Oysters and Flips!

Most of you know I am still in Minnesota visiting my family.  So far eating and relaxing have been my main focuses although I have been able to get in some runs.  I am loving my book, Born to Run.  In the story it talks a lot about how these super athlete peeps run because they love it. So I have been trying to use that same mentality while I have been running. It has been fun!  Of course, my runs lately are all recovery and pretty easy with low mileage. So really we will just have to wait and see what my brain decides to come up with when my workouts get hard again.....ahhh if I could only totally control my brains and tell it to run super fast on command etc. etc......

Anywhoo, onto more important things.  First, OYSTERS.  When I come into town my parents always take me to eat at one of my favorite restaurants Oceanaire.  It has by far some of the best (if not the total best) seafood ever.  I have eaten lots of places and tried lots of things so you are gonna have to trust me on this one.  EXCELLENT.  I have never been disappointed.  

One of the main reasons it is delicious is because of their awesome selection of Oysters.  My favorite "type" if you call it that of seafood is Oysters on the 1/2 shell.  If you aren't familiar with that term it is basically Oysters that have been shucked and served on ice.  You can then drizzle with fresh lemon, sometimes the occasional dap of cocktail sauce and horseradish.  Then get ready for one of the most amazing experiences you can encounter.  The texture and flavor is soooo amazing and delicate that it literally leaves you craving for more.  Really! My dad and I started with 1 dozen to share and ended up ordering another dozen.  24 Oysters we polished off. I also ordered a grilled halibut, some Szechuan green beans and creamed corn.  I am starting to drool as I type.

Our first dozen Oysters.  DELISH.

My mom was totally grossed out when I told her they were still alive when you eat them.  =)

My dad and I on our second dozen.  Another weird fact about Oysters is how different tasting they are from each other. What coast they are from, how big they are, what there outer shell looks like. They are all very different.

Ok, and the second part of this post..... FLIPS.  Who can do a flip off the diving board?  When I was younger i could do all kinds of crazy things, flips of all sorts, twists, dives, etc. etc.  The list goes on.  Then life goes on and as a 30 something year old lady I was wondering if I could still do it.  YES for us older ladies =)

Happy Running, eating and flipping all!  -Jen

8x400s

I started my Monday with 8x400s with a 200 RI.  I ran a nice slow mile or so warm up over to the track. I was feeling a little case of the Mondays so I was tired.  I got up around 6 AM but did not make it out until almost 8:30!  So it was getting hot.  I have decided to aim for a 47 min 10k which would put me right in between where I was last year and what my goal is.  I followed the 5k chart from the Run Less Run Faster book and that would put me at a 22:30 5k time.  Which means I should run my 400's at 1:39.  You can see my splits below, my first 400 was at split 3.  It was  my lap to see how fast I needed to go so that one came in at 1:42 after that I tried my hardest to stay right around 1:39.  It was hard to be consistent, something I will need to work on.  Oh and after my 400 I walked my 200.  I was tired and needed to catch my breath.  Time to get me into shape!!

This was me after I got home.  Sweatin' hot and ready for some cold water a-sap!  They have drinking fountains at the track but as soon as the weather gets hot so does the water.  I took a few sips here and there when I walked my 200 but kept thinking about an ice cold glass when I got home.

Since I was jonesin' for something cold I made myself a smoothie.

Spinach
Mango
Banana
Yogurt
Almond Butter
Ice

Aaahhh finally sitting down, enjoying my smoothie and beginning the day with some great blog reading!

Workout-

Tuesday- Tracy Anderson Method
Wednesday(today) Tempo 1 miles warm up, 3 miles @ 7:32 pace, 1 miles cool down -Will recap on     Saturday's post!
Thursday- Yoga and Tracy
Friday- Long Run 7 miles at goal pace
Saturday- Tracy



Question?!?!  I really want to buy some great speed shoes.  I was thinking about the Nike Frees but am not sure.  Do guys have any suggestions about  what your favorite speed shoes are?  Not for distance but strictly for speed!

XX
Sarah

What to do..

