Celtic Classic 10K

Did you ever have one of the days where everything felt spot on?!? Well, I did, and I am so happy to share it with you.  On Saturday, I ran the 23rd Annual Celtic Classic 10K. I hadn't planned on running any 10Ks, but my best friend Liz asked me to run her first 10K with her, so how could I pass it up. The money all went to The Special Olympics, so again, there was no way that I could turn it down. I woke up Sat morning and knew that I was going to wear my Saucony's without my orthotic because they didn't really help my foot at all. Other than that, I had no idea what to expect for the course, but I did remember reading in one of the emails that there may be some mud, so I assumed there would be some grassy areas involved.  We arrived at the race a little before 7 am and there wasn't too many people there yet (they were expecting 641) so check in was easy peasy. At 7:45 I took 2 Aleve and hoped for the best.  After talking with some of the other runners, I learned that this course was definitely different than the year before, but no one really "knew" the course. All I knew was that somehow we ended up at Illick's Mill and that we ended where we started. The atmosphere was awesome, the energy from the Kilts was awesome!! At 8:08 I crossed the start line and we were off. We started on road, and then went onto a toe path. It was absolutely beautiful out, and the scenery was awesome.  Somehow we ended up at Illick's Mill, and that is where I got chatting with a fellow runner and mentioned how this was my first time running this and he was like well, "you picked a bad year to start with all the hills." Not once in the race did I feel like I was struggling. I was and am very appreciative now of all of the training runs I have been doing with Aardvark, since almost every run has hills. I felt really strong going up the hills, and although my pace slowed down for them, I didn't really feel that I struggled. I just kept telling myself that I was ready for this, and no matter what, I can do it.  At Illick's Mill we went up and around and down and up and around (really, I felt like we just kept running in a circle) and then we started the return back. It was a closed course, like VIA, but I ran the entire race without music and just lost myself in the atmosphere. I actually enjoyed running without music. I just ran based on how I felt.  I pushed myself but made sure I saved some for the end. I crossed the finish line in 1:06:53, a 2 minute PR for me. I am so happy to see all my hard work paying off.  Premedicating with Aleve allowed me to run pain free for the first 6 miles, now, to see what other anti-inflammatory I can take for another 6 miles? Anyway, if you ask me again, I just might run this race again.
The only dislike I had was the difficulty in finding the race start. Even though I put the GPS coordinates it was still difficult in finding it. But, we did, with plenty of time to spare, and had a great time! What a way to celebrate my training, and my friend's first 10K.
Hope you had a great weekend!

Wilderness Traveler

Wednesday, my daughter and I went for a 2 mile run. I guess I should clarify that I ran while pushing her in her jogging stroller. I had forgotten how hard it was to push her, but at the same time, it wasn't nearly as hard as when I first did it in the fall last year. Maybe CrossFit is working! Anyway, I wore my heart rate monitor because I wanted to make sure I was pushing myself. Last fall when I would push her, I had to stop every so often, but last night, I only stopped when my heart rate monitor told me my heart rate was too fast. I even did a hill workout while pushing her! I made sure not to run until I made it to the top! What a relief it was to get there, and then to see this...

We could have spent hours watching that deer. We were as curious about it as it was of us. My daughter kept asking me what it was looking for, she told her teachers this morning it was looking for food. A little past this deer sighting was the turn around for the mile mark and we headed back home. 

I have really forgotten how much I enjoy these running treks with my kiddo. All in all it was a great run. 2 miles in a little over 23 minutes while pushing her. Here is my total calories spent..

Guess I need to figure out how to take a better, focused picture.

After our run she had a frozen yogurt Popsicle that I made while I recovered with a protein smoothie. I made mine with a cup of apple juice, one scoop of protein powder and a cup of frozen Strawberries. It was delicious!

Anyway, we were supposed to run ThursdYand my daughter actually woke up with my alarm. I was excited. Then she said, "Mommy, lay here and cuddle some." How could I say no to that. So, I told her that if we didn't run this morning, it would have to be after work. She got excited again! Looks like this might just work :) I will keep taking her with me until either she doesn't fit in the stroller or until she loses interest. 

Editors note: As I am updating this at 2157, I can say that no run was had tonight. My daughter had a melt down so unfortunately the run didn't happen. It's ok, I am going to try to be very active the rest of the week. Sometimes workouts don't happen, but in the end, it's the quality time with my daughter that matter the most to me.