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August’s Race

August 8, 2011 by Life is a Run · 6 Comments

Just like our last two races this summer – Melon Dash was HOT! But we’ve now lived through yet another scorcher and got some more miles in for the week!

We arrived in downtown McKinney with about 40 minutes to spare and neither of us had really looked at the details of the race. Once we parked we didn’t even know where to go. Good thing there were some fellow racers making there way to the starting line. When heard the warning of only five minutes left until the race would begin we made our way to line up. Then all of a sudden Beth feels someone grab her booty. Such friendly people at this race! Or really a couple of friends who are also runners had spotted us – Carrie and Katie! So fun to see them out there and we both loved their cheers for us when we were all out on the course.

The course for the 5k was pretty flat the whole way and was an out and back route. Overall it was a good race put on by Run On!, but if we had one complaint it was a lack of cold water at the finish. Grateful for the water at the end just would have been awesome if it had been cold! Unfortunately we did not get to stay for the seed spitting contest after the race maybe next year’s race we can!

Our Results:

Teal: 26:16, finished 4th in her age group and 159th overall.

Beth: 28:02, finished 8th in her age group and 211th overall.

Filed Under: Races Tagged With: 5k, McKinney, Run On, running

Melon Dash

August 4, 2011 by Life is a Run · 5 Comments

Another race weekend is upon us! And it’s going to be another HOT one, but it is our shortest run in the summer heat which is probably good since it’s only gotten worse!

This Saturday we’ll be running the Melon Dash 5k put on by Run On! in downtown McKinney. This race benefits the North Texas Cat Rescue, who are committed to the humane and compassionate treatment of cats.

Goals:

We both share the same goal of running this race and adding miles to weekly count. I know this is a VERY exciting goal for the two of us. Ha. But Sunday we’ll be doing a long run to keep up with our half marathon training which we are less than a month away from running!

Weather:

Wind: 6mph

High: 106*

Low: 79*

Precip: 10%

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 5k, McKinney, Melon Dash, North Texas Cat Rescue, NTRC, race, Run On, running, Texas

Wordless Wednesday

August 3, 2011 by Life is a Run · 1 Comment

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: North Carolina, running, Wilmington

July’s Race

July 12, 2011 by Life is a Run · 6 Comments

We made it!! We survived Run On’s Too Hot to Handle!! Apparently we CAN handle the heat although it isn’t necessarily our favorite thing to do. 🙂 This post we are going to break it up again and let you get a recap from both of us and our different perspectives –

Teal:

Ok so that was definitely rough. The race started out fine, had to weave my way in and out of people until the 5k/15k split, but not as bad as some other races we have been through. Beth and I ran together for the first part, but I really never saw her again. I was seriously fine until about the 6^th mile when I could feel a full blister forming on the bottom of my big toe, I knew it was happening the entire time but it was starting to become fairly unbearable. Then to make matters worse at about mile 7.5 the damn thing burst after stepping very weird on a large crack in the ground while I was running! I was like, awesome, I am dying from the heat, and my foot feels like a tiny needle is poking it. Oh and I decided that another piece of important running etiquette is to seriously watch were you SPIT! This dude in front of me kept spitting, twice he spit backwards and his gross wad of a spit landed close to me. I decided to get the heck away from him! I managed to finish the race about 5 or so minutes longer than I ran the course in January but I was relatively fine with my results. I had to walk through a couple of water stations and definitely took advantage of the sprinklers at the last few stations. I knew I was getting almost too hot because I started to get the chills, which is never a good think when it is crazy hot outside. We were greeted at the finish line with ice cold towels which was amazing. I immediately sat down and took off my shoes to see how bad my feet were. GROSS for sure! I felt a little dizzy and seriously hot and just laid down for a while, my favorite thing to do after running! I don’t care how bad that actually is to do. I had last seen Beth at right about the 6^th mile marker, but I started to get a little nervous waiting for her at the finish line as time kept passing. At one point the announcer came on and asked everyone to stop talking because someone needed to go to an ambulance. Right about that time I decided I would get up and start to look for Beth. She crossed the finish line just as I was getting too nervous to sit and wait any longer! I was very impressed with her and our ability to push through even though we hate the heat.

And just in case you wanted to see just how bad my blisters were, here you go:

Beth:

Once we got to Norbuck Park, Teal and I immediately get in the bathroom line and then by the time we get to the starting line there are only 5 minutes to spare! Race starts, we are separated, then I find Teal again and when she darts off to pass someone I think, “nah, I don’t want to tire myself out in the beginning, I’ll stay here.” So we are running and I get to a turn around and don’t see Teal who should be in front of me. It’s not until I see a 3 mile marker that it dawns on me – I took the wrong split! So I asked one of the volunteers on a bike where I went wrong and she graciously rode next to me as I jogged and showed me where I should have gone! She also commented, “so you’re going to come very close to running a half today.” Awesome! In my mind I just went that’s it – I WILL run this! I’d started the 15k thinking I’d walk a couple times, but now it was game on! It wasn’t until I was almost at the 4 mile mark for the 15k race that I finally caught up to the back of the pack of walkers. It was a very humbling experience seeing the faces of other runs as I was the last runner for a majority of the 15k course. Some runners even cheered me on. The whole time I was running I was thinking “if Teal ever worries about being last in a race again, I will remind her that I pretty much was at this race.” There really was a lot of shade in the Too Hot to Handle 15k and it wasn’t as bad as I made it out to be in my head. By the time I had been running for an 1:50 I decided I’d run over a 15k I could walk for 2 minutes, so I did. And eventually I made it across the finish line. When all was said and done my runkeeper app said I ran 12.4 miles. Oh, and thankfully I’d seen Teal at one point and was able to tell her I ran the 5k first before doing the 15k so she at least knew what was up with me a little bit even if she had no clue if I would go ahead and do the whole 15k course too, which I did.

