Quick update on the Tri:

It. Totally. Rocked.

We had so much fun!!

Overall rank: 193 of 1747; Age group: 61 of 338
Swim (.50 mile): 00:13:51 (rank: 520)
T1: 00:06:10
Bike (12 miles): 00:42:41 (rank: 297 - average speed, 17.4 mph)
T2: 00:01:55
Run (2.8 miles): 00:22:19 (rank: 118 - average pace 07:41)

Total time: 01:26:57

I'm exhilarated and tired all at the same time...mostly tired from a lack of sleep last nite. Stupid nerves.

Detail post to come soon! Off to an afternoon BBQ. And yes, I will be wearing my finisher's medal!

Thanks to everyone for all your support, kind words and 'banners'!

In keeping with tradition (see my marathon posts, sidebar), I thought I'd do a quick list of things I've learned since losing my mind in April.

Lessons Learned:

• Running in bike shorts feels remarkably similar to running in a full diaper. (Not that I've worn a full diaper recently.) Especially when the shorts are wet.
  
  
• Questions like 'how do i pee while wearing a tri suit?' are better left unanswered.
  
  
• And don't even ask about the 'warm water' patches that you may swim across.
  
  
• Planning to race with a buddy makes all the difference!
  
  
• There's always just one more thing to buy...Speed lacers, number belt, chip bracelet, etc.
  
  
• Grease happens. Get used to it.
  
  
• No matter how confident you may be about being able to return your bottle to the bottle cage on the bike, you will miss on your first attempt.
  
  
• You will not necessary lose weight. You may gain weight. No one ever mentions that ahead of time.
  
  
• If running is your true passion, it will occur to you that you are essentially swimming and biking so you can run. And then you will ask yourself why you didn't just sign up for a 5K. Ignore the logic and have fun instead.

And that's what Team HO intends to do...have loads of fun! We promise to tell you all about it as soon as we get home!

Thanks to all our well-wishers. You will be in our thoughts this weekend, making us smile and getting us through those tough spots.

Woo hooo...Go Team HO!

(oh, and please feel free to share some lessons that YOU have learned!)

We hear you're doing a triathlon with your friend Annalisa. What the heck is a triathlon, anyways?

The rumors are true. We officially lost our minds and signed up for the Danskin Triathlon being held in Webster, MA this Sunday, July 31. Triathlon - traditionally - is swimming-biking-running, in that order and 'back to back.' Athletes are timed in each of the three sports, including the time it takes in the 'Transitions.' Transitions are the time it takes getting from the swim to the bike (called T1 since it's the first transition) and then the time it takes to get from the bike to the run (called T2 since it's the second transition).

We will be doing the shortest distance of triathlons - called a 'Sprint Distance' tri - which translates to a half mile swim, followed by 12 miles on the bike and then a 5K (3.1 mile) run.

Any tri veterans - feel free to correct me on any of this.

Are you nervous about your first triathlon?

[high pitched voice] Me? [giggle maniacally] Nervous? Never. Picture of calm. Relaxed. Focused. No worries. Can someone tell me the weather for Sunday? I haven't checked in the last ten minutes.

Nerves of steel.

Which sport will present the most challenge for you?

Well. It's not like I'm nervous. So I'm not worried about any of the three sports. But. If I had to choose, I'd say the bike. Surprising, I know since most newbies worry about the swim. But there is just so much that can wrong on the bike - flat tire, broken chain, crashes - the list goes on and on. I just don't have the savvy to fix anything that breaks or recover well from a crash. The two dreams I've had about the tri have both involved the bike. In the first dream, only the elite athletes knew where the transition area was, so they all had their stuff set up while the rest of us never even got our bikes out of our cars. In the second dream, my gears and chain were all rusty, dry and dirty even though it had just come back from a tune up.

Bottom line though...if the bike breaks, I will carry the damn thing into the transition area and then head out for the run. Even if that means carrying it for many miles.

Speaking of the bike, did you ever name it?

I finally remembered the name I came up with: George. See, it's a Serrota Atlanta...so I thought Atlanta, Georgia and then George. No relation whatsoever to any president that has/had that name. Definitely a fan of Curious George though. And if I can find a sticker of him for my helmet, he'll be coming along for my rides.

Swimming no longer terrifies you then?

No, not as much. It will still be freaky to be in a lake with all those people, fish and plants...but it will be over in like 20 minutes. By the time I find my groove and stop freaking out, I'll be climbing out of the water. I hope.

