Back in business - 2 miles

...on the treadmill at lunch. I did them really, really fast. For me, anyway. It was the fastest I've run two miles in a very long time. I think the treadmill motivates me to run fast - the faster I run, the quicker I can get the hell off of it.

I went to the shop on Monday to get my shoes and inserts looked at. The staff loved my Road ID, but chastised me for my totally thrashed inserts and hooked me up with new ones. I was also advised to wear supportive shoes all the time, which, awww shucks, meant going directly home and getting on Zappos to buy a new pair of Naots. I'm digging all the new footwear, but it's pretty depressing to be told that my arches might be falling. I'm getting old. And here I'd thought I was the only woman alive to go through pregnancy and not have serious foot changes - my shoe size has never wavered from a 7.5. But all that gestating, lactating, and marathoning has indeed taken their toll on my perfect feet.

Track workout

I was supposed to do 9, but the workout was only about 4, plus a 2 mile warmup, and 1 mile cooldown, so I ended up doing only 7. Seven was plenty.

We've been spoiled by cool mornings all summer, and this was the first really humid run of the season. The air was sweaty. Since I've been running either in the a.c., or in 60 degree temps, the sweaty air kicked my sweaty butt. I drank waaaaay too much water after the first interval. And I have no Endurolytes, since I've been lulled into thinking that an ounce or two of Gatorade is enough electrolytes to sustain me.

The workout went like this:
2 mi warmup through hilly neighborhood streets. I should have just done my warmup on the track.

4 laps at 10:30
Up the hill, down the hill
3 laps at 7:45
Up the hill, down the hill
2 laps at 5:15
Up the hill, down the hill
1 lap at 2:25
Up the hill, down the hill

1-2 mi cooldown

I did the mile in right around 10:30, maybe 10:35 or something like that. Then I chugged a lot of water, and ate half a pack of Sport Beans. The uphill kicked my ass. It is incredibly steep. And halfway up, you turn off the path, and run through the uneven grass and mud. And then you run down. I'd gotten used to the nice paved road at UVA, where you jog down first, then surge up.

My 3 laps, I did mostly with Pamela, who wanted to chat. At some point, I just couldn't talk any more, and feigned a side stitch to fall behind her. So I ended up a little slow on the 1200.

Then the uphill really kicked my ass, as the excessive amount of water I'd had started to catch up with me.

Let us not talk about the 800, nor about the uphill that followed it.

The final lap, I completed in 2:23. Go me!!!! And then I treated myself to a cooldown on the track.

Coach Mark was there for the entire session. He never remembers my name, but he did do a little "rah rah" on my way uphill, and reminded me to turn over my legs faster (dear heart, I would if I could) and really use my arms. I stopped to ask him about my sore arch, and to my surprise, he remembered exactly what my stride looked like, and advised me to come in to the shop this week to work on my inserts. When I bought the new shoes, I intended to buy new inserts as well, but they were out of my size. So my current ones have a lot of miles on them.

And best of all, today was schwag day for the training program. We all got free shirts that say "distance is my game." So there you go.

When I got home and emptied my CamelBak, I realized I had drunk almost an entire liter of water with no more electrolytes than contained in a pack of Sport Beans. That's just stupid. And I've paid for my stupidity with that slightly hungover feeling. I finished off the last of the Pringles, and ate a banana to help, but I don't expect to feel quite right until tomorrow.

Yikes, Thursday already

How'd that happen? I got in a great run - outside! not on a treadmill! - on Monday. I think it was around 2 miles, then I did another half or so on the torture machine. I figured I'd do my other weekday run at lunch on Wednesday, but it was not to be. Max had giant, and I mean huge, like, I should have taken a picture huge because they must be seen to be believed, lymph nodes. He had a skosh of a fever Saturday afternoon, but otherwise seemed quite happy and healthy. By Tuesday, the nodes were even larger, and I heard that a few kids at school had strep, so I reluctantly made an appointment with the pediatrician for Wednesday morning. Great, I thought, I'm going to be late to work and the doctor will just pat my head, and tell me to give him Tylenol and come back in a week if they're still enlarged.

