the road goes on forever...

Mile repeats tonight:

6:31, 6:18, 6:02

Mile repeats the week before my 5k PR (20 flat):: 

6:52, 6:52, 6:45 

Let's hope that means there are big things in store for this weekend!!! 

8:27/mile

i'm doing the push up challenge some people are doing on here! i think it was kathie that brought it up. i'm on week 1 day 2. here is the link to my progress.

I FINALLY got my biggest running goal I have set for myself- under 20 in the 5k. It only took 12 years!  I thought I would get it this year but didn't think it would be my first race of the year, only training for about 5 weeks. I really hope this means I'll see some great times in 2009, especially once I get my mileage up.

Mile 1: 6:11- Felt really good, I could have gone faster but knew I shouldn't.

Mile 2: 6:30- 1/2 mile of slight uphill. I knew it was going to slow me down. Worried me a bit because I knew I didn't have much time to spare. Felt pretty hard.

Mile 3: 6:14- Felt OK, not great. Slight downhill for a little while so I was able to push it. 

Overall I am happy with how I raced. I knew the second mile would be the breaking point, and I am glad I was able to keep it together. It was a tough race and I definitely pushed myself.

For placing second in my age group I got 2 boxes of girl scout cookies! I went for samoas and thin mints. I also got a box of the lemon chalet creams when I registered. I already ate some of the cookies and a pizza buffet to celebrate!

I plan on running next weekend hard if the course is somewhat flat and the weather is nice. Would like to go for 19:45. I want to run under 19:30 at Palace Saloon in April.

Here I am finishing up! 

FINALLLYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

gotta love a gorgeous 74 degree february day!

4x1200 with the track club

4:50, 4:44, 4:37, 4:27

I stayed with some people tonight that I have never been able to stay with before, but they are not in top shape. I am not yet either though, so I am hoping I improve with them and can stay up there. 

That did not go very well. Hopefully I'll get the weights off my feet before Saturday.

New PR!!!!! Before last week I hadn't even gone under 20, so this was a really big race for me! I think my new goal is to go under 19 by the end of the year, which will be really tough. I can't believe it's even a possibility.

It was a pretty nice day; overcast, light wind and 56 degrees. I thought there was a chance the wind could be a problem. For a warm up I did part of the course and realized it was rolling hills. I didn't think I'd even go under 20 because of the hills and light wind. The hills ended up being pretty awesome, the uphill was a little tough (especially the last one) but they were always followed by a downhill. I kept glancing at my watch, and during the uphill I was abloe to keep 6:30 pace for the most part. I really loved the course and for the most part felt really strong. I think I prefer rolling hills to a flat course.

So when we started I planned to run around 6:10-6:15 for the first mile, and then hold it as long as I could. I also wanted to keep first place in sight. Two girls started off faster than me, but I was able to pass them within about the first mile. They were young, and will be very talented in a few years (not that they aren't already).

Mile splits: 6:13, 6:07, 6:14

My "bests" were 5:17 during the first and second miles, 5:24 during the third mile, and 4:52 during my downhill sprint to the finish. That's kind of neat to see because it shows I used the downhill. I liked the downhill finish, it made me feel strong, and it was great seeing Jason's smiling face at the finish line because he knew I ran way faster than I expected. I gave him a high five as I crossed the line.

When they announced my time during the awards ceremony the director said "Kelsey from Tallahassee, Florida... you know she's not from around here if she's running a time like that." That made me feel fast :)  

My friends Matt, Jeff, and Scott ran as well, and all did awesome! It was fun running with different people, and we got to see each other a couple times on the course due to the little loops and turn arounds.

Ran 6 miles on the Natchez Trace, then .7 easy with Jason. 

I had a bad headache last night so opted out of intervals with the Track Club, and instead did solo speedwork today. I forgot how much harder it is to do it on your own. It turned out to be a good workout though.

2 miles easy, 800 on/800 off for 4 miles, 1 mile easy

800 "on" splits: 2:57, 2:55, 2:51, 2:43   

I really want to start getting more miles in, but I am being patient and following the "10% rule."

8:30 avg

7 on the trails to give the joints a break.

School is a mess right now. Ughhhhhhh. 

6x800 with GWTC. I was able to stay with the fast girl (Micah) again, which made me feel good. I hope to hang onto her for a sub-19 5k later in the year. I needed a good run after the day I had.

3:03, 3:03, 2:57, 2:57, 2:52, 2:43 

It has been a surreal day. I found out this afternoon that a professor of mine at Mississippi State committed suicide last night. He left behind a wife, teenage girl, a 6-year old autistic girl, and a 3-year old boy. Not to mention plenty of students. He was a goofy man who had a fun, sarcastic personality until the last couple years. It seems like the wiring in his head went wrong or something. I am struggling with this more than I would have thought I would. For any different reasons. For myself I am going through the grief of the memories, and the sadness for his loss of life. I also feel bad for my friends at Mississippi State, who are with his wife and children right now, and have been since midnight last night, trying to hold up the pieces of what he left behind.  For his family, I feel so bad that they are left to fend without their father/husband, and to deal with grief no one should have to deal with. For him, I feel so bad that he was hurting so bad that this was his only option left. Although, I think it was more "craziness" than "sadness." I also struggle with the idea of heaven and hell and where his actions (committing suicide) sent him. I pray that God recognizes him for the good he did before things began to really spiral downhill the past few years. I hope he finally found peace, and that his family and friends can eventually find theirs as well.

Laps around San Luis, 1.25 miles each...

3 laps warm up (about 11:30 each)

3 tempo- 9:56, 9:23, 8:40 (the last was under 7 min. pace! not bad for hilly trails) 

switched it up for the cool down because people were looking at me funny because i kept running in circles 

New recipe that is so good I have to share. Even better than the muffins, if you can believe it.

Baked Chocolate-Stuffed Strawberries (haha yeah that good)

All you need: Strawberries, chocolate chips, optional whipped cream 

Take your strawberries and pull off the top. Use a small spoon (I actually use a knife carefully) and scoop out some innards . On the bottom the the strawberry, take a knife and cut a small amount of the tip off; enough so that the end is flat and can stand up on its own, but not enough to cause a hole to see through.

Stuff the strawberries with chocolate chips. I think minis work even better because they melt thoroughly. You can also use chocolate shavings. (Optional: Sprinkle with sugar before baking. I don't think it's necessary.)

Stand them on a baking pan and bake in a 400 degree oven about 10-12 minutes or until strawberries look softer and chocolate is melted.  

Serve warm with whipped cream or cool whip. Yummmm.

Credit: Rachael Ray 

Also in non-running news, this is what I have been working on for the past year. Just a rough draft. 99% of hurricane research is done using a data set 1850 til now. My goal is to reconstruct past hurricane tracks that have been cited in newspapers, ship logs, etc., by basing them off of modern tracks that hit similar areas. This is a map of the 1766 hurricane season according to the tracks I digitized. I'll stop talking because I am sure no one is reading this, plus it probably only makes sense to me. But this is what I do. These tracks (although only estimates) have never been seen before! 

6 easy with my friend Michael. Could feel Thursday's run a little bit. It's getting warm- 75 degrees today. A cold front will be coming through tonight though. I'm going to enjoy the cool weather while it lasts.

30 miles this week. Finally! Slowly but surely...