Half Marathon Recap

As I mentioned in my last post with the photo recap on my Flying Pig half marathon, it was a totally awesome experience. I trained for 4 straight months with the Running Spot training group for the half marathon. Twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, I would lace up my shoes and follow the running routes that were planned out by our coaches. All of the gals in the picture below have become some great friends of mine and I'm really thankful my path in life introduced me to them through this experience. From left to right below is Julie, Amy, Coach Carolyn, Beth and myself gathered together right before we lined up for the start of the race:We all stayed together for the first mile or so and it was quite a rush to be among the thousands of runners all lined up in downtown Cincinnati. In the sea of all those people, I got separated from my group of girls, but ended up hooking up with another training group member named Adam. He and I ran together for miles 2-6 and that was great. Having someone new to talk with along the race was a really great way to get those first few miles under my belt without freaking out too much about those miles that were still to come. At mile 6.5 the course headed into a beautiful park in Cincy called Eden Park and that was were the relay switch occurred. So, I follow the path to switch out with JJ so he could start his portion of the 4-person relay run and then I continued on the half marathon course. Being able to share about 1/2 mile running with him was a really cool part of the day. Having him support me in so many ways and seeing him along this journey really helped me push on through the middle miles along the route.

After JJ and I split off on different routes, I did have a bit of mental stuff start to happen. From about mile 7 on, I ran by myself along the route, which was not something I planned on doing. From my first training run, I had my running buddies right there beside me. But on this day, we all got separated and so there I was for 6.2 more miles alone with my thoughts. By Mile 10, I had pushed through some of the rough physical moments with my body, but there were some mental thoughts that started to creep in like "oh lord, I still have 3.2 mile to go", but like I had done on several training runs I dug deep and put my thoughts to good use. Remembering that I could in fact finish this and that I had made it to mile 10 already and the rest of the course was mostly down hill, so just keep putting one foot in front of the other to get to the finish line. These pictures of me below are around mile 11 & 12, so I'm almost about to hit the final straight stretch of the course towards the finish line.
One of the Running Spot coaches spotted me with about .2 miles to go and I did my best to hold together the emotions I was feeling. I gave him a huge "high 5" and smiled from ear to ear - I had done it! With Coach Micheal's encouragement, he told me to pick out someone in front of me and beat that person across the finish line - so that's what I did - set my eyes on a gal in a gray t-shirt and pounded my legs so hard that I blew past her as I crossed the finish line.

The numbers broke down like this:

13.1 miles took me 3 hours and 6 minutes at a pace of 14:13 per mile

The feeling of pride & accomplishment when I crossed the finish line...

ABSOLUTELY...100%...PRICELESS

Flying Pig through Pictures

I had a totally awesome experience with my first (and maybe only) half marathon this past Sunday when I was one of about 20,000 people participating in Cincinnati's Flying Pig Marathon. Here's a quick re-cap through some photos I took along the 13.1 mile course.

Me and JJ at Mile 7

My awesome friends who came out to cheer me on at Mile 11Finish Line with my running buddy Julie and Coach Carolyn
After party at the Running Spot tent with our 4 person Relay Team - Team Swine Flew!

Once life settles down a little I plan on posting about how everything went and some more indepth details about the day. Like I said, it was really great - eventhough it rained the first 5 miles or so, I really embraced the morning and took in all the excitement and emotions that came along with completing this goal I'd set out to finish. I can not thank everyone enough for all the support these last few months and especially the days leading up to the big run. I received tons of shout outs on Facebook and also got many text messages from loved ones cheering me on and all of those mean so much to me. Looking forward to recaping things and getting another blog post up soon with the details and hopefully some of the office race day photos!

It's time for pigs to fly!

After months and months of training runs and prep work, tomorrow morning is the Cincinnati Flying Pig Half Marathon. Tonight we went out for an awesome pre-race dinner with my running buddies to Buca di Beppo and loaded up on some yummy carbs like pasta and italian bread. Here's a quick pick of us before we all went home to get our gear ready for the morning. I'm feeling pretty good about things - I've gotten tons of shout outs and good luck wishes through Facebook and text messages, so it's so helpful to have lots of people cheering for me as I embark on this adventure. A few of my peeps are supposed to be out spectating along the course, so that will be fun to look for them along the run. Got all my clothes ready for the early wake up call, so now it's time for bed for some good solid sleep.Thanks again to all my blog readers for your support over these last few months during my training run posts. I'll be thinking of all those who are behind me while I'm out on the course in the morning!

