Friends

Last night I ran with the Narragansett Running Association for the third time.  I have joined on with this group because of Beth.  I was hesitant at first but so happy that I gave it a try.

This group is fast!  I am not.

Their Thursday night runs are described as their "fun runs".  That sounded perfect to Beth and I.  The first week, two gentlemen stuck with us for about 2 miles to show us where to go.  The second week, we were on our own but had such a great run.

Then Beth went away and we missed two weeks.  I did not run with the group for a couple reasons.  First, 6pm is not that convenient with two little kids.  And second, I knew I would be alone and I can run by myself anywhere at my connivence.  Third, they are fun runs and what fun is it without a friend!

My back has not been feeling so good this week and I wasn't sure if I would be up for five miles.  I woke up feeling a little better and was really looking forward to my evening run.  I messaged Beth to tell her I was a go and asked if she wanted to grab a drink after.  She was on board.

We met at our spot and there were a few new faces.  At 6 we were off.  It was dark and windy, but looking at the radar, the rain was going to miss us.

We fell into conversation right away and this is what I really love about these runs.  The friendship.

I am blessed to have some wonderful friends in my life and running only made that better.

My oldest friends are Dawn, Elizabeth and Deserie.  I hardly ever see them but I met them all in high school!  When we talk or get together, it is like time never passed.  I love and miss each of them every day.

Then there is Barb, who I met in 1994 in training to become Flight Attendants.  We worked together and even lived together for a while.  She is an Badass Mother Runner who has been one of my biggest cheerleaders.  She will be running with me in my first marathon.  It will be her 5th.  There is distance between us but that just makes the friendship even stronger.

Some of my newer friends I made when I had my son.  I joined a Moms Club and met some of the funniest women ever.  Not only have they made me laugh but they got me to a good place.  I was clueless when I had George, as a lot of us new moms are, and they helped me figure it out.  I have learned so much from them and continue to each and every day.  It was one of those moms who asked me to run with her and I laughed at her request.  That was in 2011.  I have come a long way since then and shared some miles with these fellow running moms.

And now, through my blog and FB page, I continue to meet women runners who amaze and motivate me.  Connie a wonderful women who ran her first 5k at 60!  She is now training for her first 10k.  So proud to call her my friend.  Michelle and Deb, who I drove with to the Another Mother Runner party. I had so much fun with them and look forward to the next time we will see each other.  And of course, Beth, who with each run, I love more and more.  There are a few others who I have not met yet, but continue to share stories and laughs with through email and FB.  Some of them, I can't wait to meet.

And I can't forget my Running While Daddy friends, especially Andy.  His story is truly amazing!  He is funny and smart and an incredible father.  He has been a great supporter of mine for a long time now and I have loved following him with every step he has run and every word that he has written.

I guess what I am trying to say, there is nothing like a good friend.  I don't care if you have 1 on 100, it doesn't matter.  My friends are all different, yet we all get along.  I can laugh with them and cry on their shoulder.  I can run with them, drink with them and sometimes both at the same time.  My kids can play with their kids and they are making lasting friendships also.  That's pretty cool!

Do you have a best friend?  Any crazy stories you want to share?  What are you teaching your kids about friendship?  

I am running in my very first 10k tomorrow.  I am pretty excited except for the rain.  I will be running with my friend Elaine and that makes it all better.

Any races for this long weekend?  How will you celebrate Memorial Day?  Will it be with friends?

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

Block Island Getaway!

I have a very good friend who is moving to Kodiak Alaska.  They are a Coast Guard family and this will be there next stop for the next 3-5 years.

When we asked Katie what she might want to do as a "going away",  a girls weekend in Block Island is what we decided on.

On Friday, we boarded the 3pm ferry and our girls weekend began!

I am not a fan of big bodies of water, boats, or drowning, so this was my least favorite part of the trip and the longest 50 minutes ever!

Once on the island we cabbed it over to our Inn with the meanest driver ever.  Seriously, she yelled at our friend Jill for not knowing how to put the seat down so we had access to the last row in her truck.  Really?!  And BTW, way to go Jill for standing up for yourself!

When we got to the Inn, we met the inn-keeper and he showed us around and we picked our rooms.  We told him about our ride over and he said, "Oh, you must of had Monica."  Too funny, yes it was Monica.

We made it and it's colder than we expected!

