running love

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

I started thinking today about when I developed a love for running.  It is Valentine's day you know..the day to think about your love.  I'm not really sure when I developed a love for running.  I know that the winter of 2008 we had a crazy workout competition at work.  You got points for every 30 mins of activity.  The person with the most points in April won a bunch of money.  I didn't win..but I tried.  I was working out like crazy.  One of my neighbor was commenting on how much I was walking and giving me the crazy look.  The gym was my second home.  During that time I wasn't running on the treadmill or outside for that matter, but I was working out a lot.  I did a lot of elliptical work too.  One day my friend Kristen asked if I wanted to run a 5K and I thought why not.  So I signed up, Kristen signed up and my friend Becca signed up.  I ran my first 5K with a dad behind me telling his son that he wasn't allowed to stop until he finished.  There is no stopping in a 5K!  So I felt like I couldn't walk and just kept going.  I finished the race and enjoyed it.  Not loved it, but I had fun.

I signed up for another local race with some friends and had a good time too.  Next thing I know I'm running races here and there.  I don't remember if I really trained for much.  I am sure I ran here and there, but not much more than that.  I ran a few 8K's and soon Kristen asked if I wanted to sign up for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler lottery.  There was a good chance we would not get in. Well if the chances are good that we will not make it sign me up! And of course we got in.   I am sure I could actually train for a race.  What? They pick up on the slow bus if you are not going at least 14 min. per mile.  Well here's hoping I don't end up on the slow bus.

We did get into  the Cherry Blossom 10 miler and I trained by running my longest run (4 miles) before running the race.  Needless to say that was a very hard race.  For those wanting my training plan, please do not run 4 miles and then go and run 10..it is not fun!  I felt like throwing up after that race.  I felt dizzy and just horrible.

 So what do I do?  Sign up for it again the next year.  Yeah I think I have a death wish.  We got into the race and I had a different training plan.  I actually trained!  Go figure!  Two days after that race I convinced Kristen we should run our first half marathon.  If we can run 10 miles we can run 13.1.  We signed up for the RnR Philadelphia race in 2010.  We both ended up getting sick and I ended up throwing up the entire ride home form Philly to Virginia.  I do not think I can ever run a race in Philly because of that experience.  I am blaming the hotel for getting us sick.

Well after Philly I wanted to redo my half marathon experience.  There is no way I could judge that race distance since I was sick while I ran it.  So Kristen and I signed up for the Flying Pirate in 2011.  It was a great race!  I loved the support for all of the runners.  I loved the small town feel of the race.  I definitely had the bug!

I doubled my races in 2011 to 11 races including my favorite ten mile race..Army Ten Miler.  There is just something about race day that I love.  The excitement.  Running with a group of strangers and sometimes chatting while you run.  Trying to hit whatever goal you have for that day's race.


 I also started to go to run club.  I think making new running friends really helped my love for running too. Because of run club there are few local races that I run that I do not bump into someone that I know.

So somewhere between my first 5K in 2008 and now I fell in love with running.  It has definitely been a fun journey.

Tuck and roll...a.k.a. Cupid 5K

This morning Megan and I ran the Cupid 5K.  I have never ran this race and it was pretty good for a small race in February.  There were families running and people all decked out in Valentines wear.  We each got a lovely heart headband to wear.  I broke out the tutu for this run. There is only a few runs that you can justify a tutu and Valentine's Day runs are one of those that scream for a tutu.

We started out and if you got behind people that were slow there was not a lot of room to run around them.  The race was on a lot of sidewalks.  I did pass some people and got stuck behind some more people.  Around the half way point I almost had to leap frog over a kid who dropped his glove and stopped to pick it up.  Luckily I have reflexes like a cat and I was able to go around him in the grass.  Unfortunately I do not always have control of my running shoes.  Five feet after my reflexes saved a small child I ended up biting the dust.  I am not sure what happened.  I was being pretty careful with uneven sidewalks.  I am not even sure if the sidewalk that I suddenly was rolling over was uneven.  All I know is I went down pretty quickly.  But my cat like reflexes were there and I was able to roll out of the runners way.  Tuck and roll people!  The nice dad to the kid I just  barely missed helped me up and I was off and running in a few seconds.  No blood.  My hand hurt a bit where it made contact with the sidewalk but no harm done.  I was like a ninja with my moves though. I am sure that the dad was impressed with my quickness and my ability to shake it off.