How about the run?

No problem. The run course looks like one of the 'kinder' courses I've seen and running is my thing. I'm looking forward to that part. Swimming and biking so I can run. Tee hee.

Do you have a team name?

Hell yeah. TEAM HO.

What? It's the first initial of both our last names put together! Why? What were YOU thinking? Jeesh. We're open to suggestions for a mascot. Our team colors are silver, blue and black. (No orange...I know...but this is a different part of my life and deserves it's own identity.)

And one of your 'fans' wants to know if this event will be recorded and televised?

No. Probably not. But there will be flash photography. And probably some nudity. And swearing. Oh, and beer. So stay tuned.

FOUR MORE SLEEPS!

Since I'm marathon training while also triathlon training, there was a 14 miler on the schedule for Saturday. April-Anne and I firmed up our plans to meet at our favorite park and do some trail and road miles. Just on a whim, I sent out the info to some other runners we know who live in our area. Lo and behold, a few actually responded with that they would join us. I was thrilled and a little shocked. Usually, these runners are 'earlybirds,' hitting the pavement between 6:00-6:30 a.m. on a weekend morning. My proposal was for a 'later' departure time of 7:45 a.m.

I made some adjustments to our route so we could all do 10 miles together and then April-Anne and I could pick up four more miles on our own (and whoever else wanted to join in).

We ended with 6 runners total for the 10-miles! It was awesome. We averaged a 9:24 pace and did 5 trail miles and 5 road miles. We would rotate through the pack, always having someone 'new' to talk to. The time just FLEW by!

For the last four miles, we hit a trail we hadn't done in since last fall. Within about 5 minutes, I remembered why we hadn't done that trail more often - hills and rocks. Our average pace over those last four miles averaged 10:22 -- it was tough stuff!

But we got it done. And I was in bed and sound asleep by 9:30 p.m. that night.

Yeah, and you might recall that some lunatic wrote in her post on Friday: "I got 14 miles to run tomorrow. And then 5 miles on Sunday." Riiight. That 5 miler never happened. I woke up on Sunday and my legs were in total denial, protesting even getting up to walk. So I conceded and gave them some rest.

I mean, I am supposed to be tapering right?

Last night was a hot, sweaty, Body-Glide required 5 miler with Michelle. And again, I was in bed and asleep by 9:30 p.m. I sure hope all this training in the heat pays off!!

FIVE MORE DAYS TIL THE TRI!

Unintentionally, I did two bricks this week, on consecutive days (Refresher: A 'brick' is two different workouts stacked back-to-back i.e. swim then run, or run then bike, etc.). Without getting into the meaningless and laborious details about the training schedule mix-up, let's just say that juggling three different sports demands some flexibility and sometimes some stamina as well.

Here's what the week looked like:

Tuesday:
Ran 4 miles in the morning. The usual tuesday-lunch-time swim was rescheduled for after work to accommodate swim partner's schedule. Lifeguard failed to show for duty, this canceling the p.m. swim. That's OK. I still had Thursday's p.m. swim and I could swim on Friday at lunch to cover the missed one.

Wednesday:
Biked 7.50 miles (in 27 minutes; my fastest ride to date) and then immediately went out for a run. The amount of internal negotiating that went on during the first mile of the run was astonishing. The scheduled run was supposed to be for 5 miles...and within the first half a mile, I was thinking 'Two miles will be enough.' But by the time I hit the one mile mark, I knew I could get a 4-miler out of my legs - which I did. (It was hot and it sucked, but I reminded myself that I won't be able to control race-day weather.)

Thursday:
Here's where things started to fall apart with The Plan. I was definitely going to swim after work, contingent on the lifeguard actually showing up. But then I realized that I needed to get my bike tuned up and that would mean I wouldn't have it over the weekend for my 'long' ride and yatta yatta yatta, I decided to do a swim-bike brick.

I swam my required half mile in the very-very-burn-your-mouth overly chlorinated pool while wearing my fancy Tri suit; rinsed off some of the chlorine; put on shoes and socks and then hopped on the bike.

The first couple of miles were odd...the sensation of water streaming down the back of my legs was a little unsettling at first, but worse was how slippery I felt on the saddle. There were a few rough spots on the ride - literally - where there was grooved pavement and road construction. Once I got past all of that, I was treated to an amazing summer evening, with a great sunset and piping hot Chinese food waiting for me at home. All told, I put in about 15.50 miles in about 62 minutes. (Technically, that was more than 2/3 of the tri right there - the swim and bike portions.)

