Haven't Lost Anyone Yet!

This past Saturday was Week 10 of our Galloway Group training.  I can't believe it - seems like just last week I was writing this post, worrying about all the responsibilities of being a PGL, and most specifically worrying about losing someone while we were out on a run.

Of course, my fears were unfounded and we haven't lost anyone yet!  I am astounded by the size of our pace group - we are 14 members strong!  And though we are 14 very different people, we've bonded well.  There's always something interesting to talk about because of our diversity, and we're all very supportive of each other.  I couldn't be more pleased with our progress as an overall group.

So, while our group name may be "Lost In Pace," I'm very relieved we haven't lived up to that moniker!  ;-)

Jeff Galloway's Coming to Dallas!

Last year Jeff Galloway visited Dallas for a free quick one hour meet-and-greet, which was awesome. This year, on June 30th, he's doing the same, but adding in a three hour Running School session.  The Running School does require a registration fee, but it also guarantees individual attention and personalized instruction.

I'm lucky that as a Galloway training group member we get a discount, so I'll be taking advantage of that when I sign up.

If you're interested in registering for the Dallas school, or would like more information about other sessions around the country, check out Jeff's website here.

Excuses...and Planning!

credit: http://lifelivedfully.com

Wow.  Life has been crazy lately!  Sorry about the lack of posts - too much to do!  Also, there's a distinct lack of wanting to do anything at all when I do find myself with an odd moment of free time...oops.  Work is busy, group training's in full swing, and I'm in the middle of a big project for a friend's wedding gift.  As a result, my house looks like I've had squatters living in it for weeks (no joke - it's embarrassing - no one's allowed over to visit right now).

But, it's an exciting time!  Looking past my mile-long "to-do" list and fuller-than-usual calendar, there's a light at the end of this tunnel!  Rock'n'Roll Seattle is fewer than two weeks away at this point.  Woot!

Saturday was my last long run for this race, so now I'm in full taper mode.  My co-PGL (pace group leader) has been awesomely accommodating by helping me get in some extra mileage the last few weeks, so I've been able to stay on track with my long runs.  Even though I only got up to 10 miles this time around, I had a very strong progression up, so I'm feeling good about my training overall (especially since this one's a "go and have fun" race as opposed to a "goal" race).

Adding to the chaos, BFF and I are in full planning mode for the trip, too.  Emails, texts, and FB messages are flying fast and furiously between cities!  We have quite a few running friends from around the country converging on Seattle with us, as well as an old college friend who lives there that we're meeting up with, so planning's a bit wonky, but it's going to be a great weekend!

So I'm offering all of this up as an excuse for why I'll probably still be skimping on posts for the next few weeks...except the "Thoughtful Thursday" posts - those will continue - I hope y'all are enjoying them as much as I am!  

Good news, however - I can report that although posting on the blog has suffered the past few weeks, I've not let myself drop my weekday runs like I typically have in the past when life got crazy, so I'm super proud of that - and I know it's one of the big reasons why my weekend long runs have been going so well.  So yay for that!

Q4U:  When life gets crazy busy, what do you let drop?  Are runs sometimes one of those things, or is running a "must-do" for you?

This Stuff's Getting Real!

Last night I got an email with the "Group Leader Manual" for my Galloway Group - it's all so very official!  And it's a lot of responsibility.  Group leaders are accountable for the health and well-being of their pace groups as well as keeping everyone on the target pace and on track (I've GOT to study those route maps beforehand!).

There's some pretty serious information in that manual, like organization, dealing with emergencies, all kinds of things...Oh no - what if I lose somebody?!?!?!?!  I mean, I don't actually think that's going to happen, but these are the things new group leaders worry about, you know?

We're meeting Saturday morning for our kickoff meeting and first group run of the season.  Group leaders have been asked to wear our new green Galloway Training shirts  so we are identifiable as pace group leaders.  It's like being back at camp as a counselor on arrival day!

On a side note: hmmm...green shirt...haven't seen them yet...wonder if the green will go better with my Neon Luv or Disco skirt? Guess we'll see when it gets here!)

 

NeonLuv

Disco

I'm really looking forward to running with the group again.  I've been fortunate that quite a few of my running friends (both in and out of the group) have been willing to meet up with me most Saturday mornings to get in some miles during the offseason.  With the official group, though, there's that extra accountability - gotta be there every Saturday morning (or at least every one we're in town!)!