Cincinnati's Bridges

9.3 - that was the mileage on this morning's Half Marathon training run that covered Northern Kentucky and downtown Cincinnati. It was a beautiful morning and a great day to get out before the sun came up to take in some of the lovely sights in the Queen City. The thing about running in Cincinnati is that you'll no doubt find yourself pounding up and down some hills and what some people don't realize is that almost any bridge is actually a big hill. So when you set out to run 9.3 miles and you look at the route laid out by the running coach and you see 5 bridges on the turn by turn directions, there's a bit of an "ugh" feeling that sets in before you even start your first mile.Alas, I pushed ahead and got moving across the first bridge - The Purple People Bridge - this is a pedestrian only bridge, so it's a nice smooth concrete surface to run along. The bridge goes between Newport, KY and the east side of Cincinnati's downtown area, near the some popular park areas called Sawyer Point and Yeatman's Cove. On most of our runs, this is usually the first bridge we cross, so it's always challenging to start on a hill, but overall I don't find this bridge too tough to handle. Up next, the Taylor-Southgate Bridge - this is the bridge that I find gives me the most trouble. It's 850 meters, which is similar to the others, but for some reason it kicks my butt every time I cross it. And today, we had to cross it twice (gasp) - on the way out and on the way back - but I made it, thankfully. One awesome moment from today's run while on the bridge was that the sun was coming up right beyond the bridge, so it was a bit easier to focus on the beauty of that image rather than the pain my legs were feeling while running the bridge.

Bridge number 3 was the Licking River Bridge (click link for photo). This one runs over the Licking River in Northern Ky and there's a long gradual hill leading up the this bridge, so it's never fun to cross this one and the pedestrian lane is pretty skinny along this bridge which is well depicted in the photo link.
The fourth bridge of today's run was the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge (the far left bridge in the photo). This one is pretty challenging, however I really like this bridge because of the views it gives you of downtown Cincinnati. It runs between Covington and downtown Cincy and it's right next to the home of the Bengals, Paul Brown Stadium, so when it's football season, you might be able to catch the players out on the practice field.

So, there you have it - a quick tour of some of the bridges spanning the Ohio River that I traveled on by foot this morning. While very challenging, there's a part of me that enjoys the up and downs of the bridges. Usually the down part is my favorite but hey no big surprise there because who doesn't love a downhill!

To "fly" or not to "fly"...

13.1 miles

That is the question I'm posing to myself after this past weekend's training group run. I accomplished my longest run ever, like ever in my life, 7.5 miles. It's been a tough two weekends with the groups runs - 6.8 miles of Cincy hills and 7.5 miles of bridges and downtown streets. Despite my nerves, I made it through both runs and felt pretty strong after Saturday's 7.5 miler. So strong that while enjoying breakfast with my friends, my ears perked up when one of them told me that you can participate in both the Cincinnati Flying Pig 4-person Relay Run and the Half Marathon. So, after some research that's where I am today - seriously considering runing 13.1 miles through downtown Cincy and some of my favorite neighborhoods the first weekend of May.

When I started this running journey less than a year ago, I never thought I'd be thinking of taking on such a chalellenge. Once I finsihed the Thanksgiving Day 10k run, I did feel that one day I want to tackle a half marathon, I just never thought it would be this soon - less than a year after I started running. But my energy is up, the excitement is all around me, and I feel like there's no time like the present. I'm already half way through the training with the group, so if I want to continue running with them on the weekends, then I'll be uping my miles b/c they're all training for the half - so why not just go ahead and do it - check it off my life's to do list. If I do it, the race falls 11 days before my 32nd birthday and what better gift to give myself - pride and accomplishment on completing my first half marathon, sounds like a pretty great b-day gift to me!

Thoughts - advice - words of wisdom - I'm ready to hear it all. Have you done a half marathon? If so, what's something you wish you'd known before your race? Let me hear it blogger friends!

