So last year was the first year I had started running. I had accomplished many goals for the first year of running. The one thing I didn't do was a marathon so I set that to be my big goal this year. I was determined to train well for it. That didn't happen.
You might hate me, think I'm stupid or be in awe after reading this. My training only included the half marathon I had run a month ago, and a couple of 8 mile runs before the marathon. I know it's not an excuse but I was extremely busy working 40 hours/week on my feet and having three classes. But I did have one thing on my side. My strength and will to complete a task.
I had my cheering crew with me. Joshua, Lily, Linda and Andrew. They were such a big help. I think I saw them on the route two or three times. Every time I saw them cheering me on, it gave me an energy boost. Just when I thought I couldn't go any further, I would see them.
I really had wished I had trained more for this. When the race started, I felt good. One mile into it, I thought that this wasn't going to be so bad. Three miles in, still feeling good. I was in my stride by then. Five miles goes by then eight. My pace was steady through eight miles, which made me happy.
Then I got to the half marathon mark. It all suddenly sank in. I've never ran more than 13 miles straight through in my life. Now that I ran 13 miles, I still had 13 more to go. I felt my energy going down. However, each step I took was now the furtherest I had ever run before.
By mile 16, I was hurting...a lot. My calves were on fire, my toes were blistering and my arms were so tired. For some reason, my breathing was fine. That I can control.
Every time I stopped to walk, it hurt. Every time I started back up to run, it hurt. All this walk/run/walk/run was more painfully than just running. So when I hit mile 20, I decided no more walk and to just run through the pain.
I was running or more like jogging kinda. I think people walking could've been faster than me. But I wasn't going to stop. I even skipped the last two water stations knowing I wouldn't make it if I stopped.
I did inspire a guy though. I must've ran past him at some point and he must've seen me skip the water station and not stop to walk. At this point of the race, it was the stragglers left and most were running then walking and so on. The guy all of a sudden caught up to me. We started talking and he had told me that I was his inspiration to keep running.
That felt incredibly great and helped me continue running and not stop. We talked for a bit running side by side, each of us motivating the other. When we came upon the last water stop, he stopped for a drink and that's where we said our goodbyes since I had told him and myself that I couldn't stop running.
Soon, I could see the end was near. That made me push even harder and not stop. I was so close to finishing. Then I saw my cheering crew. What a sweet sight. I crossed the finish line and couldn't believe it. I finished a marathon. Not well, but I finished.
I grabbed some food and drinks in the finishers area and headed to my cheering section. Lily rushed towards me and I fell down. She was only 3 months at this point and almost 30 pounds and I was exhausted! We stayed for a little bit to drink some beers. Well, I deserved it! Then I continued to pass out for the next few days.
I'm hoping the next time I run a marathon, I will be more prepared. Yes, there will be another marathon. Not right away but someday.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Madison Mini Marathon
Year 2 of this half marathon for me. However, I wasn't feeling that great about it since I had been so busy with a new house and new puppy. I didn't get to run as much and never quite ran the miles I wanted to for this race.
I was lucky to have two supporters there with me this year. Joshua and our new puppy addition, Lily. We had only had her for 5 days and I thought this event would be a perfect way to get her used to big crowds and she was the center of attention.
We got to the event with plenty of time to warm up so Lily and I jogged down State Street for a bit, her first ever running on a leash with me. The sky was looking grim as I lined up with my group at the starting line. Then they announced a rain delay. Great! I was separated from Joshua too. At least I remembered him saying they were going to take a walk along the lake so I headed that way and luckily was about to connect with them.
Good thing too since the storm delay lasted an hour and a half. We ended up sitting underneath an eave to get shielded from the rain. It was a crazy storm too! Thunder and lightening and tons of rain. Luckily, they did not cancel the race. Joshua and I were a bit scared wondering how Lily would deal with the storm but nothing! Didn't even phase her with all the loud noises above us.
They finally called us back to the starting line as it was still lightly raining. By the time we started, it became a steady rain which I didn't mind so much running in it. 3 miles of running in the pouring rain and even though I was glad it stopped, later I wished it was still raining cause I was so hot!
Even though it poured throughout the morning, it eventually stopped and never came back. The last 10 miles were running in the sun. Really, I wished the rain had come back.
I may not have trained very well for this race but I felt extremely good and never walked (always a plus!). 13.1 miles later, I crossed the finish line at 2 hour 5 minutes and 55 seconds, 8 minutes faster than last year! I think the inspiration was Joshua and Lily. I just could not wait to see them, especially since we had just gotten Lily, I didn't want to be away from her long. I was sad I didn't get to see them at the finish line...apparently they got stuck in traffic coming back to the union but I did see them at some point in the race cheering me on.
It took awhile to reconnect but when we did, Lily was so excited to see me. And that was when I got to hear some of Joshua's stories. I guess with Joshua toting a cute chocolate lab puppy around town, he got stopped a lot for all the people wanting to pet her. Especially the ladies. If he was single, he wouldn't have been by the end of the day. Even the guys were giving Joshua props for attracting all the ladies. Joshua says to this day that all he wanted to do was see me race and not have all these people come up to him.
So after hanging out at the Terrace for a bit and enjoying my beer, we headed back to the car. Since we were out on the streets a lot during the storm, Lily became a police officer's new best friend. We passed by this officer on the way to our car and Lily recognized her. I wonder if she would again if we ever saw this officer.
The cutest thing about this day was when Lily passed out in the car ride home. All I wanted to do was cuddle with her and do the same thing. My goal next year is to run under 2 hours, if I train enough.
I was lucky to have two supporters there with me this year. Joshua and our new puppy addition, Lily. We had only had her for 5 days and I thought this event would be a perfect way to get her used to big crowds and she was the center of attention.
We got to the event with plenty of time to warm up so Lily and I jogged down State Street for a bit, her first ever running on a leash with me. The sky was looking grim as I lined up with my group at the starting line. Then they announced a rain delay. Great! I was separated from Joshua too. At least I remembered him saying they were going to take a walk along the lake so I headed that way and luckily was about to connect with them.
Good thing too since the storm delay lasted an hour and a half. We ended up sitting underneath an eave to get shielded from the rain. It was a crazy storm too! Thunder and lightening and tons of rain. Luckily, they did not cancel the race. Joshua and I were a bit scared wondering how Lily would deal with the storm but nothing! Didn't even phase her with all the loud noises above us.
They finally called us back to the starting line as it was still lightly raining. By the time we started, it became a steady rain which I didn't mind so much running in it. 3 miles of running in the pouring rain and even though I was glad it stopped, later I wished it was still raining cause I was so hot!
Even though it poured throughout the morning, it eventually stopped and never came back. The last 10 miles were running in the sun. Really, I wished the rain had come back.
I may not have trained very well for this race but I felt extremely good and never walked (always a plus!). 13.1 miles later, I crossed the finish line at 2 hour 5 minutes and 55 seconds, 8 minutes faster than last year! I think the inspiration was Joshua and Lily. I just could not wait to see them, especially since we had just gotten Lily, I didn't want to be away from her long. I was sad I didn't get to see them at the finish line...apparently they got stuck in traffic coming back to the union but I did see them at some point in the race cheering me on.
It took awhile to reconnect but when we did, Lily was so excited to see me. And that was when I got to hear some of Joshua's stories. I guess with Joshua toting a cute chocolate lab puppy around town, he got stopped a lot for all the people wanting to pet her. Especially the ladies. If he was single, he wouldn't have been by the end of the day. Even the guys were giving Joshua props for attracting all the ladies. Joshua says to this day that all he wanted to do was see me race and not have all these people come up to him.
So after hanging out at the Terrace for a bit and enjoying my beer, we headed back to the car. Since we were out on the streets a lot during the storm, Lily became a police officer's new best friend. We passed by this officer on the way to our car and Lily recognized her. I wonder if she would again if we ever saw this officer.
The cutest thing about this day was when Lily passed out in the car ride home. All I wanted to do was cuddle with her and do the same thing. My goal next year is to run under 2 hours, if I train enough.
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| Lily taking a jog with me before the race down State Street |
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| Saying goodbye and getting a good luck kiss from her |
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| All set to go! |
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| Rain delay so we had to find an overhang to hide under. Lily's first storm with thunder and lightening, and no fears! |
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| Second time around to see me off |
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| Getting a medal for finishing another half + Getting greeted by my puppy = Happy day |
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| Another half in the books |
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| Our cute little family pic, except Lily was more interested in my medal |
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| Passed out on the ride home which is what I did when I got home myself |
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Our First Puppy!
Ever since we talked about getting a house, we also talked about getting a puppy. I didn't want to get one until Joshua slowed down at work since I was busy with work and was about to go back to school for the fall. At first, we wanted to get a Huskie but then we decided on a Chocolate Lab.
One day when I got done bartending, Joshua made me go see some pups. Still too early but what's the harm in looking? Famous last words.
We went to Evansville, about 15 minutes away to see some Choc Lab puppies. D'awwwwww!!! They were too cute. There were three left, 2 male and 1 female. We knew we wanted a female but I still wasn't sure if now was a good time to get a puppy to train.
