::for the record::

for the record
All the smack talk about RunningFirst and the Challenge is completely in jest. He and I are friends. I harbor absolutely no ill will toward the man, and I believe him entirely about all aspects of the communication gap we suffered. This is meant purely in fun. And as a means of keeping him motivated, which he's told me many times he appreciates. RunningFirst coached me through a horrible injury during my Marathon #1 training cycle--I could never have done it without his help. And he ran Marathon #2 with me--with killer hills late in the race and everything. And he helped me write my training plan for Marathon #3 (Cleveland!!) and gave me some confidence about it. I owe him a huge debt of gratitude for all of this. All of this is meant purely in fun.



...and the Garmin nominations now include
Forest (in honor of my first running buddy)
The Tattler (because it lets you get away with nothing)
Clepsydra (Greek name for water clock/water thief)
Paula (in honor of both the fabulous TNT Coach Paula, who I miss so much, and my own family, which you can probably figure out if you happen to know my middle name)


I like them all!! Please vote and/or add your nominations!

Two kind of big deals in one post

One of these things I've been sitting on for a day. The other just happened when I got home today. No preamble is required, so buckle up.

1. The One-Week Challenge Train Wreck 
So you remember a few weeks ago when RunningFirst and I accidentally entered into a one week mileage challenge? No? Read it here. Well, we were neck and neck. Then he laid down a 16-miler. And I assumed that this put him ahead of me, hands down, and I accordingly congratulated him heartily (here). Big blue letters and everything.

Then the end of February rolled around and we both posted recaps. His "highest mileage week" made me suspicious. I assumed I was mis-remembering, but checked our Running Ahead user group training log just to be sure. And sure enough, right there it was. By a tiny margin, I had actually won the challenge. 


I rather firmly made note of this mentioned this to him on Facebook. And he threw down a big card. He pulled out all the stops. He posted an over-the-top apologetic blog post here. But you know what?? I want a re-match. A chance to properly clear the air. Set the record straight. Get it all out. So...what say you, RunningFirst?

2. Garmin Rocks My Face Off/I Need Suggestions
As y'all know, I mailed The Vengeance back to Garmin last Friday. How surprised was I to come home after work today and find their return box on my porch? That's right. They not only sent me a replacement, but it arrived less than a week after I sent the broken one. They are serious about customer service. I honestly could not be a bigger cheerleader for Garmin right now. Completely, totally impressed.

So this is where you come in. I need nominations for a new Garmin name. So far the list is short: Mr. Joanna suggested the name Forest in honor of my first running buddy, Sherwood.

But I need a bigger pool of names to consider. So put some out there. I wanna hear what you've got!

Updates & Product Reviews

As promised, I have all sorts of updates for you. A few of you have asked how The Vengeance is doing, and I have a big update there. And some other runner-geek things. Here's what we're going to cover. And yes, I saved #4 for #4 so you menfolk can stop reading and not miss anything else. Thoughtful!

1. The Vengeance
It's a long-ish story at this point. If you're new to the blog, let me get you up to date. My Garmin Forerunner 405, which I named The Vengeance, stopped recording all graphs sometime after Thanksgiving. At first I thought I'd just run on an overcast day and hadn't gotten a good satellite signal. Then (with the help of Garmin support), it looked like I just needed to update the software on it and my Training Center. When that hadn't worked either after a few runs, I called Garmin support back yesterday. I was on the phone with them for TWO HOURS. When the first tech support guy ran out of suggestions, they transferred me to the more advanced support group. They had an entire group of tech people around the phone going through every permutation of every setting and fix they could think of. At the end of two hours they decided that it must be something that's broken inside the watch. They actually said that no one on the tech support team had ever heard of this particular problem happening. Since I've had it less than a year, they are replacing it. So....parting will be such sweet sorrow. It will go back to the Mothership sometime this week. I've spent so much time with her that I feel almost like I should throw a going-away party. Even though this is all unfortunate, I have to say that Garmin support is freaking awesome. Everyone I talked to was sincere about wanting to help me fix the problem. They were never disinterested or rude. And they are replacing the watch! Excellent customer service.

