November 2012
1 post
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Streakinggg!
Running more than 2 days in a row is rare for me. My janky knees would protest if I would attempt to run more than that.
And yet, I’ve run every day since Thanksgiving and feel great! No, this isn’t some sadistic experiment. It’s because I’m participating in Runner’s World 2012 Holiday Running Streak, in which runners pledge to run at least a mile every day from...
October 2012
6 posts
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Detroit Free Press Marathon Recap
Another overdue recap, surprise surprise!
I found myself more nervous for marathon #2 than my first one a year ago. I think that was because this time around, I knew what I was in for and that I wouldn’t have that first-timer excitement to help carry me along.
Despite the race-day jitters, I couldn’t help but feel the excitement of being around over 20,000 runners and loads more...
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Marathon #2 complete!
I’ll have a more detailed post this week, but my second Detroit Free Press marathon is DONE!
I’m pretty darn bummed and surprised with my time (4:53:41), but I just couldn’t make up feeling like crap from mile 15+. :-/
Oh well, each race is a learning experience…so onto the next one!
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It's marathon week!
Commence freakout! 6 days!
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A little bit of everything...
Once again, I find myself behind on updates. Alas, when will I ever learn?
The past couple months have been busy: new job, a little vacation time, and of course, racing. So here we go, with the CliffsNotes version:
Labor Day 30k
My old nemesis. Well, at least from a year ago. This hot and insanely hilly course once again kicked my ass, leaving me cursing my signing up for this event…but I...
August 2012
1 post
7 tags
Summer Race Madness! (Part Deux)
Once again I find myself playing catch-up with my blog. Forgive me, loyal readers. It’s not you, it’s me…but I resolve to be more consistent at this bloggery!
Here’s a look into what’s been going on the past few weeks:
The Color Run
About a month ago, I participated in the joyous Color Run. It really is the happiest 5k on the planet, as advertised! I mean, how often...
July 2012
2 posts
1 tag
Win a free race entry, courtesy of Detroit Runner... →
Because free stuff is awesome!
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Summer Race Madness!
Since the Dexter-Ann Arbor half-marathon on June 3, I’ve completed a 5k, 10k, 10-mile, and half-marathon. And this fun summer race-a-thon has no plans for stopping. Next up: The Color Run! I can’t wait to be covered in a ridiculous amount of color and look like the Crayola factory vomited on me!
The four recent races have been a mix of highs and lows (and world records!) so...
June 2012
2 posts
6 tags
Ugh
So this past Sunday was the Dexter-Ann Arbor race, my 6th half-marathon. I ran this last year and had a blast…but this year was a complete 180 degree difference. I felt AWFUL and I ran AWFUL! I finished in 2:16:24, making this my slowest half since 2006.
It was just a poor outing all around for me, but I’m just going to let it go; I’ll bounce back sooner or later. On the plus...
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Coming up next...
Half-marathon #6 is this weekend! Dexter-Ann Arbor, watch out, I’m comin’!
I’m gonna need another medal hanger at the rate I’m accumulating these…
May 2012
6 posts
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25k full of awesome!
Last week I ran the 30th anniversary of the Fifth Third River Bank Run in Grand Rapids, my first 25k race. It’s the largest 25k road race in the country, so of course I wanted in on that bucket of awesome.
I’d run the 10k in that event twice before, but I wanted to do the 25k as a sort of kickoff to my fall marathon training. Running 15.5 miles seemed like a good way to do that.
...
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Weekend racing
More race recap catch-up! I finished off April with a couple fun races:
Run With the Cops, Not From Them
I’d always wanted to do a race on my birthday, and this year I had just that opportunity! This race was on Belle Isle, Michigan, and The fun name for the race intrigued me, so I signed up for an impromptu 10k and made my merry way down to Belle Isle in Detroit.
Unfortunately, race...
April 2012
1 post
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The Martians Invade!
Saturday’s Martian Half-Marathon was half #5 for me and my second time doing this race course. Since my long runs in the weeks preceding the race had been less than stellar, and since I had an icky cold (or whatever the hell it is) throughout in the week, I had no idea of how I would feel on race day. So I took a no-pressure approach and treated it like a long training run. I dug it.
The...
March 2012
1 post
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Race Recap Catch-Up
I’ve been MIA lately — from blogging, not from running! — so I’m doing a beast of an update for the past 3 races. And here…we…go!