There was one pup that had a bum leg. We found out that he was born with some sort of bacteria in his front leg and the vet had to operate on his leg to fix it. He wasn't suppose to survive but he did which is why the breeders named that only puppy Lucky, the rest had no names. Although, he'll forever have a gimip.
I really wanted to take that puppy home but since it was going to be our first dog and I wanted a dog to run with, I had to force myself to let that puppy go. (It did eventually go to a friend of the breeder's and he is living a healthy normal life with a gimpy leg.)
We kept an eye on the female pup and boy, well, girl, she knew how to work her magic. She walked up to me and I bent down to pet her and she gave me a ton of kisses. Then next thing I knew, she laid down by my feet and put her head on my feet. Crap, I think we're about to own a dog. And yes, we had to take her home right then and there.
Best decision ever! She was so playful and kind and happy (although her sharp baby teeth were not so gentle to us). I think that if she had been trained early, she could've made a great guide dog for someone but I'm really glad she's with us.
Oh, her name? Lily. How did we come up with that? Well, Joshua says he came up with it because our flowers for the wedding were lilies. I, on the other hand, had just recently started watching Modern Family. First episode, at the end of the show, two gay guys adopt an Asian baby girl and named her Lily. Another member of the family said, "Lily. Isn't that going to be hard for her to say?". So even though we disagree on who came up with the name, at least we agreed on a name.
Lily, our new chocolate lab :)
These pics are when she was 7 to 9 weeks old. She grew up so fast!
One day when I got done bartending, Joshua made me go see some pups. Still too early but what's the harm in looking? Famous last words.
We went to Evansville, about 15 minutes away to see some Choc Lab puppies. D'awwwwww!!! They were too cute. There were three left, 2 male and 1 female. We knew we wanted a female but I still wasn't sure if now was a good time to get a puppy to train.
There was one pup that had a bum leg. We found out that he was born with some sort of bacteria in his front leg and the vet had to operate on his leg to fix it. He wasn't suppose to survive but he did which is why the breeders named that only puppy Lucky, the rest had no names. Although, he'll forever have a gimip.
I really wanted to take that puppy home but since it was going to be our first dog and I wanted a dog to run with, I had to force myself to let that puppy go. (It did eventually go to a friend of the breeder's and he is living a healthy normal life with a gimpy leg.)
We kept an eye on the female pup and boy, well, girl, she knew how to work her magic. She walked up to me and I bent down to pet her and she gave me a ton of kisses. Then next thing I knew, she laid down by my feet and put her head on my feet. Crap, I think we're about to own a dog. And yes, we had to take her home right then and there.
Best decision ever! She was so playful and kind and happy (although her sharp baby teeth were not so gentle to us). I think that if she had been trained early, she could've made a great guide dog for someone but I'm really glad she's with us.
Oh, her name? Lily. How did we come up with that? Well, Joshua says he came up with it because our flowers for the wedding were lilies. I, on the other hand, had just recently started watching Modern Family. First episode, at the end of the show, two gay guys adopt an Asian baby girl and named her Lily. Another member of the family said, "Lily. Isn't that going to be hard for her to say?". So even though we disagree on who came up with the name, at least we agreed on a name.
Lily, our new chocolate lab :)
These pics are when she was 7 to 9 weeks old. She grew up so fast!
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| Exploring her new home |
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| Cuddling up to her new owner |
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| Nap time! |
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| She wasn't quite sure about the ball... Now I have to put it away from time to time cause she plays with it so much! |
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| She's not too happy cause it's too big for her |
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| Her first and not the last toy she destroys |
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| I love the way she sleeps |
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| Kisses to Joshua |
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| This was the moment I knew she'd be a runner with me |
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| She loves Aunt Linda |
Friday, June 24, 2011
New House!!!
It's that time our of lives and we were ready to take the next step. We had to take advantage of the low interest rates, the lowest in years and our rental lease was almost up for renewal. So we made the decision to buy a house this year.
We could have waited another year as the interest rates lowered even more but I'm glad we had made the decision to buy this year. We couldn't afford much but we knew what we wanted. 3 bed, 2 bath, basement, preferably an attached garage and most importantly, a nice big open kitchen.
We knew since Joshua had recently gotten the head chef job at Coachman's near Stoughton/Edgerton that we would want to be near there, considering he works 60 hours/week and needs to be there quickly in case of an emergency. So, our realtor took us to see some houses in Stoughton, Deerfield and Edgerton.
All the houses we saw in the beginning were cute but either too small or the 3rd bedroom was away from the other bedrooms. We knew that if we wanted to start a family or even resell the house in the future that it would be nice to have all three bedrooms on the same level in the same area.
Finally, we saw an extremely cute older house in Edgerton. Wood floors from top to bottom, a finished basement, an open but slightly small kitchen, 3 bed, 2 bath, detached garage with a bonus workout room. We really liked it. However, the process with the bank was very slow so at that point we were only pre-approved and not officially approved of a loan so we lost that house to someone else that put on offer on it. Since we couldn't, we had to let it go. We weren't extremely sad since it was a detached garage, a small kitchen and the 3rd bedroom was away from the rest so even though we wanted it, we weren't sad that we lost it.
Couple weeks went by as we continued to look and get officially approved of our loan. Then we found another house in Edgerton. Corner lot, huge yard, attached garage with a basketball hoop already installed (hey, we're sports people and hopefully our kids will be too), large living room with wood floors, big open kitchen with up to date appliances in the kitchen, tiled kitchen and dining room, 3 bedrooms on the same floor although with very ugly carpet, 2 1/2 baths and an unfinished basement.
The thing that really turned us off about the place was that the 1/2 bath/laundry room on the main level was next to the garage. So when you walked in from the garage, you walked into the bathroom then into the dining room area. Not exactly appealing. But we kept that house at the top of the list and continued looking.
Our realtor must have relayed that to the seller's realtor because we soon got a phone call from our realtor saying that the owners were willing to work with us to make it a private bathroom. We instantly through up a bid.
Offers, counter-offers, more counter-offers, inspection, and finally it all went through. All we could do now was wait for the loan to come through for us. And what a headache that was. I'll spare the details but let's just say we got the okay from the bank at 4:30pm when we had to close the next morning at 9:00 away. Talk about last minute!
Closing was the best relief. Even though from the moment the offer was finally accepted, everyone said we had a house but deep down in my heart, I knew it wasn't ours until we closed.
Since we closed at the end of June and our lease wasn't up until July 31, we took our time moving in. The first thing we did was repaint every room. Then we tore up the carpet from the stairs to all the bedrooms on the 2nd floor and put in bamboo flooring to match the living room floor. Finally, we slowly moved everything in.
It's so great to say we finally have our first home. We may move, we may stay but whatever happens, this will always be our first home.
We could have waited another year as the interest rates lowered even more but I'm glad we had made the decision to buy this year. We couldn't afford much but we knew what we wanted. 3 bed, 2 bath, basement, preferably an attached garage and most importantly, a nice big open kitchen.
We knew since Joshua had recently gotten the head chef job at Coachman's near Stoughton/Edgerton that we would want to be near there, considering he works 60 hours/week and needs to be there quickly in case of an emergency. So, our realtor took us to see some houses in Stoughton, Deerfield and Edgerton.
All the houses we saw in the beginning were cute but either too small or the 3rd bedroom was away from the other bedrooms. We knew that if we wanted to start a family or even resell the house in the future that it would be nice to have all three bedrooms on the same level in the same area.
Finally, we saw an extremely cute older house in Edgerton. Wood floors from top to bottom, a finished basement, an open but slightly small kitchen, 3 bed, 2 bath, detached garage with a bonus workout room. We really liked it. However, the process with the bank was very slow so at that point we were only pre-approved and not officially approved of a loan so we lost that house to someone else that put on offer on it. Since we couldn't, we had to let it go. We weren't extremely sad since it was a detached garage, a small kitchen and the 3rd bedroom was away from the rest so even though we wanted it, we weren't sad that we lost it.
Couple weeks went by as we continued to look and get officially approved of our loan. Then we found another house in Edgerton. Corner lot, huge yard, attached garage with a basketball hoop already installed (hey, we're sports people and hopefully our kids will be too), large living room with wood floors, big open kitchen with up to date appliances in the kitchen, tiled kitchen and dining room, 3 bedrooms on the same floor although with very ugly carpet, 2 1/2 baths and an unfinished basement.
The thing that really turned us off about the place was that the 1/2 bath/laundry room on the main level was next to the garage. So when you walked in from the garage, you walked into the bathroom then into the dining room area. Not exactly appealing. But we kept that house at the top of the list and continued looking.
Our realtor must have relayed that to the seller's realtor because we soon got a phone call from our realtor saying that the owners were willing to work with us to make it a private bathroom. We instantly through up a bid.
Offers, counter-offers, more counter-offers, inspection, and finally it all went through. All we could do now was wait for the loan to come through for us. And what a headache that was. I'll spare the details but let's just say we got the okay from the bank at 4:30pm when we had to close the next morning at 9:00 away. Talk about last minute!
