Chocolate Cupcakes

A nice 'lil healthy dessert recipe from Rachel N.  -- as healthy as dessert can be. Enjoy!

BERRY GOOD CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES.doc

26.2 Days

I opened my email last night to this:

...Which resulted in a response like this:

So, um, this is going to be interesting. Ben and I are going to post in the next few days what we're up against... name an injury, we've got it! Run/walk, anyone?


ps: Props to Btown Boston qualifiers/runners. Here's everyone's bib. I'm proud of Ben for being under 1,000! (bib/wave assignments in order of qual time, fastest first)

Race Shirt #5,239

Ok, just kidding. But don't you have tons of race shirts? Some are just more notable than others! Some for personal reasons, some are just cool designs.

Anyway, I found this at Urban Outfitters -- the tee shirt frame! Frame your best races. :)

Racing Stripes

Earlier this week, thanks to Dr. Mandy Smith at Bloomington Sports and Wellness, I got my racing stripes!!

She taped me pret-ty good with RockTape, better known as KinesioTape (actually, KinesioTape is to elastic therapeutic tape as Kleenex is to tissue. Make sense? It's a brand name). It comes in a bunch of different colors, but on that day, I only had my choice of pink or pink. It's ok.  :)

Mandy tells me she's the only "Rock Doc" in all of Indiana, meaning she's taken a bunch of courses and tested/certified to apply it correctly. You don't have to be a medical specialist to apply or buy the stuff yourself, and there's even instructions included on how to tape yourself. Obviously, it's most effective when done correctly. Think of it like putting a band-aid on your finger when it's extended straight. It pulls when you bend your finger, right? Sort of the same idea here-- the tape pulls when I stand up straight or bend my knees.

The purpose of this is to lift the fascia, the thin layer that covers your muscles. By lifting the fascia, we might be able to take some of the stress off of the muscles where I'm having pulling or tendinitis issues. While this isn't intended as a permanent solution, it should help us figure out what's working/not working so we can concoct a good treatment plan.

Compared to Kinesio Tape, according to Mandy, Rock Tape is so much better -- much more adhesive and flexible. I can at least tell you that I've had this on since Monday afternoon and have only had to cut and trim a few inches off when it came undone. I've showered  (ha! Aren't you glad?) and run just about every day, and she even says that this tape will usually stay on swimmers for up to 5 days. It's Saturday and still sticky!

I am covered with this tape from a few loops around my foot to completely up to my hip (3 stripes on the left leg). With all of these left foot-calf-knee-hamstring-hip problems, we went all the way. On my right side, as you can see, I am sporting a below-the-knee tape job where my lower leg muscles have been feeling like they were pulling off of the bone -- painful and sharp!! It got so bad in the last few weeks I was walking normally, but it was not pleasant.

Despite the fact that Lance Armstrong was one of the first to make this stuff trendy, I like it not because it's what the cool kids are doing but because it's actually worked. While I didn't have a painful enough baseline to compare to, I haven't felt any pain in my right leg since the tape went on on Monday! On the left, I felt a twinge at Thursday night's run. And now, after the 13 mile run, I can definitely feel a little pulling in the lower right leg, but I suspect it's because the tape's gotten more elastic over the past few days. I'm still MUCH better off than I was before, so I think we're on to something...

Ps: [Disclaimer-- Shameless plug ahead.]

If you want to try RockTape, Mandy's going to be at most of the Mag 7 races taping people before the run. You don't have to be injured to get taped. It obviously won't be as in depth as what I have going on, but you'll get the general idea! Go to the first race, the Magnificent 7k and find out! (I think that's the first one she's at -- will verify!)

Bedford 10k Race Report

Rain, rain, and rain! After one of the longest, hardest work weeks I've had since ACN, I woke up on this rainy Saturday morning to run the 10k in Bedford.

To set the scene, here's the week recap:
Monday - easy 4 miler with the group (my right knee was killing me from the 14 aquajog on Sunday)
Tuesday - track night with Andrea
Wednesday - nada
Thursday - mile repeats with the group (4 of 'em)
Friday - nada
Saturday - Race Day!

I'm definitely doing only a few miles each week, mostly because I want to take it easy on my hip/knees/leg/foot until we can figure out what the problem(s) are. Talk about quality over quantity... man am I totally paying for it!!

We got to Bedford and were situated with about 15 minutes to go before the race. Rachel, Kari, Craig K. and I did a short warm-up with the 10 minutes we had, and after a stride or two on the track, I could tell my legs weren't feeling quite 100%. But, that's the beauty of these Bedford runs! They're more casual and laid-back, but still forces a good race-pace effort. In true Steph form, I barely made it to the start line before the gun.

I wish I could confidently say I purposely changed up my normal race m.o. and went out fast, but that's a lie. I haven't raced in a while, so I fell victim to the "Jon Lee Effect" and was swept away with the faster guys at the gun. Faster than I'd like. My tried and true method usually involves going out very conservatively and picking up the pace. Today was not one of those days!