The temperature not that long after I was done running:

And then we brunched at Campisi’s. Buffet…nom nom nom! 🙂

Results

Teal: 1:36:14, finished 33rd in age group and 524 overall

Beth: 2:08:46, finished 75th in age group and 884th out of 936 (I think) people, but can’t we just say I won my division of 5k & 15k race combined? haha

Thanks for a great race Run On! And thank you to all the wonderful volunteers out there! Hopefully in the next month or two we will be out at a race volunteering!

Filed Under: Races Tagged With: 15k, Campisi's, etiquette, Half Marathon, Norbuck Park, races, running, Too Hot to Handle

Too Hot to Handle

July 7, 2011 by Life is a Run · 1 Comment

This Sunday we’ll be doing our July race with the Too Hot to Handle 15k put on by Run On! We actually ran the same race just on the opposite end of the spectrum in January – Too Cold to Hold. This 15k matches up right with where we are in our training for our half marathon in September, but we’d be lying if we didn’t say this is yet another race we are scared to run. Are you beginning to see a theme in our summer/hot month races?

The great thing about all the races we’ve run or been apart of have sponsored some sort of organization. Certain races are promoted by their cause, and some are popular in and of themselves without an organization to donate money to yet there’s still a cause behind it. Too Hot to Handle would be a race I’ve heard about because of its reputation yet every racers entry fee benefits PAL (Protective Animal League – Altering the world, one pet at a time) as well as the Richardson Rotary Central. Giving back to the community in some form has always been a very big part of our lives and we can really appreciate that in some way it’s a part of every race that we run.

Goals:

This is another race where we have very high expectations – finish it. 🙂

Weather Forecast:

Wind: 14mph

High: 100*

Low: 78*

Precip: 0%

Love that one of the weather websites said that on Sunday there would be “abundant sunshine.”

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 15k, PAL, Protective Animal League, race, Richardson Rotary Central, running, Too Hot to Handle, White Rock

Tuesday Poll

July 5, 2011 by Life is a Run · 7 Comments

Ok, so one of us recently lost our first toenail due to one of our long races, so it got us wondering just how many toenails other people have lots and whose lost the most! let us know in our poll:

[polldaddy poll=4816402]

Filed Under: Q&A Tagged With: running, toenails

Halfway Mark

July 1, 2011 by Life is a Run · 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!

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

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Half Marathon, Marathon, races, Run the Rock, running, team cindy, Too Hot to Handle

Team Cindy

June 17, 2011 by Life is a Run · 5 Comments

It is such a honor to me to even be writing this blog – a few weeks ago I got a text from one of my college roommates saying “We are ordering more Team Cindy shirts, do you want one?” I responded immediately with “YES!!”

If we back up a little bit, I met Julie (college roomie) in 2003 and within 9-ish months of our meeting we became roommates. Right around the time I met Julie her mom was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. I know the news had to come as a shock and heart break to Julie, her sister, Cynthia, and their dad. And in the times I first met Cindy and when she would come down to College Station for a visit, I’d never thought she was anything but a healthy lady with a contagious joy for life and her family.

Cindy was one of those moms of your friends that you immediately fell in love with and always enjoyed having the opportunity to be around and in truth she has passed that along to her daughters, as well as marrying a man that contains the same quality.

The very last time I was around Cindy was in roughly July of 2009 – I had gotten together with Julie, her husband, Cynthia, her boyfriend (and future husband) and another couple for a low-key dinner at Julie’s house. After dinner we decided to play cranium so Cindy came over to hangout and give us an even number for teams. She just fit right in and never seemed like a mom who had 20 years on us. I could always see how Cindy’s daughters were her passion and so important to her. She loved and adored Julie & Cynthia and never in an overbearing way – I always viewed her as a close to perfect balance of being a mom and a friend to her daughters.

: Julie, Cindy & Cynthia

One of the things I loved hearing about Cindy, prior to my meeting her, was she had been an elementary school teacher for years, and I believe before every school year the kids who would find out Mrs. Death was their teacher would come up with these stories of how scary she must be! How silly they must have felt upon meeting her that first day of school and realizing there is absolutely nothing scary about Cindy Death.

