Glorious Autumn!

Today was the first day I ran in long tights and a jacket. The weather is absolutely wicked out there. Blustery and cold! I ordered a rain shield for the baby jogger, but it has yet to get here, so I had to wait until Don got home from work today so I could go for a run. I suppose I could've run on the treadmill, but I'm just not in that state of mind yet.

Yesterday I did my first tempo run by myself. I ran on our usual tempo loop that I've been running for years. I used my GPS to try and keep myself at a decent pace, but the stupid watch is always a bit off, so here I thought I was running about 6:30 pace and I was really running about a 6:15 pace. Not that I'm complaining, but I do feel like I would've been more likely to go 10 miles instead of 8 if I hadn't been pushing the pace a bit. I had to get back to the kids anyway so I didn't have the extra time. It's a nice step in the right direction with Philadelphia Marathon 4 weeks away!!

On Saturday I went up to Oakland, Maryland and ran the Autumn Glory 5k with some friends. In my old age I start out a lot slower than I used to, but I make up ground quickly. By the time I hit a mile I was leading the entire race. This is both a blessing and a curse for a woman! I'm used to having guys around me to pace off of and to block the wind. So when I hit the turn around point of the race it was like running into a wall! The wind was rediculous. A race that should be a fast course turned out to be a not so fast 19:20 for the win.

Sunday was my first 20 mile run in more than a year and a half. It felt great! Most of my runs have become progression runs simply because I am usually pushing the kids or I have to shake the rust off of the old legs, and Sunday was no different. Our last two miles were the fastest, so I was ecstatic! My toe is still bothering me some, but it really only hurts after runs, when it will throb for a while. I'm fairly sure that the toe nail will fall off, I'm just hoping it happens before Philly and not during.

Recipe of the Week

Pulled Pork Burritos

Put some pork loin in the slow cooker and cover with Root Beer. Let it cook on low for 6-7 hours. Pull and cover with Bar-b-que sauce. This is the pulled pork recipe I had, and while I was on my run I thought wouldn't it be great with some red beans and rice in a burrito. But I got home and I only had jumbalaya rice. So I used that instead. We loved it!! Simple, without the burrito shell it is gluten free too!

Picture of the Week

                                      Eileen and her pumpkin (Cousin JD's hand-me-downs)

Just call me mountain goat!

This past week Don was away on business, so I was a single mom. Again I utilized the baby jogger, and also some good friends, so I could get in my runs.  I had one big test this week, I took the kids camping up at the Mountain Institute in Spruce Knob, West Virginia. I packed up the car and headed into the mountains all by myself, including setting up the tent for the first time in my life.

Now, you may be sitting there saying, SO What! But for this Jersey Girl, it's kind of a big deal. I wasn't in girl scouts, my family didn't go camping, and I was only allowed to go to 4H camp one year. So until the age of 25 I had very little outdoorsy experience. I do love it now though!

The trip to the mountains was also to run the half marathon portion of the WV Trilogy. Some crazy ultra runners, who will remain nameless, thought up this weekend of torture. On Friday there is a 50k, Saturday a 50 miler, then Sunday the half.  They also have a 5k that Don and I ran last year when I was pregnant.

                               finish line of the trilogy

Once you get outside of Elkins, you have no cell service. I was driving dirt mountain roads with two young kids and no cell service. I was a little nervous. But, I had enough food and water for two days and I wasn't completely isolated, there were some homes along the way, and it was a beautiful fall weekend, so there were lots of people around checking out the leaves.

Thanks to Lara Lehman I was able to run the half without worry. We started at 9 am and I left the kids in her capable hands at the finish line. After our first little 2 mile loop around the Mountain Institute's property, we headed down a huge downhill to a creek which we had to cross not once, but twice. I managed to stay relatively dry, although my friend Pete did splash me as I came through the creek the second time.  After heading down the creek for a bit, we started back into the trails for what seemed like forever uphill. This is where I stumbled a bit and may have broken my toe. I'm no doctor, but it hurts! I was about 5 miles in, so I just kept on running! Up and Up and Up we went until I'm pretty sure we were at the top of Spruce Knob (the highest point in WV). We finally got to turn around. We were on a road section of the course at this point, but I couldn't take full advantage of it because of my painful toe.  We headed back the way we came, then headed down a different trail. This took us to an open field, at which point I lost the trail. I stood there for about a minute trying to figure where we were supposed to go when two guys came from behind me and we finally found the marker down the field. I was being blinded by the sun and couldn't see it before. We then headed back onto a trail which went through some fields at which point we had to jump some farm fences. I had heard talk about a fence the night before and I thought "surely they are joking", but no, they were not, and there was not just one, but four. I think. I lost count!  While going over one of the fences I thought to myself  "I can't believe I am 36 years old and I am jumping friggin fences!" Then I thought "Good for me!!"After all that we came out along the creek again. Almost home at this point, but not before we had to climb back up the huge hill we went down in the 3rd mile.  I was happy to be at the finish line. But I must say, it was a fun race and a beautiful weekend for the second year in a row.