2. The shirt
I picked this up a few weeks ago from a sale bin at Target. It's one of their Champion tops. When I first put it on I thought it was ridiculously too long, but it turns out that it's pretty cute with tights/running pants. For $7, this technical fabric top was a great find.

3. The pants
I had a Groupon to my fave local running store and I was out of Gu, so we headed up there yesterday morning to stock up before my long run. While there, I decided to use my Groupon for some new running tights or pants. My only pair of running tights are great, but they're thermal and really much too warm for temps in the 40s/50s. I tried on a few pairs and decided to get the Nike Be Strong Regular Fit training pants. They are fantastic. They are absolutely everything I wanted in a pair of running pants. The waistband is wide and super comfy and flattering. They are snug through the hip but a little looser through the mid-thigh and  straight-ish through the leg. It's a really flattering cut for my body type. And I love the length! All around, they are absolutely everything I wanted. I want like 6 more pairs. :)

4. The sports bra
Back in September I reviewed the Under Amour Heatgear Endure sports bra (read it here). At the time I said I probably wouldn't wear the bra for a long run. In the meantime I've lost 6 pounds (and counting!!) and the fabric has stretched a teeny tiny bit. I wore it for my 12-miler today and had no problems. It has morphed into  a really great sports bra. I highly recommend!

That's the end of my updates. Oh, except the most important: TWELVE WEEKS UNTIL CLEVELAND!!! I can't freaking wait!!

Week 1: Check

Woohoo! Week 1 of training, check! See, I even checked off the days on my color-coded training schedule. 

So what did I learn from Week 1? This training schedule is awesome. There is nothing on it that I can't handle, and yet it is definitely a big step up from what I've done in the past. Pace runs? Brand new to me. Tempo runs? Usually done by accident in the past. Actually XT'ing? Haven't done that since 2007. I'm also slowly learning to be more disciplined about time management + training. It's hard! But there is something alluring about the discipline it takes to cram everything into every week. 

I should be able to get off the 'mill this week. My neighborhood still has patches of snow and ice, but closer to work things are basically clear. Time to re-test the Garmin, which last I checked was still misbehaving. 

But then I had a nice long conversation with Garmin support (in which the tech support guy openly admitted to keeping his VCR so he can watch 80's sci-fi. Nerd.) that gave me new hope. So check back for that...and also, my first giveaway! Coming soon to a JoannaRuns near you. 

Wish lists and creepy men

After hitting my mileage goal last week I decided it was time for a well deserved week off. I did enjoy the down time and today, for my first run of the new year, my legs were happy and rested and ready to run. Too bad The Vengeance wasn't.

Maybe a tenth of a mile from the house I looked down to check my pace (I thought I was way fast) only to find that The Vengeance still thought I was standing in front of the house. Yep, "30 seconds in and you haven't moved one inch," she scoffed at me. S.O.A.B. So I stopped. Found a new satellite signal. Get 'er all started up again. Ran.

At the far end of the park I ran past a bright blue Hummer. All the doors were open and the person responsible for it was standing on the other side, so all I could see were his boots. Guys are probably thinking, "What's this dude doing with all his car doors open?" Ladies are probably thinking, "did you run away as far and as fast as possible?" And yes, yes I did! Crap like that completely creeps me out! What, did he have bad car stench, like that episode of Seinfeld? Was he taking pictures to list it for sale, and if so, why in the middle of the park? Was he just driving around town and on a whim decided to sell his car? The only explanation I could come to was that I should be scared.

So here's my truth: I'm a big scaredy cat. There is nothing in the world I'm more afraid of than burglars. Creepy man and his Hummer are a near cousin of the burglar, as far as I'm concerned. Something men don't understand about women (and I generally hate blanket statements about the genders) is that we think about personal safety a LOT. For some women, it's a few times a week. For some, it's every day.

