Dick Lytie 15k (9.3 miles)

Here's my race recap of my first 15k!  Warning - might a little too much TMI for some... but runners will relate to me!

This was a tough course... lots of hills up and down.  They had an excellent amount of water/gatorade stations - but I wished for a porta potty stop.  Physically (legs/breathing) I felt great... on the major bummer side (as most runners know), sometimes you experience some major bathroom issues when running.

Well today was not my day :(  I kicked off my morning with breakfast - 1 Eggo Waffle w/Peanut Butter, a small banana & some water.  I also took my normal fiber supplement... I visited the bathroom twice before I left the house.  I arrived to pick up my bib & t-shirt, got ready for the race and was in line for the porta potty, where I went a 3rd time.  I went back into my car to stay warm (it was 39 degrees at this point - 9:30a).  All of a sudden I really felt sick... like I had to head back to the bathroom, only I looked and the porta potty line was about 25 people deep - with 15 minutes to race time.  I decided that I would just have to suck it up and pray the icky feeling goes away.

Well the horn went off and the feeling just kept getting worse and worse as each mile passed.  By mile 2 I just wanted to turn around and head back to the car.  I pushed myself to keep going... contemplating with each step... do I run into the woods, do I knock on someone's front door... what do I do!?!?  This course was hilly... so I ran/walked up the hills which helped my icky feelings subside... downhill was another story... I thought my insides were going to jump out of me.  By mile 6 I was desperate... so I had to start alternating walking & running for a bit.  I made it to around mile 7.5 when there was a gas station - and bolted for it.  Knowing this would delay my race time a good 5 minutes... it was go or give up.  Back on the course a few minutes later, I felt AMAZINGLY better... and pushed myself the last 1.8 miles. 

When I crossed the finish it was 1:47:10, which is exactly what I need to finish the half in 2 hours 30 minutes.  However, my ipod (because I paused it at the bathroom) said 1:42... which reflects a more accurate time.  I know I would have had an even better time b/c I never walk as much as I had to today.

It sucks when you're not tired, you're not in pain but you've got to walk to save your bootay... if you know what I mean.

Here's two pictures that Ryan snapped of me at the end... so sweet of him to meet me at the finish :)

On a positive note because it was my first 15k this morning... I technically had a personal record!  It can only get better from here :)  No more bananas before racing!

A Redeeming Run

Just stopping in to say hi and show you the results of this morning's 7 mile training run :)  I am really proud of myself on this run!!  The morning started out just fine, got up at 6 ate a piece of bread with peanut butter, my typical - pre-run fuel.  I left on-time & then a block from the high school where it starts, I got stuck by a train that never ended.  There were a ton of other people who got stuck by it also.  However, I knew that I wouldn't be able to run if I didn't visit the bathroom first... well, they didn't have school open, so they had 2 porta-potties out behind the school.  So I ran back to them immediately and encountered 14 people in line ahead of me... oh boy.  Well the run started and I was still in line... I hauled booty in the porta and sprinted to get my route cue sheet.  I was a good 1/3 - 1/2 mile behind my "pace" group... So I gave it my all and pushed myself to catch up.  Over the course of the first two miles I would say I caught up nicely to where I should have been.

It was a pretty flat route today... we had to run back and forth over the De Pere bridge, but other than that we were on the Fox River Trail - which is awesome to run on.  No wind until about mile 3(ish) - and then once we got back on the trail, it felt like the wind disappeared.  I made it my focus today to push my pace in 1/2 mile increments and periodically I would pick someone ahead of me and tell myself I had to push past them.  It worked!  I was back to the school, got some Gatorade and back in my car - seeing people still running that I had passed on my drive out of De Pere, that was a good feeling :)  Overall a great run!!

I never had a mile over 11 minutes and I finished with my fastest average pace to date!!  Next Saturday is my first race of 2012... the Dick Lytie 15k (9.3 miles) - Even though I've never run more than 8 miles, I am ready... because I could have kept running today :)  Happy weekend all!!  I'm very excited to see one of my best friends tonight for dinner... I haven't seen her in FOREVER!! :)

Just a miserable run...

Ever have a workout or run that was just miserable the whole time?!?!  That was me today.  Earlier today (and by earlier, I mean by 9am) I was already feeling ZERO motivation to run today.  My whole body is just sore... and I am not entirely sure why.  Maybe it's adjusting to a new job, schedule, and taking the stairs to go everywhere... I am on the 3rd floor and have yet to use the elevator in 4 days! :)  I will continue to use the stairs because it's a little extra exercise per day!