                                Eileen is a happy camper!

When I did get back to the finish (in first place), Eileen was playing on her blanket with her blocks and Travis was playing in the woods with some other kids. Neither seemed to be effected by my absence.  After I showered and packed up our tent, they had a pig roast and awards. We were then on our way back home, another adventure into the wilderness, with my broken toe on the pedal!

Recipe of the Week
Pumpkin Turkey Chili
I tbsp Vegetable oil, 1 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup green bell peppers, 1/2 cup yellow peppers, 1 clove garlic minced, 1 lb. ground turkey (I used two), 1 can diced tomatoes (I used two), 2 cups pumpkin puree, 1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1 dash salt, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream.  Cook up the oil, onions, peppers and garlic in a skillet. Add the ground turkey to brown. Throw it all in the crock pot with the rest of the ingredients. Cook on low for 4-5 hours and then add the cheese and sour cream.

I added Corn because I didn't have yellow peppers and I like corn in my chili. I also added a can of kidney beans. Right now this is cooking in my crock pot.


 Picture of the Week

                                   Leaving the Mountain Institute

Baby Joggin!

Lately I've been doing a lot of my running while pushing the kids in the Baby Jogger. I am fortunate enough to have a couple of hand-me-down baby joggers. The one that I am currently using is probably 10 years old and comes from my sister. So far it's working just fine and both the kids seem to enjoy trucking along in it, as long as it's a nice day.

Along with my awesome baby jogger, I am fortunate enough to have easy access to rail trails. This is nice because it is the only flat place in West Virginia to push 2 kids for 8 miles. My favorite new spot is the Cheat Lake Rail Trail which also has a nice park for Travis to play after we are done running. I do often take the kids up to Big Bear and push them there, but it is hillier and I don't like to do that more than a couple of times a week.

It would be very hard for me to push the kids from here at home since we only have about 1200 meters of paved road, and it would be difficult to get out of the way of any on coming cars.

I also have a treadmill in the basement, but I save this for winter. I really like to wait until the last possible moment to have to get on the "dreadmill" and run. I think a big part of what I love about running is being outside, so getting on the treadmill just is not appealing to me at all!

Race Recap!

Since my last post I have run 3 races. Two of those races were in one day. I really don't know what I was thinking!? I had planned on running the Scottdale Fall Festival 10k all along, hoping to win and get some cash. But then there was also the September Stride 5k in Morgantown that I always run and also had money. The 5k was at 9 am and the 10k was at 2:30pm, so I talked myself into doing both.

In the 5k I placed 3rd. There is always stiff competition there! I knew I wasn't going to have a great race because Eileen didn't let me sleep much the night before, so I felt tired from the get go. But then I took a nap in the car on the way up to Scottdale and I felt much better for the 10k, which I won.  Although I don't recommend doing 2 races in one day, I feel I am better off having done it, simply because I am partly trying to race myself into shape, so running two hard efforts in one day is good marathon training.

Yesterday I ran the Great Allegany Run 15k. This race in Cumberland, Maryland is slightly downhill for 10k and then a flat 5k on the end. I've run this many times before and knew what I was in for, I also knew my competition. After 2 miles I struck out on my own and tried to run a hard, even pace and finish strong. I wound up running 6:19 pace and getting the win. I was hoping for a bit faster, but I ran by myself for a while.

I now have 7 weeks until the Philadelphia Marathon, and who knows what will happen there!

Recipes of the week

Today was the 3rd in a series of blustery, cold, rainy days here. October has brought an early threat of snow to our little mountain. So I was thinking, after Don's request, that a chicken pot pie would be a good Sunday dinner.  I got some mixed stew veggies and some chicken, low fat cream of chicken soup, some all spice, and mixed it all up in a casserole dish. Then I whipped up some low fat biscuit mix and poured it on top. Pop it in the oven at 400 degrees. The recipe says 30 minutes, but this wasn't long enough to cook the chicken and veggies, so it wound up in the oven for an hour. It was delish!!

I also made a homemade apple pie with apples from our own apple tree! I used a frozen pie crust for the bottom and then made a pie crust from scratch for the top. Remembering our old neighbor Bea, I made a "healthy" crust using canola oil! It too was delish and probably the best pie that I've made. I've had better, but hey, this pie cost me about $2!

Pic of the Week!
Travis at the Buckwheat Festival

Helvetia!

This past weekend (September 10th) I celebrated my 6th wedding anniversary. Apparently I am not a normal woman, as every year for my wedding anniversary I like to go to the small town of Helvetia, camp out in my friends yard, hang out with friends, maybe go to the square dance, and then wake up the next morning for the 10k Mountain Run.

