Morton Pumpkin Classic

My New Team RC Gear <3 IT!!!

I'm almost a week late in posting but in my defense it WAS a busy weekend with the girls in town, Sunday football and then I was off work Monday/Tuesday so I wasn't on the computer very much. But here is the rundown on my first ever Morton Pumpkin Classic 10k race.

This race was more of a practice for me and my Vegas training. I wanted to see if I could hold a consistant 8:30 pace for the full 6 miles. Goal attained. And I did it for the most part feeling pretty darn good. That is a HUGE leap for me in my running hobby that I started a mear year and a half ago. I do believe I could have ran faster as my breathing felt normal the whole time and only at mile 5 did my legs get tired. I also accomplised another valuable running goal and that is start slow and keep it steady. Normally when I see people pass me at the beginning it totally ticks me off and pushes me faster but at this race every time I saw someone pass I said to myself "It's too early to go that fast and they will faulter." Sure enough about mile 3-3.5 I passed all of those that I uttered that phrase too and I passed them still holding my 8:30 pace. I started my watch as soon as I crossed the start line, stopped as I crossed the finish. My Garmin run time was 52:27/Avg pace of 8:23. View my full garmin and slipts here:

I have to say I'm not quite sure how the race people got their times, it was chipped time, but there wasn't one of those mats at the start line but they have me finishing at 52:31 which I know is only a few seconds difference but I'm still curious about it. Their age groups were not the normal gouping (less awards-cheepskates) so instead I was in the group of 20-34, finishing 49th in the group but if my counting is correct 19th in the 3-34 group. Needless to say this is a competive race with 1500 people registered. I attined my goal and stuck to some good running rules. I'm very happy and ready to continue with Week 3 of my Vegas training.


My New Race Warm Ups-Front!



Back! :)

Volunteering at IVS Half Marathon



Handing Jess her finishers medal!

 The Illinois Valley Striders held their annual half marathon yesterday in Peoria. The race was more than memorable, not just for the treacherous hills of Springdale Cemetery but for those that lost their lives 10 years ago on 9-11. The race which is held in lower Glen Oak Park and does two loops around Springdale Cemetery started with the 300 plus runners singing the National Anthem. Apparently they couldn’t get the tape/sound system to play the Star Spangled Banner so the runners chimed in and sang instead which turned out to move some to tears. And from what I hear was the highlight of the event and the one that people were talking about the most. I’m so proud of the Central Illinois runners and honored to be amongst you! There were also police and military on hand volunteering at the event as well. In fact I witnessed a member of the military handing out water and Gatorade to runners as they crossed the finish line.




I was also there but instead of running the course I was volunteering. I only began training for my Vegas race on Tuesday and figured it was best to sit this one out. But being a Team RC member I felt like I owed it to everyone to be there so I put on my Team RC shirt and came out. I tell ya it was odd to be on the other end and boy did it make me wish I was running. But it was awesome to be able to see each one of my friends cross the finish line. It was more of an honor to place their finishers medal around their necks and be the first to congratulate them. After the race everyone joined in a pot luck lunch complete with burgers and hot dogs. Door prizes and awards were announced as well. I’ve decided I’m running the relay race next year. As much as I enjoyed being a volunteer it really made me yearn to run.



Congratulation to all the runners to all my Sole Sisters- Jess, Jenn, Marianne, Toby, Heather, oh my there are so many of you I cannot name you all, you know who you are, Congrats on a GREAT race! Congrats to my friend Jill for placing second in her age division, John who ran a great race with little training (your crazy man) to Brad Henz and his partner Maggie on their overall relay championship and to every single runner that laced up their shoes and ran what is one of the toughest courses there is! I’ll see you next year on the course.



And if your looking for another great local race check out the Morton Pumpkin Festival race this weekend, that one I’ll be running in!

Las Vegas Marathon Training: Week 1

The countdown to the Las Vegas Marathon and 1/2 Marathon has begun. For the next 12 weeks I’m back in training mode for what will be my 4th 1/2 marathon. My third will actually happen week 7 of training. Once again I’ve decided to follow the Nike training because it has worked so well in the past for me. But I’ve also decided this time I am going to eat healthier to see if maybe, just maybe I drop about 5lbs (or more) during the training process. Nike has me running on average of 4 days a week, I am doing the “intermediate” training level so a normal week of training has me doing interval running on Tuesdays 6-7 miles on average, Wednesday is a short recovery run of 2-3 miles and Thursdays is hill work and pace runs of 7-8 miles then Saturday is the long run starting at 8 miles and building to my longest run of 15 miles before the tapper down. I’m still working on  my Body Combat certification so I am probably going to cut out the Wednesday short run until I finish my certification (which will hopefully be at the end of September if all goes according to plan).