Once we dropped our bags in our rooms, we sat on the patio with wine, beer and snacks.  That first couple of hours, we just sat and talked and laughed and it was one of the highlights of the weekend.  I have some really funny friends and even though these getaways are few and far between, I am really happy that we get to do them once in a while.

View from the back porch.

I am really going to miss Katie and her family.  Her daughter is really great friends with my Gracie.  Gracie does not know she is moving yet.  I am going to wait to tell her until after her birthday, I think.

We freshened up and then headed to dinner.  We ate at a restaurant near the ferry as we had another friend coming in on the 7pm.  Once we were finished with dinner we headed to one of the local bars and had a few drinks before calling it a night.  The first day was a great success!

Now, I was really looking forward to running in Block Island.  I would be running with friends and it would be a new place.  Technically, still RI, but you know what I mean.  Jenn, my very good friend and fellow runner was coming in on the 9am ferry on Saturday. I was only planning on running once, so I had to wait for her to get in.  Jill is also a runner and I was thinking 3-4 miles would be great for the three of us.

Once the girls arrived, we headed out for a 6 mile hike that brought us to the bluffs.  It was a spectacular view and a fun walk.  After that, we had lunch and shopped.

Our 6 mile hike.

Beautiful view!

Hi!

It was warm, so an evening run was going to be perfect.  However, drinks started to flow and with every sip, I was pretty sure this run would never happen.  It was during this time that Ethel said she was going to run with us.  She has been dealing with a foot problem and has not run in months! Plus, she said this after two mud slides and a beer in front of her.  She must be teasing me, right?

We walked our mile back to the inn and when we got there, they had wine and snacks out for us.  Almost everyone grabbed a glass and we sat and talked and laughed again.  After about 45 minutes, Jenn asked if we were going to run.  Guess what, we ran!

Jenn, Ethel and I headed out and Jill said she would catch up.  As soon as we started, we were laughing.  The jokes were flying about drinking and running and they wanted to know what I would call this blog post.  @&*#faced While Running was a popular choice.  Honestly, we were ok. If I was drunk, I would not be able to run.  I stopped drinking at the bar and I didn't even finish that drink.  I only had snacks at the inn so I knew I was ok.  I was a little dehydrated and was happy I had my water bottle with me.  Block Island is also hillier than I had expected.

Ethel was struggling and said she was going to quit.  She walked, she ran, we all laughed.  She made it a mile and then laid down on someones lawn.  I was so bummed that I did not have my camera!  It was here that Jill found us.  We were a quarter mile from the inn, so we got Ethel home safe and then continued on.

Jenn and Jill are a bit faster than me and I was behind them for most of the run.  I didn't mind.  I was happy to be out running with friends.  I didn't even have music with me.  I was enjoying the sights.  We passed a house with a toilet on their lawn with two pink plastic flamingos sticking out of it.  What?!  We past goats and horses.  And Mean Monica passed us, twice.

The final result was 3.27 miles in about 35 minutes for me and less for Jenn and Jill.  We walked about 5 minutes and then showered and met everyone for dinner.

I was sharing a room with Jill and that night when we got in our beds we started chatting.  It was a fun conversation that lasted late into the night.  I felt like a little girl having a sleep-over and it was so much fun!

Because of the late night, I was the last one down to breakfast.  A few of us were going on the 11am ferry.  Myself, Ethel and MB were going on the 3pm.  It was sad to say goodbye and see our weekend coming to an end.

Our afternoon was filled with a little more shopping, and a nice lunch.  We boarded the ferry and said goodbye to Block Island.  Another great girls weekend in the books!

I was thrilled to see my family and head home to my own bed.  I love going away, but there is nothing better than your own home with the ones you love.

I have a pretty busy week ahead of me and a race on Saturday.  I need an idea for a teacher gift.  Not just your ordinary teacher.  I need something special. Any ideas?

Anything new with you?  Do you ever plan weekend getaways with the girls? If you could plan a race destination weekend with your girlfriends, what race would you choose?

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

Narrow River 5k Recap

On Saturday, I ran in the Narrow River 5k.  I ran this race last year and, at that time, it was only my third official race.  I like this race for a few reasons.  First, it is in local race, just a few miles from my home. Second, it is a mostly flat and fast course.  And third, it has a 10am start. My favorite time of day to run is late morning and it is rare when I actually get to do that.

