Halloween and Football

This weekend was filled with fun "fall" type events. On Saturday I finally decided what I was going to be for Halloween:

Black Swan!!
 
Among my friends were a soccer player, Keith Stone, and a Geisha

Pilot and Keith Stone, again
 

After partying all night for Halloween we woke up the next morning and hiked to Sports Authority Stadium for my very first pro football game
 

Ready for the game!
 
We had amazing seats! 14 rows up from the field!


This was the boy's favorite part...the cheerleaders

Pretty fun weekend, and now its time to get back to work.
Happy Halloween everyone!!
What are you dressing up as?

You guessed it!

After carefully tallying all of the votes and taking into consideration all sides, we have a clear winner...
It was a landslide win for pumpkin #1

Who carved this work of genius you ask?....

Yes, I guess you could say my pumpkin trumped pumpkin #2

On the running front I have been DYING to do another race! I loved all of your suggestions from a couple of posts ago. I looked into some relays and this one seems pretty freakin cool...
 
Its not until August, but that would give me plenty of time to get a team together. Anyone wanna join?!
I also would LOVE to do the Vegas Half Marathon, like ALOT of you are doing. My roommate is actually going to be in Vegas that weekend, so I might just try to make it happen, we will see. 
And now I leave you with the most important question of all....
What in the world should I be for Halloween?!!!

You Be the Judge

Tonight was the second annual pumpkin carving contest between the boy and I. We already went through two rounds of judging..and now its your turn!

So take a look at the two jack-o-lanterns that we whipped up last and tell me which one you like best...

Contestant #1:

Contestant #2:

Ok, make your decision. Contestant #1 or #2. We have a little bit going on to see who will win this round of judging ;) I'll let you know whose is whose after you vote!

First Award on My New Blog

I was pretty pumped when I was browsing through blogs this morning and came across Happy Healthy Runner's blog. This is because she had tagged me in her post to receive this award:

So here is what this award entails, according to Happy Healthy Runner's Post:

1.  Thank the person who gave you the award and provide a link to their post.  CHECK!
2.  Share seven things about yourself.
3.  Award this award to 15 recently discovered blogs

So here it goes, seven things about myself...because I know that you are DYING to know more about me! ;)

1. I have THREE tattoos...where you ask? I'll keep that a surprise for now ;) But one of them does have to do with running.

2. My all time favorite food is toast and jelly. Im not kidding. I could LIVE on this. And I also like to mix up the jelly flavors too. You know. Keep life interesting.

Image found here

3. I am SO ADD that I can barely sit through a movie without wanting to get up. The only movies that can hold my attention for longer than about an hour are scary movies.

4. Speaking of scary movies, Halloween is my all-time favorite holiday. I love the costumes, haunted houses, candy, and carving pumpkins.

Image found here

5. I have never once broken a bone, nope not ever.

6. I only own two pairs of jeans. I never wear them! Its dresses and skirts in the summer and leggings and tights in the winter. Hey, once you get used to the elastic waist, its hard to go back!

7. My family has their own gospel band. Yep. They are called the Harvey's. Google it.

15 Blogs that you should read NOW:

1. Miss Erosion
2. Southern Girl Running
3. Chic Runner
4. The Skipping Pixie
5. Lilly's Running Momma
6. Workout Warrior
7. Cynthia's Adventures
8. Neon Blonde Runner
9. The Health Nut
10. Once Upon A Lime
11. Wealth is Health
12. Bety Bliss
13. Confessions of a Fitness Instructor
14. Blonde Ponytail
15. Mandi with an I

Alright girls! Go for it!!!

What's Next?!

Well, it hasn't even been a week and I am already itching to start running again!


I took a good solid 3 days off and just rested and relaxed. Yesterday I was about to chew my arm off because I wanted to go for a run so bad! SO today I threw on my running clothes and grabbed my playlist from the marathon and did an easy 3 mile run on the treadmill...and ALOT of stretching.

After that I came home and sat on the computer for hours trying to plot my next running move! Another marathon? A half marathon? Maybe a few smaller races over the next few weekends? Ahhh, the possibilities are endless!

And the boy thought that he would get to stop hearing all the running banter every night after I ran the marathon ;) It didn't burn me out at all, only encouraged me to do more! And hey, if I put up with him looking like this when he takes me out to dinner...

Then he can put up with my "running-obsessive-ness".
AND he isn't the only one that can dress up with balloon accessories either!