Today I took to Springdale for my interval runs and averaged a pretty good pace for day 1 at about a 9:15! I did a 2 mile warm up, then 4×800′s at tempo followed by 4×200′s at fast with 1-3 minutes of easy running in between each interval. By the time I was finished I only had a quarter mile to go so I used that plus another quarter as my cool down. The temps have cooled down so that could have been part of the great run but my fingers were cold, I hate running with cold hands. Of course it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have a minor hiccup. Yesterday I tangoed with my dogs kennel and end up with a gash and badly bruised foot. I couldn’t wear my shoe as tight as I normally like but like any runner nothing short of death will hold me back. Here is my run on Garmin below.

Forest Park St. Louis Run(s)

I've run the same routes over and over and over again. Street routes in my neighborhood, the trail from East Peoria to Morton, the Rock Island Trail, Grandview Drive, Springdale Cemetery, the Peoria Riverfront and even before the trail 'official opened' in Peoria Heights, I was running that too. Trails are so much better than roads, because you don't have to contend with ass-munch drivers who don't pay attention (I've been nearly run over more times than I can count), garbage cans, yard waste or other things left on the sidewalk blocking my path. However, on trails, being a girl, bathrooms are few and far between, if any at all and it's hard to keep hydrated, especially with longer runs. And, last, running the same routes and trails gets very mundane. Especially if you've trained for more than a few races.

Me at the start of our 8 mile run at Forest Park

So, this weekend, I was beyond excited to head down to the S-T-L and take in a run. They have this place, it's called Forest Park and it's in the heart of downtown St. Louis and it is a runner's haven. It's a running/biking trail, two paths parallel to each other, one for runners and one for bikers and it makes about a 6 mile loop of the entire park. It's fan-freaking-tastic! The only traffic you contend with is other runners and/or bikers if you choose to run on the bike trail, which many do. I kept it to the running trail. It's so peaceful and beautiful with a very good mix of sun and shade, awesome downtown skylines and great greenery. In fact, you pass a fishing lake, the mounted police horse pasture (and it doesn't stink), a golf course, the Science Museum and even the St. Louis Zoo, yes, all of this in one glorious park.

I love the little waterway with the city in the background

It's amazing and that is why you see HUNDREDS of runners, walkers and bikers on the trail. I came across people who were just there to cheer on the runners and even vendors. But, they were vendors that cater to the running community. The local running store was there, offering both water and Gatorade to everyone (and he was there both Saturday and Sunday) and other companies offering electrolyte enhanced H2O.

It was such a joy running in Forest Park, that on Saturday, I did an extra 2 miles in the pouring rain (and even saw a Team RC member on the trail) and even though Sunday was supposed to be a rest day, I couldn't pass up the chance to run there again and went back out for a quick 6 miles.As you can see the pictures below even after 8 miles, 2 of which is driving rain, I was still feeling great and all smiles!

You Might Be a Runner If...

You Might Be A Runner If



1 Starting with a 5:30am run is a great way to start your day.
2 ... you find greater joy in spending your money on running apparel, shoes & gear than on a pair of designer jeans or monogrammed purses.
3 When people ask what happens if it rains during a race, you smartly tell them, "You get wet."
4 your day isn't complete until you've put your run in.
5 your daily run is like therapy, or an anti-depressant.
6 you're looking at this website instead of Facebook.
7 Your 'To Do' list reads: 1) Go Run  2) Everything Else
8 you get upset about injuries because they keep you from running, not because you have actually damaged your body.
9 You know that a course was accurately measured just by looking at your race finishing time
10 you run.....for fun
11 you are proud of and respect all runners of all abilities.
12 you don't like having to take a "rest day"
13 you consider getting a PR almost as great as winning the race.
14 you feel an instant kinship to any other runner you pass by on the street.
15 you are impressed and also happy when a female wins the overall race
16 you are on this website (wait, didn't I already say that?)
17 Whether a 5K runner or a marathon runner, you understand "the runner's high".
18 you have a list of all the races you plan to run for the next 12 months.
19 You think $20 for a banana and some Gaterade is a good deal
20 The high you feel after a race outweighs the anxiety you feel before it.
21 while driving places, you're constantly evaluating the road for it's "running route potential".
22 a nice walk doesn't really feel much like excercise.
23 you ask yourself 'why did I do this?' the last 5 miles of a marathon and 'when can I do it again' five minutes after you finish.
24 you have 4 pair of running shoes, one for mud/trail runs, one for the road when it might rain, one for the road on a clear day, and one for the treadmill.

25 You get more excited about finding a good new running route than finding a good sale at the mall.


I'd like to add....that when you go out of town your more excited for the run in someplace new than the vacation its self.

I could add alot more but I want to leave room for you, what do you want to add to the list?

Trying To Play Catch Up But I'm Still Left Behind

I'm a bad blogger and I'm just going to have to let it go. I've been on the site for almost an hour now reading all the blogs and commenting as much as I can. However I think if I keep it up I'll never get my blog posted, I thought I'd give you a lil update on my so called life.

