My First 20 miler

I woke up this morning not feeling it.  It was 4:30am, dark and slightly raining.  Really?  20 miles... today? After laying there thinking up a long list of excuses, I finally stretched my booty out of bed and got dressed.  The weekend is booked solid... This morning is truly my only chance to run.  Get. It. Done.

I parked the car at the trailhead in East Peoria and headed out at exactly 5:36am.  Even as I hit mile one, I was still convincing myself that today was not the day to be doing 20.  The rain had stopped, but the air was humid and damp feeling.  Temps in the mid-70's.  I made my way across the Bob Michels Bridge and along the Peoria Riverfront.  Surprisingly a lot of activity for six in the morning... the vendors were setting up for the Saturday morning marketplace, the fisherman were launching boats at the marina, and late night partiers were picking up their cars from the Friday night riverfront concert...

The climb up the Bob Michel is tough; but for some reason, I love running this bridge!!

At mile eight, I stopped at the top of the bridge, took in the view and ate my GU Chomps-Watermelon.  By mile ten, I was done with my first out and back.  Quick stop at the car to refill my water bottle with more nuun-enriched water.  Then I headed the opposite way on the trail towards Morton.  I finally turned on my music (Yes, I just ran the first 10 in silence!!).  

Miles 10-12 were tough as it was a long gradual incline, but I kept reminding myself that miles 18-20 will feel like cake...

The sun started to peek out from the clouds... and when it did, it was HOT!  The blacktop was still wet from the rain, and I could see STEAM rising off the pavement.  Needless to say, I started to sweat profusely and tire.  The trek out to 15 seemed to take forever.  But once I hit the turnaround, I seemed to get that "heading home" second wind (or maybe it was my second fueling with GU Roctane kicking in?).  The five miles back to the car went fairly quick and easy.

My goal pace for today's run was 11:15 min/miles (marathon pace 10:30 + 45 sec).  I ended up averaging 11:22, but with 3 water stops, I think I was close enough.

20.65 miles

3:55 minutes

11:22 avg. pace

I felt that last week's ice bath had a noticeable effect on my muscle recovery, so I gave it another go.  My legs are now wrapped up in compression socks and feeling quite good considering what I just made them do!

The only downside of today's 20 is that I ended up with painful chaffing in some new places.  I saw this product in the store a couple weeks ago, and thought it was so funny that I took a picture... but holy crap, this is FOR REAL people!!

Giveaway Winner!

When I won the Family Fan Club giveaway a month ago, I was ecstatic to create a new running shirt...  now one of you get the same opportunity!  If you missed my review of Family Fan Club, read it here.

And now.... the winner drawn by random.org is...

Check out Jen's blog at runner... maybe.  She's full of all kinds of good running adventures.

Toe Kick!

Occasionally, I find myself getting a little sloppy on the run.  So I try to focus on different aspects of the proper running form.  Several months ago, the Editor's Letter in Runner's World (read it here) got me thinking about the "toe kick" aspect of the running stride.  He talked about lacking a back kick, making his toe-off less effective.

It got me thinking... Am I using the toe kick?  
Answer:  Not nearly to it's full potential!!


Now during my runs, I focus on my push-off a little more.  I typically land on my mid-foot/heel.  As I roll onto the ball of the foot, my leg, knee and ankle are fully extended.  At this point, I focus on the toe-off before lifting the leg up for another stride.  It seems like something so minor... but once I monitored it, I realized how lazy I was running.  The toe kick focus has helped me find an extra forward propulsion with minimal effort.

As I remind myself to "toe kick" during a run, I also can't help but think of the Toe Pick scene below from The Cutting Edge, one of my favorite movies.  It always brings a smile to my face.

Toe Pick!
The Cutting Edge at MOVIECLIPS.com

The Takeaway... If you don't use it, you'll fall flat on your face!  LOL!

This morning, I beat the sunrise and got almost 7 miles done before 6:00 am.  It was a cool 62 degrees when I started.  After a week of hot humid summer, the cool air felt so good on my skin and in my lungs!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a $30 gift card from Family Fan Club.  You can pick out - or even create - a new race shirt!  Promotion ends TODAY at 6:00pm.  Enter <here>.

Race Recap: Main Street Mile

Friday night I ran this quick little 1 MILE race.  When was the last time you seriously pushed yourself and time trialed just one solo mile?!?!  For me, it was probably high school... and even then, I don't think I pushed myself as hard as I did Friday night.

