No Race For Me This Weekend!

Hi everyone! I know it has been five days since my last post! I have been busy with Kay's basketball and track. Track is coming to an end and this week was her conference meet. Kay has been running sprints for varsity but she actually went to conferences for the long jump. She just attempted it for the first time two weeks ago and found out that she is the second best jumper for Maple Grove:) Who knew? She has sectionals next week...Go Kay! I have been able to run every single day since Saturday. Here is what my training week looked like...

Sunday...4 miles, slow and painful! The humidity and heat was harsh! I ended up taking a few walk breaks.
Monday...6 miles, slower than race pace but still painful:)
Tuesday...6 miles, close to race pace but doable.
Wednesday...6miles, slower and steady. I was ready to be done after this one!
Thursday...6 miles, hills, close to race pace. Hot, painful and yuck...this one hurt:)
Friday....off, rest day!
Saturday....a longer run:)
I have no race scheduled for this weekend but I am driving to St. Cloud to run with my SCRRs running group. I will most likely also try to make it to part of the Sartell Apple Duathlon. There are several SCRRs competing in this event! Good luck to Nikki, John, Shannon, Amy, Pam and I am guessing there are several others:)

Next weekend I do have a half marathon on the books. I am running in the Team Ortho Minneapolis Half Marathon! This is the last race that I will compete in before my official marathon training begins. I love competing so much that I am going to try to fill my weekends with races that fit into my marathon training schedule:)

I am offically getting kicked off of the computer by my hubby:) Happy running, biking, swimming and lifting! Cheers to all of you!

Good luck to Heather and Tony who are running the Madison Marathon and also to Anne who is running her first half marathon in Canada!

Amanda is hosting a wonderful yummy chocolate giveaway!
Amanda is hosting a $80 CSN giftcard giveaway!
Lindsay is hosting a True Roots giveaway!
MissZippy is hosting a Somnio jacket giveaway!
Jamoosh is hosting a $20 Zombie giftcard giveaway!
Jamoosh is hosting a $20 ROADID giftcard giveaway!
Jamoosh is hosting a Thorlo Experia Socks giveaway!
Chris is hosting a Black Diamond Gizmo Headlamp giveaway!
Adam is hosting a Scape Sunscreen giveaway!
Angie is hosting a compression sock giveaway!
Rad Runner is hosting a Peaceful Mountain Products giveaway!

The Maple Grove 5K Race Report!

This morning I got up at 5:30 AM to get ready for my first 5k of the season! I ran in the Maple Grove 5K:) My daughter Kay was supposed to run this one with me but she did not. Last night she found out that there would only be six players for today's basketball games. Kay thought that she would not be able to bring her A+ game if she had to get up early and run a 5K. I don't blame her and ended up running solo this morning:) I had originally wanted to sign up for the half marathon but it was filled in late February. There were almost 600 half marathon runners and I had debated if I should run it as a wild renegade runner:) I was so close but chickened out at the last minute.

Look at this beautiful track:) This is my daughter's track....she is lucky to run on this baby every single day! It was just put in last summer and it is perfect! The start and finish of both the 5K and half marathon took place at the 250 meter spot on this track.

I watched the half marathon runners line up and the pacers found their spots. I have really enjoyed running with pacers for the past few half marathons and seeing them is what made me think about sneaking in on the half marathon action:) It was a little cooler this morning but I knew it was going to be humid. I know myself well enough to know that I do not perform well in heat or humidity. Yuck! I decided a 5K would be torture enough!

