Ringing in Spring ~ April 7, 2012

^^ Jackie & I after the race


^^ Chris & I after the race







Ringing In Spring
Valpo
4-7-12
5K

This race will always have a special place in my heart simply because, 4 years ago, it was the first race I ever ran.
We met Jackie at WalMart, then headed over to the YMCA for the race -- parking was a logistical nightmare -- I suppose that is what happens when you have 12 year olds directing the traffic.
After parking and getting the kids together, we wandered over to kid-care....and found out that Cameron, Justin and Claire would all be in the same room, but Jill would have to be in another room because they had the 3 & 4 year olds in a room, and the 5-8 year olds in another room. I begged and pleaded with them to let Claire stay with Jill (she does NOT like being "alone") but there was no getting my way this time. After watching Jill through the window for a short while, we decided she would be sad and grumpy, but OK for an hour or so.
They have made quite a few adjustments to this race over the years, and this year the entire starting area was different. We didn't need packet pick-up because we had gotten them Friday night, but we did need gear check....after trying unsuccessfully to find it, we finally asked and were told where it was. When we did finally find it, none of us was surprised we had missed it. It was nothing but a folding table in the pavilion.....no bags to put your gear in, no tables to line it up on...just sign a piece of paper and you are done. Not my idea of "safe" -- since Chris & Jackie were only checking sweatshirts, it wasn't a big deal for us (though I dd talk to 2 friends who were NOT happy about how their purses were "checked")

After gear check, and a final potty break, we lined up. We talked to my running group coordinator, Becky, for a while, and then it was time to head out (at exactly 9:00am!!!)
There is really no good, easy way to have 2500+ people start a race. It took at least 7/8 if not a full mile to thin out to where we had some elbow room! Once it started thinning out, I realize the Chris and Becky were just ahead of me! Chris hasn't run since last November when we did the half-marathon, and I was pleased to see him taking it slow and steady -- I do, after all, need help raising our children, and an exhausted and sore Chris won't be much help ;-)
The entire race was pretty ho-hum...nothing spectacular and nothing awful happened! As we got closer to the end, I had this plan to sneak up inside of a crowd and pass Chris so that I could win my first race against him in years (the last time I beat him was September of 2009 -- I think) but, as we came down to the .17 mile stretch, he took off at a full out sprint, and I knew I'd never catch him :-(
As soon as we finished I asked him to go get the kids, and I doubled back to run with Jackie....as I followed the trail of racers back to Jackie, it occured to me that she wasn't that far behind me, and that she looked good. She looked happy, and looked strong, and was NOT limping!!!! I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear when I saw her -- I am constantly struck at just how proud of her I am. The girl has been through a lot with surgeries, physical therapy, and she just keeps going!!! Most people would have given up, or would never have tried -- but she just keeps going!!! She was walking at a ridiculously fast pace when I got to her -- I have no clue how her short legs can go that fast -- and, she did a bit of running, then went back to her speedy walk. I did warn her that when you can see the finish chute -- it's actually farther away than it looks, so don't give it your all just yet. As we rounded the last corner, she said "latah" and took off running to the finish chute. I had to reign back the tears as I watched her run away....I love that girl to pieces and am so very, very proud of her!
We all had a great run, the kids survived just fine and the post race food was available at the finish line this year, so we got to indulge for once :-)
After a quick snack for the kids, and a little playtime at the playground, we headed home....another 6.2 miles closer to our 10,000 mile goal!

Final Results:

Chris:
29:21
(9:28/ mile)
39/49 male 35-39
513/1247 overall

Julie:
29:31
(9:31/ mile)
32/112 female 30-34
529/1247 overall

Jackie:
42:28
(13:42/ mile)
102/112 female 30-34
1144/1247

Valpo 13.1

^^ Chris, quite proud of himself :-)



^^ me, frozen after the race.



^^ Chris never trains for runs, so he did a LOT of stretching after this run -- and, he was sore for a few days






^^ Chris and I at home, after the race.






