35 days and counting

Ok so I realized tonight that is has been a majorly long time since I've posted. I have good reason...his name is Flynn. He is my current obsession. At 4 months old he is pretty much the most awesome puppy ever! (this is by far my favorite pic of him)

So because of that I have been working tirelessly on house training and general training and trying to fit in running. So blogging has not really been an option. So after a quick time outside, I know I have enough time to update.

I've considered giving a lengthy update on all of my last races but to be completely honest I wouldn't remember all of the details.

So a quick list, there was
RnR Philly half marathon - 3:09:08
Baltimore Marathon Relay - I don't really count this time it was a lot of sitting around
Marine Corps 10K - 1:27:40 (ahh the ice)
Cold Turkey 10K - 1:17:53 - 5 min PR!!

So I have learned that if you take 2 weeks off from running to relax and chase a puppy you can PR your next race by 5 minutes!!

So it is 35 days until the big 39.3!! To say I'm starting to freak out is an understatement. I am however only $100 away from my $500 goal, which makes me very happy! My current training goal is to get in some decent runs in the next few weeks without over doing it. My current race plan is that I will be running the donald half on Saturday and then will run the first half of Goofy and walk to just finish the rest of it! Only goal is to finish!!

Energy Gels and Mile Markers

Ok so I joined Laura on Monday for a 5 mile run. I decided that now was a good time to start adding energy gels to my training, and 5 miles seemed a safe distance. I went to RoadRunner and bought 1 of each type so that I could try some and find the one I like. My first was a Chocolate Honey Stinger Gel. I still am not fond of the consistency but it was really super sweet. It was almost too sweet. So we will just keep trying to find a good one!

A couple weeks ago I picked up the book Mile Markers from the Border's closing sale. It was a really good deal and I had been wanting to read it. I can say that so far it is a really good, motivational book. Reminds me of why I started running and why my RP's are so important to me. I feel the need to share a quote from the book that really touched me...

"My girlfriends are my sweat sisters. Since our first mile together, whatever hill we have faced we have climbed together. I would not consider facing any challenge without them. We train each other in ordinary times, and we surround one another like a moving fortress when a crisis hits, We share humor like a cold germ and contagiously crack up to the point of soundless laugher and roadside hyperventilation. We have woken sleeping neighborhoods with out storytelling. We have seen each other's strengths and weaknesses, and we know when to push and when to protect. When something needs to be said, we have earned the right to say it and have built the courage to hear it. When the ache of disappointment or loss is greater then words, we run quietly side by side and wait for God."


I highly recommend this book and I'm only about a quarter of the way through it. It is really a great reminder of why we run and the motivation and friendships behind it!

A birthday run

So my friend Jen decided that for her birthday she wanted to run the Haddassah Check it out challenge 8K in Towson. So we were all a little skeptical since she might be the only one that really enjoys running in the heat. However, we all decided to make the best of it  and embrace the crazy.

We decided that if she wanted us to run we wanted to make it as crazy as possible. So 1 personalized running shirt, a bunch of tutu's, and a pink flamingo later we were set to run.

Please know 2 things about this picture, 1. The Godfather was forced into this picture (but secretly he loved it), and 2. I have no idea what we thought was so funny at this moment.

Megan and I once again teamed up. She is an awesome RP because we both had no problem saying NO to the hill on Providence Rd, interval or not. Unlike previous races we have been training and were able to handle this race a lot better. We stuck to our intervals for the most part, only walked a few times, and had some great conversation.

Now since it was everyone's first 8K it was an automatic PR for everyone, we decided we didn't want to set the bar high for future improvement, lol. After all the heat and the hills we finished in 1:12:40. I'm happy about that time. I didn't feel like I wanted to die afterwards, and the tutu's were a huge hit at the race!!

Now time to get down to goofy training and raising money for the MS society. Next up: Kim tries to figure out GU!

