Week 2 of Insanity + Tri = big steps for me!

This week I conquered another huge fear I had......riding my bike on open roads. I have ridden my bike many times in this little area where my tri group meets that is a loop on a road but there are rarely any cars and it is literally around a circle about 3 miles. Last week I did it over and over again to get to 10 miles.

But thanks to my friend Jen who encouraged me to do a course that runs from a local lake out to a little country town and back, I experienced a true "road ride." Jen is a newer biker on her road bike, and she said she was nervous as well. We had our extremely talented friend Annah lead us on this course. Annah is a true athlete and is doing a sprint tri on Saturday, so this was more like a relaxing ride for her.
I appreciated so much that she would show us this course so we can do it another time. It has rolling hills that I need to practice on because my triathlon in September is supposedly very hilly.

I survived and it wasn't too bad! Jen and I are hoping to do it again next week without our leader.

This week I incorporated two sessions of Insanity into my training again:

Monday: Plyometric Cardio Circuit Insanity + 3.5 miles running
Tuesday: 4 miles running
Wednesday: 3.6 miles running
Thursday: 10.2 miles bike road race
Friday: Cardio Power and Resistance Insanity

I still need to do a swim in the lake or pool this weekend.

"Mom, is that your gym teacher?" AKA Insanity + Triathlon training

I decided to try to incorporate some Insanity into my already Insane triathlon training. I am doing a triathlon in September. It is difficult, especially with the kids home in the summertime to get my bike and swim workouts in. I knew Insanity I could do while the kids were at home. I just wanted to see what all the hype was about and hopefully tone up a little.

Shaun T. is someone I love and hate at the same time. I am not going to lie; it is very difficult!

I found some training plans online that incorporated two days of Insanity with running. So I just adapted and decided to do two days for now until the triathlon is over and decide if I will add another day to my week.

This was last week for me:

Monday: 4 mile run + 4 lengths of open water swimming at the lake with my good friend Rebecca (a little under a 1/2 mile)
Tuesday: 3.5 mile run + Fit Test of Insanity
Wednesday: 3 mile run + Insane Abs (Insanity)
Thursday: 3.5 mile run with my good friends Kim and Melissa
Friday: 30 min swim in the pool
Saturday: 10.6 mile bike ride (which was my longest bike ride in a year-great for my confidence)
Sunday: 50 min yoga at my good friend Dana's house-she just graduated from yoga training on Saturday and had friends over to do a session with her and have dinner


Today I ran 3.5 miles and did the Plyometric Cardio Circuit. As I did this, my 4 year old rode around me in his Cozy Coupe in the living room and asked me if that was the same gym his soccer was in and if Shaun T. was my gym teacher.

Insanity Gym

I look forward to incorporating this twice a week into my workout and hopefully see some results!

5K PR........way behind posting!!

My husband's Rotary club sponsored the 2nd annual Service Above Self 5K in May. It went very smooth this year!

Registration was very smooth! Look at the long line!

My husband, the race director, is below with another Rotary member,

I was torn about whether to run or not because I was organizing the Kids' Race. Finally the day before, I decided I would do the 5K. My friends and I arrived and got lined up and ready to go!

The horn blew and Melanie (green shirt below) and I got into a groove running along about an 8:40 pace or so. The race ends up a bit shy of 3.1 at about 2.9 miles but we finished at 25:43 (8:18 pace for 3.1 but we were a tad slower than that because of distance). I was very happy with our finish. The weather was perfect!

Aaaand.....I finished 3rd in my age group! Two of my other friends with their 1st place medals!

#6

On May 5th, I ran my 6th half marathon! If someone told me 5 years ago, I would have ran 6 half marathons in 4 years, I would have told them they were crazy. This was my 4th experience with the Pittsburgh Marathon. In 2010, we did the relay and I did the half marathon in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Next year I will get a gift for 5 years from the Pittsburgh Marathon!

