Mo' training weeks 6 and 7, UNICEF, and Breaking Records!

WEEK(s) IN REVIEW


Week 6 was similar to week 5 in training. Once again weekend activities did not allow me to run with the NERC - but for good reason! My son was turning 13 on the 16th and wanted a few close friends over Friday evening. (He had chose to get new golf clubs instead of having a huge bash.) Sunday's run for week 6 was spent with my hubby - who had some stomach issues going on. It was a hard run for him, but he finished!

Week 7 was AMAZING! NUFF SAID! I'm getting faster and loving it! There was some concern with my hill work on Tuesday. I was completely pumped to do hill work (yikes, I know) this past week. I thought it would be so great, no snow or ice on the hill OR on the way to get to the hill! The first few minutes on the trails were fine and then......I saw it. SNOW. "You have GOT to be #%*@ing kidding me" is all I was thinking. And that was just me trying to get to the hill. When I finally got to the hill - more obscenities crossed my mind. I was heartbroken! I wanted to turn around and walk away - just walk away. My hill was nothing but ice. I had to do my hill work though - so I just sucked it up and started. The ice actually didn't change my uphill times, but going downhill was nothing but slow. I fell once - which wasn't really a big deal. Next year I HAVE to invest in some Yak Trax, do the screw shoe thing, SOMETHING. I won't be dealing with this stuff ANYMORE! And I LOVE the snow! Hopefully the ice and snow will be gone by the time I do hill work again - but who knows? I thought for sure after 60 degree temps and rain there would have been none LAST week and it was the most dangerous week yet! Sigh....

Other than the hill, all the rest of my runs were amazing! Faster and loving it! While doing speed work at North Chagrin this week I ran by an older guy who yelled "What do you think you're doing? Training for Boston or something!" Muahaha! That made my day! My Saturday run with the NERC went great - even though we were missing some awesome regulars! I ran the whole time with Crystal Basich - it wound up being 16.40 some miles. The beginning of the run I was a little nervous, as my lungs didn't seem to be working quite right - and I did not have my inhaler. (dummy) Around mile 5 is when it happened. My lungs just opened up, and I felt amazing! (Strange how they can just not be cooperating one minute - and the next minute be working like nothing was wrong.) I love the feeling I get the moment my lungs start agreeing with me. It feels like a miracle! The rest of the way I swear I did nothing but talk, and LOVED it! Sunday's run was 13 miles - and everything clicked for that one. Averaged 7:35/mile pace and I had started out telling myself that this would just be a "comfy" run! As I was running all "comfy" and what not I looked at my watch, and my pace at that time was 7:40! This weekend's runs were an awesome confidence booster, and I'm loving it! Tomorrow I'll be doing a fitness evaluation for the first time. I'm curious, and it's free at my work - so why not? I'm a little nervous about what it will say though!


UNICEF


OK so it's been awhile since I've plugged my fundraising for UNICEF - so here goes. Yes I'm still trying to raise money! It started out with YUTC, and I did not meet my goal for that. (I pretty much suck at trying to "sell" things) So therefore I have rolled that over into the Boston Marathon, and Mohican if need be. I have raised $295 of my $500 goal. I will NOT give up until I raise the whole $500. So many great friends have donated so far, and I thank you all! Donations don't have to be a lot. Every dollar counts, so if you could please donate I'd love it so much! My last donor was Eric Ford of the NERC. Thanks Eric and to all my other great friends! You guys (and gals) are the best! To donate just click the link on the top left hand side of my page. xoxoxo to all!