Friday:
Swim? What swim? I was supposed to swim today? Screw that. I'm freakin' tired. I got 14 miles to run tomorrow. And then 5 miles on Sunday. (Taper? What's that?? I've never heard of such a word...)

Which leads me to my projections for the race...Here's how I think things will go:

Swim (.50 mile): 20 minutes. At least.
T1: Don't really care how long the transition takes. It's my first tri for pete's sake!
Bike(12 miles): 50 minutes. At least.
T2: Still don't care.
Run(3.1 miles): 25-26 minutes. If it kills me.

And seriously, if it takes longer than that, no big wiggle. Lots more can happen when you have two more activities to worry about - more cramps, equipment failure, bonking, etc. Doesn't matter. I'll finish. Truth be told, I'm mostly excited about 1) racing with Annalisa 2) tackling a new challenge and 3) hanging out with 1,999 other women who are challenging themselves too.

Bring it on!

This past weekend, I journeyed out into the open water off of Cape Cod for a little swim. I'm not sure if the water I was in can be considered the 'Vineyard Sound' or just the 'Atlantic Ocean' - it's hard to tell from the map. But either way, I was in salt water, with sand at the bottom, striped fish at my feet and a few jellyfish bopping around.

You may recall from my earlier post that I didn't spend too much time in the water. It was a shame, really, since the waves were manageable and the temperature was refreshing (and not in the 'I can't feel my face' kind of refreshing). I managed to completely freak myself out by thinking about sharks. And how sharks can come up to the shore. And how they like to eat swimmers.

I hightailed it out of the water and never went back in. I thanked my lucky stars that I would be doing a lake swim for the tri.

Friends and family made fun of me when I told them this about this moment. But today, a fellow shark-avoider sent me this:

"It wasn't too little, but it was too late. Fishermen who hauled in a massive 1,100 pound tiger shark off Massachusetts this past weekend failed to capture first place in the monster shark derby on Martha's Vineyard." More...

Um. Martha's Vineyard? Yeah, I could see the island from where I was swimming. Thank goodness I didn't know that there was even such an event as a 'monster shark derby' let alone know that one was taking place miles from where I was splashing in the surf. And HELLO! Did you see the size of that thing!?

So see, I'm not so crazy after all. On race day (11 days from today) I'll just have to remind myself that creepy, icky, lake-bottom plant life is waaayy better than being eaten by a shark.

I may be partial to orange, but I think I can easily endorse PINK today since Dawn, the Pink Lady, put together a Rundown chock full of bloggers I've never even heard about!

Aaahhhh.

That's muuucchhh better.

My trip to Cape Cod (Falmouth, for those of you keeping track) was nothing short of wonderful, and I've returned feeling refreshed and relaxed. It was everything I could have hoped for in a four day weekend (and four days away from the skunk-stink-fest-2005 was a welcome relief).

My best friend from college, K., was attending a medical conference and she invited me along for company (translation: free lodging for me). Her sessions were scheduled for 8-noon each day, leaving the afternoons free for beach-going, shopping, eating and chatting. The schedule worked out perfect, as I had each morning to myself, to engage in whatever activity the training schedule dictated.

The resort we stayed at was literally right on the beach and it was just spectacular. The sand was soft and white, the staff was friendly and the food selection was agreeable to my training requirements.

Was I able to fit in all my workouts?

Short answer: Yes. With one small adjustment on Sunday.

Here's the recap:

Thursday - Arrival day. Rest day. Carb loaded at dinner on wood-fired pizza.

Friday - Woke up and dressed for a bike ride. Had breakfast (eggs, homefries and toast) and then remembered that I needed to swim. The pool was completely empty and I knew that I had just a few fleeting moments before the pool would begin filling up with families. I did a quick change, swam for about 22-24 minutes in the pool and then braved a few minutes in the ocean! (I can now understand how one can become 'seasick' while swimming). I wanted to swim for a few minutes, but managed to terrify myself with one single word: Sharks.

I quickly retreated from the beach and changed back into my biking clothes. My shiny blue machine and I covered just over 20 miles: headed down Route 28A into Falmouth center and picked up the Sea to Shining Sea bike path that led me right into Woods Hole. The ride took me along the beaches, as well as into shady, wooded areas. It was pure bliss. It was also warm and sunny, and I was anxious to get back to the resort for some down time in a lounge chair on the beach.