The day before the race, I did a few things wrong.  Basically, I ate hot wings, a doughnut and pretzels with cheese sauce.  Not all at once, but you get the picture.  I also went to bed a little later than I normally do, but I slept really well.

A half hour before my alarm was scheduled to go off, I woke up with terrible pains in my stomach which had me running into my bathroom.  Not good!  After about 20 minutes, I was dressed and trying to decide if I should eat breakfast.  I had more than an hour before I had to leave and pick up Bridget, so I made my usual waffle with peanut butter.

After two more trips to the bathroom, I decided to skip the banana.  (sorry for the TMI)

I seriously considered not going but 15 minutes before I was to leave I started to feel better and took a chance.

Bridget lives just a few miles away and I was thrilled to be able to pick her up and drive together.  Before this race last year, I knew Bridget just in passing but it was this race that made us friends.

When we parked and got out to get our numbers, the wind hit us and it was cold.  I was not prepared for this type of weather but I was fairly certain that it was just here at the beach and not at the start line.

This race is a 5k and a 10k.  For the 10k runners, they start and end at the beach.  For us 5k runners we are shuttled to the start and run back to the beach.

I decided to just run this race for fun and just see what happens, especially with the way I was feeling.  I wasn't sure if I would get a PR, but I was sure that I would get a course PR.  Last year, I finished in 35:04, 8th out of the 8 runners in my age group and 64th overall out of 77 runners.

When we took off, I was behind Bridget.  She is a faster runner than I am and after 4 1/2 minutes, I was still behind her.  She was either going really slow or I was going too fast, too soon, again.  My Garmin read 9:31 pace, so I slowed down a bit.  Believe it or not, my stomach was doing ok and I was having a really great race.  Mile one flew by and I started to think about a PR again.

When I hit 2.6 miles, my stomach started to burn.  I was hungry and was wishing I ate that banana.  I was also closer to the beach and the wind picked up and I was running into it.  I ran as fast as I could despite the feeling in my belly because I just wanted to be done!

When I ran through the finish chute, I missed the clock.  I also turned my Garmin off late.  I was pretty sure I had hit a PR though.

We headed over to the water and snack table, snapped a few pics, found out that we did not win anything in the raffle and then they posted the results.

I did it!  31:32, 4th in my age group, 24th female, and 57th overall out of 112 runners.  Seriously, I am thrilled.  These are my best numbers yet!

I have to give a big shout-out to Bridget who place second in our age group and only missed 1st by 3 seconds!  Way to go my friend!

On the way to the car, Bridget said we should run this race together every year, now it's a tradition.  Yes, I couldn't agree more, Bridget!

Bridget and I after the race.

When I was leaving, I drove out of the parking lot and I ran over an orange cone.  I had to pull over and the cop that was helping people cross the street had to come over, stop traffic and he helped me remove the stuck cone from under my truck.  That's not too embarrassing.

My family was here visiting for Mother's Day.  It was a lovely weekend and we had such a nice time.  My kids made me some very special cards that made me laugh and cry.  It was a perfect weekend.

Me and my babies!

Dad, sister, mom and me.  No one told me how wrinkled I looked.  Thanks everyone!

Look at that cute face peeking out under George's arm.  Love this picture!

I hope your weekend was filled with fun, love and laughter and, of course, running.

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

Running For Fun

If you read my last post, then you remember that I wrote that I would run for fun and just enjoy it while putting together my marathon training plan.

Are you able to do that?  Just go out and run without any worries about time or distance.  "Maybe I will go 4 miles today, maybe 6?  Let's just go and see what happens."

I got a few miles in that were good and then on Sunday, George wanted to run with me. We went to church in the morning, then by the time we got home, it was lunch all the while, Mr. RWM was installing our new front door.

He mentioned that he needed to go to Home Depot, which I thought would be in the next half hour, so I moved on to other things and told George we would go later.  Mr. RWM and I were not communicating well, because 2 hours later, he was still here!  George and I so could of run!

A little after 4, George and I were finally on our way.  No real plan but I was hoping for at least 3 miles.  As we started up the hill, it was clear, George did not want to be running.  I decided to give him a chance and see what happens.  I mean, I have started plenty of runs wanting to quit just to go two extra miles in the end because it became such a good run.

Anyway, after just about 17 minutes and ONLY 1 mile, we were back at the house.  He went in and I was about to head up the hill and finish my run when Mr. RWM, called for some help.  The door would not fit!  I stood and held the door up for a few minutes while he figured out why. Then before he moved on, he went to our neighbor's house who is a carpenter for some professional advice.  I stayed with the kids.