So, here we go - This stuff's getting real!

'Tis the Season...Training Season!

Yup, spring brings the emails from my Galloway Group saying registration is open for the 2013 training season.  But this year will be slightly different - I'll be registering as a PGL (Pace Group Leader)!  The PGLs from last year are taking a break from running, so they won't be returning and our group needed some new leaders!  So our main group leaders asked me if I'd be interested in taking one of the PGL spots.  I told them I would, but voiced some reservations I had (I'd like to get a little faster, will "only" be training for halfs, plus I'll be out of town 8 weekends during the training season) - just wanted to make sure they knew what they were getting!

Well, either they were ok with my limitations or they were desperate for a warm body - either way they still wanted me!  So I officially registered as a PGL Monday morning and sent out my first group email reminding everyone that registration is open!  I feel very grown up, lol.

I'm definitely going to have to be a little more on top of things this season than I usually am for our weekend runs.  One of the awesome things about being in a training group (besides the company and the camaraderie) was not having to plan out the route - I usually just showed up and followed the masses.  Can't do that now - I'll be one of the ones being followed!  And some mornings I'll have to leave early and put out coolers for the water stops and swing by after the run and pick them up.

Despite the small amount of additional responsibility, I'm really looking forward to starting group  training again - it's amazing how much motivation having the accountability of the group provides  - and it MAKES you get out of bed for those long Saturday morning runs!

Tell Me About Your 2012

Fellow blogger H Love over at Keep on Keeping On had a great post earlier this week about recapping her year of running with a short survey: Tell Me About 2012.  I liked the idea so much I asked if I could do the same.

So here's my 2012:   

Best race experience? There were SO many good ones this year.  But I think I'll have to go with the obvious, which was my FIRST MARATHON!  The Disneyworld Marathon in January validated me as a runner.  A marathon runner.  It was hard, there were tears, there were friends, there was family, and there was Mickey bling.

Dad, BFF, & me after Mickey 2012

Best run?  Again, so many good ones to choose from. Too many, really.  So, I'm going to go with a really general "run" - training runs with my Galloway Girls.  My pace group helped keep me motivated and on-track, helped keep me moving on the hard runs, and kept my mind occupied on the boring ones.

"Lost in Pace" after our 21 Miler

Best new piece of gear?  Well, this one honestly couldn't be more obvious, lol.  It's gotta be my SparkleSkirts.  LOVE. THEM.  2012 was the year I started running in SparkleSkirts, and I've said it before and I'll say it again - there's nothing better for a long run!  They're fun, functional, and stylish!

Berry Smoothie SparkleSkirt

Best piece of running advice you received? "Start out slow and back off."  This is a joke from my friend Megan (remember her blog?), but still it strikes a chord with me.  She said it prior to what we knew was going to be a tough race, and it takes me back to that moment when running was about the company and not the miles or the pace.

Megan & Me at The Patriot's Challenge

Most inspirational runner? My friend Allison.  She was new to our running group this year and fit right in.  Allison was diagnosed with breast cancer just before her big goal race this fall, which she didn't run, and immediately started treatment.  Her positive outlook and determination during this fight, which she partially attributes to her running journey, are a true inspiration to us all.  And she's already planning her running comeback once she's in remission! 

Celebrating Allison's Bday with the Galloway Girls

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be?  Friends & bling.  That's truly what this past year of running has been about for me.  My running friends - both in "real life" and online - have kept me going and have helped me do more than I dreamed this year.  And 2012 was the "Year of Bonus Bling."  LOTS of bling this year - and I love it all!!!

So that was my 2012 in a nutshell.  I'm looking forward to what 2013 brings - stay tuned for more on that!

Want to do a "Tell Me About Your 2012" of your own?  Post a link to your blog post about it in the comments below - I'd love to read about your year!

Be CHEERful: A Follow-Up Post

You may remember my rather tongue-in-cheek post last month titled What To Do When You're NOT Running a Race That All Your Friends Are?.  It was about your options for dealing with FOMO when all your friends are running a race that you're not, which, in this instance, was all my ROTE friends participating in the runDisney Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler.  This is just a quick and funny follow-up to that post.