BREAKING RECORDS

Ray Zahab and Kevin Vallely have finished their expedition! Their record breaking run is finished! They managed to run across Lake Baikal in Siberia in 13 days and 16 hours - breaking the old record by a week! Congrats to them for a job well done. They need some well deserved rest, although I don't know if Ray will do that! Running Tunisia will be coming up fast. Ray and the selected youth ambassadors will run/trek 200km across Tunisia. Youth ambassadors will be communicating their experiences directly with thousands of students across North America. Sponsors and donors are still needed, so remember - Sponsors get logos on website, potentially a spot in one of I2P's press releases (they go to news outlets all over North America), the potential for Ray to come speak at an event, photos of the team for marketing purposes, and a few other value items. If you have an interest in becoming a sponsor please contact bcox@impossible2possible.com (Bob Cox)

Mo' Training week in review week 5, Siberian Express for Water, and the Green Jewel 50k

MOHICAN TRAINING:

Last week training was changed up a bit to include 2 days of speed workouts. The workouts were particularly hard this week, as Ray had me start my week out with hill work! This made my speed work seem so hard, but it got done! The hill work was interesting, as there was just so much snow on the trail. This is the first time this year I actually wondered why I liked snow. It really had me doubting it as I ran the 1 1/2 miles to get to the middle of the park, and my hill. Someone or something had dug out a very narrow path which made it so hard to get to my hill. (NERC people think West Woods) My husband and son came with me though, and while the snow made my hill work rough, my family pumped me up with their high fives and positive comments. I was so grateful, and so lucky!















SIBERIAN EXPRESS FOR WATER:

The guys are almost there! They've battled heavy winds, huge chunks of ice, and are still going strong! A great article was done in the LA Times on the expedition (see below for my favorite points of the article, and a link to the original)!

Get Ray to speak at your meeting/event!
Impossible2Possible is still looking for donors/sponsors for Running Tunisia. Sponsor this amazing expedition, and get Ray to speak to your group! See below for details:

Donors vs. Sponsors...what's the difference?

Donors get a tax receipt!

Sponsors get logos on website, potentially a spot in one of I2P's press releases (they go to news outlets all over North America), the potential for Ray to come speak at an event, photos of the team for marketing purposes, and a few other value items. If you have an interest in becoming a sponsor please contact bcox@impossible2possible.com (Bob Cox)

Running Clubs: My thought is that this would be an amazing opportunity for running clubs to sponsor this fantastic non-profit, and benefit themselves by having an amazing guy like Ray come to your club and speak! Get in touch with Bob for more info!

Some favorites from the LA Times article:

It's 40 degrees below zero on Russia's Lake Baikal and the cold is debilitating.

Ray Zahab and Kevin Vallely are traveling 26 miles every day, sleeping four to five hours a night, battling snowstorms and consuming freeze-dried meals of spaghetti and chicken tikka.

Though the duo, who started out with 110-pound sleds, are attempting to cross the length of the frozen lake in 10 days, this isn't another extreme sports feat.

Instead, it's an attempt to educate and inspire more than 8,000 students in 37 schools across the country and Canada, as the explorers communicate via satellite from halfway across the world. A school in Germany and one in Russia are also participating.

"It's about showing young people that you apply yourself no matter what," Zahab said Friday by telephone from the world's largest freshwater lake.

You can read the whole article at:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-siberia6-2010mar06,0,5170398.story

GREEN JEWEL 50K:

One word: STRONG

Strong is how all the runners looked out there. They were so amazing, and smiling through the whole race. The sun was warm and the air was cold. I was a volunteer at mile 10 - the Rocky River Nature Center. Niall, Vince, Joe, and some others were already there when I arrived. It was fun talking to everyone and meeting new people. It wasn't long before we saw the first runner, coming in at a little over an hour! He was so fast! (He wound up being the winner) Next in came Lloyd, who I swear looked so strong every time I saw him. He makes it look easy! On the women's side Star Blackford and Terri Lemke came in at first and second place.

After our aid station closed I drove to the finish line and waited to take some pics. I would've liked to stay longer, but had to get going by noon. I apologize for all the runners whose pics I didn't get. You guys were amazing, and really inspired me on my run this morning!

Some pics from yesterday:
(All pics can be found on my facebook page - Green Jewel album)

Mo' training week 4

Training this week was pretty interesting with all this snowy weather we're having! Needless to say, March is here and there are 40 degree temps on the horizon. While this will make for faster times, I'm not a huge fan of the ugliness that early spring brings.