30 day challenge

I had the Howard County 5K on Sunday and it was a decent run, well I felt good about it. I also realized why I should be an Annapolis Strider. The ladies, especially Donna, made me feel so included at the race on Sunday that I went home and signed Jon and I up. I never felt that included with the HoCo striders...ever! I'm hoping that it won't be as hot next weekend when I head up to Westminster for my last 5K of the Women's Distance Festival.

Ok so I decided in addition to my goofy training that started last week I wanted to start and actually complete the 30 day shred. I'm going to do it right this time. I joined myfitnesspal.com to track some of the stuff. I was on sparkpeople but I don't find it as user friendly as fitnesspal. I've also made a list of "goal" items to reward myself for doing good, losing weight, and completing the challenge. Hopefully these motivators will keep me focused and on track.

So here's hoping I can improve my strength and help my running at the same time!!

IRun MS

Ok so my goofy training is underway. I’m excited to say that I have signed up to run my Goofy race for IRun MS. It is a new fundraising tool for the MS society but instead of signing up and donating money for a walk you donate a race you have signed up for and use it to fundraise for them. I decided this is not only an excellent way to raise funds for a charity I really support, but also a way for me to motivate myself to keep training and do the best job possible. I also like that you are just fundraising. They don’t buy the entry for you, they don’t make you raise a particular amount to participate, and there are not group runs. You do your own thing, for a race you choose, and raise the money for them.

Currently, I’ve sent my goal at what I hope to be an attainable $500.00. Hopefully, I can raise more then that but that is almost $12 per mile, which I can’t really complain about. Although I do want to have some other area fundraisers so I guess I will need to do some research about that one. If anyone reading this has done fundraisers of that type before please let me know. Tips, hints, and suggestions are very much welcome!

It does seem that I am the first one to sign up for the IRun MS program for the MD chapter, so I’m really excited to be testing this out for them so soon. So if you read this and can spare it please donate and help me get to my first goal of $500. Thanks so much!

Visit my personal site:

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/kteter

10 + 5 = 13.1

The past 2 weekends allowed for a new race and a repeat race. 2 Saturday's ago I ran the Baltimore 10 miler and this past Sunday I ran the Baltimore Women's Classic 5K.

The Baltimore 10 miler is a race I have been looking forward to for almost a year now. It was one of the first races I cheered on the Loopers and I was excited to check this one off my list. However, I was completely unready for this race. I had put in my 2 weeks notice at work so things with life were kinda crazy. I was very thankful that Megan was not really ready either and was willing to take it slow with me. So at 6am Megan and Laura met us at the apt and we headed off to pick up Jen at her parents house. Then we all headed to the Baltimore Zoo parking lot. After a lot of traffic and Laura telling off a parking attendant we were headed to the start.
Once we got to the start and met up with everyone we said goodbye to those that were just cheering and got ready for the race. Megan and I kept up with our intervals for a while but by mile 5 the lack of shade, the heat, and humidity were really getting to us. So we slowed things down a bit. We still ran but we walked the hills (and in Baltimore there are a lot of hills). We did this until about mile 9 where we just walked until we decided to run to the finish line.
Personally, I liked the finishers premium, a fleece vest. I can add it to the rain coat I bought earlier this year at the company sale. I also won a trivia game on Facebook but I never did get my shirt. I've tried contacting them but I don't seem to get a response. So that sucks but the race was still pretty good. We ended up finishing in 2:28:00 (and change) which isn't my best time but given the circumstance is isn't too bad either.

So with as crazy as the 10 miler was, the Baltimore Women's Classic was even better. I signed up for the training group that was supposed to help you prepare to run the entire race without stopping. I had to miss the last training but all it all it was $20 well spent. My only goal for this race was to run the whole thing, no time goal in mind. The other great part to this race was that it was my mom's first race! I am so proud of her for getting out there and walking the whole thing with Katie and Kelly's Mom Pat. I knew I got my willpower from my mom and this proved it.
I ended up running all of the race except the first hill. I started running it but realized if I ran that hill I might not be able to run the whole time. I did finish it in 39:53 which is not a PR but I am proud of my accomplishment.