The nurse was quite impressed with the lymph nodes, and peppered me with questions about whether we had cats (yes, but elderly and declawed), or if he had been exposed to any strange diseases (you never really know at day care), or what other strange symptoms had he had (none). The doctor took a throat culture and gave a long speech about what the next step was if/when it came up negative for strep. But no sooner had the exam room door clicked behind her than she was back. Eureka! The strep test had turned positive in record time. So, no school for Max, no work for Mama, no precious, precious lunch hour workout. Today was a similar wash - Max had to stay home until he'd been on the antibiotics 24 hours (as if he hadn't already been spreading pestilence around day care earlier in the week), and I had a work deadline bearing down upon me.

We did manage a few wagon rides, though. Does that count?

I almost forgot - I got new shoes! Hooray! Good for me. I went with the same shoes I first got back in December. And I am happy to report that instead of blah blue, they now feature punchy purple as their highlight color! They're still more serviceable than pretty, though.

I think tomorrow will be a wash, too. I have serious work to catch up on, plus there's a 9 mile track workout Saturday, and I don't want to overexert beforehand.

8 miles

I went to Target yesterday during my lunch hour to buy Sport Beans, since I was out of Shot Bloks. I can never find Shot Bloks, but I knew Target had the beans, plus I was looking for a potty seat for Max. I ended up with a box of beans, no potty seat, a $20 Aquadoodle, and a new pair of shorts and a shirt.

I sat down last night with Google Maps to get some good directions to this morning's run, and discovered that Keene is way the heck down Route 20. It would take me 45 minutes of driving through nowhere to get to the middle. So rather than wake up at 5 to be on the road by 5:30, and then inevitably get lost somewhere, show up late, and have to run an unfamiliar route in the middle of nowhere by myself, I changed my plans. I slept till 6:45, and drove 18 minutes to the Monticello Trail. It's two miles uphill, and two miles down. I did two roundtrips.

The uphills are pretty relentless, but the downhills make it all worth it. I had some weird pain in my left arch, that slowed me to a walk on mile 3 (the first downhill mile) and again for almost the whole of mile 5 (first uphill mile on the second lap). But overall, I felt pretty good, and vowed to make it to the shop on Monday to buy a long overdue pair of new shoes. The last two miles, I flew downhill, did the last two miles in under 20:00, and it felt great. I finished in just over 92 minutes, again, an 11:30 pace. So, eh, not great, but better than I thought I was going to do when I hit mile 3. The arch doesn't hurt now, but I might just be distracted by the huge chafed area that the new shorts left on my lower back. They have a clever little zipper pocket for gels or keys, except I had my Camelbak strapped on right over it. Ouch.

Oh, and I saw a giant crayfish with one claw.

Another 2 on the treadmill

When my options are blazing heat and imminent thunderstorms, or air conditioning and treadmill, the treadmill starts looking better and better. I did 1.5 miles at 6 mph, a 10 minute mile! Scoff all you want, naturally athletic types, this is a big deal for me! I did the rest at an 11:00 pace. Then I lifted, did some abs, and a bunch of stretching. Yesterday (day off), I did a little yoga and spent some quality time with The Stick, and I was feeling limber and ache-free today.

As I left the gym, black clouds were gathering, and by the time I was halfway to Kroger, the skies had opened up. I waited it out sitting in the car listening to the radio for about 15 minutes, but working mama's got a schedule to keep. (BTW, The Corner, luv ya, but if you play "Hey There Delilah" and "Two Sisters" one more time, I'm switching to books on CD.) I switched my ever-so-stylish Birks for the shower shoes from my gym bag, and put my 10 min mile legs to the test sprinting across the parking lot.

