Multi-sport Madness

July-a-thon is underway.

Last night, Emily and I went for an 11.5 mile bike ride, and then went out for a 2-mile run. Because, you know...two miles is the minimum distance for July-a-thon, and who am I to go above and beyond, especially after a bike ride?? That just oozes with dedication and motivation, and if I possessed those two qualities I wouldn't be blogging in the middle of the work day, now would I?

But it was a great workout. It was my second bike adventure with my clipless pedals and shoes and I am getting quite proficient at snapping out of the pedal without falling over. And it makes me feel like a real cyclist to wear bike shoes. :)

And the run was also damn good. I'd never done a bike/run combo, and wasn't sure how it would feel. My legs felt a little...off...for the first 3-4 minutes, but I was in the groove before long. And I managed to bust out a pretty great second mile (9:12).

I have to admit...I'm kind of digging this whole multi-sport thing.

Bike:
Average speed: 13.7 mph
Total time: 49:40
Average HR: 154

Run:
Mile 1: 10:13
Mile 2: 9:12

Average pace: 9:42
Total time: 19:25
Average HR: 172

Three words to describe this workout: fun, refreshing, delicious

July-A-Thon

Remember how Ali was hardcore last July (and August and September) and ran every day, calling her adventure July-a-thon?

Remember how I blatantly stole her idea for the month of October, calling it October-a-thon?

Remember how GOOD I felt after running every day for a month?

Yeah, me either. But for some reason, I'm feeling strangely compelled to give this adventure another go.

I felt like October-a-thon made me a faster runner, and while marathon training does wonders for endurance, I feel like it made me a slower runner.

So here we go.

Starting tomorrow.

July-a-thon.

Same rules rule as last time - runs must be two miles or longer.

Bring it on!

Race Report: Grandma's Marathon 2008...Part III

The Aftermath.

After I crossed the finish line and got all most of the crying out of my system, Coach Ruth and I went to ice our legs. In Lake Superior.

I have never felt anything more heavenly.

Well, except for that heavenly feeling when I crossed the finish line at the marathon. Because did I mention that I Ran A Marathon recently??

But seriously. It felt amazing. My feet were killing me, so after I waded out of the lake, I was So Thankful that I remembered to pack flip flops. I didn't have any serious issues with blisters during my training runs, so I was surprised when I noticed a fun addition to my ring toe...


I swear my feet aren't as chubby as they appear in this photo. Is just, uh, bad lighting. Yeah. Also, please avert your eyes from the mess that is my index toe.

Yup. A fatty jelly-bean sized blister. My other foot had blisters on the big and ring toes, and my big toe was feeling suspiciously sore. I'm afraid I'm going to have to bid my friend Big Toenail adieu - I don't think he's going to be with us much longer.

We came back to the hotel, cleaned up...and traded war stories.

And then it was time for happy hour. We cracked open the champagne and toasted to our PRs, our PWs, our amazing friends and teammates.


Seating was limited so Karen and I shared the hot tub

After happy hour, we headed to Timberlodge Steakhouse for dinner, where we had reservations for 50, and were shocked to find that 44 other Lifetime runners beat us down there. I was secretly glad that there wasn't room for all of us - and eight of us decided to find another restaurant. A restaurant that didn't have animal pelts hanging from the walls. A restaurant that was more vegetarian-friendly. And so we went to a delightful cafe down the street.

It was too early to hit the bars after dinner, so we headed back to the hotel for a power nap. I had been awake since 4am and had run 26.2 miles earlier that day (oh, and also, did I mention that I Ran A Marathon earlier that day??) and the exhaustion was starting to set in. I closed my eyes at about 8:45 and an instant later it was 9:45 and time to go.

I was anxious to bust a move on the dance floor, but the music selection wasn't what we were looking for. It was more "family wedding reception" and less "let's get craaaazy!" so we didn't do much dancing. By midnight we were ready to call it a night.

RIGHT.

We headed back to our hotel, filled up the hot tub, and round three of happy-action-fun-time began. Bar-goers trickled back into our hotel room and we had fun sitting around and shooting the shit, and I also met my Gummy Bear soulmate. Our bus driver/alpha dog/bus owner Randy (aka Boots LaBeaux) was hilarious when he got back - he stripped down to his shorts and did a cannon ball into the vacant jacuzzi. Who cannon balls into jacuzzis??

At 2am, I was ready to call it a night. I crawled into bed, read a bedtime story to my race medal, and fell asleep instantly.