This picture was taken about 5 minutes before I took my spot on the track. When I was lining up I noticed that there really didn't seem to be very many runners for this distance. I had heard that there was supposed to be around 400 runners. I was thinking maybe there was about 200 of us standing in line. The gun went off and we all shuffled ahead on the track. We were off and running! There were several guys who just started out all gang busters and about 4 woman who passed me in the beginning. I just concentrated on keeping a steady pace and reminded myself that I was running this with a goal of just having a good run. I really didn't care what my time was...as long as it was under 25 minutes:) I was running fast but no too fast....well, that is what I thought. When I saw the 1 mile marker I looked down at my Garmin and it said 6:50!! WTH! I knew that I could do a mile under seven minutes! I had one training run where I attempted to run a fast mile and I think my time was 6:53. I was so excited to see that I was capable of doing a mile under that seven minute mark again! Woo hoo! After the excitement wore off, I said to myself, "Holy crap I better slow down or I am going to waste all of my energy!" Mile two was alright. I slowed down a bit and started to get thirsty. My mouth was dry and I really wanted water. Mile three is where I started to get a little tired. I had two guys pass me but there was never a female runner to pass me throughout the entire 5K! I had my eye on the woman in front of me who was in front of me since the beginning. When I saw her I guessed that she was in my age group. She pulled a little farther ahead of me during that last mile. I could see the football field coming up and I turned onto the road that led to the turnoff to the actual gates that led to the track. This part was up hill and I just kept thinking just make it onto the track and sprint it in! My feet hit that awesome track and it was glorious! God, I miss running on a track! It felt so wonderful under my feet:) I sprinted the last portion in and I felt fast and furious...I felt like I was flying...just like I did in my high school track days:) I felt happy to be running this morning and grateful to get a little time on my beloved track! I crossed the finish line and I smiled. I just ran an awesome 5K race where I felt incredible both physically and mentally! Honestly, that is all that I needed today and I was happy:)

Here are my official stats.....

I placed 20 out of 233!

I placed 5 out of 170 females!

I placed 3 out of 51 for my age group!

Final time 23:50!

This was not a PR for me but I didn't care. I was satisfied with how I ran and bringing home a little bling was nice too:)

I will link in everyone's giveaways tomorrow. Happy running, swimming, biking and lifting! Cheers to all of you!

Jamoosh is hosting a $20 Sombie Runner giftcard!

Jamoosh is hosting a $20 ROADID giftcard!

Jamoosh is hosting a Thorlo Experia Socks giveaway!

Chris is hosting a fabulous Black Diamond Gizmo Headlamp giveaway!

Adam is hosting a Scape Sunscreen and $30 giveaway!

I Did It And There Is No Going Back Now!

Hi everyone! I am sure you are wondering what all the fuss is about. What did Julie do now? Well, I am not sure if I should be super excited or scared to death! Two days ago I went ahead and finally registered for my first marathon! I have registered for the Twin Cities Medtronic Marathon that will take place on October 3, 2010!! This means that I have four months to get my butt in gear and body in shape for the 26.2 miles! I am hoping that October will be a nice time to run and that the temperatures will cooperate. I have no idea what training program to go with. I am open for suggestions.... so feel free to voice your opinions:) I am looking forward to running this particular marathon because so many of my Minnesota blogger friends are also running! Who is all running this you may ask? Well, so far I know that these people are....

Derek

Tim

Carly

Joe

Wendy

Heather

Chad

Maybe I can talk Beth, Rachel, Nate, Mark, Gregg, La, Mary, Az, Steve, NJ, Matt and Average A to run with us! We could have a huge blogger meet up!

I have been tagged with two awards! First, Sue Mac presented me with the Honest Scrap Award! I was then given the Versatile Blogger Award from Molly! I am supposed to come up with seven random things about myself that you may not know about me.

1. In grade school my nick-name was Motor Mouth:) Yes, I was a bit of a chatty Cathy!

2. I was a total Tom Boy as a young girl. I had rips in my jeans, scratches and bruises everywhere and dirt on my face! I played sports with the neighborhood boys and had a total blast during the summers!

3. I had everyone of my children natural..this means no pain killers! Yes, I was a stupid woman! If I could do it all over again I would take the drugs...at least with the last one:)

4. I met my hubby working at Mills Fleet Farm in St. Cloud. I was eighteen and he was twenty-two! He got crap all of the time about robbing the cradle:) Oh my, we were a cute couple in bright orange .

5. I have never broken a bone and neither have any of my children!

6. I have terrible eye sight. I started wearing glasses in third grade. Unfortunately, my daughter has bad eye sight too.

7. I took care of my grandma when she was dying of cancer. I was lucky to stay with her during her last few days. My cousin Brenda and I were responsible for feeding her. The hospice care provider told us to give her baby food because it was hard for her to chew and swallow. One afternoon we fed her the veggie beef stew. She took one bite and said, "This tastes like shit!" My cousin Brenda said, "Julie made it." I always smile when I think of this and it makes me miss my grandma so. I have fond memories of that beautiful, kind hearted and hardworking woman:)

I am now supposed to tag a few people but if you are looking for something to blog about have at it! This weekend is my first 5k of the season. I am running in the Maple Grove 5k. I am not racing it...I have decided to run it with my daughter Kay. I am so far behind on blogging! I will be catching up sometime tomorrow after work. Happy running, biking, swimming and lifting! Cheers to you! Also welcome all new followers! Please leave me a comment and I will make my way to your blogs:)

Angie is hosting a CEP compression sock giveaway!