Thanksgiving Day Race Photos

The start of the race - with the poncho and shower cap...

The shot below is around mile 4 - not the most flattering photo...

And the crossing the finish line with my friend Julie.
We were both ready for some warm, dry clothes at this point!

Thanksgiving Day Race

This is what I planned on wearing to the Thanksgiving Day Race...
Short sleeve race day shirt, arm warmers, running pants, and my new Asics running shoes...Below is a picture of the additional items I wore the morning of the run...
That's right - it was quite the rainy morning on Thanksgiving Day, so I added the poncho, a baseball hat and a shower cap to the race day outfit!

As it turned out, the majority of the rain came down in the hour leading up to the race, so when we crossed the start line it was only a light sprinkle. Once the race started, I warmed up quickly so I ditched the poncho between mile 1 - mile 2 and the shower cap came off between mile 3 - mile 4. The race was pretty fun despite the rain and I enjoyed seeing all the girls from my training group on Thanksgiving Day!

My time for the race was very similar to my time for my first 10k, so I didn't go breaking any personal records with the Thanksgiving Day Race but it was an awesome accomplishment to finish a second 10k this year. My official time was 1:23:38 and my pace was 13:30 per mile, so I was right on track with my timing all through my training runs.

I enjoyed seeing all the runners and spectators along the race course who were shouting out "Happy Thanksgiving" and other words of encouragement. Some people wore the turkey or pilgrim hats, others had on full turkey costumes - overall, it was a great way to kick off the Thanksgiving Day holiday!

Finishing the Air Force 10k

Yesterday was an amazing day. I finished my first 6.2 mile run with a better time than I expected. The weather was wonderful, the energy was awesome, and all of that was shared with some great friends! We meet up in the dark hours of the morning, 5:30am to be exact, to car pool up to Dayton for the Air Force 10k run, which was at the Wright Patt Air Force Base. All morning long, huge military aircraft were flying over head, buzzing though the sky with such great force, giving me chills every time one flew overhead. I captured this shot right as the sun was starting to rise over the buildings on the base.
Once we got through the traffic madness and made a pit stop at the porta john's, we headed to the starting line to take off for the 10k. The picture below show the military planes that are all along the finish line for the races.
During the run, I felt pretty good for the most part. There was a pretty big hill between mile 1 and 2 and our group agreed to power walk the hill, which helped us not be totally wiped out for the remaining 4 miles. We stayed with our 3 & 1 intervals of running and walking during the entire 6.2 miles. I did start to have some doubt around mile 4 about how strong of a finish I was going to be able to have. Mind over matter, that's a popular saying, right? That's what I had to do, I leaned on my friends, who were right there encouraging me along, and pushed though some of the mental doubt that was starting to creep up on me.

Coming up to the finish line was such a great feeling. I knew that JJ and my parents were going to be in the crowd of people cheering everyone on as they finished and I couldn't wait to see them. As we turned the corner to head down the final stretch of the run, it was really emotional to see all those planes lining the way for us as we pounded our feet towards the finished line. About 100 yards out, I spotted JJ and my family and heard them shouting out my name, encouraging me as I crossed the finish line. As my running buddies and I crossed the finish line, we threw our hands up in the air and cheered out as all three of us had just completed our first 10k run. Right after finishing, we were presented with our medals by members of the Air Force, which was a pretty special moment.
The numbers break down like this - my total time for 6.2 miles was 1:22:15. My goal was to finish in 1:30:00, so it was a great feeling to have beaten that time. My pace per mile was 13:26, which is good for me. I finished number 1260 out of 1701 runners and in all female runners, I finished 641 out of 967.
Thanks to my running girls - Beth and Julie - for pulling me through miles 4 & 5 and pushing me to the finish. A big thanks to JJ and my parents, who showed up and fought the traffic to make it to the finish line to watch me accomplish this big goal of completing my first 10k run. Having you guys there was really great and I am thankful for your support!

Crossing the finish line...

Check out this video that JJ got of me and my running girls approaching the finish line for the Air Force 10k run - my first 6.2 mile run!