Seven miles

An unseasonably cool morning on Ridge Road. I arrived late and missed whatever inspiration Coach Mark doled out to the more punctual folks. The pace groups were already leaving when I arrived. I said a brief hello to Jim, and I was off. Given the two miles here and there I've been doing, I felt great for, oh, two miles. Mile 3 was okay, but not stellar. I turned around after 3.5, and mile 5 really whipped me. At one point, I felt pretty nauseated. It was not pleasant. My knees also felt a little creaky - all that carrying Max around last week really put a lot of stress on my joints. I felt a lot better after mile 6, and I finished strong. Overall, my pace was around 11:25, better than I would have guessed after missing two long runs, but not where I want to be.

On the treadmill the other day, I realized that when I run faster, my form is better, my whole body feels better. When I run my normal (slow) speed, everything's bunched up. I feel like I've found a good stride, but it's a matter of getting my heart and lungs to keep up with what feels good to my body.

After the run, I pushed Max in the stroller on a reasonably long walk with Louise that left me pooped. After lunch, I took advantage of Max's naptime to have one of my own.

800 yards

Swimming today! I was late to work because just as I was putting on Max's shoes so he could come outside to wave goodbye, I noticed a peculiar odor following him about like Pigpen's cloud. So upstairs for a diaper change. I will leave out the details, but suffice it to say he hadn't pooped in two days, and had eaten a lot of blueberries, so, well, I was 15 minutes late to work. Which meant that I had to cut my workout a little short at lunchtime to make up for said tardiness. This working mom athlete is a tough gig.

But I swam a very brisk 800, including 200 backstroke. My backstroke is less "stroke" and more "random splashy thrashing," but I had the pool to myself so I went for it.

Another 2 on the treadmill

A quick lunchtime run on the treadmill. And not quite Chinese water torture. The treadmills at the gym closer to my work are much better suited to running. There's no bar right in front, where my arms need to go while running, and the TV screen is up higher, keeping my eyes up, instead of awkwardly down. Not as fun as running outside, but more pleasant than braving July heat and humidity.

Two miles on the treadmill

Running on the treadmill is mental torture. If I were ever captured, and the enemy wanted me to spill state secrets, they'd merely have to threaten the treadmill and I'd sing like a canary. It took all my mental fortitude to do the two miles on the treadmill. The thought of the 95 degree temps outside kept me going. I had hoped to do a longer workout today, but Max's pediatrician appointment ran long, and as usual, there just weren't enough hours in the day. I did do plenty of abs and stretching, plus got my daily dose of lifting a toddler. For the record, he came in at just 27.5 pounds, not the nearly 30 we were all expecting. I guess I'll have to up my reps instead.

Catch-up

The blog fell by the wayside as it's been pretty busy around here, and we went on vacation. Since my last entry, I've done the following:
-Run 2 miles on a treadmill. It was even more boring than I thought it would be. In fact, I think I really only ran 1.5 on the treadmill, then did the rest on the teeny tiny indoor track.
-Done some random lifting, stretching, etc.
-Gone to the beach! I had two great morning runs on the beach. On the Fourth, I had to stop in the middle of my run to watch dolphins frolicking in the ocean. The only downside to this soothing, zen run is that now the treadmill will seem worse than ever.
-Missed two Saturday runs. Shameful. Buck Mountain is just over three months away.
-Registered (just in the nick of time) for the Women's 4 Miler.
-Spent quality time with family, and worked on upper body strength by toting my 30-lb toddler all over tarnation.

What's next? Back on the wagon! Back to the gym tomorrow, and a long run on Saturday. And, as the beach pictures make plain and undeniable, some serious ab/core work.

One more thing...

...I've noticed a bumper crop of running skirts in the group this summer. They're adorable!

Another 4 miles

I hit the snooze once or twice this morning, and was a little late getting out of bed. I had laid out my clothes the night before, but decided that I needed a hat, too. I rummaged through my closet and drawers as quietly as possible, but came up empty-handed. I made a bowl of oatmeal, and ate just a few bites, and drank about 2 sips of OJ. I took my car key off the key ring, put my sunglasses on my head so I'd have them for the drive home, and headed to the car. Once in the car, no key. I ran back into the house and searched for it - no key. Back to the car. It had to be in there somewhere. I finally found it in my gym bag. I had given the bag the once-over in search of the missing hat, and must have dropped the key in.