In response to that post, my friend Megan (check out her great running blog here: Elbowglitter) tweeted me the following pic of her cat, Pippin, telling me I needed to convince the cats to cheer with me:

Megan's cat, Pippin, "cheering on" our friends Katie & Kim from afar.

Which, of course, sparked an idea...what if I could come up with some funny signs for the cats that I could then text/tweet to my friends as they were running?  And, what if I could convince others to join me???  That's when another friend, Kim (check out her great running blog here: TriAndTrue) stepped up, volunteered her dog, Flynn, and helped me start planning.  Here's what we came up with:

My cat, Junebug, "cheering."

My cat, Emma, "cheering."

Kim couldn't get Flynn to keep his signs on long enough to snap a picture, so we "doctored" a few old pics of him to send.

Overall, I think we did a pretty good job of virtually cheering!  Kim and I worked out a schedule where we alternated sending our pet cheering pics to our friends throughout the night, and from their responses, I'd say we were a success!

It just goes to show that FOMO can turn into something fun, funny, and helpful.  Even though I wasn't running the race, I still had a good time that night tracking and cheering!

• Have you ever virtually cheered on friends/family when they run out-of-town/state/country?
• Do you take any of your pets along when you are physically there to spectate/cheer a race?

21...and Done!

Saturday morning was my last truly long run before MCM.  21 Miles.  Wowsah.  While I was not exactly looking forward to a run that long, I knew I could do it, with 20 and 16 milers under my belt in the last 6 weeks.

So, in the 5am darkness on a muggy, rainy, morning, my group and I took off.  Although the humidity was brutal, the first loop around the lake was no big deal.  Then we turned off the lake and went up into the neighborhoods and hit the hills.  (And this particular area has a set of hills known as "The Dolly's" in reference to Dolly Parton's rather generous...curves...ahem.  LOL.)  Still, we persevered and made it back down to the lake at mile 12.  We took a quick bathroom and re-fueling break, then headed back out for one more loop of the lake...and yes, it was still raining.

I hit a really rough spot mentally around mile 18, and I found myself fighting back tears.  I was tired, soaking wet, cranky, and seriously doubting my ability to run the first 20 miles of MCM at the needed "beat the bridge" pace.  However, my awesome group got me through it and we continued on, finally getting back to our cars and post-run golden oreos (yum!).

3 of my group members & me post-run...and dripping wet (even though it doesn't look like it in the pic)!

Photo proof!  21 done!

I got home, examined my new blisters (even with tons of lube, with all that rain, blisters were inevitable), took an ice bath, and put on my recovery/compression gear.  We opened the doors to the now rain-cooled temperatures and let the cats explore the backyard a bit while I relaxed on the couch.  I spent the rest of the afternoon watching a couple movies and the Longhorn football game, virtually "cheering" on a bunch of my friends running the Disney Tower of Terror 10 Miler, and finally I crashed hard around 11pm and got some sleep.

So, now those super-long runs are done for this particular training cycle!  It's taper, taper, taper from here on out!  The next 3 weekends call for 12, 10, and 8 milers, respectively.  Thank goodness - those are going to be some very full weekends anyway, even without trying to squeeze long runs in!

• Do y'all ever have trouble mentally pushing through a run when you know your body can do it?
• How do you deal with race-related fears?
• Any helpful ideas for coping with the stress I'm feeling worrying about pace for MCM?

Watch Out!

I love my Garmin 305 and it takes some pretty out-of-the-ordinary circumstances for me to run without it.  Saturday morning was one of those circumstances.  My friend L's watch was dead, she was turning back early on her own from our group run, and asked to borrow one of ours.  So I offered mine up, and we headed out - me with "naked" wrists.

Here's where I should say it was a liberating experience to run without it - after all, that's what most watch-free posts are about, right?  Well, I don't know about liberating, but it was a good run.  Of course, I wasn't running completely "naked," since quite a few of our group members have watches that beep on intervals, so I simply listened for theirs and stopped/started with the group.  And I did have a few distance cues since I knew we'd be hitting the lake at 3.5 miles, leaving the lake at 5, have a water stop at 7, and finishing at 9.5.  I found myself consistently looking at my watch, but only felt the need to ask what our mileage was a couple of times.  I can't say I loved running watch-less, but it was by no means the end of the world.  However, I did have to have C email me the "stats" later in the day so I could track the run.

