Halfway Mark

July 1, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Wow! It is seriously hard to believe that it is JULY 1st! This year has flown by like crazy and we both just took a breath and realized we are only 5 months away from running our marathon and reaching our goal for the year. We decided that this would be a really good time to kind of reflect and recap what has happened so far in our running life and put this all into perspective a little bit, because most of it seems to already be a blur. We are always super busy and half the time just start to feel like we are on autopilot. So here is just a recap of what we have learned, where we were and what we have in store for the next year. Thanks for staying with us!

White Rock Half - December 2010

 

Beth:

I have enjoyed this year so far SO much! I’m at a point right now with the heat that I’m struggling with my running. But I (as does Teal) the mantra that @rnrgrltx told us “miles are miles.” This summer and heat has brought on a big mental struggle with me, but I can only assume that as I try my best and persevere I’ll be growing that much more as a runner! Through this blog and the running community we’ve gained on twitter I’ve loved seeing the heart of fellow runners and the causes that are the reason so many run. This year and the time Teal and I spent training last year has shown me how much difference a partner in the sport of running can make! I’m truly grateful to have her by my side as we push each other further and succeed together in this goal year of ours!

 

Teal:

I have learned many things over the past few months of running some greater than others, but all equally important. The first of these things I really think is actually being comfortable with calling myself a runner, before this year I never actually felt like this was true but just based on what we have been able to do this year I really think that that statement is more true than ever before. I have learned that there is a huge community of runners who are out there to encourage and motivate and it has been awesome to see that and be a part of it. I have found that keeping track of my running, setting goals, and actually looking back on them is a great source of motivation and makes this even more enjoyable. I have realized that I will forever live with some sort of blister, grinding in my knee (yes I have had it looked at J), or soreness and I am just learning to deal and find ways to control it. Finally through all of this I have realized that I am stronger than I actually think I am!

 

What we have done together:

-Run two ½ marathons, which is something I don’t think either of us really had ever thought would actually happen this year.

-We have achieved our goal of running a run race per month together and even surpassed that goal in some months!

-Beth joined and is heading a 5k race team for Heroes for Children

-As a team we are raising money for Team Cindy to support Breast Cancer Awareness and research through the Rock N Roll series

-Achieved new PR times in just about every distance we have run repeatedly

-Gained a huge community of support through the blog and through our new friends and fellow runners from the running community and twitter world.

 

Where we are going:

-We will run in the Too Hot to Handle race next week which perhaps a huge milestone for us being very cold weather runners

-The Disneyland ½ in Anaheim California will be our first out of state race! We hope we can make this a trend but we are both super excited for this step!

– Complete our goal of at least 1 race per month. We have something for every month but August but we are confident we can find one if we haven’t gotten scared of the heat by then

– We hope to reach our goal of raising $1200 for Team Cindy to represent each month of our goal and to honor Cindy and her family

– Train, Run, and Complete the Dallas White Rock Marathon December 4th!

We are really nervous about running a full marathon and we both want to learn as much as we can about that process from those who have gone through it! We would love to hear what has worked for you for just about anything, to stay motivated, what you say to yourself when you hit that “wall”, what advice you have for being consistent and making those long runs, how you deal with pain and soreness, heat, chaffing, hydration and the elements. We also would love running partners for our long runs if anyone out there wants to have company let us know and we would love to meet up and tackle those grueling long runs together. Let us know your biggest tips and best advice! Our ears are open and we really love to hear what has worked for you!

Want to end this post with a quote we saw tweeted by @RunningQuotes:

“Anyone can run 20 miles.  It’s the next six that count.” – Barry Magee

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May’s Race

May 8, 2011 by · 2 Comments

before the race started

Well, we now have half marathon number two under our belts! And we are about 17 weeks away from our next one!  This past Saturday we ran in the White Rock Centennial Half and as we mentioned before did not really get a lot of training in before doing it.  For this post we thought we’d let you into our minds as we ran so enjoy…

