MAY--My Busiest Racing Month

I absolutely love the month of MAY!!!  I pretty much run in a race every weekend!! Perfect weather for most of the month was fuel for these races and my half marathon training.  

Edgerton Lion's 2nd Annual Dash Against Diabetes 5K and Kids Fun Run
May 3, 2014

I ran this race last year and I loved it!  It's a nice course and the organization is incredibly friendly.  The kids fun run is free which is not typical for races (hopefully it stays this way) and my babes received a medal as they crossed the finish line!!  They love their race bling as much as their Momma does!!  I may have started an addiction for them!! They had a blast and that was all that really mattered!  My goal for this race was to redeem my 5K time after last month's awful time during the Pace for Parkinson's 5K where my calves locked up.  I did and I pushed myself to run the whole time with no walking breaks.  I finished in 29:57 which is not a PR for a 5K for me, and a few seconds off my PR for this race as well.  Last year I finished in 29:38.  Still trying to build up speed after my awful 5K last month with my calf pain.  I'm also trying to build up distance so I have been running a lot more long, slow runs.  

My kiddos had a blast running in the kids fun run!  They did awesome and received a medal at the finish.  I ran with then and it was a blast!  I am so thankful that I can share this with my kids!!

Ready to RUN!!! 

Maddie running her heart out!!

 EJ did awesome!! 

                     They were really proud of their medals!!!

It's Glow Time 5K
May 10, 2014

This is such a fun non-competitive night run!!!  Unless you are me and you want to beat your PR and see how far you can push yourself!!  These races appeal to me for the pure joy in running.  I love to see others enjoy doing what I enjoy doing.  I think it's events like this that spark an interest in running in people who normally would not think to run. What was really special about the run this year was that we ran down John Nolan Drive towards the Capital Building.  It was do beautiful to run next to Lake Monona and gaze toward the Capital building all lit up.  So beautiful and helped me keep my mind off of running and my competitive nature.  I did PR for this race with a time of 29:54.  Last year I ran the race with a time of 32:47.  Pretty big difference, but the course was different both years and I may have been bogged down by all the people enjoying the course.  This year the course was set up by groups with those who wanted to run going first.  That was really nice so those of us with a competitive nature could head out first and not have to worry about navigating through people walking the course (and they didn't have to worry about getting run over by us!).  

Posing with my kiddos!!

My ever supportive parents!!

I got a medal for finishing that glows in the dark!!

Friends of Noah Run to the Rescue 10K and Kids Fun Run
May 17, 2014

This was the first time I had run this race and my first official 10K race.  I have typically only officially raced in 5K races, but this one was a full family event--dogs included!!  We brought the dogs with since there was an expo after the race.  Everyone had a really great time.  The course was challenging as there were some nice hills to run and it was a fairly warm morning.  I had my water with me with electrolyte tabs in it.  This was my first time trying electrolyte tabs in my water.  Usually after I run a race and it's warm out, I will come home with a dehydration migraine.  Using the tabs helped for this race.  I also wanted to test them out before my half marathon!  Again I started out too fast and didn't walk through all the water stations.  I had to take more walking breaks than I would have liked to.  Eventually I will learn my lesson! LOL  My official time for this race was 1:05:22, which actually is a PR for a 10K for me.  My previous 10K time was 1:06.  So really overall not a bad race.  I did enjoy the race and I loved that we made it a whole family event.  My parents came and so did my Mother-in-Law.  The kids did awesome as well.  Maddie loved running the mile course.  EJ not so much and I almost felt like I was pulling him along for most of it.  Maddie took off ahead of us since we were slowing her down.  I was amazed by how fast she went.  She is really turning into a runner like Mommy!!! EJ, I think will turn around when he gets older.  Both kids received ribbons when they finished and they were really proud of them.  

  

My hubby always gets me crossing the finish line!

Maddie on her way to the finish!  

EJ and I almost to the finish!

Madison Marathon Twilight 10K
May 24, 2014

I love to run in night races!! I decided to try this one based on the appeal of running around our state's capital building.  We have a beautiful capital here in Wisconsin.  This race was beautiful!!  I loved every minute of it.  This time I actually started off slower which really helped.  I think it was because this was such a large race, but regardless, it really worked for me.  I also made sure that I walked through all the water stations.  This was just a long enough break that I didn't need to stop any other time!  I was so proud of myself for running this entire race!! Such a huge NSV for me even if my time was 1:05:39.  I was only seconds slower than last week's race but I felt so much more confident in my running during this race.  For once, I really felt like I really can run a half marathon.  I had been having doubts about it lately, but after this race, I felt so much better about my abilities!!

 Just starting out! 

My hubs always gets the best action shots!!

   

Here's our beautiful capital building lit up at night! 

Diamond Race Series Virtual Full Marathon
May 31, 2014

This was a virtual race through US Road Running.  I signed up for the Full marathon thinking that I could run a full marathon while training for my half marathon.  WRONG!  I could never find or justify the time I knew it would take for me to run that distance.  Therefore, I split the race into 2 half marathons.  I completed one on Mother's Day as a gift to myself and the other on a weekend where my husband was working and I was able to run it on the treadmill.  Total time for both was 5:18:48.  Not bad for my first time.  I used the times of the 2 half marathons to judge my time for my real half marathon.  I am really starting to like running the longer distances.  I feel like my legs are getting stronger and my feet more calloused!  LOL  I have really ugly feet now, but I am really proud of them.

This is a beast of a medal! There is some serious weight to it! I'm collecting so many of these that my hubby is going to have to build my medal rack sooner rather than later.

Half Marathon Training Continues

I have logged so many miles this month!!!! Holy Moly!!  I think this is probably my biggest mileage month so far this year!  I am feeling more and more confident in my training and my ability to finish my half marathon next month.  It's becoming a reality and I'm starting to get really excited about it!! I am enjoying the challenges the training plan is pushing me to do.  I never thought I would say it, but I actually enjoy running hill repeats.  I run a little over a mile to our local high school which is right across the street from the sledding hill.  This is a beast of a hill, but we have since bonded and I love when my training calls for hill repeats.  I usually run up and down the hill anywhere between 10 and 14 times. It really works your butt and thighs!  I do think though that it has made me a stronger runner.  I can feel my legs becoming stronger during the hill repeats because each time it seems to get easier.  I can also feel a difference when I am running on flat ground. I seem to have more speed!  I like it.


Next Month brings on the Half Marathon!!