My husband had been golfing for 6 days and got home very late Friday night. On Saturday, we went to our oldest's baseball game and met my mother-in-law there so she could keep the kids overnight. We went to the Expo and got our packets. My husband did the Relay with some friends of ours so he was running 5.8 miles. We tried some samples of Honey Stinger waffles and bought some honey and vanilla flavored. These are my new favorite pre-workout food! Yummy!

We checked into our hotel that we stayed at downtown last year as well. We went to Sonoma Grill for dinner. I wish I could have had some wine! Their wine list is very extensive. I got some pasta, and it was amazing! Great food there!

We got ready for bed at 7:30PM and rented Guilt Trip with Seth Rogan and Barbara Streissand. It was pretty funny! I was asleep by 9:30PM!

We got up about 5:15AM and got ready to head downstairs to walk just a few blocks to the starting line. My husband was in Corral D so we had to split up there because I was in Corral C. This was the first race I had ever done where I didn't know anyone around me! I felt a little lonely as people chatted and hugged. But once the gun went off and Ryan Clark from the Steelers announced for us to go, I was ready! I had planned to stay around 9:15-9:20 pace. I really wanted to be 2:05 since last year I was 2:06.

I was doing great. The first mile I knew I went out too fast when it was 8:17 pace. I slowed down a little to stay around 9:20 or so. 

My splits were:

Mile 1: 8:17

Mile 2: 9:28

Mile 3: 9:21

Mile 4: 9:10

Mile 5: 9:04

Mile 6: 9:17

Mile 7: 9:24

Mile 8: 9:25

Mile 9: 9:31

And this is where I started to fall apart! Coming down Carson street there was an incline which was not fun. It seemed to go on forever. I got my Gatorade and ate 2 Shot Blocks, hoping that this would give me the extra fuel for the next few miles!

Mile 10: 9:51

Through the South Side, I felt like I could not run any faster. I was getting so tired and was hitting the wall.

Mile 11: 9:44

I started to move a bit faster but I knew what was coming for me......

Mile 12: 10:37

I lost so much time here! Once I went over the Birmingham Bridge, I knew that the dreaded hill at Duquense was coming. First was a little hill then around the corner and the big on looked at me right in the eyes. I had to walk a little on this hill. My heart was pounding so fast I thought it was going to come out of my chest. I never had this feeling before. I think the anxiety of the hill, and the fact that I was getting excited because I thought I could be 2:02 or 2:03 just all hit me at once. I got up the hill and tried to make up some speed in the 13th mile. 

Mile 13: 9:41

As I came into town and could hear the crowd cheering, two things happened. #1-I saw a man on the ground to my left with paramedics around him. I was distraught with worry.  #2-To my left came the winner of the full marathon. It was sensory overload for me.

I crossed the finish with a crowd cheering so loud for the winner of the full with a 2:05 finish. A PR for me!

Later that afternoon, I saw on the news that 23 year old Kyle Johnson died. He was the young man I saw on my left. I wondered if I had ran next to him at any point. What happened? The news said it must have been a heart condition. It was such a sad moment.

I enjoyed my 6th Pittsburgh marathon. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't stay at my goal pace and let that darn Duquense hill get me again. But I will do it again next year........I have to get my 5 year gift right??

Heartbroken near Heartbreak Hill

I can't begin to express the sadness as a runner, as a mother, as a human being, as an American for those who were hurt and passed away as a result of the bombings at the Boston Marathon.

As a runner, I feel the pain, feel like I was there so many times running a race......waiting for friends or my husband at the end of the race. Feeling the excitement as I crossed the finish line.....feeling just as excited for my friends and family as they cross the finish line. 

As a mother, my heart aches at the thought of losing one of my children. Three young lives were lost on Monday. Family and friends are devastated. Seeing little eight year old Martin Richard's face as he wore a Boston Bruins jersey tugged at my heart thinking of my oldest son who just turned 9. Thinking of how my son is about the same age and loves hockey as well.

As a human being and American, I wonder why someone has chose to perform such a horrible act of violence and evil at one of our country's greatest road races. I cannot understand, and I never will, why these events happen.