Closing was the best relief. Even though from the moment the offer was finally accepted, everyone said we had a house but deep down in my heart, I knew it wasn't ours until we closed.
Since we closed at the end of June and our lease wasn't up until July 31, we took our time moving in. The first thing we did was repaint every room. Then we tore up the carpet from the stairs to all the bedrooms on the 2nd floor and put in bamboo flooring to match the living room floor. Finally, we slowly moved everything in.
It's so great to say we finally have our first home. We may move, we may stay but whatever happens, this will always be our first home.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Ragnar Relay
This is our second year of doing this relay race from Madison to Chicago. Last year, it was called MC200. Ragnar Relay picked up this race as they do other relays in different cities.
We had most of the original Roadkill Running crew from last year. Again, Joshua and I were in the first of two vans. Last year, Joshua was runner 5 and I was runner 3 of 11. This year, we had 11 again since one person got sick at the very last minute and couldn't run with us. Joshua was runner 2 and I was runner 6 of 11.
This year, we got to start an hour later than last year. 9:30AM. But still very early. We woke up around 6 to get ready and finish packing. We had to get to Andrew's place by 7:30 to meet up with everyone.
We packed up the van that was to be used for the relay and boy was it packed up! We headed down to the start area of Olin Turnville Park in Madison. There, we had to get an orientation about the rules and safety procedures. Make sure you wear your reflective vest, headlamps and LED lights. Safety first!
Our nerves weren't as high as last year since we already knew what we were getting ourselves into. But it was still exciting at the Starting line. The countdown began. 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1 and off goes the first runners of the 9:30AM heat.
The first leg is the fun one. Everyone has a ton of energy, waiting to run their first leg. No one was tired yet. Lots of cheering goes on in this first leg of the race.
Joshua's first run went super well. As usual, he was pretty fast. Natural runner. Now if only he wanted to run as much as I do, he could qualify for Boston.
Being the last runner of the first van was kinda weird. Seeing everyone run before you kinda sucks. Makes me very antsy to get going.
Well, my first run was awesome! I got to run in the Cambridge area just outside of Madison. The only thing that sucked was the rolling hills. But there were a bunch of cars cheering on their runner so every time I ran by a car, they cheered me on as well and that helped a lot.
When I got near the exchange point, I sprinted in but had no idea who I was handing it off to since the runner was not someone who had ran last year. And yes, I ran to the exchange with no one there. I waited then finally saw Joshua and Andrew but not the people I wanted to see.
But finally, the next runner arrived! I guess they didn't expect me so fast. I ran 8 miles in 1 hour and 12 minutes, a 9min/mile pace. First legs of Van 1...done!
We ended up around Lake Mills and were starving! So we decided to head in the direction of where we'd meet up with the other van again. We stopped at Delafield Brewhaus to grab some late lunch. Most of us got fish to eat and I was one of the smarter ones to get the baked fish even though I really wanted the fried fish.
Once we got some energy back into us, we went to the next van exchange point. While we waited, we threw a frisbee around, kicked a soccer ball and just relaxed. Since I was the last runner for our van, I mainly ended up curled up in a blanket laying down resting.
Dusk was coming upon us as the last runner of the other van came in. Time to get back out on the road and cheer for our runners!
Joshua went on his 2nd run and of course was amazing as usual. He was running about a 7:45/8:00 minute pace. And again, I had to wait awhile for my turn.
My turn was coming up soon since most of everyone's 2nd runs were pretty short. I got all geared up in nighttime outfit. This was going to be a piece of cake. 3.2 miles to run.
Running at night was kinda creepy especially through dark trails. I don't believe there was any light around except for my headlamp. But I managed to keep a good pace. 29 minutes and 30 seconds, just under a 9:15 min pace.
By now, we were all exhausted. We headed to the next van exchange where there was a sleeping area. We tried to get some rest but like we knew from last year, you don't really get to sleep much. I think I only got 2 hours of sleep. It didn't help that we knew it would only take the other van 4-5 hours to run their 2nd runs.
So, back out on the road we go. Joshua finished up his 3rd run and had to leave to go back to Madison right away for work since he had to prepare for a wedding party that night. This was going to be interesting. The night before, Joshua had dropped his car off at a park and ride near where he would end. We rushed him over to his car and managed to get back before our runner got to the next checkpoint. At least it was roomier in the van!
Time for my last run. 7.8 miles to go. By now, I was really tired. No sleep, not much of a rest but that's what is so fun about this race. Seeing how far you can push your body and it's amazing how much your body can do when you doubt it. My pace ended up being a lot slower but I did finish those 7.8 miles. 1 hour 18 minutes and 45 seconds, just over a 10 minute pace.
Now that our van got done, we went to the finish line to hang out and wait for the other van. It was a lot warmer than last year but kinda windy. We ate at a place that was by the finish line so we got to watch all the teams run in. You could just see the excitement of the teams when they cross the finish line. It was great to see and we couldn't wait for our turn.
Kevin our fastest runner was last so we knew we had to be ready at the moment. The other van members caught up to us and we waited for Kevin. Finally, we saw him speeding towards us. But, he had to slow down once he got to us since we were all slower than him and half of us were in flip flops.
We made it! Madison to Chicago by foot. And just under 30 hours! A 9 minute pace! Not too shabby at all!
As always, we had a blast! Thanks Ragnar Relay and Roadkill Running for yet another amazing experience!
We had most of the original Roadkill Running crew from last year. Again, Joshua and I were in the first of two vans. Last year, Joshua was runner 5 and I was runner 3 of 11. This year, we had 11 again since one person got sick at the very last minute and couldn't run with us. Joshua was runner 2 and I was runner 6 of 11.
This year, we got to start an hour later than last year. 9:30AM. But still very early. We woke up around 6 to get ready and finish packing. We had to get to Andrew's place by 7:30 to meet up with everyone.
We packed up the van that was to be used for the relay and boy was it packed up! We headed down to the start area of Olin Turnville Park in Madison. There, we had to get an orientation about the rules and safety procedures. Make sure you wear your reflective vest, headlamps and LED lights. Safety first!
Our nerves weren't as high as last year since we already knew what we were getting ourselves into. But it was still exciting at the Starting line. The countdown began. 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1 and off goes the first runners of the 9:30AM heat.
The first leg is the fun one. Everyone has a ton of energy, waiting to run their first leg. No one was tired yet. Lots of cheering goes on in this first leg of the race.
Joshua's first run went super well. As usual, he was pretty fast. Natural runner. Now if only he wanted to run as much as I do, he could qualify for Boston.
Being the last runner of the first van was kinda weird. Seeing everyone run before you kinda sucks. Makes me very antsy to get going.
Well, my first run was awesome! I got to run in the Cambridge area just outside of Madison. The only thing that sucked was the rolling hills. But there were a bunch of cars cheering on their runner so every time I ran by a car, they cheered me on as well and that helped a lot.
When I got near the exchange point, I sprinted in but had no idea who I was handing it off to since the runner was not someone who had ran last year. And yes, I ran to the exchange with no one there. I waited then finally saw Joshua and Andrew but not the people I wanted to see.
But finally, the next runner arrived! I guess they didn't expect me so fast. I ran 8 miles in 1 hour and 12 minutes, a 9min/mile pace. First legs of Van 1...done!
We ended up around Lake Mills and were starving! So we decided to head in the direction of where we'd meet up with the other van again. We stopped at Delafield Brewhaus to grab some late lunch. Most of us got fish to eat and I was one of the smarter ones to get the baked fish even though I really wanted the fried fish.
Once we got some energy back into us, we went to the next van exchange point. While we waited, we threw a frisbee around, kicked a soccer ball and just relaxed. Since I was the last runner for our van, I mainly ended up curled up in a blanket laying down resting.
Dusk was coming upon us as the last runner of the other van came in. Time to get back out on the road and cheer for our runners!
Joshua went on his 2nd run and of course was amazing as usual. He was running about a 7:45/8:00 minute pace. And again, I had to wait awhile for my turn.
My turn was coming up soon since most of everyone's 2nd runs were pretty short. I got all geared up in nighttime outfit. This was going to be a piece of cake. 3.2 miles to run.
Running at night was kinda creepy especially through dark trails. I don't believe there was any light around except for my headlamp. But I managed to keep a good pace. 29 minutes and 30 seconds, just under a 9:15 min pace.
By now, we were all exhausted. We headed to the next van exchange where there was a sleeping area. We tried to get some rest but like we knew from last year, you don't really get to sleep much. I think I only got 2 hours of sleep. It didn't help that we knew it would only take the other van 4-5 hours to run their 2nd runs.
So, back out on the road we go. Joshua finished up his 3rd run and had to leave to go back to Madison right away for work since he had to prepare for a wedding party that night. This was going to be interesting. The night before, Joshua had dropped his car off at a park and ride near where he would end. We rushed him over to his car and managed to get back before our runner got to the next checkpoint. At least it was roomier in the van!
