Race Recap: Monster Half Marathon 2009

So to finish out the month of October, I did a half marathon. On Halloween.

In Costume.

Emily and I went as Sexy Chippendale's Dancers.



With emphasis on the sexy.

I had been sick and sleep deprived all week and only ran once since the Des Moines marathon...Emily was injured...so we just ran for fun. I took my chip off my shoe so "officially" I DNFed...I just didn't want such a shitty time to be recorded for all of history.

But we had a great time. We enjoyed the hell out of the course, and got a lot of comments on our kickass costumes.

I even made $3 - an adoring fan tucked some cash into my pants. :)

And the race medal doubles as a belt buckle. Yes, really.



Monster half marathon: A SUCCESS.

After the race, Ryan and I carved a kickass jack-o-lantern...



Pumpkin carving: A SUCCESS.

And then we handed out candy to Trick-or-Treaters.

Halloween 2009: A SUCCESS.

Ba-CAAAK!

Next up was the Great River Relay.

My team did this relay last year and had a BLAST.

So we took all of the stuff we learned last year to make The Chicks Bigger and Better and Stronger and Faster.

The thing that helped the most?

Those of you that said "training harder" lose 10 points.

It's all about the outfit.

I channeled my inner June Cleaver and sewed matching Chick aprons for the entire team. Yes, I sew.

That, in combination with yellow socks, yellow feathers for our hair, yellow tanks...


I spray-painted my running shoes, people. SPRAY PAINTED.

So we rounded our yellow selves up and headed to the start. It was raining, but we didn't care because REEEEELAY!!!



Jen was our first runner. We were waiting in the van for her to come in...and before we knew it, she was there. No, really. She rolled in and we were still sitting in the van. So she had to stand around for a minute while Lisa got her stuff together. They did the handoff and Lisa was off.

It was still raining, so she donned her Umbrella hat. Yes, really.



Lisa had a solid run, and handed off to Melissa. Her recap is here.

She handed off to Ruth, who ran like a bat out of hell.



Next up was Karen. Karen started running a few minutes after a guy from team "Panty Ho's" (they run like crazy) that we had nicknamed "Ba-Wang" (Ba-CAAAAK, Ba-Wang...get it?). Karen is a rock star and she chased him the entire run, passing him at the end. Brings a new meaning to the term "Chicked."



Karen handed off to me. I started my "Very Difficult" 8.3 mile run just as the rain started to fall again. At least it would be cool for my run. I immediately found my groove and tackled the rolling hills, coming in nine minutes before my projected time. SCORE.



I handed off to Duana and our van was off duty.

We found a cute outdoor restaurant and grabbed something to eat...



And headed to the next exchange to nap and finish decorating the van.




Attached with...wait for it...Duck Tape

To Be Continued...

Will the ducks fly off when we drive? Will Ruth tumble off the van to her death?

Tune in next time for...Great River Relay: Part 2. At the rate I'm going, it should be posted mid-December. :)

Spectathon report: Lifetime Triathlon

Who do I think I'm kidding with this title? Let's call a spade a spade.

Stalkathon report: Lifetime Triathlon

Ryan did another tri last weekend - the Lifetime Triathlon - Olympic distance. I tagged along to cheer and take pictures. Because that's what stalkers do.


Lining up at the start. Have I mentioned lately that I love spandex?



Before I knew it, he was off. Splashing off into the sunset sunrise sun. I synchronized my watch to optimize my stalking capabilities. I had a good guess when he'd be finishing...but he'd commented earlier that his shoulders were tired so he wasn't sure if he could hit his time.



Haha, suckas! Hit his goal time with room to spare. Seventh in his age group.




Dude, I was so caught up in my stalking that I forgot to mention that Emily was doing the Sprint Tri. She and Chuck are newlyweds. Aren't they cute??




Em headed into the water, full speed. What is it with my friends and rocking spandex?




The waters parted and she emerged...looking fresh as a daisy. :)




Chuck and I headed to the bike course and before we knew it, Ryan was back. Smokin' fast bike - just under 22mph. I DON'T EVEN DRIVE MY CAR THAT FAST.




I spotted him again at the tail end of the first loop of the run. Looking good...




I headed to the finish and spotted Steve and Sarah (heehee! One of his CVA Tri Club students) and we cheered in the triathletes together. I was looking for Ryan, know he'd be there any minute...Wait! I know this guy! It's my little brother's best friend from elementary school!! Go John!!!

FOCUS, ALLY. THERE IS MORE STALKING TO BE DONE.





Because...HERE HE COMES!! Look at that stride!




Also, that ass. Rawr.

And thus, my spectathon stalking report has come to an end. Em had a strong finish - really kicking ass in the run. Everyone looked fantastic...but I admit. The more I cheer for triathlons, the less I want to do one. :)

Fargo Half Marathon 2009 - The Rest of the Story

So. Fargo Half Marathon. Thought I better finish recapping this race since, you know, I AM RUNNING A MARATHON TOMORROW. And I might want to recap it sometime before 2010, so I might as well get Fargo out of the way.

Um...Yeah, the bad part about finishing a race recap two weeks after it happened? Is that you forget stuff.

So here is the abbreviated race recap:

Kim and I started together. We ran our first mile at a 10:30 pace. I was sad to see such a slow split - I figured my chances at a PW were practically locked in. So I vowed to stop looking at the Garmin.

You can imagine my surprise several miles later when Kim mentioned that we should probably slow down - because we were running an 8:45 pace that mile. Wait, WHAT?

Back in the game.

I continued to ignore the Garmin - I only peeked a few times to check my heart rate.

We continued to feel strong throughout the rest of the race...finishing with negative splits.