10K training run update

I've been participating in some more training runs to get ready for the 10K (6.2) mile run I have on September 18th. So far, so good. I'm currently running consistently 2 days a week and have been trying to get in one other day with some type of cross training - mostly walking, though it's a great week in Cincy for a bike ride - perhaps this will be how I spend my Friday afternoon!

The past several Saturday mornings I have been getting up at 7am to go to running group where we are running about 2 miles. The past 2 Saturdays I have stayed late and ran 2 extra miles, making my most recent weekend runs 4 miles. The first time I did extra miles I felt great. The weather in Cincy had been really really hot with temps in the mid 90s and high humidity, but luckily when it came time for my Saturday run, the weather had become more manageable and I pushed through the extra 2 miles by myself with my some good tunes on my iPod to keep me company. Then last weekend, a few of the girls in the group wanted to get some more miles too, so it was nice to have the company, even though two of them were kicking my butt and I was bringing up the rear!

So far this week I've run on Monday and Wednesday nights. Monday was a 3 mile run and it was great. I met up with one of the girls from the Hyde Park Blast training group and we ran through an awesome neighborhood where there were tons of other people out exercising. It was really great to see so many people out walking and running - families pushing kids in strollers, people out with their dogs, other groups of gals pounding the pavement - it's nice to be in a neighborhood where so many people care about being active.
I snapped this self portrait last night before the group run - kinda silly I know, but since I'm using the blog as my "online journal" I figured I'd show you all that I really am enjoying this new adventure and nothing says that more than a picture with a smile! Last night we ran 2 miles. We did a very familiar out and back route, which is where you run 1 mile out and turn around and run 1 mile back, but I have to say the best part about last nights group run was our impromptu girls night out! There's an English pub right next door to the running store and it just so happens that Wednesday's is also Ladies Night - Yay for us! It was a much needed gathering for many of us as life is giving us lemons and we are all trying to make lemonade out of things. A great night with some great gals - lots of laughs and a few cocktails, not bad for a Wednesday night if you ask me!

Air Force 10K Run

I registered for my first 10k (6.2) mile run. I'm still kinda surprised that I actually followed through and signed my self up for it. My running buddies have been staying committed to their training and I've kinda slacked off for a week or two and I can totally tell - they are kicking my butt - they are running 3 and 1 intervals and I'm barley able to breath! But, sometimes it's a good kick in the butt that we need to get us motivated to push ourselves on to bigger things, even if they are intimidating. So, after a poor effort at a run last night, I've decided to re-commitment myself to myself. It's time to get back on the wagon, sick to a training schedule & get ready for my next run. This seems to be what gets me moving - signing up for a run, paying the registration fee and setting a schedule that will help me stay on track to complete my goal.

So, here I go again - I'll be posting updates about my training runs here on the blog. Some of you might not want to hear about these, so no pressure on reading those posts as they come over the next few weeks, just skip on past them! Posting about my feelings on the training runs helps me stay committed to everything and keeping this "online" journal helps me follow through on meeting my goal.

September 18th - that's the date for the Air Force 10k Run - so the countdown is on and I say bring it!

More HP Blast Photos

Lacing up our shoes with the timing chips - truth be told, I could have had a much better time because JJ and I got our chips mixed up and I put his on by accident. I could have been 10 minutes faster...shoulda, coulda, woulda!
Here's a photo of me between mile 2 and mile 3 - more truth telling....we were actually on a "water & walk break" here, but I saw the camera guy and "got my run on". You can tell by the laughing and smile on my running buddy's face that it was pretty funny...notice how she started to run also, with her water cup in her hand!Right after the run, we cruised the vendor tent area - filled up on some fresh baked pretzels, goetta sandwiches and cashed in on the 2 free beers.
After a nice long nap, shower and some R & R on the couch, it was time to head back to Hyde Park Square for the night. Some great music by a local band called The Rusty Griswolds, great company from my running group gals and of course more adult beverages. It's been a long time since I've partied it up like that, so we topped the night off by grabbing some late night munchies....stuff like loaded cheese fries, wings, and all that good & greasy stuff. It was so much fun and a great way to end the day!