Now that the marathon is over I am trying to decide what to do next.  First thing first though and I need my knee to stop bugging me and just let me run.  I went on what was suppose to be a 5 miler yesterday morning with my sister and it turned out to be almost 7 miles.  Which would have been fine if my knee didn't start to suck right in the middle of the run.  So had to run/walk the rest.  So annoying.  I think that I am just not going to run for an entire month and see if then it gets better.  But then what should I do in the mean time??  Will still go to Kinetic Edge but I need something else also.  I am thinking I will just start biking and swimming.  We will see how those to go.  We are living in a tiny apartment and not sure where I would put a bike.  And well the swimming... My mom has a pool.  It is good size.  When I am in it my kids are usually right along there with me and hopefully somehow I will be able to sneak in a solid 20 mins or so.

In other news....Yesterday was not all that bad.. after the run.   What better way to have the kids burn some energy then giving them a shovel and having them try to dig a hole in super dry rocky dirt.  They loved the challenge although in the end only one stayed with it long enough to make a very small dent

At night we went to dinner with friends.  Our good friends are home visiting.  The ones that I went and saw when we went to Costa Rica.

We had some Thai Food.  We actually had a little more then just some.  We had lots.  It was super good and very spicy.   So after dinner we went to Izzy's and got some ice cream

                                                       (sorry for the blurry Iphone pic.)


Always so fun to get together with friends that we don't see very much.  But now that I overslept my gym class and I can't run what am I going to do today to burn off all those calories I ate last night??  The sun is shinning... finally.  So today I think I will try and get a swim in.  Wish me luck!!

-Heather

Calories need to be burned this week....

So far on this trip I have done nothing but 1. Run the marathon and 2. EAT. That pretty much sums it up. I am getting very anxious to start running more normal miles this week and hopefully adding a few more veggies to my diet.

This week my plan is to run approx. 20-25 miles at least. Although my running group guru says I can go no more then 30. I am fine with that, but this is what is happening in my mind. 

I just spend the last 4 months gaining mileage and building all of this endurance and if I lose it all from this recovery I am going to Bleep da bleepity bleep!  

Does anyone else out there feel this way?  BUT, I have learned that my guru is pretty much always right regardless of what my opinion is so I will gladly....do what he says =)

Moving on.

Todays Workout: run 5 Miles easy with my sweet sista' Heather.  

I love working out together and because it doesn't happen too often we try to make the most of it when we are together. This pic below is of Heather and I at Matt's Bar.  If you ever want to come to MN and eat somewhere that literally has the BEST burger (the birth place and original home of the Juicy Lucy) in the world come here. You will not be disappointed.  I wish I would have taken a picture of the burger....too busy devouring it. But, I will say that it was worth every bite.  It cannot be beaten. For any of you foodie's out there it was featured in this months Food Network magazine. It is really and truly that good.

Next on the Agenda, Tuesdays workout.  Swim, swim, swim! I have a Sprint Tri in 1 month and I have done nothing to get ready for it.  So.... Tuesday I will be swimming. I am going to time myself in an 525m swim and then do a swimming speed workout probably... whose with me?!

Speaking of swimming, this picture is of Heather and I hanging out by the pool at my parents house.  I am currently reading the book, Born to Run.  Have you read it?  Well, I am only on page 9 and I am already hooked.  You can't say something like this:

"She handed him a gourd full of murky liquid. He swallowed a few gulps, and was amazed to feel new energy pulsing through his veins. He got to his feet and scaled the peak like an over-caffeinated Sherpa."(pg 4) 

And not want to get to the bottom of the story.  Any murky beverage whether it be fictional or not that can cause that kind of energy is something any runner is interested in reading about I am sure.

Anywhoo, as this blog post drags on... after the pool I went in and decided to do the next best thing I do while visiting home and that is cook dessert! Last week it was banana madness. So this time I thought I'd try something different.  Below is a Chocolate Shortbread Cookie in the making, and yes that is all butter. Another reason I will be pushing for that 30 miles this week.....

And this pic is of a Rice Pudding. My dad LOVES rice pudding so I thought why not, that goes with Shortbread I think. =)

And the final Combo.....tah dah =) Rice pudding with a Chocolate Shortbread cooke and fresh strawberries on top.  It was delicious.  My Dad and Mom both loved it. double score.

