Dial It Back Week

After pushing the mileage for several weeks, this week I decided to take a rest, although "take a rest" may be relative.  Here is what I did this week:

Monday: 2 miles running in place with 2 lb. weights to warm up for yoga.

Tuesday: 4 treadmill miles in the morning; 6 trail miles in the evening. This was super-fun.

Wednesday: 2 miles running in place to warm up for strength training. Then, as it was a snow day (first day of Spring--what???), I went directly to bed after working out, woke up two hours later, ate breakfast, and then put in 4 miles on the treadmill.

Thursday: Tae Bo. It felt amazing.

Friday: 4 treadmill miles

Saturday: 5 miles on the hills of Sand Run (after day-drinking with the Cleveland Marathon Ambassadors! Shhhhh)

We are a fun bunch! 

Sunday: Goddess Trail Run for 13! Yay!

This is EXACTLY how I look when I am happy to be running with the Goddesses.

40 miles of running + strength training + Tae Bo. Not a bad week!

Next week I have the Fools 25K, which I will probably be running with the Goddesses. After that, I need to bring my mileage up to 19 before the Pro Football Hall of Fame Half Marathon in April. Then, I've got the 20 miler the week after the half marathon.  Gaaaaa.  Am I ready? I don't know yet. I haven't gone beyond 16-point-something, but I'm pretty comfortable there, so I think I'll be ok in the weeks to come.

Meanwhile, I'm trying not to eat everything in sight. I weighed myself after today's long run (I ALWAYS go with the Sunday weigh-in while I'm still dehydrated), and I have lost about 6 pounds. Of course, that is water, but last week I was six pounds heavier even in the same dehydrated state, so I'm going with it. I'm trying to log all of my food intake. Some days are better than others (cough, cough, notthisweekend, cough), and I'm getting back on track.

This week is my Spring Break, so I look forward to lots of running and sleeping and reading trashy literature.

One last thing. . .there were people I didn't see at the Ambassador Meetup (and I miss all of you), but I was glad to see old friends and meet new ones.

Pam and I are together again. 

Andrew would never forgive me if I didn't post this picture of us. He really looked forward to talking to me; you can tell.

The wine was lots more interesting than I am. These damn kids.

Have you registered for the race of your choice (even the series) in the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon?  If not, there is still time! Use my code, SICLE10, to get a 10% discount on any race or the series. Come on, you know you want to run with me!


Have you run your 20-miler yet, Peeps? Are you looking forward to it or dreading it?  However you feel about that one run, I hope you run happy, Peeps!

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Pay Day 2017

It is once again my Running Pay Day, Peeps. This means that I need to do a bunch of math to figure out how much money I can put into my special running savings account.

The background to Running Pay Day is this:

I once read of a running blogger who pays herself for each mile she runs. Needing some motivation that doesn't involve food, I thought this was a wonderful idea. Of course, because I am complicated, I must have many rules about how to pay myself. So, here is how it works:

First, I calculate the number of miles total I have run in 2017. This is easy because I log my miles into DailyMile.com. This year I ran 1,694 miles. Not bad considering my goal was 1,500!

30 more miles would have taken me to Salt Lake City, UT!

Next, I subtract the number of racing miles I ran because I pay myself $1.00 for each racing mile. I love going over the races I ran this year because it brings back ALL THE FEELS for each race. Here are the races I ran this year (Click on the links to revisit my recaps):

Pro-Football Hall of Fame Half Marathon: 13.1
Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon: 26.2
Medina Half Marathon: 13.1
Green Jewel 2-person relay: 14
Burning River 8-person relay: 16.5
Leave No Trace Half Marathon: 13.1
Medina Race with Grace 5k: 3.1
Akron Marathon: 26.2
Run with Scissors Half Marathon: 13.1 (I actually ran 16.5 miles for this, but that is another story.)
Home Run for the Homeless: 4

I have a total of 142.4 racing miles. I'll round that down to 142. That means I've earned $142 in racing miles--but wait! There is more!

I subtract my racing miles from my total miles, and I pay myself $.50 per training mile:

1,694-142= 1,552 miles x $.50= $776 dollars.

Then I add that to the racing miles:
$776 + $142 = $918 dollars

Wow. That is a chunk of change! Unfortunately, that is not how much I get paid.