Anyone have any suggestions for future races?! Tell me about your races coming up!

Denver Rock N' Roll Marathon Race Recap

SO here it is, finally getting to my marathon review. It has been a CRAZY and amazing weekend and I am sooo happy to report that on Sunday I successfully completed my very first marathon! And here is how it went:

The race was scheduled to begin at 6:55AM. The start line was only about 1.5 miles from my apartment and the boy had decided he would drop me off and then head for the first park that we were going to run through and wait there for me. This meant I didn't have to wake up TOO early, so that was great!

I woke up around 530 (except I think I was waking up every hour the night of, because I was afraid my alarm wouldn't work and I would miss the whole race.) I threw on the clothes I had strategically picked out the night before, loaded up my spi belt, and strapped on my garmin and my ipod..and I was ready to go!

What I wore: Mizuno Wave Elixir shoes, Mizuno compression capris, Nike DriFit Tank, and Nike Jacket.
I was so nervous that I didn't think I could eat a damn thing, but I knew that I was about to be running 26.2 miles, and I should probably eat something. So I brought a banana and a CLIF bar in the car with me. I ended up only choking down the CLIF bar.

The boy got me pretty close to the start line, so I jumped out of the car and walked a few blocks to my Corral, just as they were telling people to start lining up.

The sun had not come up yet, so it was still pretty cold. (about 35 degrees). But as we were standing there waiting for the start the sun started coming up and you could tell it was going to be a PERFECT day for a run!
They made a few announcements, sang the national anthem, and then we were off!

My plan for the marathon was to run the first 10 miles at a conservative pace and then pick it up for the last 16. And it turned out to work pretty well that way.

I knew that the boy was going to be waiting in City Park, which was at about miles 6-9. So I kept counting down the miles until I got to see him.

First 6 mile splits were 9:26, 9:01, 9:02, 8:54, 9:08, and 8:41


We made our way into the park and I saw him! It was pretty quick though, because I just got a chance to chuck my gloves at him and keep going. But then a little ways into the park I see a boy racing through the field on a bike with a little dog trailing behind. It was the best/funniest site I have ever seen. He made it to the next turning point in the park before I ran by, so of course I had to run and jump into his arms and give him a big kiss.


We ran through the park until about mile 9. I knew that we were going to split with the half marathoners at about 11.5 miles, so I used that as my next thing to count down to.

Mile 6-11 splits were 8:52. 8:49, 9:05, 8:50, 9:05, (took a GU at mile 10), 8:31. Notice mile 11...told you I was going to try and pick it up after mile 10 :)


We finally made it to the point where the half marathoners went one way and the full marathoners went to other way. I remember running by this when I did my first half, and being so glad I was almost done and not regretting just running the half AT ALL. But this time, I felt SO PROUD to be splitting with the full marathon runners, and everyone waved and cheered when we split and it was the best feeling in the world.


From here I decided that the next check point would be the half marathon mark. Up until this point the 4 hour marathon pacer had been slightly in front of me. I didn't want to push it to catch up with them, but I knew if I kept up my pace I would eventually catch up. And right before the half marathon mark I found myself right in the middle of the 4 hour pace group!


Miles 12 and 13 splits were 8:59 amd 8:35.

I realized that the average pace of the 4 hour pacers was about 8:30 and this pace felt pretty comfortable for me, so I decided to just stay with the pace group and not try to run ahead until the last 10K.
Well, I did that for about ohhh a mile, and then I thought, "what the hell, I'm feeling good, I'm going for it!!"


I knew that we were going to be running through another park at about mile 19 and I secretly hoped that the boy would have taken it upon himself to be there too. So I made this my next check point.

Miles 14-19 splits were 8:41, 8:35, 8:39, 8:47, 8:45, and 8:40. (took another GU at mile 19).

We made it to the park and there was the boy, the puppy, AND his sister and her whole family!! This really gave me that extra little boost that I needed at this point. I passed them and high fived them all as I ran by.
Then I see the same awesome sight that I saw in the park before. Except this time it was even more awesome. It was the boy, with his niece on his shoulders, his other niece running with the puppy, and his sister pulling the twins in a red wagon...all sprinting across the field so they could meet me again!


When I ran past the boy the second time, I took off my headphone and yelled "I passed the 4 hour pacers!!!" He gave me the thumbs up, said I was doing great, and I kept on running.
From here I didn't have much of a checkpoint, except for the end! I knew I just had a 10K left to go, so I settled in and kept running.

