Get In Gear 10k recap

So I ran the Get in Gear 10k on April 27th. I realize that's almost two weeks ago now, but everyone loves a race recap!

The Get in Gear is big race locally that has been going on for 36 years. It's a loop course that is mostly along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis and St. Paul. 

Going in, I felt totally unprepared for this race and was bummed, because when I signed up I wanted to be really ready. Well, April was a crazy month with being out of town, the babies' first birthday, and them both being sick what seems like most of the month. I ran 7 miles two weeks before this, and that was the longest I ran besides 3-4 milers and speed work which were mostly on the treadmill. 

Anyway, the weather FINALLY turned here, and Saturday morning was gorgeous. I was extremely excited to be putting on shorts and a t-shirt for once. The first mile was crowded, so I was doing the usual bob and weave. I think this is where I added my extra .10 of distance. The start was my only gripe. The 10k and 1/2 all start at the same time in the same start corral. Would have been nice to send out one of the two 10 minutes apart. But I am clearly not a race director. 

The first two miles felt awesome, so I just went with it and pretty much kept my pace the whole way. I had no goal going in because I didn't want to set myself up for disappointment. I almost felt like I could have pushed a little more, but hindsight is 20/20 and all. My mile splits were all pretty even, so that's always a win. 

I finished right around 52:00 and was 31st out of 350ish in my age group. My 10k PR is 48:42 (at this race, which I am doing again this year), so I have a lot of work to get back to that.  I still think the 10k is a favorite distance of mine.  It was a really fun race and the course was relatively flat, so I think I will be back next year. I've heard the weather is usually bad for it, but as long as the roads aren't covered in ice, I think it will still be a good one. 

I know a race recap should be filled with photos, but I went to this one alone so I only have the one photo I took of the finish line flag. There's just something about those over sized finish line flags.

In addition to the Fill Their Plates 10k, I am also signed up for the Esprit de She 5k on July 25th. I signed up with a few co-workers, so I am looking forward to having fun with it. After that? I am undecided until September. I might just run for running's sake and build up to that fall 10k and then 1/2 marathon I have planned. 

The Twins Turn One

In light of the Boston tragedy, I wanted to say that I have been thinking about and praying for everyone that was affected. I have a lot of internet friends who were there, and while they are all okay, I know they are still dealing with the brevity of being there. I personally was not affected in any way except being a runner myself. I didn't feel right posting anything without mentioning this, because the posts to come will be happy things. I like to think finding the good in the world is what people need. So, if you find babies who are turning one to be a good thing, you have come to the right place. 

In mom's of multiples circles, reaching the 1st birthday is a big milestone. Most people will tell you the hardest part is over. I guess only time will tell whether I can agree to that. As a fun trip down memory lane, here is my birth story.

 

I feel rather emotional, in a good way, about reaching one year. When I look back on the year, I have a hard time recalling to memory what each day really looked like. If you asked me what I did on say, June 17th of 2009, I could probably give you a good guess based on my calendar and job at the time.If you asked me what I was doing June 17th of 2012, I can't even picture it. Except to say that I was probably going through my routine of feeding, pumping, putting babies to sleep, over and over again. People told me the first 3 months would be a blur, and for the most part, they are. I have plenty of photos and videos, and of course memories, but recalling just how tiny they were now is so hard. 

A few weeks old. Baby boy on the left, baby girl on the right.

The biggest smile you'll see. (baby boy)

Feisty and full of personality, this one. (baby girl)

Of course, most things are easier now, but then other things get harder. I like that they are mobile for the most part, but it's exhausting trying to contain two crawlers going in two different directions. They are also learning how to get our attention and testing boundaries. And, it amazes me at how different the two really are already. 

I think this winter ( I hope) will go down as one of my most difficult. I was alone for the majority of evenings and every part of my being was challenged. I hope that I learned something from it all. Right now all I can really think of is that I don't think I could ever be a stay at home mom. Or a single parent. Not that I was an actual single parent, but parts of what I did were probably similar. 

We had an amazing party for our duo because of our family and friends. There was cake smashing, wrapping paper ripping, and lots of attention getting. We went with a Mickey and Minnie Mouse theme. Their names also start with M, so it was really full circle.

My little mister was really hamming it up for all of his admirers.

Little lady wasn't quite as receptive, but she still had fun and got to eat frosting. 