Now I have to deduct the amount of race fees I paid this year. Booooo. I didn't keep EXACT track of the racing fees (because it is painful), but I do have a good idea. One note: for two of these races, I paid more in order to donate to a race-affiliated charity, but I will not count that as a racing fee since it was voluntary.

The total for these races comes to about $446.  Honestly, not bad for ten running events that gave me hours of pleasure (WHAT????).

Ok, 918-446 = $472.   BUT WAIT!!!!

I award myself a $5.00 bonus for every PR, and I had two this year, soooooo. . .

$472 + $10 = $482

This is the most I've earned in a year. I am super-pleased with myself, particularly since the 300+ extra miles I've run this year have clearly made a difference in my paycheck.


Here is the thing:

I realize that I'm paying myself in my own money, but I am going to put that money into a savings account that I've had for years, and it will go toward my dream race: the Paris marathon. Normally, I wouldn't dream of spending any of that money on myself.  Too often women, especially mothers, refuse to reward themselves or put themselves first in any situation. I will not be a part of that. I worked damned hard this year, and I will reward myself with the promise of something that will be just for me.

Not only that, but the hard cash that I earned actually benefits me twice: All of those training miles helped me to build my endurance and (rarely) speed. I learned so much about what I'm capable of doing by training and racing, and even though there was some pain involved, I wouldn't change any of it. . . even getting lost in the woods during a trail race. I deserve to celebrate me.

How can you celebrate yourself, Peeps? What goals have you set for 2018? How can you reward them? It doesn't have to be as complicated as my system (Lord knows there are easier ways!), but you should find a way to fete your accomplishments and reward your work. It can make the difference between getting outside in the snow. . . or staying in bed and regretting that decision.

As for me, I have goals for 2018, and I am already getting started on them! This will be the best year. . . and the best ME yet!

This is clearly not the best me. . .but I'm working on it!

Whatever your goals and rewards are, I hope you run happy, Peeps!


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Pro Football Hall of Fame Half Marathon Recap, Part I

The thing about me is EVERYTHING is about me, right? So, Part I of my race recap will be what I learned about myself today.

It's ALL about ME.  Always.

First, my finish time for the half marathon was 2:14:29.  This isn't fabulous, but it isn't totally disgraceful either. A part of me had hoped that I would PR this race, even run it in fewer than two hours, but I knew from the first step that this wouldn't happen.  Why?

1. It was SUPER-HOT today, and it was very muggy, too. I knew that I should readjust my pace when I started sweating profusely in the first two miles. Scary moment: at mile 11 I passed a woman who had collapsed and stopped breathing. Someone was administering CPR. It was awful.

2. I had stomach cramps starting at mile 5. This was because I didn't have adequate bathroom time before the race. You know what I mean. Anyway, I spent a good 3-4 minutes in the portapotty at mile 7.

Guess I shouldn't have eaten this the night before the race.

3.  I am 47 years old. This is a fact. I have not been in super-great shape my whole life; in fact, I started running after I turned 40. I may have hit my PR in the half when I did Akron in 2:00:52.

This is EXACTLY what 47 looks like.

4. I am carrying at least 10 pounds that I shouldn't be carrying, and that isn't even going by race weight. In that scenario, I am carrying at least 15 extra pounds. I feel those 10 pounds every day, so I know they affect my pace. I hope to lose them while training for the Akron Marathon, but we will see.

This is EXACTLY how I look when I need to lose 10-15 pounds.

5. I am currently experiencing a lot of anxiety and stress, and today I started the race completely stressed out. This definitely affects my performance.

This is EXACTLY how I look when I'm stressed out.

6. I'm just not hungry to race anymore. I don't know if it's marathon training or trail running or age or what, but I don't care to run balls-to-the-wall anymore.

I did learn something positive about myself today. As you may have read, I have been worried about having heart palpitations at unexpected moments of running, twice during races. This has made me reluctant to race; that is why the Pro Football Hall of Fame is my first race of the year. Today I strapped on my heart rate monitor because I wanted to have data in case I experienced any problems.