Which brings me to my point (I DO have a point, wait for it). Since I started endurance running in April of 2007, I have virtually never run with ID on me. Only when it's cold enough to wear a jacket, and even then it's only sometimes, and it's a driver's license zipped in a coat pocket. You know, super convenient for EMT's to find (yes, that's sarcasm). And somehow, despite my concern for personal safety, this never bothered me. My mother, yes. She nagged counseled me regularly on the need for ID.

I can only imagine her delight when she found the Runner ID on my Christmas wish list. Last week it occurred to me that even though I was running on treadmills, I should probably still go ahead and put it on my shoe. I mean, if I fell off the treadmill (again) and knocked myself unconscious, how would anyone know who I was? Did I put it on my shoe? No. So before my big return to outdoor running today, did I put it on my shoe? Still no. Until I saw creepy open Hummer man in the park. And now I have Runner ID.

Thanks, Mom.

Running in a Winter Wonderland

This morning I awoke to our first snow. I remembered a run last winter in the snow, where it was just the sound of our feet crunching softly on the snow, and the beautiful trees around us. That is not what happened this morning. But before I tell you about that, an update of the issues I've been having with The Vengeance.

Thank you all so much for your genuine concern after my last post! I feel I should clarify:

1. Although I almost always run with my Garmin, on most runs I don't check it at all or only check it when it gives me the mile interval beep.

2. I can still run without it!

3. I'm still hoping it can be fixed.

Hopefully I somehow screwed up a setting, or its still under warranty, or something. After my last post, I tried running with it a few more times. It hasn't blacked out on me again, but it doesn't seem to be recording pace, location, elevation, any of that. When I hook it up to my computer, it shows my mile times, overall time and pace, but that's it. No map. So there is definitely something screwy with it. If anyone has any clues, PLEASE let me know. It was a fabulous, expensive gift and I've loved it.

back to my wintery wonderland

It seemed like a good idea to run. Yesterday it rained all day, so no run there. Snow? I can handle snow. I love running in snow! A little wind? No problem. It was windy 98.9% of all hours of all days in the town we used to live in (and worse in the winter. Seriously, by the time of the spring thaw our first year there, I thought I was going to lose my mind from the constant sound of wind. Mercifully, it lightened up in warmer weather, and eventually I got used to it). So around 10am I bundled up and headed out.

I almost bit it twice about a block from our house, at an intersection where the snow was particularly compacted/icy from traffic. "It will be better in the park," I told myself. After all, the park has rangers (seriously. Just like in Elf, but not on horses). They must have plowed/shoveled by now. Right?

I got to the entrance of the park.

As usual, I veered to the left to begin the lap around the park. I start on the road for a bit, then merge onto a walking/running path. The road wasn't too bad. It was when I got to the path that trouble really arose. Because, well, I may have been the only person to have set foot there all day.

At first I thought it wouldn't be too bad. It was only 3-4 inches of snow, and pretty powdery. But then it was windy, and in places I couldn't see where the path was at all. Halfway down this side of the park, the path crosses a street. At that point I decided to turn back and run along the road instead of the path. I think that's when I took this picture.

There were still some icy spots, but I think if I'd stuck to the roads from the beginning I could have finished a longer run. I do love running in the snow. Like almost all runs, I'm really glad I went. Even if it was just 2.7 miles. As the city remembers how to handle snow, I'm sure it will get easier to run in it.

Mileage update: 10.6 this week and 689.6 for the year. I WILL reach 720!! So close!

PANIC

I went for a run today. I walked outside. Tapped the bezel on my Garmin. Got a satellite signal. Locked the bezel. Hit the Start button. Started running.

A while later I thought I should have heard the one mile beep. Maybe I didn't hear it, I thought to myself. I checked my Garmin.