It is now April of 2012, and I have pretty much forgotten most of this race.....I do remember that Chris had been wearing new work boots for the 2 weeks leading up to this race and he had a foot that was sore from something about the way his boots fit, and I was battling a cold. I didn't even want o go do the race b/c it was cold and there were 20-25 mph winds.....Chris talked me into doing it, and we wound up walking at least 9 of the 13 miles and jogging the rest of it....and, it was the first race we did together!


Final results:

Chris:
2:41:31
12:20 avg mile
40/40 male 35-39
502/535 overall

Julie:
2:41:45
12:21 average mile
45/51 female 30-34
503/535 overall

it.is.time.

our 10 year wedding anniversary is a mere 342 days away!


I'm sure we looked just like this on September 14, 2002.

The USAF marathon is kind-of a HUGE deal!!!!! Oh, and SUPER awesome!

a marathon is 26.2 miles.
TWENTY SIX point TWO miles.
*****26.2*****


We had planned on taking a cruise for our 10th wedding anniversary ~~ which we'll celebrate on September 14, 2012. Plans have changed.

What better way to celebrate 10 years together than by running 26.2 miles??? We've never run a full marathon, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather tackle this HUGE challenge with!!! And, as an added bonus, my sister and best friend will be tackling a new distance for her as well, as she takes on the 10K race!!!

I am a truly blessed person, and I love the people in my life without end -- I can't think of any better way to celebrate such a milestone!!!!

Popcorn Panic, 2011

^^ Jackie & I after the race ^^


^^ Chris and Jackie after the race, she's sad becasue he beat her after all :-( ^^


^^ Chris and I after the race -- can you smell us, man, we were R-I-P-E :-/ ^^









September 10, 2011
(9-10-11) <--- cute, huh???
Valparaiso, IN

We actually had to "hire" a babysitter for this race because my mom (go figure) bailed on us!!! The sitter was here nice and early though, so we had plenty of time before the race. The weather was perfect, the sun was shining and the birds were singing -- great day for a run!!!
We met Jackie at WalMart so we could all carpool together, as parking is non-existent in downtown Valpo. We found a spot with only mild difficulty, and headed off to get our packets. Packet pick-up was painless, Chris even scored *2* shirts -- just because he asked....Jacki was bummed b/c the walkers had completely different bibs than the runners, and they had to wear them on their backs!!! (Apparently they don't mess around with the walkers running at Popcorn Panic!!)
We took our packets back to the car before we meandered around race start HQ.....Jackie was wearing a long sleeve jacket and kept debating over whether to keep it on or put it back in the car...about 5 minutes before the race started, she decided to have Chris take it back to the car. He needed to use the porta potty anyways, so off he went.....
They started making race announcements and he still wasn't back yet!! I knew his had been having some "issues" with his stomach and was really hoping he wasn't bogged down in the porta potty and about to miss the race!!!
The race started, walkers in back (bye Jackie) and runners up front....still no sign of Chris. I took off at a smart pace (for me) I've gained some weight, and knew that it would slow me down, so I didn't want to push myself after a goal I just couldn't reasonably attain.
At every turn,I kept looking behind me, waiting to see Chris flying up beside me.....but he wasn't ever there.
The course is relatively mundane, nothing too fun or freaky - being that it was the day before Patriot Day, there was a lot of cool 9-11 stuff....and one guy had a HUGE (and I mean HUGE) speaker set up and he was blaring Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" -- it was so loud you could hear it for a good half mile before and after the speaker....that was pretty neat. My whole goal for this race was to beat Jackie, she was walking the 5K as Chris and I were running the 5 mile race. That girl has some short legs, yet somehow -- her little legs push HARD and she walks a pretty fast clip.
As I was approaching the finish line, I saw both Chris ad Jackie on the sidelines cheering me on....they were sweaty and both looked pleased with themselves!! The one thing that stinks about this run is the post-race food is in a big tents several blocks away. Which is fine, except that you can hardly get a bottle of water after crossing the finish line -- and I was thirsty!!!
W went over to the post-race tent and filled up our goody bags before heading back to WalMart to drop Jackie off.
I know that I could have run a harder race, but I'm not sure it would have been worth it....there was no chance of me placing, ,and why risk injuring myself over this kind of race???
This is Chris's favorite race of the whole year, and we will definitely be doing it again next year....and, Jackie fell in love with the race too, so we'll conquer it again in 2012. I love being able to say that!