There were a few times that I felt like I was going to have heart palpitations, so I checked my heart rate during those times. . . and I was completely normal. When that happened, I felt reassured that I wasn't going to have to walk and wheeze for the rest of the race. I told myself that it was in my head, and the feeling passed. Does this mean that it's all in my head? Maybe. I suspect that it is, especially since I've had an electrocardiogram and a blood test with perfectly normal results, but I'm still going to see a cardiologist to make sure. Anyway, it made me feel so much more secure in pushing myself a little bit. . .not that my finish time reflects that.

Also, this is my first race after the implantation of my urethral sling. I can't tell you how my life has changed for the better because of this surgery. Let's leave it with this: no screaming in the shower because of chafing caused by incontinence pads. You know what I mean.

Anyway, I haven't touched on the actual race, so I will save that for a another post. For now, I'm prepared to accept my results and think about how to improve them for future races, specifically for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, which will be my A-race this year.  Wanna join me? Click here to register or volunteer.

Will the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon be one of those future races? Check back soon to find out.  Until then, run happy, Peeps!

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Training for What?

Welcome back to the blog, Peeps!  Before I get started, I'd like to announce the winner of the giveaway for Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Ambassador Jill's book:

Rafflecopter chose Jen R. to receive Jill's awesome book!  Congratulations, Jen; I know you will love it. For those of you who are interested in purchasing Jill's book, and I HIGHLY recommend that you do, click here to buy it from Amazon, or check out Jill's signing at Mahall's (13200 Madison Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio 44107) on January 21, 2017 from 1:30-3:30.  Come meet Jill and have her sign your book; you'll have a great time, a fun new book, and a new friend.

We are halfway through January, and it's time I got my act together and started thinking about goals.  I had a nice little break when I was recovering from surgery (I'll write about that next week), but now I have to get my butt in gear.  And OH BOY HOWDY do I have a butt now.  I have gained ten pounds since I finished running the Akron Marathon, and eight of those pounds are absolutely non-negotiable. I know how I did it, too; I stuffed ALL THE FOOD into my pie hole.  Shame on me.

Luckily, I know what to do about that; get back on the horse (or on the road or trail). I've got to start watching my calories again and making some hard choices about what I put into my mouth.  I'm a stress-eater, and I'm a non-stress-eater; really, I just like food.  I need to remember what it feels like to have some discipline.  To start, I'm looking at my calendar.

One thing that helps me with discipline is my racing goals.  To that end, I have signed up for five races already this year. I'm betting you can guess one of them:

I'm so pleased and honored to be an Ambassador for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon this year. I love this race, and I love my fellow ambassadors. Check out their social media accounts here. I haven't decided what I'm running for this race series, but I promise I will let you know when I figure it out.

I'm also running the Pro Football Hall of Fame Half Marathon, the Medina Half Marathon, a sixteen-mile leg of the Burning River 100-mile Relay, and the Akron Marathon.

Do you think this will be the motivation I need? Of course, I also have some of the best motivation in the world: my friends.

Joy, Shelby, and I made a pact to do our long runs together. We started today.

What are your goals this year, Peeps?  Until then, run happy!

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Training. Huh. What Is It Good for?

Last week I ran with Shelby on the Bike and Hike.

"I have to admit that I run faster in these cold temperatures, even if I don't want to do it, " I said.  "Plus, I've actually spent this winter following a training plan for a half marathon.  I really should sign up for a half marathon in April.  Maybe the Pro Football Hall of Fame."

Silence.  Running.

"But then I would have to run a half marathon."

Shelby:  "I was waiting for it."

Shelby gets me.

It is true that after reading five books and countless online articles on marathon and half-marathon training, I came up with a plan, and I have followed that plan pretty well this winter.  This is unusual for me, as I never felt the need to follow any sort of plan for a half-marathon, even when I had an ambitious (for me) time goal. I've always just thought, "Run more; run faster," and for the most part it worked.  Except that lately it didn't work.  This year I didn't reach my sub-two-hour goal for a half marathon, and I could give lots of reasons why, but I won't.  I didn't hit it, and I moved on to other goals.

What is my training program?  Glad you asked!

I have divided my program into indoor and outdoor running.  Both use a heart monitor, but outdoor running uses mileage and indoor running uses time. This is a typical week:

Monday: no running.  Yoga.

