Saturday I ran 10 miles.

They weren’t the best 10 miles, but they weren’t the worst either.

I’m not going to lie and say that my marathon training so far has been ideal. I’m only 3 weeks in, but the worry is in the back of my mind. Just a little, but it’s there.

I remember when I was training for the Glass City Half Marathon and I rocked all my weekday runs and sucked at my weekend long runs. Seems to be a common theme this time around, too. Luckily I have the reminder that everything magically came together the day of Glass City and I PR’d the crap out of that race. That’s the one thing keeping me grounded when a have a “not so great” long run right now.

So instead of freaking out about it, I headed out to spend a day in the sun with good friends. Friends who don’t care that I’m having belly “troubles” from my run, that I’m wearing compression socks and Sperry’s (together), or that I’m lazy our entire visit and let them cook for me.

I think this training cycle is going to be A-OK. My mind is in a good place and while that little bit of worry is still there, it hasn’t taken over (at least not yet!). And with good friends like these, I think I’m gonna be ok.

What do you like to do after your long run? Sleep? Drink? Shop? Dance?

Saturday was a ridiculously busy day. I wasn’t sure how we were going to do it all, but we dug down deep and got it done.

Here was the schedule:

• 9am Hyland 5k
• 9am baseball game
• 11am soccer game (J coaches!)
• 12pm birthday lunch for my mom
• packet pickup at the expo
• date night

Hmmmmm……..

Luckily I have the best parents in the entire world who showed up at our house at 8am Saturday morning to take C to his 9am baseball game.

J and I made it to the Hyland 5k with just enough time to pick up our bibs and gear up.

And somehow managed to find Kimi and Stef (volunteering) for a quick hello before the start!

We ran a quick(ish) 5k, finished with Chelsea, cooled off a bit, and got right back in the car to go to C’s baseball game.

Got to the game just in time to watch C pitch!

J left at 10:30 to fulfill his soccer coaching duties and I stayed with my parents to watch C finish out his baseball game.

As soon as it was over we booked over to the soccer fields (with C experiencing his first ever full car wardrobe change!). Once the game was over we came back to the house for a little lunch cookout/birthday celebration for my mom (she’s somehow 55 again? Weird).

We enjoyed some sausages from TJ’s Butcher Block and a little homemade Hershey’s Perfect Chocolate Cake before my parents took C home for the night and J and I headed to the expo to pick up our bibs for Sunday’s race. We went smelly and all. No showers yet – and, just for the record, 5k sweat, mixed with baseball field dust, is not a good combination. I sincerely apologize to anyone who was next to me in line at the packet pickup.

We finally made it home around 4:00 and ended up falling asleep (yep, still no showers) for about an hour or so. Which could quite possibly have been the best nap of my life.

And date night? Yeah, never happened. We ate leftovers, showered (yay!), and went to bed early. Like good runners do. Or like old people do. Your call.

Tell me one thing you did this past Saturday!

This weekend I ran the annual St. Malachi 5 Mile race. It’s the first real race of the year and it’s also the one year anniversary of meeting Kimi!

I didn’t sleep very well Friday night due to my nerves, but knowing that I’d be representing Team Sparkle Skirt traveling skirts with Kimi put some fun into the race for me. It helped me not focus so much on the 5 miles of hills I’d soon be facing.

And as funny as it sounds, the massive crowds of people actually helped calm my nerves. There wasn’t a lot of time to wait around for the race to start once I got through the port-a-potty line. There was just enough time to snap a few photos and then head to the starting line.

Running (and real life!) friends, Christie and Kimi

Before I knew it the bell rang and we were off.

Whoever designed this course was not fooling around. Holy hella hills. Cleveland is a relatively flat city, but this race runs through hill after hill after hill.

• Mile 1 = 8:22 This isn’t so bad. I feel good! Wait, ouch, that guy just kicked my right ankle. Crap, not my ankle! Stupid guy. Get out of my way.
• Mile 2 = 8:07 Wow. Is my ankle ok? It seems fine. Stop focusing on it and just run. Are these guys mad that a girl in a sparkly skirt is passing them? I kinda hope so. Suck it, boys.
• Mile 3 = 8:47 Ok, this is starting to blow. Plus, I’m going to have to go back up that hill I just came down. Just hang on, Heather, hang on.
• Mile 4 = 8:48 Suck it up, Heather. Breathe, breathe, breathe. Don’t look at the upcoming hill. Don’t look.
• Mile 5 = 8:00 OMG, I.want.to.die. And who’s touching me? Oh, hey Andy. Don’t talk to me, I’m concentrating on not dying. Go ahead. How the hell is he running so fast up this hill right now? Showoff. But, wait, there’s the finish line. RUN!!!!!