The next morning, we packed up, grabbed some breakfast, and Jen, Val and I headed to Lake Superior to unwind. We reveled in the glorious scenery and bid a proper farewell to Lady Lake.

Because the journey was ending. It was time to go home.

We packed up the bus, posed for a picture...


Jen, Val, Karen, Randy, Ruth, Melissa, Kim, Allison

And headed home.

It was over.

Back to reality.

Race Report: Grandma's Marathon 2008...Part II

At the start, it was a beautiful morning for a run. Slight wind, relatively cool. I was happy.

Even though I used the restroom RIGHT before the start, I had to go again. I figured that it was just nerves and I would be fine.

Val, another Roseville Lifetime gal (that I met an instant before the race, and whose name is eluding me right now) and I stuck together for the first 5 miles, which were relatively uneventful. We we right on the money with our pace - right around 10:45 miles.

Miles 1 and 2: still had to pee. Men were peeing along the road left and right. I had some serious penis envy.

Mile 3: still had to pee. About 8 people in line at the port-a-potty. Not worth stopping.

Miles 4 and 5: still had to pee. GAH.

When we hit the port-a-potties at mile 5, I knew it was time. I wouldn't be able to hold it much longer, so Val and I made the decision to stop. No Matter How Many People Were In Line.

There were 10 people in line.

So I pulled the lounge chair out of my back pocket, put up the footrest, and lit a cigarette. This could take awhile.

Val held our spot in line and I walked up to the water stop and grabbed a few glasses of water for us. I walked back and we drank the water as we waited in line. Might as well make the downtime useful.

As we were waiting, Roseville Runners Melissa and Sarah passed us. I figured that I wouldn't see them again...they were faster than me in all of our training runs. Sad.

I watched the time tick away on the Garmin.

Seven minutes.

We waited in line for seven minutes.

After we finally had our turn at the Biffy, we FINALLY got back on the course. We did NOT walk through the water stop. We were anxious to move on.

Because I'd walked to the water stop and back to the port-a-potty line, my Garmin was off. It would give the "mile" beep .11 miles before the actual mile marker. Every time the alert would sound, I'd look at Val and make a stupid comment. It seemed funny at the time. Guess you had to be there. :)

And then we had a nice surprise - we ran into fellow Roseville Runner Mary and her coach Leslie on the course! It's always nice to see friendly faces.

The next thing I knew, we were at the half way point. I remember saying to Val that I couldn't believe how much FUN this was. I was feeling great. I had a great attitude. The course was fun. The spectators were great and would shout out our names.

At mile 14, Val decided that she needed to walk. We weren't at a water stop. I had made a promise to myself that I would only walk while drinking at the water stops. So she wished me luck, and I was on my own.

At mile 15, I ran into Random Lifetime girl that we started with. I knew that she was probably going slower than I wanted to run, seeing that I had stopped for seven minutes and was still able to catch her. So I bid her farewell and soldiered on.

At mile 16 or 17, I ran into some other Lifetime runners (including Val's BFF). They were hauling ass!! I stayed on their heels, but couldn't pass them. Until I realized they were Galloway runners. When it was time for their scheduled walk break, I passed them and I kept on truckin.

At mile 18, I couldn't believe my eyes. Melissa and Sarah. I'd caught up. Sarah looked like she was hurting, and I wished them well as I passed.

At mile 20, they handed out bananas and Twizzlers. What a refreshing change. I love candy, and I especially love Twizzlers. I think the volunteer handing out the Twizzlers was a little surprised when I grabbed him and gave him a sloppy tongue kiss because I was so grateful. I kid. There was no kiss. But if he were handing out Swedish Fish...that would be a different story. I think I would have promised my firstborn for some Swedish Fish.

Mile 22 is known for being brutal. Lemon Drop hill is right in the middle. You know it's a nasty hill if it has its own name. But I knew I could do it. I ran this hill at the Lifetime retreat three weeks ago. I pretended that I was on a roller coaster and there was a chain pulling me up. Clang, clang, clang, clang. The next thing I knew, I was at the top. Easy Peesy.

And before me was a beautiful downhill view. This was the point where I stopped at the retreat, so I was officially running on unexplored race course...and it was the furthest I had ever run in my life.

And then I heard shouting. THERE SHE IS! THERE SHE IS!!! I looked to my right, and once again, couldn't believe my eyes. It had to be a mirage. I had to be dreaming. Did I take acid instead of a PowerGel at mile 22?