I ran with Chris for a little while, and we hit Mile 1 at 6:40. That would've been completely awesome if I'd felt better! Anyway, I think Mile 2 came at 6:59 (?), and Mile 3 at 6:55. As we went around the cul-de-sac, Chris took off and I lost my split-calling buddy. Every mile after that was a fight!! The rest of the run was an awful blur of trying to catch my breath, saying "thanks!" to the volunteers, and giving each runner a thumbs up or a "good job" when we crossed paths. Late into mile 4, I saw Ben, who had finished the race, walked back, and was cheering for me on the side of the road. Sweet- I was close to the end! (My body must funnel all the blood and oxygen from my brain to my legs when I run... I barely remembered any landmarks on this out-and-back course to realize my mistake) At this point, I was so tired!! I was paying the consequences for going out too fast in the beginning. As I approached Mile 5, the volunteer said, "Only a mile to go!" .... but unfortunately, I thought I was already well into mile 5. If you know me at all, I have a very distinct on/off switch, and this was mentally damaging! My heart sank even more when I realized that there was no possible way, where and when I'd seen Ben, that he could've finished so quickly and jogged back to the point where I'd seen him a hundred yards earlier. He had to have dropped out.

I negotiated with myself up the last hill (I'll take it easy up this hill, but then must continue at race pace to the finish) and finally saw downhill straightaway to the finish. I had less in the tank than I hoped in the last mile. But, fast forward to the finish, and finally it was over. On the injury front, I never had any issues! I ended up feeling sharp pain in my right leg during the cooldown, but that's it. The injuries still exist, yes, but didn't flare up during this run... they mostly show themselves when I approach higher mileage (40+) on the week. A temporary win, but a win none the less!

Upon finishing, the rest of the guys told me Ben was feeling sick again during the race and stopped running. He's been fighting a cold all week. While running, he was having some productive coughing fits and walked it back from the turnaround point at the cul-de-sac. Three hours later he started to having some knee/leg issues that caused his leg to swell at the knee and calf. He can barely walk and bear weigh on it today (Sunday), but is popping ibuprofen, icing, and resting like a champ.

Overall, I'm satisfied with my time, especially since I rarely race the 10k. Now I have a better idea of my fitness level. The time was good enough for me, and I know I can run that (or faster) while also feeling stronger. So, the two goals I have walking out of this are a) to start lifting again and b) add more miles.

A few funny moments happened when people kept running past the actual finish because the line could be identified only by a small ground marking and about 5 people standing around. Rachel N. was hilarious! As she unknowingly sprinted across the finish - and then kept going - we yelled at her, "You're done! You are  finished!  Rachel, you're done!" She still kept running like she was racing! Honestly, the Bedford Let's Go training group always does such a great job on their races, despite the usually small field. McDonald's orange drink and oreos at the end of the race, awards given out as you cross the finish line, directional arrows spray-painted on the ground, and volunteers at EVERY turn -- it doesn't get better than that. All in all, this was a good and hard race, a completely appropriate and consistent end for this incredibly exhausting week!

Here's me with my medal!

(Yeah, I'm scrubbin' today... but I earned it!)

Finally, Ben's first post: A look towards 2011

Its not for a shortage of things to say, but I always put blogging low on the priority list... so I end up never posting. Today is my (Ben) turn to do some catching up.

My 2011 'athletic' goals differ from years past. I used to be obsessed with trying to run faster (or recovering from injury) and proving to myself that I am capable of times that I have in my head. 2010 started out very modest, not really getting over nagging injuries to consistent running until May. But, I found myself in what I would consider a top 3 "best shape of my life" and with much less mileage than before (50ish compared to 70+ over the other top 3).

I was finally able to make it to a marathon starting line and put together a solid even split 2:46 marathon. Now there will be people that are blown away by this time and others that will congratulate me on a solid run... but personally I was just happy to have made it to the starting line and run what I felt I was capable of on the day (and in my training). Certainly I think I can go faster, but I also can sigh a relief to have an effort (and time) that makes me proud even if my running ended today.

Where does this leave me? With a chance to put my running demons aside for awhile so I can set out to achieve one of my 3 lifetime athletic goals; finish an iron distance triathlon (2.4mi swim, 112mi bike, and 26.2mi run). So, this year will be about exploring the world of endurance cycling and running (with a little swimming in there, ughhh). I would be lying if I said I didn't have a time goal for the race, but I feel no pressure to hit it. It'll be more in the experience for me.

I have already committed to the September 11, 2011 Cedar Point Rev 3 Iron Distance Triathlon... so time to get ready?

This world of triathlon is responsible for four of my goals for the year:

1. Ride with Rick Hullinger's group from Muncie down to the Indy Mini (running the race of course)

2. The ultimate weekend: Ride-Run-Sleep-Run-Ride. We'll ride 50mi south to Delaney Park where we can run the Knobstone Trails, campout, run the trails again, then ride back!

3. Ride my first Century (100mi) -- my "place where all the burritos go" hurts just thinking about it.

4. Finish the Cedar Point Rev 3 Full (mentioned above)

My other set of goals for this "year of fun" sprouted from getting to know Scott Breeden over the last year. Before him, I never would have considered an ultra marathon... but between him, annual trips to Colorado, and Tony Kupricka, I know think it is possible. But, that's for another year.

Three of my 2011 goals do stem from this future ambition though:

1. Run a two-day, stage run (4 legs) of the full Tecumseh Trail (~55mi). I envision this a bit like the R-R-S-R-R from #2 in the triathlon goals, but here all of the Rs stand for Run.

2. Run 4-man teams of the Red Eye Relay (100mi in 21 legs), giving a runner about ~25mi through some nasty backwoods Bloomington hills over the course of 5-6 runs in about 11 hours.

