Winding Down Twenty10

This week has been a little rough on both Aimee and I. She had 6 finals in 5 days, I had basketball games on back-to-back nights, and oh yeah - we were both sick! Great timing cold and flu season, but under the careful eye of Day and Nyquil we have managed to survive.

Being sick really makes running difficult. I have tried to keep 20-25 miles a week during December as I prep for another year of running, but this week I did not even run Monday-Wednesday, and after taking a sick day on Thursday, managed to get 5 miles in. Took Friday off too as my symptoms seemed to be sticking around and strongly considered not signing up for the Christmas mile on Saturday, but our friend Rod is the race director and I wanted to support his race so I just figured I would do my best. Well, 5:18 later, I finished 5th and took first in my age category. This is only the second one mile race I have done and I was not a good judge of speed starting out too slow and finishing with too much left. I really think I could have nabbed third place had I started better but fifth is awesome and look to improve next time.

As if running Saturday under the weather was not enough, I had agreed to run in a trail "fun-run" put on by Aimee's trail running instructor from Cox on Sunday. So Sunday morning Aimee and I headed out to the Little Sac River Trail for our first ever trail race. The course was roughly a 5k and there was a better turnout than I expected. The director stressed that is was a "fun-run" but there were a few other people there to "race", so I figured what the heck I'll give it a go. 23:37 later I had nailed down my first ever race win. Even though it was not an official race, and even though most people there could have cared less about their time, I will count it in my book.

2010 is almost over and I am looking forward to and planning out races for 2011. Looks like the Fargo Marathon in May might be my choice for a spring marathon along with a possible tour of Missouri races, but we'll see what Aimee and I come up with. I'll update as soon as we decide.

Running in the cold and Pickle Springs

Brrrrr...it's gotten cold outside! We are starting to see less and less runners out early in the morning since it has been around 20 degrees the past 2 days. We both made great purchases a few weeks ago at the Nike outlet store. We purchased running jackets to help block the wind and keep us warm. They are thin and not obtrusive. That is the reason for spending a little extra on cold gear because they make great materials that keep you warm without the bulk. Speaking of our purchases...
The tags on the (obvious) winter running apparel all said "Stay cool" (maybe this is why they were at the outlet). I thought, for sure these should be "stay warm" since they are long-sleeved and heavier. I thought I would ask the sales associate. Her reply was, "ummm, well, you know when it is really cold outside and you get warm from working out??? Well this will help keep you cool when you are getting too hot from working out when its cold." Really? hmmm...I nodded my head and smiled. No further questions. It should be obvious that when running in 20 degree weather that I would want gear to help me "stay cool". Hilarious. Good try.
Dustin made the comment this morning that he felt like he was wearing a snuggie and could just curl up on the ground and take a nap. I looked at the frost on the ground and decided that I would rather nap at home. I could still wear my new jacket....
Our thanksgiving trail run was awesome. On our 2nd 2mile loop it started getting colder and rainy. Then it rained heavily. We both ended up slipping and falling a few times with all the leaves on the ground, but it was a BLAST. I don't think my dad and brothers thought so since they were walking and wearing wool coats (kinda get drenched easily).
The highlight of the trail run at pickle springs was when we started running down into an area where there were two large rocks (almost canyon-like, but smaller). We hadn't seen Marlie in a while so Dustin called for him. As we were waiting for him to run down the path, he flew over the gap over our heads. It was at least a 6 ft gap. He was just jumping and hopping and playing around. I'm telling you, Marlie is part gazelle!!!

Turkey Trot

So tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day and everyone knows what that means? That's right, Turkey Trot! I love the Turkey Trot. Springfield's race is one of Missouri's largest 5k events, and unfortunately Aimee and I will be in Farmington. The Turkey Trot has a large race atmosphere and draws some of the top runners in the area. The course is new this year to accommodate all the additional runners that have helped this race grow in popularity. I have always enjoyed running on Thanksgiving morning before a day of feasting. Since Aimee and I will not be in town, we are planning our own Turkey Trot here in Farmington at a local trail. Aimee has really taken a liking to trail running and has even bought a pair of shoes! Back home though, I would like to wish everyone the best of luck in the race, including a colleague, Matt English. He is using some of my gear to handle the cold. Run fast Matt, it keeps you warmer and you are done sooner.

Reflecting back on the last race I competed in, the Bass Pro Shops 1/2 Marathon. The only 1/2's I have ever completed were part of marathons, so this was officially my first 1/2 marathon.
The weather was perfect and I ran very well. My goal was to break 1:30:00 and I finished in 1:28:00, so goal accomplished, and I was 15th overall, 3rd in my age category. I did get a sweet plaque for taking 3rd, way better than Aimee's coffee mug from last year. I am currently trying to figure out where I want to go from here. Continue to work on the 1/2 or back to the full and BQ? Either way, this year has been a good running year for me as I have logged my most miles ever and I still have about 5 weeks of 2010 to go.

I have included a picture of Aimee and I before the Chicago Marathon. I love this race and I am thinking about it for next year already. Also found out this week that the Rock and Roll series will be in STL in October 2011!

Trail Run

Today I did a 4 mile trail run out at Wilson's Creek. I have gone out there before to run the 5 mile loop (road) but today I actually ran THROUGH the battlefield. It was awesome! The weather was great and the scenery was even better. I saw turkey and plenty of deer - they must be on the move since its the first day of rifle season. I'm no history buff, but I was there with one. We passed a log cabin from the 1800's, ran by where General Lyon was killed, saw the sinkhole where they put dead bodies, and ran up the "bloody hill". It was a blast!
I have been interested in trail running for a while but I am not familiar with the local trails. So, I got proactive, joined a group, and each Saturday we go to a different trail in the Springfield area. I talked to our instructor today about some trails in Arkansas and St. Louis. I can't wait to explore new areas.
I have enjoyed trails ever since I was younger when my family used to hike out at Pickle Springs or Hawn State Park, Elephant Rocks, etc. Farmington is surrounded by fun trails. I just hate having to drive to a location. But, I really enjoy trail running so I am going to try to convince myself that the drive isn't bad. I hope to do much more trail running soon!
~Aimee

Rain or Shine and Washam 5K update

This morning's run was fun. It was around 45 and drizzling. Of course it was more fun when I was facing away from the rain, but still fun. Plus many trees have turned the beautiful shades of yellows and reds so it was easy on the eyes. I ran South Creek Trail alone so I was sure to take my pepper spray and was always on the lookout. As I ran I reminded myself of my self defense moves. Man, I was ready to throw down. Keeping the bad guys off the trails. I pity the fool who tried to attack me this morning.
I think I forgot to blog two things about the Washam 5K. One was that April either had her 2nd best time or PR'd on the 5K - yay! The other is that one of the speed walkers told me that the Washam 5K inspired them to do another one. She is getting the family together to do the Turkey Trot. That makes me so happy! That is why we started the 5K in the first place. Whether you walk or run, its about being active. Thanks for sharing Noelle!
We will be cheering on many friends at the Bass Pro Shop 1/2 and Full marathon this week. We plan to make signs for you in our yard which is about 1 mile from the finish. So far Garrett, Julie, Anita, Rachel, Debb (first full marathon!), Dustin and I will be running. Good luck everyone and let me know if you are running and I didn't mention your name!
~Aimee

Halloween Run

This morning Aimee and I ran 9 miles of the Bass Pro Half Marathon course that we will run next week. I don't think I have ever run a race that has so many turns in it, but that helps keep things interesting. It amazed me how quickly I was able to memorize everything before we went out the door this morning, but I sometimes can't remember what Aimee tells me two seconds ago. I told her that I just remember what is important to me (jokingly).

