2014 - News, Races, & Goals

News:

2014 is shaping up to be a stellar year already.  A few weeks ago I got an exciting email letting me know that I have been chosen to be a Nuun Ambassador for 2014. WAHOO! I honestly love Nuun, I will say that not only has it helped my training/hydration but it has also helped me kick my soda addiction.  It has a great taste (much better then many of the sports "drinks" out there) and I love the fizz it has right after the tablet dissolves.  I have a tube of Nuun in my purse, car, and Bear II at all times.  Applying to be an ambassador for Nuun was a pretty easy decision, not only to I believe in their product but since discovering it over a year ago I have seen all that they do for the running community. I am really excited to be a part of this extremely hydrated and motivating "family"!

2014 Races:

January 11: PoHo Hot Chocolate 8k

March 1: Pazcki 5K

March 30: Rock CF 1/2 Marathon

May 10th: Weekend Warrior Full Marathon 

August 23: North Country 50 Miler

September 5: Woodstock 100 (need to register when it opens)

There is a possibility for a relay race in July but as of now nothing is set in stone so I am not planning on it. But overall that is the extent of my 2014 "racing".  I will be spending some time on trails for a few Fat Ass 50k's and hopefully a 50 miler, plus almost every holiday our local running group does a Fat Ass Half Marathon so I will be getting in the distance.  Since we will be moving sometime next Spring I am hesitant to pay for/commit to any races and then not be able to make them, plus in all honesty I hate paying for races when I can run for free.

I am perfectly happy with this race schedule and the few races that are on it for now (yes there may be 1 or 2 added throughout the year if the timing works)  I look forward to running the 2 new races and returning to the other 4 for another go at the course.

2014 Goals:

1) Sub 2 hr at Rock CF in March-I do not know that I want to just sub 2, I really want to crush it.  Being only 4 seconds away last year at Bayshore really has been bothering me because I cannot help but think I could have given just a little bit more.

2) Sub 4:20 Full Marathon in May-I have not run a full marathon since 2004 so I am not sure what to expect for the 26.2, I know that I will be racing it much differently then my 50K last September.  I do want to run it in less then 4:20 since that will take an hour off my first (and only) marathon time.

3) Complete both a 50 miler and 100 miler in 2014.  These 2 will be tests of perseverance and sheer determination.  I will be attempting the 100 miler only 2 weeks after my first official 50, so it is going to be tough, but if I train properly and stay safe I can do it.

With the help of my Believe I Am journal and both the online and local running communities I have become a part of I can cross all 4 of these goals off my list by the end of 2014.  

What do you have for 2014? Any exciting news, goals or races?

When they cancel the race...

For the last 6 months I have been looking forward to a trip to Dallas.  It not only included a girls weekend with a runner friend from Michigan but also are friend who lives down there now and I have not seen since last spring but also the Dallas Metro PCS 1/2 Marathon.

However as the 10 day forecast stalking started so did the realization that the trip may not actually happen.  There were icicles hanging off clouds on the forecast! (I rarely see that in the Michigan forecast)  This could not be a good thing.  Never in a million years did I think when flying in December my problem would be flying into Dallas, if anything I worried I would not be able to fly back into Detroit Metro.

Yep it was going from 77 to 37 in a matter of days!

Thursday night though I remained hopeful, packed my suitcase, got the last few things together at the house and went to bed early.  I knew things were already getting bad in Texas and that the weather was already causing problems.  However are flight was not landing till 10:45 am on Friday, so there was still time for things to clear up.

Just a little weather advisory

Friday morning I woke up, checked my flight, it said it was still on time, so I got ready, picked up my runner friend that was traveling with me, and off we went.  We got the car parked, through security, grabbed a coffee and headed to the gate.  Sure enough close to 7:56 am they started boarding our plane. WHAT!?!? It's really going to happen.  I was so excited even though I was still a little nervous about the weather conditions but obviously if we were flying out things could not be that bad.  That's when things changed, the people that had just boarded were being escorted off and Delta was announcing that the flight was cancelled.  Within 5 minutes we had already been rebooked on the 5:25 pm flight.  Ok, just a delay, we can still get there.  Since we had already parked the car, we decided hanging out at the airport was the best idea and we knew we had an extra set of workout clothes so why not find a treadmill.  Luckily the Westin Hotel that is connected to Detroit Metro Airport has a very nice exercise room (4 treadmills, ellipticals, recumbent bikes, free weights, and a pool/hot tub).  For $15 a person we were able to access the fitness center for the day, which included the locker rooms and showers. Was this ideal? No. It was better then sitting in the airport though.  We changed and managed to each log 7.5 treadmill miles, plus some core/strength work before soaking in the hot tub and chatting for over an hour and a half.  Uninterrupted adult conversation with a friend, honestly it was great.

Selfie in the fancy Westin lobby

Selfie after 7.5 sweaty treadmill miles

View from the treadmill

As the day went on, the conditions in Dallas only seemed to get worse and before the Dallas Metro PCS Marathon had made the official announcement to cancel, we had collectively decided that making the trip was not the best choice or the responsible choice.  Not only was the weather still awful, there were (and are as I write this) that did not have power.  There were countless accidents already because the roads were so horrible.  Even if the flight to Dallas had taken off on Friday night, having our friend or her husband make the 20+ minute on a good day drive from Southlake to pick us up was not safe.  Even if the race actually happened on Sunday, it seemed selfish to expect emergency workers or city personal who could be better used elsewhere, blocking off traffic and monitoring a race.  It seemed selfish to have bottled water and finish line food, when there are people in the city that could use that at that moment more then me.  It seemed selfish to take a seat on an airplane, to make a trip that suddenly had so many more cons then pros, when there were men and women just trying to get home to their families who were suffering the storm alone.  It was not an easy decision, and really sometimes being an adult and making a logical choice stinks, but it was the right decision.  

Am I sad that I was not able to make the trip, sure, I was looking forward to a girls weekend with my friends.  I was looking forward to a long overdue run with my friend.  It will happen, there will be time around Christmas and we are already looking at a reschedule weekend (this time not in December).

Ultimately the race was canceled and in my opinion it was the right decision.  

PERSPECTIVE! This whole adventure was really a lesson on perspective, and honestly a much needed lesson because lately I have apparently forgotten how important perspective is.  It was about finding the positive in a negative situation.  I was reminded that how I felt about a situation was dependent on how I looked at the situation.

So this weekend instead of sitting around a pouting (which I will admit I did Friday night for a short period of time after the kids went to bed and allowed myself to be a little sad I was not going), I decided to make the best of it.  It has included a sunny 10 mile run around the beautiful city of Detroit, a stop at RUN Detroit, breakfast from Avalon Bakery, a nap, some quality time and dinner with the family, the MSU game and tomorrow includes a big day of lounging around, snuggles and the Lions.

After 10 wonderful miles w/ our friends Alia and ACE from RUN Detroit

I hope you all have a great weekend! Any big plans?