Overall it was a great run, and a worthy redemption for last week's fail.

Do you run with a watch or without?  Is it something you "must have" or something you can take or leave?  A necessary training tool or slave-driving gadget?

Week in Review:

• Monday: 30 minute strength training boot camp, 7 mile bike ride;
• Tuesday: Yoga for Runners DVD, 2.5 mile TM walk (to test out my calves/left ankle);
• Wednesday: worked late, skipped;
• Thursday: worked late, skipped;
• Friday: 30 minute strength training boot camp;
• Saturday: Long group run: 9.49 mi, 2:28 (approx.); 15:36 min/mi avg pace;
• Sunday: rest

Flexibility is the Key

No, I haven't been doing my "Yoga for Runners" like I should be, so I'm not talking about physical flexibility (although that is an important aspect of running).  What's just as important is mental flexibility and the ability to adapt and modify your plan based on changing circumstances.  I'm not exactly known for going with the flow, though I have been trying to get better about that - and let me tell you, last weekend pushed me a bit further out of my comfort zone.  Saturday's long run proved to be the perfect storm of circumstances that required some serious flexibility on my part.

The Dallas area has had an outbreak of West Nile Virus this summer that led county leaders to implement aerial pesticide spraying over the weekend.  This spraying was due to take place near my group's normal running routes, so our group leaders moved our run to a local multi-purpose trail close to my house (yay for me!).  Twenty miles on the schedule meant some serious mental and physical preparation throughout the week (fueling and hydrating properly, etc.)  It also means  meeting at 4am to get ahead of the heat, but overnight Friday, storms rolled in and it thundered and lightninged through the early morning.  As 4am rolled around, many of us were sitting in our cars in the parking lot, all prepped for a long run, and watching the bright flashes above us, knowing what was coming.  Finally, the call was made - prolonged lightning meant no group run.  My pace group talked it over and decided to get at least 10 miles in on our own this weekend, and we'd re-schedule the 20 miler for next weekend.

So I headed home, and checked out the weather radar - they were still forecasting strong storms into the late morning and possibly even afternoon.  With my weekend plans, I still needed to get my miles done that morning...which meant...turning to the treadmill - blech.  I decided to break the 10 into two 5-mile segments, with a bathroom/fuel/water break inbetween.  So, armed with a new plan and my Gymboss Interval Timer instead of my Garmin, I popped The Sound of Music into the DVD player, and "took off" on the belt.  It wasn't fun, but I got it done, and with the reprise of "Climb Every Mountain" resounding in my ears, I pushed in the last couple miles and ended up with a negative split for the second half of the run!

So the key to last weekend, for me, was flexibility.  So many things were different that if I hadn't been able to make adjustments on the fly that it all could have fallen apart.  Change of location (trail instead of neighborhoods and the lake), change of distance (10 instead of 20), change of running mode (treadmill instead of road), and change of company (DVD instead of my running group).  That's ALOT of changes! 

I'd say I rolled with the punches pretty well, though, and am proud of myself for making the best of it!  Plus, I have to admit to a little extra pride that I got in some decent mileage, even though it was tough to do it on the treadmill, when the rainy weather was just beckoning me to come back to bed at 5am on a Saturday morning...  And I'm fortunate that our group schedule has a little wiggle room, so switching the 20 miler weekends should work out okay.

How flexible are you in your running?  What happens when your plan hits a snag?  Do you have a backup plan in place or do you make changes on the fly?  How do you adjust?  Is there flexibility in your training?

Last Week in Review:

• Monday - strength - 30 min bootcamp;
• Tuesday - short run - 2.2 mi @ 60:30 intervals;
• Wednesday - strength - 30 min bootcamp;
• Thursday - short run cancelled (not feeling well);
• Friday - rest day;
• Saturday - long run - 10 mi @ 1:1 intervals; 2:28:28; 14:51min/mi avg;
• Sunday - rest day.

Boot Camp, Skirt Converts, and Galloway

Skirt converts!