Time for my last run. 7.8 miles to go. By now, I was really tired. No sleep, not much of a rest but that's what is so fun about this race. Seeing how far you can push your body and it's amazing how much your body can do when you doubt it. My pace ended up being a lot slower but I did finish those 7.8 miles. 1 hour 18 minutes and 45 seconds, just over a 10 minute pace.
Now that our van got done, we went to the finish line to hang out and wait for the other van. It was a lot warmer than last year but kinda windy. We ate at a place that was by the finish line so we got to watch all the teams run in. You could just see the excitement of the teams when they cross the finish line. It was great to see and we couldn't wait for our turn.
Kevin our fastest runner was last so we knew we had to be ready at the moment. The other van members caught up to us and we waited for Kevin. Finally, we saw him speeding towards us. But, he had to slow down once he got to us since we were all slower than him and half of us were in flip flops.
We made it! Madison to Chicago by foot. And just under 30 hours! A 9 minute pace! Not too shabby at all!
As always, we had a blast! Thanks Ragnar Relay and Roadkill Running for yet another amazing experience!
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| At the very start of the race |
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| Getting ready for run #1 |
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| Playing some frisbee to pass some time |
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| Hanging out at a park |
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| Nighttime running |
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| Getting ready for run #2 |
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| Getting ready for run #3 |
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| 34:28 minus 5 hours = 29:28 our team time |
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| Medal for finishing...a heavy duty bottle opener |
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Blog Hiatus
Even though this date says May 19, 2011. As I am writing, it is actually May 19, 2012. It's been almost a year since I've actually published a story but it's been a very hectic year. Now that I have some time, I'm doing some catch up to the current date.
Sorry if you have been following this blog and looking for some new stories. I hope I can keep this up to date now.
Sorry if you have been following this blog and looking for some new stories. I hope I can keep this up to date now.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Lake Monona 20K
How I got suckered into this Lake Monona 20K race, I don't know. Well, I guess I do. A month ago, I thought it would be a great idea to sign up for this race with some persuading from my sister's boyfriend, Andrew. But I also thought I would have a month to train for this race.
My training for this race? The ACS race, a 10 mile run and Crazylegs race. Nothing else. Boy, was I in trouble.
I headed down to the race with an empty stomach since we had no milk for my cereal ritual. Mistake number one. Joshua was exhausted from work so he slept in and was going to meet me at the end of the race.
I got there and only knew of one person running this race...Andrew. So I kept an eye out for him. Miraculously, we saw each other before the race. So we ended up starting together at the back of the pack.
About two miles into it, I hear an 'Uh-oh'. Andrew was having problems with his leg so he had to stop and stretch it out. I continued on without him.
It definitely was a pretty race. We ran through Monona's neighborhood and out onto a trail. As we were on the west side of the lake running up John Nolen Drive, you could see the east side of the lake and the city of Monona.
I was still feeling good at 6 miles. My 10K time...55 min and 46 sec...about the same as the ACS run. The seventh mile was another story.
I was now on the north side of the lake and my right leg was not feeling the best. Mistake number two...I should've stopped and stretched it out. Instead, I decided to push through it and ran even though I felt my leg going numb.
I could feel myself slowing way down. Before I was passing people, now people were passing me. There was this one dude that I saw that kept stopping to walk then when I caught up to him he would start running again and so on. Then he figured out, hey this chick is about my pace. So we ran together in silence just enjoying each other's motivation to not stop. But eventually he had to and I looked back to give him a good luck smile.
So I continued on...all of a sudden out of nowhere I could hear heavy breathing...it's Andrew!!! He looked a lot better than me. We exchanged a few words then told him to go on since I wasn't in the best shape.
Back to myself again...then I ran into the sponsor's mascot. Quaker Steak and Lube's Chicken mascot. Ugh...I hate mascots. I tried to pass him but my legs would not go any faster. I ended up running next to him for a mile then let him pass me since I was creeped out by him. It was amazing though, how many people who were driving stopped to take a picture of him. Ick, if I could burn all mascot costumes, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
Two miles to go...at least that's what one volunteer said but it was closer to three. Thanks jerk!
One and a half more miles to go...all downhill from here...at least that's what another volunteer said. NOT!!! Thanks jerk!
Yes, it was downhill from where that volunteer was but then it went uphill again. I pushed as hard as I could. I rounded the corner and saw the finish line...ahhhh yes! I sprinted as hard as I could, from what little energy I had left. But when I saw Joshua, a big smile appeared on my face. I gave him the biggest high five that I could and crossed the finish line.
My time...1 hour, 58 minutes and 36 seconds. My second 10K half, a horrible 1 hour 2 minutes and 50 seconds. Overall, a 9:33 pace. Not awesome but not horrible. What was awesome was having Joshua greet me at the finish line and hand me a nice cold Gatorade bottle.
Then I went to the grass to pass out...not really. But my leg was super numb and I couldn't feel it so I made Joshua give me a massage and stretch that leg out. As we were doing that, the guy that I was running with finished and came over to thank me for running with him. It didn't need to be said as it's a runner's guide to be thankful to be running with someone to help motivate each other.
I limped over to where Andrew and Linda was and we headed toward the refreshment area. Andrew and I got some wings and some beer while Joshua had gone to my car to grab my sweats. Thank goodness since it was getting cold out. Unfortunately, Joshua couldn't hang out with us since he had to go to work.
So Linda, Andrew and I stayed to have more beer and listened to some music. But soon, we were getting tired so we headed out.
When I got home, I immediately passed out on the bed. I didn't wake up again until my alarm went off to wake me up for work. Why I decided to work, I have no idea.
This was a really fun run. I hope to do it again next year. But maybe this time, with more training :)
My training for this race? The ACS race, a 10 mile run and Crazylegs race. Nothing else. Boy, was I in trouble.
I headed down to the race with an empty stomach since we had no milk for my cereal ritual. Mistake number one. Joshua was exhausted from work so he slept in and was going to meet me at the end of the race.
I got there and only knew of one person running this race...Andrew. So I kept an eye out for him. Miraculously, we saw each other before the race. So we ended up starting together at the back of the pack.
About two miles into it, I hear an 'Uh-oh'. Andrew was having problems with his leg so he had to stop and stretch it out. I continued on without him.
It definitely was a pretty race. We ran through Monona's neighborhood and out onto a trail. As we were on the west side of the lake running up John Nolen Drive, you could see the east side of the lake and the city of Monona.
I was still feeling good at 6 miles. My 10K time...55 min and 46 sec...about the same as the ACS run. The seventh mile was another story.
I was now on the north side of the lake and my right leg was not feeling the best. Mistake number two...I should've stopped and stretched it out. Instead, I decided to push through it and ran even though I felt my leg going numb.
I could feel myself slowing way down. Before I was passing people, now people were passing me. There was this one dude that I saw that kept stopping to walk then when I caught up to him he would start running again and so on. Then he figured out, hey this chick is about my pace. So we ran together in silence just enjoying each other's motivation to not stop. But eventually he had to and I looked back to give him a good luck smile.
So I continued on...all of a sudden out of nowhere I could hear heavy breathing...it's Andrew!!! He looked a lot better than me. We exchanged a few words then told him to go on since I wasn't in the best shape.
Back to myself again...then I ran into the sponsor's mascot. Quaker Steak and Lube's Chicken mascot. Ugh...I hate mascots. I tried to pass him but my legs would not go any faster. I ended up running next to him for a mile then let him pass me since I was creeped out by him. It was amazing though, how many people who were driving stopped to take a picture of him. Ick, if I could burn all mascot costumes, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
Two miles to go...at least that's what one volunteer said but it was closer to three. Thanks jerk!
One and a half more miles to go...all downhill from here...at least that's what another volunteer said. NOT!!! Thanks jerk!
Yes, it was downhill from where that volunteer was but then it went uphill again. I pushed as hard as I could. I rounded the corner and saw the finish line...ahhhh yes! I sprinted as hard as I could, from what little energy I had left. But when I saw Joshua, a big smile appeared on my face. I gave him the biggest high five that I could and crossed the finish line.
My time...1 hour, 58 minutes and 36 seconds. My second 10K half, a horrible 1 hour 2 minutes and 50 seconds. Overall, a 9:33 pace. Not awesome but not horrible. What was awesome was having Joshua greet me at the finish line and hand me a nice cold Gatorade bottle.
Then I went to the grass to pass out...not really. But my leg was super numb and I couldn't feel it so I made Joshua give me a massage and stretch that leg out. As we were doing that, the guy that I was running with finished and came over to thank me for running with him. It didn't need to be said as it's a runner's guide to be thankful to be running with someone to help motivate each other.
I limped over to where Andrew and Linda was and we headed toward the refreshment area. Andrew and I got some wings and some beer while Joshua had gone to my car to grab my sweats. Thank goodness since it was getting cold out. Unfortunately, Joshua couldn't hang out with us since he had to go to work.
So Linda, Andrew and I stayed to have more beer and listened to some music. But soon, we were getting tired so we headed out.
When I got home, I immediately passed out on the bed. I didn't wake up again until my alarm went off to wake me up for work. Why I decided to work, I have no idea.
