Busy, busy, busy

Well, clearly it's been a busy month.  So much has been going on at work and just life in general that I haven't really had the time to do much (ok, any) updating. But I'm sure you're just dying to know what I've been up to in terms of running.  Maybe life in general too, I don't know.  Let's see, the month of November went by faster than any month in the history of my life.  Seriously, it was so fast, I feel like I missed it!
However, November was a month of accomplishments for me.  I got a few more long runs in, which is obviously necessary.  Plus I did some speed work and some hill work before boxing and I've really started to see it pay off.  Okay, so I know I left you off with election day, which I believe was my 15 mile run day.  Since then, I haven't done any runs that are quite that long, but last week I did get 20 miles for the week.  It really is a lot easier to run when you have days off during the week.  Thanksgiving break is great for extra run time.  That being said, last week I ran a 5K on Thursday and a 5K on Saturday.  In the middle of that, I decided to suck it up and try a long run on the treadmill.  I'm pleased to announce that I made it an entire 7 miles on the treadmill, in 1:03.  Obviously not my best time ever, but I'll consider it a win, since I've never made it more than 3 miles on a treadmill without wanting to cut my legs off and never run again.  Mostly I made it through by watching Pitch Perfect on the iPad.  That and a lot of Tailwind.  Now, onto my real 5Ks.
Thursday was Thanksgiving, which is apparently the day for all mankind to get out and run.  Most of my friends did the 5 miles in Salem, but I opted for the cheaper 5K in Lynn.  It was cold but other than that, a good little race.  Unfortunately my toes were colder than the rest of my body, so it took a while for them to get into the flow of the run.  By the time my feet were really ready, the run was basically over! Still, I made the 3.05 run in 23:39, which was right on target for where I wanted to be.  Since it wasn't officially a 5K, I refuse to call it my fastest time.
Saturday I ran the Marblehead Back the Track 5K sponsored by Nike and put on by Shalane Flanagan's old track club.  She was there too, but I never actually got to see her because the crowd was so big. Seriously that was probably the largest little town 5K I've ever been a part of.  Again it was very cold and I didn't think enough to wear a shirt that would cover my neck.  Usually I wear a jacket that zips up to my chin, but not this time.  Because of that, my breathing was off and it was more of a struggle than I think it should have been.  Even so, I finished the 3.1 in 23:50, making it officially my fastest 5K to date and a new PR.  That time puts me at a 7:41 mile.  These times are how I know my speed/hill work on the treadmill are working.  Will it help in the long run? I don't really know, but I'm hoping the answer is yes.  By being faster now, I can slow down my long run to an easy pace that is automatically faster than my old easy pace.  For example, last year my easy pace for a marathon was in the 9s and we finished both marathons at a 10 something average mile.  This year, my easy pace seems to be closer to the mid-8s,  Which means I might be able to finish at an average of 8 or 9 something per mile.  Taking off one minute per mile for 26 miles is 26 extra minutes I could be done faster in.  I don't know if that's actually going to be the case, but I'm certainly hoping to try it out.
This weekend I have the half Merrython in Gloucester, preceded by the 2.62 fun run.  I figured since I have to get in those long runs anyways, I might as well do some with a group.  This will put me at the 15-16 mile mark. I might even just stretch it a bit further and add an extra 2 or 3 miles to get up to 18 or 20.  We'll see how I feel on Sunday.
Other than that, I've just been doing regular old work stuff.  I made a wicked awesome race bib holder and it's basically already full, but at least it got the bibs off my bookshelf.  For my winter door at work I made a giant Olaf.  Actually, it's a little bit TOO giant, but I'm not changing it now.  So there you have it, you're all caught up.  Now for the grand finale, a picture dump from the last month or so.  Enjoy!

Race bib holder

Finished and surrounded by all the bib's friends, medals.  

Just to get an idea of how many bibs there actually are on that thing.

Back the Track PR

Lynn Woods baby shirt for Ms. M. Smith!

Post race celebration because we're winners!

A beautiful running quote

And how I feel about marathon distance

Unrelated, still having trouble with Disney princess faces.  I know there's a trick in there somewhere!

Finally, giant Olaf.  His arms are longer than they look, but they had to be cut to allow the door to open, so they wrap around instead of extending out.

