Lexington Half Marathon

And we are off! I am in the white jacket and Sheri is in the black shorts beside me.

Coming across the finish line. Chip time was 2:30:09 and Sheri was 2 seconds ahead of me at 2:30:07.

We were in it together! 4 weeks of long runs together and we never left each other the whole way.

Grammie and Grampy brought Parker to meet us at Guadalajara for some Mexican and a cake I ordered myself. I have a small addiction to Twisted Sifter cupcakes. I banned them for the past 2 weeks so I had a mint chocolate chip small cake made to celebrate.

I was so bummed Saturday night that I couldn't have a drink while I watched UK LOOSE to West Virginia that I ordered myself a big ole' margarita. Funny thing is I could not drink it. My stomach was not ready for alcohol.

Race recap:

Woke up to sprinkles and very chilly weather. Traffic and parking was complete madness. Tried to wear a trash bag for warmth and water protection; ditched it before I even started. Gooed before the race and peed. Race took off very slow which is why the clock time is about 2 minutes fast. Mile 1 was very slow due to the crowd. We started to get in a good pace and then the heavens opened up and soaked us with ice cold rain blowing in on our left side. MISERABLE. Started feeling good mile 2-5 despite the wind, rain and cold. Mile 6 I had to pee and wanted to Gu. Water stops were too far apart. Finally gooed about mile 7. Still had to pee so I found a nice rock wall in the horse park and took a quick stop. Here is when the wall smashed in on us. Around mile 8ish we were COLD. Our whole body was bright red and tingling. We fought through but at 10.5 miles we stopped and walked for about 1 minute. Did some talking and realized this was not going to be a 2:15 more like a 2:30. Last 2 1/2 miles consisted of pep talks and a few walk breaks. We were both fighting some aches and pains on top of the cold. I have honestly never been so cold in my whole life. My hands were swollen and pulsing. I had to run with my hands up because I couldn't bring them down to the side without them stinging and throbbing. FINALLY we were back at the entrance to the horse farm. We picked up stride a little since there were actually spectators. We were both very happy to have someone waiting for us at the finish line. So glad Scott was there to make a quick exit out of the crazy traffic. We made it back to the hotel and I was able to shower. There are few showers in my life that I remember but I have a feeling this will be one of them!

What is next you ask? 5K SEASON! I have toyed with lots of possibilities but with a young one at home and a husband with a busy work schedule I am going to concentrate on 5Ks so that my workouts do not have to be so long. If the summer is uneventful I will bike some and try to get in the pool and MAYBE do the Sprint Tri here in Danville that the local gym puts on. Kris on the other hand has very big plans on her calendar! The Century bike ride in June and looks like she is going Half-Ironman in May; there is one in Taylorsville, KY that she is going to do.

Thanks to everyone that reads our blog and leaves comments!

Jinxed?

So my first half was cancelled my the first snow in 10 years in Myrtle Beach. Now Sunday's run is going to be rainy (possibly storming). I can handle a light drizzle. Maybe even a steady rain but I am not sure I am willing to run in high winds/hail/thunder/lightning. I am just hoping for the rain to come in later than predicted! Go figure that Saturday is going to be sunny and 66 degrees. Then good ole' Kentucky is going to drop to the 30s at night and bring in some cold Spring rain. I knew they should have raced on Saturday instead!

~Twila

You know you are a runner when...

you go shopping at the mall and you come back with Thorlo socks and an Under Armor shirt! My husband was perfectly willing to let me buy some clothes but I walk out with running gear. Oh well! My toes are in need of some help. My right second toe is getting beat to death. I am hoping the extra cushion and no seem will help. I am getting blisters on top of blisters also. SHEW! Very proud to have made it into another "hundred" Going to slack off the miles the next two weeks. I was a little crazy about getting in extra miles this week and I was majorly tight on my nine mile run today. My goal is to get 2 outside runs in during the week for the next two weeks and then do 30-40 minute cardio workouts instead of spending over an hour on the elliptical/bike. Maybe one long bike ride on Sundays : ) Can't get too far behind in the miles.

I went and checked out the Lexington half course and "rolling" is a good description. There are a couple of good climbs but the good news is the way back is more downhill!

~Twila

Always Wanting What is Next

Just like my little guy Kris and I are working on "what is next". I am running Bluegrass Pike to get ready for Lexington and biking (inside) so I can attempt some long runs and perhaps due a bike race this summer. Kris has her bike out and is working on long runs so she will be ready for her century. I love where I am at right now in my working out. It takes up a lot of time but I feel healthy and motivated. I also love that I can eat pretty much whatever I want and not feel guilty for it! This week I made most of my daily goals to get back on track for my 2010 miles. Hoping a long bike ride one warm weekend will get me pack on the plus side. I won't brag too much about the 50 degree weather since I know some of you are still very cold and snowy : )

Short month and a plan...

So due to the traveling and February being a short month my miles this month was not where it should be. I am trying to get 167.5 or close to it every month so that in December I am not working out 2 hours a day! I was a mile short in January and around 16 miles short for February so I made a plan.

Monday - 5 miles on elliptical

Tuesday- 12 miles on bike trainer

Wednesday- 6 mile run OUTSIDE

Thursday- 12 miles on bike trainer

Friday - OFF

Saturday - long run (8,9,10 then half marathon)

Sunday- 15-18 miles on bike

This should get me right back on track or a little over. After this half marathon I am hoping I can get in long bike rides on the weekend. Keep in mind I have not rode a bike outside since I was like 10 years old. I am going to run shorter runs to work on speed for 5K season. I still have a personal goal of getting well under 30 minutes. Then my last big battle is learning to swim this summer and attempting to complete a small triathlon in September! Gotta have Goals!