3. Possibly pace (or at least crew) part of the Leadville 100mi with Scott in August.

Conveniently, the Leadville 100mi run is about the same time as Steph and I make our annual trip out to Colorado, so hopefully this can work out... but, I don't plan on coming away from Colorado with just a Leadville experience.

Two other Colorado goals exist in the ~2 weeks we'll spend there:

1. Ride up to the top of Mt. Evans (14mi from Echo Lake, 10,600ft, to the peak, 14,250ft). This delusion started last year when we drove to the top and saw people biking it... there's also a 27mi starting point, but I'll start off with a small goal ;)

2. Hike up at least one more 14er (14,000ft peak). Last year, Steph drove Mt. Evans and hiked Greys and Torreys Peaks for three 14ers. It is a wonderfully amazing view and a lot of fun, not to mention difficult.

Whew! That's about it... I should note that we (Steph and I) will be running the Boston and NYC Marathon as well, though not to try and run a PR... more for the experience.

Hopefully, the recounting of these adventures will be the more entertaining of posts in our blog (as compared to a rambling of goals), but at least it is known what to expect...

This was exhausting just to type!

Maybe I should call this the year of the experience (or experiments)...

My "Growing Personal Following"

I went to Dr. Jon Grant at St. Vincent Sports Performance last Friday in Indy. The man is AMAZING! He works on the Indiana Elite guys, and also pretty closely with some of the IndyCar drivers and Pacers players. While I was there, the U.S. womens synchronized swimming Olympic team was there, too, just hanging out.

During my 2-hour session, he offered some insight and solutions, along with some drills to do twice daily. Then, he told me I probably wouldn't need to come in to see him again. Totally worth my hundred bucks. Finally! A doctor who tackles the root cause and doesn't want you to come back!

Ben visited him a few weeks before. Coincidentally, we have the exact same issues which are causing us injury when running. We each walked into the place with our injury resumes (yes, we made 'em)... mine detailed the last few years of pain I've had with my lower left leg, left hip, and left and right cuboid (foot).

Outcome:

• My legs are the same length, despite the CT scan results. I walked in with my left leg about 5-7 mm longer than the right.
• My pelvis is in torsion, making the left leg longer, and causing it to place all the stress on the left hip/hamstring/calf/foot/everything else in between.
• The foot issue is probably related to my hip and the lower leg tendinitis -- something I'd never even considered!
• A few adjustments and exercises later, my legs were the same length.
• To prevent torquing my pelvis, I can't cross my legs in any way (not even shins!) for at least 2 weeks.
• I don't use my glutes when I run - just hamstrings. This could be causing fatigue to the hamstrings, hence the pain.

He gave me some drills to do, especially one that trains my brain to "fire the glutes!" when I'm running.

So, in honor of the all-important glutes, I present to you the lyrics to the closing song at the Blue Man Group show last week (courtesy of Rick, who listened closely and wrote all out!). Honestly, I don't even know the song title. It's just about butts. And if you haven't figured it out already, the title of this post is another one of those ways to refer to your butt. I challenge YOU to come up with one that's not already on here!

Your heiney

Your keister

Your tush

Your buns

Your bumcakes

Your junk in the trunk

Your badonkadonk

Your squash tart

Your fanny

Your double slug

Your wiggle bags

Your mud flaps

Your rump rocket

Your fleshpot

Your second face

Your bounce house

Your jiggle twins

Your jar jar binks

Your bubble pop

Your medicine ball

Your sonic boom

Your booty

Your money maker

Your sit biscuit

Your mumbler

Your chocolate cluster

Your rock tumbler

Your fun cooker

Your subwoofer

Your horn section

Your Frodo

Your John Madden

Your launch pad

Your Mothra

The outback

Your routunda

The closer

Your crock-pot

Your jumbotron

Your airbags

--

Shake that freckle muffin

Bake that turkey stuffin’

Let your ?? bulldog lose

Put some juice in your caboose

Wiggle that rump hump

Jiggle that jump bump

––

Your happy walrus with no tusks

Your two bulbous friends

Your George Foreman grill

Your Dinner With Andre

The place where all the burritos go

Minneapolis and St. Paul

Your giant fluffy bears

Ali vs. Frazier

Elvis Aaron Presley

Your butter cup

Your monster truck

Your mag wheels

Your life’s work

Your waffle iron

Your skin smurf

Your wiggle clowns

Your flab cabbage

Your bum puppets

Your Gigantor

Your two mounds of mischief

Your wiggle monkey

Your gripper

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb

Your hamster

Your diablo

Your Canada

Your gelatinous avatar

Your flubber chunks

Your pants pillows

Your growing personal following

Your firecracker

Your reporter at large…or in this case Very Large

Your flounder that’s rounder than a giant

    Quarter Pounder

That thang

Enjoy. It's time for me to get my wiggle clowns out of here and get running!

You know you're a runner when...

Does this sound like you?  If so, you're in GOOD COMPANY!!

You know you're a runner when...