So now let the Goofy training begin! I have another 5K on Wednesday evening and I need to keep my schedule consistent. So here we go!

A foodie entry

So I do not have a race again until the B10 on June 18th but in an effort to keep up with this I thought some random posts would be fun! I'm a big foodie! I really don't eat much of what I make but I just love cooking, I find it therapeutic! I also love to peruse the internet for awesome food blogs! I've tried a lot from the Pioneer Women, but recently I found, and love, wearenotmartha.com. Last week I found their Mint Chocolate Brownies which are A-mazing, check them out and then make them! Earlier this week they posted a yummy looking recipe for Brie stuffed Turkey meatballs. Since I was thinking ahead I can share with everyone my attempt at this.

Ingredients for mine:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 egg (not pictured)
• about 1/3 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
• sprinkle of Onion powder
• Brie, divided into small cubes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, and onion powder, into a small mixing bowl. 

Form the ground turkey into small balls and arrange in a baking pan.

Make small indents in the meatballs.

And insert the cubes of Brie into the indent. Then form the meatballs around the brie. 

Bake for about 18-20 minutes until the meatballs are golden brown and no longer pink inside.They come out light brown and yummy looking! Super easy to make and really tasty!! Give them a try! 

 

Time to Run for a Dream

Took me a little longer then I wanted to write about this race but here goes.

This is one of the best run races I've done. This was half number 5 for me and half #2 for my half fanatic status! So I am officially half fanatic #1099, but back to the race.

So it ended up being a girls weekend, which was really great. Megan, Laura, Jen and I headed out on Friday morning to Williamsburg, VA. The car ride in itself was a great time. AFter a fund 3 hours we finally reached our destination, the Williamsburg visitors center where the tiny expo was. Hands down, this race was the biggest bang for your buck. With your packet came, a tech shirt, a 3 day pass to Colonial Williamsburg, a pass and food voucher to Bush Gardens, and a slew of coupons and goodies.

We spent the next day and a half enjoying all the Colonial Williamsburg had to offer, mostly eating our way through it. However, we were more then happy to partake in the Olive Garden for a safe carbo-load the night before the race.

The race started at 7:30am on Sunday and by the time we got out there is was already shaping up to be a warm day. Having run a half the week before I had planned on taking this one nice and easy. Thankfully, Megan had the same plan. We started off the race keeping up with Jen and her 2 and 1 intervals. We kept up with her until about mile 3 or 4 before we encouraged her to take off with a new found friend on the course. We were both more then happy to let her go, between the heat and lack of running the week before, we were dying a little. By around mile 8 we realized that we were going faster power walking then we would keeping up with the intervals, so we stopped and walked the last 5 miles.

The race ended up being much hillier then we originally imagined. So between that, the heat, the humidity, and lack of shade, we decided that our goal of getting bling and not puking was a good one. We were happy to see Laura cheering around mile 12 with some new ROTERs. We wanted to stop for a drink but we really wanted to stay in front of the tutu lady. This goal was almost lost so that we could save a life! An older women powering in front of us with a friend of her's all of a sudden went down. Megan and I happened to notice and ran up and grabbed her right before she hit the ground. So our 3:17:00 time was well earned by some fast walking and life saving efforts!! After a little downhill running and some power efforts we were able to get passed the tutu lady who passed us while we were helping the lady. A fun run through the olympic tent and a quick go around the William & Mary stadium track and we were done! Bling in hand.

We headed over to the after race party and it was great! There were gingerbread cookies when you came in, chocolate milk, and pulled pork sandwiches. SO YUMMY!! By far the best race for your buck! Really look forward to doing this race again next year!!

Now onto the B10 and starting up Goofy Training!!