It's not how you start the race, it's how you finish it

As the end of the year approaches, now is a good time to reflect on my year in running.  Last December, around this date, I decided to embark on a new journey.  Unlike many others, I didn't have a real reason for this journey.  There was no major life change that I was trying to get through and I was already mostly in shape thanks to walking the dogs.  Yet I felt like it was necessary to do something new.  So I ran.  My goal was to be able to run the 2014 WDW marathon.  If we're going off goals alone, then technically, no, I did not meet my specific and set goal.  I will not be running the Disney marathon in a few weeks.  However, since I started running for real last December, I have made it from just a few 5Ks up to a 5K or more every month and completed two full marathons.  Along with those full marathons, I have completed four half-marathons and countless other distances as part of my training runs. So I think it's safe to say that even though I didn't make it to Disney, my running goal for the year has been accomplished.
Looking back, I'm still amazed that I went from 5ks to marathons in less than a year.  When I started running I flat out told Cynthia that there was no way I was ever going to run a marathon.  "That's crazy!" were my exact words.  I felt like I could barely make 4 miles, how could I ever make 26.2.  But then I signed up for a 15K.  At that time, 9 miles seemed crazy, unthinkable, out of reach.  But I did it.  After that, I though, who needs to go any further, 9 miles is more than enough, I would never want to run for more than 2 hours, no way am I running longer.  (For proof, see my previous posts, you can easily follow my progression from NO WAY, to LET'S DO THIS!)  Then some how, Cynthia convinced me to sign up for the Run to Remember half-marathon in May 2013.  I'm really not sure how that happened, but it did.  Of course I decided that a half was fine, but there was no way I was going any farther with that.  I did my training and got my miles in, and I was content with a half.  Until April.  Maybe it was the events of marathon Monday that changed my mind, or maybe my mind was changed already and I just don't remember.  Either way, after that, I started to think, if I can run a half, maybe a full isn't so crazy.  Then we ran the half, and ran it so close to under 2 hours, that I really thought, a full is something I could do someday.  I still wasn't planning on doing one this year though.
Then over the summer, Cynthia procured a transfer bib for the Marine Corps Marathon in October.  Even though I wasn't sure I wanted to run a full, I was in it now.  As we all know, I ran it and mostly enjoyed it.  So much so that three weeks later we were all signed up for Philly and lined up at the start line, once again, at 5 a.m.  Then there was another half just a few weeks ago in Gloucester.  That's the last race I've run recently, but I like to leave on a high note.  I crushed my previous recorded time of 2:01, with a new time of 1:58.
Sure, there will be more halves and fulls in the new year, and even some 5ks and 10ks. Of course I will continue with the boxing club and I have plans to stick with the Lynn Woods Running Club in the summer time as well.  I'm even throwing caution into the wind and applying to be a girls track coach at a local high school.  I have no idea where 2014 will take me but I know that if I can do all of this is one year, I can do so much more next year.

Some pictures from the Gloucester half, because I'm not sure I ever shared any.

Pre-race porta potty shot

Staying warm before the run

Finishers!

Race swag

And a pair of brand new shoes for the new year.