Running-starting with what this blog is all about! I've been getting back into it but its been filled with bad run after bad run. I was burnt out around July so I slowed down, practically stopping all together and it shows in my slow ass pace. Nearly 10 minute miles and over is not what I'm used to. Plus I have sore muscles every day from all the other crap I'm doing so my legs are feeling like I have ankle weights attached to them every time I run. And last weekend I did 6 miles and it was the most painful hour of running because I had the WORST case of trots I've EVER! MISERABLE I tell ya MISERABLE! But I'm still at it and I've been running 6-8 miles on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. I will start officially training for my first Rock N Roll series race the first week of September. I'm very excited to be doing the Las Vegas 1/2 Marathon on December 4th and running the strip at night, woo hoo! While training for Vegas I'll make a stop in Mankato Minnesota again to revisit my first 1/2 and make it my 3rd 1/2. The race is on October 22nd and I am so excited to be going back because it was such a great race and so well organized and we got the hotel hook up thanks to a booking mistake at hotels.com (read about it here-trust its worth the read).

Body Combat-After nearly a month of struggling I finally did what I don't do, I asked for help. Don't ask me why, IDK, its always been hard for me to ask for help. But I didn't want to quit so I spoke up and WOW all the girls on the BC team at the Riverplex stepped up to the plate. All offering helpful hints and getting me going. It seems each day I feel better and improve. I tested for my fitness manager and got my passing grade and even have completed 2 of my 8 required team teaching classes, I have my 3rd one tomorrow. I am now aiming to finish my video by the end of September, which will still put me ahead of the game. So what makes BC so tough? Well everything is done on an 8 count, which I haven't done before, we don't have that in RPM. Plus the moves are much quicker and have to be done exactly with that 8 count (and Les Mills is PICKY), your choreography needs to be spot on and your coaching needs to also be spot on. And then to make it just a bit more complicated you have to mirror teach, meaning I'm doing everything with my left, you do it with your right, so while I do left I have to tell you right. But I'm getting better in fact the girls told me last night that I've improved a ton from last week and that whatever I am doing that I need to keep doing it cuz its working. Want to know the goofy thing I am doing? While I am running, I listen to my BC music and I count "1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8" over and over and over again so the beat becomes 2nd nature to me. And by the looks of it, its working. I pretty much eat, sleep, and even run Body Combat. I hope it pays off because there are only 5 classes that will be offered at the RP but there are 6 instructors!

This weekend is my birthday I'm turning 34! And all I can think about is I have only one more year left in that 30-34 age group for races, isn't that funny. I don't want to leave that group because its very competitive. Every race I've done I look at the next age group and its not as competitive I can SMOKE those numbers. I want to stay in a competitive group. I know what your thinking, everyone gets a year older, sadly the girls I've been competing with are all already younger than me, so they will still be left in 30-34 and I'll soon move to 34 and up. One more year, I'll make sure to enjoy it. Matty is taking me to St. Louis for the weekend. Were going to see Incubus, I seriously cannot believe the luck that my favorite band in the world is playing on my birthday. This maybe the best birthday and weekend of my life. Great city (including a run in my favorite place Forrest Park) + My favorite band + the best boyfriend a girl could get + on my birthday =  the stuff dreams are made of! I don't think there is anything that could make it even sweeter than it already is other than can I wake up tomorrow and it be Friday?

Vacation Run-Lake Delton-Wisconsin Dells

One of my favorite things to do on vacation is go for a run, its a great way to still stay active and to explore your surroundings. I've also noticed that when I run on vacation that I tend to be a little bit more wiser with my food choices (although I do make plenty of bad choices as well) and I enjoy the fact that I can be leisure with the run. I always recommend to pack your running shoes and gear when ever you venture out of town, trust me, you'll thank me later. Another bonus to running on vacation is feel I can ignore my pace and just run.

I did a google search for "running routes in Wisconsin Dells" and found quite a few routes that were posted on dailymile.com so we decided to follow one that went around Lake Delton, the route posted it was just over 6 miles so that was the perfect distance and it seemed to go right by our hotel. Turns out it was over 7 miles because our location on the main drag was further North from where the dailymiler poster had stayed. We ran this route on Tuesday and today and today I brought along my phone and snapped a few photo's at each mile marker. The whole route was rolling hills so it was a challenging run but in a good way, I liked that between each hill there was ample time to recover from the climb and there was always a downhill or vice versa, depends how you look it, what goes up must come down after all.

Start-Mykonos Village, Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park

Mile 1-Still on the main drag-Wisconsin Dells Parkway

Mile 2-Still on Wisconsin Dells Parkway but going in a different direction (see garmin map)

Mile 3 (actually about 3.5)-and finally on a different more secluded road-Canyon Rd and along the lake



Around Mile 5ish-still giving the thumbs up!



Mile 6-on County Road A and the edge of the Lake.

6.5-It was very humid today so we stopped for a water at the Bait & Tackle

Ohhhh water tasted ohhh soooo gooood!

Mile 7-On Lake Ave and right by Noah's Ark and only a 1/2 mile to go!

The End-Sweaty Messes!