Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend 8K

On March 19th I ran an 8K in Virginia Beach during the Shamrock Marathon Weekend. They sponsor all kinds of races that weekend....the 8K being one of the first of the weekend long event for us running crazies :) You must be dying to know how I did....I sure was. That morning it was cold and rainy and I left my jacket in the car and regretted that decision almost a block away....but decided that once I started running...I would warm up and be okay without it. Turns out I was right. It was a great race....one I would repeat again in the future. Loved how large the turn out was....and while I didn't like getting over the start line and the big pack at first....it sooner out pretty quickly. Another fun aspect was how the race just seemed to slip by so quickly. I had previed the course map the night before and knew where we would make the turn to the boardwalk and then back out to the street and back to the boardwalk again. Since the blocks are numbered....it just seemed to move along so quickly! And I especially loved the scenary along the boardwalk....to just look out and see the ocean....ahhhh. Here's how the numbers fell out if you are a data kind of person (and I kinda am):

Total time = 54 min 26 sec
Place = 3805/7677 runners overall; 324/751 women ages 30-34

Not the pace or the overall time I was hoping for.....but progress...and I finished :) Stay tuned for more fun race results!

Just About Start Time

So we are less than 30 min from the start and it is breezy, chilly, and yes folks...raining! I guess this is where the rubber hits the road. Sigh. Here we go...running 5 miles now so I can get my jacket in the end :). LOL

XOXO - Jenn
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Twas the Night Before...

The TowneBank 8K...a part of the Yuengling Shamrock Marathon weekend. It is my first race of the season and my training for longer and more varied distances. I feel so lucky to be supported by so many wonderful friends and family. Thank you so much! I am also so excited to have my dear friend Sue along with me tomorrow. It will be her first race since she started running again. I am so proud of her and can't wait to celebrate our victory at the finish line. Her folks live just 20 min away and have been such amazing hosts. See you all tomorrow on the other side of 5 miles. I am aiming for 45 - 52 min for completion. Wish me luck :)

XOXO - Jenn
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Less Than 12 Weeks

On Sunday I realized....and panicked a bit....that I am now only 12 weeks from my very FIRST half marathon. That's 13.1 miles folks! I know I ran 16 in the Ragnar so why does this intimidate me? Well the Ragnar was broken up into 3 chunks.....and I have some 10-12 hours in between....this is all at once! But here's the good news....I trust in training. And I trust in my love of running. If I put those two together.....I will certainly not fail. And my ONLY goal.....is to finish. I want to cross that finish line....see my two sweet little boys....and my mom and dad.....and know that I have accomplished something big....something that they will not forget for a long time to come. And I will have done it with sheer determination and preparation. Stay tuned for my prep work up until then....starting with this Saturday's 8K at Virginia Beach!