It was off. OFF.

And I can't get it to turn back on. It's charged. Fully charged. I just charged it earlier today.

What the heck is wrong?!? I've only had it for 7.5 months. It can't be broken. HELP!!

Clarification and Gobble Gobble

Ok, people. I've received some questions about "popping the deuces." There was a trace of concern. I feel you should receive an urban education on this topic. Per the Urban Dictionary:

"Poppin' Deuces--to peace out, to throw the peace sign and leave."

So no, my husband was not doing anything questionable. The man is a peace loving albino!

(note: no, he is not actually an albino. but...close enough)

Ok, moving on. Today was my first ever Turkey Trot! It was called the Gobble Gobble 5k. Seriously. Gobble gobble, a recap.

The race website (as well as the active.com registration page) was almost entirely devoid of details. Pesky things like start time and location. I finally found an address last night, looked it up, wrote out directions, laid out my clothes, and went to bed. This morning I was up, dressed, and out on time and headed to the race.

Except I got there and found an empty parking lot. Gaaaaaah! I called Mr. Joanna, who was still sleeping and couldn't hear his phone. I called a co-worker who I knew would be awake, but didn't get an answer. I finally called my mom, only because I knew they have a land line phone and it would wake her up.

Now, let me tell you how seriously I had to consider this decision. Rule #1 of my family is never under any circumstance take driving directions from my mom. When my sister-in-law joined the family, it was practically the first thing I told her. My mother's directions have never, and this is not an exaggeration, never gotten me to my intended destination. And working with her to get directions while you are in motion is another whole debacle. So it was with great consternation that I called her.

I have to hand it to her, she came through for me today. Not only was she totally gracious about the fact that I called her at o'dark-thirty on a holiday, and the fact that she knows how I feel about her navigation skills, she got me from point A (aka, lost) to point B (start line) very smoothly. So here it is Mom, in writing for all the world to see: GOOOOOO Pepper!!! Great job on the directions and THANK YOU!!!

So I finally got to the race, picked up my packet, jogged around a little bit to warm up, looked (unsuccessfully) for my runner-girl co-worker, and lined up. Now, usually at races, I'm a mid-packer. No use in being all cocky and lining up in front and having everyone have to run around me. I try to line up in the proper starting corral. But at Gobble Gobble there weren't corrals. It was a 5k, after all. And the field is startlingly different than the field at any large half- or full marathon. People in sweats...in the rain. Mothers announcing that they have snacks just in case anyone gets hungry during the race. You get the picture. So I moved up a little farther than I normally would. I still spent the better part of the first half mile dodging around people and having to slow down to get around them, but it thinned out and I took off and I smiled ear to ear.

It had been 12 years since I last ran a 5k. This felt so different than I remembered it. Three point one felt like a long way to run in high school cross country. Today it felt like, run hard, run fast, it's so short! I put my head down and just kept my legs moving under me. It was over before I knew it. I finished over two minutes faster than my high school PR. Woot!! Today I finished in 25:19. And I had a great time doing it. And I know I could do it faster. Now I can't wait for more 5ks!

I learned a lot today. Nerdy girl list time:

1. My Garmin rocks my face off. It was so nice to know where I was on the course and how far I had to go and how fast I was running.
2. I shouldn't be afraid to move toward the start line at a 5k. It's such a different bunch of runners. It's a lot more people who are just out for something to do and a lot less people who are serious runners.
3. I can push harder through a 5k than what I did today. At no point was I sucking air or considering throwing up. It's not a distance I'm comfortable pacing myself for....yet. But I will get there. After all, once upon a time it was the only distance I knew.
4. It was a good call to take an extra layer to change into before heading home.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving today! Some of you have had great posts about the holiday. I am incredibly thankful for my family, the best friends a girl could ask for (even if they are all far away), a job I love, a warm home, and the ability to run my heart out!