Flip, flip, Flip-a-delphia

   So, my marathon buddies are running the Philadelphia marathon on November 17.  They signed up on a whim today.  Am I crazy for wishing I could do it too?  By that I mean, wishing I could afford to go to Philadelphia and run it.  I know I can do it, it's more the lack of funds and having any time to get there and back home again.  Maybe I am crazy.  I can't really explain why I desperately want to run another marathon, especially so soon after the MCM.  No, I take that back. I can't explain it at all.  There's just some burning desire to run another one.  Mostly I think it stems from the idea that I'm all trained up and I'd rather do another one now, with people I know, at my pace.  If I wait, I'll end up having to re-train and who knows if anyone will be available to run with me.  At times like this, I really wish I had a running club to go with.  With a running club, I wouldn't be so reliant on two or three other people.  Maybe I can convince some work and boxing people to start a running club. Then again, maybe not.  Philadelphia still has 250 spots open and 14 days left, so I have some time to sort out my feelings and my money situation.  We'll see where that goes.
   In the meantime, yesterday I ran a 5K with Cynthia and Holly. I went to boxing in the morning and then decided to join them in their 5K.  The run went around Marblehead neck, but it was a doggy 5K.  If you're not sure, that's exactly what it sounds like.  You bring your dog and you run a 5K together.  Originally I was going to run it solo, because Nala doesn't get along with other dogs (or people really) and I didn't think Stella would be interested in running.  She likes to stop and sniff things constantly, so I figured she'd be more interested in the sidelines than the actual running.  At the last minute though, I decided to bring Stella along anyways.  When we arrived, she was pretty scared.   Usually she gets a little nervous in crowds, whining, putting her tail between her legs, regular scared dog behavior.  Of course the start of the race was no different.  While we were waiting to line up and go, she was trying to get away, all she wanted to do was run back to the car.  I managed to keep her in line, but just barely.  Then, the race started and she was a totally different dog!  She took off, I can only assume to try to keep up with or pass the other dogs, and basically dragged me along with her.  Now, I know Stella can run fast, especially off leash, for at least a few minutes.  Occasionally when she's off leash, she'll gallop in circles for a good minute or two, and then calm down and continue to trot along for the rest of the walk.  I've never seen her run at a consistent gallop for more than 5 minutes tops though.  Until yesterday.  She took off at a gallop and tried to keep that up for the first 2.5 miles.  Basically, Stella was running and I was struggling to keep up.  Stella especially sped up whenever another dog got close to passing her.  Apparently this is an ingrained trait of being the leader of the pack.  In the end, we ran just under 26 minutes.  Here's the official time:
Time: 25:56
Pace: 8:20/M
Division: 5K


    Remember how I said I wanted to get faster? I found the perfect solution.  From now on, I just need to find a pack of dogs and take Stella out for a run with me.  I'll have my time back down to 24 minutes in no time!  She did kind of taper off at the end, but she pulled through, making it across the finish line, and even speeding up just a little bit again on the last hill.   Of course I have some awesome pictures to share in a moment.
   Today, Morty ran his first kid's race, so I HAD to go see it.  He ran as part of Katie's Race, in Wayland.  First, his dad ran the 5K while pushing Mort in his stroller, then Morty got in his gait trainer and ran a lap around the gym.  It was super cute.  There were a ton of other children there too, and everyone was cheering Morty on.  He loved every minute of it, he was laughing and smiling the entire way around.  Then there was a longer kid's race that we watched.  I'm fairly certain it was a mile run, since the children seem to have lapped 4 times.  There was one boy running though who looked like he was in it to win it.  He was wearing serious under armor running gear and was really pushing hard the whole race.  I'm sure he'll be winning 5Ks and track meets in a few more years.  Overall, a fun little weekend, filled with running, even though I said I wasn't going to run anymore.

I love this picture, mostly because of Stella's face.  She looks nervous, like she knows it's her first race.

All lined up at the start

Finishers! Holly and Cynthia came in 1st and 3rd in our age group!

Crossing the finish

Stella was walking at this point

Whew, all over!

Running buddies

Morty having a great time running.

Getting his medal

So proud of his medal!

Now what?

So, the marathon excitement has waned...at least enough that I can walk around like a normal human being again, and not some superhuman.  (Yes, I did walk around like I was all that, because I WAS ALL THAT MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM) But since that's worn off, all I have left is the now what?  For the first time in months, my Sunday will not be spent long running.  I don't have to worry about making a wrong move and breaking a leg, foot, ankle, toe, etc.  My running shoes don't need to be in the forefront of my closet anymore.  I could actually wear non-workout clothes on the weekends.  (I could, doesn't mean I will!) So, seriously, now what? Suddenly I'm afraid I'll fall completely out of shape and end up not fitting into my wedding dress, even though it hasn't been sized or anything yet, so that's basically a non-factor.  Of course I plan to continue boxing/kickboxing at Title.  I was going three times a week, and I might be interested in upping it to four times.  Boxing is a lot of fun, the trainers are a blast, and it really is a great workout. Actually, if you're ever interested in going, I recommend the Alex or Lucas classes.  They're CRAZY hard, and somehow lots of fun, as long as you don't mind sweating all over the place.   However, I'm not sure that ONLY boxing all the time is the best workout plan.  Now that I don't have to run 10+ miles every week, I don't mind going out and running when the weather is nice or just if I feel like it.  Yesterday I did a quick 5K around Lake Q in just over 27 minutes actually.  I have noticed that running everything at marathon pace has brought my 5K time back up a little bit, from 25 back to 27, but really that's not a huge deal.
The question really is, where do I go from here?  Do I want to run another marathon?  Maybe I want to stick to only running half marathons.  Perhaps I should work on my speed and get my 5K back down to a 24/25 minute run, or lower if possible.  Should I try a Spartan race, Warrior Dash, or Tough Mudder? How about trying to lower my marathon time and make an attempt to qualify for Boston in a few years?  See how complicated this all is?  I know I'm probably over thinking everything, but I just like to have a plan.  Seems to me that everything in my life works better when I have a goal to meet.
For example: I wanted to be a teacher, so I went to grad school, passed my MTELs, worked as a sub, aide, etc, and got a job.  Goal met.  Check that off the bucket list, if you wish.
Goal 2: I wanted to run a marathon. I went out, trained, and ran a marathon, in a reasonable time at that.  Goal met. Check that off.
Both of these goals were long term goals.  They took a lot of time, effort, and mental as well as physical strength to complete.  So it seems weird to me that I don't have a looming goal to meet.  Obviously there's a wedding coming up, but that's not a goal, that's a life changer.  It's not the same as having a goal to work towards.  Alright, so I've gone on about this and gotten no further in my thinking.  If you have an answer, throw it at me.  Now what?

