I'M A MARATHONER!!! (bayshore marathon race recap)

Happy Memorial Day!  I hope you're all enjoying the holiday and a big thanks to those who serve/served our country.  My day has been spent um...sleeping.  Seriously, this recap is so delayed for one large reason:  I was feeling like a zombie the past few days.  I finally feel semi-human again.  I'm going to apologize in advance - this post will be picture-heavy, even for me.  I'm not going to do a whole mile by mile recount because I know you guys don't care about every single darn split.  But the pics?  Well I have too many not to share a gazillion.  (Plus a video).

Let's start with Friday. We got up there around 2ish and this was our welcome sign:

Naturally they needed someone to highlight the sign for them a la Vanna White.  

Then we spent some time just hanging on the beach:

Sorry RunnerFam, you had a random photo bomb in the background

RunnerSis^2, RunnerSis, and a RunnerBaby (who never wants to look).

Shortly after, we headed to the expo to pick up our packets and bibs:

and then it hit me like a ton of bricks, 'holy crap, I'm running a FULL marathon in the morning'.  

The marathoners got an orange Brooks tech tee and cute socks that say 'Bayshore Marathon'.  The halfers got a blue Brooks tech tee, no socks.  I'm a fan of the shirt, which I'll show in another post because I can spare one pic and didn't take one yet and it's in the wash because I wore it allllll day after the race with pride.

After, we had to run to target to get some stuff we forgot (and booze for the following night). RunnerSis decided she needed some fun purple sunglasses for the weekend dubbed as her "party rockin glasses" and somehow this occurred in the parking lot:

these are our 'party rockin' faces.  Clearly we were just a little hyper or something.

Once we calmed down, we headed downtown to carb-load at Mackinaw Brewing Company.  The food was fabulous and we got to run into Karly!   We actually saw Karly again after dinner and after lots of hugs and good lucks, I forced her into taking a picture with me (which she rightfully expected):

I also got to meet her friend, Jordy, who was running her first half.  She made me feel like a celebrity because it was actually her who recognized me in the restaurant, not Karly.  You people realize this is going to go straight to my head, right? ;) Anyway, I'm so glad I got to meet you Jordy and I hope you had a fantastic race!

After dinner, we headed back to get some rest, since we had to get up at 4-something. If you remember me talking about the boys being sick last week, they were even more sick on my last day of work. Constant vomit was the theme of the day and I was praying they didn't pass it on. While I felt okay in that respect on Friday, the cold they had was hitting me in full force.  I was pounding Vitamin C, cold meds, and hydrating like a fiend. I took my cold meds before bed and they most have knocked me out because it was the BEST night of sleep I've ever gotten before a race.

However, I woke up and just felt off.  I was nervous as heck and my stomach was being fiesty.  Somehow, I managed to choke down my breakfast and we were off.  They had to be at the buses at 5:30, so we quickly took a few pics:

photo editing from the fun site of picmonkey.com

the birthday boy (I DID mention it was his birthday that day, right??) and RunnerSis

After lots of good lucks and hugs, they went to stand in line and I had an hour and a half to freak the EFF out.  Luckily, I was getting lots of good lucks via fb and text to calm my nerves.  My friend lyndsey had sent me this on Friday morning because she was going to be on a cruise on Saturday without service:

love it so much!

And when I was standing in line for the porta-potty, I got this from Megan:

and that helped so much. Cute babies make everything better! 

Shortly after, I found Matt who was also running the full (and also his first).  We definitely helped calm each other down.  We also snapped a few pics together and for each other:

Before we knew it, we were ready to line up. On the way to the lines, we saw Coach Ken who gave me a big hug and wished me luck.  Matt and I wished each other luck and went into our respective "corrals" (not real ones, but just loose ones).

The weather was perfect and I told myself I was ready.  It started and I felt good.  I was proud of myself because I ran the first mile in 9:57, not too fast like I feared.  I settled into a good rhythm and just enjoyed the first few miles.  It was gorgeous next to the water and I tried to take a picture, but my photo-taking skills while running are severely lacking.

you're welcome for only showing you one of those gems.