When he got back, it was time to start dinner, give the kids a bath and make sure everything was ready for Monday morning.  I never got out of my running clothes as I had every intention of still going.  With just about 20 minutes of daylight left, Mr. RWM went to Home Depot.  Umm, ohh, ok.  Can someone please hand this girl a margarita!  I should of started my Cinco De Mayo celebration hours ago!!!

That night while I was thinking about running, I knew that this weekends 5k would just be me.  George is not going to be ready and, I am pretty sure he is not interested.   So, of course, now I have a PR on my mind.  Time to beat is 31:44.

Fast forward to Tuesday.  I really needed to run and I had Gracie with me.  My plan was four miles, shower, get Gracie lunch and off to school.

After 10 minutes of Gracie trying to decide which pillow pet would make a good companion on our run, we were off.

Gracie will be 5 in June.  Her weight plus the stroller is about 70 pounds.  I did not fair well going up the dreaded hill.  We made it to the top and she started in with, "I want to run, I want to run."  I told her she can run at the end.

When we hit a mile, she needed to stop because she was too hot and needed to take her coat off.  On our way again and she lost her drink.  We had to stop and find it.

At a mile and a half, I knew I would not have time to fit in four miles.  I turned around and headed home.  At this point, I was frustrated.  I wanted to run 4 miles and I have a PR on the brain.  What was I thinking running with Gracie?

And then it hit me...

What about those fun runs I was talking about?  I am out on a beautiful day with my baby and I am not having any fun.  This does not make sense.  Wake up Nicole!  Why does this run have to be so serious.  Three miles, four, who cares.  Stop and go, stop and go.  To help out my little one, well yeah, of course, just go with the flow.  She is getting big and will be in school full time in the fall and I won't have this extra time with her.  I can tell you already, I am going to miss it.

My attitude changed after that and the last mile was more pleasant.  We had to stop, of course, to put her jacket back on, get another drink and watch a squirrel run up a tree.

When we got back to the house, we parked the stroller and ran together and she was all smiles, until she fell and then cried all the way home.  The total was 3.27 miles.  It took us 40 minutes and I am OK with that.

We should have more runs because we are just happy to be running.  Training is good too, but I bet most of us did not start running to chase a PR.  We ran because we wanted to, because we needed to.  It changed us, made us happy and healthy.  It makes us strong, physically and mentally.  It clears our heads and sets a good example for our families.  It challenges us and all that, makes it fun.

True!

I will run again on Thursday, not sure how long but at least 3.  On Saturday,  I will run the  Narrow River 5k and maybe I will have a PR, maybe I won't.  Right now, I just want to be there with my fellow runners and just enjoy the ride.

Now on to some other news.  One of the very fun things about running, is the community that goes along with it.  I have been lucky to meet some wonderful friends and it excites me to follow along with their blogs and successes.

One of my friends, Darlena, of Run Find Your Happy Pace, is raising money for Breast Cancer Research.  This is a cause that is near and dear to her heart and she wants to help instead of sitting on the sidelines.  She has several family members who are dealing with this disease and she is asking for our help!

By donating just $3, $5 or $10 dollars, you will not only be helping but you will be eligible for some fabulous prizes.  Please take a moment to check out her blog and help if you can.

For my mommies out there, have a wonderful Mother's Day!  Take some time to have fun and enjoy a good run!

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

Newport 10 Miler Recap

I have lived in Rhode Island almost ten years.  I knew it was a beautiful state but it wasn't until I was a runner that I truly appreciated that fact.  To say to you that the Inaugural Newport 10 Miler was the most beautiful race I have ever run, is just not enough, but I will do my best to describe it to you.

First, lets start with shirt and number pick-up.  I got lost.  As many times as I have been to Newport, I have never been to Fort Adams.  Now I will never forget how to get there. Once there, I got my number, 1110, and shirt.  I really liked the color of the shirt and will actually wear it out.  

While making a new playlist for Sunday's race, I thought it might be fun to drive together with Beth and Jenn.  I sent them a message and within 20 minutes our plan to meet in the morning was set and I was thrilled to not have to drive!  Thank you Beth!