The race had a small field of runners (384), split into three heats...
Heat One:  > 8:30 min/mile
Heat Two:  6:00-8:29 min/mile
Heat Three:  < 5:59 min/mile
I was in heat 2, predicting/hoping I could get around 8:00 mark.

The draw of this race is that it's all downhill, one steep hill in the middle...

It was an easy quick start, with congestion next to none since the entire Main Street was shut down for us.  The only split I caught was at 1/4 mile, which was 1:40.  I felt like I was being eaten up in the first half mile.  However, on the big downhill, I started to catch some runners in front of me.  (I've been training a lot on hills lately and feel like I've gotten better at running steep downhills without hurting or slowing down.)

I had plenty of gas for the second part of the mile. Main Street was lined with cheering fans and the ELITE Drum Corps, making it a pretty exhilarating run into downtown.  As you can see from the picture below, my arms were pumping, giving it everything I had to the finish.

Photo by the awesome Jenn at Losing 100

As I crossed the line, the clock read 6:58 and I was thrilled beyond measure!!  Unfortunately, I found out the next day that there were clock problems in heat two, adding roughly 30 seconds onto everyone's time...

Official chip time 7:24.  

#11 out of 27 in my age group

#222 out of 384 overall

The overall male winner finished in 4:02;  female winner was 4:43.

Holy crapola!  That is FAST!   It was fun to watch them speed across the finish!!

Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY (here) 

to win a $30 gift card for Family Fan Club attire!

My First Ice Bath!

I took the plunge!  After a year and half of weekend long runs, I finally gave the infamous "ice bath" a trial run.  Sounds insane, right?!  It turned not to be nearly as bad as I had envisioned.

I hit the trail at 6:00am this morning and ran 15.2 miles.  My pace averaged 10:39 which is spot on for my target pace at this point in training.  (My goal is to run the marathon at a 10:30 pace in September.)

Once home, I immediately started the coffee.

Started cold water in the tub.

Bathroom break.

Poured myself a cup of coffee and placed it by the tub.

Pulled out the tray of ice & recruited my girls for help.

Pulled sweatshirt on (no need to freeze on top!)

Sat down in the cold water.

Add ice overtop the legs.

Relax for 8-10 minutes.

AHHHHHHH!!!!!

Why an Ice Bath?

Cryotherapy (cold therapy) constricts blood vessels and decreases metabolic activity, which reduces swelling and tissue breakdown.  Once the skin is no longer in contact with the cold source, the underlying tissues warm up, causing a return of faster blood flow, which helps return the byproducts of cellular breakdown to the lymph system for efficient recycling by the body.  Not only do ice baths suppress inflammation, but also help to flush harmful metabolic debris from your muscles.  (source)  

In A Nutshell... FASTER MUSCLE RECOVERY!!

Afterward, I warmed up in my hot pink compression socks (from The Recovery Sock) and elevated my legs for some much needed rest.   Five weeks done in Marathon training (145 miles!)... 12 to go and I'm feeling GOOD!

Have you ever done an Ice Bath?  Does it actually aide in your recovery?

Five for Friday!!

1.  I'm learning why marathon plans have "recovery weeks" after 18-22 mile runs.  Last week, I logged over 36 miles... 18 on Sunday, followed by a 5K race on Monday.  My whole body was T.I.R.E.D come Tuesday.  Through the past year, I've really learned to listen to my body to avoid injuries.  So I slowed it down this week... only logged 12 miles all week!  But I must admit this morning's run felt very refreshing.  I'm looking forward to 15 tomorrow morning - especially since my favorite paved trail is OPEN once again after a month of construction/repaving.  Do you listen to your body - or stick to the plan?


2.  My 37th birthday falls on a Saturday this year, so I've been searching for a half-marathon in the Midwest to run that day.  To avoid the depressing fact that I'm inching closer to 40, I find it invigorating to run on my birthday. With the past couple years of running, I definitely feel like I'm getting younger instead of older!
Yesterday, I got an email.... Just Announced!!  ZOOMA Women's Half Marathon Great Lakes on Saturday, Oct. 22 in the beautiful resort town of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  The course runs along the shores of Geneva Lake, a little hilly, but sure to be breath-taking with the fall colors.  If you register before July 16, use discount code ZOOMAGL11 to get $10 off a half-marathon entry and $5 off a 5K entry.  Come run my birthday with me!

