Seriously?!?

My rant of the day:

USATF has banned all headphones or like electronic devices from races citing that runners need to be more aware of their surroundings while running to be safe. This ban went into effect last year, but it seems that more and more races are actually enforcing the ban this year, including disqualification or removal of the headphones at the start line. Unfortunately, the Indy Mini is apparently trying to enforce the rule for the race this weekend. I am so mad about this (steaming mad). I do wear headphones on all my runs and throughout training, so not wearing one on race day really throws me off! Plus, I am paying to run, as such I should be allowed to wear whatever I want when I run. How about banning the crowd from smoking along the race route?!? In my opinion, that would be more safe for the runners than banning headphones. Gee, headphones or second hand smoke. If we are talking about safety in general, I pick headphones. Not too mention the route is blocked from traffic and well marked, so it would be next to impossible to be unsafe wearing headphones! The Indy Mini is trying to impress upon runners that there will be plenty of entertainment and bands on the way. Well, I don't always like the music those bands play and I hate hearing the sound of myself breathing that the music drowns out. Not too mention I need a U2 song or two to get me through the final stretch. Oh yeah, did I say I was paying to run and should get to wear my headphones if I want!?! Ugh!!

(I thought posting about this and getting it out would make me feel better about the situation, but I am still steaming mad.)

Husbands and Housework

My friend sent me this article about a scientific study on how having a husband creates an extra 7 hours of housework per week for a woman. I could have told them that without a scientific study. :)

Actually, Todd isn't too bad. He does take care of the lawn mowing and makes dinner fairly often. The problem is he is a messy cook, which makes more clean-up for me. I hate cleaning bath tubs, so he will usually do that for me if I complain enough. But, I still pick up his shoes, clothes, and other random items from all over the house...

Random Earthquake

Friday was a weird day. I awoke to the sound of Todd yelling for the dog at 5:30am. He heard my dresser rattling and thought she was scratching up against the dresser in an effort to wake us up. She does that sometimes when see needs to go out at night. But, it wasn't the dog - she was downstairs sleeping somewhere and the rattling continued. I don't remember much because I was in that half awake, half asleep phase, but I remember Todd asking me if I heard the rattling noise to which I replied yes. Then, he realized we were in an earthquake and asked if I could feel the bed moving. Honestly, I could not since I was still half asleep. We woke up a hour later to the new reports of the earthquake with a 5.2 magnitude. Apparently we had several aftershocks, but I only felt one that lasted for a few seconds around 11:15am. With the quake behind us, I am thankful to say all is well with the house. I wasn't too worried since we already have earthquake insurance on our house. When we moved here, Todd researched the history/cycles of earthquakes in this part of the country and decided it was worth the extra $50 per year on our policy. I can only imagine the number of people that will try to call and add it next week!

A True Retriever

This past weekend Todd took Lucy to a hunt test. Lucy did great and they had a good time despite the cold and damp weather. The hunt tests are are actually a series of tests that dogs must pass to get obtain certain levels of hunting. The tests are sponsored by the International Huning Retrieving Club and the tests occur all over the world. Lucy is trying for her Started title, which is essentially the novice level. In order to achieve this title she must pass four hunt tests. Each hunt test includes a land retrieve and a water retrieve. She also must meet other criteria. For instance, she must retrieve the bird and bring it back to Todd by returning it to his hand or drop it within a certain distance of his feet. This past weekend they completed two tests - one on Saturday and one on Sunday and passed both. She even has the ribbons to prove it (apparently the trend it to hang them on the dog's kennel)! Sunday was very cold and some dogs wouldn't get in the water to retrieve because it was so cold. But, not our Lucy girl. She will break through ice if it means she gets to swim, so the cold water did not stop her from getting a bird on Sunday! She has to pass two more tests to officially get her Started title.

Face plant

So, I did a face plant right into the cement today. The local YMCA held their annual Spring Run (although it felt more like fall) and I decided to partake. They start a 5k run at 8am and a 10k run at 9am. So, it was the prefect opportunuity for me to get in a long training run for the Indy Mini. The 5k went great - I finished, said congrats to my friends that ran and did awesome, used the restroom, and came back to the start line for the 10k. All was fine, minus the gale force winds, until mile 4.5. I was running along and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground. Apparently I tripped over a piece of concrete sticking up that I did not see. Of course, a bunch of people, including a police officer, saw the face plant. I picked myself up and started running again, but I felt so dumb! Thankfully no major injuries except for a sore left hip. However, I still feel dumb about it and my hip is pretty sore as I write. Stupid concrete and potholes!

IU Mini Race Report

Spring running season is finally here! Thank goodness! I am tired of the cold, damp, and dreary days. I am ready for sun, warm breezes, and warm temperatures! It is so hard to stay motivated to run when it is cold outside and you have to wear layers. With work, bad weather, and weekends out-of-town, I wasn't expecting much when I decided to run the IU Mini this morning. I only signed up this past Tuesday because I wasn't sure what to do. I had done a few long runs on the weekends I was in town, however I hadn't trained past one 9-mile run. During the week, I was at work until 7pm almost every night, so week night runs were short ones around my neighborhood. The weather was cold this morning (about 32 at race time) and I was running late to get to the start line, but I made it with 5mins to spare. The start was cold in my shorts, but I had warmed up by mile 4. I ended up running with another girl beginning around mile 4 or 5. I didn't know her, but we had about the same pace so we jogged together and cheered each other up the hills. This race course is one of the toughest out there. It is almost entirely hills. You have to pace yourself to go up slow and steady and down slow and steady. Anyway, Jean (my pace partner for the race) and I kept going. I was fine until mile 10 and then my legs started to ache pretty bad. But, I didn't feel like I could walk because Jean wasn't stopping. I did walk through some water stations and then catch back up with her. A few times she was ahead of me, but I eventually caught up those times, too. I had no idea what my time was for the race. I don't wear a watch and no one on the course was calling out mile times. But, as I mentioned, I had no expectations and my only goal was to finish. However, we kept on running and I crossed the finish line at 2:02:40. I was shocked to say the least! This is definitely my best mini time. The cooler weather definitely made it easier to run.

Next up is the Indy Mini in May. It happens to fall on a very busy weekend for us, so it is going to be stressful to run in the race. Also, I am worried that I will try to much to match my time in the IU Mini. What if I have a bad day? What if the weather sucks and makes the race difficult? What if I get a crappy start corral, which makes it hard to run because of all the people to navigate through? What if I get side stitches and have to walk? There are too many thoughts running through my head. So, I am going to try to go in with the same expectation - to finish.