Hyde Park Blast

Finishing the Blast was totally awesome! I had so much fun at the run yesterday morning - the weather was pretty good and being one of about 2,000 runners was a great feeling. The race started at 8am and I finished in under 1 hour, which was one of my goals. I actually had a better time on the run than I've had the entire 2 months of training when we've done 4 mile runs. Here's a great group shot of the gals I've been running with:
Here's how I finished: my total chip time was 54:14 - that's a 13:34 pace per mile; in women ages 30-34, I finished 184 out of 221 runners, and overall I finished 1757 out of 2056 runners.

I started out strong, felt very confident and comfortable for the first 2 miles of the run. There were 2 water stops along the route and they definitely came in handy when I felt like I was in need of them. There was a long gradual up hill in between mile 1 and mile 2 that was pretty brutal. I really focused on pushing through some of the pain that my legs were feeling and finished the up hill with a power walk, then went right back into the 2 and 1 interval run/walking. As we approached the 3rd mile, I told my running friends that this was the spot I was worried about, we were coming up on the approach to a really big hill and it's also the area where my negative emotions have gotten the best of me on previous training runs. The gals were really encouraging and one friend told me to focus on the upcoming water stop and not the up coming hill. We pounded through mile 3 and then it was time for Handasyde hill. We started the hill on a run interval, our coach encouraged us to at least try running for 1 minute, so I picked up my feet and marched up the hill. I made it on a run for about 1:30, then it was a power walk to the top. Once we hit the down hill, we only had a half mile to go and it was smooth sailing from there. As I came down the street where the finish line was it was so awesome! People were lined along both side of the street, cheering everyone along and I spotted JJ there, ready to snap some pics as we ran it in. It was really fun to see him and that gave me a little boost to pick up my feet and "sprint" it in for the last few seconds! Here I am approaching the finish line:
Something I haven't touched much on in these training run posts is about what the Hyde Park Blast actually raises money for and what the event supports. The Blast was started 10 years ago by 2 local residents who wanted to have a community event that raised money for good causes and aided in the fight against cancer. Since 2001, the event has raised over $220,000 for several local organizations like Cancer Free Kids and the Wellness Community and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

My next post will have some of the official race photos and some candid shots from the awesome after party, which let's just say, I might have enjoyed a little *too* much!

HP Blast Run #12, #13 & #14

Okay, run #12 just about made me want to quit this whole training process. It was a Tuesday evening run, so it was super hot outside and no breeze at all. We did a 4 mile route, much of which is along the same route as the Hyde Park Blast course. I started out fine, right in the pack with my group. But early on, like around mile 2 I was really feeling some pain. My legs felt like concrete, my hamstrings were screaming and I still had 2 miles to go. I fell to the back of the pack...walking when I was supposed to be running. I knew that I still had a long way to go, so I tried to push forward and not get too down on myself. After the mid-way water stop, I thought I could kick into gear and re-join the group, but the next challenge was Handasyde hill, which I've written about what a beast this hill is for all runners. I didn't even attempt to run this - by the time I walked to the top of the hill, my coach was waiting for me and tried to cheer me up with the fact that I only had 1 mile to go. In the end, I finished the 4 miles in 1 hour and 8 minutes. That breaks down to about 17 min per mile - usually I pace about 14 min a mile, so it was a slow day for me for sure. What I took away from run #12 is that one crappy run, does not mean it's time to give up and it doesn't mean the next run will be crappy too. Lots of things go into play when running - weather conditions, hydration preparation, eating the right foods before a run, getting enough rest, etc. This run was a bad one for me, but I've been working really hard for this and I'm not quitting. I left the training group that night fighting back tears because of how shi**y I felt, but in the end I was out there doing my best and that's all I can ask for from myself.


Run #13 was SO much better than run #12, and I was extremely thankful for that! I actually woke up the morning of the run to see it down pouring rain and lightning outside. I figured the group run would actually be cancelled, but after checking my email like 50 times, no such luck. The lightning and thunder calmed down by the time I needed to leave to meet the group and the rain had slowed to a steady light rain. The turn out for the group was small to say the least! But those of us who showed up stretched out our legs and hit the streets for a 4 mile run. It was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be - I managed to dodge all the big puddles, keeping my shoes pretty dry and I was glad I threw on a hat at the last minute to keep the rain from out of my face. We ran a few bridges during this run and I handled those much better then I had in the past. My pace was just about the same as the whole group and I didn't take any walk breaks when we were on our 2 minutes runs. Although I left the run that morning looking like a drowned rat, I was happy with my performance and felt much better about this whole process than I did coming off a such a crappy run earlier in the week.