Let's just say that the day ended with some really funky tan lines, and some more carb loading.

Saturday - Believe it or not, I was not excited about my scheduled 10-miler. I knew it would be hot, and I was hating the thought of being out there alone. It took me even longer than I planned to get out the door, so when I hit the road at 9:15 a.m. I knew I would pay for it. And I did. It was hot. And there were parts of the route that had zero shade (BUT I WANTED TO RUN BY THE BEACH!). I even got 'yelled' at by a bicyclist when I was running on the 'wrong' side of the road (for the shade...I really needed some relief!). Oh the shame.

But I made it. It wasn't the best 10-miler, but I got the job done. When I was out there, it was just astonishing to me how many other runners, walkers, and bikers were out there too. What a pleasant change!

Sunday - Based on how my toe felt, I gave myself permission to bike again, instead of run. I grabbed a quick 9 miles down the same route I had biked/run before and enjoyed it just as much as the first two times. It was so great having my bike with me on vacation...I can see that becoming a habit!

I ate well, I slept better than I have in MONTHS (not even exaggerating) and I spent quality time with a dear friend.

Good times.

Less than two weeks til the Tri.

(Oh, I'm already having dreams about not having my bike set up in the transition area. Sigh.)

After a rough Monday night (see post below), yesterday was full of promise. And, thankfully, yesterday really delivered.

With the skunk odor still thick in the air at the house, I was more than happy to leave the house knowing that I would be gone for at least 12 hours. As I mentioned in yesteday's post, I was a little embarrased to learn that my bags all had skunk-odor clinging to them, so I banished my belongings to the fire escape at work with the hope that things would 'air out.'

I welcomed the opportunity to go swimming yesterday at lunch time. The thought of all that chlorine neutralizing the stink that was clinging in my nose (and to my skin) was very appealing. Plus, I got to take an EXTRA shower - woo hoo! Scrubbing bubbles!

The pool was perfect. The temp was just right - refreshing but not chilly - and my friend J. joined me for the second half of my workout. It was nice having a friend in the lane next to mine.

For the first time yesterday, I noticed that the 'big pool' has digital clocks on one wall that you can use to time yourself (I can't see the regular clock well enough to watch the sweeping second hand). It looks like I can swim 50 meters in about 1:06 or 1:12 depending on my stroke (freestyle versus breast). I have no idea what those numbers mean, but it gave me a baseline to work from...wish I had done that two months ago!

The pool restored my sense of smell and left me feeling squeaky clean. I made it through the rest of that afternoon, anxiously watching the clock for the moment I could leave to get to Bluff Point.

When I arrived at the Point, I saw a woman walking around, looking very much like a runner. I correctly guessed that it was Sarah. Since she was the only one of us whose picture had yet to be revealed online, I was hoping that I was about to scare a stranger with my cheerful "Hi!". A few minutes later, Susan and David arrived and from that moment on, the cheerful chatter was non-stop. Bill (with son Jake) arrived shortly thereafter and the running began (with Jake on his bike!).

The run itself was fabulous. Nice pace, great conversation, beautiful trail. I did get a little shaky around the 2.5 mile mark and was a little unsure why that was happening. I had eaten a normal amount for a 'running' day, so what the heck was going on? It wasn't until the drive home that I remembered my 1100 meter swim at lunchtime. Duh. I'm guessing I used up just a few extra calories for that!

The BBQ was rather 'impromptu' and I didn't get a chance to make something fancy/fun to share, so I picked up some potato chips on my way to the Point. Any excuse to eat chips works for me. (Thanks AGAIN for feeding me guys!). Everyone was just as warm and wonderful as I'd imagined. I felt so relaxed and comfortable, like I was getting together with old friends. There were smiles and laughs and not one tiny bit of awkwardness. Although, next time, they could let me know when I have food stuck in my teeth! LOL.

I loved that we talked about running and blogging, but it was also great to hear more about everyone's lives in general. And I always marvel at the fact that no matter how different my life may be from another runner's, there's just this special bond, a certain understood camaraderie between us. That's how I felt last night.

And I was finally able to give Susan that 'Welcome to Connecticut' hug that I have been promising her! Good times.

I still heart the RBF. More now than ever!

For pictures of our gathering, be sure to visit Susan's site.

I'm off to the Cape for a few days...have a great weekend of racing, running or resting!

PS: This week's Rundown is up over at Mark's place. Stop by for a read.