Race Report: US Half

Warning: long post!

I'm just back from a wonderful weekend in San Francisco. It was a carefree weekend--the first in I don't even know how long. Probably a year and a half, really, since I had a few days that were both kid- and work-free. Oh, and then there was that race you're here to read about.... :) Here's the recap:

Friday

While in flight to CA, I realized that I had no memory of packing my Garmin. Then I thought about the packing list I'd made the day before and realized that it, too, had not included my Garmin. Fail. At least, I thought, I'd done races before without it. But still, fail. But my flights went smoothly and by dinnertime I was sitting around a table with old and new friends enjoying yummy food and laughing.

Saturday

We slept in and lounged around, then went out in the afternoon/evening for the race expo then some touristy things. The expo itself wasn't much, except that I did introduce Frank to the world of Gu and double-layer socks. I love that she let me geek out about running! Also, I like the race shirt. Check it out. The back is nice too.

After expo-ing, we headed to Muir Woods, aka, the redwoods. Due to its obvious popularity, it took a while to find a place to park. When we finally did and I got out of the car I saw this, to my complete surprise. Runners, this is for you:

I'd read runners' blogs about Dipsea. I'd certainly heard of it. But to tell the truth, I never knew what people were talking about. As I learned on Saturday, they are referring to "The Race from Hell." I saw one tiny piece of where the Dipsea trail cuts through the park, and I understood immediately how it got that name. It's a 7-mile race through Muir Woods. Not even through it, but up the side of the mountain apparently. Anyone completing this has my total runner respect. It is the real deal. And completely gorgeous.

A few more pictures from the park.

Frank, me and Jess

As it approached the park's closing time we packed it in and decided to drive down to the beach. I'm pretty sure I was the only one of us who loved the drive down, but I did. It was so reminiscent of those long drives up and down Spruce Knob all those years ago. The vague fear of rolling over a mountainside to one's death overwhelmed by friendship and the gorgeous scenery. It was total zen for little ol' me. The beach wasn't bad either (to say the least!).

After we left the beach, we drove into Sausalito for dinner at a little Italian place. It seemed sort of like something out of a movie, picturesque, upscale, and with a character of a waitress who told us not to order spaghetti and meatballs because she thought it was kind of mediocre. Who does that?!? It (the spaghetti) was lovely.

We headed back to San Francisco to get settled in for the night.

I'd looked at the weather earlier and I knew there was possible rain on Sunday, but I wasn't sure when on Sunday. As soon as we got back, Frank (a nickname she had when I met her, btw) and I checked the hourly forecast. Then the radar. Because the hourly looked like this and we wanted not to believe it.

6am: rain, 100% chance, 60 degrees

7am: rain, 100% chance, 61 degrees

8am: rain, 100% chance, 61 degrees

9am: rain, 100% chance, 61 degrees

10am: rain, 90% chance, 61 degrees

Expletive. Expletive. Expletive.

We decided that for our own sense of self-worth, we had to at least get up in the morning, get dressed, and go down to the start line. We had to at least make an effort to try to make ourselves toe the line. We couldn't go all the way to CA to intentionally oversleep our race. Even if it was 60 degrees and raining and our bodies hurt with various runner injuries. We still had to at least go.

Morning rolled around and by 6am we were in a cab headed to Fisherman's Wharf for the start. We found the start area then promptly found a building overhang to huddle under to stay dry for a while. When the noise of the start area grew louder, we decided to head over, port-a-potty and line up. And once we did that, I don't think either of us really thought there was any turning back. We had to do this. Even if we did verbalize that it was probably one of the stupidest things either of us had ever done. And even if we both knew that, in all likelihood, all PR bets for me were off.

I've never seen a crowd more anxious/excited for the gun to go off. We were all ready to get moving. Finally, mercifully, it did.