This was a really fun run. I hope to do it again next year. But maybe this time, with more training :)
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| So happy to see Joshua at the finish line... Racing towards him to give him a high five! |
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| Excited that Joshua made it to see me finish :) |
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Crazylegs 8K
Crazylegs is here again! Last year, it was my second race ever and I ran an awesome time of 42:14. This year, however, was a different story.
All month long since the ACS run, I haven't been able to get out running since I've been busy with school and work. So two days ago, in order to get a long run in before next week's 12.5 mile run, I decided to go for a 10 mile run.
I felt sore yesterday but today when I woke up for Crazylegs, I felt even more sore. My quads were killing me! Oofda...this is gonna be interesting.
Joshua and I got up and did our separate rituals when getting ready for a race. Joshua on the couch playing video games. Me eating my cereal and stretching out, especially those quads.
We left a little bit early from our apartment since Joshua wanted to go get some bananas from the store. As we were leaving the grocery store, Joshua started having problems with his contacts so we had to go back to the apartment for him to change into his glasses. I'm getting anxious cause I feel like we're gonna be late.
Time to go meet my friend Melissa and her sister-in-law Sarah near the finish so we could carpool it to the starting line. We managed to meet up with no problems and headed down to the starting area. I still had my parking sticker from my old TV station job that expired that day so I made good use of it and parked in the lot just a block away from the starting area.
The race started at 10AM and we got there around 10:30 but we still weren't late. Our wave still had not gone off. One of the people in our group had MM so we all started there but they were only on N at the time we arrived. We just hung around by the sidelines and stretched out and when we saw the MM wave go by, we just hopped into the back of the pack.
We figured out where we were going to meet right before our pack left the starting line. That would've been bad had we not figured that out considering there were over 12,500 runners and a couple thousand walkers.
So off we go! Running in MM, I got stuck behind a couple of slow people and couldn't pass in the beginning. We turned the corner and encountered the first uphill. This was where I was able to start passing people. I stayed by the outside so I could jump onto the sidewalk to pass then back onto the street.
I lost sight of Joshua but I wasn't worried. At mile 1, I felt someone poke me and I looked back and there was Joshua. We ran for a bit together until we encountered the BIG hill called Observatory Hill. That's where Joshua left me.
As I was going up that hill, I could feel my quads burning so bad from the run two days ago. But at least I ran it all the way up as I passed people who had to walk it. After that hill, I knew it was going to easy breezy from there...somewhat.
The next challenge was the turning point area. Seeing people running the opposite way was hard cause I knew I still had some ways to go before the turning point. I got jammed in this area since it was basically a trail, not a street so it was more of a tight squeeze to pass people.
Once I got back out in the open area, I was able to pass people again. Almost there. Mile 4. Only one more mile. The first 2/3 of that mile was somewhat easy minus the wind blowing in my face but as soon as I turned the corner for the last 1/3 mile, there was another hill to conquer.
I pushed myself up that hill, and as soon as I did that, I sprinted the rest of the way to the finish line. My time...45:57. Not exactly the best nor the time I wanted when I first signed up for the race. But after running those 10 miles two days ago and being super sore, that time was awesome!
Joshua had been done and was watching for me so we met up easily. We headed towards the meeting area to wait for Melissa and Sarah. Boy was it crowded. It took us at least 10 minutes to get to the spot.
I went and got some beer to rehydrate :) And went back to get some more for when Melissa and Sarah would meet us. By the time I got back, they were there already. Perfect timing!
Brrr...was it cold sitting in those stands. The wind just picked right up and the sun disappeared. We went back into the concession stand area to get more beer and to warm up. The beer was dwindling down. We were one of the last people to get another round of beers. We walked to the exit finishing up our beers and started the walk to Melissa's car to take us back to our car.
Once we got back to our apartment, Joshua got ready for work and I passed out. I woke up just in time to get ready for work and reluctantly left my to go close for 9 hours.
Second Crazylegs under my belt. Next year, I'm hoping to run closer to my first year's time.
All month long since the ACS run, I haven't been able to get out running since I've been busy with school and work. So two days ago, in order to get a long run in before next week's 12.5 mile run, I decided to go for a 10 mile run.
I felt sore yesterday but today when I woke up for Crazylegs, I felt even more sore. My quads were killing me! Oofda...this is gonna be interesting.
Joshua and I got up and did our separate rituals when getting ready for a race. Joshua on the couch playing video games. Me eating my cereal and stretching out, especially those quads.
We left a little bit early from our apartment since Joshua wanted to go get some bananas from the store. As we were leaving the grocery store, Joshua started having problems with his contacts so we had to go back to the apartment for him to change into his glasses. I'm getting anxious cause I feel like we're gonna be late.
Time to go meet my friend Melissa and her sister-in-law Sarah near the finish so we could carpool it to the starting line. We managed to meet up with no problems and headed down to the starting area. I still had my parking sticker from my old TV station job that expired that day so I made good use of it and parked in the lot just a block away from the starting area.
The race started at 10AM and we got there around 10:30 but we still weren't late. Our wave still had not gone off. One of the people in our group had MM so we all started there but they were only on N at the time we arrived. We just hung around by the sidelines and stretched out and when we saw the MM wave go by, we just hopped into the back of the pack.
We figured out where we were going to meet right before our pack left the starting line. That would've been bad had we not figured that out considering there were over 12,500 runners and a couple thousand walkers.
So off we go! Running in MM, I got stuck behind a couple of slow people and couldn't pass in the beginning. We turned the corner and encountered the first uphill. This was where I was able to start passing people. I stayed by the outside so I could jump onto the sidewalk to pass then back onto the street.
I lost sight of Joshua but I wasn't worried. At mile 1, I felt someone poke me and I looked back and there was Joshua. We ran for a bit together until we encountered the BIG hill called Observatory Hill. That's where Joshua left me.
As I was going up that hill, I could feel my quads burning so bad from the run two days ago. But at least I ran it all the way up as I passed people who had to walk it. After that hill, I knew it was going to easy breezy from there...somewhat.
The next challenge was the turning point area. Seeing people running the opposite way was hard cause I knew I still had some ways to go before the turning point. I got jammed in this area since it was basically a trail, not a street so it was more of a tight squeeze to pass people.
Once I got back out in the open area, I was able to pass people again. Almost there. Mile 4. Only one more mile. The first 2/3 of that mile was somewhat easy minus the wind blowing in my face but as soon as I turned the corner for the last 1/3 mile, there was another hill to conquer.
I pushed myself up that hill, and as soon as I did that, I sprinted the rest of the way to the finish line. My time...45:57. Not exactly the best nor the time I wanted when I first signed up for the race. But after running those 10 miles two days ago and being super sore, that time was awesome!
Joshua had been done and was watching for me so we met up easily. We headed towards the meeting area to wait for Melissa and Sarah. Boy was it crowded. It took us at least 10 minutes to get to the spot.
I went and got some beer to rehydrate :) And went back to get some more for when Melissa and Sarah would meet us. By the time I got back, they were there already. Perfect timing!
Brrr...was it cold sitting in those stands. The wind just picked right up and the sun disappeared. We went back into the concession stand area to get more beer and to warm up. The beer was dwindling down. We were one of the last people to get another round of beers. We walked to the exit finishing up our beers and started the walk to Melissa's car to take us back to our car.
Once we got back to our apartment, Joshua got ready for work and I passed out. I woke up just in time to get ready for work and reluctantly left my to go close for 9 hours.
Second Crazylegs under my belt. Next year, I'm hoping to run closer to my first year's time.
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| Linda randomly caught me as I was running into the stadium. I'm the one in the blue. I guess it's easy to spot me when I'm one of the few Asians. |
Saturday, April 9, 2011
ACS 10K Run
For the past 6 weeks, I have been raising money for the American Cancer Society. Everyone was awesome! Friends from out of the city donated. Friends from Madison donated. And even strangers.
How did I get so many people to donate? Well, working at Old Chicago does have some upsides. I've gotten to know a lot of regulars over the years and when one of us has a fundraiser, everyone steps up to the plate. I also pledged to donate 5% of my tips.
Throughout those weeks, I learned of those who also had a loved one taken away from cancer or are going through it or themselves are going through it. And it tears my heart as I listened to those stories. I only wish everyone the best that have to deal with the disease, whether directly or indirectly. I know the heartache it puts people through.
So...how did the fundraising go? Well, I managed to raise $1400, $200 was from my tips. I was so proud of myself and everyone who helped since I thought I'd only raise $500.
Now...how did the run go?
It was awesome! Seeing others running or walking in honor or in memory of someone they know was the reason why I was there too. It was even better seeing Survivors doing this race. A couple people that I know volunteered as their way to help and ended up signing Survivors up for the race. I hung out by that tent for a bit so it was great seeing those Survivors in high spirits.
My sister and her boyfriend actually ended up registering for the race since they work for the company that sponsored the race in which their company paid for their entry fee. Linda was just doing the 5K run since she just started running. Her boyfriend Andrew ran the 10K with me.