 

She must have been tired from taking her first steps the day before. (!)

We would have never made it this far without all of the support from everyone in our lives, including you. It truly does take a village.

Being realistic

So thank you for those who responded to my last post. I feel like a bad blogger for not acknowledging your support until now. 

I know it's lame, but I just have been too busy to formulate anything worth typing out. I often come up with the best blog post ideas when I am out running, but then never remember to sit down and put pen to paper so to speak. Or I guess remember isn't the right word. More like never find time. 

On the forefront of blog related topics is my decision (or not) to run a 1/2 or long-ish race in May. I was optimistic in March when I was consistently getting in 3-4 week day runs, a decent long run, and a lifting session each week. My 7k race was rather lackluster given the weather, but it felt good and was encouraging. 

Fast forward to April, and things have escalated quickly. Work has picked up and I am bringing stuff home in the evenings once again. I am missing some of my lunch time running again because of work. I am not complaining though. This job is much more enjoyable and doesn't feel nearly as much like work as when I was putting in this much time at my previous job.  

Oh and those babies I have? Are turning ONE in two weeks. Yeah. There's that. We are planning a little family shindig, and as easy as one can make a party, it's still work and coordination. That same weekend we are also getting some professional photos done for the duo, so finding outfits, shoes, etc. has been some extra effort. 

With all of the above, I haven't been getting in the quality running I thought I would. It's okay. There are much more important things right now and spending time with my soon to be one year-olds is tops. 

After some careful thought, I've decided to scrap the idea of a 10+ mile race in May. I have a 10k coming up on 4/27 and depending on how it goes with my current level of fitness, will either look for a few more 10k's or 5k's for the summer. I want to keep up my 3-4 week day runs and one long run a week with the idea that getting into 1/2 marathon shape would only take a few extra weeks of careful training. 

So that's where I am at with running. I hope to share some fun photos and stories from the next few weeks and of course a 10k race recap. 

Get Lucky 7k recap

Going into this race, I kept up a decent schedule of long runs and some speed work. It was only a few weeks worth, but I felt better than I had in a while about my running. I was looking forward to seeing what I could do, then the weather got crappy. And cold. The temp was 16F when I woke up that morning, and we had a nice layer of snow over ice from the night before. After the weather we had that week, I sort of let go of any expectations knowing it was going to be brutal. 

I drove myself down to the race and already regretting my decision not to park further away and started getting stuck in traffic of those that were trying to do the same thing as me. I found a spot on the street, but the meter wouldn't take my credit card because the accept button was frozen. I can't make this stuff up. Fortunately, I found a ramp that was still open. A bunch of people were huddled in the lobby trying to keep warm. I didn't want to be shoving my way into the start, so I soldiered on outside. Dang it was cold. My toes were frozen immediately. 

I jogged over to the start and met up with a friend.. He is one of those natural runners that is just always fast. We hung out near the 8:30 per minute mile markers and waited for our wave to start. I started with him and tried to keep up with him even though he was "taking it easy". The first mile was completely icy. It was impossible to get traction. There was a break when we hit a salted road, but the icy patches were everywhere so I would be going, but then lose my footing at no notice. Oh and my toes were frozen, making it even harder to sense my footing. I lost my friend at about the 2.5 mile mark. I could still see him for a while, but between dodging ice and other runners/walkers, I had to let him go. 

Anyway, I kept a pretty steady pace the whole way and kept myself just a little uncomfortable pace wise the whole way. I ended up with an 8:23 average pace and a total time of 36:23. My goal going in was just to finish under 9 minute miles, so with the conditions, I was pleased. I think I was 70ish out of over 3000 in the 30-39 AG. For reference, I ran this same race two years ago with a time of 33:40.

I am not sure I will do this race again next year. The swag is great ( I love the sweatshirt you get) but it is getting ridiculously crowded. There were almost 10,000 runners. There were people still in the starting corals when I finished, and I am so glad I lined up to start where I did. 

In the end it felt great to race again. And I hope someday I can get back to where I was two years ago, but I know i have to be patient. As hard as it is. Up next: Get in Gear 10k on 4/27. I made the tough decision not to do a 1/2 marathon in May. I might not do one until fall. I will reevaluate in a month and see if a June or July 1/2 is going to be realistic. For now, I think the 10k distance will suit me. I have another one in June on the docket. 