Did you ever get the feeling that the universe was against you?

I'm getting that vibe right about now.

My car is broken. Again. Still. Tried to have the problem fixed twice last week, to no avail.

But that's status quo for me.

Last night, the universe was really testing me...

We were missing a box from a recent trip to Ikea. A box that would provide the base to our new filing cabinet. As luck would have it, my parents were heading down there yesterday, so they were kind enough to retrieve the lost box for us.

While removing said box from the van, I head something sliding and quickly realized that the box flap of the box was not sealed...just in time to feel something come crashing down on my toes. About 5-10 pounds worth of something.

I stood for a few seconds, unable to grasp what had just happened and then the signals from my toes alerted my brain that there was great deal of pain being dealt out and the toes were swelling in retaliation.

After my initial thought of 'OWWWW!' my next thought, logically, was 'OH MY GOD IS IT BROKEN CAN I RUN? WHAT ABOUT THE RBF TOMORROW NIGHT? CAN I RUN? IS IT BROKEN?' The pain was so severe, I actually cried. Hard.

I hobbled around the house, crying, collected supplies - ice, pillows, advil, telephone, etc - and propped myself up for some ice, rest and elevation. I called Nurse Mom to assist with the self-daignosing of the toe (we isolated the pain the the Big Toe). Didn't seem to be broken, but damn did it hurt.

A couple hours later and I was feeling much better. The toe was not nearly as swollen and was beginning to turn a beautiful shade of purple. Nice.

Then, at about 2:30 a.m. my dogs started whining and barking (actual dogs, not my feet). This continued for about an hour before I finally got up to let them out - to chase away whatever evil was in our yard - bunny, squirrel, cat. Jake jumps over the rock wall (into the 'forbidden area') and I can hear his collar rattling like he is shaking his head back and forth with much vigor. He won't come when I call him.

I wake up the husband for back up...and long story short....Jake's got a tail that formerly belonged to skunk. And the smell nearly knocked us over. The stink was so bad, we started gagging.

After determining that it was just the one dog who got hit, we moved him to the basement to keep the smell out of the rest of the house. Bad idea. Within ten minutes, the basement was full of stink and it was quickly spreading into the house through the floor vents. We moved the dog out onto the back porch, but the damage had already been done. Long story longer, we were washing the dog and airing out the house until 5:00 a.m.

I never really got back to sleep.

My house still stinks. My dogs still stinks (but not as bad). And, I realized as I arrived at work this morning, all my bags stink: my swim bag, my run bag, my knapsack. All full of stinky skunk odor.

Sigh.

But. I'm going swimming. And I'm going running. Even if it kills me.

Cuz dammit, I won't be broken by some silly universe.

It's be a challenging week, full of triathlon training.

After the race on Monday, I managed to motivate myself for Brick Tuesday. I did a bike-run brick after work, mashing through about 5.25 miles on the bike and then dropping the bike for a 5 mile run...which I quickly changed to a 4 mile run when I realized that my legs had turned to stone. But I got it done.

Wednesday was a 1000 meters in the 'big pool' (translation: 50 meter lanes) at lunch time, followed by a 4.75 mile trail run with April-Anne after work.

Thursday was just 1000 yards in thee 'small pool' (20 yard lanes).

Friday was a rest day, after scatching the 5k race from the schedule.

Saturday was 12.29 miles with April-Anne on a mix of roads and rail-trails. We averaged a 9:10 pace, finishing up in 1:52:42.

And today was the Big Test.

I met Annalisa in Webster, MA to check out the triathlon course and get a feel for what race-day is going to look like. I don't usually like to scope out my race course ahead of time, but felt that it would be a prudent thing to do for my first tri. (When I run road races, all I need to know is: is there a hill at the end I need to save something for? Other than that, I just go out and push as hard as I can until I cross the finish line or lose steam. Good strategy, huh?)

I also wanted to try out all my new gear, so I could make adjustments before race day. A friend of mine (Thanks J.!) hooked me up with a tri-suit at an amazing price and I couldn't wait to wear it. It makes me feel like such a 'stud' - I'm just hoping that feeling carries through to my performance on race day.

We met at 9:00 a.m. and decided that $20 PER CAR was too much to pay to be able to park near the beach, so we parked at the Bowl-o-Drome about a half mile away. This made doing the swim portion first a little complicated, so we opted to take the bikes out first instead.

