Shamrock 8k - 99.6 Miles!

March 15th, J, B-Daddy and I ran the Shamrock 8k in Virginia Beach.  This was J's first hotel trip that she could remember, which made the weekend a little more fun.  We traveled down the afternoon before to get to the Expo and pick up our race packets.  Jessica loved walking around the booths getting freebies and several smoothie and cereal samples.  

It turns out the 8k is a huge race, with close to 9000 finishers.  The race organizers got it done, though.  We were lucky to have a hotel room very close to the start (and finish) so we didn't have to worry about parking or closed roads.  We just had to make sure we were up and made it there on time.  We started with the hotel breakfast.

Then we headed outside for some pre-race stretches.

 

It was chilly, but not too crazy.  We were in corral 12, since we had planned to walk. 

See the solid crowd of people?  And SO much GREEN!

Right before we got to the start line, J decided she wanted to run.  I kept to my walking plan and she and B-Daddy shot off and they were gone.

Meanwhile, I got to enjoy some interesting views.

The view behind me

Such creative costumes, and hair...

After 2 miles, the race turned onto the Boardwalk with a beautiful, if windy, view of the beach.

Soon enough we were back on Atlantic Ave.

A clock greeted us at the 4 mile mark to let us know we had one mile left.

The a Dolphin and Ronald McDonald cheered us on.

Neptune welcomed us to the finish line.

What a beautiful sight it was.

A view of the after party from our hotel room.  Location, location.

A view of B-Daddy and I at the after party.

Finishers Medal

Adorable model with her medal.

It was a beautiful day to run and add 15 miles to our total, making it just shy of 100.  I loved that we were able to do this add together.

John Robbins 8k - 84.6 miles

March 9th was another cold windy morning in town, a great day for a run.  The John Robbins 8k is named in memory of one of the original members of the Fredericksburg Area Running Club.  As I understand it, he was an organ donor, and the race is intended to increase awareness and encourage the choice for organ donation.  A great cause.  An 8k is approximately a 5 mile race.  This is the second year I have run this race, with last year being my first 8k.  At the time I was pretty actively training for a half marathon, whereas this year my pace has suffered due to longer runs in preparation for a marathon.  There are quite a few hills on this course, which keeps to the streets of downtown Fredericksburg, and it seemed like I faced most of them during a full on headwind.  Still, I managed to finish within a minute of last years time.  With an official time of 51:36.

Adding another 5 miles to our total, now 84.6 miles.

Bear Cub Run - 79.6 miles total

It was time that we let K1 and K2 add to our running total, so they ran in a local Bear Cub run.  400 yds around the track, which equates to about .3 miles between the two of them.  As usual, the race takes place on a cold March morning. 

 B-Dad got them situated at the start line.  K1 decided to stretch and get ready to run.

 They waited for the "Go!"

 And they were off...  K1 encouraged K2 to just keep running. 

 K2 tried to keep up...

 ... but K1 was long gone.

 Off she went to the finish line

 And little sister followed behind her.

 A little cuteness always helps to warm up a cold day.  And adds a bit to our total, which is now 79.6 miles.

Neighborhood training run - 79.3 total

As I mentioned in the last post, winter training is hard.  Imagine running 15, 17, 18, or 19 miles on a treadmill.  I don't have to imagine, I did them all. 

Incidentally, our treadmill stops when you run 100 minutes.  It doesn't just reset the clock, it stops spinning.  Good information to have ahead of time.  So, when the treadmill says 34:58, what it really means is 200 min plus 34:58.  So, almost 4 straight hours on the treadmill.  It really is as bad as you think it is.  But again, I didn't apply these miles to our total.  When it came time for a 20 mile training run, I wanted to do it outside.  I had planned to run the Dahlgren Rail Trail half marathon on Feb 13th, but snow caused them to reschedule the run.  So on Feb 14th, I decided to tackle the 20 mile run.  I put on my new running shoes and hit the pavement.  There was still plenty of snow on the ground.

I came back to the house for a water stop after outlining all the streets in our neighborhood once, which was about 9 miles.  The kids were outside cheering me on as I walked the cul-de-sac and refueled.  Then off I went again.  Around 14.5 miles, my watch warned me that the battery was low.  Poor planning on my part, so I headed back home from where I was.  I managed to squeeze in 15.6 miles running outside, then finished the last 4.4 inside on the treadmill.

So, here is another 15.6 miles, for a total of 79.3 miles.

Training Run 63.7 miles total

Winter training is difficult, but this year has been especially hard.  Snow and extreme cold make running outside difficult and dangerous.  So several of my training runs have been on the treadmill.  When we made the challenge to run 460 miles, I felt that treadmill runs weren't the same as running outside.  There is something about propelling your own body forward that is empowering.  It isn't the same as trying not to fall off a machine.  Finally a day presented itself for an outdoor run and I took advantage of it to boost our totals.  12 miles was on my training schedule, so I loaded up my Ipod with podcasts and hit the track near my work.  It was a beautiful day for a run.

At least I didn't have to utilize the PT equipment in the middle of the track.

Sadly, my knee fell victim to my poor shoe choice, and I was only able to complete 9.7 miles before walking to the car.

Not a bad run, and it did raise our total to 63.4 miles.  On our way...

New Years Day run - 54 miles total

Starting the New Year with a race was a great decision.  But after a day with the kids at the mall, I still wanted to get just a little more running in, to stretch my legs and to even out our mileage a little.  Besides, there were still some beautiful lights out in the neighborhood. 

Add another 3.5 miles for an even 54.0. 

Resolution Run 5k - New Years Day 50.5 miles total

What better way to start the New Year than with a 5k. I decided at the last minute to participate in the Resolution Run 5k at the Massad YMCA. I did the same thing last year and finished in 32:11.

The race started at 11, so it was easier to get to than most. All dressed up warm, I was ready to go!

It was a great run, with the sun shining. There was a bit in the woods.

After a few weeks without racing, these signs were a bit too far between.

At last the precious 3 mile sign signaling the final .1 sprint for a 5k.

A 5k is a great way to start the year. My time wasn't so great, but it got us off on the right foot to complete our goal this year. 

Adding 3.1 for a total of 50.5 miles.

Mile by mile. 5k training run through Ocean Pines. 47.4 total.

We took a few weeks off post half marathon to recover and prepare for Christmas. I did have the chance to visit my brother again and help out with his sweet baby girl. Driving home with K2 in the back seat, we were rear ended at a stop light about 75 miles from home. The hit was enough to push us into the car in front of us, but not enough to hurt either of us. We were stuck at the accident site for about 2 hours waiting for the police to do what they do, then we headed home and arrived 15 min late for Js music concert. Add  A little reminder that some journeys are suddenly interrupted, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't continue to the finish line.

After Christmas, we headed to the beach for a little Post-holiday R&R. I love running at the beach for a few reasons. It's flat, there are shoulders on the road for running, if you make it to the pond, you get an audience of geese, and did I mention it is flat? Oh, and if I run far enough I can feel like I earned my Thrashers French fries. 

This trip was in quite cold weather, so I opted to keep it to a 5k. Again, it was cold, so no pictures except this one.

Add 3.1 to our total.