Miles 1-4

Miles 1 and 2 passed easily, even if everyone was completely soaked by that point. The first water stop was around mile 2 but I didn't even see it until I was almost past it. Why? Because it was about 50 feet to the side of the course and was ONE TABLE. I decided that was fine, I probably wouldn't have stopped even if it had been more obvious. So on we went. The second water stop came up around mile 4. This one was on course and it was time for a drink.

Let me just say it: I have never seen water stops more disorganized. Ever. The cups were empty and stacked on the tables, a free-for-all for runners to try to grab. A guy, ONE volunteer, was pouring quickly into them and occasionally just putting the pitcher down for runners to dip their cups into for timeliness. It was disgusting. And Frank had to ask him three times to pour her more because she barely got anything in her cup the first two times.

Miles 5-9

Somewhere in mile 5 I lost Frank, at a water stop I think. In mile 5 also came the first real shock of the morning--I turned a corner to find that we were running about half a mile down a steep, muddy trail. At first I was afraid of slipping, but a woman from Nova Scotia next to me gave me a little pep talk about it and I picked up the pace again. There was something fun about getting that truly filthy. It became my own little Warrior Race.

Then we were up and crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and coming back. Even in the rain, even with me soaked, it was beautiful. To see the fog and the boats and the waves. Pretty surreal. And yes, the Full House theme song popped into my head every now and then. Ah, TGIF. By mile marker 9 we were off the bridge and headed back.

Miles 10-11.5

From mile marker 9 to mile marker 10 was a leg out, then the turn around was just past mile marker 10. It was at this point that I realized that I'd held back too much. I still had WAY too much in the tank at mile 10. I realized immediately that after the muddy goat path around mile 4, I'd gotten too apprehensive about not knowing what the next turn might bring. Even though all bets were off the moment we arrived on site in the rain, I was still frustrated with myself for having left so much slack. I should mention in here that there finally was a well-organized, hygienic water stop. Finally.

Mile 11.5-13.1

I think I did a respectable job at the kick. I kicked about a mile and a half out, then stronger at a mile out. It was probably the best kick I've pulled off, but also probably because I held back too much earlier on. Part of this stretch (and about half a mile of the last section) were right along the beach. I sort of had to pinch myself that I was running with the surf splashing up around my feet. Again, even in the cold rain, it was really beautiful. By mile 12 or so we were a little further off the beach and on a street. I just put my head down and ran. I walked up one insanely steep and very short hill, then poured it on through the finish. The finish felt great. It really did, even knowing then (even without my Garmin) that I hadn't PR'ed. I *did* get cool new bling.

Official race results put me at 2:17:02. At first I didn't believe it. I thought for sure they had somehow added 10 minutes by accident. Since they haven't rescinded the race results yet I have to accept that I really ran a 2:17 half. Other stats:

Females 20-29: 333/705

Gender: 697/1623

Overall: 1637/2976 (I should mention here that there were 5,000 registered participants)

Things I learned this weekend

1. What people are talking about when they say Dipsea
2. That it really does help a LOT to know a course beforehand
3. That yes, Garmins really do make a difference
4. That sometimes nature's got you beat, and you can't do much about it
5. That my Detroit Marathon jacket is fabulous, but not in fact waterproof
6. That San Francisco is really beautiful
7. That a little down time, and friends, are really good for the soul

I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed about my finishing time. But at the same time, I think I did reasonably well for me for those conditions. And doing something kinda stupid every now and then just reminds me that I'm still alive. I wouldn't change that for the world.

Race Report: Lewis & Clark Marathon

The last 24 hours have been such an incredible experience. Marathon #2 is in the books and I cannot wait to tell you all about it!

Pre-race

RunningFirst came into town yesterday afternoon. We picked up our race packets, spent some QT with my boys, and had the traditional pasta dinner. I turned in pretty early in anticipation of the 4:50am alarm.