Those first miles flew by and though I was in the 9's, I was good about keep it mid to high for every mile.  The halfers started at 7:30 (we started at 7), so I started seeing them around mile 6ish (we had out and back and they started at our back half, so we passed in directions).  I saw RunnerBro at mile 7-ish and we high-fived.  Then I saw Ry, high-fived, followed by Karly (who I accidentally pushed in excitement), and then RunnerSis.  I was so excited to see them and was still feeling good.  It wasn't until about right before mile 10, I started to feel gross.  The mix of nerves and the drainage from my cold and maybe from the GU started to settle were throwing my belly off.

I steered over to the side of the road and tried to no avail to throw up, just lots of dry heaving.  I drank some water and it passed somewhat.  I kept going and saw a bathroom and decided to try it.  I had to wait for a minute in line, but got in and out.  Just a quick pee break, but it did seem to help a bit.  I trekked on until I hit halfway in 2:12ish, which I was happy about considering the two big stops.

and I promptly facebooked that picture to announce I was halfway.

I walked for a second to take another GU and sip some water and I was on my way again.  I was feeling pretty good until about mile 15 or 16, when I started to get really pukey feeling again.  I'd slow, walk and sip some water, then head on.  I did this until mile 18 when it was really bad.  The GU was hitting my stomach hard (all the caffeine plus the drainage) and I was sure I was going to get sick.  I told myself to walk a quarter mile then run the next .50-.75 depending on how I felt.  The crowd support was great, as were their signs, so that helped:

I was getting angry with myself because my legs were still feeling so good and when I was running, I was still maintaing a good clip, but then a wave would hit me and I would either slow down or knew I'd have to walk.  When I was walking, I checked facebook and twitter because your comments were helping me so so much.  Truly, it was the only thing getting me through.

I was so grateful when I saw this sign:

"Just a 10k left" I told myself.

By Mile 21, RunnerSis texted me and said to text when I got close.  I told her I was at mile 21 and hurting, though I guess I should have clarified because they thought I was injured, when it was just a mixture of feeling sick, fatigue, and the readiness to be done.

I was so slow those last 5 miles.  I walked so much.  But, I texted her every mile and she would text back something positive.  At about mile 25.5, I saw Coach Ken again.  He asked how I was feeling.  I told him I was hurting.  At this point, my left knee was hurting too.  It hadn't bothered me until about mile 24, but I knew my stride was awful at that point, so I'm sure that's why.  He ran with me, let me walk, then would make me run again for the next half mile.  I owe so so much to him for pushing me to mile 26.  I wish I had seen him again at the end because I wanted to thank him in person.  From the bottom of my heart, Coach Ken, thank you so much for pushing me when I felt like I had nothing left to give.

(And now I'm about to cry just thinking about that point in the race).  The last .2 was on the track and I was so so grateful to see everyone that I was waving and smiling like a mad woman as they cheered for me:

pretty epic, eh?

picmonkey let's you make fun collages too :)

My chip time was 4:46.55.  Way off from that 4:15 I said a long time ago.  When I talked about it to people in the days before, I thought 4:30-4:45, so my only regret is that I finished 1 minute and 55 seconds away from my goal time.  It happens, I'm not angry.  I KNOW I have faster in me.  My legs were proving that me.  My body just had different ideas.   

When I finally saw all of them, I cheers'ed with the bday boy:

and then shortly after, I promptly threw up in a trash can because I'm extra classy.

I'm sure the beer just made it all worse, but I was mighty glad I had it when I did.  Whatever stomach issues were bothering me during the race plagued me the rest of the day.  No other celebrating was done on my part, as I struggled to keep any food down and just feel human.  Several other almost puke episodes took place.  Considering I was battling some major belly demons, that makes me extra proud of finishing.  

It was a pretty crummy race day for all of us though.  RunnerBro actually fell on the course (he was okay, but his knee is screwy), Ryan had major knee issues too, and RunnerSis was feeling sick too.  However, we all finished, so regardless, there is value in that:

RunnerBro finishing

RunnerSis with her thumbs up!

