Mohican 50 miler training: Week 12

Long Run

Lots has happened since Boston! I thought I was superwoman and decided I should go for a 5 hour run in the CVNP. With Ray in Tunisia, I wasn't really sure if this was smart or not so soon after Boston. The beautiful scenery and great company made it well worth the trip though!


I sat and thought about my over-booked plans for the weekend and wondered how the heck I was going to get everything done. (brother's visit, kayak race, long run, son's first 9 miler, cleaning, shopping, etc., etc.) Then while scrolling through facebook, I saw Nick Billock's post, he was running in the CVNP on Friday. I put in my request to leave work early on Friday (I worked 4 a.m. - 9 a.m.) and ditched the OT I had acquired through the week. It was worth it though! Kim Boner came to run as well, and I was glad to have company on the hot, humid day it was becoming. The CVNP always seems to kick my butt. I have to get out there more. It such a different ball game out that way, there's nothing that can really compare. Sure we have North Chagrin, but even that doesn't even come close to the CVNP in terms of challenging terrain.

I wish I didn't live so far away! It took me 1/2 hour to get to the Boston Store from my job, but an hour to get home. Blech. Still worth it though :) We got a pretty good history/geography/CVNP lesson from Mr. Billock. About half way through Nick and Kim left, and I was running solo. By this time the salt was already attacking me! I had sooo much on me already, this was by far the "saltiest" I've become on a run. I got home and my brother pulled up, and I had the great pleasure of tormenting him with my salty self. He said he never saw anything like it, and I asked him if he wanted salt with his dinner :) I did feel pretty gross, and a shower didn't even help.

Kayak "race"

Saturday a.m. called for a kayak race on the Grand River with my son and brother. I say race but we didn't go there to be competitive, but just to have fun.(LOL if you look up our standings, we all came in last place for our categories/age groups!) I even packed lunch so we could stop for a bite in the middle of the race. I wasn't sure how my son would do with the 8 1/2 miles. He did great though! It was a lot of fun, the rain held off, and the temps were good. The highlight of the event was my brother falling in at mile .75!
I was lucky enough to have my camera out, and caught a snapshot before his smile turned into an ice cold frown! Saturday made for good times, and we talked of all we could do this summer with the kayaks.

My son's first 9 miler!

Sunday called for my son's first 9 miler, and he did great! My husband, son, and I all started out late, a product of all of us staying up until 2 ish (the time I normally wake up in the morning) the night before. We were all so tired. It was humid and kind of nasty out. We ran on the Maple Highlands trail (paved) and he did great! The look on his face when he was done says it all....
This weekend calls for his first 10 miler. After that: The Cleveland 1/2 marathon for husband and son! Their first 1/2 marathon! They are going to do so well, I CAN'T wait to see it and run by their side! It's my turn to support them and I love it!



So far this week:

I spoke with Ray yesterday (called him Saturday and he was headed out on a plane to Toronto! He just got back!!!!) Anyway - he has put me on a "running vacation" until at least Tuesday when I talk to him again. No more than 30 minutes of running a day and eating whatever I want. (This kind of food talk is dangerous around me)Next week it's back on! I can't wait! Although I do need the rest - between doubling up on runs (my running and running w/ my son), yard work, overtime, and not resting after Boston I am so tired!

Impossible 2 Possible: THEY DID IT!

Running Tunisia is finished! The amazing youth ambassadors, $4,768.22 was raised for Ryan's Well and $11,372.84 was raised for Giving Water! View the wrap up blog at:

http://impossible2possible.com/tunisia/?s=experience&id=77

You'll be amazed! Beautiful scenery, pit vipers, and puking included! LOL! CONGRATS TEAM I2P on a job well done! Keep following I2P for more awesome adventures, and buy some cool gear!

http://impossible2possible.com/?v=support

The Boston Marathon Race Report

Where do I even begin? The Boston Marathon was amazing! BOSTON was amazing! Overall this was an incredible experience.

Day 1: Saturday
3 a.m. - woke up to get ready to leave mom and dad's to head out to the Pittsburgh Airport. As I have never flown on a commercial airliner (lol, only jumped out of Cessna's) I was so excited to get on the plane, let alone a plane to Boston!

12:30 p.m. - We arrived in Boston, so excited! Called the hotel for a pick up, and they were there so fast. We stayed at the Logan Airport Comfort Inn. We had a few issues with the hotel, but the people who worked there were as nice as can be. Ate lunch, unpacked, and headed out to find our way on the T. I was nervous about getting lost, as we have never even rode Cleveland's public transportation system.

