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!

NIRCA is a mouthful.

We love running. In fact, that’s how we met. Surprised?

Ben went to IU, and I went to Ohio State (“OSU” or “Ohio State” -- not to be confused with Ohio University - OU!). We are on the board of directors for NIRCA, the National Intercollegiate Running Club Association. I have been involved from the inception, when I was a leader of the Ohio State running club. We met when Ben joined the Executive Council in January 2007.

There's no short way to explain NIRCA, let alone say the full org name! NIRCA is a national governing body that promotes competition and communication between college running clubs. College running clubs are usually a student activity or a club sport –practice isn’t mandatory, everyone runs (no cuts!), and there are generally no coaches. NIRCA (www.clubrunning.org) has a full Fall cross country season, including Regional and National Championship cross country meets.

At NIRCA, each volunteer on the Executive Council has specific responsibilities. As the Event Director, I work on coordinating the season schedule and planning the logistics of Regional & National Championships (read: I get really busy around October and November). Ben, Mr. Merchandise Director, gets us NICE gear and handles all of our merchandise sales.

We're mostly a group of friends who "do" running. This is the gang in Philly last January.

Skip to November 13, NIRCA Nationals. It went FLAWLESSLY. Nationals is jam-packed with a Friday night alumni social, the big meet, a Saturday night social activity, and a group run Sunday morning. 

These photos should give you an idea of what we do at NIRCA, and how Nationals went this year.

The big draw:  Men's 8k and Women's 6k. Over 700 runners competed at the IU cross country course. Zach Hetrick took these meet photos -is he not amazing??

Below - End of the women's race. Ben was in charge of timing -- another one of our running pursuits.

Below - Overseeing the event. There's our friend Amara volunteering in the background!

Yeah, people get really into team spirit at these things. Please accept my apologies for the M*ch*g*n shirt Julia's wearing. Don't you love the radio-hanging-out-of-the-pocket look?

And last, the after party: Hartzell's ice cream sundae bar, sumo wrestling, Wii games, and cornhole. 

Scott & Emily, center, say it was definitely worth the 30-minute wait for ice cream.

So there you have it... that's NIRCA and what we did all Fall!