Results:
Chris:
Total Time: 43:58
8:48 average mile
42nd out of 58 males 35-39
453rd out of 948 total runners

Julie:
Total Time: 49:13
9:51 average mile
41st out of 78 female 30-34
677th out of 948 total runners

Jackie:
Total Time: 44:51
14:28 average mile
117th out of 336 walkers (see -- the girl is F*A*S*T!!!

DeerFly 5-miler

^^ Chris prepping for the bugs -- the race aint called "DeerFly 5-miler for nothing!!^^



^^ me doing a pre-race bug spray-down! ^^



^^ my nasty shoes and feet after a muddy, messy, much-fun race ^^



^^ Chris's legs after the run ^^

Saturday, July 30, 2011
DeerFly 5-miler
Portage, IN

We found out about this race just days before the run.....saw it on a facebook page, and found out it was a no frills trail run and we were hooked! It was a whopping $6 race entry fee, and there was no legal mumbo-jumbo race form to fill out, we signed our names & ages on a sheet of paper, paid our $$ and were done! There were not many people out for the run -- it was something like 95 degrees out, and the bugs were NUTS. And, it had rained, HARD for a few days prior to the run, so the trail through the woods was wt, Wet, WET.
There were no bibs, no timing chute, no aid stations. I brought my Camelbak, and Chris carried a water bottle for the run. There was a total of 47 runners at race start time.
The race started with a quick prayer and some precautionary announcements about the depth of water in the creek that had overflowed (YIKES) and about the rugged terrain we'd be traversing -- nothing like terrifying me before a run :-)
We started by whistle and a stopwatch, and took off -- it was a single track course through 97% of the race, so I set myself promptly toward the back -- I'm a very slow trail runner!
The first .75-1 miles were pretty congested (yes, even with only 47 runners) and the odd terrain didn't help -- in some places the path was strictly a bike path, with the space allotted being only as big as a bike tire, my 1 single foot didn't even fit on it!!!!
The race wound through Imagination Glen Park, in Portage IN...we went down by a creek (I forgot the name of it already) which had overflowed up onto the bank, so it was a very slippery route across the mud and rocks -- the hard core guys ran right through the 12-16 inch water...me, I walked -- well, more like waddled in my futile attempt to stay upright (which I did) there were several almost-slips, but I didn't fall. We spent about a half-mile by the creek and its overflow puddles and messes.
Then we wound our way up through the woods.....all told, it was a 1072 foot ascent, and a 1059 foot descent across the entire run -- I think (if i remember correctly) there were also approximately 7569 tree roots, and 834 switchbacks, with 180 degree turns.....if I remember correctly ;-)
It was a super low-key, no-frills race that was incredibly fun, tough, challenging, and awesome. And, you can't be the $6 race fee + a dessert to share for the post-race 'party'
We will definitely be doing this race again next year, and I truly hope it remains a no-frills race.....it would lose some of its charisma if it became one of those over-hyped races!

Results:
Chris: 52:36
10:46 mile average
1th out of 13 men
31st out of 47 runners

Julie:
58:43 finish time
11:37 mile average
6th out of 11 female runners
38th out of 47 total runners

Buckley 5-miler

^^3 wide awake kids who are very confused why they are awake and in the car at 6:30am^^