Andrew and I decided to start together and see how far we'd run together. We started at the back of the pack and when the race started, it felt like a tortoise's race. We got stuck behind slow people on a bike path so it was kinda tough weaving in and out of people and the grass to pass them. Andrew and I both had headphones on so I was in my own zone. I thought I had left him well behind but when we reached the first mile or so, he was by my side again.
One of these days, I'm going to run a fairly flat course. This 10K had rolling hills. Not huge hills but it seemed as if we reached the peak of the hill when we'd see another. Or we'd get to a downhill but then realize that we had to go up that same hill on the run back since it was an in and out route.
We ended up pacing each other pretty well. I can't speak for him but whenever I felt him inching past me, I felt the need to keep up the pace. I sensed the same for him whenever I inched just a bit further than him. We both knew that if either one of us wanted to run faster, it wouldn't hurt the other person's feeling. And if one of us wanted to drop back, the other knew to just keep going. But all was well...
...Until about 5.5 miles into it. Andrew "claimed" that he was going to stop since his music ran out and that he was going to reset his iPod. So I kept going. No rest for the weary. Joshua was at the finish line to cheer us on and I sprinted to the finish with a time of 55 min and 40 sec and Andrew was a quick 15 seconds behind me.
Just under a 9 min/mile pace. Not bad for not running since last Saturday's 5K race. I did at one point think about slowing down or even taking a walking break but then I'd think about my Aunt Mandy and how she never quit and that thought would just push me through my tiredness. I think that may be my new motivation to keep going.
Thanks everyone for donating and showing your support!!! Together, Madison's ACS run raised about $100,000.
How did I get so many people to donate? Well, working at Old Chicago does have some upsides. I've gotten to know a lot of regulars over the years and when one of us has a fundraiser, everyone steps up to the plate. I also pledged to donate 5% of my tips.
Throughout those weeks, I learned of those who also had a loved one taken away from cancer or are going through it or themselves are going through it. And it tears my heart as I listened to those stories. I only wish everyone the best that have to deal with the disease, whether directly or indirectly. I know the heartache it puts people through.
So...how did the fundraising go? Well, I managed to raise $1400, $200 was from my tips. I was so proud of myself and everyone who helped since I thought I'd only raise $500.
Now...how did the run go?
It was awesome! Seeing others running or walking in honor or in memory of someone they know was the reason why I was there too. It was even better seeing Survivors doing this race. A couple people that I know volunteered as their way to help and ended up signing Survivors up for the race. I hung out by that tent for a bit so it was great seeing those Survivors in high spirits.
My sister and her boyfriend actually ended up registering for the race since they work for the company that sponsored the race in which their company paid for their entry fee. Linda was just doing the 5K run since she just started running. Her boyfriend Andrew ran the 10K with me.
Andrew and I decided to start together and see how far we'd run together. We started at the back of the pack and when the race started, it felt like a tortoise's race. We got stuck behind slow people on a bike path so it was kinda tough weaving in and out of people and the grass to pass them. Andrew and I both had headphones on so I was in my own zone. I thought I had left him well behind but when we reached the first mile or so, he was by my side again.
One of these days, I'm going to run a fairly flat course. This 10K had rolling hills. Not huge hills but it seemed as if we reached the peak of the hill when we'd see another. Or we'd get to a downhill but then realize that we had to go up that same hill on the run back since it was an in and out route.
We ended up pacing each other pretty well. I can't speak for him but whenever I felt him inching past me, I felt the need to keep up the pace. I sensed the same for him whenever I inched just a bit further than him. We both knew that if either one of us wanted to run faster, it wouldn't hurt the other person's feeling. And if one of us wanted to drop back, the other knew to just keep going. But all was well...
...Until about 5.5 miles into it. Andrew "claimed" that he was going to stop since his music ran out and that he was going to reset his iPod. So I kept going. No rest for the weary. Joshua was at the finish line to cheer us on and I sprinted to the finish with a time of 55 min and 40 sec and Andrew was a quick 15 seconds behind me.
Just under a 9 min/mile pace. Not bad for not running since last Saturday's 5K race. I did at one point think about slowing down or even taking a walking break but then I'd think about my Aunt Mandy and how she never quit and that thought would just push me through my tiredness. I think that may be my new motivation to keep going.
Thanks everyone for donating and showing your support!!! Together, Madison's ACS run raised about $100,000.
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| The t-shirt that came with the run |
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| My own personalized t-shirt that I wore during the race |
Saturday, April 2, 2011
P-p-p-poker run...P-p-p-poker run
No, it's not Lady Gaga I'm talking about...
Today was the UW Kinesiology Club's Poker Run 5K. They are actually celebrating 100 years of the Kinesiology program at the UW. This is a great run with proceeds going to Scouts with Special Needs.
The morning started off a bit rough. I really wanted to do the race but Joshua wasn't as excited. When the alarm went off, Joshua reluctantly agreed to go with me. We made some coffee and headed down to the campus area.
Brrrrrrr...it was pretty cold...in the low 40s and SUNNY but windy so that made it chilly.
The run was exactly the same route as the Valentine's 5K run, so I was really excited to beat my time. Now that I had a few runs under my belt, I knew for sure I'd beat my time.
This race is not the same format as other races. Fastest time doesn't matter, it's the best hand that you have. Before the race, you draw three playing cards and when you get done, you draw two more.
My hand started out with a 6 of spades, 7 of spades and a 10 of hearts...eh, not the best but I have a chance for a straight. Joshua drew two 7s and a 6, not bad.
We start the race but less than a half mile into it, Joshua speeds off. Good thing I brought my iPod. The first mile felt a bit sluggish, maybe from the cold or the early morning or both but when I got to the first mile marker, I was just under 9 minutes. Not too bad, especially with the wind blowing against us.
I felt a burst of energy right before mile 2 and picked up my pace. When I reached the second mile marker, I was just under 18 minutes. I felt good.
I was running by myself. No one was passing me nor was I passing anyone. Just me and the trail and my music. It's what I love about running.
I hit the third mile marker and started feeling tired but knew the end was near. All I had to do was think about my Aunt Mandy and how she never stopped fighting. I got another burst of energy and sprinted the rest of the way. It's what I always do when I feel tired or when I feel I can't run any further.
My time...27 minutes and 48 seconds. An average of 8:51 per mile. Broke the 9 minute pace for the first time this season. And I beat the Valentine's Day run by 3 minutes and 20 seconds. Woohoo!!!
Time to draw two more cards...all I need is an 8 or a 9 and for Joshua two 7s. No such luck. Oh well! At least Joshua won an Adidas hat and I won a free sub at Capriotti's which is what we got for lunch.
Can't wait for the 10K race next Saturday!!!
Today was the UW Kinesiology Club's Poker Run 5K. They are actually celebrating 100 years of the Kinesiology program at the UW. This is a great run with proceeds going to Scouts with Special Needs.
The morning started off a bit rough. I really wanted to do the race but Joshua wasn't as excited. When the alarm went off, Joshua reluctantly agreed to go with me. We made some coffee and headed down to the campus area.
Brrrrrrr...it was pretty cold...in the low 40s and SUNNY but windy so that made it chilly.
The run was exactly the same route as the Valentine's 5K run, so I was really excited to beat my time. Now that I had a few runs under my belt, I knew for sure I'd beat my time.
This race is not the same format as other races. Fastest time doesn't matter, it's the best hand that you have. Before the race, you draw three playing cards and when you get done, you draw two more.
My hand started out with a 6 of spades, 7 of spades and a 10 of hearts...eh, not the best but I have a chance for a straight. Joshua drew two 7s and a 6, not bad.
We start the race but less than a half mile into it, Joshua speeds off. Good thing I brought my iPod. The first mile felt a bit sluggish, maybe from the cold or the early morning or both but when I got to the first mile marker, I was just under 9 minutes. Not too bad, especially with the wind blowing against us.
I felt a burst of energy right before mile 2 and picked up my pace. When I reached the second mile marker, I was just under 18 minutes. I felt good.
I was running by myself. No one was passing me nor was I passing anyone. Just me and the trail and my music. It's what I love about running.
I hit the third mile marker and started feeling tired but knew the end was near. All I had to do was think about my Aunt Mandy and how she never stopped fighting. I got another burst of energy and sprinted the rest of the way. It's what I always do when I feel tired or when I feel I can't run any further.
My time...27 minutes and 48 seconds. An average of 8:51 per mile. Broke the 9 minute pace for the first time this season. And I beat the Valentine's Day run by 3 minutes and 20 seconds. Woohoo!!!
Time to draw two more cards...all I need is an 8 or a 9 and for Joshua two 7s. No such luck. Oh well! At least Joshua won an Adidas hat and I won a free sub at Capriotti's which is what we got for lunch.
Can't wait for the 10K race next Saturday!!!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
So Crazy, I Have to Write About It
So this weekend, I flew to Seattle, WA. The reasons why are not important. It's personal but most of you may know why anyways.
The adventure first started out in Madison, WI, on Friday. My sister, Linda, was going to pick me up at 2PM. I woke up around 9 and got ready. I finished packing up and hung out with Joshua before he had to go to work at 1PM. When he left, I left as well to do some last minute things. I went over to the MATC West campus to print up some homework to work on. I was super hungry so after the MATC stop, I headed over to Old Chicago which is basically right next door.