• your first thought when you look at the weekly weather forecast is, "When can I fit in my runs?"
• you have more running clothes than regular clothes in your laundry pile.
• you've lost a toenail. And you tell people, "It's not that bad."
• you smirk when non-runners ask you, "So how long is this marathon?"
• you have a drawer full of medals and other race souvenirs that you're not sure what to do with.
• you go into Starbucks more often to use the bathroom than to actually buy coffee.
• you no longer make fun of fanny packs because your running belt looks very similar (although cooler) to one.
• you've used an old race T-shirt to wash your car, dust furniture, or clean something else.
• your treadmill has more miles on it than your car.
• you get an invitation to a wedding and you automatically think about what race the date will conflict with.
• you have dreams about showing up to a race late or not wearing any clothes.
• you're not embarrassed to wear spandex.
• the salespeople at your local running store know you by name.
• you're always hungry.
• you know how to take a cup of water from a water stop without choking on it or spilling it all over yourself.
• at least one of your web site usernames or email addresses has the word "run" or "runner" in it.
• you know where your illiotibial band is located.
• you no longer hate port-a-johns. In fact, there have been times when you've been very happy to see one.

Foodie Friday

After getting Rachel's blessing last night that it is ok eat leftovers as breakfast (within reason), I feel better about gorging myself every morning with sweet potato casserole. Sick?  Well, the thought of eating eggs, cereal, oatmeal, or any other predictable breakfast food in the morning is enough to trigger my gag reflex.  Don't judge.

Don't Miss This:

If you're interested in nutrition, you need to visit nutiritiondata.com. On this website, you can look up any food  imaginable, and the website gives you its full nutrition profile. Best of all, it's free! I registered for an account and input my recipe (below) into the website, where it analyzed the ingredients and gave me a nutrition label for my custom recipe, which you'll see below.  Cool, huh?

At Thanksgiving, my mom made this amazing sweet potato casserole. It was low in sugar, had heart-healthy walnuts in it, and contained only a few tablespoons of butter -- compare that to the buttery, marshmallow-y kinds you normally see during the holidays. Confession: I've eaten through at least 4 of these in the past 2 weeks - all on my own. I hate sweet potatoes too! But this is so good, you just have to make it to experience it!!

Why are sweet potatoes healthy? They're high in fiber, rich in vitamins A & C, and good source of potassium. Sweet potatoes are good for you because they're low on the glycemic index, which means that by eating them, you won't suffer a blood sugar soar and crash. They're great for mashing or snacking - try sweet potato fries (with cinnamon greek yogurt dipping sauce!) or a casserole like the one below.

RECIPE:
Sweet Potato Casserole
Makes 12 servings

Ingredients

• 4 cups sweet potato, cubed
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Cook over medium high heat until tender; drain and mash.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, 3 tbsp brown sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. In medium bowl, mix the brown sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown.

Here's the nutritional breakdown for my current breakfast obsession.  Of course, if you're concerned about the sugar, you could tweak the recipes, but overall this isn't a bad way to start the day. One serving is about 90% of your daily recommended value for Vitamin A!

Rewrite Your Grocery List

We're in a total food slump. We eat the same things week after week, and it's gotten really old. I am to the point where I skip breakfast over eating because it's so boring!  I either need a new ceral obsession or have to get over my distaste for eggs.

This afternoon I was emailing back and forth with Rachel N. in our training group. I asked if she would write a quick 5-6 line advice bit for the Herald Times InStride running advice section, and I got much more than I expected! This stuff is like gold. It's too good to go read only by my eyes, so take this and use it!



Here's what Rachel (pictured at left) had to say...

Don’t let nutrition be your missing link! Food has the power to boost immunity, strengthen bones, repair muscle, and prevent disease. Plan ahead! Fuel before and after workouts. Focus on whole grains, fresh fruits/veggies, and lean proteins. Healthy fats offer important fuel that can increase endurance (enjoy natural peanut-butter on your bagel, olive oil on your salad, nuts for snacks, and salmon for dinner).

Then I asked her for the ultimate runner's grocery list and why these foods are so great.  Enjoy!

• berries - high in antioxidants
• oranges - packed with vitamin-C and beta-carotene
• plain Greek yogurt - use in place of sour cream...no fat and DOUBLE the protein
• oats - excellent source of fiber; add cinnamon for a hearty breakfast
• light popcorn - a whole-grain!
• walnuts - high in plant sterols which lower cholesterol
• canola oil - lowest in saturated fat of any common cooking oil
• canned black-beans/kidney beans - high in B-vitamins/iron...stir in soup or salad for a nutrient boost
• broccoli - chop fresh broccoli into store-bought soup
• carrots - for beta-carotene…sneak shredded carrots into spaghetti sauce or muffin batter
• ground flaxseed - hides easily in yogurt, cereal, or muffins
• canned tuna - high in heart-healthy omega fats…here’s lunch: salad greens, fruit, tuna, whole-wheat pita
• sweet potatoes - vitamins A, C, & E…microwave in a zip-lock bag for lunch; eat the skin for added fiber
• dark chocolate - high in resveratrol and cocoa flavonoids…choose 70% or higher cocoa content!

2011 Goals

Ok, 2011. You're mine!!

Here's what going to happen.

Running/Fitness Goals
1) Break 3:15 in the marathon. No plans for any particular marathon, but see how in #2 and #3.
My best times were run in races where I felt under-prepared or just didn't care too much about my time (go figure). So rather than training to focus on a single marathon, the aim is going to be for overall fitness, and I'm going to run a few big races along the way. On the same note, this will be my second Boston. I don't plan to race it, but just run and enjoy the New England scenery and amazing crowds.