^^ us after the run ^^



^^ us with the kids after the run -- boy oh boy, we sure did stink!!!! ^^




^^ Chris's legs & shoes after the run ^^



^^ my gross and muddy shoes after the race ^^








Saturday, July 23, 2011

The week before the race had been record-breaking hot -- we're talking heat index of 105+ for an entire week straight!!!! Makes running very hard. I didn't get in the training runs I wanted to for the month prior to the race -- hubby's job has him working too much, which leaves me no time for running (or, well, much else either) He has been working like a dog in this heat, so his body is just run down from being physically drained every.single.day.
We woke up at 5:45am, planning on leaving with 3 kids at 6:15 (Cameron was at a friends sleepover birthday party) Chris's parents were watching the little 3 and they live 5 minutes from the race.....all we had to do was get them up and dressed and throw them in the car to go. Somehow, we are late for EVERYTHING. We were slacking getting the kids in the van, then we forgot things, then we had to stop to get gas.......finally dropped the kids off at 7am and the race starts at 7:30, packet pick up ends at 7:15. This is one of my least favorite races organization wise...you park in one spot, packet pick up is a quarter mile aways from there, and the race starts a quarter mile from there -- so once you get your packet, you have to walk .25 mile (yes, I Garmin'ed it) back to the car, and from there, it a .56 mile walk to the start line. And, when you are running late, this just makes it chaotic!! After we got our packets, Chris went to use the porta-potty while I took stuff back to the van, then met him at the start line. We were there for a whole minute or so before the race began.....I hate feeling like I'm rushed into a race -- which sounds dumb because it *IS* a race.....
I put a ton of undue pressure on myself for this race because I ran an amazing (for me) race last year, and placed 2nd in my age group, so I had it in my head that I needed to place this year -- I have no idea why, I really just wanted to prove that I could hold my own with my peers in a race.
This race is comfortably predictable -- you start by the big barn (it's a county Homestead, and it's one of my fave places to run!!!) head 1.5 miles out on the road, turn around and head the 1.5 miles back in...once you get to the big barn, you head out into the field and do a 2 mile loop around the cornfield, and back up to the barn and voila -- you have an easy 5 mile road/trail run.
I was feeling fine on the road part, really regretting not having gotten more runs in -- but feeling good for the most part. I was running sub 10 minute miles, and while the heat was 'only' in the 90's the humidity was rising -- and quickly. As we neared the big barn, the man in front of me started running really weird, and after about 50 feet -- he passed out, falling head first to the pavement -- luckily, we were yelling distance to the on-site medics who rushed over to tend to him -- I stood there for a little while (about 45-60 seconds) while the truck came over to him, then went on my way. Once I turned onto the trail -- my legs were so happy to be running on grass again!!!! They had mulched the trail, but it was just easier to run on the squashed down grass beside it -- especially in my toe shoes!!! I checked my Garmin, and my time had dipped to the 10:15 range -- I was hoping that was only because I was trying to figure out if mulch or grass was better/faster......After a short while, the trail goes through the woods -- which were a muddy, sloshy, sloppy mess after last nights rain. I had to walk through several mud pits, just to keep my footing and I lost quite a bit of time navigating through all the ick in there!!! We finally got to the clearing which takes you out and back around the cornfield -- it's a nice straight shot, but it's grass ....and muddy wet grass at that. Plus, the humidity has really peaked, and I am a sweaty mess!!! I had zipped past the aid stations and was really regretting it now that it had become hot & muggy! Thus, I slowed down even more :-( I realized somewhere around the 4 mile mark that I wasn't going to place this year, and that I really needed to focus on losing this weight. I have at least 10 pounds that need to go away (though, truthfully, I don't care what the number on the scale says -- I just NEED to fit into my clothes AND have my confidence back while running) The weight has been a big problem for me, and it's become a viscous cycle of not running because it is markedly harder at a heavier weight, and the lack of running deters me from losing the weight -- and on and on......
ANYHOW........
At the 4 mile mark, I'm looking at 41:something on my Garmin -- I ran the whole thing in a 48:something last year. So, I decide to just kick it and get this race over with.....after about .25 miles of that -- I realize that I hadn't eaten, nor had I hydrated well -- and -- did I mention -- it's hot and MUGGY!!!!! UGH, so thick and sticky!!! I decide to run an easy 10 minute pace that I can maintain just to finish this beast. I know I'm close to the finish because I can hear the people cheering and that's when I make my 1.5-2 minute mistake. I came out of the field, into the woods and turned left at the clearing. After about 50-55 seconds, I realize I can no longer hear the finish line, and I see WALKERS coming at me!!!!!! I went the wrong way when I came to the clearing!!!! The walkers are headed towards the finish line, and I was headed towards them --AWAY from the finish line!!!!! I quickly turned around and headed back the way I had come, then headed the correct way out of the woods towards the finish line.
Chris was (of course) already there, and humored by the fact that I got lost on a race (this is the 3rd time) and that the dude in front of me passed out (this is the 2nd time a runner has passed in front of me DURING a race) I glance over and see an ambulance in the driveway, and I can only assume dude was fine after some fluids -- I mean, ambulances don't hang out at Homesteads if the sick person is seriously ill....do they?!?!?!
We went to check the results, and after a long wait to get the updated results -- my name and/or bib # were completely missing. There was a chance I had placed 3rd in my age group, but we couldn't find my results.... we finally found someone in charge of timing and she was no help at all, so I used my Garmin time and tried to plug in where I 'should be' on the results, and realized I had missed placing by around a minute. Bummed, we headed to pick up the kids. As we were leaving I heard the RoadRacers coach telling them that running 5 miles in this humidity is like running 7 miles on a "normal" day.....
Once we got to his parents house, we realized just how hot and humid it was and we realized just how stinky and sweaty we were -- funny the things you don't notice when you are hanging out with a bunch of sweaty, stinky runners.
Love this run, we'll continue to do it each year -- just hoping I can train better for it next year -- I'd like to place in the 30-34 female at least one more time before I move up to the 35-39 (EEEEKKKKKSSS -- can I really be close to that age group already?!?!?!?!?!)

