Giddy up...

I'm getting back on the horse, so to speak, and I'm back to blogging...mostly.  I don't imagine I will be blogging every run as I used to, but through the remainder of the year I will attempt to keep up weekly. 

It's been a few months since my last post, but that doesn't mean its been a few months since my last run.  In fact, I've had a very exciting several months.  I'll give you just a taste of what's been happening.  This will be a long one, but stick with me and you will be rewarded.

In March, when I last blogged, I was running for the sake of running - for myself, for my health, for my daughter - with minor aspirations at a Boston qualifying run at some point before December.  Early in April, the running world changed with a bomb that explode of the Boston Marathon.  That month, we ran in solidarity and rememberance for those affected by the bombing, and we ran for a sense of normalcy.

Later that month, I ran the Nike Women's Half Marathon and realized that I didn't have just minor aspirations, but I was capable of putting in a better than qualifying marathon by the end of the year, putting in a 1:48:19 half.  Granted, I had the added incentive of lining up at the start directly behind Shalane Flanagan...talk about motivation.  How can you turn in a bad performance when you are chasing the heels of the women who took 4th at Boston?

Other races, many PRs, and a myriad of runs later, I hit another milestone...the first race where I served as a pacer.  Bless my friend who believed I could lead a group of ladies to the finish line in the Zooma half marathon.  It was an amazing experience pacing the 2:00:00 group.  There is nothing more motivating on a soupy June day than knowing dozens of women are depending on seeing your pacing sign waving in the air so they know they will finish within their goals. Following that race, I received this message on my facebook page: "Hey Stacie, a woman who you were pacing came up to me afterward and started crying as she was sooo excited that she finished. She said she would NEVER have been able to finish let alone at that pace with out YOU! She said she was looking all over for you to tell you and thank you. You are a great pacer and coach!!!"

That weekend, I also learned I was running with a new partner.  In fact, I'd been running with a new partner for several weeks and would continue to run with that partner until next January...at least as a regular fixture on every run.  Figured it out?  My family discovered we would be a family of four. 

That didn't slow me down though...are you kidding?!?!?  That month I turned in a great 10k performance and then finished 2nd in my age group at my hometown 5K in support of children battling cancer. 

My days of speed racing (for this season at least) were coming to a close though.  No Boston qualifier for me this year at Steamtown.  Not even a whiff.  That doesn't mean my running will disappear this year.  Quite the opposite.  My doctor has cleared me to run every bit as much as I always have, and to even keep the Richmond Marathon on my schedule in November if I'm feeling well.  So running I will continue.

I will admit, though, to rougher mileage in July and August.  The heat and humidity made me nauseous, and the treadmill caused my old back injury to begin to flare up again, so I was relegated to running when everything would allow.  I still turned in a "decent" performance at the John Wall Mile in July, but have come to realize I'm in "happy to finish" mode from here on out.

I'll finish this super long post with a quick note about one of my favorite races of the year - the Annapolis 10-miler - which happened today.  I love this classic hometown race and the people it brings to Annapolis.  Today we had the most perfect weather in A-10 history, and I ran with the perfect crew.  Without my best running buddy, Brie, and also Danielle, Gloria, and Jen, it would not have been quite so perfect for baby Peaches and me.  Thanks ladies! 

Looking forward to the running adventures that continue to await me this year!  Happy trails!

Stats: 

 

Running for the hat of it...

I've been chasing this race for four long years.  Yes, the first (and only other) time I ran this race was back in 2009.  I'm reminded of the post I wrote at the beginning of that year, excited to try a new adventure and vowing it would be a one shot deal.  Ha! 

That first adventure didn't end well for me.  The HAT course has a lot of tough hills (at least in my mind) and I left the course after 18 miles in a lot of pain (hamstrings felt like they were tearing), but not so much pain that I followed through on my plan to never run anything like this again.  While I struggled with injury off and on, I've never quite slowed down.  In fact, I just keep coming back for more.

Start of the HAT Run

So, why did it take me four years to hit the HAT run course again?  Well, even though I've run 50ks and marathons in the interim, I was never quite healthy enough or home long enough at the beginning of the year to tackle this one again.  Until this year.  At first I was super sad that the race went to a lottery system for entry.  I was certain it wouldn't be my year....but low and behold I got it! 

Then it was a sprained ankle that I was determined not to sideline my efforts to cross the finish line.  And then it was a very late night at work the night before the race.  But with only 3.5 hours of sleep, I dragged myself to that chilly start line (where I ran into Ron Bowman...who helped me achieve my first 50k finish back in 2009...THANKS RON!).

If you've run HAT before, you know that it starts with a pretty easy 3.6 mile loop before heading out to the main show.  You almost have to have that loop to spread runners out, because the vast majority of the race once you head into the woods is all single track trail.  Not a lot of run to pass people. 