Finally, here are some not purchased race photos! I am might have been the only one not wearing any green. 

Is this real life?

The impending shut down of Google Reader has had me really debating my role in this whole blog world as a creator and a consumer. When I first started this thing many years ago, it was a way to keep myself accountable to a new fitness and eating regimen and track my workouts. Last night I ate cereal for dinner. To say that the blog has taken a backseat is an understatement. I just don't have time to do what I want with it. I would love to spend time redesigning things, organizing posts better, etc. So why even bother to keep it up?

The one draw I have is that someday, some year, it will be a great journal of sorts to look back on and see what life was like in 2013. (Assuming Google doesn't shut down other things like blogger and Gmail, which isn't a given I guess.) As you can imagine, I never got around to starting baby books for the babies, shocking I know. So we started email addresses for each and have been writing to them about what's going on in life. And, the blog is a way for them to look back, too, especially as I already can't remember details about their lives like when they started sleeping in their cribs or slept through the night for the first time. It's all a blur to be honest. A good blur, but still a blur. 

So, as I figure out what I want to do with this space, I hope you will hang out with me. I have a race recap to post (waiting for photos) and some other workout related fodder. And whether you like it or not, I am sure I will be posting a lot about the Big One Year, which is only a month away. I also hope to actually DO more things like go on walks, use a jogging stroller, go to the parks, etc. You know things that people do who don't live in this state of perpetual winter like I do. 

As for the consumer side, I have seen a few Google Reader alternatives. So far Bloglovin looks the most appealing. But I hate change when it comes to my computer and software, so this transition will be fitful. 

Anyone have an alternative to Google Reader they have used and love? 

Double digits

We've reached double digits! 10 months old. I was reminiscing and looking at photos and videos of when they were smaller, and I can hardly remember those days. Sad, but exciting all at the same time. Tiny babies are cute and snuggly, but I think I am enjoying this interaction and activity stage much better. Baby girl has moved quickly from crawling to pulling herself up to standing, to now attempting to just stand up in the middle of a room with no support. She is rather adventurous. 

Baby boy is just chillin' for the most part. He scoots and rolls around, but hasn't quite gotten around to crawling yet. I am okay with that. Chasing one baby is plenty of work right now. 

Both are clapping, doing "so big" and waving. They are also starting to talk to each other and laugh (and cry) when the other does. I'm sure it's comforting to them to have each other at daycare. They have other friends but I bet it's nice to have that familiar face throughout the day. 

At the moment, their favorite foods are chicken breast and pancakes. As we try more real food with them, I'm sure this will evolve. It is pretty cute to see them excited about food and knowing what is coming when they are getting into their high chair. 

Another milestone was our first outing as a family to a sit down restaurant. It wasn't relaxing like dinners out of yore, but a tap beer always makes things better for mom and dad. We kept the babies entertained with food from our plates and it worked well. We also ordered our food right away, and asked for the check as soon as possible. I am thinking we have a grace period when they sit in the high chair and are placated with food for a few months. I've heard that going out to eat with older toddlers can be quite the challenge. 

Me? Trouble?

Never!

Mister and Mom

Playing toys, his favorite. 

In other less cute happenings, I am starting to realize that my 7k race is quickly approaching. I know it's not a long race, but it's my first in a long time and I don't want to be totally unprepared. My tolerance for the treadmill is waning each day and the weather has not been pleasant. There seems to be a couple snowy days each week leading to annoyingly covered roads and trails and then it turns bitterly cold - too cold for me. There are SO many reasons I am dying for Spring to be here, but outdoor running is definitely one of them. I don't have huge goals for that race, but I would love to make it slightly under 9 minute miles. 

Besides the 7k on 3/16, I keep hoping that I can get in a 1/2 marathon in May or June. I won't know if this is realistic or not until a few weeks into March when my baby daddy is done with his winter job.  Here's hoping a 1/2 is on the horizon sooner than later. 

I was happy with my mileage for January and February - both 51 miles. I was hoping for more in February, but I was sick for about 5 days and it was a short month. I am getting close to the double digits in long runs, too. I made it out for 8 on Sunday and it was fairly easy (?). I averaged 9:00-9:20 minute miles. Feels good to be able and go out and run for over an hour again.