Boo-yah!

Without further adieu, here is the race report for the Patrick Joyce Scholarship 5K:

This was my race. I could feel it. I don't know why, but I had a good feeling about this one. I've been doing a few 5Ks recently, and I had the complaint of not being able to break 30 minutes, which has been really frustrating, because it makes me feel like the slowest runner in the world. But there have always been obstacles in the way (heat, cold/snow, excessive crowding, hills, etc.). I had no idea what to expect from the course yesterday, except that it started and ended at Lakewood Park (corner of Lake and Belle streets in Lakewood, OH).

I had my new Fastwitch sneakers, which, if nothing else, made me feel fast.

And Derek even decided (with much deliberation) to run it with me.

My plan was to give it my all. In the past I had played it conservative, holding back a bunch in the first mile, and then being subsequently unable to make it up in the last stretch. (Another thing I have done before is going out too fast in the first mile, shocking myself with the time, and then panicking/tiring out in the middle. I had recently read in a Runner's World article that if you go out 6 percent faster than normal race pace in your next 5K, it might be your fastest. Was it right?????? ;)

Well, here we go. Started out with Derek, but (sorry honey) lost him after about a quarter of a mile...didn't want to be mean, but there was a slight downhill and I just had to take advantage of it! First mile was fairly easy, watched my breathing, and passed a few people. Clocked in at 9:25 - a bit faster than "normal," but very good for what I wanted to accomplish today. Now, if I can just hold it...

A great quote by Bob Glover: "The middle miles of a race are the Rodney Dangerfields of running. They get no respect." How true. Mile 2 was ok, with a slight incline, but was mostly shaded through the sidestreets of the Lakewood neighborhood. Felt strong, and able to hang on. I was a little bit nervous to see my time for this mile, because in a 5K, this is where I usually run into trouble. But I was thrilled and surprised to hear the race volunteer call out "18:40" when I passed him...and sure enough on my watch, that split was 9:13! Whew!

At this point, I was doing fuzzy calculations in my head. Even if I run the last mile at a 10:00 pace, I can still break 30 because I need less than a minute for the last .12. But that's the kind of talk that got me in trouble at the Frosty 5K in Madison last year - around 18 minutes at mile 2, but that last mile was a trip...with snowy hills and what seemed like an endless last tenth of a mile. Okay, just push it...don't stop. Slowed for water (thank God, and I poured most of it over my head) and was grateful this race wasn't any longer because a good portion of that went into my right shoe! The last mile was brutal...hot hot hot, sun beaming down. At least it was flat. But it was endless. I just kept thinking, "This is what you've been waiting for, you can do this," although in my head I was nervous - I had never done three consecutive miles at this pace...my heart was racing and I didn't know what my "breaking point" would be. But I FINALLY saw the entrance to the park, and as I passed by the race volunteer at mile 3, I heard "28 minutes!" Holy crap! Mile 3 was 9:18. I've got this. I pushed as hard as I could, and to be honest, didn't have any "close competitors" to outrun, so my kick wasn't as strong as it could be (but then of course I was outwitted by a woman that I passed a quarter of a mile back who then FLEW past me at the last second - I guess I was HER close competitor! ;) Last .12 was 45 seconds, for a new Personal Record of 28:43!!!!! (According to my watch - the race results still haven't been posted online yet.)

Ran into a woman who asked me if I ran the triathalon in NYC (she saw my TNT NYC shirt) - we struck up a conversation. She's originally from Cleveland, but now lives in Manhattan and will be there watching the marathon! Also, she let me in on the cause behind this 5K...Patrick Joyce was a student who went to school with her who passed away their graduating year, and they do events each year to raise money for a scholarship in his name for a kid in need. Pretty noble cause!

After that, made some blueberry-walnut pancakes, then went to Best Buy to do research on TVs...more on that later - we made a purchase today!! Review to follow when it is delivered. :)

Also saw the Hurt Locker (was so hot that a movie was a must) and then hung out with Rob and Claire for Rob's 30's birthday at the Tremont Tap House. Today, did 11 in Rocky River (um, was SUPPOSED to do the "Perfect 10" Miler this morning...but overslept. D'oh! Was a good day anyway.

Success!!

Here is the T-shirt from the Patrick Joyce Scholarship Run 5K...where I got a brand-new PR! More to follow.

Hello Lover

Banana walnut chocolate chunk muffins...for Rob's birthday.

17 Again...Again?

So, few of you know this about me...but I love Zac Efron. This really started when I saw 17 Again in the theater a few months ago, but of course has reemerged today when I saw the commercial for the DVD. Aaaah, he is cute. So I hate to admit this, but I may have to buy it, or at least watch it again. I justify this by saying that the movie also has Matthew Perry (semi-funny) and Leslie Mann, who I really like even though she is a bit screechy.

Speaking of being (and acting) 17, I need to introduce you to a not-so-recent obsession of mine, the Gilmore Girls. These ladies got me through a lot of weird, lonely summer days and nights last year after I first moved to Madison and Derek was working at his internship in Minneapolis. Yup, as in "I don't have a couch yet so I'm sitting on the floor on pillows watching Luke and Lorelai flirt and argue over coffee and pie." Or, "I'm organizing the front closet and need Paris's bitchiness to distract me so I won't be annoyed I'm doing chores." Or, "Man, what I wouldn't give to just fall into a hot cheeseburger and steaming cup of coffee at the end of a really horrible day."