We were almost to the end and someone else bit the dust right behind me.  I turned around to make sure she was alright.  Looked like she might have jammed her shoulder or arm because that is what she was holding. I picked up her keys and there were about five of us asking if she needed help.  Her friend was with her and looked like things were under control so I continued on my way.  Someone must have said something to a volunteer because he was walking towards the fallen runner when I turned the corner.

I finished and enjoyed some hot chocolate after the race.  Megan and I had to find some place for some post race french toast.  This one had pecans and strawberries on it.  Yummm!!!  Turns out that I PR'd today!  I took one second off of my best time (which happens to be my very first 5K in 2008!  Yeah you can see how I work on improving my 5K time :)  I am sure it would have been a better PR if I didn't fall or head back to help the other fallen runner.  Pretty happy since I didn't even think I had PR'd in the first place!

We noticed that there seemed to be some sort of camping event going on near the race. Turns out Nike was realeasing some new shoes. 

A small store selling the newly release Nike shoes were letting in a few people in at a time.  I don't think there are any shoes that I would camp out for..I know there are no shoes I would camp out in the winter for!  Well I hope everyone was able to find the shoe they wanted in their size.

Running is great most of the time.  Yeah those times when you would just rather sit on the couch and watch TV happen every now and then (sometimes more than we want to admit)..but I'm focusing on the times when we all think running is great!  Since it is Valentine's Day I thought I would give a little love to running.

Things I love about Running:

1.  People- I love that I have met some great people because of running. Some people that I would not have met otherwise.  Some of the people I do not even know there names..I just recognize them at some races (old man runner in the red outfit..see him at a lot of local races..I'm secretly stalking him)  Some of the people I have met now have a place in my phone with a number attached so we can get in touch with each other whenever we want.

2.  New shoes - There is just something about new shoes.  It makes me feel like a kid at Christmas.  I just can't wait to take those new kicks for a ride!  I may buy shoes a bit too often just experience the new shoe feeling.  I also think I might shop for new running shoes more than I shop for new shoes for the rest of my life.

3. The feeling of a great run - sometimes we live for the possibility of the perfect run.  You know what I'm talking about..you head out and think it will just be an ordinary everyday sort of run, but the weather is perfect, you feel like you could run forever.  The perfect run, you never know when it might show up, but you always are happy when it happens and hope it happens often.

4.  Races - I love the feeling of race day.  Everyone is happy and looking forward to a great day of running.  It doesn't matter if it is a 5K, 10K or a half marathon...I love race day!  I never know what kind of day I will have come race morning, but I always hope that the day will be a good one on race day.

 

5.  Bling - I don't think I have to say much about bling.  Love some great running medals.  I need some more bling to fill up my my second medal holder.

 I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day!  What are some of the things that you love about running?

Got the shirt!

I finally got my new shirt for running 100 runs with run club!

Yeah for 100 runs!   

Tonight I was thinking of just lounging around the house after work.  I first needed to head to Walmart.  Umm just some advice, don't go there the day before Valentine's Day..I thought they were giving stuff away for the amount of people in the store.  And don't even think about going towards the area with the few chocolate hearts left in the store.  Just crazy!  So I was looking forward to heading home and just staying in tonight.(Walmart can do that to a girl)

Well looks like I am not able to stay in..I forgot dog food.  Riley would hate me if he had nothing to eat.  So back out to get some food for Riley.  Since I am leaving the nice warm house, I might as well head over to the gym.  I was trying to avoid the gym today...but I guess the universe didn't want me to skip a workout so I headed to the gym after errands.  I didn't do too much just the bike and trying to catch up with some reading while on the bike.  Friday I am going to try and squeeze in a run since my parents are coming to visit this weekend.