Now, onto my first topic...
HARTSELLE HALF MARATHON
Some of the great people that run in our We Run Huntsville Community!
I liked the course...mostly flat, and it had a few inclines, but what goes up, must go down, right? :) I also liked the t shirt design, and I loved the medals (they were bright and had the logo that you see in the picture above). The aid stations were placed very well, and the volunteers were super nice...you can tell they were excited and happy to be there, whether they were giving you your race number, or handing you water! The volunteers were also super encouraging and polite to each of the Ainsley's Angels teams! They made my day!
This was my 10th half marathon race, and this half was super special. This was the first half that our Ainsley's Angels Team of Northeast Alabama completed, and WOW, what a GREAT day!
The night before, I was getting nervous about the distance, not only for our riders (captains), but for us runners. 13.1 miles is no joke, and I guess my nervousness was for our captains to have an amazing ride and not get bored. Come one, let's be honest...a long run, whether a race or training, can be boring. Or...you are thinking so much that you hit a mental wall. Any long distance runner will tell you that one of most difficult things during half or full marathon training is keeping that positive attitude...you know, that "I can do this!" attitude along with "don't stop, keep going"!
Well, Amberley's first half marathon went GREAT! She loved it, and honestly, this was one of the most entertaining long runs that I have ever been on...I would lose track of the miles due to Amberley's conversation to me, our team, and the other runners/volunteers/police officers. Her "Go! Go! Go!" attitude kept us going, and even when we were tired, when she felt her chair slowing down, she would talk to me, Remy, or Brien, to get our minds of the miles and onto her, or to the people around her. She is a social butterfly, and it showed throughout the race! You can tell that the racers around her were encouraged by her cheering & talking...I know I sure was! She kept smiling until about mile 12, then it was our turn to keep her positive and to remind her that she was almost to that finish line. Her mother said that she kept her Hartselle Half Marathon medal on all weekend. :) Remy, Brien, and myself were super stoked to see her complete her first of many half marathons. Congrats, Amberley!
THE GRAND SLAM CHALLENGE
So, I have signed up for all four races that consist of the Huntsville Grand Slam Challenge: Dizzy 50k, Rocket City Marathon, Recover from the Holidays 50k, and Mountain Mist 50k. Yep, I've officially lost my mind; I am THAT crazy long distance runner!
It's early October, and I'm super proud to say that my training so far is going well. I have gotten to 19 miles on the pavement (no trail running just yet) averaging usually at a 10:30-10:40 pace, and I honestly can't remember the last time I had a horrible long run. I have felt soooooo great after each of my long training runs (anything over 12+ miles), and my knee isn't holding me back that I worried so much that it would! I am happy and very thankful! I feel like I owe a lot of it to my routine stretching/yoga (I NEVER SKIP THAT!) along with my water intake. Seriously, I hate to toot my own horn, but compared to last year, I am kicking butt on this whole "drink more water" thing, and I can tell a huge difference in how I feel during and after a long run, and honestly, just how much better I feel during a typical day at work!
Like I said though, it's October, and it's seven weeks until the Dizzy 50k, so I know starting this week, TRAIL RUNNING will be happening, along with the CIRCUIT/STRENGTH TRAINING that I have been slacking on (sorry, Jillian Michaels...). During my knee injury, I only biked and circuit trained, but I've been slacking on that since I have been excited to be running again after having almost 7 weeks of being out of running! I know for a fact that I can't get through the Dizzy 50k, and especially the Mountain Mist 50k, if I am not working my abs, arms, glutes, etc! To be a strong runner, you can't JUST RUN! You've got to cross train to stay successful and to have no injuries due to overuse or over running (yes, there is such thing as too much running, or at least that's my opinion!).
*** WE RUN HUNTSVILLE COMMUNITY and AINSLEY'S ANGELS***
Like I mentioned in my last blog, I am just so thankful to be out on the road again running, and these two groups help me stay motivated, inspired, encouraged, and focused on what's important with my running journey and even with life in general. You can't put a price tag on people that just want to see the best in you and everyone else around them. When I started back up to running after my knee injury, especially after re reading my last blog, I remember how excited I was to be running, but also so discouraged at times because of aches & pains. Injuries, running related or not, set you back on your fitness goals. There were days in the hot summer that I felt like I was Couch to 5k'ing all over again, and in a way, I really was. But again, these two groups gave me perspective, and they reminded me how great it was to be out on the road again. No matter how "slow" I was or how much I walked, I was encouraged and praised for being out there. Once again, you can't put a price tag on such great people that I like to call "friends". <3>
Race for Hope 5k
I try to blog once a month, but I know with my work schedule along with training, life in general, etc, it's tough to do! I hope to write after my first ever pacing experience at the 4 Bridges Half Marathon! I will be pacing the the 2:45 half marathon group/time, and I am super excited! I hope to be as encouraging to those runners like my running community has been to me! So, until then, see some of my links below, and hey, join a running group and find your "fitness happy!"
-Holly
*Holly's Race Schedule for 2015*
October 10th---Monte Sano 15k, Huntsville, AL
October 18th---4 Bridges Half Marathon (my first race as an official race pacer!:-D), Chattanooga, TN
November 14th---Huntsville Half Marathon, Huntsville, AL
November 30th---Galaxy of Lights 5k
December 1st--Galaxy of Lights 3k (Harvest Elementary Running Club's first race!)
November 21st---Dizzy 50's 50k, Huntsville, AL (First Grand Slam Challenge Race)
December 12th---Rocket City Marathon, Huntsville, AL (2nd Grand Slam Challenge Race)
December 31st---Recover From the Holidays 50k, Huntsville, AL (3rd Grand Slam Challenge Race)