I had a great training week.  I got in both of my short weekday runs on Tuesday and Thursday, and I started a 6-week indoor bootcamp that I got through Groupon on Wednesday.  It felt really great to get those short runs in, and bootcamp is going to be hard work, but hopefully will be rewarding!  When I follow my training plan, I get enough cardio from running, so this bootcamp will be focusing on strength training.

I've been pretty successful in starting to get some of the girls in my Galloway Group to "convert to skirt" and start wearing SparkleSkirts.  Here, S, L, and I are all in our cute and comfortable skirts after our group run on Saturday morning.  As we pointed out to the other pace groups, we may not be fast, but we ARE fashionable!!!

"Lost in Pace" girls with Jeff Galloway

Speaking of Galloway, the man himself, Jeff Galloway, was doing a Meet & Greet at one of our local running stores here today, so a lot of us came to hear him speak and ask questions.  It was a relaxed and informative session.  He and I even got to have a short and fun conversation about Disney racing!  I asked if he had any insider info on the 20th Anniversary stuff.  He said he didn't know anything about the surprise at Mile 20, but he had been taping spots for a new promo video that RunDisney is putting together that will have hints in it - yay - and will be released in another 3-4 weeks.  Also, he said that the anniversary medal is going to be "SPECTACULAR."  I am SO excited!

Week in Review:

• Tues - 2.2 mi; 30 min; 13:57 pace (2:1,2:1,1:1 interval spacing)
• Wed - 30 min strength bootcamp circuit
• Thurs -
• 2.7 mi; 41 min; 15:01 pace (4x800 speedwork)
• 30 min strength bootcamp circuit
• Sat - 5.81 mi; 1:31:50; 15:48 pace (1:1 interval)

Double Digits, Princesses, & Bonus Bling!

So much for being better about posting, huh?  Last week was another one without weekday runs.  Geesh.  Although I did manage to get in a session of "Yoga for Runners" on Monday evening.  And actually, I think that helped some with my sore calf issues during Saturday's long run.  Also, friend S and I went on a 5 mile recreational bike ride Sunday evening.

Yeah - about that long run...the big group had 9 miles on tap, so my MCM group needed an additional 2  for a total of 11.  In light of the hot and humid temps, we decided to again meet beforehand and knock out the extra mileage early at 5:45am.  Thank goodness we did!  By the time we'd all finished that last mile of the big group run, we were worn out.  Depleted.  That was one brutal run - I'm really not looking forward to a whole summer of more like that.  But hey, it was the first double-digit long run of the training season and 11 miles done under gross conditions is a great feeling!

In more exciting news (please say that in a Peter Jennings newscaster voice - please?), my new friend L and I have committed to running the Disney Princess Half Marathon together next February!  I wanted to run it for the race's 5th anniversary and needed a roomie, and she's wanted to run a Disney race for quite a while but wanted someone to go with her, so we fit each other's needs perfectly!  We are going to have such a great time!!!

Patriot's Challenge Medal (middle)

Also, my Patriot's Challenge medal finally arrived yesterday evening!  And as a small "We're sorry this took so long" gift, they surprised all of us with a cool aluminum water bottle with the Run for the Dream logo on it!  Very neat!  And now my trio of medals from that weekend is complete - yay!  I really do wish I could do this race again next year.  The RD and the team are really a class act.

Last Week in Review:

• Monday: Yoga for Runners
• Saturday: 
• 2.2 mi; 0:31:52; 14:29 min/mi
• 8.8 mi; 2:26:32; 16:43 min/mi (includes 2 water stops)
• Sunday: 5 mi bike ride

Training Begins (Again)

Yesterday was my official kickoff for Galloway Group training this year (the group actually began the weekend before Memorial Day, but I was out of town for Run for the Dream, so I missed the first group run)!

My MCM girls wanted to do an extra 3 miles on top of the planned 5 miles, so we met up at 5:30am to knock those out before the main run at 6:30.  Once we got those done, we met up with the rest of our pace group - which includes two newbies - one of whom will also be training for MCM!  Overall it was a good run, though we did have to slow down a bit at the end of the run for our other newbie - 5 miles was her longest run ever (we didn't mind - we've all been there).