Wednesdays workout: 7 Miles easy.  I am hoping Heather will join me again and if the weather isn't too shabby we can take some pictures of our hometown to show you all the sights.  There are some stairs here that give you one AMAZING workout.  They are so intense that they have races just based off the stairs! It is crazy.  Anyways,  Stay tuned.

Oh and P.S. I went out and ran 5 easy miles on Friday last week and I have one word to describe how my legs felt. lead.  I am hoping this week feels a little better....

Good Monday and Happy Running All -Jen

Run Less Run Faster

After getting back home from MN I was immediately thrown into work mode.  Which means quick dinners.  This is one of my favorites and takes less then 15 mins.  Big bowl of yogurt topped with granola, banana, blackberries and a drizzle of honey.  Scott and I will share the yogurt and then I also made egg in a whole wheat basket.  I love these!  They are so easy and a great mix of your carbs and protein.   Perfect for any night of the week or a quick breakfast.

Moving on, I bought this Breath Wrap from Lululemon while I was home in MN and it is my most favorite purchase ever.  I love, love it.  It is great to throw on over your workout clothes or whatever you are wearing that day.  Seriously the perfect accessory for all occasions. 

Now onto the Run Less Run Faster book.  On July 17th I will begin my training for the NYC marathon.  I am already really excited.  This will really be my first marathon that I will be training for speed.  Unlike Jen, speed and me are not as close.  But I would really like to get into Boston as well as run a 3:30 marathon!  I only need to run 3:40 to get in but something about me is that I really like to aim much higher than realistically predicted :)  I am also really laid back and chill so if I don't reach my goal I am still happy with what I have achieved and take it into my next race.

So currently my PR is 3:54, this was a marathon that I just logged miles for and not really hitting on speed.  Since then I have gotten faster but after my 8 month sabbatical I feel like I am still getting my legs back.  Run Less Run Faster seems like the best plan for me to get my butt back into gear.  If you read the book you will now that you run 3x a week, which will consist of all speed and tempo work.  So I guess speed and me are going to have to learn to get along for the next few months.

After looking at the predicted time for races, I should be able to run a 10k at 45:41.  My last 10k was over a year ago and I came in at 49:11.  So as you can tell I have some major work to do.  45:41 would be to achieve a 3:30 marathon.  So I signed up for the Boomer's Cystic Fibrosis 10k in Central Park on July 9th.  This will give me a good idea of what I need to work on.  Number 1 is that I need to sign up for more races to get my racing game on but also learn more about my body.

I don't expect to run it in 45:41 but I am going to strive for a middle ground between 45-49 mins.  I am also going to go ahead and start a 3x a week speed drills.  I think I may be able to get in around 6 speed workouts before the race.

This is a rough idea of what my next couple of weeks workout schedule will be.  I am hoping to start Saturday(today) but I am writing this Friday night and we might head out to go camping.  If that is the case I may just have to wait till Monday.


Saturday 24th= Long Run @ goal pace ( no more than 6 miles, 1 mile warm up with 4 at GP and 1 cool down mile)

Sunday 26th=REST
Monday 27th = Track repeats
Tuesday-= Tracy Anderson XT
Wednesday= Tempo Run
Thursday=Tracy and Yoga
Friday=Long Run @goal pace (no more than 7 miles)
Saturday=Tracy

Sunday 3rd=REST
Monday 4th= Track Repeats
Tuesday= Tracy Anderson XT
Wednesday= Tempo Run
Thursday=  Tracy and Yoga
Friday=REST
Saturday=Race!!!


I will be blogging about how it is going as well as more details of what each workout is.

Have you ever trained with the Run Less Run Faster book?  They say you can get 19-24 mins faster!

What did you like or not like about it?

Any tips for speed etc?

XX
Sarah

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEN

Happy Birthday Jen.  Just wanted to post a couple pictures of Jen over the years.  Always stayed very active and was great at whatever she tried.  No wonder she loves to be so active today.  Love you Jen.  Hope you have a great birthday and so glad that I get to spend it with you!!

-Heather

Recovery and Whats next

I'll be in Minnesota until July 2nd and my plan while I am here is to relax, recover and figure out what is next on the agenda.  This is how it has gone down so far.

