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.

Wednesday night runs

As you might be aware, I've been running the Lynn Woods runs this Spring/Summer.  This year we haven't been as good at keeping up with the runs.  Last year though, we had the MCM at the end of October, so it was more necessary to participate in the long runs and actually make an effort to push through them.  This year, my training is far from needing long runs in the woods, not to mention that some people were carrying babies and couldn't run towards the end.  So, it's been a bit sporadic this year, but we've still been going and at least walking the route, so that's something.  Now, you should also know by now that I've been testing out Tailwind and making decisions based on it's powers.  Sure, I had already decided that it was worth it, but tonight really drove that point home.
Today I went for a nice 5K before boxing, because I wasn't sure if I was going to run the woods or not, and I definitely wanted to get some miles in.  I went out on my now regular route behind the boxing club and down the rail trail.  When  I set out, I wasn't planning on going hard or fast, but I guess Tailwind had different ideas.  My first mile was done in 7:59.  The last two miles were both done in 8:11.  (Yea consistency!) Overall, my 5K was done in 25:13, which, according to Garmin is a new PR for me.  Woo Woo! That came on a Wednesday, after working all day, just drinking Tailwind, with no intention of trying. Needless to say, I was pleased with myself and of course bragged all about it to the trainers at Title when I got back.  Sure, they definitely didn't care, but whatever, it was my moment.  So I did my power hour 8 rounds of boxing, ate a PB&J while driving to the woods, and decided to run the short run after all.  Again, still mostly under the influence of Tailwind.  No one else from the group was running tonight, but that's ok, I've done plenty of solo runs before.  When the short run was lined up, I jumped in and hit the trails.  Lynn Woods has some lovely hills and the run is famous for starting on the incline, so everyone slows down at first.  As I was running in, I was passing people left and right and was feeling pretty good about it, even though I figured it wouldn't last.  But, the longer we ran, the more people I passed, until I was all alone.  Up in the distance I could see a figure in a purple shirt, but I just couldn't quite catch him.  Then again, I wasn't trying that hard either.  I was convinced that I was in first place for a while, but when I caught sight of that shirt, I realized I wasn't.  However, I knew I must be close, because I had passed so many people and there was no one around me.  To the point where I couldn't even hear feet coming up behind me, so I don't even think there was anyone close to me.  Never look back, that's the first rule of running a race, so I kept my eyes forward and chased that purple shirt.  Sure, I never did catch him, but I did manage to pull out a 9:00 minute mile in the woods.  Maybe that's not that impressive, but it was enough to keep me in FIRST PLACE for female finishers.  That's right, after two years of woods runs, I finally came in first. Top five actually, even if I was number five.  Anyways, I'm proud of myself but I'm fairly certain I owe most of it to the Tailwind.  If I didn't believe it worked before, I definitely do now.

PROOF!

                                     

Click here for my Garmin Connect

And my 5K from earlier today

*These are both double links. One click will take you to the picture page. You have to click view details on that to get to the Garmin page.

Oh and here's a lovely picture I drew, just because I like the way it came out. Well, most of it. I don't love Anna's eyes. I do love how Elsa came out though. I so should have been a Disney animator.  Also, a sign for Matt D's surprise party this past Saturday. In case you're wondering, I take requests.