Speed work:

I'm happy to report that my speed work averaged out to 10 seconds less/mile this past week! I'm pumped!

Hill work:

I had an awesome partner for hill work last week. My son! (He had the luck of not having school on Thursday.) As soon as I left from work, I picked him up and we were off. He got his 1/2 training in - and he did some hill work himself! Getting to the hill was the most interesting part. My son fell at least 4 times, me once. The ice was crazy! Eventually we got there, and it was on! During my hill work I'd pass my guy, as he'd be coming or going himself. I can't believe he was doing his own hill work! He did the whole hill twice, and the rest of the time he just went up and stopped wherever he felt like stopping before he ran back down. As for myself, the hill work went the same as the speed work! FASTER! I'm not sure how. The trail was crummier, and I didn't feel like I was going too fast. When I reviewed my Garmin data I couldn't believe it! Pumped again!!! This week should be even more fun, as my husband's on 1st shift and told me to wait for him so he could join in the hill work! Whoa! What's happening to my guys?


My guy :)











DIET!!

I spoke with Ray on Tuesday as he and Kev were zipping around Vancouver in their car, preparing to leave for Siberia. He asked how I was feeling, and I told him, "Well...pretty chunky!" So he just said "We'll take care of that!" and gave me a diet plan (on top of the workout schedule he gave me to last until he got back). Shucks! After hanging up I waddled to the store to buy all the groceries I needed. I was worried how I'd hold up, wondering if I'd want chocolates, cakes, chips, etc., etc. but for the rest of the week I was feeling fine! "I can do this" I thought. The only thing that really bothered me was coffee w/no cream, no sugar. Patoooie! ICK ICK ICK!!! Oh well, it's just a couple weeks. I just have hang on until he gets back :) I've already lost 8 pounds! It's amazing! I've struggled since September with this stuff! And it's coming off so fast!

The long runs:

I guess an 8 minute 40 second mile isn't all that bad, but I felt horrible. With no Energy drink, GU Chomps, NONE of that I was nervous and bummed to begin with. I LOVE my GU Chomps! I LOVE my energy drinks! SUGAR! SUGAR! Inside my body, just bare bones now. Breakfast, that's it. I must've been just a bummer to run with. (Sorry Emily!) Complete downer. The first half went ok, but then everything just got so, so hard. It was a struggle every single step. However: mentally speaking, I had started out negative - wishing I had my GU chomps. The negativity carried with me through the whole run. Now that it's over, I could kick myself. Should've started with a smile, should've done less whining, and just ran. Maybe I shouldn't have run the first part as fast - not knowing how I'd do without my beloved Chomps.

On Sunday I ran long with my husband, who FINALLY had off work! Nerves were high as the snow was piled high next to the side of the road, making jumping to the side impossible.

This week I'll be remembering the "long run" lessons of the weekend. Stay positive. Bottom line. Hopefully I'll see a few people at Green Jewel 50k this coming weekend - I'll be out there volunteering. Good luck to all who are running it, and have fun!

Mo' training week 3

This past week started my "real" training for the Mohican 50 miler, and I was ready! Hill work and speed work were done - and this was actually the first time I did them with a set plan and not on a treadmill. What a HUGE difference!

Hill work

The hill work was unreal. I had to have picked the nastiest hill I could find. It wasn't long into my hill work that I asked myself why I would do something like that. However, when I finished (and my heart didn't feel like it was going to explode) I felt AWESOME!!! It was one of the best things ever! HA - I wanted to do a "Rocky" when I was finished, but was too tired.

Speed work

Speed work was done in what some would call foul weather, but the roads were pretty decent, only a few slick spots. That didn't stop an older gent who lives down the street from yelling at me. "YOUR CRAZY!" He screamed. I almost wanted to stop and tell him that HE'S crazy for sitting in his house! I mean, my god - it was over 25 degrees!!! Who cares if it was snowing? We had a heat wave going on outside!