Will I be worried when I cross the finish line at the Pittsburgh half marathon in a few weeks? Maybe. Maybe I will just be so tired from running for 2 hours straight, I will just be looking for my husband's handsome face at the finish. Maybe I will have a bit of worry at the back of my mind. But I can guarantee that I will think of the victims as I cross that finish line and say a prayer for them.

I will not let this hold me back or change my life. The evil will not win. There is so much good in our world, and I see it every day. I see the smiles in my children's faces. I see the joy of something as simple as getting a hot dog at the hot dog card making my son's entire day exciting. I see my oldest son excited about baseball and getting a new helmet. I see my precious daughter making others smile and laugh when they are sad. I see the beauty of love and forgiveness in my parents who are best friends now after a divorce many, many moons ago. I see my husband spending hours and hours for months working on planning a 5K that raised thousands of dollars for veterans last year. I see fireman and emergency personnel helping people and risking their lives and not getting paid a penny for it. There is good in this world, and it surrounds us every day. Look around and see some today; let it comfort us all in this time of sadness.

Trucking along to Pittsburgh half marathon.....again!

As I approach running my 6th half marathon, I still am enjoying running as much as I ever did! This winter has been rough. Very cold and snowy.

But now that I have become part of a little women's running circle, my Saturday morning long runs in the freezing cold have been actually.........fun!

In December, right before Christmas, most of us got to meet up for a "Christmas run" and breakfast at a great little cafe in Greensburg, Sun Dawg Cafe. 

Usually every Saturday or, at times, Sunday, a few of us are able to get in our "long" runs. There are times that I am running with some girls that aren't doing the half, and doing the relay, but they will still get in 5-6 miles with me, and I can finish the last few with my iPod for help. 

There was one Saturday that Melissa and I ran where it was snowing sheets of snow and we felt like total bada** mothers running through it. One morning, Kelli, Chrissy, and I ran when it was 5 degrees when we started. Kelli's black hair looked like a witch's hair after because of the ice frozen in it. My eyelashes looked like Lady Gaga. One morning, Rebecca and I ran and started at 8 degrees, when we finished our 5 miles, it was 7 degrees. So we were hard core ladies this winter!

Finally the weather has gotten better, and I got to do my first run in SHORTS Monday!!

Two weeks ago, my entire family got sick, and I am still coping with a cough when I am running. I am hoping for the half marathon that I can beat last year's time of 2:06, even if it is just by a minute!

Four weeks to go!!

Reflections....

A little less than a year ago as I was pulling in my driveway, my mom pulled in my driveway behind me. It wasn't a surprise because she stops by often. She walked in the garage and said, "I have cancer." I felt like someone punched me in the chest. My mom, my rock, my best friend......what happens now?

She told me it was endometrial and we needed to meet with an oncologist in Pittsburgh as soon as possible. I held it together and we said our goodbyes. I went inside and called my husband and my best friend in Charlotte. I was so worried.

The next week, I arranged for a babysitter to attend the first appointment with her oncologist. His name was Dr. Price and he was wonderful. He helped reassure some of the worries that we had. Her hysterectomy would be in 2 weeks. They may have to take out the lymph nodes depending on if the cancer was already coming through the lining of her uterus.

I didn't sleep much the next few weeks. I had trouble doing anything without thinking about the cancer and if my beloved mother was going to be okay.

On a Wednesday morning in May, I picked up my mom about 5am and we headed to Pittsburgh to the hospital. I stayed with her until they were to take her for surgery about 6:30am and I headed to the waiting room all alone. They said they would call every 1.5 hours on the waiting room phone once the surgery started.

I had my iPad and some tests to check for the English class I was teaching at the local community college. I watched a few Desperate Housewives episodes I was behind on. I talked to another family that was sitting by me for a while. Their mom was also in surgery and the dad and two sisters and the one grandchild was there. They were very nice and concerned about my mom as well. The doctor told me that the surgery would take 4-7 hours depending on if they needed to take the lymph nodes.