The run was really nice and we got to see some different parts of town than our normal runs. Springfield really has some nice places to run through, especially downtown, the MSU campus, and Phelps Grove park area. One additional highlight of the run was seeing a female completing the "Walk of Shame" Halloween costume edition. After the run Aimee and I took Marlie on his normal walk, but since today is Halloween he got to wear his spooky skeleton costume on the walk. All other dogs were jealous. See picture below for proof. Good luck to all our friends competing next weekend in the Bass Pro 1/2 and Marathon. Don't forget the Washam party block only one mile from the finish line. We will be cheering you on!

Washam 5K pics and MSU run

Hello all! I have made an attempt to send you the pictures (of you my dad and I took at the Washam 5K. Please let me know if this is not the case and they are not pics of you! I saw Rod this morning at the MSU run and he said that I had sent him a picture of Dustin and I. Ooops - I am really not trying to make sure everyone has a pic of us!! Please let me know if I sent you the wrong one.
By the way - Dustin took 5th place this morning and he said he felt really good running. We are getting our legs back! A car wreck outside of our house last night kept us up all night (again! We are going to know all the police in Springfield soon) so I told Dustin that I was just going to sleep in. He said that he would tell everyone on our blog that I lied about going blah blah blah. Anyways, I ended up going and I am glad that I did. The packet pickup was going extremely slow - as in 15 minutes went by without us moving forward just to pick up our packets that we had already registered for. It was getting to be time for the race to start, so I politely asked if they needed help. The lady said, "I guess so" so I stepped behind the table and officially took over packet pickup. I have been to so many races, I was even answering questions and getting people registered. Within minutes the line of 50+ people was gone and they started the race. I hope they didn't mind but I didn't want to be there until noon for a 5K!! People were starting to get frustrated.
Tomorrow is a 7 mile run, our longest since the marathon. Should be fun as long as it doesn't rain :)

Golf Course

This week was my fall break so I stayed the week in Farmington with the family. It was a very relaxing time; we went antiquing, shopping, golfing, out to eat, etc. I got to meet my bud Nikki for lunch at 12 West and wine at Twin Oaks. I even hung out at the Bauhaus, a new coffee shop in town to watch a few lectures, although the Holy Grounds is my favorite in town. Yes, I have started drinking coffee...Ugh! It is really hard waking up early and walking to the next room to your computer listening to professors for hours without falling asleep. I used to walk into a room full of high schoolers which was never dull. Now I need the caffeine :)
At home I ran the path around the golf course. It was so nice! Each morning I ran while the sun came up and it was about the same temperature each day. There was no one out (I ran around 6:45) and no worrying about cars running me over. It was very peaceful. Plus, we are still in our recovery schedule from the marathon so each day I only had to run 5 miles. It was running for pure enjoyment.
Dustin is running the MSU Homecoming 5K tomorrow AM. I decided since I spent some money this week that I would forgo the $18 entry fee and be a cheerleader. I owe it to Dustin anyways - I can't ever remember cheering him on at a 5k because I have always raced with him. I need to pay him back for my races that he came to before he had been bitten by the running bug :) (it didn't take long!).
As long as our recovery continues to go well, our next event is the Bass Pro 1/2 marathon on November 7th. We did the full marathon last year. I am also planning to do the Disney Princess 1/2 marathon in February with my friend Nikki (girls trip!). I REALLY would like to do the goofy - but we will have to see about that. Dustin can't run it with me because he will be in basketball season. We vowed to keep our travel expenses down this year since I am not working, but it is just so tempting!!!!! Especially since I finally have some time now. Catch 22.
Dustin also mentioned competing in a race where we run the whole thing together - just like old times. We will keep you posted :)
Good luck tomorrow D!!!

Washam 5K was a hit!

Thanks for all of you that came to the Washam 5K. It was a lot of fun and Dustin says it was the best yet. He was a little upset that nobody commented on his race number (299, 792, 458 m/s - do you know what this is? Hint: Dustin teaches science). Plus, we collected 53 canned/boxed goods for Grand Oaks Mission!! Some people commented that they forgot there canned goods. No worries, I am there every Thursday so just get them to Dustin or drop them by our house and I will deliver the goods :).
Qdoba was awesome! We are friends with the GM of Qdoba on Battlefield (by Buffalo Wild Wings) and the one on the corner of Kansas Expy and Republic road. He gave us a great deal on catering so that we could stay within our budget. Please thank him by patronizing his business (his name is Josh if you want to tell him how great it was)!!! I doubt anyone would mind buying/eating a Qdoba burrito/quesadilla/salad, etc for thanks.
If you have any suggestions on how to make it better for next year, please email me. We are open to any suggestions for more fun! Mom's cookies were yummy and a great help. Hopefully, if we are nice, we can recruit them again for next year. On the weather front (hehe), the temperature was so nice. It was a pleasant run, no matter which way you went around the lake, and it didn't get too cold sitting by the firepit later in the night. As soon as I get some school work caught up I will email you any individual pictures from our professional photographer that was on the course. We already have a design and slogan in our head for next year's t-shirts. We hope to see you all again next year!

Healing nicely

This week we didn't run Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. On Monday we went on our biannual Andy's walk (although I wish Orange Leaf was closer!) and it felt good to walk around. Wednesday we both got massages. Thursday we went for a very slow 4 mile run. Hopefully we got some of the deep lactic acid out. We don't run again until Saturday and then we will run again on Sunday. The mile total will only be about 13 miles, which is good. We would like to be healed and back in the game in time to do the Bass Pro Shop 1/2 marathon. Our focus right now is to run a few half-marathons. I want to do the Disney Princess 1/2 marathon - any other princesses interested in going with me? I also want to do the goofy challenge in January but Dustin has basketball that weekend and can't go. It would be a challenge; not anything I would do for a PR.
This is our week to relax and reward ourselves.
Looking forward to the Washam 5K. The weather is predicted to be awesome! High 79, low 50.
5k, Qdoba, the moms' cookies, beer, firepit, friends, and family. Does it get any better?
Btw - thanks for following...
~Aimee

Chicago Marathon

We are back from Chicago and had a great time! Chicago is my favorite US city and I think it may be one of Dustin's favs too. If you have read anything about the Chicago marathon, it got warm! The alert codes go from green to yellow to red (consider stopping) to black (shut down race; make you stop). On Saturday it was at green. For the race Sunday they changed it to yellow because of higher temperature predictions than expected. Dustin had finished and I was still running when they changed it to red because the temperatures got too high. A good marathon race day temp is around 40-50 degrees. When I got my phone after I crossed the finish it was 83 degrees.
Dustin did really well and ran his second fastest marathon time. Although he was 8 minutes shy of qualifying for Boston I believe he would have done it if it weren't for the heat! You can tell in both our times exactly when it started heating up! I ran well until about mile 12 when we got outside of the city and the sun was directly above us. I decided to just finish and enjoy the scenery for the rest of the race. I started walking through the water stops because I was so thirsty. Water made me giggle and I looked forward to someone spraying us down with hoses at each water stop (towards the end). Is it bad that I started salivating at a spectator's sign stating "cold brew", just to realize that it actually said "go drew"? lol I never walk during a race but I really took advantage of the city block-long water stops and it showed in my time! I ran my worst marathon time by 16 minutes. Oh well, it was fun and I felt good at the end. I don't feel that bad afterwards; Dustin has a bit of a limp - he ran much harder than I did!
In Chicago we passed by Ryan Hall on Michigan Ave (so cool!), ate Chicago-style deep dish pizza at the original Chicago Uno pizzeria (where deep dish began), had a pasta dinner with Team World Vision, spent 3 hours at an expo, ran along Lake Michigan (sat morning easy 4 mile run), drank 312 while playing bag-o, and shopped along Michigan Ave (got a new purse - thanks Dustin!). It was a great weekend! I will have to upload pics after midterms are over.

RAR!!!! It's carb-load time!