The Hills of Howard County

Not sure where to begin with this race recap. This race was very important to me mentally. This was my first half marathon by myself and I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it. I wasn't sure if I would end up walking most of it or going at it half-hearted. So I charged up my shuffle and hoped for the best. Jon was amazing and woke up to come and cheer me on, to be honest I was thankful to have someone there to drive me home!!

It wasn't a wave start so I decided to move to the back of the pack so as not to be run over or start to fast. I will say that even more obnoxious then the joggler (the guy that runs while juggling) is the jogroper (a guy who runs while jump roping). More than one did I contemplate tripping him or grabbing the rope! The first few miles were ok, I kept telling myself to hold back I was only at the beginning.

Then halfway through mile 4 I hit THE hill! Whoever designed this course was either insane or completely masochistic. More then once I looked in front of me and just said "What fresh hell is this"? I was also very thankful to find a waterstop with powerade! This race was like running hills in the Amazon Rainforest! Yet, somehow around mile 8 I found some energy and got back to my intervals and kept it until about mile 12.5 where I began the final climb to the finish. Amazingly enough I actually finished in 2:59:01 which is only 10 minutes off from my half PR. So given the crazy hills I am just glad that I finished without collapsing. So race 1 towards my half fanatic status is complete. Now onto race 2 this weekend in Williamsburg!!

10 miler playlist

Ok so I knew I would be running alone and I needed to have an awesome playlist. So after much googling and some facebook suggestions I came up with the below playlist. Thought I would share since it is hard to find good running song suggestions!

Playlist!

Life Is a Highway 4:37 Rascal Flatts
I'll Make A Man Out Of You 3:22 Donny Osmond & Chorus
Go The Distance 3:14 Roger Bart
Ever Ever After 3:29 Carrie Underwood
Ready To Run 3:53 Dixie Chicks
Take Me Away 3:09 Christina Vidal
Don't Stop the Music 4:27 Rihanna
One Girl Revolution 3:15 Superchic (k)
Songs Like This 2:37 Carrie Underwood
Raise Your Glass (Glee Cast Version) 3:20 Glee Cast
We R Who We R 3:25 Ke$ha
Loser Like Me (Glee Cast Version) 3:19 Glee Cast
Tik Tok 3:20 Ke$ha
I Gotta Feeling 4:49 The Black Eyed Peas
Forget You 3:44 Cee Lo Green
Hey, Soul Sister (Glee Cast Version) 3:41 Glee Cast
It's My Life / Confessions, Pt. II (Glee Cast Version)
Waking Up In Vegas 3:19 Katy Perry
California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg) 3:55 Katy Perry
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) 4:04 C+C Music Factory
Naturally 3:23 Selena Gomez & The Scene
Only Girl (In the World) 3:55 Rihanna
Club Can't Handle Me (feat. David Guetta) 3:53 Flo Rida
Footloose 3:47 Kenny Loggins
Rockstar 2:59 Hannah Montana
Four Minutes 3:12 Madonna Ft Justin Timberlake
Minority 2:49 Green Day
Crazy Dreams 3:38 Carrie Underwood
Switch 3:19 Will Smith
Hands Down 3:07 Dashboard Confessional
Till the World Ends 3:58 Britney Spears
Fight for You (HumanJive Remix) 4:57 Ehda

Broad Street 10 miler...yep its flat!

Race recap time!

Broad Street 10 miler

I can say without a doubt this is one of the best races that I have run. All of the elements combine to make it friendly to every type of runner.

So this story actually starts last year at the MCM expo. Jon gets really annoyed but I have this ability to start talking to random people and at expos this is easier. So while walking through the expo I saw a booth that said Broad Street. I went up to the lady and asked her if it was Broad Street as in Broad Street Bullies, Philly Flyers? To which she said "yes, but no one in DC is a FLyers fan". After correcting her and chatting about the Flyers I filled out an entry to win a free entry into the race, and Jon filled one out too. Surprise, surprise we both got a free entry into the race!