Tuesday: Tempo run.  Outdoors: 1 mile warm up.  3 miles @ 8:50/mile.  1 mile cool down.  If indoors, 10 minutes warm up.  30 minutes @ 6.7. 10 minutes cool down.

Wednesday: Weights and Core.  30+ minutes weights and 10+ minutes running in place with 2 lb. weights.

Thursday: Intervals.  Outdoors (in theory--I haven't had the opportunity to do this outside yet): 1 mile warm up.  1/4 mile @ 8:00/mile, 1 minute recovery x 12, 1 mile cool down.  Treadmill:  10 minutes warm up.  1 minute @ 7.6, 1 minute recovery @5 x 12.  Cool down until I hit the rest of the remaining mile.

Friday: 4 miles minimum of whatever I want to run.

Saturday: 5-6 miles either hills (Sand Run) or easy on the treadmill while watching Supernatural.

I tell myself that I only watch this so I can converse with my 13 year old daughter, but I think we all know better.

Sunday: Long, slow, distance run.  10+ miles.

I have noticed that when I run outdoors, I have been running faster more easily.  Is that the training or the temperature or both?  Who knows?  I know that I should sign up for something right now so I can see if this is my moment. . . but I can't seem to care.  I really enjoy the training right now, but I have nothing going on until May.  Is it too soon?  Will I burn out?  I don't know.

I do know that I am currently enjoying myself and sleeping better.  The downside is that I am constantly hungry, but I am used to this feeling.

I am going to save it for Cleveland, Peeps.  Will you join me?  Sign up for the Race Series Challenge; I'm running the 8k/Half Marathon.  Come give me some motivation.  Until then, run happy, Peeps!

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New Year, New Me?

Happy 2016, Peeps!  This is the moment where, ten days into the new year, we are all deciding whether making those goals while under the influence of bad champagne and pork and sauerkraut was a stupid idea or just freaking brilliant.  I dunno.  I tend to make goals all the time, so I'm not going to say that the new year was vastly different for me.  Let's review last year's goals:

1.  Run at least 1,100 miles.  Result: Yes!  I think it was 1156.

2.  Run a sub-2-hour half marathon.  Result: No.  I did worse at the Akron Half Marathon this year than I did last year.  Ok, it was worse by about 20 seconds, AND the course was way tougher, but still.  Fail.

3. Race Blogging: I was shooting for Akron, Cleveland, and Hot Chocolate.  Akron never contacted me, and I decided not to do Hot Chocolate this year, but I did have some great bonuses.

Bonus #1: I blogged for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Race Series, and it was a fun experience.  Jim Chaney, race director of the series, is an incredible guy (read my post about him here), and I thank him for the opportunity to pick his brain about what goes on behind the scenes of a race.

Bonus #2: I was so happy to be a #RunCLE Ambassador this year.  I met some amazing people (who are also amazing runners), and I learned a lot from them.

PR shot at the VIP Reception for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon.  We clean up!

Our first meeting.  In a bar, of course.

Before the race.  We were already wilting in the heat.

This year, I am proud and excited to announce that I will again be #RunCLE Ambassador for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, AND I am lucky enough to be a part of their new race series.  As of right now, I have decided to run the 8k/Half Marathon series.  I would love for Cleveland to be the site of my first full marathon, but the training season for a spring race doesn't work out for me.  Stay tuned to my blog because every week one of the Ambassadors (including me) will be offering a race entry giveaway.  I will post links to each giveaway.  Better yet, follow them on their blogs or social media sites:

Official Ambassadors

• Emily Baumgartner - Blog; @emilyebaum
• Melissa Bixler - Blog; @MBIX66
• Melissa Carney - Blog; @koskim
• Christine Cassar - Blog; @ratherbsweating

• Joe Fell - Blog; @ClevelandJoe
• Jill Gruenwald - Blog; @Jill_Grun
• Andrew Hettinger - Blog; @andrewrunsalot 
• Stephani Itibrout - Blog; @itibrout 
• Jamie Johnston - Blog; Facebook 
• Stephanie Lesco - Blog; @StephPlusFour
• Debi Lantzer - Blog; @DebiL1611
• Jessica McCartney - Blog; @thetamburarunner
• Pam McGowan - Blog; @pam_mcgowan
• Rachel Frutkin - Blog; @running_onhappy
• Doug Picard - Blog; Facebook

4. Extending the long run to 15 miles.  Result:  I didn't do this, but I will have to this year because--Peeps:

2016 is the year of the marathon for Stephani!  