I did not sleep well, and was up before the alarm. I felt pretty good though and was feeling excited.  The last thing I did before walking out the door was put on my Garmin.  I noticed that it read, 9:47 pm April 27.  Well, that is clearly wrong as it is 6:25 am on April 28th.  I started to hit every button I could but nothing happened. I plugged it in and unplugged it, nothing.  What is a gadget challenged girl to do?  Mr. RWM would not be happy if I woke him up, but this is kind of an emergency, right?

I decided to suck it up and figure it out myself.  I opened the computer and typed in "Garmin 405 frozen" and got my answer in 5 seconds.  Nice, internet.  And just so you know, hit both side buttons at the same time and it will reset. 

I got to our meeting spot with 5 minutes to spare and Beth and Jenn were already there. Nice!  We got to Fort Adams and parked without any problems.  The morning was beautiful.  A bright sunny day and it was warming up every minute.  I had made arm warmers out of knee socks which I didn't really need.

Ready to go!

We stretched, walked around a bit and I got to meet a fellow Tough Chik, who was there to run this race from Florida with a good friend of hers.  We only got to talk for a minute but I did get this great pic of us.  

Fellow TC Angela and I

There were hundreds of Boston Strong shirts and people just wearing blue and yellow. The race had given each of us a black ribbon to wear also.  It was all very heart warming.

Beautiful day!

Starting to line up!

We lined up, sang the National Anthem, had a moment of silence for Boston, and then instead of a gun going off, it was a cannon!  How cool is that!

My goal was 1:45 which is a 10:30 pace.  Beth and Jenn were both aiming to PR also.  I knew we would separate quickly, so I just told them to have a good race.  

The first mile was basically leaving Fort Adams and it stayed pretty thick with people.  I lost Jenn but still had my eye on Beth.  I looked at my watch and it read 10:13.  I was going out too fast but felt good and thought I could do it.  By the end of mile one, my arm warmers were off.

Check out this pic from Newport Daily News.  Can you find me?

Mile two started the stretch along Ocean Drive.   The race web site describes it as "unparalleled scenic oceanfront racing."  It was a spectacular view and would of been a good spot for a picture, but I didn't want to give up my PR.  

I still had Beth in my sights.  Mile three and four were good.  10:25 and 10:35, right on target but I was unsure I would be able to keep it up.  I slowed down just a bit for mile 5, 10:50 pace.  

The end of Ocean Drive was a water stop with gatorade and bananas.  I grab water and gatorade and was sorry I didn't bring my own fuel.  A banana seemed to much and I thought eating it would slow me down.  

At mile six we turned left onto Bellevue Ave and my running tour of the Newport Mansions began.  If you don't know what I mean, google it.  There is nothing like it.   This race did not disappoint in scenery.  Every street we ran on had something nice to see. No construction or commercial areas, just beautiful homes, ocean front and of course, Fort Adams.  Despite that, I started to hit a wall at 6.5 miles.

I can't say for sure why.  I was feeling a little tired but good.  I had lost sight of Beth and we started to hit a few hills.  I was beginning to think my PR was gone.  I kept looking at my Garmin, but found out that I can't do math and run at the same time.   Oh, who am I kidding.  Math is not my strong point when sitting perfectly still with a calculator.

Mile 7 had the biggest hill of the race.  It reminded me of the dreaded hill that I live at the bottom of, but a little longer.  I made it up but my legs were jelly.  Mile eight was my slowest, 11:28.  Seeing that number fueled me.  I was not going to lose that PR.  I knew with my fast miles in the beginning I could make this all even out and sill come in at 1:45 or so I hoped.

It was here I also turned off my music.  Everything around me was so nice, I wanted to take in the sounds and smells that went along with it.  I was happy I did that.  I heard laughter and cheering.  I heard people encouraging each other and just having a good time.  My spirits were lifted and I ran.

I ran steady and I was calm.  I was smiling because I felt so lucky to be able to run where I do.  There were Boston shirts all around me and I felt honored to be in there presence.  I had trained for this race for 10 weeks and here I was one mile from the finish.  However, this mile felt like the longest even though it was my fastest.  

It was the kind of finish you couldn't see.  I knew it was coming up but I was running and running.  I looped around and ran into the walls of Fort Adams and then still had to run a bit.  It was here that I saw Beth, yay! And then the clock.  I ran my heart out through the finish chute.  When I stopped I held back tears I was so happy!  Jenn came up to me first and soon Beth joined us.  We stretched a bit, talked about the race, got some snacks and water and then headed over to the truck with our official times posted on it.