Long Runs

Back to back "long" runs were the name of the game for the weekend. My Saturday run was done at race pace - 7 minute 51 second average mile. Hopefully I can get a lot faster soon! The only down side to my Saturday run was that it was alone. I wanted to concentrate on my race pace, and that meant no NERC run for me. :( I missed those guys! Hopefully my schedule for the week will allow for me to run with everyone Saturday. There's a fun run on Sunday that I would love to do as well, but we'll see. I'm crossing my fingers!

My husband and son's official 1/2 training begins today!!!

"Official" 1/2 marathon training starts for my husband and son today. My hubby will probably not be following the 1/2 plan (except the long runs). He runs a lot more than what the 1/2 plan calls for. My son will be most likely following it to a T though. Day one calls for no running!! Just cross training, so we're going to check out the Riverside Field House, which is free for Township residents. My husband has been going there for about 1 1/2 weeks, and it's right down the street, so why not? My son belongs to the Y, but this is much closer, and we can both workout together. The only thing it's missing is a pool, and again, my son has the Y for that.

On Boston:

I can't believe it's 2 months until Boston! YIKES!!!! We're so ready for a vacation though. Exploring the city will be like running a marathon itself! I'm wondering how Mo' training will go during that time. We'll be in Boston from Saturday until Tuesday. So I may be exploring even MORE of the city than I thought. By RUNNING!

Recipes that work:

It has come to my attention that I have not been doing my "Recipes that Work" lately! Hopefully next week I'll find some new recipes and post (if they aren't nasty that is!)

Have a great week everyone!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxo

Running Tunisia sponsors needed!

Good morning everyone! My coach for the Mohican 50 mile race is about to leave on an expedition to Siberia for I2P, and already concentrating on Running Tunisia! The student ambassadors have been chosen, and what a great group! (Read their bios at: http://impossible2possible.com/siberia/?s=event_info&e=team_tunisia)

They'll be pushing themselves to the max and communicating with thousands of students across North America throughout it all, sharing in the adventure and the education. (Register your school at http://impossible2possible.com/?v=home#slide_i2P_2010_H2O_Initiative:_School_Registration)

I2P is educating thousands of students from around the world, and the kids are loving it! Check out the Bethlehem Catholic School to see how much fun the kids are having learning and raising money for Ryan's Well and givingwater http://www.livestream.com/goi2p/video?clipId=flv_118b003c-9a6b-4d81-9feb-ba25a9fe058f. These kids (the ones going on the expedition, AND the ones following along) are learning, and having fun with it! All the while learning important lessons in social responsibility.

Running Tunisia is currently looking for Business sponsors and/or individual donors. Give school children around the world the opportunity to experience this amazing event and others!

Online donations are accepted at:

http://impossible2possible.com/?v=support Before you submit your payment, please check the box "special instructions". To send your message, and let them know that this is for Running Tunisia!

Thanks!!!!

Boston training, Mohican training, and the Run For Your Heart Race Report

What a busy week it's been! Training at work is over and I've officially started my new job and AWESOME new hours. I ran in some interesting weather this week and really can't complain one bit. How can a person complain about running outside after being chained to the treadmill for years?


NERC weekly group run:







Lots of great runners showed up this week! We had quite a few new people this week and we all had lots of fun. I spent most of the time running with Crystal Basich - an amazing ultra runner from the area. I swear we talked the entire run! Ernie Richman got the tough guy medal this week:








OUCH!!!


Boston Marathon and Mohican 50 mile training:

Low intensity is over and the real work is about to begin! I have my schedule for the week and it looks like a REAL runner's schedule, thanks to coach Ray! No more going out and just running. I'm pumped to start! With never doing XC or track in high school I'm already learning a lot. I've read so many books on running with none of it really making much sense. After talking to Ray I'm starting to put the pieces together. We spoke on Thursday to go over the plan for this week. Despite him seeming so busy he could still sense that something was wrong with me the day we spoke - and told me so. How busy he is but still so in tune with what's going on! Yes something was bothering me, but it was a bum day :( Nothing to do with running thank goodness! I'm still pretty shocked though, that here's this crazy busy guy but still he can tell when something's wrong. I'm amazed and so grateful!