3:30 p.m. - EXPO! Craziness. Complete insanity. There were so many people there that you could barely look at anything. And the Adidas shop - WHOA! NO WAY could you move. I grabbed a coat that I thought maaybe I could fit into (um, I didn't)- Couldn't even try it on it was that packed. We grabbed my bag that had my racing bib in it as well as other goodies and tried forever to find the exit (and as the security gaurd so kindly pointed out, it was in the direction of the big EXIT signs). We all got a good laugh at that one. SHEESH.



5:00 p.m. - We used the rest of the night to explore the city, jumping on the T and getting on and off at various points. It was helpful to do just to get used to riding the T. I needed to get used to it, as I thought at one point the thing was stopping, let go - and NOOOO. I fell into one woman's lap, and - well let's just say she wasn't too pleased. Husband sure got a kick out of it though, and stood there laughing at me. #&^@! T stops took us to Quincy Market, Boston Common, and China Town. China Town was our favorite, and we decided to go back the next day for lunch.

7:00 p.m. - LEGAL SEA FOOD. The wait was long, and I'm not even sure if it was worth it. We waited 1 1/2 hours to eat there, since we heard it was the best. Don't get me wrong, the food did taste good, but it's nothing I will remember. We did try some oysters for the first time, and they were pretty amazing, but as far as dinner was concerned I could take it or leave it. Definitely not worth a 1 1/2 hr wait.

11:00 p.m. - We were finally back in our hotel and exhausted. My feet hurt SO bad! I was so glad I put all our things away before we left the hotel room earlier in the day.

Day 2:
Sunday

4:30 a.m. - Wake up call! I was glad for some extra sleeping time! (Yes, to me 5 1/2 hrs. is "sleeping in"!)

6:30 a.m. - Continental Breakfast. My son assumed this to mean he could have anything he wanted. He came over with a plate full of muffins, donuts, and waffles. Blech

7:30 a.m. - Out to explore Boston again! We went by the bay, and walked around a bit. The weather was gloomy but that was NOT about to stop us.










9:00 a.m. - Back to the expo to exchange the too tight jacket I thought I could squeeze into. They didn't have any more in my size, so I wound up getting the Marathon Celebration jacket instead. LOL, Me and about 15,000 other people that were in the city for the weekend.

10:00 a.m. - New England Aquarium. The aquarium was pretty nice, had a lot of different things, and one crazy sea lion that was joking around a bit.







12:00 a.m. - Lunch in China Town - Quick Pic BBQ. We had duck, rice, and veggies. Duck is one of my favorite things. To my husband and son it was an adventure they'd just assume forget. At least my son liked the soup!









1:00 p.m. - Beantown Trolley Tour - Ok so, it sounds cheesy, but it really was interesting. They literally took us everywhere except Harvard. Fenway, Cambridge, China Town, Boston Common, MIT, the numerous historical sites - you name it. I was bummed that I couldn't get pics though, the windows were covered with a plastic sheet that would not have made for good shots. My son was impressed with MIT's "Dr Suess" building. I think it looked more like something out of the "Nightmare Before Christmas."

3:30 p.m. - Tomb 5WITS - This was an interactive type of a play, I really don't know how to explain it. You were part of the "show". You had to solve puzzles, riddles, mysteries to uncover the Tomb and be released. We were with a small group of people, one of which was another mom running Boston. This was by far my son's favorite activity in Boston.

5:30 p.m. - A little more exploring and then we headed back to the hotel. This was the plan all along, but we would've gone back earlier if the hotel pool would've been open. It was scheduled to open the day before we arrived in Boston, but it was not. Kind of killed my husband and son's plans for the night before the marathon: Let mom sleep, and go swimming. I was bummed for them, and a bit ticked at the hotel for this. They were so tired anyway though, that we ate, watched a little bit of t.v. and headed to bed. My feet were throbbing, once again. We wound up going to bed around 7:30. We are SUCH party animals.

Day 3:
RACE DAY!

3:30 a.m. - Alarm went off, I woke up and got ready. My son wanted to eat breakfast with me before the race, so I woke him up and we went to the dining area. I had my oatmeal & fruit, coffee - everything I normally have before a big run. This was unfortunately the only time I did anything right as far as food was concerned during this whole trip. I was pretty much out of my element as far as typical pre race behaviour was concerned. That made me pretty nervous. Other runners were up and performing their own pre race food rituals, and we all just sat around staring at the news, talking about the weather and what we were all going to wear.