It was easy to rest on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday but today I am feeling all rested and ready to roll. I realize that my body will need a little more time to recover regardless of how totally normal I am feeling right now. BUT, I still wanted to get in some sort of workout.

Today's Workout: Keeping up with my 5 year old at Bounce Depot.  It is like this giant warehouse with all kinds of blow up slides, obstacles courses etc. I went in there thinking that we'd have some great bonding time and I'd be all ready to bounce around with him for hours... Only to start feeling like my brain was going to explode and my lunch come up after only 15 minutes.  Apparently running 26 miles is easier on your body then the bounce depot..... (note to self, only go to bounce depot with 5 year old if one of his friends promises to be present.)

After my workout or lack thereof I did the next best thing and stop by the grocery store and pick up all of the ingredients for dessert. My family and I are staying with my in-laws for a few days and I'd promised them some dessert of their choosing. 


So this Mess....

Followed by this Mess....

Turned into these two desserts (Banana Cream Trifle and Chocolate Banana Cream Pie) that I thoroughly enjoyed =)

Although I am able to relax and recover from the marathon I am already excited and anticipating what is going to be next on the calendar. I am for sure doing a Sprint Triathlon at the end of July.

SUPER excited about it.  

I will be blogging my training adventures for sure.....not that I have any idea how to train for one of those.  Suggestions?

Along with that, here are some up coming races this fall that I am trying to decide between.
Rock'n'Roll marathon or 1/2 in Denver (Oct. 9th)
Mankato Marathon in Minnesota (Oct. 22nd)
CIM Marathon in Sacrament (Dec. 4th)

And of course, my dream race which although probably won't happen this year but always do need to add to this list is:

Disneys the Goofy Challenge
My first marathon was the Disney marathon and after being a part of it and watching all of these people participate in the goofy challenge that I swore I'd go back.  If they can do it, I can do it! But I'll probably have to wait until next year....my dad always taught me to pay my bills...SHOOT.

Anywhoo, WHAT TO DO????

Anyone out there ran the Denver Rock'n'Roll?

Mankato, or CIM?

Also, I need help with training for my first tri.  Do I really attempt to do speed on a bike or just go for rides?

Happy Running -Jen

p.s. my plan is to be happily running again next week.  Take that week easy with some normal miles and then hop back into training slowly the following week =)

Rhythmic Walkers

If you read Heathers post yesterday you would know that for a little less than half of the marathon we had to walk.  Unfortunately Heather's knee had no interest in running this race.  Although she was more than prepared sometimes our bodies just won't allow us to achieve what we would like.

When we first signed up for this race Heather told me that she would sign up if I promised to run it with her.  She wanted to run it in the first place but this was her way of making me sign up too.  So I signed up and agreed to make her training plan as well as coach her through the race.  I decided that Heather and I could just use the same training plan.  This was partly due to my laziness of making two plans.  Anyways, I realize now that for a beginner marathoner she did not need to log so many miles.  I feel like this may have attributed to her knee problems. 

Moving on, I am not going to re-cap entirely the whole marathon because you heard most of it from Heather yesterday.  What I would like to add is that this was my first walk/run marathon and I will say that it is just as hard and painful as running one.  When you are walking, you will log much more time on your legs.  Mentally it is exhausting if you actually think about the time it will take you to finish.  In the beginning of the race both Heather and I were feeling great.  My legs were rested and I was ready to fly.  When Heather's knee pain set in I could see her discouragement.  She kept going and I kept trying to keep things positive.

It was when the pain was to hard to bare that I began to feel helpless.  In my head I prayed and prayed that her pain would be taken away so she could run this marathon.  Her knee pain was only getting worse.  I will be honest, when the realization set in about what was happening I thought for a moment that I could just go.  I was feeling good my legs wanted to run but I knew that I could not leave her side.  Emotionally it would have been to hard for her to finish alone and she would quit.

At that moment I put all of my ideas/excitement of what this marathon could be aside and put all of my hopes and positive energy into helping her get through this.  She is my sister and I love her dearly, and I know she would have done the same for me.  No marathon PR is stronger than a bond with your family.  I love her so much and am so proud of what she has accomplished.  She is the strongest woman I know and hands down this was my best marathon yet! I will never forget this race and I wouldn't have ran it any other way.