Just imagine running this in the fall colors!??!

3.  There are a ton of cool giveaways going on in Bloggyville this week.  I've updated my Giveaways page.  Be sure to check it out to win some cool running goods... including my Family Fan Club $30 gift card giveaway for a new shirt or other custom item!

4.  I had a cupcake tasting yesterday for a wedding client.  I spent most the day baking six different flavors of cupcakes, each with their own flavored frosting.  I couldn't help but sneak a few.  Butter Pecan with maple frosting rocked my world!  Definitely NOT good for the marathon diet...

5.  Are you racing this weekend??  Comment here if you are so I can send positive race waves your way!!  Here is your FRIDAY RACE SALUTE!  Kick some butt!

Special mention to Kurt at Becoming an Ironman.  I've been following his training for months now, and this weekend he competes in Ironman Providence.  That's 70.3 miles...  I just know he's going to rock it!  And if you want in on a fun contest, predict his finish time here.

Family Fan Club Review & Giveaway

Last month, I won the Family Fan Club giveaway from the fabulous Kim at (Just) Trying is for Little Girls.  (I've been on a winning streak lately... really need to go to Vegas!)  So with my $30 credit, I browsed through their website (here).  They have a lot of neat designs for running, cycling, swimming, triathlon, duathlon, and even disc golf!  Pick your design and then add it to a tech shirt, t-shirt, hoodie, decal, water bottle, or other gift item.  Well, if you know me well, I'm never easy to please simple...

I wanted to create my own design.  I'm a freelance graphic designer, so it's just in my nature!  I knew they had some cool tech tees... (Just) Trying is for Little Girls said so, and her word is gold!  But again, I always take the "other" path and was looking for a tank tank in the technical moisture-wicking material.  The couple who run the business, Kim & Paul Taylor, were extremely flexible and met my every request.  They found me a tech tank (Badger B-Dry Sleeveless) in just the right color for my design.  Then I was a little concerned with sizing... fitness apparel can be all over the board for women's styles!  And I wanted my new custom shirt to actually fit!  Again, Kim & Paul provided a size chart, as well as their personal experience with the fit (true to size).

TA-DA... my new shirt arrived!!

UNLEASH YOUR INNER CHEETAH!

I am so pleased with it.  The fit is perfect. The length of the tank is slightly on the long side, which I like. The material is really comfortable... and I feel FAST in my custom design!  Thanks to Family Fan Club for the fun experience of making my own shirt!

Okay, so you want a turn?!?!?!

----- GIVEAWAY TIME -----

One lucky readers will win a $30 gift code to use at www.FamilyFanClub.net.

Here's how to enter... Please leave a separate comment for each entry option.

MANDATORY
1.  Like Family Fan Club on Facebook (here)... and leave a comment on their wall that says  Run with Jess sent me to say YOU ROCK!

*** After you win & receive your awesome new item, you must blog about your Family Fan Club experience.  If you don't have a blog, then just post a picture to their Facebook page. ***

EXTRA ENTRIES
1.  Like Run with Jess on Facebook.
2.  Post about this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter or your blog (one entry for each).
3.  Follow Run with Jess on Twitter.
4.  Follow FamilyFanClub on Twitter.
5.  Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect (click the follow button in the right sidebar)

Don't forget to leave a separate comment for each entry option that you complete!

Good Luck everyone!  This contest is open to US mailing address only.  Contest ends Thursday, July 14 at 6:00pm CST.  The opinions expressed are unpaid and completely the view of JESS.  

Watermelon!

Tonight is run night with my Sole Sisters.

It's hot and sunny... so this is how I'm preparing...

HYDRATE!

I love Watermelon!!

46 calories for a cup of diced cubes or balls.

THE GOOD STUFF...

Water-based, so very hydrating! 

Very low in saturated fat

No cholesterol

Very low in sodium

High in potassium

Very high in vitamin A

Very high in vitamin C

High in antioxidant lycopene

ANYTHING GOOD HAS A LITTLE BAD...
High in sugar

The scale is clearly tipped!


What's your favorite hydration FOOD?