Helvetia is a small village in the heart of West Virginia that was settled by Swiss/German immigrants in 1869. The town still holds that original charm and is like stepping back in time. In fact, I had to tell my assistant at work that she wouldn't be able to get a hold of me because I wouldn't have cell service.

When you arrive in Helvetia you make the 3 mile journey into the woods on a dirt road to Mr. Dan Lehmann's house.  Sometime after you arrive you will be asked to participate in a hash run that doesn't leave the Lehmann property and is guaranteed to leave you with mud splattered legs and cuts from brier bushes. After you've finished the hash and set up your tent for the night, everyone gathers around the fire for some good food brought by good friends (we brought brownies and watermelon from the garden). If you don't get carried away in conversation, you might choose to go to the square dance in the community hall. We have done this a few times in the past, but we forgot about it this year. It will probably be more fun next year when Eileen is a little older anyway.

In the morning we woke and got ready for the race. I had planned to try and get my long run in along with the race, so I was going to run from Dan's house down to the start and then add on a couple more miles. In doing my long warm up with training partner Ron, I forgot all about the kids race. Don had Travis down to the start in time to participate, but I missed it.

 

Once I got my 4 miles in, it was time to head to the start line, that is after I gave Don a bottle for the baby and changed shoes. The race is a fun 10k with the first 3 miles on pavement and a little grass/dirt, then you start to head up to Dan's house on his dirt road. Once you pass Dan's house you have a half mile uphill climb that will leave you walking. When you hit the top you want to get your stride back so you can use the extreme downhill mile back to the finish to make up some lost time.  I won the race with a 48:50 and 10 miles already done. I ran 4 miles while waiting for the awards to get going.

Every year Dan tries to mix it up with the awards. This year we got some nice pottery that just happened to match some awards I've gotten form other races. We also get a free meal at the Hutte, which is the only restaurant in Helvetia and well worth the drive. 

So once Don and I went back to the house to get showered and pack up the car, the family headed to the Hutte for some lunch before the 2 hour ride home. Another fun weekend spent in Helvetia!

Under New Management

Okay, I've been very bad about this whole blogging thing. Now that I've gotten Labor Day Weekend out of the way my work schedule slows down and I'll have some more time to work on my blog, my running, and maybe even some more recipes!

This post is one that I've been thinking about since July 16th which was the Big Bear 12 hour run/relay race that I put on at work. Although I have actually run in this race, I did not run this year or last year because I am the race director and it is just too much to try and do both. Don helps a great deal and I'm sure I could have snuck in a lap or two, but I scheduled myself a day off. But anyway, on to my post!

I've heard it said that everyone who participates in sports should also have to be an umpire or referee at some point. Why, you might ask? Well, because then you see the other side of things and you are less likely to want to run onto the field and punch the referee in the face when you think he made a bad call. The same can be said in running. I think most runners don't realize just what it takes to put on a race, or the cost for that matter. That's why I think every runner should also have to be a race director at some point!

I recently saw a message board post where it was asked what is a deal breaker for a race, meaning, as a runner why would you NOT go back to a race. One person replied that a race should have 5 year age groups, tech t-shirts, chip timing. These things all cost money. So lets go with a typical 5k fee of around $18. Per runner, a trophy will cost about $3, tech t-shirt starting at $12 (I got tie dyed for my race and they were $10), Chip timing $100 plus $1 a runner (I'm going on what I've heard, my lovely husband always does timing for me), post race food about $150 (if you go simple pizza, granola bars, water), Race Insurance about $3 per runner, Photography carries a fee, as well as advertising, Porta Potties which run about $100 each per day. Then you also have to order numbers and pins (don't forget the pins!). You also have to have your t-shirt sizes to the printer at least a week in advance, so you have  to guess on the number of race day registrations you are going to have or you will have a box of extra t-shirts left over.  If you have your race in a town like Morgantown, you have to get a parade permit, which isn't a lot of money, but kind of a pain. Then you also have to rally volunteers to help. This usually isn't an issue with my event because we have many of the same people coming back year to year and someone is always willing to help.

For a 12 hour race I went with hand made awards which cost quite a bit more and nice quality t-shirts. Then I also have to figure what I will have to have at each aid station per the number of participants for each lap of the race. I also have to take into account the fact that my race is in mid-July and although we usually have awesome weather up on the mountain, we do have the random hot and humid day which will require much more water/gatorage/heed.

Now, I am very fortunate that I have the support of Big Bear, a country store nearby to get extra provisions if I need them, and great support from Saucony and Hammergel which helps out tremendously with the aid stations, numbers, and awards.

