FINISH LINES

I finished the Chicago Marathon! And now it is time for me to finish my blogging "career". I started training for marathons after my dad passed away. It seemed like something positive to focus on. I also think that when someone dies those left behind don't want to take their life for granted. All of those "I will do that someday" wishes seem like you better do them today. So my someday marathon became the Flying Pig in May. And that lead me to the Chicago Marathon in October. Both of these marathons have been amazing experiences for me. I do believe they have helped me immensely this year. Running the Chicago marathon and raising money for Team Lungevity was so important to me. But now the marathon is over, the money has been raised and I am going to retire from blogging and marathon training for a bit. I still plan on running (but am going to focus on distances shorter than 26.2 for awhile) and I still plan on blogging (expect lots of comments on my friend's blogs and maybe a guest blogging spot on Knit One---Purl Too!), but now I am going to focus on me for a bit.

"I'm just traveling, traveling, traveling, traveling, traveling through." -DP

THANK YOU to everyone who came to the Team Lungevity Happy Hour at Jeffersonville Hall. It is these memories of fabulous friends and fun times that I will keep with me during 26.2 miles on Sunday.

5 : 13 : 11 : 54

OMG! The marathon is in 5 days, 13 hours, 11 minutes, and 54 seconds, and getting closer every moment. I cannot believe that Sunday is the BIG DAY! It has seemed like a long training season. I am a bundle of nerves and excitement. I am confident that the trip will be a lot of fun, that meeting the Lungevity team will be an amazing experience, and that the marathon will be full of surprises. I am not confident in my running ability. I just need to stay positive, live in the moment, and realize that I will make it through and that not only finishing the marathon, but every step I've taken to get there is something to be proud of.

Distractions, distractions. In order to stop thinking about the marathon (eee-gads), I will focus back on a fabulous weekend. Thursday night Matthew and I roadtripped to OU to see both my sister and Indigo Girls. I had never seen Indigo in concert (just sang along with tear tracks in my bedroom), so it was a delight to hear them live. Their voices are amazing and it was amazing to hear them live. I am a masochist and hoped they would play only their most depressing of songs, who doesn't think "Last Tears" makes a crowd pleasing encore? But they mixed it up, playing "Hope Alone" (me plunging in to depression) and then bringing back my will to go on with "Closer to Fine" and other upbeat songs. Overall, it was a great concert and a great trip with Matthew.

The other part of the trip was a visit with KRitz. Amazing, wonderful time with the little sister. I got to see her college apartment, she caught me up with the latest and greatest in the world of music (Lolly-Lolly anyone?), and we both helped keep Smirnoff in business. The visit was so much fun and I cannot wait for a repeat performance.

Then it was rush rush back to Cincinnati for the Team Lungevity Happy Hour at Jefferson Hall. Another wonderful, fun evening. Thank you so much to all of our friends who came out and to all the randoms who helped support the cause. BIG thanks to Em for making our AMAZING marathon tees, so we could debut them at the happy hour. The event was both fun and we raised money for Team L, so a big success.

Sadly all that fun led to me spending the rest of the weekend racked with a horrid sore throat and cold. But I am pumping in the cold meds, getting plenty of rest, and ready and waiting for the starting line...

Remembering...

Today is RJR's birthday. Happy Birthday to him. I am going to celebrate for him by leaving work early, taking a road trip with Matthew, visiting KRitz at OU and seeing the Indigo Girls in concert. A day he would certainly love to have been a part of.

What's On My Mind...

Cake. Chocolate cake. I want some. NOW.
I may be a piggy, but at least I have standards. This particular craving is for Busken's fudge cake. Just hoping I am strong enough to not let the POS steer herself into the Busken parking lot on my way home from work. Though maybe it could help motivate me for tonight's 3 miler. A 3 mile run to Busken's for a choc-fudge and then a leizurely stroll home with a cakebox snug in my arms?

This is the problem with tapering. Too much time on my hands. Time I used to spend dreading the long run ahead, is now spent drooling over yummy treats. 16 weeks of running my socks off, building up my metabolism so I can indulge in guilt-free treats, but now I'm not running enough to justify the treats, but my body has been conditioned to crave them. Oh, the horrible irony of it all.

The marathon is just 11 days away. Maybe I can resist the chocolate urge until then, when I will have actually earned it.