Sweetheart 10k
This is the 2nd year in a row that Cara Jo and I have traveled to the land far, far away called Flushing, Michigan for the Sweetheart 10k & 5k. As with last year, it was freezing, windy, and slushy. We had gotten hit with...
February 2012
1 post
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First 25k is on the schedule
Thanks to today’s tempting Active.com Schwaggle deal, I signed up for the Fifth Third Riverbank Run in Grand Rapids, Michigan for half price! And, since it’ll be my first 25k race, that means… an automatic PR and a new achievement will be unlocked!
Gonna get me one of these shiny sexy medals:
January 2012
3 posts
7 tags
New 5k PR!
Well this sure came out of nowhere. I had set a goal of a 5k PR this year but dang if it didn’t happen on my first attempt.
Over the past 6 weeks, I’d been ramping up my speedwork (doing mile repeats and such), but that was focused more towards next month’s Sweetheart 10k. I didn’t feel 5k PR “ready” at the Freeze Your Franny start line on Saturday, but...
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“Running is just you, the work you put in, and the clock. You can’t cheat...”
– Desi Davila
December 2011
7 posts
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Year in Review
What a year for running! My final stats:
Total Miles Run: 792
Total Miles Run, Walked, Biked, Everything: 2,133
Number of Races: 21 1 miler 7 5ks 7 10ks 2 10-milers 2 half-marathons 1 30k 1 marathon
Number of PRs: 5
Pairs of Shoes: 2
Number of Medals: 8
Number of Age Group Awards: 3
Number of New Runner Friends Made: Lots!
Number of Minor Injuries: 4. That’s...
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Last race of the year
And thus, with the completion of last weekend’s Biggby Coffee Jingle Bell 5k, my 2011 year in racing has concluded. The final tally is 21 races in 2011…here’s hoping 2012 will be just as awesome!
I signed up for this 5k just for fun. And for the tasty Michigan coffee, of course.
We had gotten just a light dusting of snow the night before, but it was enough to make the roads...
run like hell(a).: WHY WINTER RUNNING > SUMMER... →
runlikeella:
Because if you stop mid-run, you’ll freeze, so it’s better to keep going.
Because it’s nicer to see your breath instead of swimming in your own sweat during summer runs.
Because you can call it cryogenic cardio: freezing your ass off.
Because if your legs get cold enough, the pain kind of…
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Run Like the Dickens 10k
This past weekend, I ran the Run Like the Dickens event in Holly, Michigan. Ahhh, sweet nostalgia. Not only did I hit a 10k PR there last year, but that race is also meaningful because it is where the “PR THAT SHIT!” phrase originated. On a whim, my bestie Cara Jo had shouted that at me as I cruised through the final stretch. That phrase led to her creating the...
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How to Overcome a Bad Race Experience →
If you’re a runner who trained hard but had a disappointing race experience, how do you overcome your frustrations? These four steps can help you deal with your experience constructively.
Sometimes I need to remind myself of these tips!
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Missing mojo
I think I’ve lost my running mojo again.
I was on such a high following the marathon, and I felt fantastic just a couple weeks later at the Run of the Dead 10k. I had planned on switching to speed- and tempo-based workouts after the marathon and shooting for a 10k PR before the end of the year. After being only 58 seconds away from a PR at the Run of the Dead so soon after the marathon gave...
November 2011
7 posts
5 tags
Detroit Turkey Trottin'
A very happy belated Thanksgiving to all!
Another Thanksgiving meant another go at one of my absolute favorite races, the Fifth Third Turkey Trot, held in downtown Detroit. I’ve run this event 4 times, and there are just so many things I love about this race. The costumes are ridiculously clever, the Thanksgiving Day Parade atmosphere is fiercely festive, the runners are giddy, the...
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Jingle Bell Run
It feels strange to be talking about a Jingle Bell Run in November, let alone one before Thanksgiving, but I’ll allow it. As someone with janky arthritic knees, I like being able to support the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis. Also, it gives me a good excuse to wear my jingle bell antlers and act a fool, in general.
I’m in the hunt for some 5k and 10k PRs, so I decided to give...
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“Sometimes it’s hard to just keep going. But dedication is moving forward without...”