Steph's 2011 Big Race Docket:

• Boston Marathon - April
• ? Indy Mini Half Marathon - May
• Go Girl Indy Spring Triathlon - July
• Cedar Point Half Ironman Triathlon - September
• NYC Marathon - Octoberish
• ? Tecumseh Trail Marathon - December

2) Run a PR marathon time by cross training more. This includes more time lifting weights, swimming, and logging miles on the bike. Hopefully more cross training will help prevent the different overuse injuries I've had in the past few years.

3) The motivation I have for doing #2 is my other goal, to complete the Rev3 Half Ironman. It'll be my third triathlon and longest tri by far (I have only ever completed sprints), but why not? I'm going to shoot for 50th percentile or better among the female athletes.

4) Run sub 19:45 in the 5k. Emphasis on a legit, measured-course 5k. Eh, we'll see. Definitely want to do this by racing more Mag7 races.

5) 7 Pull-ups, continuous, by the end of June. I started by putting the "Door Gym" in a guest bedroom door; we do one pull-up (or more) every single time we pass.  We've gotten pretty efficient in making trips upstairs!

6) BARA, BARA, and BARA.  Let's get this club going!!! I can't wait to be involved in everything Operations.  CHECK OUT THE LOGO!  Carman put this baby together for fun... Let me just post the Boston Athletic Association logo, so you can appreciate the humor:

    

Voila -- there are my 2011 goals! 

Cheers to 2010

Seeing as it's New Year's Eve, this is the obligatory year-in-review post. I'll do this in photos.

In 2010...

January

We went to Philly for the NIRCA Winter Conference. Ben turned 26 (even though sometimes he forgets he's not 27 yet).

Steph & Julia on the Rocky steps

February

Seriously, nothing happens in February. Training began for the InRunCo half marathon training group.  We made lots of new friends!

Also, after 4 months of being on the market, our Indianapolis house was shown in an Indianapolis news story: http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-home-sales-going-up-022210,0,160908.story

March

Ah, snowed-in March. All I remember was lots of snow.  We were living with Mama & Papa B at the time, and Jose Carlos was here (he took this photo).

April

Ben and I managed the event timing for one of our first races of the year, the Coach Hep Cancer Challenge (5k run).  No major hitches. At the same time, half/full marathon training was in full swing.  We also visited my mom in Newark/Columbus and went to the Chihuly exhibit at the Columbus Art Museum. All of that is made of glass!!

May

Oh yes. Indy Mini season!  2010's Indy Mini was just cold and windy. Every year we/the store sets up a tent at the Indy Mini finish celebration area and we grill out for all of our customers - free food after the race!  Grandma makes tons of cookies and brownies, and it's a good time because everyone sits and waits for other training group folk and recount war stories from the hours prior. Not the case. It was so cold that everyone peaced out really early... and I can't really complain about being back in bed by 1pm either! For the 4:30am wake-up, Indy Mini day is always brutal. Ben cooked out and I ran the half marathon completely unprepared (Ben didn't start racing much until later in the year). I surprised myself, finishing in 1:32:16.  As Ben puts it, the Indy Mini really isn't that much fun...  it's just that because everyone else and their mother does it, you feel like you have to too!  Why do we do this to ourselves?!

Doesn't everyone just look cold?

In May I also ran the Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City, MI and set a marathon PR!  3:16:06.  I highly recommend this race. If you're not sold by the beautiful shoreline backdrop, then consider the fact that everyone gets Coldstone Ice Cream at the finish. (and the best oranges you will ever eat in your entire life - shown below!) Yes, those are headphones... I run best when I listen to music when I run. You can hate all you want. :)  Unfortunately, I spent the next month being injured, since I hurt my left hip during training/racing.  After the Indy Mini, it started setting in that I had a marathon in 3-4 weeks, so I cram-trained for it with my cram-for-the-marathon training plan.  It turned out mostly well, but I wouldn't recommend it if you get injured easily.

Me and Rachel N. at the finish.

It was a BEAUTIFUL out-and-back course.

June

I broke 20 minutes in the 5k - twice - this month! Two PRs, one week after another (if I remember right) on certified courses in the Mag 7 Race Series.  On the injury front, I found out that my left leg is about 5-7 millimeters longer than my right leg, which explains the hip.  Ben raced in a bunch of Mag 7 races as well. Ben started hitting it pretty hard with the ride-run-rides on Wednesdays, where we'd meet at the store, ride ~12 miles out to Pate Hollow, run the 3/4/6 mile loop, and ride our bikes back. It was a pretty tiring day!

In June we started living in our friend Maggie's apartment as subletters... it was nice to have our own space, but apartment living also made us appreciate having a stand-alone house! One neighbor was an opera singer, his roommate was a bassist. The other neighbor just didn't understand how to keep his car parked on his side of the stall...

Anyway, we closed on our house (but didn't move in 'til August)!

July

We got new cell phones. So you'll quit seeing more of the grainy Palm Centro photos from here on out. The Bartleys were Droid X-ing it up!!  We went on our annual pilgrimage to Denver/Boulder, CO and took in the sights. We went to the top of 3 fourteeners, Mt. Evans (cheat - you can drive almost the entire thing), and the peaks at Greys and Torreys. When you climb that high, you have to consciously remember to breathe! The scenery at the top was gorgeous, and almost worth all the complaining I did to get there. There's nothing quite like the Rockies... and now we know why they are named so. We made it to the bottom of Greys & Torreys as it started pouring down rain, just like it does every day. My friend, Matt, is in the photo -- we're buddies from Ohio State and used to run together a bunch, back when I thought he was insane for running marathons. :) He is one of the coolest Chemical Engineers I know!!  Matt also took us to Beaver Creek trail, where we ran past some pret-ty large elk... he didn't mention to us that mountain lion wasn't uncommon until after we finished the trail run.

