Veterans Day 10k!

Last weekend I ran the Veterans Day 10k in DC with my friend Katharine (aka Tizzle).  I was looking for a race in between a 5k and a half marathon and this one fit the bill.  I am so thankful Tizzle agreed to do it with me. 

Tizzle and Me pre-race

We carbo loaded the night before at Vapiano (mmm pasta) and prepped for an early morning.  It was a little chilly on Sunday, but it ended up being perfect race weather.  The course began at West Potomac Park and followed the Potomac river to Hains Point and looped back.  I was a little iffy about the out and back course because I didn't want to see all the people who were going to finish before me, but it actually turned out to be fun.  We got to see the front runners who were running under 5 minute miles and everyone was cheering and clapping for them.  It was a great atmosphere!  

As for the race, I felt great and had a blast!  Tizzle and I kept under a 9 minute mile pace and I finished in 54:46!  This 10k was just what I needed to get in the mindset for the half.  

Finish Line! 

Slacking on my blog posts, but NOT the running!

I know I've been slacking on my blog posts lately, but I promise I have been busy running all over the place and have really covered some ground.  The fall season and training has passed so quickly.  I can't believe race day is only a little over a month away.

 In October I had some beautiful runs and really ramped up the mileage (I'm currently up to 11 miles).  Fall in DC has been amazing for runners and it is well deserved after the hottest summer on record since the 1800s.   During the week I usually run the Rock Creek Trail to Georgetown or I run on the National Mall.  Both routes are scenic runs and great ways to get the day started.   No matter how many times I run on the National Mall, I still feel the need to pinch myself when running by the White House and among the monuments.

Although I have be out the door by 7:15 am on Saturday mornings, training with the TEAM bright and early is my favorite.  I love the variety of trails we run (each week is a field trip) and training with a group is way more fun than listening to an Ipod for 2 hours.   Chatting it up with Tatyana, Amanda, and Colleen has really kept me going on those 10 milers!  My favorite trail so far is Beach Drive.  On the weekend the street is closed to traffic and is only open to bikers, runners, and walkers.  It is so awesome and the scenery is amazing; it doesn't even seem like you are in DC.   If you are a Washingtonian I highly recommend taking advantage.

My most challenging run so far was when I had to run my first 11 miler solo in 27 degree temps.   I was in Michigan for work and was determined to get my long run in before the University of Michigan football game on Saturday.  I did some research and found a great route that began at one of the local high schools and went all the way out to Austin Lake and back.  Within the first 2 miles of my run I saw over 10 live deer, 13 if you count the plaster ones used to decorate a Michigander's lawn.  Gotta love the Midwest:)  The first 5 miles were a struggle, but once it warmed up a bit the last 6 miles felt much better.  It made me feel like I am getting the hang of this running thing.

I'll be running and running and running....until next time:)

7 miles...check!

Last week I checked 7 miles off my list! Our TNT group met at Roosevelt Island and set out for an out and back to Reagan Airport on the Mount Vernon Trail.  I was nervous to begin the 7 miler (it is the farthest I have gone to date), but I was prepared with my sport beans, water belt, Gatorade, and running buddy.  It was the perfect fall morning for a run and the trail runs along the Virginia side of the Potomac river, making the DC skyline a nice distraction. 

Thank God for my new running buddy Colleen!  On one of our team runs a few weeks ago we discovered we are not only the same pace, but we are both from Southwest Michigan and have a lot to chat about.  We even have a few friends in common!  Colleen and I chatted our entire run to the airport and back and were finished before we knew it. 

To my surprise, 7 miles felt great!  It was the first time I felt like I could have kept running, which I'm hoping is a good sign for our 8 miler in Bethesda tomorrow.  My two wishes for tomorrow are to crank out 8 miles and get a W against MSU...I'm hoping both will come true:)

6 miles in Pittsburgh with my buds:)

The crew post run.  My water belt was the biggest hit.  Even the locals gave it a shout out; may be the next trend.    