A Little Dish of This, A Little Dish of That

You should watch The Dish on the Style Channel. I'm not sure what other programs are on this channel, and I am pretty sure the host (you may recognize her as Topanga from Boy Meets World) doesn't have any other job offers, but this show is perfection. It is like Best Week Ever, back when that was still a great show. They cover all the latest and greatest happenings in magazines, tv and celeb culture from the previous week. 30 minutes (or 24 minutes if you dvr and skip all commercials) of pure trashy fun. Check it out people! Seriously, new episodes air at 7am Saturday morning. Set the dvr to record and you have the perfect companion for a Saturday morning hangover.

Joy To...Me

A few recent developments that are making me very happy...

I am still on a post-20 mile-run high. Not only am I loving heading into 3 weeks of reduced mileage before the marathon, but I can finally drink Diet Coke without worrying about it's dehydrating affects.

Target is now carrying my favorite of favorite hair products, Bumble and Bumble. Seriously, this stuff is fabulous AND hard to find in Cincinnati. I actually made quite a scene of joyful shouting when I saw B&B in this Sunday's Target ad. Now, I'm not going to claim that this stuff isn't expensive, at $22 for a bottle of shampoo it is a drastic price hike over my usual $3 Garnier Fructis, but it is worth it. After years of Target shopping, will I finally cave and get the Target creddy to save 10% on my first B&B shopping binge?

So, I've got Diet Coke to keep me caffeinated, B&B to keep my locks shiny and bouncy, and...

Panera Chicken Noodle soup. I am addicted. I've got a habit and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I am even considering buying the "soup for a group" which serves 4 people. At $12 I think it's a pretty good deal for 4 dinners. What I am really looking for is a way to make my own version. But the secret is in those delicious chicken soupy noodles. How do they make those? And is it something I am even capable of? If anyone out there knows a recipe even close to the Panera soup, please share!

I'm drinking d.c., slurping soup, staying in on Friday night to wash my hair, and I couldn't be happier.

All My Friends Are Pirates, That's Just Who I Am

I'm not sure what it is about a tailgate that inspires the "back to back" pose, but MA* and I are 2 for 2 on this one. The pose originated at the Colts tailgate during October '07's DLO Reunion and once again came to life this past Sunday at the Bengals tailgate during DLO CountryFest. I won't go into the particulars of our fabulous weekend as I think Em has already done a fine job on her blog.

Here we are pictured at the first of the weekend's tailgates, near Lucas Oil in Indianapolis. We arrived early to, as Kenny would say: "Mix us up some strong libations. No worries, just good vibrations." During our tailgate for the Kenny Chensey/Keith Urban concert is was v.windy. My only concern was for my tangled hair and the consequent ruining of ALL pictures because I look like a wild-abeast (see above picture as an example). The threat of any serious weather never crossed my Kenny/Keith/Miller Lite soaked mind. Which brings us to the Bengals game on Sunday and yet another series of windblown wild-abeast pictures (I will spare you more examples). All leading up to a huge windstorm, several people without power for days, and a rampant run on all local gas stations and grocery stores. Luckily I was not affected by any of this and had plenty of time to focus my angst and pain on my upcoming 20 MILE run.

Due to a scheduling conflict the 20 mile run had to happen Friday night. I was a nervous whiney mess at work (sorry kids), and an even more nervous whiney wreck once I got home and laced up my shoes. The run was rough, both mentally and physically. But for the most part I felt confident that I would finish. I split the run into 4 loops of 5 miles with 2 different 5 mile routes, so I only ran each loop twice. It helped to break things up a bit mentally. I really tried to focus on just 5 miles at a time, even re-starting my stop watch each 5 miles so I knew my "split" times. Overall I am very happy with myself, mostly just for finishing, but also for staying strong and really resisting the urge for multiple walk breaks. I was very focused on FINISHING and if that meant running more, running faster, then so be it. Now of course I am an achy noodle type who doesn't expect to accomplish much on what I am sure is going to turn into a very lazy Saturday.

But I've got my 20 mile run finished, I enjoyed a traditional 20 miler celebratory Zip's dinner with Em and Casey, and I am free to let my leg-olays recover the rest of the weekend.