Let me just say that I have never received so many compliments on a race before.  People loved us!  One because we were totally matching, Two we had the best Rhythmic walk ever and Three because people could see how much fun we were having.  We even were complimented on our great bums :)

Can't you just tell we were powering through it....?  Below you can see our faces like "What??  This is it?" Ha!

Heather needed to make a quick call to her husband who just finished his FIRST marathon in 3:24!  He was smokin!

Really the walk we were going for was the walk from the old TV show Kath and Kim.  Did you ever watch it?  It was only on air for two seasons but I totally loved that show.  So funny!

Heather, Jen and Bryan it was a blast!!  Thanks for the great memories!

Now I have 4 weeks off before I start my training for ING NYC Marathon! Woohoo!

XX
Sarah

PS Yes I may have taken screen shots of these pix ;)  Pls don't think I am a bad person.

My Race

Me and Sarah walking together .  We were side by side the whole time.

This is how my race went down.  It started raining.  Which I was totally fine with.  Heck.... I trained in the rain all the time.  I could deal with windy, rainy conditions.  A knee pain I could not handle.  My knee started to act up right around the time I ran the Stillwater Half Marathon.  It was sort of hurting about a week before Stillwater, but I never gave it a rest.  I consider myself a pretty tough person and thought I would just be able to run through the pain.  I did rest it for the entire week before Grandma's.  And as many of you know got some fancy tape put on it.  I really was feeling good, and thought I was going to run this marathon strong and have a great time. I did have a great time but wish that I could have run it stronger.  Here is the breakdown...

Results

5:32:27

12:42 pace

Miles 1-5  Felt GREAT.  Loved all the great energy.  No knee pain.  Was happy to be running with one of my best friends.

Mile 5-15  My knee was starting to ache a little.  Right when I started to feel it I told Sarah lets run 9mins walk 1min.  I would stay on top of the pain.  Give it a little break and kept telling myself it would be fine.  Well as the miles went on it started to hurt a little more and a little more.  Around mile 9 or 10 my friend Diane ran by me.  She talked to me a little and that was the first moment that I could feel the tears building up.  This lady really helped me a ton during my training season and I was sad that I couldn't keep up with her.  She then ran on.  I pushed the sad feelings aside and just tried to keep the positive energy coming.

Mile 16-26.2  By mile 16 my knee would not bend when I would stop to do my minute walk.  It was harder to change back and forth between running and walking.  I talked to my amazing coach...aka.. Sarah and we decided that it would be best just to walk the rest.  Let me tell you friends that walking is MUCH harder then running.  You think 10 miles sounds long running.  Well walking it seems even farther.  But I needed to listen to my body and it was telling me to stop running.

We walked as fast as we could.  Talked about everything.  Laughed about tons.  Saw some crazy people.  Some hurt people.  And had lots of people comment on the speed we were walking.  I was going to walk the fastest I could if I couldn't run it.  

We finished like ROCK STARS!!!!  I had a really really great time.  It wasn't until that night that the emotions and frustration set in.  I was so upset with myself.  Why couldn't I just run through the pain.  All the training that I had done and then couldn't even run all of it.  Why did my knee have to hurt??  Why couldn't it have been the crazy lady dressed like a bird that had knee problems?  Tears came and it felt good.  Always feels good to get a good cry in right??  

I couldn't have asked for a better coach that day.  Sarah continued to tell me that I was doing GREAT and that it didn't matter one bit if we had to walk it.  She told me over and over again that the miles were going to fly by.  And they did cause I was with her.  Thanks Sarah.  I love you.  And Jen I love you to and I know that if I needed you there you would be right by my side as well.

What do they say??  What doesnt kill you will make you stronger??  Well this challenge for sure has made me stronger.  I will run another marathon.  And I will be stronger next time because of this one.

This is the awesome video that Bryan took of us crossing the finish line!  They called us The Rhythmic Walkers.

-Heather

Grandmas Marathon Recap from Jen

I had a great personal race on Saturday.  Although I did run a new PR I also overcame some personal struggles that typically I would give into. Here is my time and breakdown.