And Billy Bob Buck Teeth. That's right, Internet. I ran with the teeth in my pocket and busted them out for my official finishers photo. MissAllycat: Oozing class since 2007.

I completely owe this PR to Kim - I wouldn't have pushed as hard if she wasn't there, being my rabbit. She pulled me through the entire race. Thanks, Kim...you rock!

So yeah. An accidental PR. I went into the race with low expectations and no pressure, and ran strong and steady. What a sweet victory. :)

Mile 1: 10:30
Mile 2: 10:05
Mile 3: 9:55
Mile 4: 9:30
Mile 5: 9:20
Mile 6: 9:19
Mile 7: 9:32
Mile 8: 9:21
Mile 9: 9:28
Mile 10: 9:34
Mile 11: 9:33
Mile 12: 9:30
Mile 13: 9:05
Mile 13.21: 1:42 (8:16 pace)

Official Finish Time: 2:06:29
Distance: 13.21 (according to Garmina)
Average HR: 169

And So It Begins

Marathon training officially started today.

Time: 8am

Temperature: -2 degrees

Distance: 8 miles

Temperature: -2 degrees

Did I also mention that it was -2 degrees???

But in reality, it didn't feel that cold. Everyone layered up and JD brought us handwarmers. By the time we finished, it was 13 degrees and I was running without gloves.

It felt so, so, so good to be running with the girls again. These women are my support system. They are my best friends. They are my rock when things get tough. To have this amazing group together again... How is it even possible to have a bad run??

Throughout this week, there was a small voice in the back of my head, wondering if I could run eight miles. Funny how I was running marathons a few months ago, and now I'm struggle with the idea of an 8-miler.

But I haven't run anything over six miles since NOVEMBER. Maybe I did have more of an off season than I am giving myself credit for.

In any case, we ran 8 miles today. Slow and comfortable...a true LSD. Every step was fantastic...it was one of those runs that felt so good that I got home...and wanted to head out and run again.

(Fun facts: The last two miles were the fastest (10:42 and 10:33), and we had negative splits)

Distance: 8 miles
Average Pace: 11:15
Average HR: 166

Waking the dead

I had two weeks off from work.

And I pretty much took two weeks off from working out.

My motivation to train has been pretty much non-existant the past few weeks. I would start to feel a little tingling...like my motivation had fallen asleep and the feeling was starting to come back...but then nothing. It's not asleep. It's dead.

Last night, as I watched my motivation flatline...I got a text message from Emily.

Warm up the paddles. CLEAR!

She sent an electric shock...and my motivation came back to life.

She wanted to start working out in the mornings again.

The thought of resuming our morning workouts had crossed my mind earlier in the week, but I kept putting it off and creating excuses. I'll get back into the groove at work before starting morning workouts. I'll wait until my motivation comes back before starting morning workouts. After I decide what my racing schedule is we can start morning workouts.

No. I need to start morning workouts NOW.

And so we did. Today. At 6am.

This? This is just what I needed. To start the year off strong...to get back into the training groove...to keep my motivation strong and healthy...to keep ME strong and healthy.

I owe ya one, Em.

I'm Ready For My Own Show on Food Network

Last week I learned how to make homemade pasta.

Homemade pasta!! I KNOW.

I don't think you understand how dangerous this is. Homemade pasta? Is like...like...cocaine wrapped in bacon wrapped in chocolate. THAT GOOD.

So I headed over to Jen and Mark's. Mark is my personal Pasta Jesus.

We mixed the ingredients. Rolled them into a ball. Kneaded the dough.

And it was game time.

Time to roll out the dough.


That's how I roll

Mark is an excellent teacher. He is very calm. Relaxed. Gives great instructions. And tells me to Calm The Fuck Down when I have a mini-freakout because I think my dough looked funny. Uh, not that that happened. Me? Freak out? Pffftt.

Right as I was getting the hang of it, Cindy and Kim showed up. Perfect! Just in time for me to dazzle them with my madd pasta skillz.

They also wanted to learn how to make pasta, so the student became the teacher. Watch out, ladies. Professor Ally is in the house.


No, you do it like THIS

I? Am not an excellent teacher. I am spastic. Twitchy. I Give horrible instructions and I Freak The Fuck Out when their dough looks funny. Mark? Mark?? Can you take a look at this dough??

Mark said things like, "You might want to try rolling the bigger end first so the dough rolls out into a rectangle"

I said things like, "No, no, NOOOO! That's all wrong!! Put the fat end in first, otherwise it will be like when you put on a tight pair of pants and things splooge all over the place."

Mark said things like, "After you've rolled the dough a few times, you'll want to think about getting it into a rectangle shape so we can roll it out for cutting."

I said things like, "You'll just know when the dough is ready. Because you'll kind of want to pet it. Do you want to pet it?? Yes? Okay. It's smooth, isn't it? Okay. Now think about your rectangle."

Mark said things like, "You're doing a great job."

I said things like, "Dudes, I could totally kick your ass in a pasta making contest."

And then it was time to cut the dough.

And hang it on the rack.


Nice Rack

And then boil it and EAT IT.



Yummmmm

We had a delightful dinner (I had to remind everyone a few time that the pasta? The pasta that we were eating? I MADE IT)...and before I knew it, the clock struck 9:30 and we had to go. So I put on my winter gear and was getting ready to head out, when Mark announced that he had a door prize for me.

My very own pasta maker.

Dude, really? REALLY? DUDE!!!


You can practically hear my excited squeal through the Internet

I HAVE MY VERY OWN PASTA MAKER.

AND ALSO? I HAVE MY VERY OWN PASTA MAKER.

And did you hear that I HAVE MY VERY OWN PASTA MAKER?