Parkersburg, West Virginia 1/2 Marathon

My alarm clock went off at 5:00am on Saturday morning. I get so excited for races, the anticipation of it makes it hard to sleep. I made arrangements for a friend to pick up my packet so that I wouldn't have to get up at 4am. Parkersburg is an 1:20 minutes west of Bridgeport so we had to be on the road by 5:30am.
I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to the roads here, there are no lights and a lot of foliage so it's hard to see with the hovering mist of humidity. I'm such a bossy passenger, I'm so easily startled and I tend to be worse when I'm anxious to get to the race on time.

The race didn't start until 8am so we walked around with Acalias who loves to people watch. I'm not one to expend much energy running around the block to warm up like other runners do, maybe it would improve my performance if I did. I'm amazed when I watch the Kenyans stroll by with their fellow Kenyan runners, I think I speak for most runners when I say we are envious of how fast they can run. A 4-minute-mile would probably cause my heart to stop! I was excited for the race but annoyed that it started so late, it was already hot by 8:00 am. It was the first race I had been to where a lot of runners were shirtless. Weird. It's almost like being at the pool...old, young, thin, thick, it must be a trend that I didn't know about.

A few minutes before the starting gunshot went off.

There were over 1,000 runners in this race (2 mile & 1/2 marathon) and walkers as well, we were packed in on the streets. 

Me giddy with excitement to start the race already.

Wishing I had friends alongside me, I really need to join a running group,

it's nice to have someone to run with.

I uploaded a new play list for this race to keep me moving and grooving. I'm impressed with runners who run without music, the only time I did that was while I was on my mission. Last night after I organized the play list, I played the songs to help me visualize my pace. Acalias is so funny he would come wobbling in bobbing his rythemless body to the music. I wish I caught it on tape, he can definitely brighten up my mood on any given day.

Finally the gun sounded and I was on my way. I'm careful in the first few miles because I don't want to expend too much energy too soon. It's disheartening to see people walking by the 3rd of 4th mile holding a hip or their stomachs. Too much effort goes into training to be foolish and start off too fast. I set a goal to keep my heart rate at 170 throughout the entire race. I figured that if I kept my heart rate at 170, I would run a 9-minute-mile. The course looped throughout the country, I felt like I was taken back decades in some areas. One large man wore a pair of ragged overalls, shirtless in and old pickup truck blaring country music. Others sat around in their rocking chairs on their porches smoking cigarettes. Nothing like breathing in smoke while running up a hill. Good ole West Virginians, gotta love em.

I felt good throughout the race, my heart rate was at least 175-178 but as the heat increased around mile 6, I felt my head begin to pound. I thought to myself, I'm so hot I could melt into this asphalt! I should really train in various climates...but I really have no desire to...I can't stand the heat. I started drinking more water and Gatorade. I didn't pack any Gu because most races provide it along the course. I was hoping they would provide fruit, candy, anything!  I was let down every water stop. I'm ravenous by mile 8 but I figured Gatorade was my best option to get me through...thank goodness I ate the doughnut Derek brought me home last night too. By mile-10 I was at 1:34, I was so pleased with my time I thought I would definitely make my goal of 2:00. I began to push but by then the heat was so intense. Along with the water and Gatorade the water stations started offering ice and water sponges. I began putting ice down my shirt, in my sports bra and down my back. I should have put a few pieces in my thick head of hair...but I didn't think of that until now. I had my water bottles on my hydration belt filled with water and Gatorade so at each water station I began pouring water on my head, my face.

At mile 12 I see the LDS missionaries handing out water, it was so refreshing to see them serving in the community. I started running on my mission so I began thinking about the tips that all my previous companions gave me to keep me running hard.  I cranked up a fast beat song and pushed, onlookers had their hoses out so I paused a few seconds but kept on my way. My Timex beeped 2:00 and unfortunately I was still running. I saw the finish line at 2:03 and ran through it at 2:05:50. It was a bittersweet ending. I wanted to run it under 2:00 and I am still determined.

Not the greatest pics, but it's the real deal.

Me sweating and so tired.

More finish line pictures here, behind the runner with the pig tails and here,

I look like I'm raising the roof with my arms flailing everywhere.

I beat my first 1/2 marathon (in 2006) of 2:07 so that made me happy.