That's the elevation reading -- the air is really thin up here!

Oh! And how could I forget -- RED EYE RELAY!! What a great time... to fill you in, RER is an overnight ordeal consisting of 7 relay team members who each run 3 legs of 2-5 miles each, throughout the course of the night. In total, there are 108 miles of rural Indiana roads to be covered over 2 loops.We had 3 teams-- "14 feet, 21 legs," "Team Roadkill," and "The Clean-up Crew." Everyone wears reflective gear, and headlamps are a must. You learn a lot about your friends when you and they are sleep-deprived!!  After hours, we converted the store of the basement into a crash pad for people to sleep between their legs. Apparently the police stopped in too, since it was completely sketchy that people were hanging out in a running store at 3am in the morning. Fun times!  And so many stories...  here's what it looks like in the wee hours of the AM, but this is only if you're lucky enough to run with/pass another person along the way. It's very Children of the Corn.

Team Roadkill:

The Clean-Up Crew

Here's 14 feet, 21 legs (below) posing for an event-win photo! We won the overall award and started the latest. Yeah, so maybe we had a few ringers on our team... we still battled it out all night with another store team from Dayton.

August

Our anniversary month!!  Our Colorado trip was obviously one of the major highlights of Summer, but in August we revisited Eagle Creek for our annual photo shoot at "our spot." A few weeks later we produced the first-ever Bloomington Half Marathon, in a low-key way. After the race Ben decided to congratulate one of the finishers.... (our Team Slow bud Erin)

I also signed up to race in my second-ever (sprint) triathlon, which I was super fun because Lesley, Erin C., and Emily were doing it also. This year, no panic attack in the water! It was at Eagle Creek, and I loved it because there was such a good positive vibe to this women's-only race.  I ended up finishing 29th overall. I laugh a little because I was in 161st place after the swim... this is obviously my weak spot! :)

Accepting my prestigious mug award with VIPs

It was so much fun, I didn't want to finish.

Erin - one of my favorites. I LOVE her tri top.

On the house front, we ordered and received some furniture, so we were no longer using the red couch as the all-purpose dining table, sofa, and laptop workspace. That was a relief!

September

In September, we spent the majority of our month working on Hoosiers Outrun Cancer, the largest 5k run in Indiana. It's a benefit for - you guessed it - cancer and brings about 2,500+ people from all over the state and beyond. We stickered, tagged, labeled, entered names into the race database like fools for a few weeks. We had nightmares about HOC. When we weren't doing HOC, we were talking about HOC. When we weren't talking about HOC, we were thinking about HOC.  You get the idea. :)  This was also one of Ben's only experiences in driving a vehicle with a manual transmission. Let's just say that YouTube was a very helpful teaching tool... he drove an F-150 with a 12-foot trailer too!

We spent a LOT of time running in September, which is why (I'll say that at least) I have no worthwhile pictures from that month.

October

MARATHON SEASON BEGINS!  On 10-10-10 Ben ran the Towpath Marathon in Akron, OH. He did awesome!! He initially intended to pace a few of his teammates on "Team Buddy," as it came to be called, but ended up finishing second overall. He won a free pair of New Balance shoes, running 2:47:16 and requalifying for Boston!  His full, detailed race report is here.

The Towpath Gang - also known as Team Buddy

Meanwhile, on 10-10-10 I went with a bunch of ladies to run the Chicago Marathon. It was SO hot, when I passed a bank at 10am clock it read 92 degrees. Sick... I ran a 3:24, but was extremely happy with how it went considering the "conditions." They black-flagged (i.e., encouraged people to quit) the race less than an hour after my finish. Anyway, I messed up my foot around mile 8! This resulted in me having to wear a boot for a few weeks after the marathon (locked cuboid, or so we think. Stress fracture is out.). I can't say I was too upset about taking time off. But, I'm so proud of the others!!  Here are all of their/our smiling faces (this was before we realized it was insanely hot outside):

Best runners & support crew ever.

Action shot!

Then, a week or so after the marathon, Ben and I were mentioned in the Bloomington newspaper. Um, except our name isn't "Hartley."  LOL

October is also known as NIRCA-madness month, the month where we start to go nuts because Nationals is coming up in November. 2010 lived up to its rep once again. Ben didn't have as many opportunities to train for the Tecumseh Trail Marathon (December) as he wanted to, but he still got in some decent trail time.

At the end of the month, we took a week-long vacation with our parents to San Diego - Carlsbad. It was warmer there, but still wear-a-jacket-out chilly. We took a sailboat tour/ride with my mom and went to the famous SD Zoo, and we spent almost an entire day at the USS Midway aircraft carrier museum.

Have you ever thought about how a giraffe bends over?!

Sailboat

Sunset from our resort.

November

NIRCA madness!  Well, you've already seen the sumo wrestling and meet photos. 

In mid-November we found out we were accepted into the Boston Marathon. 

We also hosted our first big shindig at our house, the Fall Training Group Social, complete with fire-pitting-s'mores-making fun. Anneke, our resident wino, brought cases of wine for everyone to try.