Case in point: Every race bib and medal I've used/won over the past year (except the MCM, that one has a special spot and is still on display on my bookshelf.  Maybe I'm not QUITE over it yet) That's a lot to just cut out.

Btw, here's a picture of my Halloween costume.  I consider it a minor failure, because the children thought I was, a) Lala Loopsy, b) The White Rabbit c) Abraham Lincoln. (No, that last one is not a joke).  If you're not sure, I was a snowman.  It was a fairly easy last minute costume considering I had the shirt from a Christmas themed 5K we did last year, the scarf because scarves are still in (I think?) and the hat, which I had to remake just a little bit.  All I really added was a long sleeve white shirt and white jeans.  Perfect last minute costume even if none of the kids got it. 

Happy Halloween.

PS: Sox won the World Series, at Fenway last night. If you're not from Boston, you won't even be able to understand that. If you are, you know why that's some of the best news out of Boston this year.

I know, I know,I slacked off!

Alright, so I haven't been the best blogger this month. It's been a pretty busy month with the tutoring after school, checking out venues, and preparing for my first half.  But, now that everything is winding down, I'm free to update again! Rejoice, rejoice.
Today was the Boston Run to Remember.  There were 10,000 runners, which was crazy.  Some people were only doing the 5 miler, but that's still a ton of people.  Last weekend I went for a 13 mile run alone, just to make sure I could do it this weekend.  A week ago, my time was 2:05.  The goal of today was really to break 2:00.  This is how close I came to that goal: 3136 707/1603 F1929 2:01:03 9:14 2:02:18 Allison Runyan 28 F 6528 Lynn MA. The official time was 2:02:18, my time, as you can see bolded and underlined, was 2:01:03.  I missed making the 2 hour mark by seconds.  Seriously.  I'm a little bummed about that, even though I know I shouldn't be.  2:01 for my first half is a fantastic time.  But, when I want to reach a goal, it's always slightly sad when I don't.
The weather for the run was actually pretty bad.  I originally signed up for this race because it was at the end of May so I figured the weather might be hot, but not overbearing.  Turns out, it was the exact opposite. Start time was 7:00 a.m. and the weather at that time was 41 degrees with a wind chill that made it feel like 33.  (I got that direct from the weather channel, I didn't make it up!)  Seriously, at the end of May.  Plus, it was rainy off and on.  Weather aside, the run was actually pretty good.  I felt great basically the entire time.  I went through a lot of sport beans, especially in the last four miles, but it was worth it.  My legs are a little sore, but nothing too crazy.  Overall, a wonderful experience for my first half.  Plus, Ryan came out to watch, so double bonus.
Earlier in the week, I volunteered to stuff packets for the race, which turned out to be more fun than I expected, even though I didn't win any prizes from the raffles.  What I did get was free pizza, and really, that's the best prize there is.  Yesterday I went to the race expo to pick up my number and get some free swag, of which I got none, but whatever.  Then I went over to Boyleston with Cynthia, Murdock, and some of her family.  We stopped by the marathon memorial and had lunch at the Pru, in the middle of an anime convention.  I told you I've been busy!
Other than that, not much happening.  Ryan's mom and sister came to visit, I checked out a couple of venues, and Ryan's dad is coming in two weeks.  Next weekend I also have the last race in the Will Run for Beer series.  I'll finally get my jacket and be done with that, which is really a long time, considering it started back in January.  Cynthia is trying to get me a bib for the Marine Corps Marathon in D.C. this October as well.  I'm not really sure how I feel about that.  In the meantime, I think I have to find another half to run, just to get that time down.  With the end of the school year SLOWLY creeping up, I might be able to get more time in for everything, running included.  We'll see.