So finally, I was off. When I got to Dick Woods, there were already cars lining the side of Miller School Road back to the guardrail. I cruised past the gravel parking area to find that indeed, there was enough room for me to squeeze in! I hopped out with just enough time to say a quick hello to Jim and Sadie before we broke out into pace groups.

There's a big glom of us slow half-marathoners, and I was a little cranky listening to all the chatter as we started out. I ran a very slow first mile up the hills, and between the hills, the gravel, the chatter, my discovery of my sunglasses still on my head, and my general discombobulation, I just couldn't get into a rhythm. I walked a little bit in mile 2, just enough to get behind some of the groups and have a little quiet. I caught back up with them at the water stop at Plank, but most of them must have been doing 5 or more, because I was by myself when I turned around.

As I headed back, there was a dog in the middle of the road, a friendly-looking black lab mix with a white paw. It ran beside me for maybe a quarter of a mile or so.

Also on the way back, I passed Pamela heading out - she shouted something about being late because she had to get bread out of her breadmaker.

Mile 3 I picked it up and did in 10:30. I like that the shorter runs give me the luxury of picking it up a little bit and not worrying about having reserves for later. The only way I will ever learn to run faster is to run faster! I had a hard time keeping up the pace in mile 4 - while it's mostly downhill, it's very rolling, plus the gravel road has a lot of large, loose stones. I was constantly worried about twisting my ankle, and my gaze was right down in front of my feet instead of up ahead. Even with some walking, I still did it in about 11:00. I averaged 11:30 for the run. A little slower than I'd like, but I'm happy with my 10:30 on mile 3. My head just wasn't in it today.

I did get my plan from coach Mark this week. My weekday mileage is very low, which is perfect. I do get some very long Saturday runs - 14 miles in September. That makes me think that if I could definitely do Richmond in November, if I felt like it. I could run another 3 after the Buck Mountain half, for 16 that day, do another long run in 2 weeks, and then have 2 weeks to taper for Richmond. I should just commit to it, but I can't, not this early. I'd burn out by August.

4 miles - season begins

Ridge Road. A cool, foggy morning. The crowd was huge, and about evenly divided between half and full marathoners. Most of the usual suspects were there, and it was nice to catch up a little. I did 4 miles with Pamela, who did crazy calisthenics next to me while I walked up hills with a terrible side stitch.

I felt great after the run. I'd been dreading it, but I feel buoyed and invigorated. Let's see if I can keep that up through the dog days.

More time in the pool

I lost count of my laps! I probably did around 1000. I think. Anyway, I used some of the techniques and drills the instructor taught me the other day, and by the end of my 40 min, I was pooped, and my arms felt like jello. I will definitely be sore tomorrow, and that is a good thing.

I must say that my flip turns were not bad, but so anxiety-producing that I only did them every other turn. I can't figure out how to get all the way through and still maintain my breathing rhythm. I end up having to hold my breath at some point, which is not what you want to do. And doing flip turns with backstroke is another ball of wax entirely.

Back in the pool

I finally made it to my swim lesson today, after having canceled it twice before for my horrible cold. The main pool already had a couple of lap swimmers plus an aquatic fitness class, so we did the lesson in the warm pool. It was warmer than I normally keep my bath, and I was totally wilted by the end of the lesson. I was hugely pregnant when I had my last swim lesson, and I'd been unable to get my body roll back. So the very nice swim instructor showed me a few drills and gave me a few simple pointers to get back on track. You can read this stuff in a book, but until someone watches you and says, "hey, dummy, quit crossing your left arm over" it doesn't really sink in. We also worked on backstroke, which has always been my bugaboo. I'd rather do butterfly (which is kind of fun, though I'm really too embarrassed to do it in public) than do backstroke. Again, a couple of drills and pointers, and I could feel my whole body changing. I also asked that we work on flip turns. I never could figure them out as a kid, and being pregnant just does not work with learning flip turns. So when I tried them today, I was surprised at how easy they were. No water up my nose, no horribly misjudged distances. I definitely need to work on them, but I think I might have gotten that monkey off my back.