Anyway... I also haven't been sleeping well the last few nights.  I am hoping with the cooler temperatures, that I will sleep better tonight.

My run was supposed to be 5 miles.  At almost 4 miles... I decided that was enough.  I just couldn't go one more mile.  I headed back home and was satisfied I completed 4 miles... when I wanted to give up after just .6!

It was Colby's birthday today... he turned the big 3 and went to camp to celebrate with his friends!! :)  I can't believe just 3 short years ago he was so itty bitty..

And now he's so big :)

Beer Bread

Someone at my dad's party made beer bread Friday night... and I loved it... and it inspired me to make a loaf tonight :)  I figured it's a good compliment to my week of lunchtime salads this week!  Just 3 simple ingredients :)

Recipe:

Beer Bread

3c. self-rising flour
1/2c. sugar
1 - 12oz. can beer (I used Busch Light)
2T. melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix flour & sugar together, then add beer and mix well.  The batter will be thick.  Pour into a greased bread loaf pan.  Bake in oven for 52 minutes.  Remove from oven and pour 2T. melted butter over loaf and return to oven for 3 additional minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.  Serve warm or cold!

Birthday Surprise Success & mid-summer weather!

Well - my "vacation" comes to an end tomorrow morning with my start of a new job!!  I will be working for BayCare Clinics as a Human Resource Generalist.  Very much looking forward to starting and meeting my new team & coworkers!  My 3 days off was very busy last week... preparing for my dad's 50th Surprise birthday party... which went off without a hitch!  It was lots of fun and I know he enjoyed himself!

Walking in to his surprise!

Birthday Cupcakes!

Ryan, Me, My Dad Kevin, my brother Jeremy, Jackie, Ashley, my brother Tyler

In preparation for the party... I had to make the cupcakes... I also made some dips, veggie pizza, and put together a cheese platter & a fruit platter!  Here's a few fun pictures...

While I slaved away in the kitchen... Colby was enjoying the BEAUTIFUL weather!!!

Saturday night we went out with some friends to celebrate St. Patty's Day - Green Bay style.  Probably one of the few times I went out in capris & flip-flops to an outdoor St. Patty's day celebration, and watched fireworks over the river!!

I found some running time this week and well as many walks with Colby!  Thursday's 6 mile run was kinda brutal with the wind in one direction... and because it was warmer, I wore a tank-top which created my first "chafing" of the year... a spot on my arm from my iPod arm-band.  Today, I attempted to wear shorts to run another six miles... well my thighs and shorts for running don't mix... I was so uncomfortable with my wardrobe choice by 1 mile, that I turned around and walked back to the car.  Better stick to capris for running for this girl!  After my craptastic run... Ryan and I headed out on a 10 mile bike ride, that felt great!  The trail was super busy... lots of people getting out to enjoy 79 degrees in March!

I enjoyed my first brat on the grill of the summer... er wait, late winter season ;)  I was so excited I forgot to snap a picture before I took a bite!

Have a great week folks!

3 Days of Freedom!!

Today was my last day of work at PAi.  I have 3 days off + the weekend before making a fresh start at my new job at BayCare Clinic!!  I am thankful for a bit of time to re-energize and very much looking forward to new opportunities starting next week :)

I am also thankful for the BEAUTIFUL weather I am blessed with while off this week!  Yesterday I was able to take Colby on a 2 mile walk & then Ryan and I took him on another mile walk after dinner.  Speaking of dinner... I made some pretty awesome meals on Monday!

Lunch:  Pear, Walnut & Feta Salad (w/crasins)... you can find the recipe here, which is a Pintrest find that my cousin made for me last week!

For dinner I decided to try a new recipe: Chicken Alfredo Pizza, modified from Emily Bites, here.  I modified the recipe by using an Italian Crust found at Target instead of Whole Wheat and regular part-skim mozzarella cheese instead of reduced fat, because it's all I had at home!  I also cut the pizza into 8 slices instead of 6 slices.

Today I got another 2 mile walk with Colby this afternoon, then I completed a 3 mile run, then after dinner we finished the night with another 1 mile walk with Colby.  He is definitely loving the extra attention and being outside in this warm March weather!  Just finishing up the Biggest Loser... and then headed for a pre-game drink with my team & then the Mother-Truckers have a 10pm game to own up to!!  We just can't play like we did two weeks ago :)

8 Mile Run & Dog Park Adventure!

I prepped for the weekend by making some delicious Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip muffins from Annie's Eats.  If you love peanut butter, chocolate, and muffins... then you MUST try these!  Thank you to my cousin Katy for introducing me to the recipe!!