And I won't show one of Ryan because he looks in pain in all of them, so I'll show you doing his version of an ice bath in the bay after (it was freezing):

he was a brave soul for wading out that far, but he said it helped his knee.

even runnerbaby wanted to wear a medal.

At the end of the day, I'm glad I survived 26.2 miles, even with major bumps along the way.  Whoever said marathons break your heart, was right.  But, that makes me even more sure I want to do it again someday, even with issues I had.  I have a faster time in me.  I know it.  I trained for it.  On a good race day, I could have done so much better.  So, someday (not anytime too soon), I'll meet up with 26.2 again, but until then, I'm mighty glad I got through it this time.  THANK YOU times a million for all your support before, during, and after!

Here's the finishing video, thanks for RunnerSis^2 for getting it!

Questions for you:

-Have you ever had major setbacks during a race?  How'd you get through it?

-How was your weekend?  Do anything fun for the holiday?

-Did anyone else race? How'd it go?

-Anything else fun to share?

Megan

it's the final countdown

How many of you started singing this when you read the title?

anddddd you're welcome for getting that in your head ;)

How in the heck did I get here?  I have a few short days before a little 26.2 mile jaunt.  I'm jumping between feeling excited and all "I got this!" to nervous to "Omg, I'm going to die, what the heck did I sign on for?!"  It's a lovely array of emotions.  Ryan is particularly fond of it.  Er, not really.  Last night he told me I was driving him crazy as it's all he's heard about for the past 5 months.  He's mostly been a good sport, but apparently he has his limits.   Whoops, sorry Ry.   

Last night was my final run before the race.  I'll be doing a 2 mile shakeout 'run' on friday too, but that will be at a sloooooow pace, so I don't really count that.  Here's the proof from last night's run:

easy pace without being too easy and felt great the entire time.  Good way to end the training!

Before that, I did a 2.25 mile run in between work and school on Monday.  I knew I would be short on time, so I packed all my stuff and changed mostly in my car in the school parking lot (so scandalous, I know).  I already had my running shorts on, so it was just a matter of sports bra and tee and I was able to do all of it without giving other people in the parking lot an eye full.  I was a little over zealous on this run and went a little too fast at an average of an 8:20 pace.  I knew full and well that I should be going slower on these last runs, but I was just so excited to be running.  This taper makes me anxious to run, run, run.   After the run, I changed in the bathroom like a normal person and did a quick wipedown  plus applied plenty of deodorant and some body spray.  Let's be honest, showers are overrated.  I had a limited amount of time and hygiene did not outrank running.  

Yesterday was just as busy as the kiddos were both sick and made for a long day.  During a lull while they napped, I crammed for my first bio test:

and it appears to have paid off, as she went over the answers after we all turned in our tests and if I kept track right, I either got an A- or an A.  Wahoo!  It was nerve-wracking though as I haven't taken a test in forever.  

The boys had a stomach virus and colds and I fear I might be getting a cold too, so I've been pounding vitamin C like it's my job.  I cannot get sick for this race.  I refuse for it to happen.  RunnerSis has been battling a cold all week while RunnerBro and Ryan have still been struggling with their IT band issues. I feel bad for all of them and hopefully no one is worse for the wear on race day :(

Speaking of race day, RunnerSis^2 (the sister of RunnerSis) has graciously offered to have a slurpee and a beer waiting for me at the finish line.  (Hello, she just became my new hero).  While I'll take a water first, I want both of those things equally when I finish.  Ryan told me I'm gross for wanting both at once.  Hey, I never claimed to be normal.

As these last few days wrap up, I just plan to be as calm as possible (if that's possible).  I'm focusing on everything but the race.  I'm fancying up my playlist with lots of new jams, packing for the trip, carb-loading like a champ.  My biggest concern isn't time, but just the worry of finishing.  So much can go wrong in 26.2 miles that it freaks me the heck out.  Then I think of hood to coast last year and I had still finished even though I could barely walk, let alone run.  If I could do that, I can easily do this.   

The only other thing that is worrying me is the constant change in weather.  Here's what it's currently predicting:

 I'm totally fine with the possible showers, I just worry about the temp.  79 isn't favorable, but I can deal with it.  However, several times now it's dipped into the 80s and that makes me nervous. Like I'll be dying of heat the last 10 miles. I hope that's not the case.