Official Time: 3:51:41
Average Pace: 8:51

Splits according to my chip:
10k - 53:44
13.1 - 1:54:08
20 Miles - 2:55:02
25 Miles - 3:40:50

My Garmin info.
Total Time: 3:51:36
Average Pace: 8:46
Miles:
1 8:50      14 8:41
2 8:37      15 8:43
3 8:37      16 8:47
4 8:32      17 8:55
5 8:33      18 8:50
6 8:38      19 8:38
7 8:42      20 9:04
8 8:55      21 9:03
9 8:42      22 9:41
10 8:21    23 9:14
11 8:47    24 8:50
12 8:39    25 8:30
13 8:35    26 8:47 (the last mile had a major headwind.... my effort felt faster this this split is indicating)  
                .4 3:16 (8:04 minute/mile pace. Also, I tried to run the tangents as much as possible but of course ran more. But ran less the my last marathon.  Long beach I clocked in at 26.58 miles....!)


GU Stops: Miles 3,7,11,15. Sprees Candy at Mile 22
Water Stops: I walked through parts of every water station and drank some. Not a lot, but just a drink or so. They were every other mile starting at Mile marker 3 and then every mile from 20-25.  They weren't necessarily at the mile markers either. They were just kind of in that mile somewhere.

The rest is just blah blah about my marathon, so please keep reading but consider yourself warned =)

I technically was shooting for a 3:50 marathon or faster. I knew it was going to be tough with the cold weather, rain and wind but oh well, a race is a race right. Doesn't matter what the weather or whatever it is the best you can do that day on that race. So, my plan was to follow the 3:50 group for as long as possible and then hopefully have enough energy to move forward around mile 23 and go in ahead.

It didn't totally go that way. I couldn't find the 3:50 pace group before the race started. Because of the lots of people and my 2 trips to the bathrooms prior to the start I was wandering my way through the crowds too late and ended up starting just somewhere in the middle of tons of people.... Anywhoo, I saw some balloons up a head and just assumed that was probably the right group and thought I'd just keep my eye on them.  Sure enough after the race started I moved a little quicker then I had anticipated.  I ended up catching that group (it was the 3:50 pace group) around mile 7. Once I was with them I stayed right on there heels until about mile 17.  Also, as for how miles 1-17 felt, they were mostly good.  I'd have a few miles where I'd start to wonder if I felt ok, but then I'd start to feel better for a few miles. I'd think about all the AMAZING people who have helped me realize I can push myself and I am not gonna die =) My Husband, my running club, my parents, brothers, sisters, etc. etc.  There are lots of you out there and I did think of them all.  I get inspired by these people and really do feel a difference in my running because of them.

At mile 17 the pace group started to pull away and I noticed my legs starting to burn slightly...... I let the group keep going knowing I was already ahead of my goal time as is and figured I had time to spare.  But while keeping the idea of staying near the pace group in my mind I was feeling like I really needed to use the restroom....but I ignored it for a while.  I think because I drank so much water during the days leading to this race I ran into this issue. I don't think it had anything to do with my drinking during the water stops.  I had the feeling of wanting to go to the bathroom around mile 4 as well but was like, um hell no I just went! Next time I will be more aware of how much I drink to be sure I drink enough but not an entire lake =)!

Around mile 20 I was really starting to feel my heavy legs. I started to take this race 1 mile at a time. I wouldn't let myself stop until I got to the following mile marker.  Then I'd walk through and drink and I told myself I'd re-evaluate the situation.  But this worked for only 1 more mile and then the urge to find a tree(bathroom) was too overwhelming and a random bush is exactly what I found.... I could have cared less who saw me.  I saw people left and right the entire race doing the exact same thing so really I just convinced myself I was doing my part.... So that mile was a little discouraging.... 9:41. I knew by this point I had lost a lot of time and was realizing the goal of finishing in under a 3:55 was soon going to be gone if I didn't get my butt in gear.