Not to mention that I love Carole King, who sings the theme song "Where You Lead." One of my old music students (well let's face it, she's more of a friend/"Lil' Sis" to me), who I'll just call K for privacy's sake, was also obsessed with the show and we would always talk about it. We even sang "Where You Lead" as a duet at the Spring Recital. Yeah, we're dorks.


Anyway, the show is on TV as I write this, and it's the one where Jess comes to town for the first time. (Would it be gross to mention that I also have a crush on him? But in actuality, Milo Ventimiglia does not qualify as a "baby," even though he did play a highschooler in the show -- he's like 33. So there. I'm not too gross.) Well, Lorelai has this great line in this episode, when she's out on the porch with Jess reprimanding him for mouthing off to her, that goes something like this:

Wow, there have only been a few times in my life when I have wished I had one of those cream pies to smash in someone's face, but this is definitely one of them.

Ha ha. This is what makes Gilmore Girls so amazing. Instead of saying something uber-pretentious and unrealistic back (a la Dawson's Creek) or getting all dumb and violent (a la Real World) or sarcastic and catty (a la Gossip Girl), it's goofy and classic, and just gets the point across. I love the writing on this show.

(So does Derek, by the way...all the DVDs are his, not mine. OUTED! And also...because Amy Sherman-Palladino did not continue on with the show in its seventh season, that is the one season Derek does not own -- a sort of strike of sorts. Personally, I liked the season and even thought it was one of my favorites, but the writing did seem a bit different with David Rosenthal.)

Well, on another note: I love the Fastwtich sneakers! They are great, with a snug but comfortable fit, and enough support for my overpronation/low arches. After this trial run (an abbreviated speedwork session: 4 miles with only 1 x a mile @ 5k-fast pace), I will definitely wear them for the Patrick Joyce Scholarship 5K this weekend! Maybe I'll break 30...well, anything can happen. I will definitely wear the new, inspirational necklace my mom sent me in the mail. It is a silver plate with "Fearlessness" etched in Sanskrit. Awesome!

Ready!

Ready to take my new Saucony Fastwitches out for a drive! Will report later.

So much for taking it easy

Hey! Well, a couple of exciting things to report.

First of all, I did my 14-miler on Sunday. Now, the great thing was that Claire agreed to run with me (she is training for the River Run half and had to do 8 miles that day- and ended up doing 10!), and that we went to the Rocky River Reservation (my favorite place to run now! So wonderful and serene, with an all-purpose trail that winds through the park for about 13 miles. At times, you feel like you're in an actual forest, and you even spot deer while running. Amazing, and so different from my other running experiences!). Another point of good news was that on Saturday I went to Target and got a Nalgene hydration backpack, which worked really well and had a big enough zippered pocket to hold ALL my essentials - phone, ipod, keys, ID, cash, gels - without needing extra pockets in my shorts or whatnot.

The bad news? The weather. It was already warm and muggy when Claire and I headed out at 8 am. By the time I finished, three hours later? It was brutally hot and humid and I can't believe I continued on like I did. If I were watching myself, I would have been like, "girl, STOP! It's not worth it!!" But at the end, as usual, it was. :) Then Derek, Rob, Claire and I went to Lucky's for brunch - YUMMMMMMMMY!

Monday was a rest day - thank god, because I could barely walk down the stairs. (In fact, I've heard that on a really hot and humid day, when your perceived exertion is so much greater than normal, it's the equivalent of more miles than you had actually run. So...maybe 16? Ha ha.) I returned that Amphipod fuel belt for a full refund, which was excellent. Then Monday night, had a great long chat with Kim, who I miss a lot! But right as I was winding down for the night I started to get a weird "twang" in my right lower calf (Soleus? Achilles? I dunno). It just came on all of a sudden. It wasn't just twitching, it was painful, almost like spasms of pain, even when I just lightly brushed my hand against my leg. Yuck.

So against my will, I took Tuesday off too, which made me feel like a lazy ass all day, BUT was all for the better. I iced it, spent a lot of time on the couch, and then went to Pilates with Claire for a good core workout. :) During the afternoon, spoke to Trish, which was also great because I miss her a lot too!!!! We talked about lack of jobs (me) and apartment hunting (her).

Today, I went back to Rocky River in the early morning (like 7:30) to run there again, and had such a great run. I just had a lot of energy. Maybe it's 'cause I had a crazy Powerbar this morning. I dunno. Also saw another family of deer! I feel like a deprived city girl breaking free. So, um, yeah, I should have maybe taken it easy today, being as my leg had JUST started to feel better and was not 100%...but then what's that? A huge hill? What? Well, just do it. Oh wait, what? I'm going much faster than I should be, but I can't help it because I'm loving it? Oh well. Everything was fine in the end, I stretched well and will keep a close watch of my leg to make sure it's not going to start spazzing out again.

Then I also found out how to sync my phone to my blog...so that's what the "Test" post below was about. Methinks I will be sending mobile photos and comments more often now!

Oh yeah, and Derek and I are SUCKAS when it comes to food this week. Even though I made a huge pot of ribollita and a huge bowl of potato salad yesterday...We went out to eat. Our new favorite restaurant (or at least mine) is Farenheit! So good. I had the Black Cherry salad (with black pepper balsamic dressing, roquefort cheese, and toasted pecans) and the Truffle pizza with pepperoni, olive oil and basil. Derek had a chilled soup and a smoked sushi-grade tuna with this amazing rice and micro greens. Of course we had to share two pitchers of Sangria too. Oh, and banana cheescake. (Are you kidding me?) So good.

Test

I am really hoping this works!!!