Yep.  I will be running away from trouble and running towards 26.2.  

I have plenty of ideas on how to get there, and I have lots of plans for improving my running and strength.  I won't share all of my plans with you now, but be prepared for some experimentation with doses of runner's high, sweat, and possibly some swear words.  Nothing you haven't seen/heard from me already, right?

My mom sent me this hat.  It lit up until I broke it.  I'm adorable, right?

Until then, run happy, Peeps!

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Pro Football Hall of Fame Gold Jacket 5k Recap

Saturday I ran the Gold Jacket 5k in Canton, and it was a great time!  The race started at 8:00 AM, and there was plenty of parking, so Joy and I were able to leave my house at 6:30 and still get to the Pro Football  Hall of Fame in plenty of time to use the bathroom a few times and warm up.

Hanging out before the race

There was a drone hovering over the race, taking pictures, and that was extremely cool.  Here is a picture from the drone at the start of the race:

Can you see me?
Photo Credit:  Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon

Let's get to the review, shall we?

The Good:  There was a lot of good here.  The course was fabulous for a 5k.  The first two miles had a lot of downhill, and there were a few slight rises in the third mile.  It made for a fast run.  We had the whole stadium before and after the race, so there were plenty of bathrooms.  The medal was FABULOUS:

It's a Hall of Fame ring, and it weighs as much as a can of your favorite beverage.  When my husband saw this, he told me to sign us both up for another Gold Jacket 5k.  Win!

The day started a bit chilly, but running hard is a great way to warm up!  At the finish we got a high-five from Dan Marino, and that was incredible.  Let me just tell you (before my husband does) that I am happy to high five Dan Marino because I loved him in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.  Shhh.  Don't judge.

To sum up the good:  drone (way cool), medal (wow!), course (fast), bathrooms (more than enough), Caveman bars (yummy), and Dan Marino (#starstruck).

The Bad:  It's difficult to really identify something bad about the race.  The weather was chilly at the start, but nobody can control the weather, and we had a warm place to stay.  The awards were held outside the Hall of Fame, which normally would be awesome, but I started to shiver, so I had to go inside to warm up.  Again, nobody can control this.  I'm going to say that for an inaugural race, this was very organized.


The Ugly:  

The ugly has nothing to do with the organization of the race, but with certain groups of people who participate in theme races.  The slogan for this race is "Walk, Run, Jog, Compete," and I think anyone who wants to sign up for a 5k should do so.

But.

At the start, Joy and I tried to jockey into a position with the middle-of-the-pack runners.  We don't like to anger the elites and really fast runners, and we don't like to dodge slower runners and walkers. There should be a middle ground, and most of the time there is a middle ground.  Unfortunately, there were walkers scattered all over the starting line: front, middle, back.  It was impossible to avoid them.  Normally that would be ok because most walkers in a race know to start at the back of the pack and walk on the side.  In fact, the race instructions include a page on runner's etiquette which spells this out.  It was obvious that the runners/walkers from this race paid no attention to etiquette because as soon as we crossed the starting gate, the walkers spread themselves out from one end to another.  Sometimes they held hands or linked arms.  Joy and I had to go from one sidewalk to another to get around massive walls of flesh who refused to move, even when we said, "Excuse me."

I'm not going to go on about this (much), but I have to get this off my chest:  My first mile was more than 30 seconds slower than my second and third miles because I had to dodge walkers or stop dead behind them.  I wasn't trying to PR at this race, but I COULD HAVE, PEEPS.  Anyway, I am preaching to the choir here.  If you are reading this blog, you wouldn't have started at the head of the line and then linked arms to block every other runner.  I don't know what to do about this because obviously the ugly is my problem.  I need to relax when I'm running a theme race, so I guess I am the ugly.

I may be "The Ugly," but I look pretty good with my medal here.

I intend to run more of the Gold Jacket 5k series.  Click here to see the schedule of upcoming races.  You can also see what is on schedule for 2016.