5:30 a.m. - The hotel shuttled a group of us runners to the T, and we were off to find the area where we would catch the busses to Hopkinton! I sat and talked with a couple of runners who were like me, running Boston for the first time. We were all nervous we would miss the busses or not be able to find them. When we changed stops at Government Center, me and one of the runners got separated from the other one who was with us. Me and the remaining runner stuck together the rest of the time. The instructions I had told us we should get off at the Boylston stop. However - at the Park T Stop some very experienced looking runners got off. My new runner friend and I (I'll call him Okie) looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and followed them out. I'm so glad we did. The lines for the busses were not long where we got off at. However, once I boarded the bus (I waited until my assigned time, 6:45) I was shocked. The busses pulled out and where we would've wound up was just packed with people. I could not even see the ends of the lines, there were that many people! The lines just seemed to continue forever. All that you could hear all throughout my bus was "Oh my god". After that shock wore off, we all started chatting. Suprisingly we had about an hour long bus ride. I sat with a girl from PA who had run Boston before, and sat close to a lady all the way from Australia - who on a whim decided to check and see if she had qualified for Boston one day, and she had! Both were awesome ladies who I won't soon forget.

We arrived in Hopkinton around 8:30/9:00. I jumped off and headed straight for the port a potty line, unsure what to expect. The first line moved fairly fast. As soon as I walked into Athlete's Village I walked around, and didn't see much of anything that was interesting. Just a bunch of nervous athletes, and one D.J. I found port a potty line #2, and it was LONG. I figured well, better stand in this line, too - as I have learned from mistakes made in races past. During this particularly long wait I had the pleasure of chatting with a man from Vancouver. We each talked about our respective countries, holidays, and running. As soon as we were done there, they called for the runners in wave 2 to take all their belongings to the bus. As I was taking off all my warm weather gear, 2 F-15's flew past to mark the start of the race! AWESOME! It definitely pumped everyone up. I dumped my stuff off at the bus, and yep. You guessed it. Port a potty line #3. LOL! This line was short. As soon as I opened the door to the port a potty I backed up and out. WHOA!!! It was so full, it was to the top. Completely gross. This is 23,000 people I suppose. It was then time to head out to the starting line and into my assigned corral. All I could think was that I had never seen so many people in one spot. We excitedly shuffled to the start.

GO!!!!

Thousand of Garmin's beeped. The race had started! It was slow going at first, impossible to pass anyone - but I spent this time taking everything in. Little by little, room opened up. I imagine people dropped back a little when they realized excitement had taken them faster than they wanted to go. I was hoping that wasn't the case with me. I was feeling good though, so didn't think that this was the case. 5, 6, 7 miles flew by. People all along the course were offering their assistance - lots of people passing out oranges and giving high fives. I absolutely did the high five thing for the ENTIRE race. Gave high fives to every kid I saw with their hand held out. Water bottle in one hand, high fives with the other! It was so much fun! I do have to say I could barely raise my hand up come mile 24! Spectators also ran their own water stops. I took water from one little girl who ran away screaming "SOMEONE TOOK THE WATER!!! SOMEONE TOOK THE WATER!!" It was the cutest thing I've seen! Onward...towards Wellsley. WOW. WELLSLEY. Those college girls were INSANE! I spent the whole time running by and laughing! Those signs! Kiss me I'm Polish, Kiss me I'm Irish, Kiss me, Kiss me, Kiss me! Nothing but girls going crazy. That just had to pump up so many guys. We ran buy businesses, bars, houses with college kids drinking beer, standing on their roof screaming. I ran up Heartbreak Hill and didn't even realize it until the top, where someone had a sign out that had Heartbreak Hill mentioned on it. Really?! I thought, that was it? That pumped me up even more, because I new I didn't have much longer to go. And then there was Boston College. More craziness. The college guys were passing out beads, and I only had strength to grab one as I ran by. From that point forward, the crowd called me either "Red" for my red shirt and red beads, or simply "Beads". GO RED! ALMOST THERE BEADS! and so much more. The crowd completely carried me through to the end.