Emily and Chuck, some of my best friends, were there. I was shocked. They did NOT tell me they were going to be there, so it was a complete surprise. Surprising no one, I started crying. Do you know what's hard? Crying, running, and BREATHING. But my heart soared. I felt So Loved. I have the best friends.

I gave them high fives and sweaty hugs (just what they wanted, I'm sure) and sped off. They hopped on their bikes and zoomed down the road, and then they pulled over so they could take some action photos of me. Pictures Of Me Running A Marathon. I love these guys.

I regained my composure, and kept running. The last miles are through the downtown area and are on a cobblestone street. I knew that I was close. I was getting tired. But there was no stopping me at this point. I just had to keep going.

So I kept going.

At mile 25, I knew I was So Close. Is this race over yet?? I got a zap of energy from the crowd when I spotted two guys in the crowd. One shouted "GO ALLY!" and the other shouted "If I didn't have a girlfriend I'd ask you out!!" These guys sure know how to boost an ego!

At mile 25.5ish, I spotted them. Team Roseville. My girls. My drug. My loves. My heroes.

I had a huge smile on my face as they cheered and rung their cowbells for me. They know that I have a penchant for the cowbell, and Kim even brought my new pink cowbell and rang it for me. These women are amazing.


Thanks to my paparazzi, Jen, for snapping this photo

I rounded one last corner, and I saw it. The finish line. I turned up the gas when I saw the "official time" inching closer and closer to five hours.

The announcer was getting the crowd all worked up. "C'mon, give these guys a cheer...they are SO CLOSE! Can they make it under FIVE HOURS??" I was close. The clock was ticking. 4:59:54...4:59:55...

FIVE...

FOUR...

THREE...

TWO...

ONE...

The crowd gave a collective groan...as I crossed the finish with a clock time of 5:00:02.

But I knew I had 7 minutes in the bank, so I didn't fret. But it would have been nice to have finished 3 seconds earlier.

I crossed the finish line. I ran a marathon. I Am A Marathoner. A marathoner that cries. I got my medal and my t-shirt. I headed over to the sweat bags and got my stuff. I found Coach Ruth. We hugged. We cried. And then Emily and Chuck found me! And we hugged, and Oooooh Lord did I cry. I was so proud and exhausted and emotional and grateful and happy and sad that it was all over. So many emotions trying to break free.

But I did it.

I ran a marathon.

I RAN A MARATHON!




First 10k: 1:13:12
Last 10k: 1:07:37

First 13.1: 2:28:58
Last 13.1: 2:23:17

Negative Splits, baby. Thanks, bathroom line. :)

6/21/08
Mile 1: 10:39
Mile 2: 10:41
Mile 3: 10:50
Mile 4: 10:44
Mile 5: 10:33
Mile 6: 17:21 - Stupid bathroom line
Mile 7: 10:45
Mile 8: 10:45
Mile 9: 11:06
Mile 10: 10:30
Mile 11: 10:50
Mile 12: 11:12
Mile 13: 10:33
Mile 14: 11:11
Mile 15: 10:40
Mile 16: 11:01
Mile 17: 11:03
Mile 18: 11:00
Mile 19: 10:32
Mile 20: 11:29
Mile 21: 11:00
Mile 22: 11:10
Mile 23: 10:44
Mile 24: 10:51
Mile 25: 10:52
Mile 26: 10:42

Average pace: 11:02 (Garmin)
Total time: 4:52:15
Average HR: 166

Three words to describe this run: There Aren't Words*

*Funny, for having "no words" I sure managed to write a wordy recap. :)

Race Report: Grandma's Marathon 2008...Part I

Wow. Where to start.

How 'bout the beginning?

Some of the run club was going to meet at a coffee shop in Roseville because we were going to ride up in...DA BUS.


Yes, it does say "Run Like You Stoled It" on the back


Sarah, Ruth, Val, Allison
Not pictured: Melissa and Randy

And Yes. This is really our ride. But the bus needed a little something to make it feel like "home"...so I donated my Plastic Dashboard Jesus.

So we piled into the bus, stuck Jesus to the dashboard, and began our journey to Duluth.

We sang. We danced. We hydrated. We stopped to use the restroom. We talked about running. Lather, rinse, repeat.

And before we knew it, we were in Duluth.

Allison's Inner Monologue: Holy Crap! I'm running a MARATHON tomorrow!!

