Mar 31, 2006

Finally April...

Tomorrow is April 1st, and that's no joke! I'm pretty sure the joke is that it's 70°F and sunny today and is supposed to rain throughout the day tomorrow! Oh well. Liz and I have a 20-miler planned at the N. Chagrin Metropark. There are plenty of hills to be had.. if we feel up to it. My goal tomorrow is to run even paced miles for the first 15 and then push the pace a little over the last 5. It's great knowing that you can run a negative split 20-miler. Kinda makes ya' think it's possible in a marathon : )

So here's to a good April! May warm weather grace you, tax refunds spoil you and... oh yeah.. Go Indians (and Red Sox)!!!

Mar 30, 2006

10 with Drama

Started out this morning following our normal 9-mile out and back route through Westlake and Fairview Park. Near the 1/2-way point we decided to alter the route slightly so as to get in another 1/2-mile to make it an even 10-miler. Just before turning around, we were approached by a woman frantically yelling for help, and that some guy was in her house and was going to harm her children. Long story short, we were able to help her out and the guy who was threatening her and her children was an aquaintance of some sort who obviously was not welcome at that time. Too much drama for me at 6:00AM. With everyone safe and sound, we all had a good laugh on the way home thinking about our potential to fight crime on mile at a time!

I love getting in a 10-miler early in the morning before I've even had a chance to think about it. It requires me getting up at 4:30, but it's definitely worth it in the end. I get to spend more time in the evenings with Teresa and the pup-pups, which is my favorite thing to do!

Mar 26, 2006

And then there were three...

5:30 AM on a Sunday morning and I find myself anxcious to get outside with my dogs to preview the weather. Not nearly as concerned about the elements as I, Smoosh and Kootie dart outside ready to unload their little pug bladders. It was a little chilly, but dry with no immediate signs of precipitation. Back inside, I threw on my new Saucony racing flats, grabbed my water bottle, four GU's, my hat and gloves and out the door I went. I had been thinking about this run since last week when we planned it... 22 miles with as many hills as we could handle. The last time we planned a run of 20+ miles, we ended up going a mile more than planned, so I was expecting that we'd punch out about 23 today. 6:30 AM and we're on our way. At the turnaround, having already conquered Puritas, Hogsback and Detroit, I was feeling very good. It started to snow a little around mile 18 at which point I asked the question that we were all thinking, but afraid to pose... so what hill do we do next? We chose a new foe, Brookway Dr. I commented on the way up that I felt great and that if I felt this good at the 20-mile mark of Boston, I could probably race the final six miles! The thought of having enough left in the gas tank to actually race the final miles of a marathon has never really crossed my mind, but it's there now and I can only hope to live it out in Boston. A strong push to the finish and 22.6 miles was in the bag. We grabbed our Gatorade and walked for a few minutes to avoid locking up in our cars. I can't wait to see my friends finish in Boston! Elizabeth, Jen, Athena, Kevin and Cathy are gonna crush this thing! Only three more weeks!!


Saucony Grid Fastwitch 2 - Sharp, huh?

I love these shoes!