Frozen Shamrock

Remember that race from February that was postponed?  Today was the reschedule.  Even though it wasn't quite so frozen anymore, it was a nice race.  To be honest, I wasn't even really looking forward to running today.  I know I had too, but it was just one of those days.  But, I went out and did it anyways, which was necessary, because you know, if you spend the money, you might as well make it to the race right?  Anyways, I've been trying to do some speed training, which is as miserable as it sounds.  Basically, I take my normal pace and run down the beach.  At random intervals, usually between two telephone poles, I sprint, or at least, attempt to.  The theory is that speeding up for random intervals will increase lung power and endurance, overall making your running faster.  Supposedly running up and down large hills 5/6 times during a run will do the same.  Neither option is ideal, lets be serious.  But, I've been hoping to get my time down under 9 minutes, since I feel like I've been stuck there for a few months, so I've been out there doing it.  Not often, maybe once a week, which is not as often as I want to do it.  I'm hoping that combined with long runs, it will all pay off. (It sort of did last week in an unrelated note.  I went to the beach to run and happened to stumble into the new David O. Russell film being shot.  That's right, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and some others were filming across the street from where I was running.  BONUS!)
Well, anyways, the gist of it is that I've been working on increasing my speed and decreasing my time.  Here's the good news.  Today I ran the 5K in 24:40.  Yes, that's right.  From 27/28 down to 24.  That's at least a minute off each mile.  Before you ask, it wasn't totally flat.  There was a nice hill right after the first mile.  Here's my official stats, according to coolrunning.

 191  14/81   F2029   ALLISON RUNYAN   24:37.9  8:13    8:19.0   16:16.4   24:44.1 

That's 191 overall, out of over 700 people, 14 of 81 people in my age group. My time is 24:37, gun time is 24:44.   Basically, a fantastic run.  The best I've had so far.  I am super pumped for this new time, but a little worried about it too. Now I expect myself to run any 5K at that speed so if I don't, I will be disappointed in myself.  Anyways, that's my brag for the day.  Here are some pictures from the race.  Ryan was loving enough to come with me and wait for me at the finish line, so he took the pictures too.  

Busy running weekend

This weekend I had two races. On Saturday, we had the 2nd Will Run for Beer race in the series.  There was actually supposed to be a half marathon a couple of weekends ago, but due to a snow storm, it was cancelled.  Not that I was running it anyways, but that's so not the point! So, Saturday, the race was at 9 am up in Salisbury, right along the beach.  It should have been a nice easy course.  It was an early race and the entire course was flat.  Not a big deal, considering I've been running basically that every time I run Lynn beach. Yet, for some reason, it was the worst race I've ever run.  I don't mean time-wise, in that aspect, it was fine, just under 28.  4 seconds under, nothing to write home about.  But the race itself was miserable.  My body just did not want to run.  I could blame the wind or the fact that I didn't feel great, but I know the truth.  It was the Wendy's I ate on Friday night.  For real.  Normally I don't care too much about eating good food 24/7, but I should not have had Wendy's the night before a 5K.  It was seriously miserable, to the point where I thought I was going to throw up when I crossed the finish line.  That hasn't happened in a long time, so I knew that was a problem.  There were a lot of us running yesterday and we all finished right around the same time.  Cynthia's husband as well as her brother and his girlfriend came in around 24 minutes, maybe a bit sooner, but Cynthia, Katie, and I came in right on each others heels.  The others were just a couple of minutes behind so it wasn't too bad.  I mean, the time, not the run.  Ryan came, which was lovely, but I'm fairly certain he was bored out of his mind.  On top of that, the sea was churning and it was high tide, so the waves were washing up into the start/finish and causing puddles and problems.  It definitely wasn't my favorite race, which is sad, because the course itself was gorgeous.