Like a bozo, I forgot to bring my workout clothes, so I didn't do more than swim today. I'm planning on doing abs and strength during lunch tomorrow. I might even get out for a short run this afternoon.

90 minutes...

...of the start of the marathon/half-marathon summer training program meeting. Yep folks, I've done it again. Forked over my 30 bucks to the good folks at the CTC, and put my summer leisure time in the hands of Coach Mark. And this time around I even joined the CTC. So there you go.

I'm leaning toward the Buck Mountain Half Marathon, but I worry about it being a little too low-key. There were only 80 finishers last year - I'd be last or next to last, for sure. But hey, it's a marked course, with clocks and stuff. And I know at least one other person who is going to run it. I figure if it goes REALLY well, I could just up and run Richmond four weeks later. But I just can't mentally commit to another marathon right now, not with a long and humid summer stretching out in front of me.

I felt oddly bittersweet about reupping. Invigorated with the thought of engaging my body and brain in that way again. But sad, almost to the point of tears, that I'll never have another first marathon. I could run a 4 hour marathon, and I don't think it will ever feel as good to cross the finish line as it did in Richmond. It wasn't until I missed my goal in the ten-miler 4.5 months later that I came down off that high.

What's that old camp song? "I can't be contented with yesterday's glories..." Indeed. So I'm looking for new glory. In the form of 10:30 miles for the half. Scoff all you want, fast athletes, this is a BIG DEAL for me. It's going to take a radically different program than I had last summer to get there. I'm hoping to put in good long runs on Saturdays, big workouts on Mondays (be it running, cross training, or some combo of both), and little workouts during lunch Tuesday through Friday. That's six days a week. Last summer, I don't think I ever once ran and/or worked out more than four days, and usually only 3. By doing a half, I have the luxury of concentrating on quality, rather than quantity. Not having to squeeze in 8 miles on a weekday will really free me up to do other things - drills, speedwork, strength.

Happy Mother's Day!

Better late than never, right?

Yes, Mama has been slacking on blogging lately, please forgive her. Not much to blog, really. I haven't been running much, just a few short runs here and there. My new job and new gym mean that I can now work out during my lunch hour. So I'm shooting for 3 short lunchtime workouts (strength training or swimming), 1 long run on Saturday and 1 long workout (strength and swim or run) on my 1 weekday off. Naturally, it went great for about 2 weeks. Then a hectic week at work, and then the newest cold from day care. So I'm feeling pretty schlumpfy.

I have an appointment for a swim lesson on Monday as part of my new member stuff at the gym. I did a personal training session a couple of weeks ago and it totally sucked. I told the guy I wanted to learn some new core exercises. And what did we do? Everything *but* core. Sigh. Not rocket science, fella, give the lady what she wants. Let me figure out how to adjust the seat on the weight machine on my own time, okay? I've got one more session to use after the swim lesson, so we'll see what comes of it.

The meeting for the summer distance running training program is in just over a week. I have to pick a race, and get my mind in the game. Now that Max is sleeping till a ridiculously late hour (that I dare not post here for fear of incurring the wrath of mothers of toddlers everywhere), I am loathe to drag my butt out of bed at 5:15 a.m. Hey, at least I don't have to pump.

In honor of Mother's Day, here's a pic of Max and me. From behind, so you can fully appreciate the junk that has accumulated in my trunk since November. Maybe Stacy and Clinton are right that women of a certain age (and apparently that age is 32) shouldn't wear shorts. But, I figure with the cred of the number on the shirt, I can wear what I damn well please.