This is where I had some new mental toughness that I didn't know existed.  Typically in my previous races if something like this were to happen I'd give in a just let myself slow down knowing that I had given a good try and just finish. I literally told myself, "well if I finish the last 3 miles at a 10 minute mile I'll still finish under 4 hours and I can live with that...  But then something else happened that made this race different.  During mile 23 I felt myself just start running and speeding up. I kept thinking, this doesn't hurt and I can go faster. I all of a sudden just started running and didn't pay attention to my watch one more time.  I was passing people left and right and my adrenaline just started pumping.  I remember just looking at the sidelines and asking what mile I was at and how much longer I had.  I knew I had passed 23 but that was it. I could feel my watch buzz but I just didn't care, I kept thinking to myself, "I am just going to RUN and just see what the hell happens.  Then, I came around a corner and saw the finish and just thought well it is all or nothin and I am not looking at my time until I am finished! When I saw 3:51 on my watch I was SOOO happy.  I had overcome some issues and although I was 1 minute off I could have cared less. I did it! I was in cold, wetish, semi-windy weather, I felt on and off the entire time but managed to get through it and come out closer to ON pace then off =) Sheesh! The things that can go through your mind during 3 hrs and 51 minutes of running can really make or break you and Saturday I used some self discipline and did it!

but anywhoo, onto the next one =) Time to try how to get faster and push myself further!

These pics below were taken by my Brother -in-law Bryan who ended up finishing his race with a 3:24! Not to shabby for a first marathon..... jerk. j/k Bry, you rocked it. Anywhoo, he was nice enough to come back and found me with about 1/2 mile left in my race.  I look kind of crazy but thats just me I suppose =)

I went on by and just kept passing all these suckers!!  I was soo happy to finally be the one passing all these peeps and not the one getting passed =)  WAHOO for passing people, it feels great. Not gonna lie.

Happy Running - Jen

And We Are Back and some Recap.....

The drive up to Duluth went pretty quick.  When we first were pulling into Duluth the fog was intense but begin to let up after 30 mins or so.  We checked in and by the time we put our bags in the room the sun came out.  We went to target to get some basic necessities and then Jen insisted that we all down a V8 for our veggies and sodium. Cheers!
 

After we finished our errands we hit up the expo to pick up our race packets and do a little browsing.  We all walked away with some compression socks. We weren't looking to purchase some of these puppies but since it was supposed to be raining and 48 degrees in the morning anything that covered us up sounded like a good purchase.  Plus he was a pretty good salesman and increasing our blood flow longer sounded like a good thing so we were sold.  We also picked up some matching headbands for the race.

Oh yeah and the fast Kenyans and Ethiopians were hanging out in front of the expo so Heather strategically placed us so we could get a picture of them in the background.  As you can see Jen is still star struck because she couldn't even turn around for the picture.

It was raining when we woke up and we took your guys advice and covered our feet with bags. GREAT IDEA!! Thank you! No one else had this great idea and you could tell they were envious of our dry shoes :)

While waiting in line to use the port-a potty we ran into a fellow blogger!  Running Sane was also running Grandma's.  It was fun to chit chat with her and share a little bit of our own marathon experiences. Jenn is one fast lady and we hope you had a great marathon!

This picture was taken after the race when we got back to the hotel.  We each have great stories to share.  Jen ran a PR.  Heather and her knee which caused SEVERE pain.  She still crossed that finish line with flying colors! And me being a totally awesome coach if I do say so myself! (Oh yeah, we ended up not even wearing our shorts because of the weather it was just to cold, wet and windy).

We will each be blogging about our experiences in the next couple of days.  Jen will be on for tomorrow.  We will let you know about our times, our Gu's, our pain, the good moments and the bad moments.



Hope you all had a great weekend!
Jen, Heather, Sarah

Bib Numbers

The TRIO's internet is not working so Mom is on duty.  Below are the bib numbers.  If you google Grandma's Marathon you should be able to find how to follow them.  The girls have found an internet cafe that they can go to tomorrow after the race to post more.

A little friend of mine just showed up at the top of the stairs (George).  He is either looking for Mom or wants to watch TV with Grandpa.  Either way, he will be back in bed shortly:)

Have a good night and GOOD LUCK TO THE RUNNERS!!!

Duluth or BUST

Heather's knee is taped... Check
Van is packed... Check
Kids think they are coming.....but there not ;)
Hand stand contest.....Check
Running together Happy......Check

Stay tuned...
XX
Jen, Heath, Sarah