Last night we had our final group training run (run #14) - it was a really short run, only 30 minutes. We ran a very familiar route...just 15 minutes out and 15 minutes back. The heat and humidity was back in the 'Nati and of course that made for some tough breathing moments. I ran the whole time with one of the girls who is training for a half marathon. It was nice to run and talk with her, but we both noted how much our conversation had dropped off on the back half of the run b/c we were getting pretty worn out from the humidity. After the run, the training coaches sponsored a happy hour, so we all enjoyed hanging out after the run and chatting it up a bit while indulging in a few adult beverages - courtesy of the coaches!



The Hyde Park Blast is 3 days away and I'm ready. I'll do a run/walk tomorrow to keep my legs fresh and then I'm splurging for a 1 hour massage on Friday afternoon. It will be early to bed on Friday night for me, then the run starts at 8am on Saturday morning. I expect to keep the same pace I've had while training, which is averaging to be a 14 min mile pace. Temps are supposed to be in the 70s in the morning, warming up as the day goes on into the low 90s. My goal is to finish well before those temps rise into the 90s - I plan on having a beer in my hand by that time!

HP Blast Run #8, #9, #10, & #11

Training run #8 was a great run for me. Our group tackled most of the same route as the Kicks for Kids 5K that I had done a few days before the training run. Lots of people were talking about how they felt after the organized 5k, most felling okay with their times but everyone definitely noted that the heat really took a toll on their ability to breath and keep up their energy on the 3.2 mile run. During the group run, I met a new running coach and she was telling us her "running story". She didn't start running until she was 50 years old and now that she's been running for a few years, she really enjoys it and looks forward to the groups runs. She has participated in several half marathons and when she runs those, she does the interval run/walking like I've been training. But instead of the 2 & 1 intervals, she does 9 & 1 intervals - runs for 9 minutes, then walks for 1 minute. I was really inspired by hearing this and it gave me some needed motivation to press on to finish the group run strong that night.

For training run #9 I had to work that morning, so I couldn't participate. I did meet up with a gal from the group the night before and we had a great long walk at a local park. It was fun to chat back and forth about life and it made the time pass quickly!

Run #10 was our longest training run - 4 miles - the same distance as the Hyde Park Blast run coming up in a few weeks. The weather conditions really helped make this a great run, especially being that it was my longest run ever. It was in the mid 70s, with cloudy skies, and it even sprinkled a bit around mile 3. Now I wouldn't have guessed I'd like running in the rain, but it was just the right amount to cool off in and then since we were close to the end of the run, there wasn't too much time for the air to get all muggy. My legs were definitely feeling some pain at the end of this run, like they should have stopped around 3 miles, but it was good to push myself and felt great actually being able to "run it in" for the last 2 & 1 interval!

Group run #11 fell on a weekend when JJ and I were out of town. Now according to my training schedule, I should have gone ahead and ran on my own, but to be honest I was ready for a break. It had been a very long week leading up to our weekend get-a-way, so I really made the most it by relaxing and getting some much needed sleep.

Today marks 12 days until the Hyde Park Blast 4 mile run. I'm excited for it, nervous at the same time, and really ready for the huge party that goes on afterwards too...guess I need to register!

HP Blast Run #7 - Kicks for Kids 5k Run

Training run #7 was a charity 5k (3.2 mile run) that raised money to benefit the Kicks for Kids foundation. This event also happen to take place over Memorial Day weekend, when my college roomies were visiting for our friend's baby shower. Sometime last fall, the idea came up about some of us participating in the Flying Pig marathon relay run - which is set up for 4 people to run about 6 miles each to make up for the marathon distance of 26.2 miles. Though we had good intentions, this plan never really took off for many reasons, but once we nailed down the date of our buddy's baby shower, I checked out what smaller distance runs were available for us to participate in. Turned out the Kicks for Kids 5k run was taking place and this was also our Saturday morning group run for my training group with the Bob Roncker's Running Spot in preparation for the Hyde Park Blast run at the end of June.