Tara is hosting a Silver Maple Jewelry giveaway!

Rad Runner is hosting a Peaceful Mountain Products giveaway!

Molly is hosting a Bondi Bands giveaway!

Genesis is hosting a Pier 1 nesting measuring cups giveaway!

The Medtronic 1 Mile Race Report...Did She Run Fast?

I just took this picture off of La's blog. This is me giving the new women's 1 mile champion a high five!! Anna Pierce was super fast and finished her mile with a final time of 4:34!!

Hi everyone! Yes, I am still alive...sorry for the long MIA session! We have been very busy with my daughter Kay's track meets and jazz band concerts. It has been so crazy that I have only been able to get out on one four mile run this week!! Everyone say "Slacker" because that is what I am! I am not proud of it either....I have been a little crabby lately too. I think it is because I have been missing out on my normal runs. Tonight I drove into Minneapolis with my hubby. I ran in the Medtronic 1 mile race in downtown Minneapolis. My hubby was a super stud and picked up my race packet last night. My bib number is 2759:) I like it because it has my lucky number seven in it.

We parked basically right across the street from the start line. It has been so cold and rainy here in Minnesota for the last few days. This sucks and I want my sunshine back:) I was freezing my butt off waiting for the first few waves to start.

Looking down into the street is where the people started to line up for the official start. There were several different waves and I was in the 40 plus or Masters wave. Yikes...Masters...I feel really old!

Target had a huge corporate team out tonight! Notice all of the white shirts.

This was right before the friends and family wave got started.

As I was standing there in the cold I met Tim who is also a Minnesota blogger. He was so nice...much taller than I expected:) We talked for a few minutes before our wave got started...yes, he is a Master too!

This was my view of the people in front of me. I really wish now that I would of moved up because the first part of the race really sucked...more on that later.

Here we have Tim and someone who looks so familiar to me...not sure why.

This is me just a few minutes before the gun went off. It is lightly raining now... and this is where I was wishing that I would of just given my jacket to my husband. Live and learn! I was chatting a little bit with the people near me wanting to know what kind of pace everyone was planning on running. No one in my area really runs:( One woman told me she was hoping to do a nine minute mile...I was planning on moving a little faster than that. When I was in the car I told myself that I would try like hell to do this mile under the seven minute mark. The gun went off and the hell began! I hate running when there are so many people around me and I can't pass where and when I want. I was feeling smothered and was frustrated right away! Grrr! Why and the hell didn't I start closer to the start line? The first 400 meters were terrible...I felt gross...my mojo was off! I was moving but not as fast as I wanted to be. There were people up the streets cheering and I could hear the cow bells ringing:) That part was great! The fans were awesome:) I really don't remember much other than wishing it was over. I know that a few people passed me at the 800 meter mark. I told myself to move faster and kick it into high gear! Oh crap, why and the hell didn't I run more this week? I hear cow bells and cheers...and finally I see a sign in the distance that says Finish!! Woo hoo!! Okay, Julie move your butt!! Yea, my little pep talk to myself wasn't working! It was where I saw the clock that I started to move a little faster...it was still in the 6:50 something area. When I crossed the finish line the time read 7:08. I had a little bit of hope that maybe my offical chip time would be just a few seconds faster than seven minutes. I would have to wait until I checked the web page. We brought my Garmin to Kay's track meet last night and my hubby must of left it on!!! My Garmin was dead when I turned it on...WTH! Just as I finished I ran into Dave who was one of my Minnesota Pacer Dudes. I met Dave back in January at the St. Paul Securian Half Marathon. We were both catching out breath. I spoke with him for a few minutes and then it was on to get my water:)

This is Arvid, one of my St. Cloud River Runner friends. He was there to cheer other runners on and take pictures:)

Shortly after seeing Arvid I ran into blogger Joe! Joe has ran in several of the same races as me this spring. He is just starting to train for the Twin Cities Marathon coming up in October.