3 days before the race means time to load up on the carbs. Oh yes, Dr. "low carb" Atkins completely disapproves (although I think his patients will all die of organ failure from carb deprivation). Right now I am shoveling in a huge bowl of spaghetti while typing so I don't waste any time - NOT! Really all you have to do is eat a higher percentage of carbs at lunch and dinner than you normally should. I bet most Americans carb-load daily :)
Sounds like fun, right? Well, it is until you start feeling like your the Stay Puff marshmallow man or the Michelin tire guy ( I wonder if they are cousins or long lost brothers). Between the lack of calorie burning from taper and the carb load, you are estimated to gain 1-3 lbs before the marathon. Goo!
I can't wait for Chicago - I'm actually really excited about it. I think it is because I didn't stress myself out over times (since my body didn't want to either) for months. I just relaxed and put the miles in that I needed. As long as the temperatures quit climbing (pray for a crazy cold front) I think it will be a good race.
To run a marathon safely, you need to have built a running base for at least a year. Then you train for 4 months. You must stay healthy and race day conditions need to be good. There are so many factors that go into a marathon that you don't have to think about for a race such as a 5K or 10K. You can do anything for a short distance, but when you are running for hours the smallest things add up. You can run while it rains, but after a while you get soaked socks which leads to blisters and broken skin. Running attire makes more of a difference when you have to worry about hours of rubbing and chaffing. The wrong shoes could make you loose your toenails. Eating the wrong stuff leading to the race could get you extended time in the porta potty. These are things people don't think about. But, since we have had some experience, we don't really worry about it. We've got our tricks and now it is all about fun and competition. Chicago, here we come :)

Yum Yum

Qdoba Mexican Grill will be catering the Washam 5K with a hot taco bar. I've had it before and it is freakin awesome. Also, the moms (Ilene and Chris) will be making homemade cookies for dessert. Yum! Yum!

Random

Had whole wheat waffles this morning (letgo my eggo) with almond butter and bananas. Yum! That meal always fills me up. I am getting nervous about the amount of people that are going to be in one place at Chicago. I just don't like to feel enclosed by a mob smelly runners. It makes me a bit claustrophobic. oh well.
Now I am attacking a Blueberry Crisp Cliff Bar and it is awesome. I don't normally eat this much in the morning, but it sounded good and healthy. Mama Jean's has a crazy amount of different types of cliff bars far from the normal peanut butter or chocolate chip. Yum again!
This morning was 7 miles with 2 miles at race pace. Dustin and I both ran about 15 seconds per mile faster than our race pace. I tried to do race pace, but I don't have a good mental set for my pace right now. And, in the words of Ricky Bobby, "I wanna go fast".

Food for thought.

I thought of something this past week...

I have never been in a marathon with 44,999 other people. After Bass Pro I vowed to keep all marathon races under 5,000 participants. Believe me, I would not be running the Chicago if I wouldn't have qualified for the C corral. Dustin will be in B corral. It goes elite, A, B, C, D, and then open. There are only 12,000 people allowed in A-D corrals and you have to qualify to be there. I decide that would work for me :) Anyways, between the runners and the spectators (which I hear line the entire course!!) I will constantly be surrounded by people. Which brings me to my dilemma: what happens if I gotta do a farmers' blow? I guess we all just get to know each other really well. :)

I'm getting excited about Chicago. The forecast keeps getting warmer, which makes me a bit nervous. Pray for cooler weather please!

Washam 5K is less than 2 weeks away!!
~Aimee

Mile Repeat Day

Today we ran mile repeats on Kickapoo's track. It was great. We both ran well and the weather was perfect (please be race day weather!!!). This morning was the first time I felt good while running during this training session; my legs actually were doing what I wanted them to do. I can't describe how good that feels. When my body is cooperating I can tell it when to run harder/faster even if it causes a little pain. Runs like this morning is why I run. I can't wait to get back out and run again. Looking back I am actually surprised that I still want to get up and run because I haven't had this feeling in a while. It's a little late in the training schedule, but maybe that is good for me. I guess better late than never :) Thank you God!
Dustin is teaching motion today in class so he is using his mile times from this morning to give the students real world problems when doing average speed calculations, etc. He knows that the students are more interested in learning when you can give them real data instead of saying "student A ran..." or "if Thelma was driving towards Nothing Town at 60 mph, and Andy was driving away from Nothing Town at 35 mph...". (we all know that one!) He is such a great teacher!
No XC practice today after school so we actually get to hang out! Yay! I went to his meet yesterday and had a great time. It brought me back to high school XC meets, except I don't think I really enjoyed the running as much then. Actually I was thinking about mile repeat day and how it seemed so much more difficult. That is because it was - we ran at 3:30 in the heat through fields. Being at the HS races gave me chills - what a great sport!


Signs of fall: falling leaves, desire for big mug of hot chocolate

It's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's TAPER time!

Within 5 minutes of being home from church I had my signature sweatpants and sweatshirt on. It's a little cold in the house right now because we have the windows open, about 65 degrees, but I don't mind because I get to wrap up in my sweats. Normally I hate being cold, but this morning I welcomed it. It really isn't that cold, just cold enough for sweats and hot chocolate. Perfect. Today was the best running conditions for a long run yet! It was in the low 50s with mist that changed in intensity. It was windy, but not too bad. Dustin remarked that "it feels like Chicago". He had to get to a golf tournament so he ran earlier than I. We were running on the trail so I waited to get up so that it would be light by the time I hit the trail so I could see it (and any creatures)! 20 minutes into my run I saw Dustin. He had told me a wrong turn the night before and wanted to make sure I went the right way. How sweet! He went out of his way to make sure I was okay. It was so nice to see him. We shared a kiss good bye under the mist and parted ways. Sounds romantic until you think about how gross we were from running and that we were at a stoplight. Hehe - fun anyways.
I saw 5 running groups on the trail including one group of our friends Teresa, Justin, Rachel, Chris, and Nala. It's fun to see familiar faces :)
We carb loaded last night at DiGiaCinto's. I would highly recommend the spinach lasagna and tirimisu.
This morning's 16 mile run was the longest run we have left until the race. I am excited for the race, but also ready to move on to other events. I have ran slow for most of this marathon training and it has been very frustrating. I'm not quite sure what is going on - I must be having a mental block. Dustin is running well though and I wish him all the best at Chicago! We start taper now...I am going to try and cut out high fatty foods for the next two weeks in hopes that I won't gain weight over taper time :) I am currently eying the snickerdoodle cookies in the kitchen...crap!

On the downhill slope

As I went to take Marlie for his morning walk, I grabbed my sweatshirt to put over a tank top, shorts, and flip flops since it is a cool, crisp day in September. NOT! I had to roll up my sleeves and was sweating by the end of the first road. It is so muggy!!! It was that way for our long run yesterday. We did 22 miles and ran for 1 hour in complete darkness to try and avoid some of the heat. It was 80-97% humidity with temperatures ranging from upper 60's to 70's. Hot, hot, hot! My goal was to maintain and survive and I did as I ran the whole 22 miles (not without complaining). Dustin said he did the "survivor shuffle" the last 2 miles...if you have ever ran a marathon either in high temps or when you have bonked you know exactly what this is!! I sure do (San Antonio 2008)!!! 22 miles is the longest we will run during training. This week we will finish with "race preparation" and next week starts our 2-week taper. After we ran we played 18 holes of golf at Rivercut with Mike and Nathan (Washam). It was fun, but Rivercut is hilly and gave our legs another nice workout. I'm not quite sure how Tuesday's speedwork will go - I have a feeling we will be a bit sore :)
~Aimee
P. S. No signs of fall, its too hot!!