We rode down to the beach to check out the scene, and take care of some un-hydration, and then hit the road. As Annalisa noted in her post, it was just spectacular. The scenery was amazing, very 'bucolic' and there was always something intersting to catch my eye. The spraypainted message to someone named Dori on The Big Hill - 'Allez'- made me smile. And the nature sanctuary that had some llamas snoozing in the fields that just made me laugh. It looked liked they'd been up partying all night, the way they were all just randomly flopped down in the field. I half expected to see some empty beer cans next to them.

And The Big Hill is one of those deceptive hills that looks like it might just be a quick short-n-steep deal, but then it flattens out a bit, and shoots back up again. Damn. My lungs were screaming. And for the first time ever, I had to use my 'granny gear.' Oh, the shame.

Once we tackled the hill and were rewarded with the white-knuckled thrill of the corresponding downhill, the course was a series of wonderful rollers that just made me happy to be outside.
We rolled back to cars, threw the bikes in my van and then headed out to scope out the run portion of the course. Annalisa was so apologetic for not being up for a run, but truth be told, I was happy to just walk and talk with her. My legs weren't looking for any more miles this week.

After we walked the course, we stopped by the cars again to grab our swim caps, goggles and towels and headed down to the beach. It was at this moment that I learned that a car key can indeed puncture a gel packet when they are sharing space in a pocket. Sigh.

The water temp was reasonable, waves were non-existent, there were life guards present and lots of people were splashing and playing at the lake. I thought that I would be comfortable swimminging in a lake, which was a big reason for choosing this tri.

I could not have been more wrong.

What the hell is all that plantlife doing there? I mean c'mon. All these people, boats and jet-skis and this crap still manages to proliferate? And the fish! If I stood still for too long, one would come up and take a nibble to see if I was something tasty to eat. Dude. Turn around and go eat some of your beloved freakin' plantlife. For the love.

Having goggles and being able to see the bottom of the lake was not a good thing. I had a bit of panic attack at first but then realized I was being silly and that I would have to swim in this crap on race day so I had better suck it up now. Overall, I felt strong in the water and that was reassuring. I think we did about .25 miles but it's so hard to judge distance in the water, so who knows.

There were A LOT of women there, biking, running and swimming, all getting ready for the race. From what I heard, women have been flocking to the park all weekend, to check things out. It's going to be an amazing day that I'm so excited to be sharing it with Annalisa.

I can't wait to be a 'triathlete.'

You know who else has a BIG race this weeked?

Lara. She's been working towards this goals for a long time, and now she's ready and ABLE to tackle Boilermaker!!

Good Luck Lara! Have a kick-a$$ time kickin; a$$!!

Woo hooo!

I've cut tonight's 5K from the schedule. It's a rainy, nasty day here and I've had a 'my-car-sucks' kind of week, which has resulted in a foul mood (to match the weather). My lack of enthusiasm for the race is a sure sign that I need the night off. Besides, I'd rather save my energy for a relaxing 12-miler with April-Anne tomorrow morning.

So I may not be racing...but you know who is??

Jeff. He has a big marathon coming up on Sunday. He's been working his legs off for this race and I am on the edge of my seat with excitement and anticipation for him!

Jeff...just picture me on the sideline, looking like this (except with an orange hat) and yelling as loud as my lungs will allow:

Jeff, over at boingoblog, was this week's host of The Rundown (formerly known as Carnival of the Runner's. He knows a lot of bloggers I've never even heard of...so wander on over, check it out and meet some new bloggers!

Last year was the inaugural year for the Boom Box Mile, which is a one mile race that takes place immediately prior to the start of the Boom Box Parade, an annual tradition in my town.

This year, the race was a little bigger with 58 participants - ten more than last year).

The day was cooler with a sunny, breezy 73F degrees and low humidity.

The course was still perfect, with even more of a downhill finish than last year since they had to move the course further down a bit on Main Street.

I arrived at the registration tent about 30 minutes before the start of the race. Main Street was already filling up with spectators for the parade and the atmosphere was patriotic and festive. I even left the orange hat at home, wearing the blue one instead, to match my red-white-and-blue running outfit (red top, blue/white shorts).

I opted to take the shuttle to the start line knowing that I would need/want every last calorie for energy to get to the finish line.

Once at the start line, I had the typical pre-race-gotta-pee jitters. There were no porta-potties (why would there be, really?) so a runner-friend, S., stood 'lookout' as I snuck behind a wall of hedges for some relief.