Erika is super sweet and has helped quell some of my fears with her reassurances in her post today: Mostly wordless wednesday.   Thank you so much!  She had me tearing up.  I have no doubt now that I will be bawling by the end of this ordeal.   

Let's chat:

-What would you rather drink at the end of a race?  Beer?  Slurpee?  Or both?

-How's your week turning out?  Anything exciting going on?

-Have you ever changed in your car in order to get a run in?

-Anything else to share??

Megan

Coming full circle

Hello!  I feel so out of touch with the blog world these days. I promise I'll be playing catch up reading blogs in the next little bit here.  It's been a busy weekend.  I'll work backwards and start with the running...because this is a running blog, after all.

Renewal by Andersen is sponsoring runners for local races through the year and since I couldn't do the big house race like I originally planned, they graciously told me I could do the girls on the run 5k today.  Knowing it was less than a week from the marathon, I knew I didn't want to race it.  It isn't chip timed, so I also left the garmin and ipod at home.  Today was strictly about fun.

The race was at Eastern Michigan University, my alma mater.  As I made the trek there, I couldn't help but muse over the fact that I've come full circle.

(this is the finish line inside the stadium).  Hello again, Eastern!

When I was a student at EMU, I really got into working out.  As I've mentioned, I've had an on-again, off-again relationship with running and working out.   It was there, while I was a student, that I thought, "hey, I should totally do a 5k.  Just for fun.  Just to see if I can do it."  And so, I did it.  It took me something like 38 minutes, where my friend and I took several walk breaks throughout.  It felt like a huge accomplishment.   Even if I did walk a lot, I had done these thing that just seemed so daunting.   

So, as I embark on my final week in marathon training, it feels like I've come full circle.  One last fun 5k before the whole shebang.  Maybe I'm a nerd, but things like that feel like the mean something to me.  Like I should remember how far I've come to get to where I am today.   

Truly, this event was phenomenal.  It is such a great program.

it's the 10th anniversary!  So inspiring.  Love the sign - (learn - got cut off).  Dream.  Live.  Run.

Once I finally found the renewal tent, I also got to finally meet up with twitter bud, @alexis_shull.   It was like we had known each other all along.  Not awkward at all!

me, Brandon (the coordinator for all this and super nice guy!), and Alexis

I didn't plan accordingly and somehow ended up wearing my tank top, the girls on the run tee they gave us, AND the shirt renewal gave us.  It was in the 80s today and the race didn't start until 10am.  Needless to say, I was ROASTING.  

After chatting for a bit and after I got to go wish one of the GOTR girls I know luck, Alexis and I headed to the start.  

After some inspiring words, we were off.  It was a whole dodge and weave process for a bit.  Alexis is doing the 10k at bayshore, so neither of us wanted to race, but we didn't want to be running into people either.   It was so awesome to see so many girls out there and so many supporters.  It was a crowded event.  We went at a slower pace, walked through the first aid station, then trekked on.  Shortly after mile 2, I had to walk for a minute, which Alexis was okay with doing.  It was just too hot in THREE shirts.  I hadn't had enough water before and it was throwing me off.  When we hit the last little stretch, we decided to run again.  We saw a girl with an older running buddy who was struggling a little.  I told her, "you're almost there!!"  As Alexis and I picked up the speed a little, I was so happy to see the girl and her running buddy surge in front of us and finish!  I started yelling for her.  It was pretty awesome. I give those girls so much credit.  It was so warm today and it was actually hillier than I expected.  For first time 5k'ers, it would easily be daunting.

When we crossed the finish, we got super cute medals:

love!

Naturally, we took a finishing pic together:

we definitely had a good time running together, even if it was much slower than our normal 5k pace.

And guess who else did a GOTR race today?  RunnerSis!  She's a coach at the school where she teaches.  Unfortunately, it was at a different site :(

love her coach tee!