They called once about 10:30 and said they would call again in 1.5 hours. It then became 1PM. I had to go to the bathroom, and I was starving, but since I was alone, I was afraid to leave the room. It was torture waiting there all alone.  Finally Dr. Price called and said he would be in the waiting room to talk to me. I was so scared.

He came and took me in a room and told me he did take the lymph nodes because it was 30% out of the  lining but not to worry. That's why the surgery took so long. He said that she would be out of recovery soon and for me to go get some lunch downstairs. I called my dad, then my husband, to tell them and got some lunch. I can't even remember eating my pizza.

The waiting room phone was for me again. My mom's recovery nurse was saying that my mom woke up and was worried nobody was going to be able to get my kids off the bus. My mother had just gone through major surgery and woke up, worried about her grandkids! This is a pure example of how selfless my mother has been all her life, putting her kids and grandkids before herself. I told the nurse that my husband was getting them.

I finally got to go to my mom's room to see her. She looked terrible. She was in so much pain. My sister got there about 3:30PM and we sat with my mom. Finally about 4:30PM, I left to head home after being gone since 5AM. I remember it was pouring. A typical May rain where it just won't stop. It was just symbolic of the tears I shed as I drove home. I was so worried about my mom all alone in the hospital. I was praying she was going to be okay. Thank god for my babysitter, my husband, and my friend Chrissy for keeping my littlest one all afternoon for me.

I'm not sure how I slept but I did. I got up the next morning, dropped off my little one at my friend Rachel's house, and headed to Pittsburgh to get my mom to bring her home since they were ready to release her.

She was in so much pain. I was so worried that they were going to be sending her home already!

We got through the next several weeks slowly. My sister had to give her a shot every day for 14 days to prevent a blood clot in her lungs. I went to her house at least once every day. I would bring the kids in small increments because she would tire out so easily.

In June, my mom began a few radiation treatments that had no serious side effects.

In October, my mom had a clear 6 month appointment! Her first milestone in this battle against cancer!

Her next appointment is in April, and I know it will be a great 1 year cancer free appointment!

This ordeal was traumatic, exhausting, but taught me about what a fighter my mom is and what a determined woman she is. I am so blessed to have a healthy mother who is in my life and happy to have been there for her to get her healthy again so we have her for many years to come.

Ready or not.....here we come!

Saturday will be a fun day! I am doing a half marathon with a few of my friends who are racing their first half marathon race!

Melissa-I met her in 2009 after we both had just had our babies (my third, her second). Her oldest and my daughter were in gymnastics together. We hit it off quick and became fast friends. Last year, Melissa lost over 80 pounds running and has done a few 5K races and 10K races. She decided in May to do this flat trail half marathon.

Kim-I pledged my sorority with Kim in 1997. Kim has had 2 boys and manages to work full time as a guidance counselor while running and doing an occasional 5K. She decided this summer to do this half marathon with us as well!

Another one of our friends from college, Melanie, just decided to run this race a few weeks ago as well. She has 2 daughters and her husband works long hours, so she has had trouble juggling the training schedule.

All 3 of my friends will do great!

I told Melissa I would run with her the whole time. We plan to stay at a 10:30 pace so we can finish between 2:15-2:20. 

I am treating this as a training run since I am doing another half marathon in October with my husband.

We are just keeping our eye on the forecast. We have had very hot weather this summer and hope that it is in the 50s or 60s!

Pittsburgh Triathlon Photos

I'm loving the pictures that were available today on the website! :)

Loooong run and fall goals!

This was definitely the group I ran with today! We went out planning to run 10 miles, which we succeeded in doing, but it was so hot and humid!

Melissa, Anne, and I planned to run 10 miles. Anne is doing the Rock and Roll Philly half in September. I met a girl, Sharon, on Run Like a Mother: The book's Facebook page. She saw my post and saw I was friends with her sister on Facebook. Sharon's nephew was on the same hockey team as my son last year. Sharon lives in San Diego and was visiting her sister for 2 weeks and wanted someone to run with. So she joined us for about 6 of our 10 miles.