Fast Forward 7 months and we are in Philly for the Broad Street 10 miler. We actually got a hotel near the stadium and since it was the 1st game of the Stanley Cup semi-finals we got tickets!! So after a quick trip to the packet pick-up and expo we headed to the Wells Fargo Center for the Flyers game. They lost but it was still fun!

So the next morning we drove across the street to the parking lot, got on the metro (which was free to runners) where we rode to the other end of the line for the start. We got there way to early but found ways to entertain ourselves. It was a wave start but I was in the last corral. It started at 8:30, my wave started at 9, it was a good wait! But we finally got started and it was a great race. Really hot, but it was totally flat! There is only 1 sort-of turn in the whole course.

So I found this Rita's guy while making the only turn by city hall. There was no line (which never happens in Disney) so I took advantage and stopped for a quick pic!. Jon never even saw him. I found this to be really mentally uplifting. This was the first race I had ever run by myself and by mile 6 I was really feeling the mental strain of having to push myself and do it alone! Seriously, it is a lot less fun by yourself! I pushed through and finished at the naval yard in 2:11:47, which was great for me! My only other 10 miler was 2:17:??.

One of the best things about this race is that afterwards, since you run back to your car, was that everyone tailgated the race. People had grills and pop-up tents it was awesome! I look forward to doing this race many more times. It was also the first year that they had a medal for the race. I really like it

Very sturdy and great image of city hall!

4 races 1 post!

Ok I feel bad because I was going to update this blog and be good about it. Use it as a motivator. However, as Jon pointed out last night I have a bit of an issue with follow through. In an effort to make good on the promise to myself here is a little on the races of April.

Starting off with the B&A Trail half marathon. Which was not in April but in March, 3/6/11 to be exact. It was supposed to be a rainy and cold run but it actually turned out to just be cloudy and drizzly. I ran this race with Megan and Katie and lets just say we had a good time! We decided that with the weather and the lack of any of us getting ready for the race we were not shooting for a super time. Just out to enjoy the run and the race. We learned that Megan is very bouncy on the walk portions of the run, that zombies can live in lots of holes along the B&A Trail, and that we all watch WAY too much reality TV. However, all of these things make for a super fun 13.1! We finished with a time of 3:15:47 which I think is a great time!

Next up we have the Cherry Pit 10 Miler. This run is an alternative to the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in DC on the same day. For a $5 entry you can’t beat it. However, this is by far the hilliest race I have EVER run, and I ran Baltimore last year. Baltimore has rolling hills; the Cherry Pit 10 miler has BIG hills. As one runner put it “someone’s diabolical idea of hitting as many big hills as possible and seeing who actually makes it through the course in its entirety” I started off strong. I was feeling good, my legs were working with me for once, and everything was great. I wish I had saved some energy, had I known what was coming. I was doing good until mile 7 and then I hit the BIG hill. That was about the time I quit, lol. However, even though I walked the big hill I still couldn’t give up. Katie and the GF were great company but I wanted to finish strong and the GF decided to hang back with Katie. So keeping with my 2:1 intervals I took off. I finished in 2:17:15 which is a 10 miler PR. Well it was my first 10 miler but I think it was a great time!!

Now onto the Women’s 5K by the Bay. This is the first 5K in the MD Women’s Distance Festival. This was my first 5K last year and I was determined to do well. Last year I did it in 36:36:00 and that was a great time for me. This year I was looking forward to a great race. My step-sister Stephanie and my cousin Katie decided to join me for this one. This year I did it in 36:38:00 pretty consistent but I was hoping for a better time. However, getting to run the first part of the race with Steph was great! Maybe next time I can keep up with her!

Last but not least is the surprise 10K last week Clyde’s 10K. Jen called me on Friday and said that Sean couldn’t run the race did I want to do it with her. So after a quit check of the weather I was in! I felt a little bad because Sean is faster than I am so I knew my time wouldn’t be as good but I promised I’d try hard. However, they did tell me it was not a big deal, but secretly I was pushing myself. Sooo with Jen’s amazing help (I’m noticing a trend with Jen’s trying to kill me on hills, lol) I finished that race up in an awesome 1:17:44. That is about 5 minutes off of my previous 10K PR. Follow up a great run with some great food and Clyde’s and it was a truly excellent day.