I did it everyone!  My official time was 1:45:58.  I am still coming down from the high!  And a huge congrats goes out to Beth and Jenn who also PR'er at this fabulous race.

We did it!

I would say the toughest part of the course was the last 4 miles.  I definitely would of slowed my pace in the beginning if I knew that.  But if I am honest with myself, I should of slowed down when I realized how fast my first mile was and saved some of my energy for the end whether the course was tough or not.  I enjoyed every minute and think this will have to be a yearly event for me.  

From the race, Beth, Jenn and I headed to breakfast and it was the perfect way to end such a wonderful morning.  

When I got home, Mr. RWM, George and Gracie were waiting for me with hugs and congrats.  However, when I told George how far I had run, he said he wasn't that impressed. Huh, why I asked.  His response, "Well, you ran 13 miles before so 10 isn't so hard."  Out of the mouths of babes, too funny!

Over the next 4 to 5 weeks, I am going to run for fun but hold an 8-10 mile long run while I figure out my plan for Philly.  I am looking forward to running just because I want to but I am sure I will be ready for new plan of action in a couple weeks.  Funny how our running minds work.

Thanks goes to the organizers of the Newport 10 Miler and all the wonderful volunteers and sponsors.  You put on a great show and I will see you next year!

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

Training Done, Now Let's Race

Well, this is it!  Ten weeks of training and now all that is left is to race on Sunday.  I am psyched!

This week did not go as planned.  Partly because I had family staying with us for 10 days and it was a little crazy.  I ran twice for a total of 8 miles and I also had PT.  I walked just a little and stretched a lot!

On Thursday, I ran with the Narragansett Running Association again.  Or should I say, I said hello to them and then Beth and I ran together.  This group is fast!  If Beth wasn't there, I doubt I would go back.  They are all really nice and I do enjoy talking with them before and after the run.  They said as it gets warmer, the group gets bigger.  I am hoping to be joined by one or two more "slower" runners.

I love running with Beth.  She is good for me.  I ran the whole five miles even though there were a couple times I wanted to walk.  We were about a minute and half slower than last week, and that was my fault.  I had a bit of trouble getting my breathing under control for the first two miles.  I had a weird tightness in my chest that I usually feel in really cold weather.  It was in the low 60's and I can't really explain why it happened.  I suggested she go on ahead, but she stayed with me, probably to make sure I didn't have a heart attack.  Just kidding!  Sort of.

The conversation was great and we talked the whole time.  So happy to have met her. She will be at the race on Sunday.  Her goal is about 10 minutes faster than mine.  More on that later.

Now, when I was leaving to go run, George got mad at me for not taking him.  I tried to tell him that we were running to far for him and there would be no walking if he got tired. He was not buying it.  I promised him that I would be in my running clothes when he got home form school and we would run.

It was a beautiful day and just before his bus arrived I went up to get changed.  I saw a running skirt that was really cute and I bought three of them in different colors.  I put one one to test it out.  It was an impulse buy and I wanted to make sure I liked it.  It seemed short but cute.

As soon as George got off the bus, he said he didn't want to go.  What, I waited all day for you!  I don't want to make him run, I have always just taken his lead.  I want him to like it and not feel like he has to do it.  So I just said, OK, and headed out on my own.

I told Mr. RWM, I was just going to try out this skirt and do about 2 miles.  Quick but easy.  I felt good right away and was happy to be out in the sun and enjoying my run.  As for the skirt, it is cute but the shorts did not stay in place.  They didn't really bother me on the short run but I think they would on a long one.  I think I may keep them and just use them for short races.  Or not.  We will see.

As I was approaching my house to end my run, my Garmin read 2.71.  Well you just can't stop there especially feeling so good, so I finished at 3 miles in 30:53.

Ok, so my goals for Sunday.  Well, I have an A, B, and C goal.

A. Based on my really good training runs, I should be able to finish in 1:45.  That is what I am aiming for.

B.  Based on my not so good runs, I should be able to finish in 1:50.  This would still give me a PR and I think I would still be happy with that.

C.  Just come in under 1:58 which is the time to beat based on my last 10 mile race.  That race I struggled with stomach issues for the first 4 miles, so I think that no matter what happens, I will beat this time and leave with a PR.