Final time = 42:05 (8:25/mile pace). Shut up. The last time I ran Malachi I ran a 44:50! I can’t tell you the last time I PR’d at a race so this felt pretty damn good. It’s coming back, my friends, it’s coming back………

Congrats to everyone who ran Malachi (and to anyone who raced this weekend!), I hear there were a ton of PR parties happening. Love it.

Oh, the winner of the FREE LARABARs is:

Congrats, Jeni!!!! Email me your mailing address by tomorrow night and I’ll pass it on to the people from LARABAR!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Have you PR’d lately?

A few people have been tweeting and posting about running safety lately. I used to just shrug it off and think “that would never happen to me”, but lately I have been more and more aware of my surroundings while running by myself. Sometimes I’m just so excited (or focused) to get out there that I don’t think twice about telling J where I’m running, or how long I’ll be gone, or taking my phone, etc, etc, etc.

So when I heard the news of Beth’s cousin, Sherry, being abducted a mile from her home in Sidney, Montana, I was horrified. She had gone out for a run and was out doing something she probably loved, something that helped her unwind from the outside stresses of the world, and now she’s gone. Two men have been arrested and, unfortunately, one confessed to killing Sherry. Unbelievable.

So, in her honor, Beth of Shut Up and Run is hosting a Virtual Run/Walk at 9am on Saturday, February 11th:

The only real rule is to run and/or walk with Sherry on your minds and in your hearts. Pretty simple, right?

Well, Kimi and I thought it would be even better if we made it a group event. Let’s all get together and run (or walk, everyone is welcome) a 10k (or whatever you feel like)! Let’s show people that runners stick together and support each other 100%.

Print out a bib here, and wear your loudest/brightest/most obnoxious running clothes! The “race” is at 9:00, so let’s plan on meeting at 8:45 in the Rocky River Metroparks here:

If you can’t read it, #4 is South Mastick Picnic Area.

The more the merrier! Everyone is welcome!

A Facebook page for the run/walk has been set up, too. You can access it HERE.

Because, thanks to you guys, J, C, and I WON THE GINGERBREAD HOUSE THROWDOWN!! Hell to the yes!

I can’t really take the credit, though, because the idea was all J. He texted me this picture when we were brainstorming ideas:

And I was immediately sold. (it’s a little blurry, but I think you get the idea)

J’s mom and dad made the real pretty house and his sister and brother in law made the “Ho House”. Hehe (I seriously laugh out loud every time I think of that).

Bragging rights for a year. Pretty sure I can live with that.

And if my day wasn’t already awesome after I tallied up the votes, I met up with Kimi tonight and she got me the BEST Christmas gift. Check it:

COASTERS made from my NYC Marathon bib and medal! I literally gasped out loud when I opened this. Seriously, so cool, right? What an amazing keepsake. I’m going to have to pull out my bibs from Pittsburgh and Cleveland so that I have a full set! If you’re interested in some coasters of your own, contact Ellie. From what I hear the process is pretty painless.

Has Santa come early for you this year??

So, after a little nudge from my friends, I purchased a Living Social deal last week for some local bootcamp classes. I’ve always said how I am NOT a morning person or morning exerciser, but I somehow forgot all about that this morning and agreed to attend the 5am class tomorrow. UGH, WHAT WAS I THINKING. I’ve already warned Alana to not be alarmed when she sees me tomorrow morning. I am not a pretty sight that early.

The one good thing about this is that I can literally roll out of bed and be there in less than 15 minutes. Ahhhh……that’s the beauty of being the student instead of the instructor! I don’t have to make a playlist, or review my material, or come up with new workouts – all I have to do is show up. Glorious.

Some days I just want to go to a class and be the student. I don’t want to have to think – I just want to be told what to do and get my ass kicked by somebody else. So I’m hoping that’s what happens tomorrow morning. I hope I leave that class not pissed off about the early wakeup call, but instead happy that I started my day in such a positive way.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Oh, and the winner of the Wasa Crackers is:

KIMI!!

Congrats, Friend! Hope the crackers can be eaten with your Making The Cut challenge!

What about you? Do you prefer morning or evening workouts?? No question for me – afternoon or evening, duh.

Since yesterday was dedicated to J (who says THANK YOU for all the congratulations!), I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to dedicate today’s post to two people I am lucky enough to call my friends.

Kimi is that girl you meet and immediately want to be best friends with.

She’s down to earth, honest, loving, and pretty darn cute.

We met through our blogs and clicked instantly. It didn’t take us long to start tweeting, then emailing, then hanging out. And finally running together!