Librarian

Week two of the new school year is about to come to an end, and I finally find the time/energy/will to live to write a new post. The start of any school year is always a bit of an adjustment. Summer is full of quiet days, popsicle breaks and a small, but reliable group of employees. Fall semester brings the return of students to campus, new employees to train, and a whole new group of people that assume I am a STUDENT.

Not only am I not a student, I am a librarian. Something that many people have trouble grasping. They either think of a librarian as...

Exhibit A: an old lady in horrid clothes telling everyone to Shhh

or they think of a librarian as...

Exhibit B: some sort of eyeglass and bun wearing girl who can't wait to get dirty in the stacks

I hate to disapoint, but...

Exhibit C: ME, is much closer to the mark. No glasses, no buns, no horrid clothes, no old lady (though I do have some grey hairs) and no shussing people (just mega-death glares when they annoy me).

Hope all of you starting a new school year are off to a good start. How many days until May???

marathonipod

The marathonipod has seen me through some pretty tough hills

and some very lonely miles. When I have to run without

either having Emily by my side or with Em by my side, but both of us without the lung capacity to both run and talk, I turn to my marathonipod. This little purple number has seen me through some of my toughest moments. During training for marathon #1 there was a lot of speculation about ipods not being allowed in marathons and even leading to runners' disqualification. Luckily the Pig (and I am hoping Chicago) have not enforced this rule. There have been many a rough moment when a simple verse of "Stronger" from Kayne has pushed me up a hill. During training I try not to rely too heavily on my ipod as running motivation, but it is still a much welcome boost during the most painful of running times. The only drawback is in that month 9 of consecutive marathon training I am getting a little tired of the old song standbys. So I decided to go with a drastic approach. A playlist of only 11 songs, but all almost brand-new and really quality stuff.

The current list:

1. Chris Brown- Forever

2. Danity Cane- Damaged

3. Dierks Bentley- Sweet and Wild

4. Estelle (w/Kayne)- American Boy

5. Jason Mraz- I'm Yours

6. JoDee Messina- I'm Done

7. Jordin Sparks- One Step At A Time

8. Kayne- Stronger (old, but still AMAZING)

9. Miley Cyrus- 7 Things

10. Pink- Long Way To Happy

11. The Pussycat Dolls- When I Grow Up

I am loving the new list as it had a VERY large part in getting me through 18 miles on Saturday morning. Thanks to a fabulous JoDee concert on Saturday night with Katie (see tiny picture above) I now know about JD's most recent single, "I'm Done." The concert was amazing, the single is amazing and I cannot wait for the new JD cd to arrive (too bad it will be after the marathon). Any suggestions for the new and improved "short list" are appreciated!

Why I Do It...

"In just 59 days, more than 40,000 individuals will participate in one of the most prestigious marathons in the country: the 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. The Bank of America Chicago Marathon will take place on Sunday, October 12th, on a 26.2 mile course that boasts the best of the city's historic buildings, renowned architecture, and the sights, sounds, and smells of 29 unique and culturally-diverse neighborhoods. In addition to its scenery, the marathon is known for its fast, flat course where its highest elevation is just 24 feet. Elite athletes and amateur runners flock to Chicago to generate personal, national, and world records.
The 2008 Team LUNGevity Chicago Marathon Team is pounding the pavement to raise money and funds for the nation's #1 cancer killer. Twenty-seven runners from five different states will run for lung cancer research on October 12th. More than 80% of these individuals have a personal connection to lung cancer and are running in honor or memory of a loved one who has battled this horrific disease.
Team LUNGevity is making its fifth appearance in the Chicago Marathon and was started in 2003 by a woman who lost her father to lung cancer. Over the past four years, the Chicago Marathon Team LUNGevity has raised over $143,000 for lung cancer research."

I received this email from Team Lungevity just a few days ago. I also reached my fundraising goal! Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated and to everyone who still plans to. Even though I have reached my initial goal, I would love to raise as much money as possible for lung cancer research. You can donate to either me, Emily or Casey by visiting our Team Lungevity donation sites (just click on our names to access the sites, aren't I techy).

Like father, like daughter?

Topsail, 2006.