Everything was going great...until it hit at about mile 22....I HAD to use the bathroom!! There was no more water going into my body until I could let some out, and I knew trying to run 4 more miles without drinking anymore water would have been stupid.

I kept looking for the next port-a-potty. I wanted to keep going SO BAD and I even considered just letting it go while I was running. But it was so damn cold, I knew that probably wouldn't be a good idea ;) Finally I see one up ahead, so i book it for the closest one and speed-pee as fast as I possibly can.
I was so disappointed that I was doing so well and had to stop, I just knew that the 4 hour pace group had passed me, but as I kept running I never saw them, and I was starting to see some of the same people that I was running with before I stopped.

Miles 20-24 splits were 8:46, 8:43, 8:41, 9:19, 8:49.


And then it happened. The wall. A big, huge, ugly wall. Right at mile 24. I decided I might need to take in more calories, so I got out my last GU. I squeezed a plop into my mouth....
and almost barfed. Then the guy in front of me stopped and barfed, and I REALLY thought it was going to happen then. Then I started thinking about the huge spaghetti dinner I had the night before....

I knew it was all mental from here. Yeah, my body wanted to stop. I had been running for over 3 hours!! I pushed bad thoughts from my head and told myself "just 2 more miles and you will be a marathoner". So I put my head up and kept running for the finish.


Miles 24-26 splits were 9:19, 8:45 and 8:17. Yeah I think I picked it up the last mile because I was so ready to be done.

We turned a corner and there was the finish line. I started tearing up because I couldn't believe I had accomplished something this big. I knew I was going to beat my goal and I was going to be a SUB4 marathoner! Then I saw the boy and his family all cheering me on at the end and I REALLY lost it!
I crossed the finish line at 3:55:28. (The clock time shows the time from the very start and my coral started about 5 minutes later)

Official Stats:

• Finish Time: 3:55:28
• Average Pace: 8:59
• Overall: 618 out of 2381
• Division: 39 out of 210
• Female: 136 out of 1020

Im so proud that I can now say "I am a SUB4 marathoner"

NEXT UP...BOSTON QUALIFIER!! :)

Official Marathoner!

I made it through alive!! I am now an official marathon runner! :)
Race report and weekend update coming tomorrow....but I'll give you a little teaser now....SUB4!
Thats all I'm sayin' :)
Hope everyone else had a great weekend
Anyone else run any races this weekend? How did it go?

Its the Final Countdown

Thats right people, after the 4+ months of training and doing nothing but think about running, talk about running, and actually running...it has come down to one more 2 mile run tomorrow and then BAM:

Im pretty sure I spent a good 3 hours last night on the website reading every. single. sentence. about the marathon. And I'm pretty sure my stomach was doing flips the whole time.

Im nervous! and excited! and FREAKING OUT! all at once. man this whole running a marathon is GREAT!! I just hope I make it across the finish line without having to crawl or be carried across. Everyone cross your fingers :)

Tonight I planned on going to the expo, since they say that locals should take advantage of the Friday expo because Saturday will probably be packed with people traveling for the marathon. However, one thing I did not want to miss was this girl speaking at the expo:

Yep. Kara Goucher is going to be there! I'm thinking about getting her to sign my running shorts. You know. maybe the speediness will rub off!

She is scheduled to be there on Saturday, but I really wanted to go to the Expo today, so I may just be the biggest dork in the whole world and go both days. I was thinking about wearing a disguise in case anyone noticed me and then getting double the free stuff.

SO stay tuned on a recap of the expo! It should be a good one!

In other news, I got the most excited email the other day from Honey Milk, and guess what?!

I'M ON THE TEAM!!! Thats right, I am a HoneyMilk Athlete :) You can go to their athletes page at http://www.honeymilk.com/athletes and scroll through the bazillion athletes and find me if you want. Its a horrible picture and a horrible write up. But do I feel pretty awesome about it?! You betcha'

Also, today and tomorrow will be spent trying to put together 4+ hours of awesome, adrenaline pumpin' music for my marathon playlist....AND I NEED YOUR HELP!! Everyone tell me some of the music that you love to run to, so that I can fill my time listening to the music that gets you going while I run 26.2 miles. Thanks!

P.S. I LOVED reading everyone's comments on waving to fellow runners. It looks like an overwhelming majority of you are avid wavers. And for that I salute you! Maybe its just because ALL bloggers are super awesome and nice. Keep those waves coming!