At 0-dark-fifty I dragged myself out of bed. Attempted to eat some oatmeal. Nervously checked and re-checked my do-not-forget-these-things-under-any-circumstance list. Worried about my back, which was giving me some shooting, pinching pains 'cause I slept on it funny. Took the obligatory pre-race picture. Packed up. Headed out.

At 5:25 we left my sleeping boys behind and left to head to the race.

It was probably 40 degrees at the start line, but warmed up quickly once the sun came up. We pre-Gu'ed (ate runner food), put our bags in the bag drop, and lined up right about 7am.

Miles 1-5

After just a mile I'd warmed up and was just enjoying the sunshine. My strategy was to run the whole race and walk the water stops. So, dutifully, I walked through the first water stop. And then my right shoe was off. You read right. The guy behind me stepped on the back of my shoe. RunningFirst helped shield me from the stream of runners (I was *right* in the middle of the road) while I put it back on. Shoe back on, and we were off again.

9:59

10:31 (shoe incident)

9:43

9:45

9:54

Miles 6-10

Were pretty easy. I Gu'ed at mile 6, as planned. Around mile 7 we hit the bridge over the Missouri River, which was lovely. Shortly thereafter we turned and started running along the river. We talked our own ears off all the way through mile 10 (read: I talked non-stop and RunningFirst responded every now and then), which helped to make the miles pass a little faster.

9:33

10:10

9:56

10:29

10:02

Miles 11-15

Gu'ed again at mile 12. As we approached the half-marathon finish I started scanning the crowd for my boys, since the plan was to see them at the half and at the finish. I looked and looked and looked and didn't see them. I started to fear that I'd missed them. Then we were past the halfers' finish and getting toward the start of the Katy Trail and I still hadn't seen them. I was holding back the tears with everything I had. I hated thinking that they might be out all morning and we missed each other. I worried that they'd gotten lost or run into trouble along the way. Seeing them in a race is always incredibly emotional for me, and the idea of missing them tore me up. And then, just as I was giving up hope, I saw them! My boys! They both yelled "Momma!" and I just beamed. And maybe cried just a little. You would too. Don't lie.

10:20

9:55

10:07

9:32 (this was through the half-marathon finish, and it just pulled me along)

10:02

Miles 16-20

One word: hilly.

9:53

10:17

10:27

10:04

10:38

And in case you were wondering what my boys were doing to pass the time, I give you this:

Miles 21-25

I still hadn't hit the wall. In fact, I kept waiting for it and it kept not coming. Score! At mile 23 I took about half a Gu. I was starting to tire out, but I kept going. Between 23 and 24 I really wanted to walk, but there was no way I was going to run that far and walk when I had less than 3 miles to go. Plus, I knew my time was way under my target and was starting to believe I might hit a 4:30. At mile 22 I told myself to get to 23 so I could Gu. At 23 I told myself to get to 24 and see how I felt. At 24 I told myself I had to wait until 25 to pick up the pace. At 25 I was not fast, but I was determined.

10:06

10:15

10:28

10:32

10:17

The Finish

I saw the finish line from about half a mile out. I just went for it. My Garmin was showing lap time, lap pace and total distance, not total time. I knew from what people around me were saying and a quick mental math estimate of time, that I was close to a 4:30. I didn't know if I was going to do it or not. As I passed my boys, Mr. Joanna yelled "Great time!! It's a great time!" I knew he also thought I might be under 4:30 but also wasn't 100% positive. Neither of us could see the clock on the finish line yet AND I didn't know what it had said when I started. I smiled at him (or tried) and went for it.

When I went over the line, the clock read 4:33:28. I didn't know what the start clock had said, but I knew it was going to be close. Two things that didn't occur to me at this point: 1) to stop The Vengeance (my Garmin), and 2) to check my history for the total time. It turns out that I remembered to stop it 65 seconds later, and didn't think to check the history for about another 5-10 minutes after that. Do you know what it said?

