Goals are Achievable

Saturday, September 18th
I snuck out of the house on Saturday to run a local 5K race(3.1 miles). I didn’t have to go far.. in fact it took only about 5 minutes to get there… and that’s because I drove slow….. YAWN…

I have gotten really lazy lately... my pre-race routine used to be.. warm up, stretch, then some sprints... heck I will be lucky if I actually raise my heart rate while napping in the truck..

I check out my competition (while napping)... lots of 40 somethings ...W-H-A-T-E-V-E-R... no big plans, just go out and run …. but I better get outta this truck.. i line up...and sorry fat chick.. instinctively… my body does lunge forward on take off..

Around the first turn, I pass two young gals and I am now leading the race.. um.. excuse me... ? LEADING THE RACE!?… WHERE IS EVERYONE!!?? ..finally a guy passes me.. I am now in 2nd place overall with 65 or so people behind me… BUT NO PRESSURE... At mile 1.. two more guys pass me and I am now in 4th… I am lead female.. I am not sure how to handle this new found “pressure”… especially when someone yells out.. YOU ARE FIRST FEMALE!!!… um.. sheetah..gulp

This was supposed to be a semi "easy" training run.. not an all out and die run.. but um .. at turnaround, I notice there is a gal behind me.. not too close but still there… I am not sure I even breathed that last mile... and felt no sort of sadness when I passed the guy who passed me previously... I am now in third place overall..uphill finish, crossing the line at 23 mins.. (a 7:26 pace)… and I am FIRST FEMALE!!! YAHOOOO!!! Jump up..jump up.. jump up and down .. So perhaps my time was not earth shattering… BUT YAHOOO!!!! Even the most impossible goals are achievable!!!!

2010 Goals:
Run a half marathon in 1.45 or less
Run the 8K in Shamrock at 37 minutes or less
Qualify for Boston and eventually run a marathon in 3.45
Run a 5K WITHIN 22-23 minutes COMPLETE
Run a sub 6 min mile
Improve Bike Time.. keeping a 18-19 mph pace for 30-50 miles
Improve Swim Time.. 1 mile to 1.2 mile swim under 45 minutes
Improving time on the Full Ironman hope to be under 13 hours
Be first woman finisher in any race (even if only 10 people run!) COMPLETE

(PS: won $75 for being first female!!) Here is the link to the results: 5K RACE

Philadelphia Half Marathon 2010

I can't seem to get a grasp on how to actually write all that’s been happening because all the stuff keeps happening!!!… one day… our life will slow.. and when it does…

Sunday, September 19th
Joe really doesn’t function well prior to say… 8am…

TIME TO GET UP! 4AM... RACE DAY!

Today was the ING Philly Half Marathon (13.1 miles) and somehow I convinced Joe that it was fun.. and that he should do it with me… (SUCKER)..

We arrived in Philly around 6am, parked and started our trek to the start… thankfully only 8 blocks away and we got there early enough to christen the port-o-pots, and oh yeah.. watch the sunrise from the art museum steps…

Life was in fact …Good..!

OK...time to line up… 20,000 people in 22 or so corrals.. thankfully we are near the front!.. Joe in corral 4… I corral 5… then off we go… yeahhhh.... running free... free...FREE.. and strong.. strong.. STRONG!... ain't no one stopping me....I ... AM...

....... Freaking tired as shit!... by mile 5… I was done.. toast.. finis... my legs felt like someone had beaten them and were just hollow shells attached to my dead carcass... and then D-mn .. "Hey"... um.. "Hello".. (my friend Denise had just caught up to me)...

[Denise is my running buddy… she and I are great competitive friends..in fact best friends... we sometimes train together, race together, work together and well I beat her last year at this race by like 11 seconds..and well HOW DID SHE CATCH ME!!?]....

I am thinking... calculating... she was suppose to be in the corral behind me..which by the way should have gone off 3 minutes later than me....thus I SHOULD HAVE HAD A 3 min lead!...Calculating that I just ran a 38 min 5 miler.. what did she just run a 35 min 5 miler!!!??? HMPH!!

I tried to ignore her… perhaps she would just go away.. but she would NOT.... I couldn’t shake her.. ...I couldn’t … and well... so it began... we ran together to the finish....

[BTW I come to find out later.. conveniently ...she failed to mention the fact she changed corrals.. so she was NOT 3 minutes behind me and thus when she caught up to me... she didn't have a 3 min lead... she started in my corral and only had a 30 seconds lead... DUDE... !! ]

Good tactical maneuver on her part!..hmmm...had I known... would I have tried to take her out? ..hmmm.. She swears she did tell me...when we were running.. that she had changed corrals... the fact I had ear phones in.. well... today was not about the win but about the friendship... she could have easily taken me out .. but didn't.. in fact she slowed at times to stay with me when she saw I was hurting...and I with her...

She was hurting from her previous day’s flag football with "the Amazons" and I from Saturday's overall female 5K win… so between us …pulling each other… and stubborn persistence (in not letting the other get ahead)… we managed to bring in the last 8 miles of the race…..together… finishing in 1 hour and 52 minutes… (around an 8.30 pace).. not too shabby for two 40 somethings…

Joe ran a blistering 1 hour and 44 minutes (around an 8 min pace)..which just goes to prove that he should have taken this up years ago… this running stuff… he is a natural. With no speed work and on tired legs to pull that... I have to admit that he showed really great restraint in not punching the punk who pushed passed him during the race and then later when Joe got ahead of him, the punk spit on his back.. I tell you… Joe is SOO much the better man… because I would have been arrested… for sure…

Joe waited for me at the finish… I tell you… nothing is better than that.. seeing him at the finish... unless of course it's me waiting for him..