The TRACK

I think track workouts are super important for training for my races. I have done speed workouts for almost all of my big important races (AKA marathons and half marathons). When I joined the running club I knew they also did track workouts once a week and I was so excited. I know they make me so strong and fast. We meet every Tuesday night at 6:15pm and a local middle school. It's a dirt track, which my legs LOVE! I have heard our times might be a few seconds slower but whatever...

One night in February about 15 of us showed up and we were all wearing our headlamps (around our waists) and ran 4 X 800 then daylights savings came thank goodness! We have a gorgeous view as well so coming in on the last turn we can just look up :) So 12 weeks later we are still meeting.

I am so glad at my age I can still run on the track and am so grateful. On the track it' s just me and yes I may get competitive with some of the other ladies but the track is just pure running!!!!

Dirt Track

A few of the regulars :)

The mountain view. 

Tapering...

This week has been pretty good! The half marathon is next Sunday so I have been enjoying tapering. All the hard work will be paid off soon. Thing is my legs are just itching to run! After watching and tracking Boston on Monday my plan is to start out conservatively and get faster every 5k. I feel very confident with this plan and my goal is a 1:37! I want to thank the Arvada Running Club, where I have met some great new running buddies. The past 12 Tuesday nights have been great...in the dark with headlamps and in tornado winds. We got up to 9 X 800s! Can't wait to train in the summer with this group. These women are so motivating.

Also my husband has been a great support. He is going to drive the 7 hour road trip with me and be my support person for this race! What a great guy! He also has promised to run a marathon with me someday! Can't wait to hold him accountable on that one :)

New Mailbox

So some of you may think this is boring but we love doing the simple house projects. This house was such a dump when we bought it that even a new mailbox makes the place look so much cleaner and nice. The old mailbox our postman broke and said that we needed to fix it! My husband left a note and said that actually the mailman broke it and that we will get a new one once we can pour concrete.

Here is the before

My husband posing :)

Then we started!

Mixed concrete

Poured and leveled it

Finally so pretty!!!

Boston Fever.....like Bieber Fever lol

So everyone is so excited for BOSTON! I am so excited and envious. I ran it in 2000 qualified some more times but never ran it again. Now in my running family I have tons of friends, acquaintances and frenemies running it. GOOD LUCK! Hopefully I will run it again!

Track workout...

So Tuesday evenings at 6:15 at a local middle school a bunch of crazy women get together and run a track workout on the dirt track. Tuesday was 8 X 800's! This is a very difficult workout and you really want to keep your times as consistent as possible. Last week we ran 7 and we are building up to 10! I must have eaten the right foods because I had a great workout! My splits were: 3:32,3:29,3:31,3:34,3:32,3:31,3:33,3:24

Afterwards I felt so good. I know back in my day I was running these much faster but I was very proud of myself. Coach said I should get to the 3:20's and stay there consistently...great goal!

Trail run today at Apex...

A part of my running story....

I recently have been struggling with this running dilemma...

You see I was a college athlete and ran cross-country, indoor and outdoor track in college, a division III school but still I competed and I loved it. So since I was in college for 5 years...lol (due to studying in Spain for a semester and student teaching) a few of us team mates decided to run a marathon. Since our eligibility was up and we were still in college :) I never had any desire to run a marathon but knew it would be good training to stay in shape so I said I would train with them. Then somehow I got suckered into registering since they all did...we signed up for Twin Cities 1998. Then as the training got closer we decided to sign up for Chicago a week later due to homecoming week!! We could not miss our last homecoming week in Eau Claire, Wisconsin come on now!!!!

So we drove to Chicago, had friends to stay with and I ran my first marathon ever...finished in 3:27. We pretty much all finished around that time...so we were like let's run Boston since we all qualified! So we ran Boston in 2000. I ran a 3:28 after moving to Colorado and barely training. It's like my mind knew how to run a marathon.

I was a high school Spanish teacher and helped out with the cross country and track team and met a really neat lady that helped us coach. After cross country season we trained for the Las Vegas marathon in February 2002 and I ran my lifetime PR of 3:19!!! After that race I felt like I could still go faster. I looked at my training and it looked like I would need to add more tempo runs to my training. I have always been really good about weekly track workouts and long runs.

Then I went and got my masters in school counseling, gained a few pounds. In 2004 I hired a running coach to train me for a marathon. I ran the Tucson marathon in December 2004 in 3:27. This race was a downhill race and my legs cramped up like never before...I actually had to walk I was super dissapointed with my time...I was on pace for a 3:16. Then I was mad and I signed up for the Twin Cities marathon and ran my worst marathon EVER...3:55...I have not run one since. I have ran half marathons and other races and I really want to train for a full but I must be scared of the pain or something. I wish someone had told me to run more marathons in my 20's I feel like my body just can't handle it anymore. I am average for my weight but not neccessarily for running marathons and I tend to get injured.

Now I am happily married and trying to have a baby so my goal will be to run a full marathon after baby!
I love running (not so much on bad days) but when I feel good I LOVE it. I also have gotten into hiking 14er's out here in Colorado, which I am sure helps my endurance.

So my running journey continues...it's so mental and I am very passionate about it.

I ran up Waterton Canyon to drop off my husband when he hiked a portion of the Colorado trail. 

Planing...

Well we have been working hard on our kitchen cabinets! It's hard to believe that they will be hanging up in our kitchen one day....

These are the panels that we made.