Chicago!

 Scott and I at the Sky Deck at the top of Willis Tower. It was the best part of the trip and I loved it. I am scared to death of heights but this did not bother me that bad. 

Found the BEST cupcake at Molly's cupcake. They have been on Cupcake Wars and won; for good reason. The Cookie Monster Cupcake is to die for!!! I figured the 10 miles we walked that day would cancel out the calories. 

Seriously fell in love with Chicago. We were planning a trip back before we had even left.  It is the 2nd best trip I have ever been on. Honeymoon to Ochos Rios at a Sandals Resort will always be the best trip. 

That is as fancy as it gets for this girl. But two homeless men told Scott I was a pretty lady : )

I have said that I would NEVER run the Chicago marathon but this trip was enough to make me change my mind. It may be my one really big marathon that I run. I think I could deal with 44.000 people to run a marathon thru this city. 

Working out is going great! Lots of swimming, biking and weight lifting... not so much running. I will probably not even hit 100 miles this month. That will have to change soon but I am enjoying the change. I feel a lot stronger and am happy with how my body looks. I have decided to stop weighing for a long time. It was just holding me back. Why do I worry so much about 3 certain numbers in a certain order??

Do I eat good? yep; getting better about that too

Do I work out 5 to 6 days a week? yes! 

Do my clothes fit? yes! 

Does my husband still think I am beautiful? YES! and 2 homeless men too : ) 

Up next: Brass Band 5K on June 9th to see if there is any fast left in these legs. 

Jennie Carol 5K Pictures

I was pretty happy at the start! Nothing like running with 2 people for the first time! 

Scott about halfway.

Catching Scott at the finish : ) That is his former wrestling teammate beside him. 

He won A HAT! Pretty big deal because only people that get an award get one. Way to be the 2nd fastest first time male!!!

Jennie Carol 5K 2012

 Three years ago I showed up to a 5K to walk and maybe run a little because there was a race for a good cause and a local teacher who had died suddenly while celebrating finishing a half marathon the year before.  Now I am officially a "runner"with many 5Ks, a few half marathons and 6 completed marathons. The Jennie Carol is my favorite race because it is the race that started what some might call an addiction.  Honestly, I just love to run! Three years ago I had never ran a mile in my entire life and did not even know how far a 5K was or how many miles were in a marathon. In three years I have grown stronger and more confident in so many ways. So when others around me start to run I begin to get excited! Not because I want them to run a marathon or run every day of the week; I simply want them to set a goal and achieve it. Since January my husband and teaching partner have started running and I have been their support system to them.  Last night I was so excited to lay out my running outfit beside my husbands and have a 20 minute phone conversation with Jerrica to settle her first race nerves.  I knew the race was going to go great for both of them and was so excited to be there for both of them. 

Parker was up and ready to go! No nerves there : ) I was feeling awesome because it would be the first 5K I had ever ran with others and no goal time or pressure for myself. The plan was to stay with Scott for the whole race and then go back for Jerrica. At the start I could tell Scott was feeling good and he was running with an old high school wrestling teammate so I let him to go on his own and stuck my Jerrica. Her first mile was super fast at 9:05 and her second mile was around 18:00 minutes meaning she had a good 12 minutes to finish right around 30 minutes. Scott was a blur off in the distance but I really wanted to cross the finish with him. I decided to run ahead and catch him. WOW! Crazy speed work for me. I ran the last mile @7:15-7:45 trying to catch him. I caught him on the track just in time to cross the finish with him. I headed out to find Jerrica and she was no where to be found. When I found people who were over 30 I decided to head back in case I had missed her and she had finished quicker than I thought! Guess who ran her heart out the last mile?!? She was done and waiting on me! AMAZING first time races for both! 

Scott : 27:46 2nd place First Time Overall Male Award

Jerrica: 28:06 3rd place First Time Overall Female Award 

What a great way to start my Mother's Day Weekend and the 5K bug is back in my system. I can very eager to do some speedier training and hopefully set a new PR this summer (old PR is 22:55). 

