I Am Capable

This chart represents 57.7 miles for the month of March. It seems like it wouldn't, but there it is!

IF I put my mind to it!

I am the queen of psyching myself out. I have been good about stopping for a walk break if I even feel just a little bit of discomfort. I will try to hang on until the next mile has come and take a walking break. I'm pretty good about walking...even though I'm not a fan of walking :)

So, my point is that in more recent weeks I have actually been able to hang on longer than I think I can and as a result I have been able to cover more distance before I decide that I need to walk. Now that we have done our first BIG running event for this year - Shamrock Half, I have gained some confidence and feel like I can do more now!

During our morning run yesterday I had the thought to do the 3 mile route, that Tom wasn't aware that we would be doing, without stopping. It took a lot of self talk of the positive nature for me to get up the hill AND to continue on to home. The hill isn't long, it's just in the last mile and I hadn't been able to continue on the last couple of times that I thought I might try.

I. DID. IT.

Yay for me!!!  That is the second time now with the first time being in February. I'm pretty excited about this. I'm starting to actually feel like I'm a runner :)

Positive thinking is key. I try so hard to think positive, but sometimes the habits of bad runs gone by creep in and I feel like a loser again. Just need to run happy and not think too much...just enough to not make myself crazy.

Vancouver USA Half is up next!

Race Photos

Finally checked for the Shamrock Run Race photos - they aren't so bad! Click on each photo to expand. You will see Tom in my finish line pic...he is by the clock

This is on Broadway

Heading to the finish - I was really excited to see the finish! 

Just about done!

Tom heading up Broadway

Tom finishing up his race.

Swagger

(pic pirated from the PDX Shamrock FB page)

Oh yeah...we got swagger!
However, in my case, I got bloody swagger...

BUT - the reward for blood and swagger...

Cool Bling!

This year's Shamrock was a wet one. It wasn't terrribly cold - while we were running, but hanging around waiting for the start was quite chilly. There was rain, there were puddles and there were small ponds on the streets of downtown PDX. Mostly on the way out to the industrial area where they pay a lot of attention to not much. Come on PBOT take care of the roads downtown!

Technology...BAH! My Nike Sport watch went on the fritz. That was fun. As I was heading up Terwilliger I looked and it said 6.71 miles. The next time I looked it was 6.71. Then I started to notice a trend...it only took two times checking my watch - yup, I'm pretty smart that way. After about the 5th or 6th time checking it, I quit looking at it. Then at some point heading down to the finish on the 3 mile downhill portion of  the course, I looked at it was back to the time. I guess that's better than nothing. At least with that I could see how close to 11 o'clock I would be. When I saw the clocks at the finish, I wasn't sure which one I should be looking at - aww, nuts!

Oh well.

I made it thru the finish arch and got myself my finisher medal and then started to look around for Tom. It wasn't too long before I saw him. He said that he was at the finish right by the arch waiting for me to come through. He said that he yelled, but I didn't hear anything. I was focused on getting to the timing mats. My official time was 3:00:03. I'll take it, first half of the year and all. Especially a wet one!

Since we didn't meet anyone or caravan with anyone else we went ahead and made our way back over to our car and went home.

The blood - well, that must have been what was happening slowly, mile by mile starting around mile 3. I didn't even know that I was bleeding - not until I got home and started to untie my shoes and take them off. Left shoe first then...what the heck?! I just sat in the kitchen looking at my shoe, all dumbfounded. Huh, so that's what was happening...weird. Off came my sock and I looked at my foot and really couldn't tell where the blood was coming from. Stealth bleeding! Today, 3 days later, my foot is still sore from running, but the spot that was irritated is much better.

A running friend of mine suggested that the next time we do a longer run to slather on some vaseline...okay...that makes sense! We'll see though. I did have wet, wool running socks on. The socks were fine during my last long run and even during the Fort Vancouver run.

So, now what? Our next event is the Vancouver USA Half Marathon, June 21. So we have some time - three months. Might need to take the next couple of weeks to fully recuperate and get back into the routine. This morning's easy two miles was better than I expected - I'll be ready to take on a mile or two more in the next few days!

This year is going to be Epic!

More Bling

Added to the collection this past weekend:

More to come later...gotta get to work!