Ok so races all wrapped up! I’ve been reading some really good running books so I’ll post some reviews on those soon! I figure I should finish the books before posting thoughts. Ok, follow through for today complete time for a cupcake!!

ok so in an effort to try

So in an effort to try and a need to procrastinate from the presentation I'm writing for my class I figured I'd update.

So since tomorrow brings the scary day of registering for the Goofy Challenge I thought I would begin updating on the trials of a first marathon. Jon and I will be experimenting with training and nutrition to get ready for his first marathon (MCM) in Oct and mine in January (WDW). I'm going to need some motivator, besides starvation, to try things like GU. So we will start with review number 1.

Zipfizz!

Ok so we have been in search for an alternative to gatorade. And apparently this is what you can find when you decide to get pictures printed at Costco and you have 30 minutes to kill. Which means you start going through sample tables. As much as I love the free sausage, chips, and salad dressing they never have drinks. So when I found a table I stopped to sample. Come to find out there are 3 different flavors Pink Lemonade, Orange, and Grape. So far the Pink Lemonade is pretty tasty and the orange isn't to bad. But according to the nice lady it has more electrolytes then gatorade and the combo pack was a good price. It was $27 so for 30 packs that is about $.93 per thing, so totally cheaper. It also tastes better then the other flavor mixes out there. The others that I have tried all just make my water taste funky. I either want my water to taste good or just be water, but funky water just defeats the purpose of adding something to it.

So all in all it is pretty tasty. Not sure I would want it to replace gatorade just yet but right now I'm enjoying it for shorter and post runs!

Tuesday's choice

So Jon and I have made the choice to go big or go home. So one Tuesday I will be registering us for the Goofy Challenge and a half!! It will be my first marathon and well my first goofy. I'm excited about the challenge of 39.3!! I am someone who really works hard with a goal, so I am really looking forward to getting ready for it. I need a motivator. Last year it was to PR during the Baltimore half marathon. This year it is to get ready for Goofy, and hopefully the training will help me improve in the other areas of my running.

So Jon and I are looking forward to joining our friends for a fun 39.3 in 2012!! I'm just sad Jen won't be there to join me in my first marathon! But I think I will have a ton of support from my ROTE friends!!

Lots of firsts

So in the last month I got married and ran another half marathon.

Jon and I got married in Walt Disney World at the Wedding Pavilion on Feb 16! It was a truly magical event. All of our friends and family were there, including our running friends, which still surprises me! I say it surprises me because traveling to Fl for a wedding is a big deal and not at all cheap. I mean we had family that refused to come due to distance and price. So it meant a lot to both of us that with only a couple months notice all but 4 of our running friends came to the wedding.

We stayed in Disney for the week with the plan to fly back down the following weekend so that I could run the Princess half marathon and we could stay in the Treehouse. However, there was a crazy amount of drama at the airport and we ended up deciding not to go. I was disappointed to miss my first race but was glad to not deal with all the stress of the quick weekend. Instead we joined in with the Jen's for a 10 mile run on Sunday. Half way through this run I realized why fate didn't let me go down to Fl again. I was coughing and having such a hard time keeping up.

Thankfully, I had the week to rest up for the following weekend for the B&A Trail half marathon. I ran the B&A with Katie and Megan and it was a very enjoyable 13.1 miles. Lots of talks about trashy reality tv, zombie attacks, and a slew of other craziness. We ended up finishing in 3:15:00 which given the rain and everything was a really good time. So we enjoyed some hot pizza and rested up. Took care of Bob after his 4th marathon and then headed off to a yummy brunch.

And this week I have had the opportunity to see exactly why our group is so close. There is no runner left behind! I am proud to call the loopers my friends and now I am off to visit with 3 teenage boys and 4lbs of chili!!