Well, Sunday was the best way I can imagine supporting my friend.

She ran her first marathon and I was lucky enough to run 2 miles of that amazing accomplishment with her!!!!!

Kimi was pretty damn amazing. She set a goal, trained hard (while being an amazing mom and wife, and still maintaining a social life), and finished that marathon on her own terms. I’ve always told J that Kimi inspires me because she runs for HER. She sets her own goals, knows her limits, and does what is right for her, no one else. That’s not always an easy thing to do.

I am so incredibly proud of her for this accomplishment and honored that I was able to be a part of her day. Thank you for letting me share that experience with you, Friend, I’ll never forget it.

Oh, and congratulations, Marathoner!!

Now, Andy , is a different kind of friend:

He’s an honest, tell it like it is, kind of guy. And an amazing runner.

One who, in fact, ran his first marathon yesterday, too, and set a goal to qualify for Boston. On his first try.

And despite being in the urgent care Friday night for a pinched nerve he still met his goal.

I mean, who runs a marathon at a 7:02/mile average pace with a pinched nerve in his neck??? Andy does.

And he totally deserves Boston. He’s the nicest guy ever. He never brags about how fast he is or complains when he runs slower with his friends (*cough* me *cough*). In fact, when we run together he’s always checking to make sure the pace is ok and that he’s not killing me. He’s just a great guy.

It so exciting screaming my face off watching him run to the finish line (I may have even gotten a little teary). I’m gonna be honest, though, and tell you it was rough waiting for Andy to finish. He cut it close and almost gave me a heart attack (you know, because it’s all about me).

Congratulations, Mr. Boston Qualifier!!!!!!!!!!!

Today’s run was a pleasant surprise. I was really worried knowing I had 14 miles on my training schedule for today. So much that I had a hard time sleeping and kept tossing and turning all night.

Since I have such a short time to train, my long runs jump 2 miles each week instead of one. It’s a big jump, but it’s the only way I can get the miles under my belt before NYC. Last week I really struggled with miles 11 and 12 so I wasn’t sure how my body was going to handle 14.

Luckily Kimi had 12 to run so we met up bright and early this morning. As usual, it was still dark.

And the cool temperatures were a welcome change!

We started off slow, but by mile 6 we were killing it. We definitely made up for the slow first couple of miles.

What I love most about runners is that we can talk and talk and talk but then we can run in silence for miles, too. With only the sound of our breathing and our feet hitting the pavement. It’s never an awkward silence, but more of a silent understanding. Sometimes you just have to focus on yourself.

Lucky for me (sarcasm), I had 2 more miles to go when we got back to Kimi’s house.

But Kimi graciously offered to be my biking “road crew”:

I’m not sure I would have finished those last 2 miles if she hadn’t offered to come with me. My legs were shot and I just wanted to be done.

The good thing is that I can feel my body getting stronger every week. But as soon as I hit the new mileage (this week miles 13 and 14) my legs just don’t want to go any further. I know next week I’ll be ok through mile 14, but it’ll the miles following 14 that are going to suuuuuuck. I guess whoever developed this thing called “training” was a pretty smart guy.

Fourteen miles done.

Five weeks til race day. Crap.

What about you? Are you a silent runner or a chatty runner??

Hey there!

It’s sure been a crazy week or so. But I want to start from the beginning……..(grab some popcorn cuz it’s a looooong story!).

Kimi was kind enough to agree to watch our 6 month old chihuahua, Biggie, while we went on our family vacation to Myrtle Beach this year. I will admit, I was nervous. But only because of how attached he is to us, not for any other reason. I was worried he would cry a lot or poop on her floors out of anxiety. I had no idea I needed to worry that he would escape!

In any case, we were already packed and 2 hours into our drive down to the beach:

When I got the call that Biggie had gotten out and couldn’t be caught. A friend of Kimi’s had opened their front door without knowing about him and left it open a little too long. Just long enough for the pup to run right out.

Kimi called me in a panic. She said she had seen him running between the same 7 houses or so but he wouldn’t sit still long enough to pick up. This is a problem we have with Biggie. He won’t go to others. He doesn’t like to be approached and picked up – he has to come to you. It still happens with me when he wants to stay outside!

And that sucker is FAST. Ridiculously fast. And he’s got the endurance of an ironman (irondog?)!

Anyways, after the call we decided to pull off the freeway and grab dinner to see what happened. We didn’t want to keep driving in case we had to turn around. And when I received the text “I don’t know what to do” I knew we had to go back. There was no question.

But here was the dilemma. See the extra kid in the car? Well, that’s my friend’s boy and he was coming with us because her and her boyfriend have 5 kids between the 2 of them and this way they could drive together instead of having to take 2 cars (2 cars = 2 times the gas!). So instead they had to drive separately AND they took C with them, too (sorry, and thank you!!!!!!).