This is everyone that ran and a few that didn't as well.

Ryan and I after the race, in between crashing waves.

Today, Sunday, was the third race in the Wild Rover series, but really, the second due to the same snowstorm mentioned earlier.  This was a 5 miler in Lowell, set to take place at 1 pm, and I was not looking forward to it.  To make matters worse, last night was Daylight Savings, so I lost a precious hour of sleep.  I also think I'm getting some type of chest cold, and was covered in vapor rub.  I was a little concerned that I would have trouble breathing during the 5 miler, but as I had already paid, there was no way I was skipping it.  If anything, I figured I would walk it if I had too. Going in, I knew there were hills but I wasn't sure how large they would be.  Turns out, they weren't too bad.  It was a nice day for a run, sunny and warm-ish.  I regretted not wearing my sunglasses, but it wasn't too bad without them.  My knee hasn't really been hurting, but my toes haven't been comfortable in my Clima-warms, so I thought I would go back to my old Clima-cools.  Turns out, I think I found the root of the knee problem.  Looks like those shoes have got to go.  Time for new running shoes? I think it might be.
Before the race, I decided I wanted to try something new to listen to on my run. I thought Zombies was using a lot of data, so I decided to cool it on that, but I was wrong and it's actually not using that much.  Today though, I went a different route and tried Audible.  Strangely, I felt like I was getting sick of my running music and when that happens, it makes for a very boring run.  So I bought a membership to audible and threw on an audio-book while I ran.  I went with a book I already knew and loved, and I figured if anything, I would have my music as a back up.  I actually enjoyed listening to the book while I was running.  It gave me something to focus on besides the people around me and the same old music.  I think I'll keep that up for a little bit, at least until I finish listening to the book.  Plus I have one more credit so that's two books.  Those should get me through a couple of runs at least.
As I was running, I kept passing the time signs and I was little bummed out because it seemed like I was doing worse than usual.  The times were around 10:50 for each mile. It wasn't until mile 3 that I remembered that I didn't actually cross the start at the gun time, so I could cut off a couple of seconds at least.  Then, the last mile was all downhill, so I put on a little extra speed for that.  I crossed the finish line at 48:56, but my actual time was 48:05.  Not bad for five miles with hills. I was proud of myself.  Since this was supposed to be the last race of the Wild Rover, the medal was huge.  Somehow I walked right by the guys handing them out at the finish and almost didn't get one.  The race volunteers were directing those of us who came off the finish line around the corner and they wouldn't let you go back and get a medal, since it was right after you crossed and lots of people were coming in.  But there was no way I was leaving without my medal.  The volunteer was kind of rude, but as I wasn't the only person who missed the medals, I tend to think that perhaps it wasn't the best place to hand them out.
Overall, not a bad weekend, but I definitely enjoyed today's run a lot more than yesterdays.  There aren't any races for another week or two, (thank god!), so I think in the meantime, I'm going to practice my speed.  Someone mentioned interval training, sprinting and then slowing down to regular pace, so I think I might work on that.  Maybe by the next race, I can take another 35 seconds off my time.  I'm aiming for 1 minute, but I'll settle for half a minute for now. By the final race though, I'll be 1 minute faster.  That's all for now, and in case you didn't believe me about the medal being huge, here's a picture, of course.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back outside