Running in Republic

Because of other commitments, Dustin and I had to run 10 miles before his XC practice started, before school. So, we got up at 4:00 and headed to Republic so we could at least get 8 miles in before we finished by running a few miles with the students. It was a great morning. We got lost and ended up on an adventure. We saw a spray paint arrow and decided it must have been from the May day 5K. Then we took a side trail that cut through a neighborhood. Finally, we saw Wal-mart which basically meant that we were no where near where we needed to be. We ended up right where we started and after 3 miles of running around, decided to take a 5 mile loop with which Dustin is familiar. Kinda funny, but we kept up a really good pace. We saw Julie B out for a run with a friend (at least we think it was her - it was dark, and we think she yelled Dustin's name). Who knew Republic's neighborhoods were so windy (I mean curvy, not wind gusts...I guess they are the same words??? Apparently I have never written windy) Anyways...

Should be a great weekend! Taper weeks are coming up. So is the Washam 5K!

More signs of fall: the Halloween candy aisle- I'm not really into candy but the shinny wrappers are fun, ads for Halloween costumes, pumpkin baked goods (did you know that because of last year's bad crop, Libby has NO canned pumpkin until October! I had to get some at Mama Jeans).

And the winner is....

Congratulations to Ashley B, Ilene W, and Mike W for being the first to register for the Washam 5K and Post Party!!! You win all-you-can-drink beer on the night of October 16th! Congrats!

To everyone else- don't wait to send in your forms. I have received forms from others - feel free to email to be sure I received the form. And, yes, you are available....and, yes, you can make it 3.1 miles. I believe in you!
~Aimee

Getting Easier

A week or so ago I got to the point in the marathon training where the runs aren't as scary (at least for me). When I start a training plan, the runs over 13 miles seem so daunting. But now, after I have a few under my belt, it doesn't seem so bad. I am at a point where the schedule tells me how far, and I just say, "ok", and head out for my run. No big deal. It could also be because the end is in sight. Peak week is over and gone. We only have one 20-mile run remaining. This coming Sunday is one month from race day! Yee haw.

Helping others at the Washam 5K

This year the Washam 5K is having an optional food drive. Participants (and nonparticipants!) can bring in nonperishable items which will be donated to the pantry at Grand Oaks Mission. Here are some more ideas for items that you can bring: jelly, mac n cheese, canned goods (spinach, corn, peas, carrots, soups, kidney beans, green beans, chicken), boxes of cereal, cans of tuna (in water), crackers, spaghetti noodles and spaghetti sauce. Those in need really appreciate your donations! If you aren't going to be at the 5K, but still want to donate, you can bring your goods the week before the race and I will make sure it gets to the mission.
Enjoy the weekend!
~Aimee

I beat Dustin this morning by 3 minutes!

That's right! My time beat Dustin's time this morning. Can you believe it?!!??? Ok, so I guess I should tell you that I cheated a little bit. This morning was an 11 mile run. Anything over 10 I always take my belt for hydration and carbs. But, today I didn't feel like filling my belt, wearing the belt, and then cleaning the bottles. So, I decided I would run 9 instead of 11. I felt so devilish. At the 4.5 mile turnaround point I actually caught myself let out a little giggle. I didn't do what the training plan told me to do today, and I felt pretty stinkin cool about it. I don't think come marathon race day it is going to matter if one time I ran 9 instead of 11. hehehehe - I still have a smirk on my face.
Dustin caught up to me with about 1.5 miles to go (he left the house before me). He is lucky my mace was holstered. He ran the rest of the way home with me, which was nice. We both talked about how heavy our legs felt. Peak week took it out of us!
So, yes, I beat Dustin. But I ran 2 less miles than he did :)
~Aimee
P.S. Another sign of fall - the Washam 5K registration forms are out! Do you have favorite signs of fall that you have seen? Email them to me and I will post them - or leave them as a comment. I LOVE fall!
P.S.S. I have officially lost 2 of the 5 pounds that I gained from training. Yeah!!! I have been keeping a food journal and if I can keep it up I will be able to lose the 5 by race day. I took a few steps back because of 417's restaurant month. That month was fun, but sometimes I would get so full that I couldn't sleep at night! Geez. Even though I am writing everything down, I still tend to go over a bit and if I am hungry I will eat. That is my body telling me to refuel. I just try not to refuel with cupcakes (as much) anymore.

Basic training program for 5K

If you are interested in training for the Washam 5K, but you are totally out of shape, here is a suggested training regiment to help you feel ready. You can jog, run, or walk:

Week 1 (starting september 5): jog 15 minutes three times this week
Week 2 (9/12): 15 minutes (4 times)
Week 3 (9/19): 15 minutes (1 time), 20 minutes (3 times)
Week 4 (9/26): 20 minutes (4 times), 25 minutes (1 time)
Week 5 (10/3): 25 minutes (3 times), 30 minutes (2 times)
week 6 (10/10): 25 minutes (2 times), 30 minutes (2 times towards the beginning of the week), don't run the morning of the Washam 5K - Good luck!
*Cross training (swimming, biking, etc) on off days helps keep your cardio levels up but mixes things up a bit.

Keep in mind this is a VERY basic plan. Feel free to change it around or search the internet for a plan that better fits your fitness needs.
There is one hill in the race, but you go up it twice. It is the bridge that goes over Kansas Expy on the South Creek trail. You may want to add a hill or two into your training.

If you are looking for a PR - this is a great course. It is flat (except for the Kansas hill) and so laid back that many people have run some of their best 5K times. Try adding in a little speed work during your weekly workouts to lower your time.

Best of luck!
~Aimee

The perfect run.

Saturday we had a perfect run. We didn't hit a PR and magical sparks didn't fly as we finished, but in this world it was as perfect as it gets. Perfect weather: in the 50's! Perfect running attire: for me I love when the temperature is perfect for shorts and a long-sleeve tech tee, Dustin prefers his long running shorts (he refuses to wear the short ones that cut up the thigh) and a short-sleeved tech tee. The perfect company: each other, duh! The perfect pace: it didn't even seem like we were running since we chatted the whole way. It also didn't help that we were excited to take off for the MU/Il Arch Rivalry game as soon as we got back. This is why we run.
~Aimee
Btw...A more signs of fall...fall scents (warm amber-wore it today), keeping our windows open, the fall edition of our prayer books at church. Gotta love it!

Signs of fall

I've been taking notice of the signs of fall (my favorite season) lately: temperature lows in the 50's / high's in the 70's, pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks, being able to hear the Parkview band practicing in the morning, seeing pumpkin patches. Soon, the leaves will be turning colors and falling to the ground. My favorite sign is when Andy's has the Great Pumpkin Pie concrete which is the best thing that Andy's makes. It's up there with the Ozark Turtle. All I need now is to check my (e-)mail and see an invitation to a hayride/bonfire, and possibly a Halloween costume party :). I just love fall. It makes me so happy.
Nevertheless, the 12 mile run this morning was very pleasant. I didn't run very fast, especially the first 6 miles, but it was a nice run because the weather was fantastic. We had planned to run the trails but changed that plan after last night's rain. I'm not sure why I felt so weak. I have been known to be deficient in vitamins, minerals, and white blood cells, but it might just be because it is peak week and today makes 30 miles already! I think I might contact my general practitioner (whoever that is - I met him once 3 years ago) and get a little wellness checkup. It never hurts. In the mean time, I'll be sure to add in a sweet potato at lunch (potassium) and leafy greens with chicken for dinner (iron). Maybe that will do the trick :)
I hope you all get to enjoy the amazing weather this weekend! Happy Labor Day!

It's Peak Week!!!