Vacation All I Ever Needed

Oh sweet vacation bliss. The last week has been a little piece of HEAVEN for me. I am stealing MA*'s term "staycation" to describe my past week. I definitely knew I wanted to take a week off from work before the school year started, but I also knew I had no money saved for traveling funds and no one to travel with. So my staycation began.

It was a week free of work, blogging and 6am wake-up calls. But it meant more time for home improvement, running, OLYMPICS, and friends. I had an amazing week and hope it was enough to get me refreshed for the '08-'09 school year. This will be my 3rd year at Xavier and I am excited for it, but I always feel a bit anxious going in to a new year (some things never do change). While I don't start my new year with a sparkling backpack and never-used crayons, I do still have a tradition of a first day of school new outfit. One week until all the kids come back to campus, but my vacation week has helped me prepare.

I did some fun home improvement/repair. I FINALLY decorated the living room with some oh-so-pretty wall decals from IKEA. These little babies (in the goldy-bronze) appear to be growing on my living room walls. It only took me a year to decorate that final wall! I also FINALLY (you may notice a theme, me putting off all things domestic) replaced my broken toilet seat. For months it has been a bit of a slip and slide ride. One side was basically unscrewed and you could lose your center of gravity very quickly. Several a drunken houseguest almost flew off the toilet when the seat went swishing to the side. I was so excited to break out my toolkit and replace the offending toilet seat. Sadly, I could not unscrew one side. I had to admit defeat (hate that) and ask Casey to take care of things for me. He even offered to put on the new seat, but I HAD to do it myself. So, I have acquired another new skill, toilet seat installer, woohoo.

I also learned a hard lesson in the world of running. My all-time favorite post-run treat is... cole slaw. Gross, I know, but so satisfying. I have had many a post-run meal complete with this little side dish of delight. I learned that this should only be a POST-run meal. I made the unfortunate mistake of having cole slaw before a run. BAD IDEA. My entire 4 mile run it felt like my lungs were full of the slaw. Not a good feeling. I will be sticking with what I know works, and only indulge in the slaw AFTER I have finished the run. Also finally got back to a long run, 17 miles on Saturday. The first 14 were wonderful, dare I even say, fun, but the last 3 were torturous torture time. I finished the run, collapsed for hours and just hope I will feel stronger going into the 18 this Saturday.

And finally, another first for me. I went to my first church festival. St. Mary's in HP had their annual church festival this weekend. I had never been to one before, so my expectations were high. And I was not disappointed. Highlight of the night/my life was the Berry-Go-Round. I love strawberries and was soooo excited to know this gem exists. Obviously I will be renting one for my backyard for my next milestone party. Sadly I didn't have a camera to capture this amazing ride, but I found a picture to share.

Overall a great vacation. It might not have been as exciting as going to the beach. But my apartment is the cleanest it's ever been, I have watched enough Olympic coverage to be a serious job threat for Bob Costas (lay off the caffeine Bob), and I have four new X's on my running schedule.

Back to work, back to reality...

The Wild, Wild North?

Thursday night was the beginning of some serious country time. Kenny Chesney concert at Riverbend! Katie and Bill came down to go to the show with Em and I. We put on our boots and got ready for some serious stomping. The concert was amazing; complete with a beach tailgate (we found a sandbar in the parking lot), captivating drunken antics by those around us (people being escorted out in wheelchairs at 6pm, grown men sobbing, LOTS of air guitar). Once the concert was over it was on to a wilderness weekend at Lake Erie with my mom's family.

The family gathered at Sawmill Creek Lodge in Sandusky to celebrate my Papa's 80th birthday. Please note the pictures from the lodge: bearskins, teepees, antlers. Katie and I really settled into the wilderness lifestyle: sunning ourselves by the pool, drinking moonshine (vods and sprite), and battling with woodland creatures (lots of oversized bees around the pool area). It was a fun weekend with all the aunts, uncles and cousins. It isn't that often that we all get together, so even the wilderness aspect of the weekend wasn't that bad. I was happy to get back to the big city, Columbus, on Sunday night.

The wilderness didn't really lend itself to long runs. I missed my long run this weekend and I missed Tuesdays run due to some serious rainfall. Back in the Saucony's tonight for a 7 miler. 10 weeks until the marathon. I wish I could buy some go-go-gadget legs and just forget about all this training.