In case you're wondering, yes, my 16 month old *is* that tall. And yes, I *am* that short.

Boston!

Yeah, not me, IronMo! However, I wasn't exactly slacking off. As a proud alumna of the Scream Tunnel, I had a repuation to uphold. IronMo did an awesome job, and totally inspired me to work on speed so that someday I might run Boston (though hopefully not in a nor'easter).

2007: The year I decided to run fast(er)

Okay, so a couple days post-race, the endorphins are long gone, and I'm seriously smarting over that 24 seconds. I wanna run fast! I mean, faster than 11:02/mile. I've had a few long runs where I averaged 10:45-ish, and I'd love to do that on a regular basis, not just when the stars align. I really, really want to break 30 min in a 5K, which is a heck of a lot faster than 10:45. I have a few sub-10:00 in my recent history, I know I can do it. But how do I do it regularly without requiring an act of god?

I have decided I am not doing the Cville Half, nor am I doing the tri in June (sorry Mo and Louise - it's just too much to think about right now). I'm not writing off tri's forever, just for now. And I'm not entirely writing off the possibility of doing Richmond again this year (though I did just miss out on the $55 entry). Distance is good, but it SUCKS being in the bottom 15%.

So, then, how do I get fast? All those things I strenuously avoided last year, like fartleks and hill repeats and track workouts, I need to start doing them. And maybe some more cross-training would be a good idea. And maybe, just maybe, the Mother's Day fairy (or anniversary fairy or xmas fairy or birthday fairy) will send me to the speed clinic.

Short term goal: get a different workout plan. The past year, it's been all about the miles. This year, it's about quality.

Intermediate goal: Break 30 min in a 5K some time this year. The last chance for that in 2007 will be the Turkey Trot. Upcoming chance is the VIA 5k, in 2 weeks.

Long goal: Break 100 min in the 10 miler. Maybe next year, maybe sometime in the future. But it's out there. I'm gonna do it someday!

Race Report: The Ten Miler

Mama, feelin' crummy, lookin' good around mile 8.

I had another prerace nightmare, this time that when I crossed the finish, my time was too good, and I knew that I had forgotten to run part of the course. I had lopped off the stadium, or Lexington, like we often do in training, and had to try to go back out and run it. It was getting dark, and I was having trouble finding it.

So when the alarm went off, I didn't dilly-dally much. Okay, one snooze, but then right out of bed, and into the inky darkness. I had prepacked so well the night before, that I was ready to go in record time, and rather than sit around the house, I decided to get underway. I arrived at U Hall at 6:40, for the 7:45 start, so I stayed in my warm car for a while, listening to the latest Modest Mouse album. Finally got out of the car around 7, and headed inside. I used the bathroom and wandered around looking for the merch table (I never found it, not even when I went looking after the race) and the bag check (also never found it). I started running into people I knew - Donny and Louise, Sadie, Jim, all the runners whose faces I know but names I don't, some friends from my airline days, and the other Max's Mom.

At the start, I was impressed at how many people there were. The race was almost at capacity of 2500 entrants (though only 1900 or so finishers - I think there were a lot of no-shows), and the start was packed. As usual for us slowpokes, we couldn't hear the PA system at all, and only knew it was time to start when the crowd started to move. It took me a little over a minute to cross the line, and then there was some serious shuffling up the hill a little bit. By the time we made the first big left, the crowd was spreading out a little, though I almost got sideswiped by some jackass pushing his TWO KIDS in their DOUBLE JOGGING STROLLER. Dude, not only is that against the rules, but it is seriously, seriously not cool. A pox on you. And a pox on the fact that he smoked both me and Louise, who was significantly faster.

I was aiming for 11:00 min miles for the race, and kept mile 1 nice and slow. The big uphill and slow start helped. I hit it at 10:40. The stadium portion sucked as usual, but I hit Mile 2 at well under 22:00. (I will have to get one of those fancy watches that shows splits, because my hypoxic brain cannot remember them post-race.) Mile 3 came just after the pitifully tiny Pep Band contingent at the Chapel. I know it's early for you college kids, but come ON! The ones who were there did seriously represent, though. I think I hit it around 32:00, which is truly awesome for me, considering all the uphill on the first 3 miles.