Weekly Recap:

• Monday        - 2 miles
• Wednesday  - 1.5 miles
• Saturday       - 8 miles 

Although I did manage two weekday runs, both mornings I woke up late and didn't get the mileage I wanted, and because of storms we were rained out of our normal speedwork.

May Recap:

• 43.5 miles run/walked
• 18 miles cross-training

So...May was significantly better than February, March, or April, but still a little low on mileage.  I'm pleased to be showing progress and to slowly be getting back on track, but there's still some work to do.  Getting in my weekday run has still been a bit of a challenge, and that's something I'm going to focus on in June.

Shirking Schedules ... and Speed Work

Some of you know me in the "real world" (outside the blogosphere) and some of you don't.  Those of you that do, know that I'm all about schedules (actually, some of you longtime readers may have picked up on this too).  I love to have a schedule, especially if I'm in training for a race.  I look at my training plan, I look at my calendar, and I set up a schedule for running, cross training, strength training, yoga, etc.  They're usually color-coded.  I rock at planning out and setting up a schedule.  What I'm not so great at most of the time... is sticking with it! *embarassed*

I've had a training schedule for my next race hanging on the exercise room door since mid-February..  Let's just say it's probably the least-followed schedule I've ever made.  Before this month, actually, it's was a miracle if I got more than one of those scheduled workouts in per week.  Sigh.  Fortunately, with the ramp up in mileage to get ready for MCM training with my Galloway Group, I have at least been getting in my weekend long runs recently.  Yay!  Next week's races are gonna be UGLY - but they have very generous time cutoffs and I'm running with friends - so we're more just in it for the experience and the bling!

Speaking of MCM training, some of the girls in my pace group are also running MCM, and, like me, are worried about finishing within the time limit.  So we've incorporated speedwork into our weekly regimen - Tuesday nights we meet at the nearby school track and push ourselves.  It's hard work, but it feels great when we're done!

Next week is also the official kickoff meeting for this season's Galloway Group training!  That means I will be back on another schedule - one that I'll stick with because I HAVE TO if I'm going to keep up with the group and get in the training I need to have for MCM.

This week I was almost back on schedule - I ended up skipping Thursday's run because I had to work late and couldn't motivate myself when I got home.  Thanks to a late spring cool front moving through on Friday, Saturday morning's long run was quite pleasant - although it was humid and sprinkled a bit.

Weekly recap:

• Monday - XT & strength
• Tuesday - speedwork & abs
• Wednesday - XT & strength
• Thursday - skipped short run
• Friday - rest
• Saturday - 7 mi; 1:37:59; 14:06 min/mi avg pace

Ramping Up and Amping Up

Today was a good day.  A small group of my Galloway Group friends that are also running MCM have been meeting here in the neighborhood to run the trails to ramp up to our first group run at the end of May.  Not only are we increasing mileage, but we're also amping up our run/walk intervals to increase our speed.

This morning we had 4 miles on the schedule.  And we bumped up to 90:60 run/walk intervals.  I was a little concerned about bumping up to the slightly longer run interval because after slacking off so much this spring, even the 1:1's I've been doing recently have been more difficult than I'd like to admit.  But we decided we'd take it very slow and easy and just concentrate on the longer run interval, not on our speed.

Thanks to the fun of running with friends, the miles went by fairly painlessly, and before I knew it we were done!  4 miles at 90:60 intervals - yay!  I even joined one friend in another short 1.5 mile loop to walk her dog after we finished.  As much as I wanted to just stay in bed this morning, it's always a good feeling when I'm done.

Race Report: Hot Chocolate 5K - Dallas

When RAM Racing announced their newest race series, the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K, billed as "America's Sweetest Race," all of my running friends were abuzz with excitement.  Even I, not being a huge chocolate fan, found myself swept up in the enthusiasm.  So, my BFF Carrie and I both signed up for the 15K in Dallas, which was being held two weeks after Tink.

After we got home from Tinkerbell and "the crud" (as I have deemed it) continued to have an iron-fist-like hold on me, I started getting worried about the 15K.  Finally, I decided to see if I could switch to the 5K.  I sent the race team an email and they told me I should be able to switch at the Expo if there were spots available.  So I had my fingers crossed that there would be!