We lined up and took off at the sound of the horn. My race-nerves were at an all time high - I felt like I was going to have heart attack! I just kept repeating over and over 'It will be over before you know it' and pushed and pushed and pushed.

By the quarter mile mark, my arms started to feel a little strange. I don't know how to describe the feeling exactly, but I remember thinking that my lungs must have decided that they needed the oxygen more than the blood in my arms.

Just before the half mile mark, S. came up next to me, and we ran together for a few strides. It was a confidence booster for sure, as I knew she was a faster runner than me and I just wanted to stick near her. As we passed the half mile S. pulled ahead a bit, I heard the time keeper call out 'Three minutes.'

Holy crap.

So I poured it on and wrapped an invisible rope around my pacer, thinking 'Halfway done!' It was great having more spectators this year - last year, the parade didn't start until later so there were only a few people there. The best part was seeing my stepfather, his brother and all their dogs cheering me on from the sidewalk!

As I approached the timing clock, it said 5:5x...but don't get too excited...I recently learned that the clock is not the official race time, it's just there as for show really. I placed first in my age division (woo hoo!) and was the sixth female to cross the finish line.

And I FINALLY PR'd this season with a 6:05, beating last year's 6:33.

The line for the water cooler was a little long, so I jogged back up Main Street and got some water from my stepfather. I sat on the curb for a few, wondering if I was going to be sick, as my mouth kept filling up with hot saliva (yuuucck). I jogged back down to the finish for the awards ceremony, and had to sit to keep my stomach cramps under control. By the time the ceremony was over, I felt much better, although there was a least one boy who had the opportunity to visit with his breakfast again. Poor guy.

I walked back up to where my family was sitting, and watched the parade, while wearing my 'medal' and soaking up the sun and fun.

Phew. Good times.

Next up....5K on Friday night!

I will have a race report for all to read tomorrow. I'm still waiting for the official results. It was a one-mile race, so each second counts!

Until then, it seems that I've been tagged by TWO people for information. Jon wants to know what my six favorite songs are, and Brent started a little survey (meme, whatever you want to call it)...so here are the questions and my responses!

Six favorite songs (impossible to do, really, but here are the first that came to mind):

"Brown-Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison: Yeah, I know it's an overplayed college drinking song, but I don't care. I was a drinker in college and I have brown eyes. So sue me.

Any U2 song at all: Seriously. Can't pick. See above comment about taking legal action against me.

"State of Love and Trust" by Pearl Jam: This song gets me so pumped up. If I could listen to this while running a 5K, I might just break that 22:00 mark.

"Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence: I just love how this song starts slow and then gets all big and powerful.

"Fly From the Inside" by Shinedown: I love the lead singer's voice. He also does a great version on Simple Man (acoustic remake).

"Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi: I'm an 80's chick. I've even seen Bon Jovi in concert (twice). And last summer, when I ran the 20K with April-Anne, there was a female acoustic guitar player jamming out this song on a spot on the course. I just had to sing along. At the top of my lungs. April-Anne didn't even try to run away from me.

I love music. I listen to all types, so don't judge me based on this list!

OK. Now on to Brent's survey:

1. What is your favorite long run pace?

9:00 min/miles. Not too fast, not too slow..just right.

2. What is your favorite (or typical) pre-run meal?

Some type of whole-wheat bread product (bread, bagel, English muffin) with all natural peanut butter and slices of banana. And one cup of coffee.

3. What was the distance of your first ever, official race?

5 miles.

4. Do you typically run in groups or run alone?

50-50. Wednesday night runs and Saturday morning runs are usually with one or two of the Running Chicks. The other two days a week are alone. For long runs, I definitely prefer company!

5. Name one or two NEW running experiences (occurring within the past year), that you have grown the most from.

Trail racing. Very humbling, very challenging and very rewarding. Although, the definition of 'trail' varies from person to person (much like the definition of a HILL varies from person to person).

Marathon. I still marvel at the fact that my body and mind both cooperated and carried me over the finish line. Made me feel like I really *could* do whatever I set my mind to. And the support I got from family and friends made me feel like a Rock Star.

6. What is your least favorite structure to run on/over?

Hhmmm. Structure? None that I can think of...not thrilled when I'm forced to run on concrete but I love running over/on/thru all types of terrain and structures. Keeps things interesting.

I'm too lazy to figure out who else needs to be tagged so feel free to answer these questions yourself, or not. =)