This is a pretty course.  All ups and downs, windy trails that plummet down to the Susquehanna River.  Multiple stream crossings.  Wide open fields with views out to the foot hills of the mountains.  Stone walls.  Oh yeah, and mud.

You also never quite know what you are going to find out on the trail...you may run into that pack of horseback riders out enjoying the semi-dry trails.  You may find your foot connecting with many roots and rocks if you're not careful.  But by and large, the dangers and the joys of the trails should be under foot or in front of you (in the case of the logs you may need to maneuver over). 

You shouldn't have to look up, though, right?  Not usually in my experience at any rate.  Wrong.  After another stream crossing, at mile 19ish, I was heading back up a hill when I started to hear a crack.  By instinct I jumped back about a foot, which is good because that is when a tree limb came down about 3 feet in front of me.  That would have hurt if it had hit my head.  And can you believe it wasn't the only falling tree limb I had to deal with?  I guess mother nature is keeping me on my toes.

Through it all...all 31 miles...I had the best support system you could imagine.  With each aid station I came into and multiple early passes in the beginning, I could always count on my husband and the diva being there to cheer me on.  There's something horribly motivating about your four-year old yelling "run faster mommy" to keep you moving.

If that's not enough, I really do need to thank the two women I ran the final five miles with.  I know your names are Deborah and Diana, I know little else about you, but I appreciate the conversation, the compliments and the company.  Thank you, also Diana, for paying me the greatest compliment I could recieve when telling me I'm setting a good example for my daughter.  And to Deborah for recognizing I have the best cheering section you could ask for.  And then there are the HAT run french fries...lord do I love french fries.

As I neared the finish line (which moved slightly since the last time I was at this race), the race director told me "You can stop running now" and I recall telling him "Oh thank God."  It was a great race, and I was thrilled to accept my new hat for finishing the HAT run.  Will I do this one again?   Maybe, but I can think about that later.  Now I need to worry about putting on a dress and wearing heels to a wedding celebration tonight :)  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  31
Time:   7:06:40 (average pace of 13:45 per mile)
Feeling:  my ankle is in a lot of pain, but that is outweighed by my happiness at conquering this course.

Finding the balance...

I'm a mother.  I'm a spouse.  I'm a friend.  I'm a runner.  I'm a volunteer.  I'm an employee.  I'm a lot of things and I often wonder how I keep it all together and not lose my mind.  Some days I do, but most of the time I find ways to keep balanced. 

The two best ways I can find to keep the balance are spending time with my family and running.  Today I did the latter, taking 36 minutes out of a crazy busy day to go into my own thoughts and feel my feet beneath me on the pavement. 

On those days that feel like I'm diving off the deep end, I just remember what keeps me balanced and take a healthy dose.  Happy trails!!!

P.S.  next miles on the blog will be HAT 50k miles....

Stats -
Miles:  4.2
Time:   35:58 (average pace of 8:33  per mile)
Feeling:  the ankle is hanging in there and should be fine Saturday

Taking it in stroll...

I'm taking it mostly easy this week.  I've got less than two weeks before my next 50k and I've got to get my ankle back up to snuff...or at least not injure it more. 

So life handed me the perfect way to keep it low key and spend time with the best running buddy in the world.  Tonight I had to handle daycare pick up for the diva.  Dad was working late.  And now that the sun is staying out until closer to 7, that means if I do pick up, there is time to play outside.

Thank goodness the diva loves watching her mom run...or at least knowing her mom is running.  When I asked her if she wanted to help me on my run tonight, she willingly jumped into warmer clothes and climbed into the jogging stroller with her fruit snacks gripped tightly in her little hands. 

With that, we headed down Bay Head toward the preserve to do the cloverleaf before heading home.  No major mileage today.  A) my ankle hurts with each step.  B) its super windy so the diva was getting a little cold.  And, C) I was hungry and wanted to make dinner.  But, hey, any mile run is a mile you don't regret missing later on. 

We played a bit as we jogged.  The diva likes swerving around and making car noises with the stroller.  I just like watching her smile and enjoy spending time with me this way, so I will do whatever keeps her happy to be strolling along with me.

As we were finishing, the wind kicked up pretty good and we picked up the pace to get back inside.  It wasn't long, it wasn't speedy, it wasn't artistic, but it was a run with my favorite running buddy.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  2.26
Time:   22:22 (average pace of 9:54 per mile)
Feeling:  very sore ankle, will have to sort this one out


  

A morning cup of running...

This morning while most folks were still snuggled into the warm folds of their beds, my buddy Kristen and I were greating the rising sun in an early morning six miles to get the adrenaline pumping.  No crazy hills or turning down the wrong street type of adventure like last time, just a nice paced out and back on the B&A trail.

I'm not a great morning runner, I think I've mentioned that a gazillion times, but there is always something about having someone making the effort beside you to make it all bearable.  In Kristen's case, our kids are roughly the same age, so that provides endless amusement, but I think this time we spent a good half of the run talking about food.

