steelers win again

I had to acknowledge the amazing victory by the Steelers on Sun 2/1. What a great way to start off my birthday week 2009 as well. The game was fantastic to watch and one of the most enjoyable Superbowls I can remember. Oh and the fact that Mike and I bet on them to win in Vegas helps it be even more rewarding. Nice work boys!

running in snow

Ran 3 miles today as it was lightly snowing. First time I ever did that too and it went pretty well. I still hate running in the cold but if it looks as pretty as it did today it might make it easier. It reminds me how I did enjoy the snow at one pt and always wanted to build an army of snowmen like the ones in this picture.

DC weather

I find the DC weather is a huge annoyance in my plans to start running again. It gets too icy around here to make running an option. I feel that if I was in a suburban area I could run though the snow or run on trails or something, but DC doesn't allow that as an option. I have to run on the streets and pavement and that usually means ice. I was supposed to run on Wed and didn't, then today and didn't and who knows what will happen tomorrow. I also don't like running in the cold b/c it makes my lungs feel heavy! I am finding the older I get the less and less I enjoy snow. It is pretty at times, but snowing for one week out of the year would be fine with me. This is interesting considering in high school I considered winter my favorite time of the year. It is also entertaining that Pres Obama said DC doesnt have the toughness to handle the weather like Chicago does. This is so true and if DC did more to take care of the roads it probably wouldnt be such an issue.

finally back

I went running on Sunday for the first time since the race. 4 miles went well in the beginning, but I started to struggle for the last mile. I wore my Steelers headband and it helped to get motivated to think of the upcoming game and how they were going to win. I also got motivated by listening to my music that I havent gotten to listen to in such a long time. Oh and the motivation factor of Pitt being number one in basketball again for the 2nd week in a row. All these things helped and I somehow survived but today I feel overly sore, I expected this though!

Motivation

I havent ran once since the Half Marathon. That was one month ago on 1/7! That is horrible and I cant believe I let it go on this long. I said I was going on a running hiatus, but I didnt think I actually would. I read Mike's new Runners World magazine and got re-motivated again. I will go this wknd. I have no choice. The 10 mile race is 3 months from today and I want to do better, not worse!

Dear Jennifer :
Congratulations, you are successfully registered for the 2009 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run on April 5, 2009. We look forward to greeting you on Saturday, April 4 at our Health and Fitness Expo in the spectacular National Building Museum in downtown Washington, DC, and on race day at our staging area on the Washington Monument Grounds on the National Mall. We know you will enjoy our flat and fast course past the legendary Japanese cherry trees and our National Monuments. We encourage everyone to take Metro to the race - the Smithsonian stop is less than 1/4 mile away from the start and finish lines. Metro will open at 5 a.m. to allow plenty of time to make the trip.

Sincerely,
Credit Union Cherry Blossom Organizing Committee

It looks like I have another race to run in. I told Mike this and I truly believe it that I feel like if I dont have a race or event somewhere down the line that I am going to slide back into my old ways of not running and not exercising. That is a life I dont want to see again so here comes the Cherry Blossom ten miler. My goal for this is to improve my times from the Half Marathon per mile. Plus it is a really flat race and it will give me an excuse to get out there and see the Cherry Blossoms in 2009. Mike ran the 5K last year for this race and it was raining the whole time so hopefully that doesnt happen again for this one!

Las Vegas Half Marathon

I was really nervous that I would get to Vegas and all my training for the race would somehow disappear. This wasn't the case at all and I am very happy with how it all went down. I am sure I drove Mike crazy with how many times I told him I was shocked we were actually in Vegas and how the race was mere hours away. The morning of the race my blood sugar was running high which worried me. They say not to exercise if your blood sugar is 250 or above and I woke up to a 210. I gave myself some insulin, ate some oatmeal I brought from home, and tested again around 530AM and it was 140. I felt confident it was going down at that point though. There were 11,000 people or so running the half marathon and Mike and I managed to get rather close to the front of the group at the starting line. There were a ton of fireworks at the beginning and the race was started off by Robin Leach from the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous which was entertaining. We ran together for a few mins and then Mike went off to run at his pace. I was excited at how well the first three miles went. There was plenty to see and it was cool to just look up at all of the casinos. I usually need some time to warm up, and occasionally walk, but I think the intensity of actually being there helped me to feel much better about my running and just keep on going. The plan was to stop at mile 8 to check my blood sugar. Starting at mile 6 I felt that the area we were in was somewhat shady and that there wasn't much going on anymore. I kept thinking I might stop early then 8, but I decided that I needed to stick with my plan. I saw the mile 8 flag marker and went to the first bathroom I could see. Blood sugar was 84, which is a little lower than what I wanted, but I ate another energy gel pack and was ready to finish out the next 5.1 miles. The only problem was my left knee completely cramped up and I suddenly felt that I could barely walk. It was the worst pain in my knee I had felt for the whole training. I started to run/walk for a few mins and then I decided I had to just work through it. Luckily after about a half mile of suffering it started to get a little better. The pain never totally disappeared, but I was able to run through it all the way to the finish. Seeing the mile marker at mile 12 was a great feeling. It was around this time that the winner of the marathon passed me, he finished a whole marathon in about the same time I finished a half marathon! There was cheering at the end and I knew Mike would be there waiting for me. I took my headphones off so I could hear all the excitement and I actually started running faster which shocked me at that point. I was able to pass a few people toward the end too and just kept on running until I crossed the finish at 2:25:45. A task I never thought would be possible and yet went rather well. Mike was right at the finish and I was glad he was able to be there standing there to see me. I got my medal, which though I gave Mike a hard time about, will probably end up hanging on the wall as well. I am looking forward to the next one and seeing if I can beat my time. It was a great race, a great trip, and a great overall experience.