It was a rough run. It was almost 80 degrees and very humid. Our average pace was super-slow for Anne and I 10:38/mile. We were happy just to get the 10 miles in.

My friend, Melissa, is running her first half Sept 8th and I am running it with her. I am treating it as a training run because I am doing a half October 20th and that will be more for a race to improve my time. Melissa has come so far. She has lost about 80 lbs in the past 2 years and has been running and doing power pump. Her progress is amazing! I want to run this with her because sometimes those last few miles are so hard and it is nice to have someone to finish it with!


My Fall Goals:

Sept 8-Half marathon with Melissa
Sept 30-Great Race 10K
October 20-Half marathon with my husband (although he is faster!)

Mixed Emotions!

If I would have written this on Saturday after the Pittsburgh Triathlon, it would have been pretty depressing and disgruntled. Now, two days later, I am feeling more positive. Reading this quote also helped:

At 3:09am, thunder woke me up. My alarm was supposed to go off at 3:11am. So I decided to get up and shower to wake me up. By 3:55am we were on the road and ready to head to Pittsburgh. We picked up my friend Jen on the way so her husband and son didn't have to get up so early and could make it down to Pittsburgh to see her finish.

We got our transition areas ready.

Tim's first transition area is ready!

My area is ready!

We were all ready to go. Tim got in the Allegheny River at 6:45 am. My wave didn't start till 7am. Our coach, Sue, reminded us several times to start out slow.

Jen and I before the race

Tim and I are ready!

I watched Tim get in the river and he was off with all the others with orange caps.

At 7am, my group was off. I felt good and swam at a slow and steady pace. I ended up way to the right of the buoys, which ended up on my left, and had to cut back. I finished my swim around 17 minutes, which I thought I would be. I am not a very fast swimmer but I swam the entire time and didn't have to turn onto my back.

I got to transition and quickly got on my bike, which always gives me anxiety.

The first 6 miles were pretty much a steady incline upward. I was very slow, as I expected but I didn't realize how tough it would get by mile 5.  The last 6 miles were downhill which scared me as well. Once I was going 14 mph, I would get so nervous, I would brake. I saw a woman crash because a guy passed her on her right and I stopped to be sure she was okay. She was just shaken up. So I went on my way. I need to learn to go fast and not be so scared. Once I passed 1 hour on the bike, I knew my goal of coming in under 2 hours was crushed. I ended up 1 hour 10 min on the bike!

I saw Tim as I made it in to the transition area. He already had his medal. I pretty much wanted to start crying then because I knew I was really behind, even though he started 15 min before me. I got my baseball cap and was off. My run went well. I only stopped once for Gatorade since I really never stopped to drink anything. My 5K was about 29 min.

I crossed the finish line at 2 hours and 20 seconds. 

I was pretty disappointed with my time. Especially when I looked online at the scores and I was last in the age group I was placed in. Even though I am 34, I was in the 35-39 group because I will be 35 this year. If I was in the 30-34 age group, there were a few women that would have finished after me.

I was happy to have my triathlon group, The Mighty Tri Girls and Total Chaos, cheering for me as I finished my 5K. They are such a supportive group and our coach, Sue, is just so amazing.

My husband was 1 hour 25 minutes. He did amazing. I was so proud of him!

So back to the original quote that "....slow progress is progress." I have to remember 15 months ago, I could not ride a bike. I was still meeting Sue behind the Sheraton for her to hold on to my seat and run beside me, holding me up. I barely knew how to do a swim stroke or breathe correctly while swimming. I have come so far in the past 15 months, plus I have 3 children and work part-time. 

So I will not quit, although Saturday afternoon, I said I wanted to quit doing triathlons. 

I will keep working hard to get better on the bike and get faster swimming.

I hope to do another all-women triathlon next summer. I really enjoyed the atmosphere much better than the triathlon with men involved. It was much more supportive and friendly.

Progress.......I have come so far.

Post-vacation struggle....