Yes, food.  While running.  After all, running all those miles means you can eat food.  We talked about the best brunches, the best lunches and the best dinners to be had across Annapolis.  Her favorites, my favorites, new ones to try.  What prompted this line of conversation seemingly incompatible with an activity like running?  We both had plans today that revolved around food - mine was brunch with a group of good friends and hers was dinner with her husband.

Talk of food makes the time go by fast and soon enough we were back at the start.  I wish I could have joined Kristen and her friends for the next ten miles of their morning run, but alas, that brunch at Metropolitan was calling my name. 

Because it was yet another fine day, I'm excited to say that I spent the day with my family down at our house in southern Maryland.  We've recently turned it over from a recent set of renters and were taking inventory and deciding how to spend our summer down there.  We introduced the diva to the neighborhood - the beaches, the private airfield, the stables - before coming home.  An exhausting, but thoroughly fulfilling day.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  6.0
Time:   54:45 (average pace of 9:07 per mile)
Feeling:  Good day, but ended the run with a minor sprain to my right ankle...


 

Bayootiful....

Credit goes to my buddy Lara for this photo.  I didn't have my
phone with me, but she recently posted a photo from this
particular route through Bay Ridge...beautiful, right?
 

Can a Saturday get better than spending it do all your favorite things?  No.  Especially when the weather is in the 60s and the sun is shining.

After taking the diva to her gymnastics class today I offered to take her for a long run in the jogging stroller so that I could get in a few sunny miles.  My husband counteroffered.  He recommended we go to Quiet Waters Park so the diva could ride her bike and expend vast amounts of energy on the playground while I expended vast amounts of energy pounding the pavement.  Who can argue with that? 

So, dressed with my best "I can't wait for this" smile, I waved as I left them in the parking lot and hit the perimeter trail leading for the front gate to the park.  Oh no, no running in circles around the perimeter trail for me today.  With the sun shining, this running gal was heading out to Bay Ridge to enjoy the sun sparkling on the bay.  Yes, it was a totally zen day for running.

My goals for the day were to see if I could slow my pace down.  Just last night I agreed to volunteer as a pacer for the Zooma Annapolis half marathon in June.  I'll be pacing the 2:10:00 group.  How hard can it be to slow down?  Ummm, a lot harder than you think.  I set off thinking to myself that I was ambling along, only to look down at the Garmin and realize I needed to slow down by about 45 seconds per mile to hit the right pace. 

That's going to take practice, so instead I just decided to slow down a little and enjoy the scenery (I like window shopping the houses in the Bay Ridge neighborhood and imagining myself sitting on my front porch looking out to the Bay Bridge or the eastern shore over my morning cup of coffee) over the next 11 miles...a lot of it stretching out along the bay.  People were out and about prepping lawns for spring, walking their dogs, riding their bikes, enjoying a glass of wine on the picnic tables lining parts of the beach.  It was that kind of day.

I was both happy and sad to turn back toward the park to complete my run.  Happy to play in the sun on the playground with my kid, feeling awesome from my run.  And sad that there wasn't more time in the day to enjoy the serenity of my thoughts and my running shoes.

I reached the park to see a smiling face swinging high above the playground on her swing.  We played a little longer, letting the diva show me her new found rock climbing skills, before heading off to buy preschool safety scissors so she could cut her way through all the construction paper her little heart desired.  Yeah, I could take days like this everyday.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  11.01
Time:   1:43:25 (average pace of 9:23 per mile)
Feeling:  Completely at home

Blown away...

Hey dude, don't blow your horn at me if I've got the right of way, like a crosswalk that tells me to cross.  Asshole.  Yep, that's what I yelled at the dude who had the gall to treat me, in the right, like I was holding him up and jaywalking while just getting in my lunchtime run around Capitol Hill.  That was somewhere toward the middle.

Today I did something I don't do much.  I ran on the national mall, for part of my run at least, just before the jerk with the car horn.  I won't bore with yet another retelling of why I don't like running the mall, rather I thought it would be a good opportunity to enjoy some of the great sites because it was massively windy.  Yep, that wind, gusting at 22 mph, stayed with me almost the entire time but kept the tourists from clogging up the paths around the great green expanse of grass stretching from the Capitol to the Washington Monument.  Who doesn't feel inspired by the great symbols of democracy and freedom?

I have to say, I've run in some windy conditions before, but today was really hard.  I think I should get credit for another 15 seconds per mile just because of the extra push I had to make through the wind.  There was no hiding from it and it really pulled on the legs after about 5 miles.  A couple times I had to wonder if I would stick to the ground or blow away.  Wow.

Finishing up, I have to say I was feeling good going into the weekend where I am going to try for two long runs.  Fingers crossed I hold up through Sunday.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  6.73
Time:   58:24 (average pace of 8:30 per mile)
Feeling:  hamstring is still bothering after a few miles