 My first 6 miler this weekend in Pittsburgh was a success.  I was in town for a wedding and mapped out a great route along the river beforehand.  I was so surprised and happy that three of my friends (Matt, Cindy, and Ellen) joined me for the run early in the morning prior to our fun filled U of M wedding extravaganza!  We had a slight detour when we ran into a bluff, but powered through and saw everything there was to see and had a great tour of the city.  A huge shout out to you guys for supporting me.  I'm not sure if I could have made it through that run on my own.   This weekend I'll be running over half of my distance, 7 miles!

4 miles in Vienna, now off to Pittsburgh!

Sorry I've been a little behind in my blogging this week.  My life has been a little crazy now that Congress is back in session. 

Last week TNT headed to Vienna for our training.  Like many of the places we train, I had never been to Vienna before.  It was merely the end of the orange line train to me.  Vienna was cute and the trail was very nice.  It was a train track they made into a trail and it was busy with runners and bikers.  I sped through the 4 miles (even met a teammate from St. Joe, MI in the process) and made it back to the start for our honored team members picnic. 

At picnic we listened to our own honored team mate, who is training for the Disney Marathon, talk about his cancer journey.  Others also shared the stories of those who they were running to honor.  It was very inspirational and was a reminder of why we were all there training and fundraising. 

This weekend I am off to Pittsburgh to celebrate Lauren and Derek's wedding, but I already have a great 6 mile run planned for tomorrow morning with Ellen and Cindy.  Love you girls!

Thank you to all who have helped me reach 70% of my fundraising goal!  Help me reach 100%!

5 miles in Alexandria with the team!

This Saturday was my first practice with the team.  I was a little nervous about my first 5 mile run at the early hour of 7:45 am, but I was pleasantly surprised!  As a Washingtonian it is a rare for me to cross the river to Virginia, so heading to Alexandria was a bit of a field trip.

Old Town Alexandria

Our 5 miler began in Old Town at a running store called Pacers.   We started out on the brick streets of the downtown (a little tricky) and then made our way to the Mount Vernon Trail.  The Mount Vernon Trail is one of the most popular trails in the DC area and is usually swarming with cyclists and runners, thankfully we started so early we beat most of them to the trail.

After starting with the group I found my pace with some of the girls who are training for the marathon.  It was nice to chat and get to know more or my team mates.  After the turn around point I enjoyed the views of the Potomac and was back in Old Town and was finished before I knew it!  I had an awesome run and felt great!   I was pumped to finish my first 5 miler and realized how excited I am to be a part of TNT.

A big thank you goes out to everyone who has helped me make it to 64% of my fundraising goal!  I'm getting closer and closer to the finish line:)

Pure Michigan!

I was thrilled to be in Michigan for a week of training!  It was a nice change from DC trail running where I seem to be constantly dodging pedestrians and cyclists in the 90+ degree heat.  After a few runs around the neighborhood I decided it would be a nice change to cross train with my dad and join him on his weekly 15 mile ride on the Kal-Haven Trail.  The Kal-Haven is a 34 mile trail from Kalamazoo to South Haven.  What a great decision!  The air was fresh and crisp and it was a beautiful evening for a ride in the country under a canopy of trees.

Kal-Haven Trail

I am happy to say I successfully completed my first 4 mile run last week.  To be honest, the hardest thing about it was getting used to running with my new water belt.  My second try with the belt went much better and I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.  Thankfully, I had some expert advice from the pros at Gazelle Sports on which belt to purchase because I was completely clueless. 

My Labor Day run was by far the best.  Portage has running and biking trails all throughout the city, so I decided to head over to Portage Creek Bicentennial Park and run the trails over there to get my last taste of Pure Michigan.  It was a cool morning and perfect for a run outdoors.  P-towners, you need to take advantage of these trails!  Although I may be a gym rat, I must confess they are way much better than running on a treadmill while watching TV.  I pounded out the 4 miles with no problem and then claimed my reward...breakfast at Colonial Kitchen with the fam. 

This weekend I run my first 5 miler in Alexandria, VA...wish me luck! 

Surpassed My September 1st Goal!