Race Recap: Firecracker 5000

We started off our July 4th celebration with a fun race called the Firecracker 5000 in downtown Peoria.  After Sunday's hilly long run (read here), I could barely walk down the steps in the morning.  I told myself to just take it easy and use the 3.1 mile race as a recovery run.  Easier said than done...

I started off running with my hubby, who was a hit in the Uncle Sam hat!  Then my legs just kinda took off on me.  Nothing spectacular, no PR, but a good run.

28:06

#343 / 838 overall

#11 / 64 in my age group

The best part was seeing my two daughters giving all the runners high five's.

They love watching these short races!

A lot of my runner friends ran the Firecracker, so it was a fun morning of comradery.  

Then we had a really fun 4th of July cookout with our closest friends.  

Best 4th ever!

Tour De Peoria 18

I once again topped my longest run ever... by going 18 today!  I didn't sleep well last night, up at 2:00am.  By 3:30am, I was frustrated with tossing in bed.  So I grabbed the laptop and started messing around with a long run route on MapMyRun.com.  By 5am, I was laced up and parked in front of my gym, Landmark Health Club.

I love the early morning just as the dawn breaks.  Streets are so quiet and peaceful.  I had my iPhone along with GPS, so I took some odd streets down neighborhoods I'd never seen before.  The good part is exploring new areas of your city.  The bad part is they almost always have hills...

I took my sweet time this morning, and snapped lots of pictures to give you a Tour de Peoria in just 18 miles... Settle in and enjoy the tour!

Shortly after mile 1, I passed by the Bradley Braves soccer field, formerly the home of Peoria's minor league baseball team.

I entered the park and passed by Peoria's Corn Stock Theatre, an outdoor venue... 

Now showing FOOTLOOSE!

Running through Bradley Park, I got many views like this on the windy roads through the wilderness.  At the bottom of this hill, I came face to face with three baby raccoons!!  We all stopped dead in our tracks.  Where babies are, the momma is nearby too... and raccoons are NOT nice animals.  I stopped and waited... They stared me down and eventually crossed over the road and up the hill into the woods. Whew!

 Continuing on, I got to cross over cool bridges like this...

And climb neat steps like these...

And see scenic views like this...

And climb a really big HILL to get to the upper portion of the park...

Where I said "Good Morning" to Christopher Columbus...

Traffic and roads through universities are always busy and difficult.  So today I ran through the Bradley University campus... first time I received an "inside view" of the campus.  

Next I enjoyed a couple miles through the Historic Districts of Peoria, specifically down Moss Ave, where I dreamed of living in the big beautiful 1800's Victorian houses like the Pettengill-Morron House...

Next I took the turn downtown via Main Street, where it's pretty much all bars and banks. Even at 6am on a Sunday, there were some partiers lingering on the sidewalks.  We both kinda looked at each other thinking the same thing... "You're Nuts!"

And since I was doing a picture tour of Peoria for you, I just HAD to climb up the Bob Michels Bridge to snap some pictures of our beautiful riverfront...

It was nearly 7:00am, so I stopped by the Riverplex Rec Center, where the Sole Sisters were meeting for a morning run.  I thought maybe I'd grab a couple miles with them.   But they were slow to get going, and after waiting 10 minutes, I could feel my legs stiffening up...

So I flipped on the ipod (yes, I went 10 miles without music!) and headed down the riverfront trail solo...

A little over 11 miles in, I turned away from the river and headed past the Sonnemaker runner statue... up the really, really big hill into Glen Oak Park.  My run has been pretty hilly already, and I finally had to stop and walk up half that hill.

After winding through Glen Oak Park, I passed the Peoria Zoo & Luthy Botanical Gardens.

I took a brief venture into the Historic Springdale Cemetary, which was neat running through streets lined with flags for the holiday...

And then I passed by a Peoria landmark... Emo's!  Too bad they weren't open at 8am or I would have stopped for an ice cream cone!

By now, I'm at about 15 miles.  

My legs and feet are starting to hurt.  

The sun is getting warm.  

And my mind is thinking, "Whose bright idea was it to run a marathon?"

Finally the turn home on Forrest Hill... back to the gym.  I felt every incline along the final stretch, but I was so deliriously happy to be near the end!

18.20 miles

3 hours, 19 minutes 

Average Pace of 10:58 (which isn't too bad considering the hills and all the photography stops!)

HOT, but HAPPY to be done!!