We went on vacation last week. I gained 2 pounds (I thought it would be more with all the pina coladas at the pool. They are loaded with calories but so good). My husband gained more but he won't tell me how much. I ran twice while we were at the beach. One day I ran/walked with my oldest for about 15 min then ran about 1.5 miles myself on the beach after I took him back to the room. The other time I ran 3 miles on the treadmill because my husband saw a bobcat going into the vegetation on the beach near our room. He didn't want me running on the beach with the risk of getting attacked by a bobcat!

So after our amazing vacation, we are home and trying to get back on track with my training schedule.

Upcoming-I have the Pittsburgh Triathlon at the end of July and a half marathon in Pittsburgh in early September. I am running the one in September with my friend Melissa. It will be her first half marathon!

I am trying to do one open water swim per week, one bike ride, and whatever running that our triathlon coach, Sue, tells us to do. Usually 3 runs including one brick (bike and run).

I got the 2 pounds back down by cramming in exercise Wed-Sat this week!

Wed-3 mile run, abs in the morning and swim/run brick with my triathlon group in the evening
Thurs-Body Pump!
Fri-3 mile run and abs
Sat-7.5 mile bike ride

So now I can be happy my weight is back down and enjoy the weekend........

Vacation 2012

An Unexpected PR!

The Memorial Race my husband was the race director for ended up a great success! At least 300 runners and walkers took place to raise money for the veterans.

Besides it being a success for the charity they were donating to, it was a personal success.

I did not go into the race with any major goals once I saw that the temperature was supposed to reach 90 degrees that day. I was hoping to finish under 28 since I never had for a 5K, but had hit around 27:50 in previous longer races. My mind was playing a mental game with me!

I got there early, met up with some friends from college with some photos, and was ready to start!

Sorority sisters :)

It was about 78 degrees at the start, but I was convinced I wanted to stay about 8:50 for the first 1.5 miles because a hill came about mile 2. So I did and didn't pay much attention the last mile and crossed at 26:27 on my Garmin and 26:38 officially. I started my Garmin at the starting mat, not at the horn but I think the timing service started our times at the horn. 

Anyway I was pleasantly surprised and as my husband announced the awards.....

he even sounded a bit surprised when he said "In 3rd place for 30-34, my wife!"

So a great race put on by my husband and his Rotary club and a PR and a 3rd place award for me!! :)

What's up next for summer?!

Now that the runner's high has left and I ended up getting some strange virus the past entire weekend with a fever between 101-102, swollen glands, sore throat, and now an odd rash on my face and my back and abdomen, I hope to be healed soon and move on!! I am on Prednisone and Ammox now. I missed my Saturday and Monday workout which I hate doing because I feel like I can hear myself gaining weight!

I am back on track and went to hot vinyasa yoga yesterday which was AMAZING as usual and got a great swim in this morning.

Next up........Memorial Day 5K, 5 mile race in June, and the Pittsburgh Tri in July. I am also going to do a half marathon in September with a friend who is doing her first half. I am also hoping to do the Great Race 10K in September as well in Pittsburgh.

It is odd to switch up my schedule after training for the half marathon for 12 weeks. Now to add in more swimming (which I have been trying to do once a week pretty much all through the winter) and to get back on my bike! I hope to go to Body Pump one morning a week and do yoga one morning a week and scale back one of my running days to concentrate on my weaknesses-swimming and biking.

Two weeks of school left for the kids and I won't have to rush home from the gym to help my husband get the lunches in the book bags and get them on the bus. No more packing lunches every night, no more homework every night.

Bring it on summer!!

Runner of Steel!

We are now 3rd time finishers of the Pittsburgh Marathon! In 2010, we did the relay, and the past two years we did the half marathon.

It all started after I had our 3rd baby and I needed to lose my baby weight and I got my husband and his brothers on board to do the relay. We needed a 5th member and I asked one of my closest friends, Anne, if she would be our 5th. Since then, we have spent a majority of our Saturday mornings running together. After the chaos of the relay, we all decided to the half marathon from now on.

My husband and I decided to stay overnight this year and went down Saturday afternoon to Pittsburgh.