As I was eating lunch, I realized that I wasn't going to make it back to my apartment in time so I talked to Linda to push the time back to 2:30. I quickly downed a beer and headed home.
I'm all ready to go at 2:30. I even waited outside for Linda to pick me up. Then I get a text saying she'll be late. I head back into my apartment and waited. 2:45...3:00...3:15...then finally some time shortly after 3:30, she gets to my place.
After an hour and half delay, we get on the road to head to Milwaukee. But of course, we hit some traffic in Milwaukee so instead of getting in around 5, we didn't get to my parent's restaurant til after 5:30.
There, my dad's friend was waiting to drive me, Linda and my mom to the airport. Our flight departure...7:30. We left the restaurant at 5:45 and got to the airport around 6:15. Definitely cutting it close since my mom doesn't walk very fast.
We get to the airport and since we all had just carry-ons, headed over to the security checkpoint. Then we notice...our flight was delayed an hour to an 8:30 departure. So we waited and we waited. We ended up not boarding until 8:45 and ended up taking off at 9:25ish. Almost two hours after our original flight time. At least it was a non-stop flight!
Now fast forward to Sunday night. Since I already had my seat assignments, I decided not to check in online right away. But on Saturday, I had signed up for e-mail alerts for my flight since I was flying into Minneapolis and a storm was passing by. All day Sunday, I kept a close eye on my e-mail and the weather channel to see what was going on.
At 7:00PM, almost 6 hours before my flight departure, I get an e-mail saying my flight was cancelled. WHAT?!?!?!? So I go on my uncle's home computer to check it out. I check Delta website...cancelled. I check Seattle Airport website...cancelled. What the H?
I try to check in but it wouldn't let me. It said my flight had been cancelled and that I could find a different flight for no cost. So I try to find a flight to go to Madison ideally but could deal with Milwaukee, Chicago - O'Hare or Chicago - Midway. After debating which flight to go with, trying to miss as little class or work possible, I finally found one for Tuesday leaving in the morning and not getting into Milwaukee til 6 PM where I would take the Badger Bus back to Madison.
I start to pull up my teacher's e-mail addresses so then I could start e-mailing them that I wouldn't be in class because of flight cancellation. I decided to check out my e-mail one more time. My flight was now ON TIME. Seriously...WTF?
I try to switch my flight back but it wouldn't let me. I immediately call the airline to figure this out. Estimated time until I reach a representative...one hour or more. After 40 minutes or so waiting and trying to figure out what to do, my uncle suggested to go to the airport to deal with it. So Linda drove me to the airport. I get there around 9:15PM and I wait in line to talk to a rep.
As I'm waiting, I chat it up with the people in front of me. Apparently they had a similar problem with the same flight. One of them had automatically gotten rebooked but not the other. At least I was not the only one.
Finally, I'm next in line. All of a sudden, there were like 30 army people showing up to get their bags checked-in and they got to jump the line. The counter was now super busy. Luckily, the rep motioned me over.
I explain what happened. I received an alert saying the flight from Seattle to Minneapolis was cancelled. I tried to check-in online but it wouldn't let me. It only gave me the option to change flights at no extra charge. As I am doing this, my flight status is right on the monitor saying CANCELLED. I change my flight to a different day. Then after I change it, the original status goes back to ON TIME. All I want is to get back on my original flight since I would NEVER have changed my flight if it hadn't said CANCELLED.
Now, most of you know that I don't really yell unless I'm super angry. Well, I said all that above very calmly but confidently. But when the rep told me that she couldn't do anything since the original flight was full...I started to get angry.
I repeated everything again but in my angry voice.
So she went over to another rep and that rep told her that she had to get me back onto that flight since there were computer glitches that caused all these problems.
My rep then went back onto the computer to work her magic for about 15 minutes. Of silence. Neither one of us speaking to each other. Finally, she was able to get me back onto my original flight!
As I was waiting at the gate, I pulled out my fried rice that we had made back at the house that my cousin Alanna packed up for me. I noticed the lid was partially off. And now I have rice all over the bottom of my bag. Really?!?
I arrive in Minneapolis at 6:30AM. I was exhausted from having two and a half hours of sleep on and off. I head over to my next gate right away since my flight to Madison was at 7:30. I get there and an hour delay...pushed back to 8:30.
Whatever...I can deal with that. And my class isn't until 10:30 so I'll still make it there early.
We board the plane around 8:30 but we ended up sitting there at the gate for 30 minutes while they were de-icing and clearing the snow off the plane. They shut the door. Door wouldn't shut. Maintenance had already left so we had to wait 10 minutes for them to get back. Then another 10-15 minutes for them to de-ice the frozen door.
Door finally shuts. Yea! The pilot pulls away from the gate and powers up the engines. Bad news. One of the engines overheated so we'll have to switch planes. Now we have to wait for the gate to be positioned back in order to move the plane 20 feet back to the gate.
More bad news...no extra plane so we'll all have to get rebooked for later flights back to Madison.
I get re-booked for a 1:20 flight but put on stand-by for the 10:30 flight. So much for my first class.
I wait by the gate for my stand-by flight. It's now 10:00. Around 10:30 when the flight should be leaving, they announce a gate change. How wonderful. And of course it was at a completely different terminal.
They finally start boarding the plane around 11:15. And YES!!! I am able to get on!
But...we waited at the de-icing pad for about an hour.
Finally, the flight to Madison leaves at 12:30...I sigh out a big relief.
1:30...I was never so happy to be back in Madison. I should have been back 5 hours ago. I missed my first class and the first half of my second class. Joshua had come to pick me up when I thought I had to take the bus. Love that guy. He came to drive me to my second class but having been in stuffy planes and feeling nauseous, I told him to take me home.
I ended up dropping him off back to work so he didn't have to miss more than he had already from picking me up. I napped for 5 hours. Went to go pick up Joshua. Fell back asleep for 10 hours.
The reason why I flew back to Madison alone instead of flying back to Milwaukee with my sister and my mom? So I wouldn't miss my Monday classes. Mission not accomplished. AND my sister and mom had no problems with their flight back.
Never fly with me is the lesson of this story.
Ahhhhhh....good to be back in Madison!
The adventure first started out in Madison, WI, on Friday. My sister, Linda, was going to pick me up at 2PM. I woke up around 9 and got ready. I finished packing up and hung out with Joshua before he had to go to work at 1PM. When he left, I left as well to do some last minute things. I went over to the MATC West campus to print up some homework to work on. I was super hungry so after the MATC stop, I headed over to Old Chicago which is basically right next door.
As I was eating lunch, I realized that I wasn't going to make it back to my apartment in time so I talked to Linda to push the time back to 2:30. I quickly downed a beer and headed home.
I'm all ready to go at 2:30. I even waited outside for Linda to pick me up. Then I get a text saying she'll be late. I head back into my apartment and waited. 2:45...3:00...3:15...then finally some time shortly after 3:30, she gets to my place.
After an hour and half delay, we get on the road to head to Milwaukee. But of course, we hit some traffic in Milwaukee so instead of getting in around 5, we didn't get to my parent's restaurant til after 5:30.
There, my dad's friend was waiting to drive me, Linda and my mom to the airport. Our flight departure...7:30. We left the restaurant at 5:45 and got to the airport around 6:15. Definitely cutting it close since my mom doesn't walk very fast.
We get to the airport and since we all had just carry-ons, headed over to the security checkpoint. Then we notice...our flight was delayed an hour to an 8:30 departure. So we waited and we waited. We ended up not boarding until 8:45 and ended up taking off at 9:25ish. Almost two hours after our original flight time. At least it was a non-stop flight!
Now fast forward to Sunday night. Since I already had my seat assignments, I decided not to check in online right away. But on Saturday, I had signed up for e-mail alerts for my flight since I was flying into Minneapolis and a storm was passing by. All day Sunday, I kept a close eye on my e-mail and the weather channel to see what was going on.
At 7:00PM, almost 6 hours before my flight departure, I get an e-mail saying my flight was cancelled. WHAT?!?!?!? So I go on my uncle's home computer to check it out. I check Delta website...cancelled. I check Seattle Airport website...cancelled. What the H?
I try to check in but it wouldn't let me. It said my flight had been cancelled and that I could find a different flight for no cost. So I try to find a flight to go to Madison ideally but could deal with Milwaukee, Chicago - O'Hare or Chicago - Midway. After debating which flight to go with, trying to miss as little class or work possible, I finally found one for Tuesday leaving in the morning and not getting into Milwaukee til 6 PM where I would take the Badger Bus back to Madison.
I start to pull up my teacher's e-mail addresses so then I could start e-mailing them that I wouldn't be in class because of flight cancellation. I decided to check out my e-mail one more time. My flight was now ON TIME. Seriously...WTF?
I try to switch my flight back but it wouldn't let me. I immediately call the airline to figure this out. Estimated time until I reach a representative...one hour or more. After 40 minutes or so waiting and trying to figure out what to do, my uncle suggested to go to the airport to deal with it. So Linda drove me to the airport. I get there around 9:15PM and I wait in line to talk to a rep.