Results: (last year's in parenthesis for comparison)

Chris:
48:06 (47:19)
9:37 mile (9:28 mile)
6 out of 6 male 35-39 ( 5 out of 6 male 30-34)
95 out of 183 runners (78 out of 172 runners)

Julie:
54:17 (48:33)
10:51 mile (9:43 mile)
6 out of 15 30-34 female (2 out of 6 30-34 female)
134 out of 183 runners (86 out of 172 runners)

Chicago's Magellan Spring Half Marathon

Chris, before the run.



Me, before the run.



Chris....cold, wet, and really tired.



Julie......cold, wet, and feeling absolutely drained.
May 15, 2011

(I am writing this report just over a month later -- which means, it's gonna be prone to exaggeration as my imagination fills in the blanks :-))

This race was the gift of a friend of a friend -- one of my friends friend was supposed to run this, but she got injured, so she gave me her bib, and we registered Chris to run it as well.....THANKS to J & H for the incredible gift of a race :-))

The kids spent the night at my mom's house, and we were awake by 4, out the door by 4:30. It was a cold & wet morning here in NW Indiana (41* + raining)We are optimists and just *assumed* the weather would clear up by the time the race started.....After some minimal problems finding parking, we were on our way to race HQ. We knew there was race day pick up (which is NEVER available at half's -- and now we know why!) Pick up was marginally shy of a disaster, since I was running under someone else's name, we were in separate lines, and I was panicking b/c I just KNEW they were gonna card me for ID that I was in fact H.P. -- and, since I'm Julie Hasara things weren't gonna work.....Chris's line was moving much faster than mine, and he was headed to gear check as soon as he was bibbed. Apparently EVERYONE else was also headed to gear check then too. By the time I got my bib, gear check was a disaster, and the race was starting in 15 minutes!! We finally got to drop our bag, and make our way to the start line...but, we both had to use the port-a-potty. Along with everyone else. By the time we were done visiting the facilities, race start time had come and gone. We hadn't stretched or warmed up, and we were feeling really off-kilter! We'd never actually been late to the start of a race before!! There were a ton of people who were just as late as we were though -- we walked/jogged to the start line, about 7 blocks from race HQ, and turned one last corner to discover the start mats were RIGHT THERE. We stopped for a bit to stretch and get ready to tackle 13.1 miles.
We later found out the wind was blowing at a whopping 28-32mph, the temperature was 37 degrees, and it rained through the entire race...along the shore of Lake Michigan.
The wind was at our back for nearly the entire 6.5 miles out -- I was feeling great, hadn't gotten in near the training I wanted to, but I was in good spirits, and I'm not kidding when I tell you that any run over 8 miles is 75% mental. The cold wasn't that bad, and the rain was in between drizzle and rain -- so it felt mostly refreshing. As I got closer to the 4.5-5 mile mark, I started looking at those fellas on their way back (it was an out-and-back course) and they all looked defeated. Like, really, really beat. I got scared. I knew that in just a mere 1.5-2 miles, that wind was gonna become my number 1 enemy as it literally tried to stop me from running (32 mph wind is REALLY intense) I had it in my head I was going to run at least 8.5 miles before I took anything resembling a walk break -- which meant AT LEAST 2 miles into this horrific lake-shore wind :-O I kept a steady pace headed out (my Garmin averaged the first 6.5 miles at a 9:47 pace)We came around a bend in the sidewalk, and immediately I was flooded with the looks of distress on the faces of those passing by me -- I knew the turnaround was coming up soon, but I wasn't prepared for this. AT ALL. I hit the turnaround, one of my LEAST favorites for a half -- an actual orange pylon in the sidewalk that you run around -- not so easy in giant gobs of people) There was a large fence for some construction project, and we all knew that was blocking the wind -- but I was NOT prepared for the gust just past the fence. It actually stopped me in my tracks! The rain had also managed to pick up a bit, so now it was really raining! I kept my head down and managed to keep up a really slow pace of 13-ish minute miles for a while. I ran/'slogged' my way to the 9 mile mark, and then I had to give up the fight against the wind! I started walking at the 9, and (as usual) I cried. I failed AGAIN. Why do I spend so much time training, only to fail. It's so defeating, dis-heartening, and depressing. I had planned on just moping my way to the finish line, because my calves were numb from the cold & rain (I was wearing capri's), and my heart was heavy with failure. But, I was so cold and miserable, I just wanted to get done -- and NOW. So, I began to run -- but it was too hard to run my tired and cold body into 32 mph winds, so I decided to play the "speed-walking" game. I wanted to see how fast I 'could' walk and compare it to my slower running miles. It took me a while to get into a fast walking groove, due to the numbness in my fingertips and my shins, but once I did -- I was WALKING a 14:00 mile!!!!! So, I kept at it, it is so much easier to throw these giant hips around and walk a 14 minute mile in that wind, rain and cold than it was to run my 15 minute miles -- YES, I was WALKING faster than I had been jogging!!!! There was new hope with the speed-walking, and the novelty kept me going -- plus, it was fascinating to keep checking my watch and see that I was maintaing a 14 minute mile by walking -- and I was PASSING runners (granted, they had the same look of defeat on their face that I had just a few miles ago -- maybe they should try speed-walking this beast of a race) I started doing the math and realized I was going to have a miserable time, and I let it get me down for a mile or so, then I remembered how cold I was, and how much I just wanted to be done. At about the 12.5 I realized that this was going to be my worst half-marathon time ever -- but, I had worked HARD for every one of those minutes out there. I love the distance, and will likely run this again next year -- I'll just be praying for better weather for sure!!!!
As I came around toward the finish chute I saw Chris and asked him if he broke 2:00 and he nearly laughed and said no, then told me his time... I looked at mine and realized I was still just 10-15 minutes behind him -- which is how we end our half-marathons, with a 10-15 minute space between us -- so, once I realized he struggled every bit as much as I did -- it warmed my heart to know we were both feeling UGH.
I finished and we discovered we had 20 numb fingers, and some really cold & wet bodies. We didn't stick around at all, due to the crappy weather and the lack of post-race anything.....as we walked to the car, we got some free samples of drinks, which was dumb because we couldn't carry them since our fingers were numb.
Once we finally got to the parking garage, we couldn't even put the ticket into the electronic reader, the attendant had to help us. We had a hard time getting into the car -- keys are very small when fingers are so numb!!! We stopped at a Wendy's for some hot food, and by the time we were 15 minutes from home, we had both finally stopped shivering. Once we got home -- we immediately put on warm, dry clothes and then finished warming our hearts by going to get he kids from my mom's. By then the race had become epic in our minds, and it will remain so! It was a crummy time for both of us, but we really fought for every second out there on that last 6.5 miles. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have run under someone else's name -- I only wish I could have run her first half in a better time!!! ;-) Well, there's always next year!!!

Official Times:
Chris:
2:19:04
10:36 mile average
111 out of 125 35-39 year old males
699 out of 2122 finishers

Julie:
2:34:17
11:46 mile average
192 out of 223 female 30-34
1044 out of 2122 finishers