Summer Workout Plan

The word "marathon" is banned from my mouth for the next 3 months! There are not summer marathons around here and if there were they would be too HOT! I have no reason what so ever to be thinking about a marathon until August at the earliest so what will I do with my time??  While sitting on my butt and not running sounds tempting for about 5 seconds we all know that is not going to happen. Obviously I need to get stronger and toughen up a lot. I have to be ready for Tough Mudder, Bourbon Chase and a lot of marathons at the end of the fall. Time to work out some new muscles and get faster!

So I am joining a gym, working with a trainer, running shorter races and doing a tri! Here is the plan for May, June and July. I will not be going to the gym for about 2 weeks so I am not sure what the next 2 weeks will look like. Depends on when my husband starts working out of town. This is the plan once I am able to go to the gym on a regular basis.

Sunday: long bike ride with brick run
Monday: outside run/weights at gym (speed or 4-6 miles)
Tuesday: spin class/swim and for the next 6 weeks train with Erin
Wednesday: outside run/weights a (speed or 4-6 miles)
Thursday: spin class/swim and for the next 6 weeks train with Erin
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Longer run (6 - 10 miles)

Since I will start marathon training again in August I will get my Saturday runs back to 10 miles for most of June and July that way I can build from 10-12 miles pretty quick.

5Ks that I have in my sights:

May 12th: 5K for fun with some girls from work
June 9th: Run for Brass (see where I am at speed wise)
July: Haven't pick this one yet
August 11th: Railroad Days 5K (hoping for a 5K PR)

So excited to change it up a little! Looking forward to pushing my body in new ways and hoping to see some major improvements in my body, strength and time.

Derby Marathon Recap

In true Twila fashion my pre race routine was perfect. Arrived early and did the expo quickly. I did get some great deals on 26.2 apparel. Even broke the rule and wore a new shirt for the race (bad idea). We ate an early supper at Old Spaghetti Factory, had some carrot cake for dessert and a cookie before bed. Everything was laid out for the morning and I slept pretty good. 

That morning I had a bagel, 2 granola bars with peanut butter but NO banana : (.  However, the best thing I did was wear the race pace tattoo! I will not run another goal race without one. I was able to take care of all bathroom issues and we were ready to leave the hotel at 6:45. I was thankful for my garbage bag to keep warm and the only mistake I made was not sneaking in one last potty stop. 

Do I look ready for a PR and a sub 4 marathon??

Miles 1-8: The start was pretty crowded and it was slightly slow so there were a few seconds to our disadvantage. I was running with Jeremy and his friend Pat. We did a little talking and were made sure we were always 9:09 or faster. Somewhere around mile 4 I had to take a little stop on the side of the road but I was able to sprint ahead and catch back up with the guys. These miles were fast and fairly effortless. I took a GU around mile 6. We ran thru Churchill Downs at mile 8 and I thought it was a neat experience but it messed with our Garmins. 

Miles 9-11: The half had split at this point so we had some more space to spread out and be more relaxed. We noticed we had slowed so were ran a little more aggressive because we knew Iroquois Park was coming and would loose some valuable seconds on the hills. We were consistently 20-40 seconds ahead of pace at all times. 

Miles 11-15: The hills in the park were not that bad to be honest. The first hill required some serious effort. The 4 hour pace group was right with us at this point so we stayed with them for the motivation. We ran the park very smart. NO walking on the hills; just dig deep, breathe, use your ams and try not to slow down. We ran the downhills pretty hard and were still nailing our split times. On the last downhill out of the park Jeremy and I were sick of listening to the pace group so we took off and decided to start passing some people. We were as much as 50 seconds ahead of schedule at this point. I took a GU around mile 13 I think. 

Mile 16-22: I was feeling great! I love when the count down is in the single digits. I told Jeremy I was going to run hard until 20 so that I could slip a little during the last 6. I was having a tiny bit of pain in my left leg but nothing to slow me down. I put my music in at mile 19 and entertained Jeremy until mile 20.5 when we started to drift apart. We both believe in running our own race so I went ahead. I saw 2 Danville runners up ahead who I know are strong runners so I kept them in my sights. At mile 21 my friend Monica joined me for a minute and I was feeling awesome. Maybe a little too confident but again I was nailing my splits AND my pace was still reading 9:04-9:06 at all times! She left me and said she would see me at Mile 25. 

