Keeping Pace.

Every time I run a race or start to get really into training for one I'm reminded of this quote from a Nike commercial:

"You are in a relationship with running. A love/hate relationship.

Running kicks you out of a warm cozy bed and into a cold hard world.

Everyday with running is a question of your commitment and running is not afraid to ask.

Yes my friend it is a constant balance.

A balance between joy and pain, work and play.... LOVE AND HATE!"

Thankfully my other relationships are not like this!

On June 3rd I completed my third half-marathon within 365 days. If you've been following my blog then you know this was supposed to be my attempt at the full marathon. After being a lazy bum and not committing myself to the long runs necessary for my body to survive 26.2 miles I decided to downgrade to the half-marathon. While I was a little disappointed with myself I'm glad I made the decision. After all, I still have until February 11, 2013 to reach my goal of 26.2 miles in my 26th year. I had a great race that day! Actually the best race of my life! Nothing to feel bad about at all! 

North Olympic Discover Trail Half-Marathon 2012 Race Recap:

Luckily I was able to take the day before the race off of work this year. I think that standing on my feet all day before attempting a big run like this hurts my time. Brian and I headed up in the afternoon and met my parents at our camping spot in Sequim. We ate a carb filled dinner of Spaghetti and garlic bread then awaited the arrival of Ryan and his girlfriend Madison.

Once again.... I have the greatest parents ever. 

S'mores were consumed! They are my favorite night-before-a-race snack! And.... well... maybe my favorite dessert as well!

The morning of the race I woke up to a text message from Nicole. 

It said:

"The best pace is a suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die...." -Steve Prefontaine

 Pretty motivational huh?!

I'm not going to win any awards for being the fastest, but it is still always a good idea to have goals, otherwise you will never achieve the greatness you are capable of. The morning before the race Brian and I were chatting about how fast I would run that day. Since my last half-marathon time was 2:23:06 I said my goal would be 2:22. Brian said that if I finished in under 2:20 that he would run the full marathon with me on September 30, 2012 in Bellingham.

I am so thankful for the amazing support {team} system I have.

Before the race I was jittery and nervous. This seems to be my pre-race routine.

Yes my socks look silly. No I don't care. I'm in love with compression socks. I don't know if it is all in my head, but I really think that they help my calves during long runs. 

Ryan and Madison: pre-race.

Best boyfriend ever?! 

Yep, he even handed me redvines along the way!

I don't know why, but I get really hungry during long runs.

This will be an interesting thing for me to handle when my runs get longer than 13 miles.

That is why we train. It isn't just so our muscles get accustomed to the pounding they are going to take, but also so we know when to hydrate, eat and also how to not get bored!

Running this race again was awesome. The race sponsored support is fantastic. The trail is great. I love the vibe. I am glad though that this wasn't where I attempted the full. Remember my race recap from last year? {Yes I wore the same outfit and it was sunny that day!} The reason I'm glad it wasn't my full is because it has some very poorly placed hills. The worst of which would have come at mile 20. Yeah... Like I'm not already going to be struggling at mile 20! 

Ryan and I stayed together for the first couple of miles, then he decided to keep a faster pace. I was extremely happy with my pace! Almost every time I looked at my watch it said I was under 10 minute miles! I felt light and fast! Which are two things I've never felt before!

And guess what?!! 

Brian is going to be running that full-marathon with me in September!!

My time: 2:11:51

I cut off almost a minute a mile from my previous NOD1/2M time!

My pace: 10:04 

I feel really great about running right now. That's a good thing because it's time to get serious about this training program! 15 weeks until the marathon!