I had a few local people ask if they can meet me at the race.  I would love to meet some of my readers in person so if you will be there, I will be wearing a running skirt with pink and orange flowers and an orange shirt that reads Finishing = Winning.

In other news, I picked up Run Less, Run Faster and am pretty sure this will be my training plan for the Philadelphia Marathon.  I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

Week Nine and A Couple Fast MIles

Week nine done!

Monday, I had PT and biked with the kids.  Yes, I am calling that cross training.

On Tuesday, my plan called for 5 miles.  I was fueled by what happened on Monday and I ran 6 very emotional miles.  They were what I needed.  It was good for my mind and spirit.

Wednesday, nothing.

Thursday I ran 5 miles and I did that with the local running group.  Beth of Beth Runs RI, asked if I wanted to check them out. I have wanted to for quite some time, but never had the guts.  I have been told they are fast runners.

Their Thursday night runs are classified as fun runs.  All levels welcome and they run anywhere from 5 to 8 miles.

As I was driving down 1A to meet them, I saw a group of runners all wearing Boston Marathon shirts.   I was pretty sure this was the group I was meeting.  (those shirts were not intimidating at all, LOL)  I parked and Beth was parking behind me when I was getting out.

Soon after that, the group arrived.  Introductions were made and everyone was very nice. Beth and I were even offered Boston shirts.  The shirts were from one of the runners who has run Boston a number of times.  She brought the shirts with her to share and I thought that was really cool.  I also was pretty amazed that she had that many shirts for everyone to wear!

Beth and I decided on five miles and everyone else was going further.  We all started together but that did not last long.  I was soon trailing behind with a man named Jim, who I am sure was just being polite. He was only going out for two as he had just run the earlier miles.  He was very nice and it was nice to have him with me for a mile.

When he turned to go back, I was able to see Beth running with a man named Dave. The rest of the group was not in sight.  I ran just a bit on my own before they saw me and waited for me to catch up.  Dave showed us where to turn for 5 miles and he went on to do 6.

Beth and I had a really nice run. It was great to get to know her better and I am happy to add her to my running buddy list.

I knew we were running at a pretty good pace, or at least a good pace for me.  We finished in 52:27 and I was really happy about that.  Running with Beth, sped me up but I sadly slowed her down a bit.  She told me she enjoyed the run though and I think we will both do it again this week.

Friday, nothing.

Saturday, nothing.

Sunday, 8 miles.

Now, first I need to tell you that I am still learning all the in's and out's of my Garmin.  If you know me, you are not surprised.  After my Thursday night run, I asked Mr. RWM to see if he can change my screens so that I can see how long I am running.  He did what he did and I thought I was all set.

I headed out today and half way up the hill, I looked at my watch and it was tracking my time but nothing else.  Where it said pace and distance it read 0.  I messed with it a bit but I could not get it to work.  Back down the hill...

Mr. RWM was laying mulch in our yard but looked at it and told me my GPS was not on. I turned it on but then every time I hit a button it turned the GPS off.  Is it me?  Probably. Since he wasn't really able to help, I threw my Garmin on the table and pulled up my Endomondo app.  Finally, I was on my way.

Heading up the hill and out of my neighborhood, I was a little mad at the wasted time.  I was dwelling on it when I hit my first mile, 10:25.  Nice, I instantly felt better.

Today was beautiful and for me, the perfect running weather.  It was one of those days that I felt like I could run forever.  And when I hit the three mile mark at 30:43, I couldn't believe it!  Mile four, 40:01! I was cruising, well cruising for me anyway.  I ran six miles in 59:41. Honestly, I was in shock.  All I could think about at that moment is how big a PR I may have at Newport on Sunday.  The time I am trying to beat is 1:58 and a few seconds.

It wasn't long after that, that the wind picked up.  And I mean, crazy wind!  I did the best I could for the next two miles but sadly, they were 11:16 and 11:36.  I finished eight miles in 1:22:53.  Obviously, not an official PR but it is to date, my fastest 8 miles.

To make it just a little better, my back and hips feel great!  I am more ready for next Sunday than I have ever been for a race and I can't wait to walk up to that start line.

I am not happy with my lack of cross training this week and I will step it up as my miles decrease this week according to my training plan.

I hope you all had a great weekend.  I loved seeing all the pictures of you in your race shirts and reading about your miles for Boston.   I think with every mile we heal just a little.  Keep it up my friends.

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole