My Bandanna

In January of 2007, I invited a bunch of my friends to run the Lady Track Shack 5K in Winter Park. The proceeds from the race help to cover the costs of mammograms for under-privileged women in Central Florida. I wanted to run this race as a tribute my mom, who had breast cancer and passed away in October of 2001.



I wanted to find a way for us to show our solidarity and a way to show that we were running as a group, even if we weren't running together. I have run with bandannas for a long, long time and while I was out and about one day, I found the, now infamous, pink camouflage bandannas. I bought enough for the whole crew and a few extras, in case someone decided late in the game to run with us. I ended up with several extras.

I liked the pink camo because it was girly, but tough.

I have worn one of those pink camouflage bandannas at every race I have run since then.

Saturday morning after I had gone back to my car to drop off my race packet I was headed to meet Chris someone behind me called "Maddy?"

It was my friend Janice who was training for the Dublin Marathon with Team in Training while I was training for San Francisco. She said with that bandanna, she knew it had to be me.

David was also able to find me Saturday morning after the race, he didn't attribute it to the bandanna, but I would bet it made me easy to spot in the crowd. At 5'2, I'm probably pretty easy to miss, but with some pink camo on my head, it's easy to find me.

Jim spotted me too, thanks to the bandanna. And my friend Angie, who I ran the majority of the DeLeon Springs Half Marathon with came over and said, I knew it was you because of your bandanna.

Rest assured peeps, those pink camo bandannas are here to stay. At least until they are thread bare. Then what? Maybe I should see if I can get some more...

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Early Saturday evening, the sore throat I was feeling when I woke up Saturday morning was developing into a full-blown cold. With many, many doses of Airborne (yes, I truly believe it works) I am feeling a little better. I eeked out 3.25 miles yesterday and 4 miles today for a total of 101.20 miles for the month.

Year to date I have run 220.33. Even with a miserable February (just over 16 miles - for the entire month) I am still on track for my mileage goal of at least 1,000 for the year.

Winter Park Road Race / Simply Stu Relay :: Race Report

I knew it would be an early day today, so last night I wanted to get to bed early. I had a hard time falling asleep, which is unusal for me. I can sleep virtually anywhere, anytime. I laid down around 10:30, which was later than I wanted to, and while the 10:00 news was still on, I did fall asleep.

My alarm was set for 4:45 AM and then I hit the snooze and at 4:50 AM I got up and got ready to go. I mildly concerned that my throat was a little sore, but it wasn't that big of a deal. By 5:30 AM, I was out the door and on my way to Winter Park.

With little traffic, I was in the parking garage on the corner of Canton and Park in less than 45 minutes. I was meeting up with Marathon Chris at 6:45 AM.

I never made it to Orlando this past week so I planned to pick up my race packet this morning. I had plenty of time get my packet, get my number pinned on, take my stuff back to my car and meet Chris on time.

The start line was in a different spot this year. Last year it was on a side street and this year it was right on Park Avenue. It caused a great deal of congestion for the first quarter of a mile or so and it was hard to get around people who weren't moving as fast as I wanted to go.

The course winds through a high-end residental area and it is really, really pretty. There were several people in their driveways watching, waiting for friends, or maybe just amazed by the 2,000 people tearing by.

The first two miles were right around a 9:15 pace. I created a new playlist last night and the music was helping me keep a decent pace. I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, I would have a chance at a PR.

Mile three was a little slower, about 9:30. I started doing the PR math in my head. Would I be able to do it?

By mile five I thought a PR would still be possible, but it might be close.

I was starting to feel a little struggle from within, but I tried my best to push past it. As we made our way back to Park Avenue, I pushed myself hard. At the same time I tried not to look at my watch.

I crossed the mats but it wasn't enough.

My chip time was 58:17. Ten seconds slower than my PR... Ten seconds.


I grabbed two bottles of water and headed to the other side of the finish line to cheer for Chris. I didn't wait long because she was right behind me with a brand new PR!

Chris and I went in search of the post-race food and I grabbed an orange slice and half a bagel. As we walked we ran into David. We chatted for a bit and then we parted ways.

Then we saw Jim, who, like Chris, got a brand-spanking-new 10K PR.

Overall, I'm pleased with my race today. Sure, I would have loved to have gotten a PR today, but I made the decision that anything under an hour would make me happy.

Next year, I'll be faster.

Team 330 :: SimplyStu Relay Team

This weekend is the SimplyStu Triathalon. Susan who is recovering from a Peroneal Tendon tear and has not been able to run, mentioned she was feeling unprepared for the event.


Susan

Susan has been able to ride her awesome bike Daisy, but was feeling unprepared for the swim. I commented on her blog post that maybe we could form a relay team. I thought that maybe my 10k could count as a double event.


That's me, but you probably knew that...

And then the ball started rolling.

Susan liked the idea. Ran the idea past Shirley and then Susan asked Petra who is also recovering from injury, and practicing in the pool, if she would be interested in swimming this weekend.


Petra

Petra said yes.

And just like that we had a triathalon relay team.

Susan suggested we get a number. And we became number 330 or "Team 330".

Why 330?

Because we're 3 chicks in our 30's.

Oh, and by the way... We rock!

Winter Park Road Race

This Saturday is the CNL Bank Winter Park Road Race This will be my third 10K race. I ran this race last year and and bested my 10K PR from the Disney Classic 10K on October 8, 2000 by more than ten minutes.



Last year I completed the race in 58:07. I was thrilled to be under an hour. So this year, will I be able to keep it under an hour? Will I be able to do better than last year? We'll see...

I am excited to meet up again with Marathon Chris on Saturday morning. We met up last year before the Winter Park Road Race and the plan is to meet up again.

David will also be running in Winter Park this Saturday. I hope to see him also. I missed him at the Winter Park 5K in January. David, Look for the Pink Camouflage Bandanna. You'll find me.

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Last Saturday morning, I got up at 5:30 AM. My six year old daughter had snuck into our bed to sleep. If she gets caught, she is sent back to her own bed. Apparently, I made too much noise and sleeping beauty woke up. "Mama" she whispered.

"What?" I asked.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to run" I told her.

"Where are you running?"

"I'm going to Winter Garden."

"How many miles are you going?" She continued to question.

"I'm going ten miles." I answered.

"Oh.".

"Now go back to bed" I told her.

She laid back down, closed her eyes and was soon asleep again.

I thought it was pretty cool and a little amusing that to her, ten miles is just another run.

My Better is Better Than Your Better

Have you seen the new Nike commercials?

The competitor in me LOVES them!

The first commercial has some of the best "in your face" comments this side of "your momma" jokes. Which one is your favorite?







The second commercial features "List of Demands" by Saul Williams. I liked the song so much that I downloaded it before my run this afternoon.

Who's Reading?

The wonderful Jade Lady posted some questions on her blog, inspired by a comment left by Peter. I thought I would post her questions here with my answers. Feel free to leave your answers in a comment or post them on your blog.

1. Does your significant other (or best friend) actually read your posts?

2. If they don't, do you ever feel like saying to them - just read my blog?

3. Do people tell the Internet secrets about themselves, even deep dark secrets?

4. Do you have a secret(s) that you wish you could share with others in your blog, but haven't mustered the courage to do so, for whatever reason?


1.) No, my husband does not read my blog. He knows it's there, but he doesn't read it.

2.) I understand that a running blog just isn't his thing. I write my blog and read other blogs, and when he's on the internet, he does his own thing. Like look for parts and ideas for his classic Mini Cooper. The point is, we have different online interests and it doesn't hurt my feelings.


The Super Cooper


3.) I'm sure people tell the internet deep dark secrets and post pictures of those deep dark secrets too. Benjamin Franklin said "Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead". The internet isn't exactly private. Have you Googled your name lately? You should.

4.) Hmmmm. I don't know that I have secrets that I want to share. I'm sure there have been things I have edited or omitted. But did you really want to know that I ate Easter candy for dinner tonight? Probably not.

Vote for Shirley For Team Evotri Round 2

Our good friend Shirley is entering for sponsorship with the Team Evotri Making the Team 2 Contest.

Check out her application here.


Shirley and me at The DeLeon Springs Half Marathon

Please take the time to vote for Shirley by sending an email to vote@evotri.com and put the address to Shirley's Blog - http://humbletriathlete.blogspot.com - In the subject line.

GO SHIRLEY!

Running with a Friend

One of the benefits of living near Orlando is that it's not only a vacation destination, but a big draw for conventions and tradeshows. That means that because we are all over the world, sooner or later, people end up in Orlando for either fun or work.

Last night I had the pleasure of running with Melisa, A.K.A Irish Blue who is in town for a tradeshow.

I picked her up at her hotel and we headed to International Drive. I-Drive is your typical tourist strip filled with endless t-shirt shops, restaurants, a go-kart track and Wet 'n Wild.

We ran just over 3.5 miles and had a great opportunity to get to know each other better and really just have fun. I thought it was particularly cool because Melisa has also registered for the Chicago Marathon. I get to run with the amazing Ms. M. twice this year.

After our run we headed back to Melisa's hotel. We went to the lobby and asked a guy to take our picture.



I had a great time! And I'm looking even more forward to Chicago to run again with my friend.

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Disney Update

Stop hemming and hawing peeps.

Goofy Race and a Half Challenge = Full
Half Marathon = Full
Full Marathon = 50% Full

If you were even considering the full, now is the time to get registered before it's too late!

Last Minute 5K = New PR

I got an email from Alta Vista earlier this week about their upcoming events. I was surprised to see a 5K scheduled for this morning right across the lake from me in Leesburg.

I thought about it for a while and decided to register for the Spring Fling 5K



I decided that I would go just see how I would do. I didn't want to jinx myself by putting it out there, so I just kept the race to myself. The only person who knew I was running this morning was my awesome husband.

Last night we had quite a storm and a tornado watch that lasted until 2:00 AM. I was concerned about any lingering rain that my effect the race this morning. Other than strong wind that blew right through us, the weather was fine. temps were in the low 60's.

The out and back course went through the Palmora Park neighborhood. I would guess that most of the homes were built in the 40's or 50's all the houses were well maintained and the homes on the lake were amazing. Quite honestly, they don't build them like that anymore.

I felt pretty strong the entire race and worked to keep my pace strong and steady. Of course, I started out too fast and slowed a little bit. The second mile was my slowest of the day, but I picked up the pace for the last 1.1 and beat my PR by 14 seconds.

My new PR: 27:12

I was surprised by the number of senior citizen runners. I met a very nice lady who has run in every Disney Marathon since the inception. I would guess she was in her 60's and she totally smoked me. She told me that her best time ever was about 10 years ago and it was 19 minutes. Wow! That's fast!

I stuck around for the door prize drawing a I won free lunch at The Way Cafe in Leesburg. Apparently, they have the best clam chowder this side of Hyannis Port. I'll have to post a review when I go.

I'm excited about my new PR. It's been a while since I have had a new PR and I was beginning to think that my fastest running was behind me. The race today proved (to me) that I still have it in me to push myself. Bit by bit.

The Marketing Behind Running

What happens when Honda is the title sponsor for a marathon and has final approval on the creative?

The agency, Rubin, Postaer and Associates along with artist Andy Mueller put together a clever outdoor and print campaign that got L.A on the streets.

Read the article here.

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SPOILER ALERT

Soon we will be seeing new "Sound Mind Sound Body" print ads from ASICS in Runner's World, Men's Health, InStyle and Spin. For a sneak peak click here, here and here

Bonus points if you can tell me what ASICS means. Correct answer will appear in my next post.

I'm Back!

Guess who's back?

Back again.

Maddy's back!

Tell a friend.

(Inspired by some Eminem song)

February was a miserable month mileage-wise for me. The beginning of the month was busy and I was having a hard time finding (or making) the time to run.

The middle of the month brought me to San Diego for business and I was able to only run a little more than three miles while I was there.

And then the flu.

It was frustrating to have the desire but not the ability. The lack of miles was not due to a loss of mojo, but rather the chest congestion and coughing that kept me away.

This past week, I was able to get in six miles. My days are feeling busier and busier - I may need to revisit the early morning run to make sure I am able to get my runs in. I didn't sweat it too much last week because I wanted to be sure that I was healthy.

Today, I feel like it's as good as it's going to get and with some races ahead, including the Winter Park Road Race in less than a month I was feeling like I needed to get back to it.

My run, on the treadmill (David will scold me for staying inside on such a beautiful day)started with some doubt. It had been a while since I had run long. Had I lost any fitness? How far would I be able to go without feeling like I was going to die?

I went into the run with a goal in mind, but I was leaving it open to see how I felt. I ended up reaching the goal I set for myself. I ran ten miles in 1:28:29. I was feeling it when I was done. After logging my run on breakingthetape.com and checking out some of my Nike+ challenges, my quads were really feeling those ten miles.

I took some sage advice I received last year from David and I stood in the cold pool for about five minutes and followed with a cool(er) shower.

I'm excited to feel healthy and for being able to complete those ten miles today. I am looking forward to the rest of the year and all of the races I have planned. Now the plan includes staying healthy and continuing the quest to faster race times!