Teal: This race was seriously a mental game for me. I knew going in that I could finish the race even though I really hadn’t trained consistently, but I was very nervous about what that would do to my head. One mile in I was completely off, I had accidentally turned my runkeeper app off and my music kept repeating the same song and I couldn’t get it to stop repeating. In my head I was like, this is going to be a long 13 miles if I can’t even get this stuff under control and was annoyed that my mileage and time was now off for the way that I track my running. I finally just decided to stop and fix it all after mile 1. After getting everything set I was now officially in the race. I started with my normal counting, but felt very tired, my knees were tight and I just felt like I was running heavy. The first 3 miles seemed to take forever. At the beginning I had decided that I would try to make sure I stayed between the 2 hour and the 2:10 pacers. I lost track of the 2 hour pacer by mile 3 which was slightly frustrating.  I decided that the only way to get through was literally go one mile at a time. I started to get really nervous that I had overdone the week. I had run 9 on Sunday and 10 on Tuesday, and thought maybe my body was just worn out.  Starting at mile 4 I just started saying to myself, less than 10 minutes to mile 5 and kept that up. Mile 4 was a huge tease, because they ran us through the finish line, so I felt like the race was super long knowing that I still had to make it all the way around the lake. After each mile I just said to say to myself less than 10 minutes until the next one. It worked and by 10 I felt ok, I ran a next to a trainer from my gym for about 5 miles and it was motivating, we kind of went back and forth in pace with each other, but it kept my mind off of being tired. It was at mile 10 that the 2:10 pacer passed me. I stayed with them for a while but then lost sight; I literally didn’t have much left to keep up with them. The hills were crazy and I hated every last one of them. We had run the Tour des Fleurs last year and they ran us up the same hill for this race that I had to walk in the 10k, so I was very proud of myself for making it and actually making all of the hills. The bridges scared the crap out of me too. Every time I ran on one they moved. The first one I ran across literally made me think I was passing out. It was that weird feeling you get when you miss a double bounce on a trampoline. It scared me to death and literally my heart dropped to my stomach. At 11, I seriously didn’t know if I would finish. I really wanted to walk but kept saying to myself you will be mad if you do. I had a goal to beat my last ½ by 5 minutes. I, however, decided to stop at the drink stop for the first time, I had been drinking the water from the bottle I was holding.  I walked the entire water stop; it probably took me about a minute and a half. At the end of the 11, I ran the rest and was determined to not stop even if I was running 11+ minute miles. I finally made it to 13 and I swear on everything it seemed like a ½ mile from 13 to 13.1.   I just kept thinking, you made it this far keep going, start counting and just freaking finish. I crossed the finish line and was kind of dizzy and seriously worn out, way more worn out then White Rock in December.  I looked for Beth who was just outside the fence and I looked at her and said “that has to be the longest .1 miles I have ever run!”

Overall the race was rough there were lots of hills, lots of wind, and not too many cheering spectators. The spectators are my favorite part. They literally make it easier to keep going. I kind of felt alone in this race and was sometimes bored, which makes it much harder to run.   I should be incredibly happy that my legs can carry me that far!!

Beth: We started the race right around the 2 hour pacer.  When we got started I saw the pacer and said to myself “I will not see you again during this race!”  I had my runkeeper app on during the run and it was updating me every half mile how I was doing.  This isn’t an app I want to run with regularly while the coaching feature is on.  I prefer to be my own motivator and pusher, but nonetheless I had it on.  I was talking myself through the hills and was proud of myself for keeping my miles under 9 minutes for the first 7.  It was when I got to the mile 8 marker that the 2:00 pacer passed me.  And I wanted to just break down and cry right then and there as I watched my goal pass me.  I let it get to me and I took a minute then to walk, but started again as this guy who introduced himself to me as Ryan later said, “Come on runner! Let’s go”  I started up again and ran on and off with him some – he was a great motivator for a couple of miles for me.  I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so for me when I tell you on this blog that my goal is this if I don’t achieve it that makes me feel like complete crap.  So that first time of walking I was just like “great! You know you are now going to have to blog about this!  And now you didn’t even complete the half without walking!”  And honestly, I had to do a couple more brief walking periods in the last 5 miles.  When I was approaching the 13 mile marker I heard my runkeeper app say “..distance: 13.1 miles..”  All in all when I crossed the finished line I think I had done a distance of 13.3 miles.  Thinking about my time it’s very bittersweet – I am kind of impressed I finished it just over 2 hours considering how my last 5 miles went, but I am disappointed with myself for not keeping it together and staying under 2 hours and running the whole time.  But on a positive side my favorite part of the race was high five-ing some of the kids out there cheering on their parents and the baby I passed that was at least old enough to be waving his arms around in excitement as people ran by!  That big grin on his face put a smile on my face!