4:28:28

Somehow, beyond my wildest dreams, I'd come in under 4:30. Chip time puts me at 4:27:23. 27:31 faster than my PR. I prayed in thanksgiving. I made a few calls. I gave Mr. Joanna the whole run-down of the race. I beamed.

RunningFirst came in a little over 5 hours. I am super proud of him for toughing it out to finish. And still thankful for his company over the first 13.1. I don't know if he'll blog this or not, but if he does, be sure to stop over and tell him congrats.

What Lies Ahead

The US Half, November 7. Time to get faster and shorter. But for now, a week off!! Thank you all SO much for your encouragement, advice, and friendly support that got me to the finish line!

543.5 + 3.8 + 26.5 = 573.8 miles

Indignant/Love

First, a rant:

I just watched the movie "Marie Antoinette" after taking over a year to read the book it's based on. The movie is so bad I am almost indignant about it. And I am not a movie snob! Really! C'mon, I love Talladega Nights, Dodgeball, all the stupid humor. And some serious things. Not a snob! They should have called the movie "All the Pretty things Marie Antoinette Lived Among During Her Time at Versailles." That would have been a more accurate title.

Second, running:

I went to track practice last night. It was the fall Team's first track workout, so it was meant to be pretty easy. We did:

1 mile warm-up

6 x 400

1 mile cool-down (of which RunningFirst and I did half a mile)

It was generally believed that I should take it a little easy, it being my first really serious workout post-appy. The more senior Team members (i.e., people who have watched me run now for 3+ years and know my running habits sometimes better than I do) were sure I wouldn't be able to keep myself in check. But I showed them! Reality: I took May as an "easy," "between races" month, then had an appendectomy. I'm a little out of shape. And yes, eventually my stomach started to hurt a little. Spin: I totally kept myself under control and really intentionally slowed down a few seconds per interval. I ran them each in about 1:46.

Which brings me to my first totally intolerable Garmin gush-fest. I FREAKING LOVE THIS THING. I just synced it to my laptop when I got home and boom all my intervals, total time and distance, everything was just there. And easily transported into my runningahead log. No need for anyone to write down times at the track. Or email them to me. Or for me to then manually copy them from email into runningahead. It's just done.

272.0 + 3.2 = 275.2 miles

I have an easy run planned for tomorrow and a 6-miler (assuming compliance by my abs) for Saturday. Tomorrow's could get ditched though depending on how the babe is feeling in the morning. He had immunizations today and had a rough evening. Poor little guy. Keep your fingers (a word I invariably type first as "gingers" and have to delete) crossed for him!

Fabulous and....Fabulous

Today was such an exciting day in my running life. I'm so excited to share. Why you ask? Two HUGE reasons.

1. My first post-appy run

I ran! I RAN! I am so happy to finally fill in a day in my runningahead log. I'm so happy to STOP LOSING ENDURANCE and start pre-training for Lewis & Clark. I'm SO happy to be healthy enough to run and not hurt. I made it 2 miles before anything hurt. Then there was a little soreness, so I walked back home.

Officially, my post-appy check-up is tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure the doctor is going to tell me things are looking good.

269.6 + 2.4 = 272.0 miles (barely 20 miles in the whole month of May. FAIL.)

2. The Vengeance

That's what I named my new Garmin! Yes, I love saying those words--MY GARMIN! It is a graduation gift from Mr. Joanna and my MIL. The name is that of a character in Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities (I heart Dickens). It's a woman who knits messages into cloth to foster the French Revolution. She is one of the many Dickens characters that has made me laugh over the years. This short woman who knits power into her life. Plus, it sounds motivational.

I wore it today to try it out. I love that it records per-mile times and the total pace. I'm still figuring out/getting used to the desktop software part of it. I also love that it records the path I took. I know it will automatically update my runningahead profile, but I haven't hooked that up just yet. I also haven't tried putting training workouts into it yet or setting the training partner. All this lies ahead.

It just tickled me pink to finally have a Garmin!