Run with your heart race report:


Thanks to Beth and all the volunteers who helped with this great event! I'm sure she's going to sleep tonight exhausted but with a smile on her face :)


My son ran the 8k and I'm told had some pretty big supporters and good conversation along the way. It's always nice when someone comes up to you and tells you how polite your kid is. Thanks Bob! And a special thanks to Beth, Ann, and Daniel for taking the time to chat with him!









I ran the whole race today not to be competitive, but to have fun and run alongside my husband in his first race ever! He ran the 15k and did it with style! His plan was to run it in 2 hours, but he did it in 1 hour and 40 some minutes. We ran with so many great people. Joe Trask, Daniel Bellinger, and Mark Anson to name a few. (Side note, Joe Trask is the t.p. vs paper towel guy from one of my early YUTC blogs. He gave us another explanation today!)


The run itself was snow packed, hilly, and beautiful. I found great joy in well, basically sliding down the hills as if I had skis on. Going up - another story. I stayed behind my hubby the whole time. (Crackin' that whip!) Running next to him wouldn't have really been possible due to the snow. We caught up with ultra-running "supasta" Mark after awhile. Embarrassment as I, when running with my head down almost followed Mark straight to the bathroom! That gave us a good laugh, and my husband and I kept on truckin'.


My man finished with a smile on his face, and tired body. I think after this run, him conquering the 1/2 marathon in Cleveland will be no problem! I'm so proud of both of my boys. All this made for a great Valentine's day!

Mohican 50 training week 1/Boston training week 8: Week in Review

So the first week of Mohican training is complete! Although, I guess it's not really training. Coach Ray is having me "push my reset button". Last week and this week will be reduced mileage. I did manage to get a couple of interesting weekend runs in however. Saturday's run with the NERC was windy and rough. The typically plowed bike path was not plowed at all. It made for some rough, slow running. Only a few people showed up (I think last week's run scared some off, what with frozen eyebrows, nose hairs, fingers and all!) However we did have a couple new runners, Sandi and Rachel Nypaver. They braved the cold to come out with us, and I was kind of bummed there weren't more people for them! We still had 7 people total though. (We lost two at the start of the bike path - I think maybe they stuck to the road?)

Sunday was spent running trails with my hubby. It was even slower than Saturday! It was so beautiful though! We ran many hills, crossed streams, and just enjoyed the snow. Speaking of my fab husband - his first race EVER will be on SUNDAY!!! He will be doing the 15k at Run with Your Heart! I'm so proud of him! He will always struggle with running more than I will, due to an unfortunate accident with his knee when he was younger. Him running 1 step will always be harder than me running 100 - but he's been pushing on and doing it! He's lost 25 pounds and counting! It will be a pretty amazing sight seeing him cross the finish line at Run With Your Heart! I can't wait! My son will be doing the 8k. I'm signed up for the 15k - but I'm not sure how I'm going to work that. I have to run a pre-determined length of time Sunday, and it's longer than 15k will take me. I won't be in competitive mode either since my runs are supposed to be easy right now, and that's a bummer! On the other hand, that should let me have some good chats with fellow runners. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone on Sunday, and congrats to Beth for selling out the race!

Impossible 2 Possible Siberian Express for Water:

Not too much longer and the team will be departing! You can follow along at http://www.siberianx.com/. You can also submit your questions for Ray and Kevin to answer. So many questions have been submitted already. The event is a great combination of learning and adventure and it's free to follow! Follow along with your family, and cheer Ray and Kevin on! And if you're able, please donate to I2P at http://impossible2possible.com/?v=support.