When we checked it, it was a pleasant surprise to find that we were upgraded to a king suite for no charge! 

We went to the Expo and each bought a shirt......mostly because we didn't get our race shirts. They were all out of Small and Medium Women and Large Men. They gave out the wrong shirts to the volunteers the prior day. We should be getting them in the mail in 4-6 weeks! We were disappointed that we didn't get our shirts.

After the expo, we decided to eat at The Original Fish Market for dinner. They had an all-you-can eat pasta bar. We were up to our room by 7PM to rent a movie ($17.99 for a movie?!) which was actually very good-Safe House with Ryan Reynolds and Denzel. I was asleep by 9:30PM.

Our alarm went off at 5:30am. We walked down to the starting line at 6:45am. It was so nice to sleep in. The past years we had to leave our house around 4am to head to town before they starting shutting the streets down.

I was getting texts left and right from family and friends. Anne was running in Corral B which I was assigned to as well. But Anne was hoping to break 2 hours and I knew I wasn't ready to do 9 minute miles for 13 miles, so I told my other friend Chrissy that I would run with her. Chrissy's PR was 2:11 and she was hoping to finish about 2:05. My goal for this race was also 2:05, although my PR was 2:07, anything less than that would be fine with me.

I wasn't able to meet up with Anne. I found Chrissy and wished Tim good luck. 

Chrissy and I were all ready to go after hearing the great Ryan Clark cheer us on and tell us to start!

Chrissy and I-ready for 13.1

Mile 1-6

We headed through town and through the Strip District, which smelled sooooo good! I just wanted to eat at all my favorite places down there. We were doing really well. We felt great and were staying around a 9:16 mile the whole time. We got water at mile 4, and I was really feeling like we could do a 2:05 or even less!

At mile 6, Chrissy said she needed a breather and told me to go ahead. I felt so bad, but I kept going and was ready to head to the West End Village.

When I crossed the 6 mile mark, I was at 57 minutes! I was feeling good about my pace.

Mile 7-8

I headed through the West End Village. The crowd support there is AMAZING!

I still was feeling great at this point.

Mile 8-10

Heading down Carson Street, it got very hot! It had to be about 8:45 am at this point. It was probably about 75 degrees by now and the sun was beating down. There was no shade here. I ate 2 Chomps and stopped to drink some Gatorade and walked through that water stop.

As we got into the root of the South Side, it was super hot and I wasn't feeling great. My hip and right knee were in some pain. I stopped to stretch my quad, which did help.

We split off from the full marathoners and headed over the Birmingham Bridge. I was feeling very bad at this point and kept telling myself, just 2 more miles!!

Mile 11-12

Then I saw the hill......there was a long hill with a slow grade that never seemed to end. I had to walk a little up this hill, as did most of the people around me. There was absolutely no shade here. It was probably 80 degrees by now-no clouds in sight!!

The downhill was nice. I was now hitting around a 9 min mile to make up for what I lost. I was praying I could come in under 2:07 at this point.

Mile 13-13.1

I was trying to run as fast as I could. People were SPRINTING past me. I was about an 8:50-9:16 pace at this point but felt as if I was slowly jogging. The crowd support here was great.

As I crossed the finish line, so did the winner of the full marathon! I could hear Ryan Clark announcing the winner. My official time was 2:06:59. I squeaked in one second under 2:07!!

Tim and I

I saw my husband ahead. He waited for me so we could get our finisher photo together. He finished 1:52. He was a little disappointed. He wanted to finish 1:45 but I can't even imagine getting either of those times!!

Aunt Nancy and Uncle Tom

We got to see Tim's wonderful aunt and uncle who were passing out chips. It was so great to see family volunteering! There would not be a race without the volunteers!  The food at the finish line was organized much better this year. There was plenty of water, bananas, Eat and Park Smiley cookies, fruit, chips, bagels, etc. They told me Anne finished a few minutes ahead of me. I was hoping she broke 2 hours.