"Dash" for Donation

This morning's half-marathon Dash for Donation in Columbus felt more like a "Drag Yourself 13.1 miles" for Donation. There was not a whole lot of dashing going on. Em and I headed up to Columbus Friday night for a pre-race carb fest with Suz and Anita. We had a super fun dinner with my Mom and aunt. Then it was early to bed for our 5:30am wake-up call. After a horrid night of sleep (paranoid about not waking up in time), I popped out of bed in the early hours and prepared for the race.

I was really excited about my race outfit. After the disaster of my Blast outfit (see earlier posts) I wanted to be sure I made some better choices. The race started at 7am (EARLY) so I thought it would still be cool enough to run in a t-shirt rather than a tank. Back in our Flying Pig days, the wonderfully talented MA* made running tees that are amazing (lack of the proper cord prevents me from posting a pic). The shirts are white v-neck C-9 moisture wicking from Target. On the front is the CinWeekly logo, with As Seen In CinWeekly, as a nod to our CinWeekly blog. On the back she hand-drew the logos for all our favy-fave running products: ipod, honey stinger, gu, g2, and sport beans. The shirt is amazing (thank you MA*) and I have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to rock it in a race. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of it's race day appearance because Em and I were too tired at 6am to think of bringing a camera and this minimalist race did NOT include photographers (secretly grateful after the Blast disast).

I was prepared with a cute outfit and a fairly optimistic attitude going into the 13.1. Just before the race started they announced it was actually a loop course WITH a turn around. So basically we ran out on a course, did a turn-around, ran back on the course, looped around and did the entire thing again. PAINFUL! I am such a mental runner that running the same course basically 4 times is NOT something I can get excited about. I held on strong for the first loop, but after 6.5 I just couldn't get confident about the course. I ended up finishing in decent time, especially considering how low my spirits were. It was a TOUGH course, though very pretty in the parts where we ran along the river. But I am not sure I would want to do this race again. The best part about the Pig was that it was one BIG loop, no backtracking. I have seen other marathons which have more doubling-back (I think Nashville might be like this) and it makes me nervous. Either I have to find a way to keep my confidence up going into round TWO on a course, or I have to avoid these situations in the future.

Either way in the end, I finished my half-marathon, I got a rather ugly Dash for Donation tee, and I earned myself TWO rest days. Tonight going out for the first time in ages, woohoo! And tomorrow a little culture when I attend the opera, ooh-la-la.

Hug-A-Lung

My main goal in training for and participating in the Chicago Marathon on October 12 is to raise money for Team Lungevity. My goal is to raise $500 to donate to lung cancer research. I know the marathon is still weeks away (I just started week 7 out of 18 training weeks), but I would really like to raise as much money as possible. One way to raise money is to plan a special event fundraiser (more details on that at a later time). For now I am still in the "beg my loved ones, friends and family" phase of gathering donations. I thought it might be fun to create a mailer to remind people about the training, blog and donating to Team Lungevity. I used my best librarian research skills and googled "cute lung picture". This photo was by far the winner! Look at these cute plush lungs. Check out the iheartguts website for more plush internal organs. Who doesn't want to snuggle up with a nice pair of lungs on a stormy night.

I love the lung-olays, but the Heart of Gold is pretty precious as well (and a v. cheesey romantical type gift idea).

One of these days I will actually send out some sort of mailer, but for now if you have a few extra dollas, please donate some of them to Team Lungevity. I had planned to donate my proceeds from Saturday's yard sale to Team L, but my profits ($11.50) were spent instead on anti-depression meds to help recover from the horror that was the world's worst yard sale. See Emily's post for more information.

If anyone has any great fundraising ideas please let me know. I am the Girl Scout who never got a cookie badge because it required us to sell a minimum of 7 boxes, I quota that my sales skills rendered me unable to reach. Sad, but true. Hoping I have much more success for Team Lungevity than I did for the girls in green.

I'm In Love With A Boy

Gavin DeGraw had a concert at Bogart's on Wednesday night. Fun times! Attending this concert was about the only thing that got me through a 6 mile run in 95 degree heat with unbearable humidity.