We are running 55 miles this week.
We have not had rain in such a long time that it took us by surprise this morning. I ended up running the full 12 mile tempo run inside of Cox Fitness Center and Dustin decided to split his run between the morning and cross country practice. He should be at practice right now and it is pouring rain! He is still having practice outside- that's a hard core XC coach :) Actually some of my favorite memories of high school XC were when it rained. I hope they are having fun.
(just got a call from Dustin - no XC practice because of lightening)

August 200

So we finished the month of August with 210 miles! This makes our best calendar month of running ever. Even though we did not run everyday, that comes out to 6.77 miles per day for the month. Now I have to keep this in perspective because some people knock out over 100 miles per week, but they are probably getting paid to run. I am just extra excited since I know we put in so much of this mileage during this super hot month. Even though I do not want summer to go away I am looking forward to the cooler temps as we close in on Chicago and the opportunities to get in good, quality, fast runs are slowly dwindling.

We still have the full month of September to go, but with school in full swing, cross country, and football officiating, we seems to be seeing less of each other, more time away from home, and difficulties getting runs in (at least when we are fully rested).

A few weeks ago I turned 30 and Aimee and I had the opportunity to go see my beloved Braves in Atlanta for my birthday weekend. I am glad to report that after ending my 3rd full decade and beginning my 4th, my knees kept bending and my legs did not fall off. The best part about being 30 is I now find myself at the young end of the age category for awards in all runs and no longer at the high end. Hopefully my medal count will increase over the next year or so! Bad news, my Boston Qualifying time remains the same until I turn 35. Something to look forward to I guess.

Speed Work

This morning we ran to MSU and back for our 10 mile run with 5 x 1000 meter sprints. It was a very nice temperature. In fact, I would love this weather to last another month! For Missouri, that is asking a lot! We may have a snow storm AND a heat wave before October comes :).
Then the low temp needs to drop in the 50's. In my opinion that is the best running and racing weather.
This morning Dustin and I got tummy aches during our run. I thought maybe we were running too fast for our intestines to keep up, but Dustin thinks it might have been the spicy salsa with chips, enchiladas, and corona dinner we ate last night. But it was oh so good! I would do it again :)
~ Aimee

Ice Bath

Just in case you were wondering, I found the largest natural ice bath in the area on Saturday. LAKE TANEYCOMO!!!

On our walk

Dustin and I took a short walk this evening and we got to talking about, you guessed it, training. We brought up the fact that, besides our two 20 mile runs, Saturday was our longest run. We are almost over the tough hump! Saturday's run really wasn't that bad. It was super hot but we split up the run which made it seem shorter. D and I ran the first 5 miles together and then he ran 8 with Russ and I ran 3 with Danny, both Team World Vision teammates. We finished the final part on our own. Any distraction or splitting of the run is cool with me!
I also did some anti-bonking research on the computer today. It got me excited about the race. My goals include 1. starting out slow, and 2. taking in water and carbs consistently throughout the race, even if I feel like one more sip of Gatorade will make me puke. I would really like to keep my mental strength strong through the finish. Towards the end I know I will be in pain but I have to tell my body to keep going! If it were easy, anyone would do it!
I have a more positive outlook on the race now. I will do my best to keep it!!!!
~Aimee

Sunshine Run

The St. John's Sunshine run is scheduled for October 9th, one week before the Washam 5K. You can run a 1 mile, 5K, or 10K race. We try to run this race every year but this year we will be in Chi town for the Chicago marathon the next day. Maybe you should drink beer after the Sunshine Run to help train for the Washam 5K and post party the next week. PR's are welcome :)
~Aimee

Washam 5K registration

I just finished the 2010 Washam 5K registration form and I am super excited. I will have D take a look at it and send it out first week of September. The race is 2 months away as of tomorrow (which is plenty of time to train if you haven't started already). I can't wait!!!!!
~Aimee

Stickin' with the schedule

After looking at the advanced training schedule we are following, I noticed that we only have two 20 mile runs, 3 midweek 12 mile runs, and a handful of 10-11 mile runs. I didn't realize that we are only 7 weeks out!!! The last two weeks of marathon training are taper, so really that is 5 weeks of hard work. Plus we have some track sessions coming up which always break up the run. (Geez, I never thought I would look forward to sprints, but I do during marathon training) I think I will stick to the advanced training schedule, and just run at a slower pace than Dustin. It won't kill me, right?? :)
~Aimee

It's time

It's time for Dustin and I to start running separately. We had planned this from the beginning, but now that we are here its a little sad. My fast pace is Dustin's slow pace, which makes it difficult for him to feel ready for the pace he needs to run on rest day. I ran by myself for years before I met Dustin, but now it feels different. Part of my is a bit upset that I can't run fast enough. I have come to the realization that different people run at different paces and that I will never run a 3:10 marathon like Dustin can. I do believe that I haven't performed to the best of my ability in a marathon and I don't know if I ever will but I will never be able to truly keep up with D. He makes running fast so effortless!
As I was running an easy 5 this morning (slower than I have ran in 3 years) I thought to myself, "If I am going to be running on my own, and I'm not trying to qualify for Boston, they why the heck am I running an advanced training program???" I looked up Hal Higdon's training program and even his advanced program seems better. The weekend runs are just as long but at least I won't be running, for example, 12 miles on a Thursday (tomorrow's run). Maybe a few more middle distance runs will help me get my enthusiasm back. I need it!
~Aimee

What a difference 10 degrees makes!

This morning (12 miles)was the first time we have stepped out of the house to cooler temps instead of the blanket of heat and humidity. Throughout the run we were talking and joking around - it was just so much more enjoyable. Dustin noted that it seemed like such an easier run. Come Fall, come!
I absolutely love fall! It is one of Missouri's best weather traits. It seems like the last few years it has gone straight from summer to winter in Springfield (and then again from winter to summer) and I have missed out on a long season of t-shirts and jeans, bonfires, the Washam 5K, pumpkin pie concretes,colored leaves, chilly evenings/mornings, hangin on the back porch, and all those other things you do in the fall. I hope this fall lasts a long time!
We saw Justin riding his bike on the trail. Justin - Dustin thinks you're crazy for wearing long sleeves. It's not that cool yet! :P
~Aimee

When the going gets tough...the weak back off :)

Thursday I decided that I wasn't going to worry about qualifying for Boston anymore. I still plan to run the Chicago Marathon, but I am just going to run it for completion, not for time. If the weather starts to get cooler and my times start to drop again then I will think about working towards a PR.

Friday we ran 17 miles and it was really nice. I didn't stress the night before and I didn't feel like a failure/loser for running 1-2 minutes slower per mile than expected. I sent Dustin on because I wanted him to finish with a decent time without me and I just ran along the route without a care in the world. It felt great - just like old times :)

I don't know about other female marathon runners, but it is mentally stressful for me to train for the full marathon. I try to be mentally tough, and I can normally shake it by about a month before the race, but before that I really struggle. I think I will really chill out now that I have taken the pressure off!

Tonight I ran 5 miles in the evening. It was warm but there was an occasional breeze. It was a really nice ending to my day! Looking forward to the week ahead...

End of A Decade

August 12, 2010. The last day of my 20's. Where have the last 10 years gone? Wow! When I turned 20 the longest run I had ever done was the required 2 miles for making the baseball team. I don't remember how long it took, but I know I made it in time. Then, when I was in college I use to think cardio consisted of running from my dorm room to Plaster where the weight room was. I maybe use to do this once to twice a week. Looking back this run across campus was maybe 1/2 a mile. I eventually worked up to running "around the block" at SMS which was about 2 miles. I can also remember doing some track work @ Plaster that would consist of a 100m sprint 300m jog; 200m sprint 200m jog; 300m sprint 100m jog; and finally a 400m sprint. I thought I would die each time. Then I met Aimee......