The people of Boston are amazing. Not just the race crowd, but the numerous number of people who, without being asked, would come up to us as we were trying to make our way around the city - asking us if we needed help. Boston is the elderly lady who didn't speak English, but motioned to my son to sit next to her on the T. We looked at each other, nodded and smiled. There wasn't a need for words. Boston is the hundreds of locals who put up with thousands of runners invading their city. Boston is incredible. One thing's for sure - I'll be going back. It may not be next year, or the year after even, but I will be back. The race was amazing, but the people were even more so. An incredible event, in a city filled with incredible people. What could be better than that?

Finish Pace
0:07:57
Official Time
3:28:12
Overall
6553 out of 23126
Gender
1102 out of 9772
Division
854 out of 5111

Mo' training week in review: Weeks 9 and 10 & The BOSTON MARATHON!

Mo Training


If someone told me two years ago, even one year ago - that I'd be doing a 26.2 mile training run and I would've thought them to be crazy. When Ray told me my run a couple weeks ago would be 26.2 my jaw dropped, but I was so excited! I didn't expect that! Orders were: 26.2 and on trail. At a place that was pretty hilly, by Streetsboro. CVNP? I believe so! I attended what was called the "Egg 20" and tacked on an extra 6.2. I talked with a lot of great runners throughout the run, and hope to see them all again in the near future. And runners: I apologize if I was a trail hog :) I'm so used to pavement running, side by side, chatting away, etc., etc. that I frequently forgot to keep my distance and ran too close. Good times though, and lots of mud! I tried out some new gear that day - a running skirt. I swore up and down that I'd never buy one. Too "girly" for me I said. Well I decided to buy a cheap one at Target, and surprisingly loved it. I had no problems with it at all! I'm pretty surprised and will most definitely wear it again. I just wish it had more room for storage. I think I'm going to have to look into other brands, something with at least ONE pocket.

Last weekend called for a 13 miler and a 21.75 miler(35k). I ran the 13 miler with the NERC - and it was crazy fast! I woke up not feeling to great and it was supposed to be a tempo run. I could tell I just wasn't going to be into pushing myself. I got to the run early and ran around 3 miles before the main group got there, met up with some 20 mile peeps along the way. At mile 3 we met up with the rest of the group which included super fast Guy Gadomski! Guy and I ran together the rest of the way. It was such an amazing run and probably my fastest 1/2 yet. I pushed it every step of the way, and am so thankful that Guy showed up and whipped me into shape! The next day's long run was a little slower, but well worth it!

The Boston Marathon


I can't believe it's almost here! My first Boston Marathon! My 35k on Sunday was my last long run until the marathon which is Monday. Couple of a days of speed work this week, a long walk today, and that's it - nothing else until the marathon! My taper may not be a typical marathon taper since I'm training for Mo - but I'm still feeling tons of energy this week. Last night I gave the whole house a good scrub down, then went to work on the car! Hopefully all this energy will last until the marathon. I'm not so sure how it's going to work, but we'll see. We're planning on doing so much sightseeing that I'm not sure what to expect in terms of energy levels on marathon day. We're all so excited here that we can barely sleep! We may do a lot of things, but they are done in PA (where I am from originally) and Ohio. This will be our first real vacation, and we intend to make every minute of it count! This may sound crazy, but I'm not sure what I'm more excited about - the plane ride (I finally get to ride in a plane without having to jump out of it) or the marathon. On second thought....I think I'm more excited about the marathon, because I LOVE jumping out of planes! MUAHAHAAHHA!!!!! I am excited to see what it feels like though :) I feel like a little kid!

Special Thanks


I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been so supportive. I love you guys! (cue the Kumbaya song) Thanks to everyone who has donated to UNICEF as well! You all have definitely made me stronger and hold a special place in my heart. XOXOXO to you all! Especially my husband and son, who have to deal with things like the alarm clock going off at 2 a.m., black toenails, and salty skin. It takes special people to be able to deal with things like that!

Good luck to all this weekend, whether you are running Boston, running a different race, or just hitting road for the fun of it!

Mo' training week in review: UNICEF GOAL = MET! WEEK 8 & the Nort Coast 24 hour Endurance Run

UNICEF:

A milestone has been reached and I couldn't be happier! I've finally met my fundraising goal for UNICEF! Donations exploded this past week and it was amazing! It was a rough road as my original plan was to raise all the funds in relation to my first 50k that was in September. I did not meet that goal unfortunately, so I carried the fundraiser over to the upcoming Boston Marathon. I'm so glad I didn't just drop it and forget it, as my awesome friends have helped me reach and surpass my goal! This is by far one of the hardest things that I have ever done. Raising money is not easy! There were many ups and downs to this fundraiser. Through the end I learned that optimism is the only way. I had many great friends who stepped up to the plate! I was also amazed when people I have never met before donated. I couldn't believe it! Doing this is so energizing, it has completely recharged me. It's made me realize that there are so many amazing, caring people out there!

