Frostbite 15k RR

I L O V E racing.

(As I type this,
I'm sipping
hot coffee
and Holmes is
cooking up a
massive spinach,
tomato, pepper,
onion, turkey and cheese
omelette-I think
I'm spoiled)

The Frostbite 15k in Richmond, VA started at the magnificent hour of 9am. Holmes volunteered for the race, so we arrived at 8am-felt like 20 degrees according to weather.com.

9am came pretty quickly (fortunately) and we got started. This was a very low key race. No chips or D tags, except for the first mile, the mile markers were some small yellow cones with a number in tape on top. Easy to miss. Holmes was at the first mile, hollering out times to everyone running past and telling them where to turn.

When we started moving, I got worried I had stepped on something and it was stuck to my shoe. Then I realized it was on both shoes. Then I realized, oh right right, that's not a rock or a stick, that's my FROZEN FEET. They thawed out somewhere around mile three and they felt normal the rest of the race. Around the end of the first mile, a lady fell in pace and I mean in STEP with me. Normally this is no big deal, but she was literally six inches from me. I kept edging and she edged too. After a few minutes she said, "sorry I just really like your pace". I just kind of laughed it off and tried to speed up. Finally, I was able to brush her off on a pretty steep hill (ps. the key to hills is a tiny stride)

Overall, the first three felt easy, I was under a 10 min pace, but then we started passing the leaders (it was an out and back) on an uphill. I don't know if I got discouraged and didn't notice that I was slowing, but I did. Significantly. I went a mile and a half to the half way point in 16 min. On the way back though, I got it back, I finished that same mile and a half in 13.

Around about the same point that I picked up my pace again, a guy swung around a corner next to me and said "I could really go for some sushi right now". HA and ewwwww. and I responded as such. I'm not normally a chatty runner. I don't run with running groups or partners, because I really enjoy running alone. But I always hear of people talking through races, so I thought I'd give it a shot. We chatted the entire way in...random stuff, what we do, lasagna pancakes, why we started running, our significant others, etc etc. As we passed Holmes again, chatty runner hollered out to Holmes "July 4th is a great day!" I'm pretty sure he helped me keep my pace for the remainder of the race. I finished strong, big kick (nice downhill slope). Finished in 1:28:57. Six minute PR over my first 15K back in Oct 07. WOO!

Banana and bagel at the end of the race, and then I walked/ran the mile back to where Holmes was stationed, because I didn't want to stand around in the bitter cold, I figured it was a better idea to keep moving. I got to his truck just as the last runner trotted by!

Thanks BYount

Brian sent me this, it's great
I hate the redskins, but I
    like Chris Cooley's
       attitude and I wanted the
          first segment to be real,
but alas, it
              was not. Bummer.

Second marathon
training run tonight.
Tempo run.
I'm not very good at it-pacing myself.
I went too fast on
the second and third mile. I
also picked what is possibly the
HILLIEST
route in my neighborhood.

I felt great though, so     
I'm wondering if the training plan
is a little moderate for me?      
I guess I'll find out
when those tempo runs get
bumped up to higher mileage...      
I love speedwork though, makes       
me feel like an athlete.

historic day

today, well, it was a big day...

(I should be studying)

Barack Obama, the nation's first black president was sworn in. I watched the two hours of coverage before only to miss the actual inauguration oath. The speech and benediction were pretty amazing to me...the poem, mmmmm, maybe I'll read it later and have a different view....

I also started training for my first marathon. The North Carolina Marathon on May 2nd, 2009 is 15 weeks away. Holmes started training for his first half marathon. We are amazing. Yeah, I said it. what?
I ran six today. Big whoop so far. It's week 4 that gets tricky. I'll run farther than I ever have before. I'm nervous. I was actually nervous throughout my entire six miler tonight. Which is just plain silly I know...but oh well.

Today, Holmes visited me at work briefly. To drop off my new (free) phone (it's awesome btw). This is newsworthy, because we got the phone by adding me to his cell phone plan. I know we live together, but this cell phone thing feels like such a huge milestone for us. It almost officially makes us family. And I really like thinking of him as family.



I was also going to talk about how I participated in my first "class" leading to my much-desired, long-awaited graduate degree...but it was cancelled. Heh.

Pepp doesn't wanna stay?

Don't let the door hit ya....

Julius Peppers finally
announced publicly
that he does not want to stay with
the Carolina Panthers.

Excuse my language, but, get the HELL on.

Seeing what the cats did this season without Kris
Jenkins in that locker room, and how the team
was brought together after the (now funny)
suckerpunch from Smith to Lucas, Peppers
should leave now and not later.

The Panthers clearly work best when the locker room
is a happy place. Makes me wonder if this last game was
partly a result of Peppers' likely attitude off the
field. (not making excuses, just observations)

Jerk.

i'm still a little in shock myself....

Holy cow

I'm going to run a MARATHON

May 2nd, 2009
      High Point, NC


                     We start training on Tuesday!

One Year

On January 12th 2008,

God gave me an unexpected gift: my best friend and love of my life.

Today celebrates one year of

                  laughter,

     accomplishments,

             and

               joy.

His patience and support are beyond anything I could've asked for.

I hope every day that I appreciate
him (more than) enough
and he feels as loved as I do.

Some days I feel like he has been a part of my life for 28 years, it's hard to imagine things without him.