Much to her sadness, Anne finished at 2:03! She said we should have run together since it was only a 3 minute difference!

Anne and I

Tim's oldest brother, Ben, improved his time from 2:30 to 2:12. He has lost almost 50 lbs since January with Weight Watchers. Tim's youngest brother came in about 3 hours. Tim's cousin, Sam, did his first half-marathon and finished about 2:45. (his parents were the ones passing out the chips)

Despite the heat, we had a great weekend and really enjoyed ourselves and were happy with our times. 

Ready or not-here I come!

There are ten days remaining until I complete my 4th half marathon! 


Three years ago, when I was pregnant with my third child, I never thought I could run around the block, let alone, run four half marathons! 


I ran one season of track when I was in 8th or 9th grade and pretty much hated it. My mom made me finish out the season because she never let me quit any activity that I had already started. 


But now I don't know where I would be without running and my running/triathlon/exercise friends! It is so nice to have friends who also like getting fit. It's fun to run on a Saturday morning with a group of ladies and see several people throughout town and on the trail running as well and everyone is training for the same race or races. 


So as I get ready to run the City of Bridges for the 3rd time, I am thankful that I made a life change to get fit. 


No matter what happens next weekend (although I would be very happy coming in under 2 hours and 7 min which I did last fall), I will be happy and thankful to be running the Pittsburgh Marathon with so many old and new friends all around me!

RIP My beautiful Jules

Juliana Addie Night

"Jules"

January 28, 2002-March 4, 2012

Last Sunday, March 4, 2012, our little Jules lost her battle with kidney failure. In December, we were told that it could be a few weeks to a few years. We didn't get any ultrasounds to see the damage. Our vet did not recommend it since there is no cure. We changed her food and added some medication to try to stabilize her numbers. But her last week, she began refusing all food. She would eat bacon for a day or two, then quit. She would eat macaroni and cheese for one meal and refuse it the next. Her final weekend, she stopped eating altogether. My husband was away at the State Racquetball Tournament and wanted to come home Saturday night but I told him to stay-there was nothing more he could do for her being here. She would drink water the last weekend and then throw up the water. She couldn't keep anything down.

My husband ended up becoming the State Champion of his division that he entered and rushed home from State College after the tournament. My mom and I had given Jules some fluid under the skin (kind of like an IV of fluid) three times that weekend. I wanted her to stay alive until my husband got back.

By the time Sunday night rolled around, Jules was just laying and her eyes were drooping and she looked like she was so tired, she couldn't keep them open. She hadn't eaten in over a day and couldn't even hold down water. Thank god my mom and I gave her the fluids through the IV to keep her alive so my husband could see her again and be there for the end.

When my husband got home, she wagged her tail and lifted her head at his voice. That was the most energy I saw from her that day. When he looked at her, he knew that we had to have her put to sleep. We couldn't watch her suffer anymore.

We told the kids to say goodbye to her in case she didn't do well at the vet. We didn't want to tell them that she was being put to sleep. We didn't want them to blame us for her death. My mom came over to watch the kids.

Jules last day with us

My husband and I drove to an emergency vet. We called ahead of time because I didn't want them to try to talk us into trying any other means. We had tried everything already and it wasn't working. I couldn't watch my first baby suffer any more.

I told my husband I wanted us to be with her until the end. I didn't want her to be alone during this time. We stayed with her until the very end. When her eyes finally closed, she looked like she was at peace finally. She hadn't been sleeping very soundly the last two days because she would get sick so often. I saw her face as she looked ten years ago. I kissed her nose one last time and hugged her.

It was a hard few days for me. It was very difficult to tell my children. The older two still ask a lot of questions but they don't seem so sad anymore about it. I still get very sad at times like when everyone is sleeping and it is very quiet, she was usually with me. But I am feeling much better and know now that we made the right decision.

I will always miss Jules. I picked up her ashes yesterday and we are burying them under her favorite tree that she used to lay under.

Most of all I am so thankful for the wonderful ten years that she gave me and our family. She was the most wonderful dog that I ever could have hoped for......and more.