Tubes

What?!  More running??

Slip-n-Slide

Cargo-net climb

Me, snapping a photo of Jamie (pink shirts)

My photo of Jamie!

Finally... we arrive at the finish line...

 What an amazing day... this run was all about fun... and it exceeded all my expectations.

I can't wait till next year!

Extra special thanks to my Dad, for being our team-photographer at the start/finish lines.  He took a bunch of great shots with my Digital SLR. 

99/100 Challenge - Success!

It's September 5th - the last day of the 99/100 Challenge.

First, many thanks to Elizabeth & Tee for throwing down the gauntlet this summer. 

So, how did I do?
Well, see for yourself... here's the grand-sum total of all my activities these last 99 days.

Want to see EVERYTHING (all my workouts, that is)?  Go here.

As you can see, thanks to the Challenge (and a couple Triathlons thrown in there), I made it!

115.2 running miles

I'm SO proud of myself.

I still don't love to run, but it's become a very important part of my life.  I didn't run yesterday and I was yearning to go (the plan was to do a long trail run again, but my sore muscles from Saturday's strength-training workout and the rain stopped me from going).  I never would have thought I'd actually WANT to run.

I should point out... that in addition to each of us achieving great levels of fitness, there was a "not just about me" reason for this challenge... to help others less fortunate than we.  Elizabeth and Tee selected Shepherd's Pantry (food pantry serving the south coast of Massachusetts in Fairhaven) as our cause.  I decided that I would donate 1/2 of my running mileage to Shepherd's Pantry - which brings my amount to $57.60 (I'm going to round it up to $60).

$60 is actually a pretty interesting number since many of the races I participated in this summer cost $60-70 to join.  So, it only makes sense that I pay my 99/100 Challenge "entry fee" like I did with all the others.

So what's next on the list of challenges??  This coming weekend is the Dirty Girl at Emery Park (5K with obstacles!!  Can't wait!) and the following weekend is Sprague Brook Park's 8 in the Rough (haven't committed to this 8-mile trail run yet, but I likely will do it).  October is another (5K) trail run at Sprague Brook the Autumn Challenge so, you won't see my running mileage drop off any time soon.

How about you?  What's your next challenge?

Happy Trails

What do you get when you combine Rocks, Ruts, Roots, and Running???
A wicked good time!

If you know me at all, you know that running is not my thing.
I've only been running (seriously) for about a year.  I never liked running before... actively disliked it, actually.

This dislike has continued for a long time.  I was really hoping it would go away the longer I ran.  But, for example, at last month's triathlon, my run time was mediocre (again) and I really felt miserable throughout it.  Much of my problem was mental, but some of it, I'm certain, was physical.  I realize that running on hot asphalt with the sun beating down on me makes it very difficult for me to run.  However...

I have recently discovered my love of trail running!

Here's what happened...

The week after our triathlon, my training partner, Jan, took me to our local park to run the cross-country ski trails - for a change of pace and to up our mileage.  She had a 2-mile loop mapped out that we would run twice (for a total of 4-miles).  All but about 250-feet was in the woods, surrounded by trees that provided great shade.

We made it through the first loop, warming up and watching for obstacles, then started loop #2.
I felt great.
I barely felt winded, I wasn't struggling to continue.
I felt like I could run for hours!


Was it the new scenery?
Was it the trees that I love to hike and walk amongst?
Was it the company?

I think it was the shade.
I think it was the coolness of the forest.
I think it was the "cushion" of the trail.
and most importantly... I think my mind was in a really good place.
And all of this together makes me want to run.

How could it not?  I LOVE spending time in the woods.  I go for long walks there with my husband & family as often as possible.  It is my happy place.
SO, it seems only natural that I could be happy running here as well.


And if you're gonna run... why not test yourself every once in a while with a little race, right??

That's when I discovered that there was a new 5K race coming to a nearby town.... the "Dirty Girl".

www.godirtygirl.com

It's not your average 5K... there's mud and obstacles.  And mud.
But the great thing is, it's all about fun.  (Go check out the website.)
That's what I want from a race.
So, I recruited my friends and sister to be on a team with me and we're all registered for the event.
But I can't get instant gratification from this race, it's not happening until September.
   ... cue Kathryn and her invitation to run in the Boston Mud Run!

http://www.quarkquark.com/mudrun/

This 6K race is advertised as a "European-Style Cross Country Run" - a 3.5 mile trail run with hills and stream-crossings and mud, mud, mud!  Pools of it all over the trails.  If you're careful (like I was this year), you could avoid getting too dirty... but there were some who WANTED to play in the mud (and wanted to share with others).  If you visit the event's website and check out the photo page, you'll get a sense of what some people look like when their run is done.

I want next year to be different - I want mud in my shoes and in my hair.  :)

We didn't score an land-speed records that night, but we had an excellent time doing it - AND we celebrated with ice cream afterwards.  Who doesn't love ice cream after a hard workout?!  AND, the registration fee went to a good cause - the Boston Rescue Squad.  AND... we all got great shirts!  I'm wearing mine as a badge of honor.

So, I'll still be running on the road occasionally... but I think for the most part you'll find me in the woods... either walking with the dog, the hubby or the family or running along with my thoughts... in my happy place.

Happy Trails!

P.S.... here's the map of the Boston Mud Run, in case you'd like to try it yourself. (Be sure to check out the elevation information, too.  HA!)

99/100 Challenge - Half way there!

I crossed the 1/2 way mark this morning...

my 2.7 mile run put me at...

50.6-miles!

WOO HOO!!

Special thanks to Elizabeth & Tee for starting this challenge.  

For more information, to donate, or to get involved (yes, you still can!), visit their sites.

12-of-12: July 2011

Today's 12-of-12 is being renamed to....

"My Summer Vacation"

It was a day filled with summertime activities.  

It started out with... 

CHERRIES!

This morning I made Cherry-Almond Jam...

Jam:  Before

Jam:  WIP

Jam:  Done!

Next... Cherry Pie!

Pie:  Before

Pie:  After

Mid-day, I took time to relax.

Hangin' in the Hammock

My view from the Hammock

 Finally, it was time to burn some calories... 

Self portrait:  Safety first!

First hill (it's steeper than it looks)

View of the golf course

Almost home - cooling down

If it was a little earlier, I'd grab a piece of pie to celebrate burning 500+ calories over my 16.1 miles of riding, but since I'm trying to lose a little weight, I'll save those calories for another time.

If you'd like to learn more about the 12-of-12 project, visit Chad Darnell's page.  He's the one who started it all - there you'll find other 12-of-12ers from around the world, too.

Hope you're having a great summer.  See ya next month!