So lets fast forward to 2003. Along comes Aimee and some weird desire to run in something called a Marathon. I use to look at running as most people probably do: a form of punishment, but not Aimee. She had ran cross country in high school and actually had this weird appreciation for running. Over the next two years we participated in a fitness center boot camp and my longest run increases to five miles (once!). After we get married in 2004 Aimee commits to a marathon in April of 2005 and I decide to join her. The rest is history. Now I have completed 8 marathons, qualified for Boston, and ran up Pikes Peak. And that is how my 20's come to a close with today being the last run of this decade. I only did four miles and most of it was walking with some time for reflection. I took Marlie with me and let him play in the creek. I am very thankful for being blessed with the ability to run the way I do, and being blessed with all the wonderful people in my life (especially my wife). Here's looking forward to the next BEST decade of my life.


Wanted to share a little photo of Marlie and I that shows the bond we share for his love of baths.

When the going gets tough...

For me, training is getting tough. I have never trained for an early October marathon (always November or December) and adding June and July to training has been hot. I am used to one month of hot, but not three months. It is still 80 degrees at 5:00am!!!! Hopefully, it will cool off a bit next week but for now I am dealing with dehydration headaches and slow times. The long runs seem daunting and I stress about them and we're not even doing big miles yet. This morning I had myself convinced that I was going to quit training and drop out of Chicago. I have never quit a training program but I am starting to ask myself, "why not?". Life would definitely be easier. On top of that, Dustin has lost 12 lbs. (great work Dustin!) and I have GAINED 5 lbs since we started training. The marathon "hunger monster" hit me hard last week. Dustin reminded me, "It's not supposed to be easy." *sigh* I will keep you posted with what I decide...
~Aimee

End of the Solo Run

Aimee returns tomorrow from Omaha! This ends our 400 mile running separation. Aimee has been running the same course over and over for two weeks at Creighton while I try to find new runs here in town. We will both be looking forward to each others company on the long runs that will follow in the next three weeks. Also, she will return just in time to help TWV with the Pancake Breakfast at Applebee's on Saturday from 8-10 am. Welcome back Aim!

Pancake Breakfast

Wanna take the family to an All-You-Can-Eat pancake breakfast at Applebee's (North) this Saturday (aug 7)? We are selling $5 tickets as a fund raiser for Team World Vision. Call Dustin if you are interested :)
Check out the Team World Vision blog listed under out "Blog List" to learn more about this fantastic organization that provides clean drinking water to those in Africa without it.

Soulmates!

Hilarious! Dustin and I were both blogging at the same time in different cities and didn't know it. Funny thing we both blogged about seeing turkeys and deer. Cracks me up! I miss him :)
~Aimee
My blog: Wildlife adventure
His blog: 10 weeks to go

3rd Annual Washam 5K

Mark your calendars and save the date for the 3rd annual Washam 5K. We are going to have it Saturday, October 16th in the afternoon (and into the evening! PARTY!). We will get registration forms out mid-September. I hope to see you there!

Wildlife adventure

Because I couldn't figure out a trail (so frustrating!) I ended up running my 15 mile run as two loops of the same trail that I have been running on for shorter runs this past week. I have been forgetting to mention all the wildlife that I have seen. It's like turning into Snow White the minute you cross the Iowa border. Last week I ran through a family of 11 turkeys. One run I can within 20 meters of a deer - it was beautiful! On Tuesday there was a snake on the trail. It was little and "bellied up" so I knew it was dead. This was a good thing because if it was alive I would have woke up Omaha with my blood curdling screams. On Thursday I ran through a gaggle of geese. There are many geese on the trails at home so I didn't think anything of it. But this gaggle must have had a big daddy leader in it. He didn't move out of the way and he actually hissed at me!!! I didn't even know that geese could hiss. I promptly yelled, "Hey, that's not nice!" and ran away. lol
Today, I ran through two separate large families of turkeys. But, the highlight was when I was startled by a deer. He was within 10 feet of me, no joke!!! I have never heard of a deer attack, but I found myself scared as he watched me run by, almost like he was observing me. It made me think of Gary Larson and his Farside cartoons. I can just see it now...Just beyond the fence line into the forest sits two deer in their Lazy Boy recliners drinking a beer and hankering down on a salt like watching the people go by.
It was a safari-hot and adventure filled run :)
Only one more week left at Creighton which means only 3 runs left to run without Dustin! I have to get focused today and get some work done for lab tomorrow!

10 Weeks To Go

Chicago is now 10 weeks away and our weekly mileage was up to 39 miles this week. We finished the month of July with 129 miles; our most for any month this year. July just also happened to be one of the hottest months on record, so that's something to be proud of!

Aimee and I are still in different cities, so the 15 mile long run was solo today. Aimee, however, is running in Creighton with a few new friends. I don't know who would want to join us in this weather, but at least there are others out there suffering too. Over the next month we will be upping our miles into the 40's with long runs of 16, 17, and 18. Perfect timing too, as a heat wave (didn't know it could get hotter) is on the way and school starts in 17 days. I'm kinda brain dead this morning and not much else to say. Writers block I guess. Two observations from this morning. 1) I saw a deer and two turkeys at the one mile marker on Galloway trail 2) On my way out on Galloway I saw a woman running with three small dogs. On the way back I saw the same woman with 2 large dogs.

26.2 pride

btw...I finally let Dustin put a 26.2 sticker on my car last week. I have been wanting one so badly but I didn't really feel like I deserved it. I have run many long distance races, but I am no Kara Goucher. I think I was waiting to do something great with running. I realized that it is the love of and interest in running that make a 26.2 sticker appropriate for my car. I always knew that, but I hadn't felt it.
I LOVE my new sticker :)
And...Dustin has a matching one. How cute is that :)
~Aimee

Running to Iowa

Ran to Iowa today. Actually the border is only about 1.5 miles from my dorm room but it sounds way cool to say that I ran to another state and back before class this morning. :) I did 11 miles and ran one of my best pace's since we started training for Chicago. I think that was partly due to the cold front. It was only 66 degrees this morning which doesn't seem very cool but compared to what I have been running in (77-80) it makes a big difference in the ease of the run.
I think I am going to get to run with some classmates over the weekend. Saturday I am going to run an easy 5, but Sunday I am going to the trail with Emese to run 15. It will be good to have someone else on the trail with me! Other classmates have talked about coming too - yay! I have been missing morning runs with them because of the mileage I have to do. Maybe next year I won't be training and I will be able to join them. So far Creighton has been great. The work is a bit overwhelming right now, but the people in my distance program seem stellar. I think we are going to have a really cohesive group. We are going to need the support over the next 4 years for sure!
~Aimee

I'm back, I think

Hello all! I have recently emerged from my "studying cave" as I have finally completed my prerequisite work for pharmacy school! Actually, I am already here getting started. Dustin has blogged about losing his running buddy, but I promise it is more difficult on me! I miss having him on a run with me! In addition, if like me you didn't know, Omaha is actually a decent-sized city and of course Creighton is right next to the dangerous part downtown. Awesome. I have been told not to run unless there is sunlight and to run in groups always. Well, not too many people need to run 30+ miles like I do, and I don't have much time between sunrise and an 8:00 class start. :( I actually got out today and ran about 7 miles or so (of the 8 tempo run I was supposed to do). It wasn't anything amazing, but I was glad to get an hour of running in! I have a feeling my mileage is going to suffer over the next two weeks. I will try my best to get in the miles, but my safety comes first so I won't be running anytime it is dark!
~Aimee

Aimee @ Creighton

With Aimee gone to Creighton for the next two weeks, we will be completing weeks 2 and 3 of our Chicago Marathon training separately. This is the first time we have been running completely separate in a while. The good news for Aimee is the number of trails in the Omaha, NE are will give her plenty of new runs and she has also found some other girls to run with. I, however, will be running completely solo. It is even too hot for Marlie to come along (just not enough water stops on longer runs).