In the early months of 2010, Cindy began to experience organ failure as a result of all the chemo she had received. Many nights were spent in the hospital with Cindy surrounded by her loving family. Cynthia was scheduled to be married in early May, but it started to look like Cindy would not be able to be there unless the wedding was moved up. Everything actually fell into place and Cynthia’s wedding was moved up by a little over a month. But there was yet another hiccup in the plans for Cynthia & Mike’s wedding and having Cindy be there – she would not be able to leave the hospital. The last Friday of February the wedding was brought to the hospital so that Cindy could see her baby girl get married.

Julie, Cindy & CynthiaThe entire Death Family & their spouses - Jimmy, Mike, Cynthia, Julie, Jeff and Cindy

The pictures above were taken by a very talented photograph here in DFW, Love Me Photography, you can see her blog here as well as a slideshow of all the photographs she took at Cynthia & Mike’s wedding. Just six days after this wedding, Cindy went on to heaven. Or as I have heard Julie say “heaven just got another angel!”

Cindy Death, was a beautiful woman, a daughter, sister, wife, mother, teacher and friend to many, as well as being adored by many. That is why I am so honored to be running a race and running for Team Cindy/Life is a Run. Teal will be running with me in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half in San Antonio in November and we have set a goal to raise $1,200.00 for Susan G. Komen ($100 for each month of this ruinning year). As of today we have $90 towards our goal! If you would like to donate to Team Cindy please go here.

If you plan on running Rock ‘n’ Roll SA look for me in my Team Cindy shirt:

– Beth

Filed Under: Team Cindy Tagged With: breast cancer, Cindy Marshall-Death, DFW, Love Me Photography, Rock n Roll Marathon, running, Susan G. Komen

Do You Use Leg Sleeves?

June 14, 2011 by Life is a Run · 4 Comments

And if so what brand do you buy? And why?

Would love to read any in all feedback so leave us some in the comments!

Filed Under: Q&A Tagged With: compression, leg sleeves, running

June’s Race

June 13, 2011 by Life is a Run · 4 Comments

Well we survived!! The person who decided to start the race at 7:15 was genius, any later and we really might not have made our goal of not dying and finishing. This being our first “hot” weather race, we were very nervous. Neither of us does well in the heat, as we are sure many runners feel the same way, although our friend Chris will tell you he enjoys it, we think he’s nuts.

We both rolled out of bed at the crack of dawn (both a blessing and a curse) as I said, any later of a start and we might not have made it, but as the busy people we are, less sleep is always a negative! We arrived at the race about 30 minutes early and met up with Tracy, Michael, Ashley and Chris. Chris pulled a hamstring earlier in the week and was unable to run, but he raised money for the cause and just loves to cheer us on, so he came! We didn’t see our friend Joe before, but we were able to catch up with him at the end. He ran the ½ like a pro!
The race started promptly at 7:15 (good job, race organizers!) It started at Williams Square, which is a really cool part of downtown Las Colinas, and ran through the Campion Trail area. The course was well laid out and the website even states that it is essentially “hill-less”! Huge plus! We were even able to run a part of the race in shade, as part of the trail ran through a tree-lined area. As previously stated we didn’t know how fast we would run, but we both came in the first mile at a little over an 8 minute pace! Not bad! The goal really was steady and finish. We had no idea how the heat would get or how we would do having been inconsistent for the month. Around mile 3, we were both together and pretty much stayed the way through the race! For the first time in a while, both of us ran most of the race close together. We discussed afterwards how kind of weird it is. Both of us actually think it’s weird how the other can keep going based on what we sound like running. If you ever listen to another runner’s breathing it is actually crazy! We all sound weird. I always think Beth is dying and she thinks I am. Very funny, but somehow we both make it each time.
It really did heat up outside toward the end and the last miles was rather torturous. None of it was in the shade and it’s now full-sun in Texas. We both crossed the finish line seconds apart! Upon finishing, the Junior Military kids handed us our medal and a sweet ending treat, POPSICLES! Beth ran straight to the restroom and Teal went straight for the shade! We both sat for a while to cool off and ate our popsicles. Two to be exact! This was the first time we received popsicles at the end and they were A-mazing! As well as the cold paper towel handed to us!

The Junior Military passing out the medals

We both hung around after the race to wait for Joe to come in and to cheer on the other runners. Joe ran an excellent half and impressed us all. Teal’s friend Chris was unable to make it- he was supporting the youth at his church and had to leave earlier than expected. Being the trooper he is, he still ran is 13.1 miles that morning on his own! Great job! Because the race had a military cause, many service men and women ran the race. Some of them were even in their full gear -seriously impressive stuff. We watched one troop come in wearing full gear and his backpack on having run the ½! Another marine carried the flag above his head as he finished the last stretch. They really have great strength and energy! I was whining about my shorts and a tank top being too hot for the day, and I only ran 6 miles. Many carried flags and military gear and it really was an awesome thing to see. It’s safe to say we will do this one again. It was only the second year of this race and overall the organization was great and the turnout was awesome! Great event for an awesome cause!

Results

Beth: Finished the 10k in 56:46, 6th in age group and 87th overall
Teal: Finished the 5k in 56:41, 5th in age group and 86th overall

So proud of how we did!

Filed Under: Races Tagged With: 10k, race, running, Wounded Warrior