Us with Bitner

 Our Results:

Teal: Hit a new PR at this race! Finished in 2:14:52, was 53rd out of 140 in her age group and finished 831st overall!

Beth: Finished in 2:06:35, was 39th out of 140 in her age group and finished 617th overall.

We mentioned in our pre-race post that Bitner was supposed to run with the half with us in December at the White Rock Marathon, but was sick and unable to run.  This was his very first half marathon race ever and we just had to acknowledge how awesome he is!  He finished in 1:44:39, was 21st out of 94 in his age group and finished 106th overall!

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White Rock Centennial Half

May 6, 2011 by · 1 Comment

 

Well it’s finally that time. The DRC White Rock Centennial Half is tomorrow! We are both a little nervous as usual but ready to go. Beth ordered us really cute tank tops to wear that say “Life is a Run,” so if you see us come say hi! This month was crazy as always  and we were only able to get a few long runs in together and a couple of them did not go all that well, but we were able to get a good long run in on Tuesday night. Each of us ran 10 miles and felt MUCH better about running this weekend. What’s 3 more miles right? We definitely know we will make it, but we want to be improving our times each time we run so that puts a little more pressure on ourselves to do better! We are excited to be running with Steven this time. He was originally going to run the White Rock Half with us in December, but got really sick the day of the race and couldn’t make it. This is his reprieve! We hope to see you guys out there and we will of course let you know how it goes.

Our Goals:

Beth: My first  1/2 was 1:56:39 and I am SO nervous about this 1/2 that I just don’t want to be above 2 hours.  Ideally I’d beat my first 1/2 time even if it’s just barely, but it makes me nervous to put that out there and be disappointed!

Teal: My first ½ was 2:18.06- I would like to beat this time by 5 or more minutes and of course the usual, don’t die!

 

Weather forecast:

Wind: 18mph

High: 91

Low: 70

Precip.: 0%

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April’s Race Part II

April 19, 2011 by · 2 Comments

This weekend just so happened to be the annual Crawl for Cancer in Dallas, and as tradition would have it we decided to partake in the Pub Crawl festivities again.  Originally we signed up for the Crawl for Cancer at the end of January before we had even started thinking about running a race in April.  It turned out Beth had 3 weekends of traveling in this month so we ended up settling on having Pub Crawl as the same day as our race, but in being consistent with our craziness we went anyways. After leaving the zoo run we headed home to freshen up then headed to Lemon Bar for brunch before the Pub Crawl.  We were team red this year and had a completely different bar path than the years before – we went from Lotus to Ginger Man to Trophy Room to Sfuzzi and ended at Uptown Bar & Grill.

We had discussed the level of drinking that would take place this weekend because as you may know we plan on running the White Rock Centennial Half Marathon on May 7th. We need to train for this, as our last half was in December and we have not run that far since. Both of us were a little nervous signing up for this race because of the time frame and that fact that our longest race this year was the 15k, Too Cold to Hold, we ran in January.  We were scheduled to run at least 8 miles Sunday and both had every intention of powering through even if it was a slow pace.  Just get the mileage in!

We headed out on our usual path which we took when preparing for White Rock Half last year and at the 5 mile mark were in need of a break!  We had spent the previous day drinking after all, so we stopped in Starbucks, got some water and headed out to finish the last 3 miles.  Tonight we are having our 8 mile run do over and hope to run it all consecutively!  The plan is to stay on track and run 9 miles this Sunday and 10 miles the week before White Rock Centennial.  Don’t worry we will be sure to keep you posted on our 1/2 training progress!