In yet another mark of the transition to me being an old lady (previous examples include: my new obsession with iced tea, requiring a minimum of 7 hours of sleep a night, no longer watching The Real World), Em and I arrived at the concert after the opening act. In early days we would arrive at concerts HOURS early to secure our front row location. This day we gladly settled into a spot at the back of the room. And I think we may have been missing out by pushing our way to the front of crowds for all those years. The back was absolutely fantastic. We were far enough away that we could actually see Gavin, rather than just the head of the person wedged directly in front of you. We were not hot and sweaty, though the place still reeked of other sweaty beasts. And best of all we had plenty of room to DANCE to the fabulous Gavin setlist. The concert was really fun, Gavin sounded amazing and he played a great selection of songs from both albums. I know I'm not known for having the best musical taste, but you really should check out Gavin's music.

Marathon training continues. Week 6 is almost over. The last week of 3-6-3, I will be sad to see that routine end. A short step-back of 9 miles on Saturday. Planning to run before sunrise tomorrow morning, hope I can drag myself out of bed. And next week starts a 4-7-4 routine, ending with a half marathon on Saturday in Columbus. So, I need to plan out a 4 mile routine that I can face running twice a week for the next few weeks. I guess the ol' 3 miler was getting a bit boring. Highlight of the week was almost running into a freshly paved sidewalk section. There were cones, I thought I could ignore them, I stopped just short of sinking into the concrete and I did get heckled by the pavers. Embarrassing!

This Situations Driving Me Crazy...

To listen to the BEST running song of the summer visit Danity Kane's website. This song has seriously helped me get out of my running rut. I also downloaded a new precious gem from my girl, Miley Cyrus; but I haven't managed to listen to it yet because I cannot stop hitting repeat on "Damaged." What is not to love about this song: first aid kits, d-a-m-a-g-e-d (I have a love for all songs involving spelling), and broken hearts; all SERIOUS running motivators.

I have had a very successful running week. 9 miles in impossibly HOT temps on Monday, a somewhat sluggish 3 miler before work on Tuesday, 6 really quality miles with Em on Wednesday evening, and another 3 mile loop around HP on Thursday night. No long run today as I was still in recovery from the fabulous Brad Paisley concert last night and I had an unexpected 9:30am work shift this morning. That means a 12 mile run to start my Sunday. Hoping the 12 isn't too rough and that it gives me confidence going into the Dash for Donation half-marathon on July 26.

Thank You Mister Photographer Man

When I received the link to the Blast photos (see horrid pic from last blog entry) I was horrified! The thought that anyone visiting the photography site need merely to type in my name to find photograph evidence of the MOST embarassing run of my life was humiliating. So I did what I thought any girl trying to protect her dignity would do, I emailed the company and begged to have the photographs removed from the site. With a wish and a prayer I sent my request out into the email world and I hoped for the best. Here is how it all went down...

(My email to Customer Service):
Is there anyway I can have my photos removed from the site? They are truly the most hideous pictures of me I have ever seen. I blame myself for the tragic outfit choice, but I would love to have my photos de-tagged so that others do not have to witness these horrifying images. I really appreciate any help you can give!!!

(Customer Service Reply):
Hello,
Thank you for your email. We can delete your images from our website, but once they are deleted, they are permanently gone and cannot be retrieved. Also, we cannot delete all photo's if other people are in the picture with you. Please provide the photo id numbers of the photo's you would like to have removed.
Best Regards,
Shay

Customer Service

(My Reply):
Shay,
THANK YOU so much for your help.The photos I would like to have removed are: (photo id numbers have been removed from this email to protect my dignity, err, i mean, identity). I really appreciate you helping me out with this. I promise to wear a better outfit and SMILE for the cameras during my next race.
Thank you,
Lindsey

So, I would say I learned a lot with this experience. First off, it never hurts to at least ASK for what you want. Second, Shay is my favoritey-fav person of the week. Third, carefully consider all race-day wardrobe decisions.... the camera is always watching.

If It's Broke, You Better Fix It

This is a picture of a broken runner. This photo was taken of me (with Indy) just before the finish line at the Blast. Probably one of the WORST racing photos ever taken. Even the marathon pictures look better than this (mostly because Emily had an eagle-eye out for photographers and would remind me to SMILE for all the marathon picture spots). This picture marks the last time I have run. Meaning I have not laced up the ol' GOLD sauconys in 8 days. Unacceptable, but is has felt unavoidable.