The house was completed packed!! Fortunately, our neighbors were more impressed than annoyed that we had so many friends who came over that night. :)

The official Bartley Thanksgiving celebration was also at our house, so we were house-cleaning, house-decorating freaks during the month of November.

At the end of the month I finally - after 5 years - figured out what breed Todd is!  I had always thought he was a mix, but it turns out he's called a Black Polish. Here's a picture of a black polish that's NOT Todd... now tell me he doesn't look like Todd's evil twin!

December

Ben ran the Tecumseh Trail Marathon! It had just snowed about 4-5 inches the night before, and the race was revised at the last minute to an out-and-back from Yellowwood. The scenery was beautiful... the kind of thing that makes you fall in love with running a million times over. And, someday soon (hint hint!) Ben will be sharing his race recap. He finished in 3:45.  Look how much he's enjoying himself, below. This was only 3 miles in.

But, that quickly turned into this:

I ran too, (shh!) as a bandit. Since I was still injured, it was completely a random idea... I hate when people run bandit, but after pacing Rachel for 4 miles, I felt slightly committed since I'd be obstructing the out-and-back runners behind us. I felt good, and nothing hurt! It was pretty exciting that my injured foot - yes, from October in Chicago - wasn't bugging me for the first time that day. Except then my right foot started acting up at mile 21. Anyway, I finished the marathon too, as a long run with Dustin, Rachel, and Emily.  Yep, definitely got in trouble with Dr. Brian Murer the following Monday morning.

Beyond

So, as 2010 comes to an end in a few hours, it's time to get geared up for another fantastic year of running, traveling, and having fun!  Who's with me?!

An Original Poem

A Wintery Bloomington Scamper

At the 2:30 hour of a snow stormy night,
I rush out the door with a car not in sight.
I run down the street with an ear-to-ear grin,
Snow hits my face as I soak it all in.

I head towards the campus to see who is out,
It’s mostly plow trucks thrashing about.
As I make it downtown I look at the lights,
and the bars are just closing, ending their nights.

The people I see as I gallop along,
give me a look as if something is wrong.
Some pump their fists, clap, and give cheers,
while others have had perhaps too many beers.

I finish my route through a few neighborhoods,
And that’s when I meet the deer in the woods.
Not sure what to think, of this two legged thing,
They watch as I pass, waiting to spring.

So, next time you doubt heading out on that run,
I hope you think of my night and all of the fun.
Don’t let the cold and snow be a damper,
Embark on your own perfect wintery scamper.

-Ben

Ben Ten (Ten Ten)

The 10/10/2010 Towpath Marathon race report:

First, the morning before "dry run" was very beneficial.  We got up at 6:45a and drove to the start for a run at 8a (same time as the race start the next day).  We ran the first 2ish miles then came back for one of the main turns on the course to see it.  In all getting a feel for the temp and seeing the course helped the nerves a bit (and there were nerves). Also completed the breakfast-run-breakfast by catching both ends of the complimentary hotel breakfast :)

The rest of the day was spent picking up the race packet, visiting my mom-in-law, and hanging out at the local mall.  I actually dropped the crew off at the mall while I went to visit Steph's mom and when I came back they were all at Barnes & Nobles in their respective sections/fields... what nerds! We put off the strategy talk until that night at dinner where we decided to go out in 6:36-38 with a goal of being at 6:20 by 5-6 miles in.  Since I was shooting for 2:45 and Ted and Thom were more in the 2:50 range we wanted to keep it at a pace that wouldn't hurt either of us (with 6:18 being 2:45 pace and 6:30 being 2:50 pace). 

Lunch was a calzone and Peanut Butter Blast. Dinner was a burger and sweet potato from Outback.  We went to bed about 11:30p, then awoke at 5:30a to make breakfast  -- 2 egg omelet with turkey, spinach, and feta w/ two whole grain slices of bread and a glass of water with Nuun in it.. for electrolytes.  45min prior to the race I had a Vespa to help lower my carb needs during the race.  Lastly, no more than 10min prior to the race I was able to "Tokyo Drift" which set me up nicely ;)  The weather was quite comfortable at the start, which made me weary, but it turned out fine (72 at my finish, which was warmer than I'd like, but I don't think it effected my race).

Race time: We (from here on out Ted, Thom, and I) started out a bit hot the first half mile... Thom was leading the way, but we were able to get it back under control for a 6:31 first mile, 5 seconds fast, but I'm not complaining.  By that point we were no better than 20th place with the leaders out of sight running what I'm sure was at least a 6:00 first mile.  It was actually a sigh of relief because I was afraid I'd have to decide between the leaders and "Team Buddy." 

At about mile 2.5-3 we met our only annoying participant of the day and we couldn't shake him.  He was an Australian that we passed doing about 6:18/mi with him at about 6:30/mi and he decided to latch on and proceed to throw out random facts like, "The winner of the Melbourne Marathon ran a 2:11" and, "I have broken vertebrae what's your excuse?"  Luckily, once he asked our goal and I said 2:45, he said, "well shit" and dropped off.  Meanwhile we had been throwing down 6:18s for about 5 miles trying to drop him when we hadn't planned on that pace until about 10 on... good for me, maybe not for Ted and Thom.

