Time to Streak!

Hey! It would seem that I've been seriously neglecting my blog lately. I do apologize. I promise I'll get better at this!

I can't believe it's the middle of November already! Like, whaaaaat? Good news is that the weather here in beautiful Minnesota has been ridiculously fantastic. I decided back on the 3rd to try for a November running streak. Since then I've been able to wear shorts on almost all my runs. Shorts! In Minnesota! In November!

Speaking of the end of the year, it's hard to believe that I only have one more race on the schedule, a 10K on Thanksgiving Day. 2016 was a good race year for me, with the possible exception of the marathon in October. After much thought, I've decided to work on getting stronger next year, and return to the marathon in 2018. Here's what's been booked so far for 2017:

Polar Dash Yeti Challenege - New Year's Day (5K, 10K and 1600M)
Valentine's Day 5K
Hot Dash 10 mile - March
Great Grandma's Challenege - June (5K and half marathon)
Red, White & Boom Half Marathon - July 4
Twin Cities 10 Mile - October

There will probably be a few more 5 and 10K's sprinkled throughout the year, but those are the main ones.

That's all for now, folks!

I'm a Brand Ambassador!

As someone who's been running for... well, many moons now, over the years I've come to develop a fondness for certain brands that have worked well for me and my training. Running, like most sports, contains a plethora of products, all of which are subjective and truly based on personal preference. What works for me, may not work for you.

Earlier this year, I started incorporating Honey Stinger products into my training. Honey Stinger has been around for years, and it was one of those brands that had marginally been on my radar, back when I started training for my first full marathon in 2013. At the time, I found a few things that worked for me, and, admittedly, was a little scared to start experimenting with something new. Fast forward to 2016, and with training for my third marathon looming on the horizon, I decided that I was ready to try new things. Enter, the Honey Stinger caramel waffle and energy chews. (Seriously, those waffles though...)

At the beginning of October, I saw that Honey Stinger was opening their applications for 2017 Brand Ambassadors. I debated. I hemmed. I hawed. And then I just said, what do I have to lose, and I applied. I'll be honest, never in a million years did I even think that I would be chosen. Me? Me! I don't run a 7, or even 8, minute mile. I'm not one of those people that can go out and make even a 10 mile run look easy. I struggle, sometimes a lot. But a runner is who I am, and who I will always be.

So if ever a blog post were to have a "moral" to it, I guess it would be this: believe in what you do, and others will believe you as well. Oh. And try those waffles. Like, now. You're welcome.

A Marathon, a Juggler and More

Well. That didn't go as planned. 

Marathon number three is done. The Twin Cities marathon is a great race, in so many ways. It was my first back in 2013, so it goes without saying that it holds a special place in my heart. The course itself is beautiful, and the spectator support is amazing, especially that final sloping downhill on Summit Ave towards the State Capitol. 

Marathons aren't easy. Whether it's your first or your twentieth. Weeks of training and weekends spent away from your family for two to three (or in my case more) hours at a time can leave you feeling exhausted. I went into this race just wanting to take it easy and cross that finish line. Sure, PR's are great, but getting one wasn't really on my radar. Training had gone decently well, but as usual, could have been better. 

You know that infamous wall runners are always talking about? I hit that wall early in the race, at mile 15. Hard. Think Mack truck plowing into a brick building. Kinda like that. For the next 8 miles, I walked, I did something that sort of resembled running, I cried, and I contemplated dropping out of the race multiple times. My body was refusing to play this game anymore, and convincing my mind to do the same. At one point, I was passed by a guy who was juggling. Literally. Juggling. I was struggling to put one foot in front of the other and he was doing that and more. Then I was passed by another guy who was running barefoot. As in, no shoes. Bare. Feet. 

Shortly after that, I saw something that, in hindsight, was probably the push I needed. I saw the sweeper car. For those that don't know, the sweeper car is the car that comes along and moves runners off the road, due to the course closing. In short, it's the last thing you want to see in a race. But it was soon after that that I seemed to get a small second wind and managed to run the last mile or so. The best part? I spotted my husband and both my kids cheering my on right before I crossed the finish line. That moment? Better than any PR I could have gotten.

Well hey there! It appears this is my first blog post. Like. Ever. Woot! So please bear with me as I figure all this stuff out. I promise to lace these posts with humor, love, wisdom (don't laugh) and of course, sarcasm.

Since I clearly did not have a topic in mind for my debut post, I'll just insert a few random thoughts. Tomorrow I'm running my third marathon. The first one, back in 2013, was like an appetizer. The second, a year later, was like that salad you get before your main dish. You know, the one that teases your appetite and leaves you wanting more. Tomorrow's is like the main dish. The one that a part of me hopes is a PR, while the rest of me just wants nothing more to cross that finish line. Also, clearly I am hungry, considering I just compared three marathons to food. Whatever. I blame this week's carb loading.

So really that's all for now. I bid thee a happy Saturday, while I go off in search of the fifth main food group: coffee. Oh. And food.