Mile 22-Mile 25: Well I had only taken 2 GUs and I was getting hungry : ( But I didn't think a GU would help me at this point and I was starting to get the I want to puke feeling. I looked back at the pace group was still 2 to 3 blocks behind me. Pace still at 9:05 and my the time was looking good. I was dug deep and tried not to cuss too much. Bad news there were two hills in mile 23ish area. Those HURT in a bad way!!! But I did not stop and I did not walk! NOT ONE STEP : ) At this point I had ran my fastest race ever and the smartest race ever. I was sure the final time would be 3 hours something. 

THEN the pace group passed me : ( So I was ready to accept a PR (had to beat 4:03:10) But good ole' Monica popped up and told me to "get across that line" I picked up speed and passed the 4 hour pace group.  In true Twila finish line mode I started crying until Monica told me to stop; then I saw Parker on the side of the road and I cried again and Monica told me to stop. I held it in until I crossed the finish mat. At this point I was a mess. Clock time time was 4:04 something but I new I was a good 5 minutes slower because of the start. My watch said 4:00:04 and the distance was at 26.62 miles. Did I break 4 hours??? I would not know until I saw the official time. 

The rule was no magnet until I broke 4 hours... 

1. I beat the 4 hour pace group to the line

2: My pace said 9:05 which is below the 9:09 it takes

3: My watch was messed up in the tunnels

4: I nailed every mile split on my pace chart

5: I ran my tangets bad and ran more than 26.2 

Official time: 4:00:34!!! 35 seconds "too slow" : ( 

BUT I ran a major PR, I ran HARD, I ran the smartest race ever and I gave it my all. As in I felt like  I was going to puke for the last 1.5 miles and I can barely get in and out of a sitting position today. In my mind I ran a sub three marathon BUT the chip time is what is it so I will still have that as my goal. 

Next on the list: join a gym, take spin class, swim, run less but faster, PR some smaller distances and then re do this marathon thing in the late fall/early winter. My sights are on St. Jude in Memphis. 

A Few Running Funnies

Yes I fully plan on eating all 2,000 + calories when I finish on Saturday!!! 

There went my tri plan for the swim : ) 

Please let the cold front stay; please! 

Anyone have a really mean dog that want to send after me at mile 24 on Saturday?

Pretty sure the husband is ready for a marathon break : ) 

At this point what's done is done! Here is hoping for the best. 

Fallen Off or Training my Butt off?

I am sure it looks like I have fallen off the wagon and have not been running at all BUT that is not the case I have actually been running A LOT! For the past two weeks I have ran around 45 miles each week and knocked out two strong long runs. My 18 mile run was slightly below a 9:09 pace and I was able to do 20 miles at a 9:04 pace.

This is what I want to do every day! 40 plus mile weeks are exhausting for everyone :)

What does this mean? Am I ready to kill derby? Or will I crash and burn? Honestly you never know. The weather is changing 20 degrees at a time around here and some days my body responds and some days it doesn't. In two weeks I am going to simply show up, know I am trained, rest, wear good shoes and respect the distance. All that is left is to hope for the best and leave it all on the course.

After my two very high mileage weeks I am going to do my best to drop the mileage and have a smarter taper than I did last time. No week before 20 mile runs and no zebra flats for a few days before.

Post Break Up Run

So most of you know that I broke up with marathon last weekend and had a brief affair with the half marathon. It was sort of bitter and I was not sure we would be able to make up or not. I think we are ready to make up but I am going to move on with another marathon : ) I have been liking a new song for the past few weeks and felt like it would be a good running song. Today on my long run I listened to music for the last 4 miles and this song came on and it was just what I needed! The marathon might have gotten the best of me last weekend but I am coming back STRONGER! I think I have a new favorite running song! Here is to coming back Stronger for the Derby marathon and killing the next 5 weeks of serious marathon training!