Packet Pick Up

I drove down to Fair Park on Thursday afternoon, and was able to successfully switch races and pick up both Carrie's and my packets and jackets - yay!  As race weekend approached, the weather forecast for race morning looked COLD!  And, in fact, the night before the race, the RD sent out an email advising slower runners in the 15K to switch to the 5K (without penalty) to limit their exposure to the elements - crazy!!!

I had been coordinating with some of my fellow Galloway Group runners, and we all planned to meet up before the race and run together, so we managed to assemble ourselves within the corrals (which were a little halfhazardly put together) and start together!

Galloway Girls!

There wasn't anything spectacular about the course - the area around Fair Park is not exactly Dallas' most scenic area - but it was fun to be running with my Galloway friends again after an almost 2 month break!  We ran 1:1 intervals and kept up a decent pace for the 5K.  After crossing the finish line, we headed straight back inside to warm up, because we were frozen!!!

Post-race goodies!

So we picked up our post-race goodies, which included warm chocolate ganache for dipping, and hot chocolate.  I didn't care that it was a lot of chocolate, especially for me, it was WARM and tasted so good after running!  We sat inside, eating and chatting, and waiting for our friends who were running the 15K to finish.  Once Carrie arrived, we hung out a while longer while she relaxed and enjoyed the festivities, then we headed back to the car to go home.

Considering there had been some VERY negative reviews and press of the Hot Chocolate races around the country in the months leading up to the Dallas race, we were concerned about how it was going to turn out.  With the exception of the confusion in the corrals, it was ok - definitely nowhere near the clusters we'd heard about elsewhere - so that was good!

BFFs with Hot Chocolate!

Surprisingly, I had a pretty decent finish time - considering my much slower paces in my longer races recently, and "the crud." All in all, it was a fun race to do once, but we probably won't participate again next year.  But if you want to do one, it's definitely worth doing once!

5K results:  3.14 mi; 40:19 min; 12:46 min/mi

Doubting the Distance

Today marked 8 weeks until the Walt Disney World Marathon.  And thanks to a not-so-great run yesterday morning, I am starting to doubt my decision to pursue the full marathon distance.

My pace group sort of fractured this week - only 3 of us showed up to do the full training distance.  One guy decided to bump up to one of the faster groups, and one of the guys bumped down to the slowest group.  I knew that there was no way I was going to stick with the faster group, and the slower group was doing 1:1 intervals, which is what I prefer anyway, so I decided to go with them.  They were planning on a 16-17mm, which seemed so slow, but for the planned distance (22-23 miles), made sense.

It was a cool, overcast, very windy morning around the lake.  About halfway around the second loop, and at approximately 13.5 miles, I was really starting to feel tired and worn out.  Chatting with one of the other group members, we decided to start walking at mile 14, and just re-evaluate how we felt periodically about starting to run/walk again.  We eventually ended up walking the rest of the second loop and stopping at 18.2 miles.  A disappointing finish for me - but I do have one more 20+ mile run left before Disney so I wasn't too upset about it.

As we finished out the loop, we were talking about our planned races and discussing training and race day concerns.  Having completed two 18-mile and one 21-mile training runs now, I am doubting my decision to try to do more full marathons (specifically ones on my bucket list like MCM).  Now that I'm deep in the heart of full marathon training, I'm realizing just how hard this is.  I knew it would be.  But, really, this is HARD.  I truly don't know that I have it in me to do it again.

At this point in my training, I'm not doubting my ability to finish the Disney Marathon (knock on wood - unless something injury-related happens).  But I'm definitely going to have to wait until after Disney to make a determination on whether this distance is something that is really meant for me.

Saturday's Run:

• 18.22 miles; 5:02:59; 16:38 min/mi

Something's Gotta Give

Well, that's three terrible Saturday runs in a row.  I'm really not liking this trend.  Once again this morning I bailed on the group early - this time just past 6.5 miles (when we saw S for the second time).  I was just not feeling it.  Of course, by the time I got to my friend L's house, I was feeling better, and decided to get in another 2.5 miles around their neighborhood before we hopped in the pool.

I'm hoping it's just a mix of the heat and a prolonged post-race slump, but I'm beginning to worry that it may be something else I haven't identified yet.  I just can't keep doing this.