– inspiremethin.tumblr.com (via @sun_shinegurl at lifeofacollegeathlete.tumblr.com)
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Dear NYC Marathon...
One day I will run you. Oh yes I will. And then I will enjoy drinking a giant beer in celebration of awesomeness.
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I'm famous!
…ok not really. But I made it into the Detroit Free Press’ video wrap-up of the marathon. I’m around the 2:28 mark. I was in such a daze that I don’t even remember getting a shout-out from that nice volunteer.
http://www.freep.com/videonetwork/1241961691001/2011-Detroit-Marathon-a-look-back
Thanks to Cara Jo for letting me know about this!
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Run of the Dead
I love running races this time of year, mostly because all the holiday races are gearing up. They’re just so ridiculously fun, with or without obscenely festive costumes!
On a whim, I decided to join friends Cara Jo, Kristy, and Adam for the Run of the Dead. This event is part of an El Día de Los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) celebration in Southwest Detroit, an area with a large...
October 2011
7 posts
7 tags
Moar goals n' stuff
Since the marathon, I’ve been wondering “Soooo….what next?” I started thinking of some goals for 2012, so here’s what I’d like to do. New achievements will be unlocked:
Finally run a sub 2-hour half (target 1:55)
Do my first triathlon; aiming for the July Anchor Bay Triathlon, since it’s beginner-friendly
Do some sort of race relay with BFF Cara Jo
Do...
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I'm a marathoner!
Did this actually happen? Did I really just complete my first marathon? It seems so surreal. After committing to doing the Detroit Free Press Marathon over a year ago, and going through all the highs and lows of training, I can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that it happened and is over.
As I stepped to the starting line, waiting for the clock to tick down until our wave could...
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I DID IT!
A full race report is coming, but just wanted to say that I achieved my goal and that YES I CAN HAS MARATHON!!!
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2 days, 18 hours, 54 minutes...
This marathon is really gonna happen, isn’t it?! Feels very surreal that the event is so close. It’s something I’ve dreamed about doing for so long, and something that I’ve been actively planning for over a year.
Detroit, I’m ready.
corrinajo asked: In 4 days 17 hours 19 minutes and 25 seconds YOU CAN HAS MARATHON!!!
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Big House Big Heart 10k
Normally I wouldn’t consider racing the weekend before a marathon, but I am weak for the Big House Big Heart event. Not only is it fun to run through my old college stomping grounds, but the finish line is at the 50-yard line of Michigan Stadium! Hearing the marching band, seeing yourself on the JumboTron, jumping up to touch the “GO BLUE” banner…it’s just too much...
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Homestretch
Yesterday I did a 12-miler. The next time I do a double-digit run I will be a MARATHONER! 13 days…
September 2011
6 posts
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Thoughts from my first 20-miler
For the first time ever, I completed a double-digit run that started with a 2! This past Saturday, Running Fit put on their 20-Mile Fall Training Run, which features a closed course, aid stations, mile markers, and finish line snacks. Depending on what you’re training for, you can run however many miles you’d like. Not a bad deal for $10.
I opted for the full 20 and approached it as a...
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Run Wild for the Detroit Zoo
Alas, also behind on this write-up, but I’ve been busy worrying about my first 20-miler tomorrow. I’m kidding…sorta.
I love me some Detroit Zoo. I love to watch the playful little penguins, lemurs, kangaroos, red pandas, otters, and other fun creatures. And as a fan of the zoo, naturally I am a fan of their annual Run Wild for the Detroit Zoo 5k/10k events. The course runs...
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Looking ahead
One month and one day until the marathon, eek! I have my races set up, and I’m quite excited about this lineup:
Run Wild for the Detroit Zoo (15k)
20-Mile Training Run (eek!)
Big House Big Heart (10k, finish line inside Michigan Stadium, awwww yeah)
DETROIT MARATHON (eeeeek!)
It’s crazy how fast it’s all approaching, but I’m gonna do my best to enjoy the ride!
7 tags
Labor Day 30k
The Milford Labor Day 30k had me a little nervous for a few reasons. First, it’d be my longest training distance to date, and I wanted to be able to complete it. Second, I had heard from some of my running buddies that the course was VERY challenging and hilly. Third, the forecast for race morning called for very uncomfortable heat and humidity. Oh, and fourth, I’m still bothered by...