While Renewal didn't tell us we had to talk about our races, I wanted to blog about it because it's a great ongoing program and they are so nice.  If you're interested in racing with them, follow them on fb as they are giving away entries all the time!  http://www.facebook.com/RenewalbyAndersenDetroit

The weather for next Saturday keeps playing mind games with me.  Yesterday it said a high of 82, today it says high of 70 with a chance of rain.  I pray it isn't like it was today, because it was miserable. Blech.

In other news, I LOVED eastern market.  Ryan and I had a blast and we want to go back!  We got lots of goodies including fruits, veggies, chicken sausage, amish cheese, cookies and crepes!

Ryan and I split one that had banana, caramel, brown sugar, and pecans.  Yum!

It was a stand from this place:

It's called Good girls go to Paris crepes.  They also have a stand-alone shop.  If you're local, you must try!

It was crazy busy the whole time we were there, but we loved it.  So worth it!  As we were leaving, we stopped to get a lemonade to split:

hi Ry!

and then I spotted a little petting farm.  I had to see those cute little animals.  Complete with baby cow, pony, llama (or alpaca), bunnies, sheep, and my favorite, baby goats!

Those goats were so stinking cute and loved to be petted.  I spent the entire ride home trying to convince Ryan we needed a baby goat.  So practical, I know.

And now we're off to do boring things like grocery shop and laundry.  Boo.

Let's chat:

-Anyone else race this weekend?  How'd it go?

-Crepe lover or hater?  What's your fav combo to get?

-If you could own any random animal what would it be?

-Do anything fun this weekend?

Megan

the things i've been doing during taper

Hi there!  Can you believe it's friday tomorrow?  I'm just a little bit excited.   Other things I'm excited about?  The fact that it's 9...more or less 8 days until the marathon!  And surviving the first week back to school!  In fact, I celebrated in true college student fashion tonight...with beer and pizza:

yes, my beer may be a little "fancier" than a typical college student would drink (nati light? busch light? red dog...anyone?)   But I AM eating off a paper plate, so I can't be that fancy.

So what else have I been doing during this taper time?  Well, losing my mind for one.  Convincing myself I'm not prepared enough.  This taper thing, it messes with your brain.   But, when I'm not freaking out, I'm doing okay.   Yesterday morning I ran before work again.  It was glorious.   I caught the tail end of a storm and I had to deal with this annoyance for several minutes:

satellites, where are youuu?

Finally, they loaded and off I went.  Without trying, I ran each of the four miles progressively faster than the one before.  The first one was at a 9:45 pace and the last one ended at 8:47 with a 9:21 pace overall.  RunnerSis had wanted to get up to run too and we were texting back and forth and she tackled 5 before work.  Even over text messages, we are good at motivating each other to get up and go!  

Today I did cross training, but did it after work.  I couldn't justify getting up even earlier to drive to the gym and shower there.  I may do that eventually if my schedule calls for it, but as of now, I opted to just do it after work.  I'll be doing my last "long" run of 8 miles tomorrow after work.   I can't squeeze in 8 before work tomorrow because I work at 7 rather than 8 and I would have to be up and running by 5 at the latest...nah.  I'll be okay after work instead.   I'm opting to do it tomorrow instead of Saturday because we aren't running with RunnerFam since bro has to work..pshh, like supporting his fam is more important than running.   I don't think so.  Just kidding ;)   And Ryan and I have plans to get up and go early because we're heading to downtown Detroit to Eastern Market - a huge market that sells local goods like fruits, veggies, flowers, and crafts.  We've never been so we're pretty excited.  We've been told by numerous people it will be crazy, so we need to get there early!

Working out aside, I obviously had class M-W and it went really well this week.  The class is small, like 11 people, but I like it that way.  Sometimes the teacher takes things really slow, but for the most part it feels just like a normal class and I'm really enjoying it.  The last time I took a bio class was in 10th grade and most of it was lost on me then.  Now it just makes more sense to me and doesn't seem so foreign.   We've had one class assignment so far and I got a 10/10.  I know, such a genius.  Here's the proof:

sorry, it's blurry.  Ryan even hung it on the fridge like I'm an elementary school student.  Hehe.

I'm really liking being back in school if for no other reason than I get to interact with people than want to talk about things other than Thomas the tank engine or have you read a Dr.Seuss book over and over again.  (Yes, I'm obviously talking about Ryan, not the books.  haha).