As I'm waiting, I chat it up with the people in front of me. Apparently they had a similar problem with the same flight. One of them had automatically gotten rebooked but not the other. At least I was not the only one.
Finally, I'm next in line. All of a sudden, there were like 30 army people showing up to get their bags checked-in and they got to jump the line. The counter was now super busy. Luckily, the rep motioned me over.
I explain what happened. I received an alert saying the flight from Seattle to Minneapolis was cancelled. I tried to check-in online but it wouldn't let me. It only gave me the option to change flights at no extra charge. As I am doing this, my flight status is right on the monitor saying CANCELLED. I change my flight to a different day. Then after I change it, the original status goes back to ON TIME. All I want is to get back on my original flight since I would NEVER have changed my flight if it hadn't said CANCELLED.
Now, most of you know that I don't really yell unless I'm super angry. Well, I said all that above very calmly but confidently. But when the rep told me that she couldn't do anything since the original flight was full...I started to get angry.
I repeated everything again but in my angry voice.
So she went over to another rep and that rep told her that she had to get me back onto that flight since there were computer glitches that caused all these problems.
My rep then went back onto the computer to work her magic for about 15 minutes. Of silence. Neither one of us speaking to each other. Finally, she was able to get me back onto my original flight!
As I was waiting at the gate, I pulled out my fried rice that we had made back at the house that my cousin Alanna packed up for me. I noticed the lid was partially off. And now I have rice all over the bottom of my bag. Really?!?
I arrive in Minneapolis at 6:30AM. I was exhausted from having two and a half hours of sleep on and off. I head over to my next gate right away since my flight to Madison was at 7:30. I get there and an hour delay...pushed back to 8:30.
Whatever...I can deal with that. And my class isn't until 10:30 so I'll still make it there early.
We board the plane around 8:30 but we ended up sitting there at the gate for 30 minutes while they were de-icing and clearing the snow off the plane. They shut the door. Door wouldn't shut. Maintenance had already left so we had to wait 10 minutes for them to get back. Then another 10-15 minutes for them to de-ice the frozen door.
Door finally shuts. Yea! The pilot pulls away from the gate and powers up the engines. Bad news. One of the engines overheated so we'll have to switch planes. Now we have to wait for the gate to be positioned back in order to move the plane 20 feet back to the gate.
More bad news...no extra plane so we'll all have to get rebooked for later flights back to Madison.
I get re-booked for a 1:20 flight but put on stand-by for the 10:30 flight. So much for my first class.
I wait by the gate for my stand-by flight. It's now 10:00. Around 10:30 when the flight should be leaving, they announce a gate change. How wonderful. And of course it was at a completely different terminal.
They finally start boarding the plane around 11:15. And YES!!! I am able to get on!
But...we waited at the de-icing pad for about an hour.
Finally, the flight to Madison leaves at 12:30...I sigh out a big relief.
1:30...I was never so happy to be back in Madison. I should have been back 5 hours ago. I missed my first class and the first half of my second class. Joshua had come to pick me up when I thought I had to take the bus. Love that guy. He came to drive me to my second class but having been in stuffy planes and feeling nauseous, I told him to take me home.
I ended up dropping him off back to work so he didn't have to miss more than he had already from picking me up. I napped for 5 hours. Went to go pick up Joshua. Fell back asleep for 10 hours.
The reason why I flew back to Madison alone instead of flying back to Milwaukee with my sister and my mom? So I wouldn't miss my Monday classes. Mission not accomplished. AND my sister and mom had no problems with their flight back.
Never fly with me is the lesson of this story.
Ahhhhhh....good to be back in Madison!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Valentine's 5K Run
The first race of the year! I was completely unready for this race. My plan this year was to start running again on February 1st. But that same time, a blizzard decided to roll through town giving us over a foot of snow and cold weather! So much for that plan.
Instead, I went cold turkey on my first race. This was going to be interesting. Last time I ran was in the first week of November. Not to mention, earlier this week we had our work holiday party which consisted of playing dodgeball. I had slightly twisted my ankle and I was completely sore from head to toe for days.
This is one of the races that Joshua will do with me and he too had not ran in a long time. What did we get ourselves into?
We took two cars down to the race area since Joshua had to go to work right afterwards. We got ourselves our bib numbers and relaxed before the race. We finally headed towards the starting area where we ended up waiting 10 minutes for it to start after the official start time. Even though it was 35 degrees out, it felt warm since the days before that, the temp was in the 10s. But it was still cold while standing around outside and waiting.
Finally the race started and off we went. Joshua was being very considerate and instead of leaving me in the dust, he ran with me. In the beginning, I thought this was going to be a piece of cake. Then I started wondering where the first mile marker was as I was breathing heavily. This is gonna be a long race.
Then a mile and a half into it, I felt my ankle acting up. Great. I pushed through the pain and reached the second mile marker. One more mile to go. I finally got my breathing under control and concentrated on finishing the race in under 30 minutes.
I finally see the finish line. Normally, this is where I get a burst of energy and sprint to the finish line. However, being out of shape and my ankle really killing me now, I just continued my pace to the finish.
At first, I was not happy with my time. But considering this was my first run in months and my messed up ankle, I decided my time was pretty good. I finished in 31 minutes and 3 seconds. Just less than 10 minutes/mile. Not the best but I'll live with it. I'll have to improve on the minute mileage over the next few months.
I found a couple more races for April. Another 5K race called the Poker Run where the best poker hand wins the race, not the fastest time. And the American Cancer Society 10K run to raise money in honor of my aunt.
Looking forward to the real running season...as soon as this snow melts :)
Friday, February 4, 2011
My Birthday!!!
I woke up this morning thinking 'Crap, I should've taken off work' so instead I laid in bed longer than I should've when Joshua woke up. Thinking he'd turn over and say 'Happy Birthday!' but instead turned over and said 'What time do you work?'. As I got ready for work and Joshua slowly woke up...still nothing. He totally forgot! I could've said something right then and there but I decided not to and see how long it'd be until he remembered.
I was bartending at work that morning/afternoon and got super busy. It was pretty stressful. I was suppose to be done at 5 but got done closer to 6. All day long, I was waiting for a phone call or text from Joshua but nothing. At least I made a bunch of money!
My friend Meghan invited me to go downtown to see Piano Fondue, dueling pianos. But first, after I got done working, I had a birthday drink and shot. I went home and changed but before meeting Meghan, I headed over to the Marriott to see Joshua and tell him what he forgot.
I get there and he's excited to see me. Well then, maybe he remembered! Nothing. He asked me what I was doing there. I told him that he forgot something. He said he forgot the cheesecake pan because he was going to make a cheesecake for me that I had asked him to make several days ago.
I then tell him that it was my birthday. His face fell hard and I had to keep from laughing. He said he was the worst husband ever. I gave him the benefit of the doubt since he had gotten a concussion weeks earlier and I'm not much of a celebrator of any holiday anyways (I did work on my birthday instead of taking off like most people do in my line of work). Nevertheless, he promised to make it up to me.
I went back to Old Chicago to meet up with Meghan and her boyfriend Brian before heading downtown to meet up with our friend Melissa. Big mistake on my part. By this time, everyone at work knew it was my birthday and so did some of the regulars. I had a few more shots and drinks in a very short amount of time before we left OC.
When we got to the Brink Lounge to see Piano Fondue, I had to make a quick pit stop off the sidewalk. Ugh! But I felt much better and was ready to enjoy the dueling pianos. I had a lot of fun listening and singing along. Joshua had even left work early to join in on the fun. His first time ever at a dueling piano event. The night went by fast but I had a lot of fun!
 |
| Enjoying Piano Fondue...so is Melissa |
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| Joshua's here!! |
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| Brian and Meghan, Joshua and Me, Melissa and Rob |
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| Da girls |
Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes, drinks, shots and night out! I had an awesome day!!!! (Even if Joshua did forget.)
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Running Schedule
It's 2011! Time to start thinking about my races this year.
February 12: Valentine's 5K
April 30: Crazylegs 8K
June 10-11: Ragnar Relay formerly MCC 200, the relay race from Madison to Chicago
June 25: Great Urban Race, the mini version of Amazing Race
August 20: Madison Mini Marathon...half marathon
October 2: Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee
I'm still looking for a couple of triathlons to do. I may do small events as well to prepare for the half and full marathon late in the year but those may be a spur of the moment thing or any good causes that'll catch my eye :)
Looking forward to the races!!!
February 12: Valentine's 5K
April 30: Crazylegs 8K
June 10-11: Ragnar Relay formerly MCC 200, the relay race from Madison to Chicago
June 25: Great Urban Race, the mini version of Amazing Race
August 20: Madison Mini Marathon...half marathon
October 2: Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee
I'm still looking for a couple of triathlons to do. I may do small events as well to prepare for the half and full marathon late in the year but those may be a spur of the moment thing or any good causes that'll catch my eye :)
Looking forward to the races!!!
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