There are people who donated to my campaign who were struggling in every way themselves, but still managed to scrape a few dollars together for a good cause. I appreciate you! There were long time friends who donated. I appreciate you! There were coworkers who donated. I appreciate you! There were complete strangers who donated. I appreciate you! There were runners who donated. I appreciate you! I cannot thank all of you enough! I will be running the Boston Marathon thinking of all of you and thinking of all the children that you have helped! Please be encouraged and feel good about your donation by knowing that 90% of your donation will be going directly to the people that need it the most. You can see that facts here at:

http://www.unicefusa.org/donate/give-with-confidence.html

After this long journey, my main goal will be to promote awareness of a wonderful organization called Impossible2Possible. I2P's goal is to educate and inspire youth everywhere. By their amazing use of technology they are connecting and educating kids around the world! Check out the I2P website at:

http://www.impossible2possible.com/

If you would like to donate to I2P - click on the link at the top of my page. Running Tunisia is coming up soon, so it would be appreciated! You can also purchase I2P gear!
Go to http://www.impossible2possible.com/?v=support to make a purchase.

I2P's next adventure will be Running Tunisia. 5 Youth Ambassadors were selected to join Ray Zahab, fellow adventurers, and I2P ambassadors. They will run for 10 days - 200 kms total in an attempt to cross the country. Throughout the run these students and adventurers will be interacting with other students from around the globe, free of charge to educate students on an important social and environmental issue - access to safe, clean, drinking water. These schools/children will also be involved in fundraising efforts for non-profits such as Ryan's Well and GivingWater. Imagine - a program that educates, inspires, teaches social awareness and responsibility, and is FUN, all rolled up into one great big package! I encourage everyone to donate and parents - please contact your schools and ask the classrooms to follow I2P!


North Coast 24 Hour Endurance Run!

Last week I registered for my first 24 hour race, the North Coast 24 Hour Endurance Run! The run will be held September 19-September 20. This run will be a huge mental challenge for me, as the course is running a .9 mile asphalt track for 24 hours straight! One of the things that are exciting about this race is that it will be held in Edgewater Park, right in downtown Cleveland along Lake Erie and my family will be able to camp out right at the edge of the course! When they get bored of seeing me running circle after circle after circle after....(you get the point)they can head off to the beach, downtown, whatever they want and still be close by! This is a different race, completely different mindset and I'm looking forward to this event! I'm definitely going to need to toughen up mentally for this one!


On training:

It's been another great week and this has me completely pumped for the Boston Marathon and the Mohican 50 miler! Speed work is going great and I am actually looking forward to hill work now! (GASP!) Last week's hill work was the first time the hill was clear for me, and it made me SO happy. The hill work was a little easier due to the lack of snow and ice. My hubby came along and got some hill work in himself. I still don't do so great going up, but coming down AWWWWWWW YEAAAAHHHH! LOVE IT!

The QUALITY of my runs is way up. I'm enjoying everything now and can't see training any other way. Hills and speed are making me stronger and faster and it's been great seeing the results of my training and again I am completely pumped! No I'm still not the fastest and don't know if I could ever be one of those people, but just seeing my improving times - well - I LOVE IT! Just on a personal record basis, I'm so excited! I'm feeling great and loving every minute of my training :) Ray is a most awesome coach!

NERC Saturday long run and Sunday long run:

I ran 20 miles with the NERC this weekend and averaged a 7:53/mile! Another P.R.! On top of running it in (for me)a good time, I felt GREAT after! I wasn't tired, wasn't sore, I felt really good. I'm glad I could get a 20 miler in before Boston. It boosted my confidence and will now be going feeling a lot better about things. With less than a month away I'm so grateful that things are going well. Sunday's run was spent 1/2 solo and 1/2 with my husband. The beginning 8 1/2 miles were solo and I averaged a 7:57/mile for that. My husband's running was looking strong as well! He started out with a shorter distance in mind, but decided to go longer! (Which in turn made my run longer! ACK! 17.4 miles total for me on Sunday!)

This Coming Week:

I'll be running 26.2 on Saturday this week if anyone wants to join me. Just send me a message, and I'll give you the info. The run will be on trails. WOOT WOOT!

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!