And you know what else I've been doing a lot of?  Eating.  And they're all suuupppper nutritious things.  (I lie).

Exhibit A: these are my new go-to treat.  They're actually not terrible for you.  And they're addictive.

Then, I got these in the mail from Larabar:

so far I've had the apple turnover and it was good!  Though I'm not wild about how much fat they have in them compared to the normal larabars.  However, they are "uber", so I guess bigger means more fat...

And then, I got home last night and had this waiting for me:

A birthday cake batter chocolate bar from Kimberly at nuun

I had talked about the confetti cake blizzard on fb and Kimberly told me I had to try this candy bar because it was so so good.  It's by the Seattle chocolate company, so she said they can get them anywhere there.  She told me I had to stock up on them when I come out for rock n roll seattle.  I thanked her for finding out about it for me and was excited to buy some when I got there.  Imagine my shock and surprise when I got the candy bar and this sweet little card from her.  So so sweet, it made my heart so happy to get a special surprise just because.  The nuun people rock.  Thank you kimberly!  And the candy bar? Is amazingggggg.  Ryan and I have been splitting little pieces because it's rich and to make it last.  We may need a whole suitcase to get more (and other flavors) when we go out there ;)

And the other thing I've been doing?  Checking weather.com like it's my job.  This morning it said that next saturday in traverse city would have a high of 76, low of 56 with 53% humidity.  Now it's saying high of 75 with 52% humidity..it's creeping down already!  I'm totally okay with that.  The cooler, the better!!!   

And now, I must go watch not 1, not 2, but THREE episodes of Community that are on tonight.  My only question is, when am I going to find my Abed at community college?!   

Friends, let's chat:

-While you were in college, if you drank beer, did you go for the cheap stuff?  Or cheap liquor?  If so, what?

- How is your week ending up?  Anything exciting going on?

- How do you fill your time during taper 'madness'?

-Anything else fun to share?  

Megan

good starts to a long day

Hi friends!  Good morning!  This will be a quick one, but I wanted to post something before the start of my long day.

I got up at 6:30am to run, then I'll be working till 5ish and I have class 6-8:45.

I started class last night and didn't have enough time in between work and school to run, so I knew I had to get up this morning to run.  My alarm went off and I did not want to get up.  I didn't sleep well, but I knew I had to get up and just do it.

I started off and I just felt so tired.  My legs didn't want to move.  It felt HARD to run at a pace of 9:30-9:50.  I was moaning and groaning to myself the whole first mile.  Soon though, I found a rhythm and my pace quickened a bit.

I was feeling good, my body was waking up.  It didn't hurt that I had this view as I ran:

so pretty to chase the sun as it comes up

Mile 2 I hit at a faster pace and I felt even better, so I sped up a little more.   By the time I hit 2.5, I wanted to kick it up a notch, so I sped up.  I looked down and was going in the  high 7's.  I still hit mile 3 at an 8:30 pace to make up for running at a high 8 pace in the first half of the mile.  I was in the home stretch and sped up even more.  I hit the last .15 at a 6:49 pace without feeling like death and like I could keep going at least a little longer at that pace.  I ended up doing 3.15 miles in 27:25.   Clearly my body responds well to running early in the morning once it gets warmed up.   

I still looked like a crazy person after, though:

some things never change.

I'll be doing some more morning runs in the months to come.  In addition, I'm packing my running stuff every day no matter what and can possibly run some laps around the school before class or I'll be running later at night.  I'll make it work.  Will it be tough?  Yep, but it'll be worth it.

My first class went really well.  It was a matter of digging deep in my brain to remember things from high school that I haven't thought about in years.   I think it's going to be good though.  I felt so good about it that I signed up for an online nutrition class in the summer semester.   I'm meeting with a counselor June 4 to figure out my plan of attack for the fall (and possibly adding another summer class).

In other news, I finally got a pair of TOMS!

so comfy!

So did Ry:

twinsies!   

Off to work I go!  Have a good day!

-Do you feel like you can run better in the morning?  Like your body responds better to it?

-What's been going on with you?