Looking at this picture helps explain things a bit. Those 4 miles of the Blast were rough. I finished, I was happy with my time, but it was not easy. I guess my expressions says it all. Does this look like a girl who could keep going for 22.2 more miles? No sir. So, I took a week off. I had a pity party, each day I promised myself I would run, and each day I found excuses to justify not doing it: heat, rain, humidity, too early, too late, too tired; the list is never ending. But it has to end. Because the marathon is October 12 and there is no way I will not be there.

So, the running strike ends. I have a run planned with Em after work today. And a run planned for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The reward: Brad Paisley Concert on Friday night. And then another run on Saturday or Sunday. I think I might need to blog each day this week to keep myself accountable. But I think I will settle for getting my runs in and see how often I can blog (I don't want to completely overwhelm myself). Any encouragement is welcome! I mean we all fall off the wagon now and again, right?

Blast It

This past weekend I participated in the Hyde Park Blast. It is difficult to decide which of the two main activities is my favorite; the 4 mile run followed by kegs n' eggs or the evening block party complete with $3.50 draft beers, local Hyde Park food, and some of my favorite friends. Luckily for any readers the only picture of me taken during the festivities was at the Block Party. All camera lenses would have been shattered by either my pre-race 7am sleepy face or my post-race 8:39:46am sweaty, disgusting, hyperventilating face. This picture was captured by a CinWeekly photographer at the block party (he claimed to not recognize the ever-so-famous Pig Bloggers). Gathered together for the Block Party on Saturday night are: Wes, me, Liz, Em, Casey, Eldrich, and Vanessa. It was a great ending to another fun Blast weekend.

My only goal this year was to beat my Blast time last year. At this time last year I was still rocking an arm cast (a result of a rather embarassing dancing accident at a Memorial Weekend wedding after-party). Due to the cast I hadn't been running much that summer and the best time I could manage was a 40:57. Surely a marathon runner could do better? Well, maybe not. Given my laziness during the month of May, the extreme temperatures, and the doggie drama (see Em's blog) I was hoping for the best, but not expecting much. Despite all the various problems, delays, and potty breaks (for Indy, not for me) I was very happy to finish in 39:46. A big thanks to Huey for pulling me through a sub-9 first mile and Indy for keeping me going through the next 3.

Next up is "basic training" until a half-marathon in Columbus on July 26. I remember how excited and proud I felt after my first 13 mile run in Flying Pig marathon training. I can only hope I will be at the same place (both mentally and physically) when I attempt that same distance on the 26th. The summer sun is definitely adding challenges to this marathon schedule. I never would have guessed it, but it turns out I am more a cold weather girl than I thought. Bring on the February long runs in tighty-tights, I can't handle this hot weather!

Moo Goes the Cow, Oink Goes the Ritz

One of my main motivators during marathon training is food. I live under the mistaken philosophy that I can eat whatever I want, because I am running so many miles that I don't want to run. This does little to improve my running and my waistline.

This time around I promised to be better, both in my running time and my eating habits. Luckily, I have my good friend MA* and a great website HungryGirl to help keep my post-run treats on track. Thanks to a tip from HungryGirl I had a delicious icecream treat waiting for me in the freezer after my 5 mile run tonight. It was HOT outside and despite waiting until 6:30p to run and wearing my Bengals visor (WHO DEY!) to keep the sun from my face, I was an absolutely flaming tomato by the time I huffed my way to the end of my 5 mile route. After a cool down involving 2 32oz. glasses of water (with an entire tray of icecubes), an ice pack strategically placed in my sports bra to help cool my "core" and a 20 minute yoga-style soothing stretching routine, I was still craving something cold.

Waiting for me in the freezer was a delicious Skinny Dipper caramel chocolate icecream popsicle. Only 80 calories and pure summertime bliss. I think I heard the icecream truck song after taking my first taste. I bought a dual pack with both caramel and vanilla flavored icecream pops covered in a chocolatey coating. I would suggest you do the same. A much better option than the love of my life, Snowie! These shaved ice treats are the best, but they are also a calorie nightmare. I think they have to be reserved to treats on days that involve at least 8 mile runs.

While training for the Flying Pig I developed a relentless craving for, wait for it.... cole slaw. After every Saturday long run I had to have some cole slaw. Disgusting, I know, but so delicious. We will have to see if this craving continues, or if I move on to something else. Hopefully one day I will crave something healthy, like broccoli, but I have a feeling that level of nutritional and physical health is not in my future.