 I placed 20th out of 53 in my age group (age 25-29),

444th overall place out of 909 1/2 marathon runners. 

Mommy & Acalias post race picture.

We have one after every race that I've run since he was born, it's our little tradition.

Derek said he cried when he saw me running towards the finish line, he wanted to go to me right away.

I hope to run this 1/2 marathon (depending on Derek's schedule), this 5k Halloween Hustle (it'll be my first race in costume, so exciting!!) 5k Turkey trot to end this years running season.

I really do plan on giving you a tour of our home one day.

Running in Bridgeport

Skofeild and I have been enjoying all the routes in Bridgeport. We have sidewalks and wider roads to run on! I'm a little crazy and wake at at 5:30 am to get my runs out of the way while Acalias is asleep and his dad is still home in bed as well. It's a bit creepish with how dreary things look with the darkness and humidity but it's a whole lot cooler than running later in the morning.

Stroller + dog + intense heat & car exhaust= an awful run!

There are allot of killer hills in this area. Hills are not my strong point so I've incorporated some steep hills at least 4 times a week. Thankfully Derek has several days when he doesn't have to be in until 9am so it gives me more time to run.

The best thing about running so early is the quiet calm. Most people are still asleep, the deers are frolicking about and I get to witness the beautiful sunrises.

I'm nearing the peak of this hill of Ridgeway drive.

This phone picture doesn't do it justice, it's so much more amazing in person.

This is the real deal, I didn't edit any of the following pictures.

This is at the peak of Ridgeway/Shearwood road run. The pictures were taken on two different days. The second picture was taken this week when a cold front rolled in, it was 58 degrees! So glorious for a woman like me who sweats way too much.

This makes waking up early to run so worth it!

I spotted a deer from a distance, they are all over the place but Skofeild likes to scare them away before I could get too close. I snapped a few pictures from a distance, as we drew closer he didn't move so I took more.

I love this picture. Good thing he was on top of the hill, Skofeild didn't notice him at all.

This was at the end of our 10 mile run this past Saturday near the trail head at Bridgeport park.

Not such a glamorous picture of myself but who looks great after miles of running? I had to highlight Skofield, he's kid-tested, mother approved. He is a great protector, without him I wouldn't be able to run so early in the morning. Anyone or dog who has ever approached me is instantly put in their place. I have some fun stories of how protective he can be, we're lucky to have him.

This year my goal was to run 1,000 miles. It's still my goal but it's been a bit harder than I had anticipated. I didn't add sickness, stress, fatigue into the equation. You'd think that stress would help motivate me to run but if and when it keeps me up at night, I'm far too tired to get up in the morning to run. Acalias still has his bouts of sleeplessness in the middle of the night and I opted to pack and unpack the week prior and after our move. Some days I just don't want to run at all! That's when I strap on my Rollerblades or strap Acalias into the trailer and head to the trails near our home. To date I've run 511.4 miles, I'm behind so somehow I need to log 122.15 miles each month to make my goal by 2012. That is 10 miles more than the 20 miles per week that I had planned...I hate to set a goal and fail so I'm going to push harder.

Acalias and I frequent this trail near our home. If only I was into fishing, the lakes are stocked with trout so there is always several people there fishing. It's a nice scenic paved trail. We give it two thumbs up.

The Parkersburg 1/2 Marathon is this coming weekend. I'm so excited! I feel stronger and I hope to run in better time than my last paved road race (2 hrs 18 min).

Stay tuned. Next week I will give you a tour of our new home...

He's Walking!

His first laugh, first tooth, he crawled and now he's walking! Our little boy is growing up so fast!

Here he is in starting position. He did this for months.

Acalias thinks that he should get to wear his dads tie when he gets home from work.

He was in such a goofy mood during this pictures.

Once he gets on his feet, he would laugh so hysterically that he couldn't walk more than a couple steps. 

We've been keeping ourselves busy. I typically cross train a couple days a week with the bike and trailer while Acalias naps. The bike trail has a park and Acalias loves the swings.

We also took him to the pool and it was a hit! Now we go twice a week.

Derek made this face to Acalias and now it's his go to face whenever he's intrigued by something. He has a tag from one of the beach towels, it kept him occupied as we packed up to head back home.

He's being flirtatious in these pics, he loves to get attention from anyone. Can you tell, he caught someones eye in this picture?