Run stats:

• 6.65mi; 1:34:36
• 2.5mi; 34:00

Copping to a Crappy Run

Yeah, I know.  It's Thursday, and I'm just now writing about last Saturday's run...but I've spent most of the week trying not to think about just how bad it was.  And, I've had a really hard time putting the experience into words.  Combine the two, and, well...

17 miles (technically 16.8).  It was right there on the schedule, looming ominously on the horizon all of last week.  Looking back, I know I didn't go into Saturday morning with the right outlook.  Instead of a can-do attitude, I had some serious fears and doubts about being able to complete the distance - after all, it would be the furthest I'd ever run, and I'd missed the 15-miler two weeks ago.  Super bad move on my part.  How many times have I said that it's all about the attitude?!?!

So I'll just say it.  The 16.8 miles ended up being a 10.5 mile run and a 6.3 mile walk with some sporadic running thrown in there.  Yikes.

The weather was harsh - after only a couple miles, we all knew it wasn't going to be a great run.  Even though we'd been taking it really slow and had made numerous extended walk breaks, after 10 miles, I was really huffing and puffing.  My legs were feeling ok, but I just felt miserable and was really wanting to stop running and start the walk breaks early on almost every interval.  I knew that if I had any hope of getting in the total miles, I needed a longer break.  So I talked to our PGLs (Pace Group Leaders) and told them to go on without me - I was going to walk for a while.

A rough very early morning quickly turned into a brutal morning.  The sun beating down on the (mostly) unshaded lake loop certainly did not help matters and drained what remaining energy and motivation I had. Although I had intended to start doing intervals again at some point after walking, I ended up continuing to walk, and intermittently ran when I felt up to it, the whole way back.  I dragged my butt into the parking lot just as everyone else was leaving.

So, after rehashing all the bad stuff that went wrong on Saturday morning, I can also report a few positive things:

• I did 16.8 miles!!!!!!!!!!  Furthest distance ever for me!  Even my amazing runner friend M commented that that's further than he's ever gone.  Big accomplishment!
• After reviewing the data, I went 16.8 miles in 4:26.  That means in January I would have 2:34 to cover the remaining 9.4 miles - I'm pretty sure I could do that.  Huge confidence boost!
• Reached a decision that for any of the truly long runs (anything over 10 miles), I need to step back and run with the next slower group down in my Galloway Group.  The 2:1 intervals were a big step up for me when I started running with the group in May, and it's still pushing it a bit.  Although I'm going to miss my original group every 3rd week, I'll still get to run with them 2 out of every 3 weeks.  Yay for me making a hard decision, but one that's best for me!

Saturday's Stats:

• 10.49 mi; 2:33:26; 14:38 min/mi avg pace
• 6.31 mi; 1:52:33; 17:50 min/mi avg pace

Runnin' In The Rain

When I left the house yesterday morning, I had no idea what I was in for.  As I was leaving the neighborhood, I noticed a few drops of water on the windshield, but thought I'd driven past some overspraying sprinklers.  The further south I got, the more drops were on the windshield, and by the time I reached the RunOn! parking lot there was no denying that it was definitely raining.  A quick glance at the radar on my phone confirmed that there was even more on the way.

Despite the rain, the group was still gathering, so I got out of the car and started getting ready.  But after a couple of lightning flashes, the overall group leaders decided to call off the run.  However, my pace group had different ideas.  We all decided that we were already up obscenely early, dressed to run, and we had the group for motivation - we were going to go for it.  I was apprehensive about it, but figured "what the hell," and fell in with the group.

Let's just say it was a very soggy 8 miles.  I had actually managed to keep my feet relatively dry until I accidentally slogged through a major puddle at around 5.5 miles.  Near the end of the trail, we had all reached the point where we could wring out our clothes and all our shoes together were performing a "squishy symphony."  We just had to laugh, and keep going.

So this was another first for me - normally if it's raining I either postpone the run or hit the treadmill.  I can't say that I enjoyed the "being dripping wet" part, but the cooling effect of the rain was pretty nice, and I made it through relatively unscathed (one tiny blister on my left foot and some chaffing from my water belt).  It's not something I'd want to do all the time, or for any kind of long run, but I won't "run away" from running in the rain anymore!

We survived the rain - no melting here!

Saturday's Stats:

• 8.1 miles; 1:51:36; 13:47 min/mi avg pace