A HUGE thank you goes out to all my amazing family and friends who have donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and are supporting me in my first half marathon in honor of my friend Nick and all those battling blood cancers.  I never expected to reach 41% of my fundraising goal in less than one week and I have all of you to thank.  Thanks to your outpouring of support we are getting closer and closer to the ultimate finish line- a cure! 

Thank You! 

                                        Lauren Madden                                         

Kristin Elbert

Janet D. McGraw

Andrew Novaria

Paul Seales

Elise Andrews

Dan Leader

Dan McGraw

Jim & Terri Novaria

Craig and Jayne VanderMolen

Metaxo Vlahantones

 The Cheolas Family

The Messinger Family

Rick Searing

Ellen Bankert

Laura Vigiletti

Nick Milonas

Kenyon Fox

Kathryn Phinney

Sam Huang

Eric Brown

Danielle Frottier

Attack That Hill!

My first hill workout for my half marathon training was yesterday.  I haven't done a hill workout since my middle school days for a reason and I was not thrilled to start now.  Our coaches asked us to complete 3 miles followed by running up 6 hills.  After some contemplating of where to do my hill drills I choose to take on the Angling Road Hill.

 This hill is down the street from my parents house.  It may not be too long or too steep, but I have a beef with this hill.   As a kid I always had to stop and walk my bike up this hill when coming home from my friends house. It is the hill I wiped out on when I was 13 and still have the scars to prove it.   This hill and I are not friends! 

Standing at the bottom the Angling Road Hill it was as steep as I remembered.  I turned my ipod to a pump up song and went for it.  I was not going to let this hill defeat me as it had in the past.  I attacked the hill on the way up and caught my breath on the way down over and over again.  I conquered that hill and before I knew it I was finished and enjoying an easy jog home.  I'm happy my first hill workout was not as horrible as I remember them being, but boy am I sore today! 

Lake Michigan: The Perfect Distraction

After running in hot and humid DC last week, I was excited to run in Chicago on Saturday.   I was in town for my friend Lauren's Bachelorette Party, so I was pretty impressed with myself for fitting in my morning run.  The decision of where to run was any easy one since my girlfriends don't live far from the lakefront.  I ran down Division Street, took the tunnel under Lakeshore Drive, and off I went. 

Running by lake was so much fun and the perfect distraction for me.  I think I had a toothy grin plastered on my face all 3 miles.   There were tons of people out and about for a Saturday morning.  Groups were walking, running and biking on the trail (I even saw a few people in Team in Training jerseys!).   If I lived in Chicago that would definitely be my standard running route, although I'm sure once the Chicago winter hit I would stick to the treadmill.

This week the hill workouts begin!  As a person who likes my running routes to be nice and flat, I'm having a hard time pumping myself up for hills.  I will be in at my parent's house in Portage for my first hill workout, so I have a couple good hills in mind.  I'll keep you posted on how it goes! 

Lets Get It Started...

Walt Disney Half Marathon...Here We Come!

Me and the Mouse prepping for training!

After a little contemplating and lots of encouragement from family and friends I am officially a member of Team in Training and registered for the Walt Disney Half Marathon in January!  I have never run 13.1 miles in my life, but I am excited to set out and accomplish this goal. We had our official kickoff on Saturday and the energy amongst the group was contagious.  Everyone is ready to start training and start fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

I'm fortunate enough to have my friend Danielle as my mentor this season.  Danielle ran the Disney half marathon for the first time last year and really inspired me to get involved with TNT.  She is a fellow Michigander, Delta Gamma, and Big Ten graduate, which means she is amazing!  Two other DC Delta Gammas, Lindsey and Jen, are also new TNT team members and are running the Philly Half Marathon, but will be training with us too. 

This week is our first week of training which means the mileage is low (thankfully!).  The coaches have us running 2-3 miles five times this week and we have our team practice in Virginia on Saturday.  I'll be missing our first practice because I'm off to the Midwest for the week, but I'm looking forward to running in cooler temps and getting out of the DC summer heat.  Thanks to Coach Moon and my North Middle School cross country career I can run 3 miles; it's mile 5, 6, and 7 I'm starting to worry about.  I'll leave the worrying for next week...