I'm sure that I am forgetting something, but you get the point. I don't like high entry fees or an unorganized race, but I will give most races the benefit of the doubt and give them a second chance. I think sometimes people have good intentions with putting on a race and don't know what they are getting into. As a runner, I like to race, and I like to have choices of where to race every weekend, so I try not to complain too much about any race!

Yeah, I'm that girl!

In my quest to get back to shape somewhat quickly I am running races even though I am no where near my best shape or my best race times. This means I have to accept having my arse handed to me! I'm ok with that, as long as I run faster along the way, but it has brought me to another mile stone if you will.  I am  now "that girl", or even better "that woman"!

Recently I ran a 10k and briefly took the lead only to lose it again going up a hill that always causes me pain, whether I am in shape or not. After the race I wished the winner congratulations and asked who she was. She said she had just gotten done telling her mother that I was the woman who always won the race in her home town back when she was in High School. So basically, I'm old! LOL!  I made sure I mentioned the fact that I had just had my second child 3 months ago!

This whole experience brought me back to when I used to run for WVU. It was either my Senior year or the year after that I stood on the starting line of an indoor mile with a 38 year old mother of two. My team mates and I looked at her like "this old lady has no chance, we are gonna crush her!" The gun went off and she proceeded to absolutely kick our arses, running a sub-5 minute mile on a slow track.  I was impressed! I vowed that I would one day be that woman!

Now, I'm no where near a sub-5 minute mile, but I'm training hard and hope to be back there someday. That's the wonderful world of running I guess. Here I am 36 years old and I still feel the same as that 22 year old who thought she couldn't get beat by the old lady, and then I go to a race with a 22 year old and I all of a sudden feel like a 36 year old mother of two. But, I am proud to be that 36 year old mother of two, after all, I could just throw in the towel and never run a step again and keep all my mommy weight on and talk about when I was 114 lbs. back in the day and ran 17 minute 5k's.

My competitive self has vowed to never let that girl beat me again! At least not until after the next baby. We'll have to see.

Using races for tempos!

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post. I am the worst blogger ever! We just have so much going on right now, and of course when I sit down for some quiet time to write I get interrupted by a screaming child. But all is good right now, as both Travis and Eileen are very happy hanging out with their daddy.

Since last I wrote I have run two 5k's and a half marathon. I definitely did not expect to be super fast, but it doesn't bother me at all. I have learned that there are some runners that won't come out and race unless they are in tip top shape, and there are other runners who really could care less and just want to toe the line!  I just like to race. I've always liked to race, since 7th grade when I was getting my butt kicked by the two Christine's, both 8th graders on my own team, I just wanted to get out there.

While riding the bus up to the start of the Decker's Creek Half Marathon, I realized that racing is my drug. I love the nervous energy and the anticipation. Here I was 10 weeks post baby and I was nervous for some stupid reason. I knew I was only going to try and run 8 minute pace, I wasn't going to be anywhere near the winners, but I was still giddy with anticipation.

Right now there is only one good reason for me to race, FITNESS! I need to do some kind of faster paced runs with other people pushing me, but I'm not near fit enough to do workouts with my usual running partners, so race it is. That's what 5k's are for. I decided to run the Half Marathon because I was having a hard time getting over 9 miles on my long run days, so I figured I would use it as a hard long run. I had the extra bonus of Don watching the kids since he had to time the race anyway!

I thought a lot today about how having kids changes a long distance runner. When you are a runner you are a very solitary person, and you are a very selfish person. You do whatever you can to work life around your runs. Before kids came along I could plan my day according to work and running, and when I went to a race all I had to worry about was racing well. Now I have to make sure the baby is fed and the diaper bags are stocked with an emergency bottle, sunscreen, and snacks for Travis. When Don went away over Memorial Day weekend, my babysitter canceled on me because her dog got sick and she had to make an emergency trip to the vet, so I didn't get my run in that day. You have to learn to roll with the punches, that's for sure. Luckily it had been about 3 weeks since I had a day off, so I was glad to take it! I realize every day that I am luckier than most and my husband will watch the kids in the evening if I am too lazy to get out of bed at 6 am and get my run in, or that my kids are both very good in the baby jogger if I have to go that route.  I also have wonderful baby sitters if need be!

At more than 10 weeks postpartum I have somewhat relaxed my expectations, even though my training is going very well so far. If November comes along and I am not in marathon shape, so be it! But I have a feeling it will happen, as long as Eileen keeps up her awesome baby attitude and I can keep getting some decent sleep!

I have recently started my HABIT prolapse rehab dvd. The physical therapist that came  up with the whole program is a triathlete and she claims that within 8 weeks you should be good to go, if you do the workouts three times a week. So I am trying hard to get it done 3 times a week and I am hoping for the best. Really the whole thing is not bothering me much anymore, but I'd like to do whatever I can to make it better and maybe it won't be so bad after the next baby (oye, next baby, lol)!