My husband and I are wondering if we can get a trip out of town in. . .and I'm hoping to get the kids trained to run/walk a 5k.  Of course we will run/walk from the back and the side!

I want you to join me, Peeps, so thanks to Jim Chaney, race director, I am giving away an entry to a Gold Jacket 5k.  If you have already purchased your entry, I can't reimburse you; this is only good for one person, one 5k.  Enter the Rafflecopter and follow the directions to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Turtles and Taper

Today was an eleven mile run on the Towpath with Joy.  I didn't tell her we were doing eleven miles until we reached the turnaround at 5.5 because I'm sneaky that way.

Despite the fact that I am enormously suffering from seasonal allergies, I am really enjoying this weather.  Normally April in Ohio blows. . .usually literally.  It is so nice to run in capris and a tshirt and soak up some vitamin D.

This is what we saw while running on the Towpath:

Hello, leetle friend!

If you look closely at the brown blob in the middle of the green sludge, you will see that it is a beaver.  This was about a quarter of a mile away from the Beaver Marsh, where they hang out, but it is right next to one of the many beaver dams on the Towpath. (A quick digression--This week I was teaching my students about Oscar Wilde's use of the pun as a satirical device, and I had to share this example with you, Peeps:  Two fish swim into a wall.  One turns to the other and says, "Dam!")  The family next to us on the Towpath told us that this is in fact a river otter, but I don't think so.  I'm going with beaver.

Bale of turtles

I always know that warm, beautiful weather is coming when I see turtles sunning themselves on logs in the river.  It just makes me so happy to see the sun shining off their silver backs.  We must have seen at least fifteen today, and that was without really looking.

The last two miles of this run were particularly difficult, and I realized why when I checked the Garmin and saw that Joy had pushed us to doing our fastest miles in the last two.  She is a tricky one.  This officially starts our taper.  Joy and I are both running the Canton Gold Jacket 5k on Saturday, and we are each running a 10k leg on our relay team for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon, Half Marathon, and Relay on Sunday.  This will be my first time running a relay, and I'm excited.  By the way, Peeps, keep your eyes peeled for a Gold Jacket 5k giveaway on this blog.  It's coming up soon.  For information about the Gold Jacket 5k and/or the Pro Football Hall of Fame Races, check my other blog, From the Sideline.

I haven't run a 5k since September 2014, so I will be interested to see how I do in this one.  No matter what, Joy and I are going to have lots of fun, especially with our team, Beast Mode 5.  Does our name intimidate you?  NO????

This will be a great way to test my legs for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon.

Until next Sunday, run happy, Peeps!

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Head for the Hills!

Hill training is important, right?

Today I test-ran the course for the Shamrock 15k in Cuyahoga Falls with Shelby and Mandy.  It is EXTREMELY challenging and super-fun.  I signed up for the race in March because I was tempted by a lower race fee, and I realized that I don't have anything on my radar until April 25 (when I run the Pro Football Hall of Fame Gold Jacket 5k in Canton).

Now, keep in mind that when I say "super-fun," I mean, "This course will kick your butt.  You'll gasp, you'll groan, you'll swear a LOT.  You will be glad when it's done."  That's the kind of fun I mean.  I had a lot to say about the race when I ran it in 2013.

This is EXACTLY how I look when I run the Shamrock 15k.  This is my happy look.

Just kidding.  This is EXACTLY how I look when I run the Shamrock 15k.  In freaking 25-degree weather.

The first 5k goes down, down, downhill.  It's fabulous if you don't think about the next 5k, which is the steepest, longest set of hills EVER.  I am used to hill repeats, but this hill is tough.  I have to lean forward and run it on my toes.   Deep down I wanted to walk the hills, but I couldn't let Mandy, who is a damned kid, show me up, especially when we started the ascent and she said, "This isn't so bad."  Shut up.  Actually, I'm glad she and Shelby were there. The great thing about group runs is accountability.  I can't quit because they are watching me, and I'm sure at certain points in the run they are thinking of quitting, too.  Shelby and Mandy, you complete me.  Don't feel too flattered, though, because I say the same thing to my glass of wine at dinner.

So, how will this help me for the Rite Aid Cleveland Half Marathon in May?  I seem to remember a set of hills starting around Mile 10.  If I can continue my practice on that big-ass hill on the Shamrock run, those hills will look like NOTHING to me.  Nothing.  Right.

Do you include hill repeats in your training, or do prefer to run hilly routes regularly?  I like to do both, but I would say I enjoy the hilly routes more.

Until next week. . .Run hilly, Peeps!

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When You're a Turtle. . .

It is that time of year, Peeps, time to think about training for the upcoming racing seasons.  No matter your goal, there is no better way to meet it than by joining a running club.

Four years ago, I couldn't run farther than two miles without becoming incredibly winded and exhausted.  It was ridiculous.  I was convinced that I would never become a runner. . .

And then I joined the Towpath Turtles.

Not this turtle

 The Towpath Turtles is a structured training program in which the end goal of the runners is to run either the Akron Half Marathon or the relay for the Akron Marathon.  The group runs together on Sunday mornings (Saturdays for the relay training group) for the long, slow distance run.

THESE Turtles

Sheila Avsec, the coach of the Turtles, describes the program in this way:

I believe that to be a runner, one does more than run, namely a Towpath Turtle is defined as:
• A runner who runs on a regular basis, regardless of distance or speed;
• A runner who participates in the running community: as a volunteer, a member of local running club, and as a spectator/support crew member for other racers;
• A runner who knows about his/her sport – about proper fueling and nutrition, injury prevention and recovery, race etiquette, and the running community in general;
• A runner who is supportive of his/her peers and other runners.

Through the Turtles, I was able to go from not being able to run more than two miles to running the Akron Half Marathon in seven months, but that isn't all I got from the group.  Through Sheila and the Turtles I learned about proper cross-training, fueling, and racing strategy.  Most importantly I learned that the Turtles embrace true sportsmanship: We cheer on every runner in a race, right down to the very last one.  We support everyone, regardless of ability.  We have fun.

I am no longer technically a Turtle, since I am not a beginning runner (Wow!  When did that happen?), but I run with the Turtles during their long runs, and I attend other events with them when I can.  This year the alumni Turtles are planning to run the various races for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon and the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon.  I proudly wear my Turtle shirts at races, and I loudly chant my Turtle call whenever I see a Turtle.  Ask me to do it for you sometime--it's awesome!

Once a Turtle, always a Turtle.

The Turtle season starts in February, and the information session is February 1:

An Information Session about the 2015 Season will be held on Sunday, Feb 1st 2015 at 1:30pm at the Main Akron Library (in the meeting rooms). This session will give prospective clients an overview of the different training programs that I offer through OneLife Fitness Coaching, including the 31-week, large group "Towpath Turtles" running program. Immediately following the general meeting, I will be meeting with Alumni who are interested in signing up to run with the large group in 2015. If you have any desire to sign up, please put this on your calendar now as only one info session will be offered.

If you are looking for a group, or you need an extra push to achieve your running goals, there is no better group than the Turtles, Peeps.  I look forward to every new season because I know I will meet some fabulous friends--will you be one of them?

Run happy, my friends!

6 Weeks More

And there you have it.  My x-ray says that the foot is still broken, although it is slowly healing.  This time the orthopedist tried to put a positive spin on it, which I appreciate, since last time I ended up sobbing like a baby.

Thinking Positively:

1.  I don't need to go back to the boot, and the insert Bill lent me is working nicely.  (@Bill:   I told her, Bill does for me what you can't.  I don't think that came out right.)

2.  I can do any exercise that doesn't involve high impact.  This means walking, aqua jogging, swimming, and YOGA!!!!

3.  Life could be worse; I could have a stinkbug infestation.

This is EXACTLY what I don't want to see around my house.  The little buggers have been crawling into our garage entry keypad and freaking out the kids.

The Bummer:

1.  If the foot doesn't heal in six weeks, I may have to have surgery.  Doctor says that she has only had to do this twice.  With my luck. . .

2.  I was hoping to sign up for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Half Marathon, which takes place at the end of April.  I still might be able to run it, but I'll have to wait and see, and we all know what happens to prices (and open spots) when runners wait.

3. I WANT TO RUN, DAMMIT!!!!!

In the meantime, I will continue to be the cheerful, grin-and-bear-it, uplifting blogger you have grown to know and love. . .as long as the booze holds out.