You know the bed feels warmer,
Sleeping here alone,
You know I dream in color,
And do the things I want.
You think you got the best of me
Think you had the last laugh
Bet you think that everything good is gone.
Think you left me broken down
Think that i'd come running back
Baby you don't know me, cause you're dead wrong.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone.
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean i'm over cause you're gone
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me myself and i
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger,
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean i'm lonely when i'm alone
You heard that I was starting over with someone new,
They told you I was moving on, over you,
You didn't think that I'd come back, i'd come back swinging
You try to break me but you see

Wanted to Wear my Zebra Flats

This past weekend I headed to Atlanta to run a full marathon! I was prepared for the run the be a training run and then do better (hopefully sub 4 hours) at Derby on April 28th. Trained pretty smart and headed to Atlanta ready to have some fun. Monica and I had a great trip down and did EVERYTHING right. Rested well, no alcohol, carbed up, ate plain foods etc... Except for one thing! This girl wore her "cute" zebra flats for the drive down and the two days before the race. By the end of the day Saturday my right arch was a little sore and tender. Slept with some biofreeze on with hopes of nothing coming of it.

Two girls ready to enjoy 26.2 miles of Atlanta at a 9:15-9:45 pace! Let's just say that plan was shot down pretty quick when we found at Atlanta was hill, after hill, after hill, after hill, after, hill.... you get the point.

Weather for the day: HOT and HUMID! Yeah I saw a shirt that said something about that; little did I know. We were drenched in sweat within minutes of running and our breathing was labored. Long story short.... we were miserable. On top of that my right foot kept feeling worse and worse. By mile 9 it was completely cramped up and I was not feeling like I had 26 miles in that foot. Finally mile 11 I told Monica I was done! Tried to make the best of it until mile 13 and I called it a day as a half marathon. Could we have finished? YES

Would it have been a personal worst? YES! By MANY minutes!!!!

Is it worth it to do permanent damage to my foot??? NO!

I have the Derby marathon in 6 weeks and I was not willing to give up running that race. It is in my home state and will hopefully have better conditions for running a sub 4 hour marathon.

I appreciate all the words of encouragement and those people that understand it was the smart decision to make. Unfortunately I have heard a few negative comments about my "quitting" the race but those people are not runners and for sure not marathon runners. They will never understand that I have one set of feet and I can't risk a permanent injury. There will be MANY more marathons, hopefully 45 more, and I was not ready to be sidelined for weeks to finish a race I was not super passionate about. Sorry if some people view that as a "weak" excuse or "quitting". I did not second guess my decision or cry about it for over 40 seconds. I listened to MY body and went with it.

The trip was a major success! Road trip with Monica. Great time at her sister's house. We relaxed, ate great food and went for a boat ride on Lake Lanier.

We both enjoyed some sights of Atlanta.... Olympic Park, CNN building and just having some good kid free fun! We had some great meals and enjoyed every minute of our girl's weekend!

Trying to be Optimistic

Past few weeks of training:

Cut two longs runs short (dead tired and belly issues)

Continue to have belly issues during even short runs

Realize there are SERIOUS HILLS at Atlanta

Forecast is upper 70s for race day

I fall and hurt my knee, bruise elbow, jam finger and cut hand

Ran my 20 miler the weekend before the race

So I am going to great, right, RIGHT?!??! Okay honestly I have been going into this race as a training fun the whole time. I would like to keep sub 4 pace for as long as possible and then stop killing myself and bring it in strong without setting back my next round of training. I have sub 4 on the radar for Derby on April 28th. Granted I would take a sub 4 marathon any day of the week but I am just not feeling it for Atlanta. But I was also not feeling West Virginia and ran a strong 4:03 there. So either way I am just going to hold out for a good weekend in a new city and make the best of it!

See everyone after I am finished in Atlanta! Hoping it is not a personal worst : ) I think that should be my main goal. Which is anything better than 4:27 so that is semi doable unless the heats and hills decided to taking a beating on me. Anyone know where my sunscreen is?