More snow.  Seriously.  Another foot or so fell on us today.  Right after almost all the old snow had melted away and it seemed like the weather was turning into perfect spring outdoor running weather. Now we're right back at square one.  Sidewalks are slushy and icy again, and everything is gross out. It's too bad though, because on Tuesday I went for a 4 mile run down the beach, and it was actually starting to feel like Spring!
However, yesterday, before the snow started to stick, I took Nala for a run at the beach.  We went 3 miles, which doesn't seem like much, but it was windy and rainy and icy and snowy all at once.  Good thing it was low tide, or we would've been destroyed by the 15 foot waves.  I can't honestly say that Nala enjoyed the run, but once I stopped running against the wind I actually did sort of enjoy it.
Today we had ANOTHER snow day.  Yay! Seriously though, I'm sick of snow days.  Along with the hurricane days, this makes 6 and I'd rather be in school in the winter when the world is miserable, than in June when it's gorgeous out.  On the plus side, staying home gave me a chance to watch my way through all the S.E. Hinton book to movie adaptations I could find. I started with The Outsiders (last night) because that's my all time favorite S.E. Hinton book and I could seriously watch that movie/read that book a million times and never get sick of it.  Not a million times in a row, but definitely a million times.  I think I just love how well C. Thomas Howell portrayed Ponyboy.  I really like Rob Lowe as Sodapop too, but the rest of the cast I'm not too fond of.  I suppose Patrick Swayze made an ok Darrel, though I don't picture him like that.  But Matt Dillon just does not fit Dallas Winston, and I HATE Tom Cruise as Steve Randall.  I suppose Emilio Estevez and Ralph Macchio are okay as Two-Bit and Johnny, but again, that's not how I picture them.  Anyways, after I watched The Outsiders I moved onto Rumble Fish, which I actually did not enjoy one bit.  I just couldn't get into it.  I think that was also my least favorite book, looking back.  Next I went looking for That Was Then, This is Now, but it wasn't available for instant streaming.  Finally, I found Tex.  I was actually pretty pumped.  Tex runs a close second to The Outsiders and I can't believe I never knew there was a movie made about it.  The movie was pretty good too.  Matt Dillon made a much better Tex than he did Dallas Winston.  The guy playing Mason was a bit too old, but other than that, I really liked it. I'll probably add it to my movie collection at some point.
Alright, I know I got off the topic of running for a moment, but I couldn't help it. I just wanted to share my love and excitement of The Outsiders and Tex for all of you. Now I'm back on track though.  I've been thinking about cutting down on the 5Ks actually.  They've been fun and I love getting the medals and t-shirts, but they're getting pricey.  I'm set up until June, but I think after that, I'm going to knock it back a bit.  I can run 5Ks without paying, why bother paying?  For a while, I think I'll stick to one race a month, and only a 10K or higher.  My only disclaimer is that if it's a fun-run, like the Color Run or Foam fest, I'll make an exception.  No more race series though.  I just want to save some money.
One last thing before I go.  For those of you who don't know why snow being on the sidewalks might be a big deal, let me put it out there for you.  My 4 mile run on Tuesday took 37 minutes and my 3 mile run yesterday took 30 minutes.  Today, I took a 1 mile walk around the neighborhood.  It took me 30 minutes to tromp through all the snow and by the end, I was so sweaty, I felt like I had been working harder than I have been while running.  That's why it's so miserable.  Here are some Charity Miles for you to enjoy now.

1st run

Happy New Year!
If you're making a resolution, good luck with that.  Personally, I skip the New Years resolutions.  Oddly enough, I tend to give something up for Lent and follow that 40 day rule.  I find it easier than making a resolution because I tell myself, it's only 40 days.  Usually by the time the 40 days are up, I find I no longer want what I gave up anyways, so I don't go back to it.  I'm not really highly religious, so I don't know why I follow the Lent rule, but it works for me which is really all that matters.
To start this year off right, a couple of friends and I signed up for a 5K/10K.  I commend them for getting up after a long night of celebrating and coming out to run.  It was a really nice day out, but awfully cold.  I think the temperature was somewhere around 32 - 35 (Farenheit of course.)  Thankfully the course was almost entirely flat.  The streets could've been set up a bit better as there were cars coming towards us and at one point, we were running on a major 2 lane highway, which was open for normal driving.  The race itself was set up nicely.  We started and ended at the Lowell Elks Club, they had timing mats that told you the results immediately after, and there was food and drink.  All in all, a nice run, better than some of the big name runs I've been too.
My goal when I got there this morning was to beat my time from the Jingle Bell Run that I did back in December.  That was also a 5k but there were a lot more hills. That being said, my time from the Jingle Bell Run was  31:09 at a 10 min pace. My time from today was 30:54 at a 9.5 min pace.  So I did beat my last time, but not by a lot.  I was hoping to come in around 29 or 28.  I probably could have gone a little bit faster than I did, but there's always next time. I think I"m going to start adding a mile onto my training runs and work my way up to a 10K.  Maybe by the last race of the series, in June, I'll be able to do one.  And now, as always, some pictures.

Before the race.  Two of these lovely ladies ran the 10K. Way to go girls!  The rest of us just stuck to the 5K.

Sadly, we didn't get a group shot for the after.  The medals were wine stoppers!