J and I got to Kimi’s house around 9:00 Friday night. It was already dark. We spent another 2 hours searching but no one had seen him since about 7:00 and it was late. J and I both slept (well, kinda slept) at Kimi’s house that night so that we could get up bright and early and start looking again. And once the library opened we printed off 100 flyers and handed them out to every business, home, and local we passed.

But there was still no sign of Biggie. Talk about feeling defeated. I didn’t know what to do. C was in Myrtle Beach but I couldn’t see leaving in case Biggie was found. J finally made the decision for me. He said “one of us has to be with C and one of us has to stay here for Biggie”. So I caught an early flight down to the beach Sunday morning while J stayed back. He even went back out to Vermilion after he dropped me at the airport and covered over 30 miles on his bike looking for the little guy. There was nothing else we could do. We were just hoping and praying someone would call and tell us they had him.

And that phone call came a few hours later. I was walking from the pool up to my room and luckily had my phone on me. This is how the phone conversation went:

• Kimi (excited and out of breath): Heather, he’s here! He’s here!
• Heather (wide eyed and in disbelief): Where? He’s IN your house???!
• Kimi: Yes!! I heard barking and he was at our back door!
• Heather hangs up on Kimi and calls J.

When I called her back to get the details she said that she literally just opened the slider door and he ran in. Unbelievable. Like nothing had just happened. Like he hadn’t been gone for 3 days and 2 nights by himself in the fields and country of Vermilion. Un-freakin-believable.

There wasn’t a scratch on him. He was pretty damn skinny, which you can tell in this picture:

But other than that he was completely fine. Ridiculous. We’ve since been saying that he’s the badass dog from the streets. Don’t mess with him. (Allison, him and Harv could start their own gang!)

Monday morning J called a doggy daycare in the area and once he was confident Biggie would be fine there he packed up the car and left for the beach. He got there around 11:30 Monday night.

It’s no wonder this happened at 10:00 the next morning:

It’s not lemonade in those red cups, friends. Hehe.

More on our vacation adventures tomorrow. There were some interesting nights:

But for now I’m off to spend more quality time with Biggie. He’s been on my lap pretty much all day. I missed this face:

Thank you again to everyone. It was really a stressful time for us and every time a tweet, Facebook comment, text, or email came through it really helped us stay positive in such a horrible situation.

Hug your pets tonight, guys.

Sigh……….it’s Sunday night again. Total bummer.

Luckily, my blog friends, Kimi, Morgan, and Katie tagged me in their 7 links posts so I had a fun time going through my blog tonight checking out old posts. Thanks, girls!

Most Beautiful Post: Valentines Day Hijack – my husband sneakily hijacked my blog and wrote the most meaningful post. I didn’t even know he did it until I started getting emails from people commenting! Love that guy.

Most Popular Post: Cherish Your Family……Part II – To be honest, I very rarely check the traffic on my blog so I’m not even sure this is the most popular. I just know that when I just checked my site meter that January of this year was pretty high. We had a lot going on this past January, but nothing was as scary as when J ended up in the hospital. It was a rough time, but luckily he’s back to 100%!

Most Controversial Post: High Expectations – I try to stay out of the drama (in all areas of my life), but I did get a lot of feedback on this post. I even got my first anonymous mean comment (which was responded to in email, not through the blog). I still believe in this post, and a right to have my own opinion.

Most Helpful Post: I’m a Marathong Maniac – I was a little scared to write about my scare with skin cancer (it’s so personal!), but it’s is so common these days I really needed to talk about it. A little reminder never hurt anybody, right?

Post Whose Success Surprised Me: Agent B.I.G. (and the sequel!) – I knew these videos were fun, but the sequel now has over 9,000 hits on YouTube! Who knew?

Post that Didn’t Get the Attention it Deserved: Best and Worst of 2010 – I put a lot of thought into this post and thought it would be of interest to my readers. Maybe it was just interesting to me??

Post You are Most Proud of: Why I Run – I thought I would answer this one with my Cleveland Marathon recaps, but those recaps are back when I was using Blogspot so they’re not the best quality. This post summarizes the marathon and has a lot more feeling to it. It’s a lot more personal. I think the best posts are when you let people see the real you (good AND bad).

Enjoy!!

I’d love to see this post from some more of my favorite bloggers:

Allison at Green Dog Wine

Erica at Itzy’s Kitchen

Alexa at Cleveland’s a Plum

Alana at The Dawg’s Dish

If you’re a blogger, do you have a MOST favorite post?