With one week down in training, we ran 35 miles last week and a had a long run of 13 miles. The heat continues to be an issue as we are struggling finding any time of the day that is somewhat cool. We even ran our 13 miler at 4:30 am and had no relief. I have done some reading about the drop in your running time once the temperature climbs over 65 and since its 70-75 when we run in the morning without heat index I have noticed. Our times seem discouraging but we keep in mind the conditions we are running under and look forward to cooler temperatures and decreased paces. With school, football, and cross country only 3 weeks away and Aimee starting a Pharmacy school we know challenges are ahead but look forward to everyday.

The Anniversary Run

Today, well actually Saturday the 17th, was our 6th wedding anniversary. Unlike last year where we were running on the treadmills in beautiful Jamaica, we were running in the awesome MO summer! So, not quite the most romantic change of scenery, but we were together. This was our first long run over 10 miles in training for the Chicago Marathon and we were able to join TWV for this one.

For the past several weeks we have been doing one hill run per week out on Plainview and wouldn't you know it, the planned long run for TWV was out on Plainview! We were very excited. Not to mention the ever increasing heat and humidity that has plagued the area this past week. We are glad to report that we did better than expected though on our 12 mile run and our confidence is steadily increasing. Over the next two weeks we will be challenged not only by the heat (high 70's for overnight low), but also by Aimee attending her first two weeks of Pharmacy school in Creighton. Not being able to run together will be tough, but the separation will be even more difficult. I miss her already.

Below is a picture of the Awesome Running Weather.

~Dustin

Running Update

So for the past two weeks I was living in a TNT Fireworks tent. This made running difficult when there was no one around to watch the tent while I was out running. So, I only went on two runs during this time (9 and 6 miles) on about a one mile stretch in front of the tent so I could pass by every few minutes.

Since returning home on Monday, I have gotten back into the routine. Aimee and I are only 14 weeks out from Chicago! This week we have completed our normal Tuesday morning Team World Vision 5 mile run, a 5 mile hill run on Wednesday, and today we did an 8 mile (1-6-1) tempo. Not sure what the temp and humidity was this morning, but the humidity had to be 100% +. Never before have I had my shorts drip sweat when I finished a run. Kinda gross but it also lets me know how hard we are working to reach our goal. At least I don't have to deal with the 2 pound ponytail hanging from the back of my head like Aimee.

~Dustin

"Invest in Yourself" Edward Jones 5 mile results

Just returned from our weekend away in Farmington. The race on Saturday was great because of the hometown crowd. It was hot, and a bit hilly, but you can't beat running through the countryside. Ahhh I can still smell the fresh cow manure. Dustin took 2nd in his age category (33:00) and I took 1st in my age category (38:38). I figured out who the "fast girl that is cute as a button" was thanks to my friend, 411. She took 1st overall female again this year. Christina set a PR, running 4 minutes faster than her previous 5 mile time at the STL St. Patrick's Day run. Way to go. Nik also ran under her goal. Also, thanks to 411 (Nikki) I now know how to lower my heart rate if I ever need to do so. It was fun to cheer on Susan, Christina, Nikki, and Jessica. It was also neat recognizing some of the high schoolers (some runners from the awesome Potosi and Farmington track teams entered) during my run that I hadn't seen since they were under 4 feet tall :). Gotta love the familiar feeling of home (and a hot Missouri run). Here are some pics

Me and my girls Christina and Nikki before the race (don't we look happy?)

The girls after the race in St. Joseph's Catholic School gym (Christina and my Alma mater)

My honey and I with our medals

Nikki and I doing the "Championship basketball team" pose Post-race celebration at the wineries. This is Sand Creek. Fun! Fun!

Can't wait until next year! Don't forget about the Washam 5K in September.

Running in Ftown

Heading to Farmington this weekend. We plan to run Saturday in the Edward Jones "Invest in Yourself" 5 mile run. My friends Nikki Lees and Christina Rairden (weird, I don't think I've ever not written your maiden name, Kleinsorge. I wonder if Rairden is spelled correctly.) plan to run too! Best of luck to everyone!
~Aimee

Thoughts

One morning I had two thought going through my mind that I think any runner would appreciate.
1. That saying, "Pain is only weakness leaving the body".
2. Geez, I must have a lot of weakness!
:)
~Aimee

Progress

The last few runs have seemed to be getting easier. This morning I actually caught myself thinking ahead to my next long run and looking forward to it. This is progress!
~Aimee

Recommitting

Today I made a decision to get back in the game. It's time for me to start running on a regular basis and adding in some speed work. I have been dreading this and I'm not sure why. But when the humidity and wind came around the past few weeks it made for such a great excuse to run slow and cut the distance in half. I need to get my base down so I can start training for Chicago. Right now my runs can be quite a struggle, which makes them no fun!
I am going to try really hard to not get burned out before the race this time. I just hate that I work so hard and get my times down, just to bonk at the race. I believe I can do better. I really enjoy being athletic and doing well. I know that I just need to put the work in to get to where I need to be. Here goes nothing...
~Aimee

Run and Rain

Missouri weather sure knows how to make it as difficult as possible to run. If the wind is not blowing 25 mph with gust of 35 mph, below freezing, 80 degrees at 5am, or 110% humidity, then it is raining. Which, is all it has done for the past 2 weeks around here. Today I ventured out between two of the downpours only to find the trail covered in water. So I expected to find puddles over the Greenway trail but not the entire creek! I guess I underestimated the amount of rain we have received. Guess I should pay a little more attention to all that Flood Warning stuff. With the planned route un-runnable, I stuck to the sidewalks and just kinda ran around town running through water here and there. Even though the temp was high 60/low 70 it had to feel like 80 with all the humidity. Easily the sweatiest run of the year and poor Marlie, no water stops for him. But we both made it and in a few days the water will recede and running will be back to normal. In a few weeks I am sure I will long for the days when we actually received a little rain to cool us down.

I have included a random picture of Me, Aimee, Mom, and Dad after the San Antonio Marathon in November 2008 that I came across today while looking through some computer files.

Ran this morning...

Holy hot and humid!!! the first sign of a Missouri summer :)

Running Friends

Dustin and I have been in Springfield for ~6 years together and haven't quite found a couple that would ENJOY meeting us for an 8 mile run early Saturday morning. Thinking about the fact that we might be moving soon, we figured that we were just an odd couple and that we would just keep the running/adventure stuff to ourselves (minus our continuous encouragement for everyone we know to run the Washam 5k lol -thanks for suffering to hang with us friends!). Recently we have met TWO, that's right two, couples that are fun, normal, christian, and love to be active. In fact, we met them while they were training for the St. Louis Go! half marathon. Now we join them (at least one to three of them) on Tuesday mornings to run 5 miles together with Team World Vision (stay tuned to a blog about this).
Who knows if we will stay in Springfield and get to know them a little better or if we will have to move. Maybe we could meet at races. At least we will see them at the Chicago marathon in October.
This is a shout out to you, Teresa and Justin, Rachel and Chris! And Rachel, congrats on the new road bike - you're gonna tear up those triathlons!

Frisco 50 Pics

Thanks for the pictures, Rod!

Fear for Safety

Alright, I have to be the first to admit this post has nothing to do with running. Well, unless you count the running I did from the car and back. This was just too good to pass up, so let me explain.

Aimee and I are driving (not running) home from Buffalo Wild Wings this afternoon following the Braves/Cards games and we see a car going down the left hand lane in the picture shown above. (Just FYI this is the intersection of Campbell and Sunset) We are in the lane to the right of the turn lane, they are in the lane to the left of the turn lane driving right into oncoming traffic! Cars are swerving around them and the light turns red. They stop, still in the wrong lane! I get out, run over and it is the two oldest ladies I have ever seen. I'm not sure but the combined age of these ladies might out date the U.S.. I tap on the window and tell them they need to get over into the turn lane and they ask me if they are going the wrong way and if they can still get to Ryan's (Buffet). I tell them again to just get over which they do (finally) and continue to drive down the turn lane all the way to Ryan's! Yikes! Hopefully there was no wait at Ryan's, I mean it was 3:15 in the afternoon.