After a night that pretty much consisted of the wrong kind of hydration (i.e.-beer and not water), JJ, Alina and I laced up our shoes and headed out for the 3 mile run. It was a beautiful day in Cincinnati and this race started over in Northern KY, travelled down along the river for a short bit, then hit 2 of the different bridges that cross back and forth between Ohio and KY. Here's a picture of me and Alina on the "purple people" pedestrian before the run started.

The three of us started the run together and it was really great to see all the people participating. There were around 1,200 people taking part in the event. I was able to run for about 12 minutes straight and then finished out the course with a combination of running & walking. Catching my breath at times was challenging and is one areas I've found where I need to improve. I need to start listening to my body - taking deeper breaths more often, and responding when I feel I'm starting to go into panting mode. I know that I let my mind wonder and end up feeling down on myself when I can't keep up with other people's pace. What I'm really trying to work on is not letting that happen - it's my new goal to not let those negative thoughts creep in and take away from the positive things that are happening when I'm out there giving this running thing a try!

Here's how I finished: #439 out of 527 female runners, my total time was 44:10, which breaks down to 14:15 per mile. All in all, it was a wonderful day spent with a dear friend and my husband. Alina encourage me the whole way throughout the run, pushing me when I could run it out a bit and recognizing when I need a walk break. As we finished jogging across the purple people bridge together towards the finish line, I heard JJ cheer out "Way to go Lenna" and that just simply made me smile with joy!

And what's the best way to celebrate completing a 5k run? Breakfast, of course! Pancakes with chocolate chips, scrambled eggs, potatoes, ham and mushrooms, engligh muffins, juice, fruit, & coffee - you name it, we had just about all of it from First Watch.

HP Blast Run #4, #5, & #6

Training Run #4 was not as bad as I expected it to be. I was anticipating a rough run because of a cold that I've been fighting, but once I got going I felt pretty good. We met in Newport, KY again this week, so the route took us on an out and back course. We had done a similar route the week before, so I was familiar with some of the elevation challenges (other wise know as hills!). Near the beginning of the run we came upon the Licking River Bridge, which can be troublesome because there's only room to run in a single file line across the bridge and last time I got smashed in the middle of a pack of people that were much faster than I am. So, this time I was more prepared for it and positioned myself closer to a group that runs at my pace and made it across the bridge with no problems. It was nice not having someone bearing down my back to move me across that skinny pathway, this time I was able to work on conquering the uphill as we approached the bridge, then I let gravity take it's course and coasted down the small downhill that was after the bridge. Toward the end of the 2miles, I met up with a nice gal and we ran it in for the last bit together.

Training Run #5 made me feel like a whole new person. I finally kicked my cold and was ready to take on the world (or at least approx 3 miles of it)! This was a Saturday morning run, so I was up about 1 & 1/2 hours before meeting time to have some OJ and an english muffin with peanut butter to be sure I had some fuel for the workout. My group ran a new route this time and it covered 2.75 miles. The beginning of the route took us up a pretty long hill - the thing about this hill is that it's not all that steep, which is good, but it is super long, so it just feels like it's never ending and there's not one bit of downhill on the other side. Overall, I was a machine during this run - I was at the front of the pack the entire 2.7 miles, I was not winded like I had been at the end of our 2 minute runs, I was even able to keep up a good conversation with our running coach about a book she recommended. I left that morning feeling like I could have kept going - that feeling alone was enough to make me smile all day long!

Now, Training Run #6 brought me back into reality - that's right, my "runners high" only lasted one afternoon, because by the time run #6 rolled around, the temps had soared into the mid 80s and it was really "hot and sticky" outside. One good thing about this run was that the majority of the route followed along the a large portion of the Hyde Park Blast course that we'll be tackling at the end of June. Tonight's run was all about hill conquering - and lots of them. There were some other elements that came into play also because there was a ton of construction along the main road, so we were dodging huge street signs along the sidewalks, lots of loose gravel debris and a good amount of dust floating through the air. We hit a huge hill on a street called Handasyde and man was it ever steep - the type of hill that makes you want to double over in pain when you approach it. Everyone was groaning their way up this bad boy - huffing and puffing, one foot in front of the other - it was that bad! It got the best of me and I had to walk up the majority of it, however there was a huge downhill and a water stop on the other side, so there was some immediate relief from the heavy panting I was experiencing. I'd say my favorite part about training run #6 was heading out for beers after the 3 mile run that night. It was really great to meet some more people in the training group and hear about the reasons why everyone got involved with running.