Onward we approach the first turnaround (about 9 miles) so we have our first opportunity to see who is ahead of us... the leader was very encouraging as we pass he says, "great jobs guys."  We all said something to each other along the lines of, "man, he's really nice."  The rest of the top 15 or so look very focused and it is early after all.  From 9 to 10 we catch and pass the top female in the race, which I believe was trying to run the Olympic Trials standard of 2:48, so we encouraged her to pace with us... it also didn't hurt that the fans cheering for the lead woman gave us a boost as well.

As we moved along through the day we'd hear, "here come the triplets" and "way to stick together...teamwork!" because we were wearing matching uniforms... cool, I know ;)  Anyway, at one point we pass a marathon walker (they started 60min ahead) and he asks what team we're on... we all went blank not knowing how to answer, so after probably 5 seconds Ted yells, "Best Friends!" Then I chime in with "Team Buddy!" and he yells back, "Go Team Buddy!"  Ha! We should have thought that one out better before...

Next up, halfway... we come through on my watch at 1:22:51 (a PR for Thom) only 21 seconds off of the pace I hoped to run, and we're running strong together.  We were in 11th, 12th, and 13th at that time and  I was very pleased with how things were going (cue in the dramatic change in music)... so comes mile 15.  I had been running through the aid stations a bit faster the whole day and this one I came out about 20 meters ahead of Ted and Thom and I was starting to feel the rhythm I'd been hoping for at about 6:10 pace.  I decided to coast a bit to have them catch back up, but by 15.5 I was on 6:30 pace for that mile and only Ted had closed the gap.  At 16, I told Ted I was feeling comfortable at 6:10 and was going to keep at it.  From there we pretty much went our separate ways :(  I certainly appreciated everything up to that point and they having them there helped more than I imagined.

The break!

At 16 we pass by the finish line which has the potential to break me, but with all of the halfers coming at me on the trail and finally seeing 10th place ahead I caught a groove and started to roll a bit under 6:10/mi pace.  By 20 that feeling was pretty much over and it became apparent that I'd have to really focus to maintain what was now back to 6:20 pace (which I wasn't even able to do).  I just kept telling myself it was only 10k.

If it hadn't been for the occasional catch of a runner ahead of me, I might have been tempted to relax down to 7:00 pace or beyond, but the constant feeling of being caught by someone I had just passed pushed me on.  By the turn around at 21 I was in 5th with 4th right ahead of me (and third close from what the mega phone guy said).  The turn around was about a .5 mile loop, then we'd head back on the trail we'd just come out on... I had only seen the leader (which he again shouted words of encouragement to me like he was out spectating or something) on my way out, so I knew I was within .5 mile of 2nd-4th.  By 22 I had passed 4th and by 23  I passed 3rd as he pulled off to stretch a cramping calf... The wheels were coming loose and the watch was showing 6:30-40 pace and above 95% heart rate... but 5k to go!

At this point, I had seen Ted, Thom, Shiva and the other marathoners on the trail headed out as I made my way back... they were all very encouraging and I felt I could take their words seriously because they had a clue what I was going through (as compared to the halfers on the way out, though I still appreciated their kindness).  At about 24 I began to see who I thought might be 2nd place ahead and the racers coming at me confirmed this by mile 25 with "he's right up there, you can get him!"  Honestly, this did more to make me sick to my stomach than excite me because I was in no mood to kick down a runner (I was just trying to count down the minutes that were left in the race... 10min to go!).  Then, it happened... he turned around almost completely to look back (I imagine he had started hearing some cheers for me not long after him).  I was still at least 100m back, and it felt so awkward having him stare right at me that in the moment I just smiled and waved back...  He turned around and continued on as I contemplated how badly I wanted to cruise it in versus how pissed off I might be at myself for not going after it.  Luckily, he came up closer than I thought and I was 5 meters back as mile 26 approached... 400m to go I told myself as I switched gears.  I went hard around him and heard him say, "oh man, good job."  I knew I had him and only once did I feel like he might come back on me... instead I brought it home high-fiving the crowd and enjoying the second place finish - official time of 2:47:16.

Whew... afterwards I saw Ted and Thom finish, then jogged over to the car to get my Endurox and compression tights on, and headed back to meet up everyone else and congratulate the boys -- err, Team Buddy!  Very impressed with everyone, I'm not sure where to start, Ted's debut marathon in under 3 hours or Shiva's BQ 3:13!!  Thom's 5min, sub 3 PR, or Frank's sub 1:20 in the half, maybe Oscar and Magnus' big PRs in the half... all around we were lucky on the weather and everyone had a solid outting.  It was definitely a lot of fun with a group and running with others in the race is the way to go.  I feel very fortunate to have had Ted and Thom there for 16 miles.

Here we are after a good day!

That's about it... I'm sure there's more I could write, but you had to be there ;)

So, my Garmin legitimately mapped the course (meaning there were no straying off of the path on the waypoints) at 26.46... and had my 26.2 split at 2:45:39.  I guess I'll just have to break 2:45 on the next one so there's no asterisk when I want to talk about my time.

Using Garmin splits, my first half was 1:22:51 (in 11th place) and second half of 1:22:48 (in 2nd place)... I'm very pleased about the even pace.

Splits - Garmin: 6:31, 34, 22, 18, 19, 18, 20, 16, 11, 09, 18, 16, 16, 13, 10, 10, 11, 06, 07, 18, 23, 17, 23, 34, 43, 41, +:69

On to Tecumseh!