A little later I ran across the street to get a picture with Arvid:) We were both taking pictures of the St. Cloud River Runners Teams as they were finishing. Here are a few...sorry so blurry. Renee and Molly, you were moving so darn fast that when I looked at my camera you had already moved out of the view. I had hoped to get a few more! Next time I will bring my good camera that is really meant for action.

As I was cheering for the runners this lovely lady came up to me and said hi! This is La who is also a Minnesota blogger:) She ran Get in Gear with me a few weekends ago. La was just there to cheer on the runners and to take pictures. I enjoyed meeting her and thought that she was very nice and so was her hubby!

Here are a few of the lady River Runners Team... Judy, Linda and Anita:)

These guys are great! They are so awesome and are most certainly an inspiration to me:) They are talented runners who really enjoy competing! They always share kind words and smiles:)

This is Anna Pierce the new women's 1 mile champion taking her victory run! Here is a picture of the men's champion Thomas Torrence! He finished with a time of 4:04!!

Okay, so I went home and checked the official results and this is what they look like. I got mad the second I saw my time....

Final time 7:00...Are you kidding me!! I was so sad:(

I placed 719 out of 2340.

I placed 152 out of 1226 women.

I placed 18 out of 138 women in my age group.

Did I get my goal time...that would be a big fat no! I will get it next time!

Have a great weekend everyone! Happy running, biking, swimming, lifting or whatever floats your boat! Cheers!

I will link giveaways tomorrow:)

Tara is hosting a Silver Maple Jewelry giveaway!

Rad Runner is hosting a Peaceful Mountain Products giveaway!

Genesis is hosting a very cute Pier 1 nesting/measuring cup giveaway!

Bobbie is hosting a Bondi Bands giveaway!

Running Diva Mom is hosting a Run Like a Girl pendant giveaway!

Molly is hosting a Bondi Bands giveaway!

Kovas is hosting a Gu giveaway!

The Lake Wobegon Marathon Pictures

This first picture is of the official timers Mark and Donnie along with the finish line greeter.

Hi everyone! Just in case your wondering if I lost it and ran a marathon this weekend...that would be a high negative:) I volunteered for the Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon this morning. This is my volunteer partner Nikki and I right before our duty began...we were attempting to stay warm.

This is the first place runner at the 9.9 mile mark. Nikki and I were traffic controllers for the Hwy 238 crossing in Albany, Minnesota.

Wanda was the first female runner who crossed at our crossing...she was moving fast:)

We were freezing our butts off...seriously...it was cold!

Here is a group of runners that were packed together. Gene and Shannon were looking great...if there are any other SCRRs in this picture, I am sorry. I am still getting to know many of the group's runners.

Deb is looking great...smile on face:)

Deb

Here is Wanda right before another crossing.

Nikki and Kalli running together:)

Valerie was looking fantastic and I am so jealous of her perfect running form!

Nikki and I had such a blast cheering for the runners:) We might of been just a little obnoxious at times...well, maybe alot obnoxious but we had so much fun!

This is the biker sweeper dude Kurt.

Renee did awesome and PRd again:)

This is George looking great as he passed by:)

Brain Woods was very upbeat and in a great mood!

Kalli stopped for a photo opportunity after the race. She did amazing too!

Dave also did so great and looked fantastic finishing! I met Dave at two of the 5Ks that I ran with my daughter last year. My daughter will always remember him as the runner who ran the course three times:) One to warm up, one to race and another to cool down!

Brian at the finish.

Shannon finishing strong and fast! This was her first marathon and she did awesome:)

Arvid is about to get a hand shake from Nikki:)

I snapped this one of Gene shortly after he crossed this finish line.

This picture is of Deb and her cheering section:) Wouldn't it be great if we all had this many people show up to cheer us on? I love it!

Deb and I after her awesome finish:)

I am so tired right now but will post more of a recap tomorrow sometime:) Cheers to you!

Running Diva Mom is hosting a Run Like A Girl Pendant giveaway!

Molly is hosting a Bondi Bands giveaway!

Kovas is hosting a Gu giveaway!

Misszippi is hosting a Running Chicks running tops giveaway!

Angie is hosting a Sweaty Bands giveaway!

Rad Runner is hosting a Bradford Tonic giveaway!