This weekend's training run is actually going to be the Kicks for Kids 5k charity run, so I'm really looking forward to participating in that event. More updates to come - thanks for reading about running experiences.

HP Blast - Run #2 & #3

So far so good with the training for the Hyde Park Blast run at the end of June.

Training run #2 was great. My group, which is the beginners 2 & 1 group, went out for a 25 minute workout. With the 2 & 1 interval running style, we started out running for 2 minutes, then walk for 1 minute and followed that pattern for the whole workout. We took off from our meeting spot and ran on some of the most beautiful streets Cincinnati has to offer. No doubt looking at all the beautiful homes and landscaping made it a bit easier to keep my feet shuffling one in front of the other. This route had a lot more hills to tackle than the previous week's, so that was challenging. Overall, I felt good and enjoyed meeting some new people who ran with our group.

Training run #3 was pretty hard. I ended up getting a cold in between the two runs and by the time run #3 came along, I was really wiped out, feeling sick and unsure if I should even go out for the run. I decided that laying in bed wasn't helping me feel better, so I laced up my shoes and met the group at our meeting spot. That day we did 2 miles and it was rough. For the first 2 runs I was able to stay near the front of the group, but with this one, I was near the back and had to take a few walk breaks during the 2 minute runs. Overall, I really did feel better after pushing through the run - I think it helped get some of the gunk out of my lungs.

So, on to run #4 tonight - still feeling sick with a cold, but pushing through to get ready for The Blast at the end of next month!

Hyde Park Blast Training Group

Today is a big day - it is my first day as a member of the Bob Ronckers Running Spot Training Group for the Hyde Park Blast Run. The Hyde Park Blast is a 4 mile run at the end of June - the course goes through some of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Cincy and after the run there's a huge party to celebrate!

The first training run kicked off at 8:30am this morning. I woke up at 7:15am, had a piece of toast with peanut butter and half a banana. At last weeks informational meeting, some of the coaches suggested it was important to eat around 200-300 calories before a run, to make sure you have enough fuel to help push you through the run. They also promoted good hydration throughout the days leading up to a run, making sure you drink plenty of water 2-3 days before a training run. So, I woke up, put on my jogging clothes and new Saucony shoes and then the nerves set in. That's right, even though I was the one who signed up for this, for some reason I was really nervous when I was about to get in the car to head to the meeting spot. I didn't let them get the best of me though, and I showed up - joining the beginners Run/Walk group who would be training with the pace of Run 2 minutes,Walk for 1 minute.

I managed to hang with most of the pack the whole time and as a group we decided to do the suggested route twice. We were scheduled for a 1.15 mile route, so we ended up completing a 2.3 mile run. I learned a lot today - about running form, how to tackle the hills and that it's okay to stop and walk if your body needs it! I was glad to hear that this run/walk option was available in this training program. It's a good place for me to start and I'm looking forward to challenging myself to work up to the Run 3 minutes/Walk 1 minute group. And maybe by the end of the program, I'll be jogging along with the beginner runners, who are clocking about a 12 minute mile.

They gave us a suggested schedule to work on in addition to the Saturday morning and Tuesday evening runs that are part of the program. I'm really excited for this challenge in my life. I'm proud to have taken the first step and I'm looking forward to seeing if I can "become a runner". Some of you reading may remember when I tried the Couch to 5k program, which I had good success with, but didn't end of finishing, though I did complete a 5k back in March of '09, which was a great feeling. As I've tried to keep up with my workouts, I've found over the years that I really benefit from a group setting - I enjoy taking group classes, like boot-camp workouts, spinning, etc. Now knowing that, I think this 4 mile run training program is going to be a great match for current skill level and my desire to participate in group activities!

How about those of you reading, what are you doing to stay active? Do you like working out with a group or jamming solo to your iPod while you pound the pavement? Either way - good luck with your goals, what ever they may be!