~Dustin

Frisco Fifty 10 Miler

Yesterday we ran in the Frisco Fifty 10 mile race. It was a very small race that went along the Frisco trail. We started at Willard Middle School and ran to a spot 10 miles down the way where a shuttle bus waited to take us back to our cars. It was such a peaceful run. I forgot my watch which ended up being a blessing. There is something to say about going on a run without constantly calculating a pace in your head and then either reprimanding or encouraging yourself to run faster, keep the pace, or slow down. I felt so good the whole time. I never felt too out of breath. At one point I was about to pass a man as he said, "you gonna be my anchor?". He had one of those high tech GPS watches (by the way Santa, I think they are REALLY cool and one would go nicely with my wrist) that started to beep. I asked him what mile we were at (indicated by the beep) and he said we were three miles into the race. He told me he wanted to finish in 85 minutes. I thought that I would be really impressed with myself if I could keep that pace. When he said he was ahead of pace, I thought, "sweet!", but I knew I would only run for about 5 more miles and then walk a bit. I had only told Dustin that I would run this with him on
Wednesday and it was finalized when I received an email on Thursday from active.com stating that I had been registered for the 10 mile race. I haven't been training for this and I haven't ran over 8 miles since the Bass Pro marathon the first week of November. So, really I figured it would be the typical conversation (my last few marathons) where I run next to someone who plans to finish in about the same pace as me, and they end up passing me towards the end because I have bonked. So frustrating! So, I passed him and focused on passing the 2 girls in front of my that looked to be about my age. Between miles 5 and 7 I actually kept a good pace and passed both of them. After that I spotted a pony tail not too far in front of me. I tried to speed up a bit and began to close the gap until mile 9 where she sped up and I could only match her pace a few yards behind her. As I ran through the finisher's tunnel (a field with orange cones and a guy with a clipboard taking our names) Dustin wasn't there to cheer me on because he didn't realize I would be finishing so soon. I ended up finishing in 1:22, a PR and under BQ pace (it's just 16 more miles lol). I took 2nd in my age category and received this cute little trophy. It has train tracks on it and came with a toy train that goes on the tracks. So unique! What a pleasant surprise :)
Dustin is awesome. He did well too, of course. He is a talented, dedicated runner. He came in forth in his age category, which, unfortunately doesn't get him a trophy. But I am so thankful that he is so patient with me that he slows down to allow me to run with him on the weekends-and I really don't think it bothers him. He actually encouraged me to run with him a few times while he was training for this race. I love running and it feels so good to hit the pavement again. I am still a little sour about the way I performed in the Bass Pro Marathon. Dustin wasn't happy with his performance either, but he is able to shake it off. If it weren't for those weekend runs, I would have never done so well. Now I have a little boost in my confidence level and I am anxiously anticipating training for Chicago.
Thank you Lord for allowing me to have such a great husband. God is good.
~Aimee

A Little Life Mystery

Why is the sun yellow? (that reveals its temperature) Why is the sky blue? (nitrogen in the atmosphere scatters blue light) Why is the grass green? (chlorophyll and chloroplast) Why do bugs fly right where you need to run?

This I do not know the answer to. But, for some reason as the temperature increases, and the days become longer and nicer and I enjoy running more than ever, the bugs seem to find their way into my path. I am not just talking about a few bugs either, but a steady stream right down the whole South Creek Greenway Trail and I mean the WHOLE trail. They follow the middle of the sidewalk, mouth high, turning with each twist of the concrete. It's amazing! How do they know right where to be to tick me off during each of my runs? Are they always there? Is anyone else annoyed by this? This must be one of life's little mysteries.

~Dustin

Running in CA

The weather in Ventura, California is awesome! It seems like every time I am there it is 70 and sunny. Plus, there are exotic flowers everywhere that give the air a continual floral aroma. There is also an endless supply of sidewalk that calls out, "come, run and walk on me". It's a runner's paradise. I was sad that Dustin wasn't with me (girl's trip) to run around the neighborhoods together, but I still managed to get in a few miles. Mostly I walked with Suki. She is a 150 pound Akita dog that would sleep outside my bedroom door, waiting for me to come out. I call her "the Beast". Funny, when we walked together no one seemed to want to be within 50 feet of us. :)
Being in California made me want to move out there. I had almost completely convinced myself until I inquired about the cost of living. To RENT a house similar to our home in Springfield would be ~$1500 a month. Whoa! Maybe we will just stay here and visit from time to time :)
~Aimee

Wind

Finally good weather is here and running has been nice, but mother nature could not leave well enough alone. She's kinda like "I'm gonna make it warmer but that comes with 30 mph winds!" Suck.
Today I was going to do a tempo run, so I decided to run straight into the wind on the way out and that way it would be at my back coming home. Good idea; not so easy to accomplish. Similar to a few weeks ago when Aimee and I were in KC's Power and Light District. There was this jungle juice that came in a bucket: one bucket good idea, three...not so much.
I'm not sure what running in a wind tunnel is like, but I am sure that's what I looked like to the north bound National traffic this morning. There were times when I was sure I was moving, but not moving. I was very thankful to reach the turn around point because the return trip was a breeze (no pun intended).
Days like today remind me of playing high school baseball in north town Aurora. I still believe the constant wind from center field increased my fastball by a few mph. I also think it might have kept me from hitting a few HR....maybe not.
~Dustin

Invest in Yourself Country Days 2010

This is a shout out to all my hommies back in the F-town area. I encourage you to run or run/walk the Country Days 5 mile Fun Run. Its not even April yet so you have plenty of time to train. And, unless you drink too much the night before at Joe's like someone I know (rhymes with "Mickey Bees"), you'll be kickn' off Country Days with a rootin'-tootin' good time. Plus, Edward Jones sponsors the race so my dad would love to see you at the start line. I'm sure dad got tired of me sticking my nose in the air last year as I laughed at the fact that they don't even have timing chips (they use popsicle sticks like in the olden days). Maybe i'll bring a potato gun to fire off instead of hearing "Go!". hehe Its not the most technologically advanced race but there are prizes, food, and its a fun, low-key course! Maybe I can see if they will actually put fruity popsicles on the sticks :)
Hopefully I will be able to get away from Springfield and come join you! Comment if you plan to run!
~Aimee

Running in Topeka

Tuesday we driving back home from Colorado when the transmission decided to die in Topeka, KS. I had night class in 6 hours and I had to be at work the next day. The rental car companies didn't have any cars to rent and were really expensive. They wanted to charge $130 + gas for the 54 mile drive to Kansas, then we would need to find a ride to Springfield! Anyways, we ended up staying in Topeka in a hotel where the check-in advise was "if you go out, make sure it isn't dark outside. And, walk to the right of the hotel because to the left is questionable."
When we woke up the next day we decided to take a run. Luck has it that there was a trail that went by the hotel. So, we suited up with whatever gear we had since we hadn't planned on running (I never thought I would run with a lace-trimmed shirt on, but I guess it looked kinda cute) and ran, to the right of course. It was cold and rainy but it turned out to be a nice run since we hadn't ran in about a week (but we were skiing). And, we didn't run into any trouble. Not that trouble would stop us because I have taken self-defense and could drop an attacker faster than gravity. Anyways...
We still aren't running on a schedule yet which is so nice! We don't take a watch; all we do is tie on our shoes. We are just running for the fun of it, not for the sport of it. ...until June :)
~Aimee

We're Back!

Today Aimee and I officially registered for the 2010 Chicago Marathon! Chicago is the second largest Marathon in the World (behind NY) 45,000 runners. 10-10-10
http://www.chicagomarathon.com