The run today was a training run for the Hyde Park Blast this Saturday. I will be doing the 4 mile run with Em, Casey, and Wes. I will also be helping out my friend, Liz with the Kids Race on Saturday afternoon. Liz is involved in CancerFree Kids, a charity that raises money for kids with cancer, and proceeds from the Blast will benefit CancerFree Kids. So, sign up for the race, come watch the afternoon events, or join the party on Hyde Park Square on Saturday night, and you will be benefiting a great cause. The toughest part of the course is Handysyde, a painful hill, and I made it up, up, and away today so I am very excited to see how Saturday goes.

Drink, Drank...

Week 2 of training is complete!
After taking off most of the month of May it has been difficult getting back into running. The spike in heat and humidity did not help much. I started the week out with a 3 mile run on Tuesday. The weather was cool, the wind was blowing and I managed to finish my route with minimal walking, zero heart attack scares, and a lot of pride that I am still able to run (as long as it isn't in 90 degree heat). Wednesday night was a 5 miler with Em. Rough in spots but we huffed our way through. Thursday was another 3 miles. A little on the slow side, but not bad. And then today...
9 miles.

We planned to run early to avoid the heat and sun. The plan didn't exactly work out. Emily and I ended up running at 11am. Just about the worst time of day to go out. Luckily there were lots of shady spots and lots of water fountains along our course.

A brief rundown of the water fountains around Hyde Park:
1. Madison and Observatory: really good stuff here, good water pressure, easy to hold the pedal down (even with an exhausted running leg) and a bonus is the dog spout which is at optimal height for dogs or humans (Emily) who want to dunk their heads under the water to cool down.

2. Madison and Grandin (O'Bryonville): this has 2 spouts which allows for simultaneous drinking, good if you are in a hurry, or cannot possibly watch your running partner quench their thirst while you wait your turn, the dog spout on this one is v. close to the ground and makes it difficult for head dunking (Em may have some cement scrapes on her forehead), the water temperature is a little on the warm side, added bonus is the bench nearby which looked VERY inviting if you absolutely need to collapse (I resisted the temptation).

3. Erie(Hyde Park Square): this is a "bubbler", basically the water bubbles straight up; going up your nose, all over your face and if you are lucky, a baby bit into your mouth,also the people sitting on the square seem to stare as you huff, puff and basically take a bath in this water fountain.

4. Erie and Marburg: this little gem is hidden back by the tennis courts. I trained for the Flying Pig not once knowing about this water stop. The coldest water in the city (that I have discovered so far), but only one spout so you have to wait your turn, high point here is getting to take a water break and catch your breath before running up the policeman hill to Erie and Delta.

Overall it was a good run. I finished 9 miles in decent time, found water fountains to keep me hydrated, and earned myself a rest day. Tonight is Liz's bachelorette party at my apartment, followed by some debauchery downtown. Hope my legs can hold up for an evening of high-heeled dancing after the 9 miler!

I Confess...

I ran a marathon, I wrote a blog about it, and I am doing it all again!

I finished my first marathon in May. It was an amazing experience, made all the more fun because Emily and I were selected as Flying Pig bloggers for our local newspaper. To read more about our first training experience check out the CinWeekly archives.

Now we are at it again. This time Em and I, along with Em's husband-to-be, Casey, are training for the Chicago Marathon on October 12 and raising money for Team Lungevity as we do it. Team Lungevity raises money for Lung Cancer research. My dad, Ron, passed away in October from lung cancer. I cannot tell you what it means to run this marathon in memory of him, raising money in honor of him, and to have Emily and Casey join the team as well. We all plan to run the marathon and raise money for lung cancer research.

Check out these websites:

Lindsey's Team Lungevity Donation Website

Em's Marathon and Wedding Blog

Emily's Team Lungevity Donation Website

Casey's donation website will be added soon! (I don't think we can convince him to do a blog!).

I plan to blog about: the horrors of training for a marathon during a humid Ohio summer, the challenges of finding shoes to fit my aching feet, the joys of indulging in a post-run food binge, and all the other highs and lows I experience as I train my way to Chicago on October 12!