This weekend marked the kickoff of the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge courtesy of Amanda at Run to the Finish. I got my Challenge started with a killer Pilates workout on the reformer on Saturday and a chilly 5.3 mile run on Sunday. I’m hoping to rack up some Challenge points this week with some Pilates, a little Yoga and at least a couple of runs. There are over 300 of us taking part in HBBC – if you haven’t signed up yet, check it out HERE!
For added incentive this week, I’ll be Feeding the Turkey!
Feed the Turkey is a virtual 5k Turkey Trot to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital — they’ll receive 100% of the donations! Want to trot for a good cause? Visit http://www.dailymile.com/turkey_trot to sign up and make a donation and then on Thanksgiving Day run (or walk) your 5k anywhere you happen to be! Dailymile will be handing out prizes to a few lucky winners, but best of all you’ll be helping St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital which is the #1 children’s cancer hospital! (By the way, you can participate whether you have a Dailymile account or not.) So sign up and spread the word!!
On this morning’s run, I discovered….
I’m happy to say that I’m starting to come out of my mini motivation funk! I finally got back out on the road on Sunday for a nice four mile run — family commitments made a long run not possible. But it was nice to be out running! This morning I followed up with another three — legs were heavy, but moving. Tomorrow I’ll be back in the Pilates studio and then will run again on Thursday.
And, while I’m looking to jump back on that motivation bandwagon, I’ve decided to run another 10k race! I picked one at the end of February — part of the Hyannis Marathon series — I figured post holiday madness is best! And my hubs J announced that he wants to run it with me!
In pulling myself out of this little motivation slump I find myself in lately, I take inspiration from those of you toeing the line this weekend!
Especially wanted to send Friday Shout Outs to:
Chris at Evolving through Running running the OBX Marathon
David at Running …Because I Can running the Richmond Marathon
Amanda at Miss Zippy also running Richmond
Tricia at Endurance Isn’t Only Physical running the R&R San Antonio Marathon
Amanda at Run to the Finish running the Ft. Lauderdale Half
Tonia at Racing with Babes running the HCA 8k
I know many of you are running at less than 100% and I applaud you for showing up and giving it your all. Trust in your training and you’ll do great! Good Luck!!
As for me – I’m determined to shake off this mini funk and get back out on the road this weekend!
Sunday morning I ran the Canton Fall Classic. After a couple of decent runs last week and a couple of days of rest, my left knee was feeling pretty good and I was looking forward to running. I was also looking forward to cheering on my friend E as she took on her first 5k!
It was a perfect morning for a race, just about 50 degrees and sunny. The beauty of a local race is we got to the race with plenty of time to check in, make one last pit stop and chat with several people before the kids fun run got started. Some people came dressed in costumes – I seriously don’t know how they could run in those outfits!
The start of the race was a little congested – for the first mile the 5 and 10kers ran together. E had told me she was going to try to stick with me for as long as she could but was going to run her own race – always a wise choice!
We passed our families about 1/4 mile in – I get such a lift seeing my hubs and the boys cheering!! The first mile went quickly and for mile 2 the 5k turned up hill. Actually it was a series of uphill climbs with a little down hill turn thrown in which allowed you a chance to regroup between climbs. All-in-all the hills were not too bad. At the end of the first mile, I had set my sights on a guy who seemed to be keeping a good pace – he was about two telephone poles in front of me and I just tried to keep him in range. By the end of mile 2 we were heading directly into the wind….not fun but knowing that the hills were done I knew it was pretty much a flat run to the finish. “4 Minutes” came up in my playlist and I started to pick up the pace — no matter how tired I feel that song always gets me going! I felt really good at the end and my watch read 33:17 as I came across the line – a new PR for me by 4 minutes and best of all no knee pain!
I grabbed a water, found my family and E’s family and then headed back out to the final bend to wait for E to come through. She looked strong and was smiling as she came down the final stretch! She did a great job! We hung out for a little bit, catching up with different people we knew and then it was time to head for home and get on to a day of Halloween activities.
It was a fun morning and a race I will definitely run again!
So far, so good….
I managed to string together a couple of runs and a killer Pilates class this week, and the good news is any discomfort in my left knee was mild!
So barring any changes in the next couple of days, I’m going to run a local race on Sunday. I’m planning to just go easy, have fun and be moral support for a friend who’s running her very first race after completing the Couch to 5k plan! I’m really psyched for her! (Isn’t it funny how once you start running, you want everyone else to run too!)
A huge Friday Shout Out to all the runners racing this weekend!
Mark Remy at Runner World has a great blog post today, declaring today National Married-to-a-Runner Appreciation Day and encouraging his fellow runners to salute their supportive spouses.
I just love this idea! My hubby has been my biggest supporter since the first moment I entertained the idea of starting to run. He pumps up my ego when it get seriously bruised by a bad run or the number on the clock. He listens to my endless agonizing over running routes, workouts and race choices. He never complains when I disappear on a Sunday morning and does what ever he can to help me get my runs in during the week while not disrupting the boys’ schedules. Heck, he spent our 18th wedding anniversary on the streets of Boston cheering me on in my first 10k race and he’s the first one to tell me that I can do a half marathon (he actually tells me he’s waiting for the day I announce I want to do a full)!
I’m not surprised by this support – this is the way he’s always been for what ever new venture I dive into. It’s one of the many things I love about him!
So today I want to say a very public
Why not take a moment and thank your biggest supporter too!