-Do you thrive better in chaos?  (as in having a lot going on or only a task at at time?)

-How have your runs been going recently?  Anything of note?

Megan

no time like the present

Hi there!  Happy Saturday!  Hope your weekend is off to a phenomenal start - I know mine sure is!  Last night Ryan and I had a date night and went to see the Avengers.  Though it was long at 2 hours and 22 minutes (ending right before 11, so late for me to stay up for a movie these days), it was so good and we both really enjoyed it.   I recommend it if you haven't seen it.  And today?  Well it's been all sorts of fabulous.

Ryan's knee has been bugging him again, so he opted to sit out the long run today.  However, I met the other usual suspects in Hines this morning.

RunnerSis^2, Me, RunnerSis, RunnerBro, and Megan

and then I said to take a goofy one:

which apparently translates to 'stick out your tongue' and everyone got the memo except RunnerBro :P

After our photo sesh, we all headed out.  I had 12 on my schedule and Megan said she would do 10 with me.   We set out and the miles, they just seemed to fly by, even at a slower than normal pace.   We ran the first 5, did the turn around, walked for .20 so we could both GU and drink water, then trekked on.   We were both feeling extra good near the end and she was all, "hey let's do a sub-10 for the last mile", so we gunned it..perhaps a bit too much at first, going at an 8:40ish pace, before settling into a higher 9 pace.  And then, before we knew it, we were hitting mile 10 right at a sub-10 pace.  Success!  

While out there, our discussion ran the gamut, but at one point, I mused over how similar we are in pace.  Megan said, "yeah, we totally need to train for and run a race together!"  Then, it hit me, we both wanted to do the Crim 10 miler in August.  We ran 10 today and we both have the same goal time in mind for that race.  Bam, all of a sudden the running Megan's have a race to run with a real plan of action.  Okay, the plan isn't actually in place, but we know what we want to achieve...we just have to put a plan in motion for it.  

We finished the 10 in 1:42.30 or a 10:15 pace which also included our walk break and stopping at lights.   Totally fine by me.

some friends cheers with beers.  We cheers with water bottles after dominating sweaty 10 milers together.

10 today and 10 in August which will hopefully = PR town for both of us

After bidding each other adieu, I headed to my mom and dad's, where I took a super quick shower and Ryan met us so we could go to the farmer's market.  I LOVE the farmer's market and we got some good stuff today:

yum!

and snapped a few quick pics:

Mom and Dad

the nerdfaces

and me with my Mama:

We also grabbed lunch with the rents to celebrate Mother's Day today.  It was a good time!  And ya know what else we did today?  Went to the college bookstore so I could buy my book...for my class that starts Monday.  Yes, Monday.

If you saw my tweet the other night, you'll know that I had to sign up for a spring course.  It turns out when you haven't had a bio class since...Oh 10th grade, you have to do the 050 bio class before you can even take the 100 level.  Since it SHOULD be easy, it's better to just knock it out in the 7 weeks and get a jumpstart on all of it.  At first I was a little scared because I was just scouting out classes when I saw the pre-req (and that you can't really test into the 100 level) and realized I had just a few days before the class started.  But ya know what?  I like to just jump into things headfirst without thinking, so that's what I'll be doing:

clearly I'm just a little excited.

Let me be honest, the big nerd in me is so excited to be going back to school.  I'm going to be busy though.  As is, this class meets M, T, W from 6p-8:45pm.  In the fall, I'll likely be going every night for multiple hours.  That means I'm going to have to do some rearranging as far as workouts.  Maybe more morning runs, bringing stuff with me and running laps around the school before class, whatev.  I'll make it work.  However, it also has made me realize that a fall marathon just isn't possible.  If I were to do one, I know I'd be too stressed.  It's not worth it to start school and train for such a long race again.  I'm hoping I'll get into the swing of things and be ready to knock another one out next spring or something.  

Here's to new things, new goals, and great times!  Happy weekend!

-How's your weekend shaping up?  Do anything fun so far?

-Do you like to jump right into things or think it through first?

-Anyone else see Avengers?  Did you like it?

-Who else loves the farmer's market?   

Megan