 After working late Friday night, I was up early Saturday morning for an 8 mile training run.  This was my longest run EVER in my life!  I made it through better than I imagined and faster than my goal.  I finished in 1hr 26min!!!  10:50/mi pace.  The wind was fierce from mile .5 to about 3.5, but I made it through and kept pushing myself.  I didn't feel like stopping at mile 2.5 for water, so I made it to mile 5 and stopped quickly for some Gatorade.  It was the perfect distance to the end and surprisingly I didn't get sick when I got home!!!  I think my body is finally adjusting to this whole running-thing! :)  Very much looking forward to beautiful weather and 3 runs this week!!

Rachel: Post Run Red Face!

 After I got ready for the day on Saturday, Ryan and I took Colby for a walk and then decided to go to lunch.  I didn't know exactly where I wanted to eat but I knew I wanted a BIG SALAD.  After being incredibly indecisive for about 30 minutes... I settled on Rosatti's because I was craving their Chopped Salad.  It was hands-down 100% amazing (like always) and it hit the spot!!

I also got an order of garlic bread... it needed to be crispier!

Today we took Colby to one of his favorite spots... the Dog Park!  We used to go to the Brown County Pet Exercise area all the time, but last summer we found the new De Pere Dog Park which we love and Colby has all kids of exploring he can do!

Colby loves the water... even though there were spots that still had ICE!

I am truly surprised he didn't dive head first into the water (even though this picture makes it look like he did!)

We ended our weekend by bringing out the grill and making some marinated chicken breasts!  LOVE the weather we are having right now... just hope it sticks around :) 

Two days left at PAi and then a few days off until I start my new job March 19th!!!

FINALLY!!!

So in this little blog of mine, I've never actually said my official weight.  But I am ready to shout it from the rooftops... because today I hit the 160's again!!!  Now granted... I weighed in at 169.4, but 160's is 160's... there is no longer a 1 followed by a 7 on the scale :) :) :) :)

Pounds lost this week -3.4
Pounds lost total -13

I have 14.4lbs to hit my stated goal... if I hit 155 and feel good... I'm going for 145!

In other news, the last week was pretty crazy - hence my lack of blog posts!  On Friday, Ryan had surgery so I spent a long day at the hospital... I thought about blogging during my "free time" there but I think I was just too nervous about how the surgery was going and such.

The weekend was very low key as Ryan was pretty sleepy and out of it.  I also still had my parents dogs while they were in Mexico, so there was just a lot going on.  Oh and did I mention that it snowed 6 inches Friday night?!!?  I spent Saturday morning clearing the driveway, sidewalks & back patio.  Because of the 6 inches of snow, I chose not to attend the scheduled 7 mile training run.  Instead, I ran it Sunday afternoon after the sun had been out for a while and sidewalks were starting to clear up.

One thing I learned is some homeowners are LAZY and need to shovel their sidewalks faster... I was running at least 36 hours after it had finished snowing.  I learned that 7 miles is not physically harder than 6 miles (although my right hip did start to hurt after about 5 1/2 miles)... but it is mentally a lot more difficult.  I wasn't really thinking when I set out on my planned route.  I knew there was a few hills, but I got more than I bargained for and had to walk a few times to catch my breath.  I knew that I just had to finish the 7 miles, I didn't necessarily have to do them at my half "pace"... so I took it slow and steady and finished with an 11:44 pace, which is about 18 seconds slower than my intended pace to finish the half in 2 hours 30 minutes.

I had volleyball tonight - we won all 3 games!!  Here's my team...

 
We are the "Mother Truckers" because we are sponsored by CH Robinson... a 3rd party trucking/logistics company that a few of my teammates work for!  :)  I'll have to take a better picture of the logo - because it's pretty awesome!


After volleyball, even though I didn't want to - I headed to the Y for a 3 mile run.  They always say that "you never regret a workout once your done" and whoever "they" are, is right :)  I felt accomplished... so I could be home by 7pm and enjoy the rest of the night on my couch with Colby, a blanket & the Biggest Loser!

Night All :)



  
Running Stats:
Miles Ran this week: 9.9
Miles Ran in March: 14.9
Miles Ran in 2012: 94.55