We hit up the expo, picked up our packets and some souvenirs (including the Sweetest Pink Cowbell known to all mankind, a gift from Val) and went to our hotel/suite to unwind before dinner.


More Cowbell!

Another cool find - a rockin' triathlon sticker.


Get your mind out of the gutter!

We headed back to the expo for the pasta feed. We were sitting at our table and Jen spotted some Kenyans in the crowd and joking told Coach Ruth that she should go snag them. And of course, being the crazy spunky rock star that she is, Ruth hopped up and invited them to sit at our table.

Who could pass up the offer of sitting at a table with 10 women?? Not these guys.

Turns out, these weren't any Kenyans. We asked what their race goals were. The answer? THEY WANTED TO WIN. Like, for real. Win. The marathon. The whole freaking thing.


My brush with running fame...Cyprian, Coach Ruth, Me, Benson

They were Benson Cheruiyot and Cyprian Kiogora. Who I've never heard of. BUT. They ended up finishing 3rd and 9th. Yup. We had dinner with two top-10 finishers. Suh-weet!

We headed back to the expo to pick up some shirts that said "In My Mind I'm Kenyan"...inspired by our Kenyan friends.

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to get to bed early. We laid out our race gear, put the chips on our shoes, painted our nails (we're girls, after all) and attempted to make it an early night.

Allison's Inner Monologue: Holy Crap! I'm running a MARATHON tomorrow!!

It was a cruel joke that June 20th was the longest day of the year. It was still light out when I crawled into bed at 9:30. So I read US Weekly as I tried to unwind.

Project Go To Bed Early: FAIL

I couldn't fall asleep. I could hear laughter and merriment in the other room of our suite, so I went out to investigate. I was drawn in. We sat around and joked and laughed and traded stories and had a grand time. Until Coach Ruth popped out from the other room to scold us and to tell us to GET TO BED! So we wrapped it up and headed to bed.

Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Can't sleep.

Can't sleep.

Oh, and also? I CAN'T SLEEP.

I tossed and turned. I fretted. I freaked out. I worried about my pace. I worried about the weather. I worried about my training. I didn't worry about my hydration, however. I knew I was, ahem, golden. Because I had to get up and pee several times. Oversharing? That's what I do best.

And the next thing I knew, it was 4am and time to get up for breakfast. My grand plan was to get up, eat a bagel, and go back to bed for 30 more minutes.

HA! Hahahahahah! What Was I Thinking? Like I'd be able to fall back asleep??

So I laid in bed with my bagel with peanut butter. And freaked out.

I decided it was pointless to stay in bed, so I got up and got ready.

I don't know where the time went, but the next thing I knew, it was time to go. I scrambled to grab my race belt and sweats bag, and we were out the door.

Grandma's Marathon is a 26 mile journey from Two Harbors to Duluth, so we had to be shuttled to the start. As we walked to the bus stop, I began freaking out in earnest. I forgot to pack a bottle of water or Powerade for the bus ride. I forgot my cell phone. I forgot to put sunblock on my face. I forgot chapstick.

Luckily, I had my four best gals with me, and they shared their sunblock, chapstick and Powerade. I love my gals.

While we waited for the bus, Ruth wrote "ALLY" down my left arm so my adoring fans would know who to cheer for. I had my "Team Roseville" tattoo on my right arm. I was ready to rock.

The bus arrived at the starting area. We piled off the bus and began to walk. We hit the port-a-potties. We had a team pow-wow. We tried to stay warm. We hit the port-a-potties again. We dropped off our sweats.

I started to cry. CRAP, man! I hadn't even started running and was getting all choked up.

This was happening. This was for real.

We walked toward the start line. I gave Karen a hug and she headed closer to the start. Val and I stuck together.

The gun went off.

Seven minutes and 47 seconds later, we crossed the start line.

We were off.

I was running a marathon.

This was my first marathon. You KNOW this is going to be a wordy recap. Part II, coming soon.

I Am A Marathoner!

I DID IT!

I ran Grandma's Marathon.

4:52:15.

I cried before the race. I cried during the race. I cried after the race. Ohhh, I cried after the race.

Tear of joy, of course.

What an amazing experience.

I have amazing friends.

I have amazing teammates.

I have amazing family.

I Am A Marathoner.

I can't wait for my next one.

The Countdown Begins

The marathon gun goes off in 24 hours.

The countdown begins. Who am I kidding...I've been counting down for a year. :)

I'm to Duluth...EEEEEEEEEEEEKKK!! I'M REALLY DOING THIS!