And we will leave you with one last pic from Saturday –

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March’s Races

March 28, 2011 by · 8 Comments

This past weekend was a very busy race weekend and is a little bit of a glimpse into how crazy the two of us are with a short race on Saturday, Kacie’s Run, and a bit of a longer run on Sunday, Rock ‘n’ Roll Half.  But first let’s back up to our week leading up to our race weekend – Teal had a lingering cough and ultimately started treatment for bronchitis.  Mid-week Beth got a cold and with a double race weekend we would be lying if we said we were not nervous.  We looked and sounded crazy, Teal would break into coughing attacks, and Beth had to carry around a box of tissues.  Not a pretty sight.

Kacie’s Run on Saturday went GREAT!  CFBISD had over 500 people participate in either the 1 mile or 5k races.  The crazy wind we had all week in Dallas stuck around for the run but the sun was definitely out and the temperature was in the high 70’s by the time we ran.  The course was awesome as it is super flat and plenty of space to not run into or have to dodge other runners.  I am pretty sure our nerves had taken over slightly as we both ran the first mile in right under 8 minutes. By mile two we were great, only one small coughing attack but we pulled through!

Our Results

Teal: 26:26, finished 6th in age group and 68th over all

Beth: 26:19, finished 4th in age group and 63rd overall

 

 

For the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half, we decided to run the relay and that we might have a better chance of placing if we ran on co-ed teams than as a Life is a Run team.  Teal partnered up with Joe and Beth partnered up with Bitner.  The boys were given the first leg of the half marathon to run, 7.1 miles, and the girls got the last leg, 6 miles.  As crazy as we were expecting the race to be with making sure we got to the right place, Rock ‘n’ Roll staff seriously had it under control.  The exchange area was well organized and it was awesome to see all the race action.  At about 35 minutes in, the first place runner passed all of us waiting for our partners at the exchange.  Oh to run a 5 minute mile…

L to R: Bitner, Beth, Teal & Joe

 

The weather in Dallas literally changed over night – Saturday we had a high in the 80’s and by the time we went to run our relay Sunday morning I think the temperature had maybe gotten up to 50 degrees with no sun.  Even the Rock ‘n’ Roll staff said that it must have been some kind of cruel joke.  It was freezing.

None of us had run a race in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, but we were so impressed with how organized and just how great overall the event was.  There were spectators everywhere, awesome bands, and even the High School cheerleaders from Teal’s school district.  We both talked after the race about being moved, almost to tears, by some of the pictures on runner’s shirts.  Beth saw a girl who ran with an extra bib that said “I run for my mother” and Teal ran behind a boy who had lost his mother to breast cancer, he had a giant picture of her on his back.  It is seriously motivating to run for a good cause and to see those affected by cancer, working for a cure!  This race also supported Susan G. Komen!

One of the exciting parts of the race was when Teal actually ran beside Troy Aikman!  Teal said that he literally just ran up on the side of her, he was on the left and his pacer on the right, and was talking about his race bib.  He thought he was the only one wearing it.  She looked up at him as it is weird to hear a lot of talking during a race and realized who the heck it was!  She looked at the girl on the other side of her for reassurance and yep, it was really him.  Teal looked right at him and asked, “Can I take your picture?”  He said, “Sure if you run fast!”  He had a pace to keep afterall!  Teal, who was running with her iphone to use the runkeeper app, took a quick picture and tweeted it while running.  Seriously cool!  Troy even contacted Life is a Run afterwards to find out about the picture!  How cool is that?

Beth and Teal both finished the race with an excellent pace.  It is safe to say our best 6 miles run ever!

Our Results

Teal & Joe: Ran the half in 1:50:22 (an avg. 8:26/mile pace) Teal’s half in 51:44.  They finished 8th amongst the co-ed teams and 19th out of 305 relay teams!

Beth & Bitner: Ran the half in 1:44:55 (an avg. 8:01/mile pace) Beth’s half in 50:37.  They finished 4th amongst the co-ed teams and 13th out of 305 relay teams!

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