The highest course elevation is just after the turn on Grady, at mile 3. And then there is a screaming downhill for that next mile. I totally let it out Phoebe-style. I found length to my stride I didn't know I had. It was awesome. I think I did mile 4 in about 4 minutes. Seriously, though, I'm pretty darn sure it was my fastest mile of the race, definitely under 10:30. Some more downill, then a little uphill on to the Mall, and a flat stretch to mile 5. I didn't realize it was mile 5 - there was a timing mat, and I figured it was some random timing mat, because I couldn't possibly have reached mile 5 in only 53 minutes. But yeah, when I got to mile 6 (in the middle of bitchin' hilly Lexington), I realize I had totally smoked miles 4 AND 5. Go me! I got knocked right of that high horse during 7. The hills are tiny and steep during this portion, relentlessly up and down. I think they're described as "rolling" but that's really not accurate. More "roller coaster." So at 7 I'm feeling pretty happy that I've got only 3 miles left, and forget about how much uphill there is in 8.

Oh, mile 8. Mile 8. What can I say. I lost a lot of time from 7.5-8, and then in most of 9, which is a deceptive uphill. The only walking I did on the course (aside from into and out of water stops, since I can't run and drink from a cup) was in mile 9. If I recall correctly, my time in Mile 8 wasn't so awful, but at 9 I was seriously doubting I'd hit my goal. One bright spot, right at Elliewood, who should I spy but Max, zoned out in his stroller eating crackers. Yep, Papa was there with his giant lens. It was great to see them. I hollered at Big Boy a few times, but he was deep in contemplation about his crackers. I slowed down to let Papa do his photog thing, and tried to get Max to look at me. I am less interesting than crackers.

So, at mile 9, I knew I had to run a pretty well sub-11:00 to make my time. I can't remember the split exactly, but I wasn't hugely far off at this point, like, I needed a 10:30, which isn't totally out of my league. The hills on Alderman, which are more legitimately described as rolling than those on Lexington, were kind of eating me alive. But I leveraged the downhills for all they were worth. Wheeeeeee!

Can I say that I utterly despise that the 10 miler finish is uphill? It's actually flat, but the bit leading up to the flat is uphill. So not fair.

Just before the finish, there was my mom. She begged me to stop for a picture, but I did no more than slow down a little. I think she got a picture of my hand. Some guy behind me practically shoved me out of the way in his sprint to the finish (jeez, fella, it's not like you're in danger of winning), perhaps in his own quest for 110 minutes. I crossed the line and wooooooo! I knew I was close. A volunteer knelt down and pulled the chip off my shoe, and another volunteer handed me a medal! Awesome.

So many things in life are worthy of a medal and don't result in one. Childbirth. Parenting. Great personal sacrifice. Running 10 miles? Not really, but hey, I'll take it.

My dad met me just at the end of the chute, with good picture of me coming to the finish. I went in search of food and water. Hello? Where the hell was the food and water? There was none, no water, no gatorade, at the finish. If there was, the signage was about as good as that for the bag check and the merch table (see above). So I had to schlep back down to U Hall. Even the medical tent was a pretty decent hike from the finish, and totally unmarked, though there was a prominently parked ambulance nearby.

Some oranges, some bagels, a little water, and I was feeling fine. Spent some time chatting with an old airline buddy, had mom take a picture of me with my medal in front of U Hall. And that was it! I had a blast, and my 1:50:24 time was close enough for government work.

Today (the day after), I realize why we don't go all out on downhills during training. My knees are actually a little sore, and I now know, for the first time, exactly where my IT band is located. Nothing that a little (okay, a lot) of ibuprofen won't take care of, but I can see why one wouldn't do that on a regular basis.