Well what a surprise, I actually did so much better than expected. Last week my husband and I were talking about how we should have probably trained for the race, we were reading an article in the paper about how there is a mile uphill challenge at mile 8.5?! what?! I know Chapel Hill, is, well a HILL, but didn't realize it was going to be thrown in as a challenge at the end!
I should clarify, I am a dog runner, my furry running buddies keep me active but their paces are all around a 10 min mile. I do run by myself some days, but lately have been anywhere from a 7min/mi-8:30 min/mi pace. The last race and the last time I actually trained was nearly 3 years ago, and as age 31 is fast approaching I never wanted to race assuming that my fitness level would have dropped enormously.
As usual, I had my prerace jitters, though we left the house at 6:40 for a 7:30 race so there wasn't too much time to get nervous (thats the great thing about living 15 min from the starting line)
Anyway, so I came in 2nd in my age group, 10th female overall with a time of 1:09 and as for that mile uphill I was so scared of...I ran a 6:28 split!
Guess I should sign up for some more races, there is some life left in these leggies :)
Monday, April 11, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Being sick will really slow a girl down..
Ahh the inevitable winter illness...Well, really, I think its been years since I was sick...so this is the first of quite a while.
Its been going on for almost 2 weeks now, headaches, coughing, sore throat, and lots of yucky phlegm. On the plus side, it seems winter here is coming to a close. We had cold and rain and a tiny bit of snow in December and early Jan...but its been in the 50s and 60s more and more consistently. I think by the end of last February it was spring here. I did see my daffodils peeking up this morning in my front garden! Yeah! Spring is on its wayyy!
Its been going on for almost 2 weeks now, headaches, coughing, sore throat, and lots of yucky phlegm. On the plus side, it seems winter here is coming to a close. We had cold and rain and a tiny bit of snow in December and early Jan...but its been in the 50s and 60s more and more consistently. I think by the end of last February it was spring here. I did see my daffodils peeking up this morning in my front garden! Yeah! Spring is on its wayyy!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Gosh its been a LONG time!
Well it has been quite some time since I wrote...or maybe had time to write.
This Wednesday will be our 1 year anniversary of living in Chapel Hill..and Drew jokes we haven't gone bankrupt or lost the house :)
The last year has been filled with dogs, home improvement projects, but mostly dogs.
For weeks Drew has been counting down to Thanksgiving, "5 whole days of no work!" I was looking forward to having some free time with him as well, or so I thought. Monday my sister went out of town (Disney..lucky girl!) so I had to rush through all my dogs to cover for her and nanny her 2 girls she usually has every afternoon. I know them well, so it was no big deal. It was sunny and 75 and Thanksgiving break was nearing....
And then it happened, a neighbor went into labor at 3am, and another decided they needed dog help last min, and another...and it went downhill from there...The dogs were all packed up and gone Sunday at 6pm, just in time for grocery shopping and getting ready for the next week!
Well, at least I will finally get a break in Dec, going home to MA and will only have Emmitt! YAY!
This Wednesday will be our 1 year anniversary of living in Chapel Hill..and Drew jokes we haven't gone bankrupt or lost the house :)
The last year has been filled with dogs, home improvement projects, but mostly dogs.
For weeks Drew has been counting down to Thanksgiving, "5 whole days of no work!" I was looking forward to having some free time with him as well, or so I thought. Monday my sister went out of town (Disney..lucky girl!) so I had to rush through all my dogs to cover for her and nanny her 2 girls she usually has every afternoon. I know them well, so it was no big deal. It was sunny and 75 and Thanksgiving break was nearing....
And then it happened, a neighbor went into labor at 3am, and another decided they needed dog help last min, and another...and it went downhill from there...The dogs were all packed up and gone Sunday at 6pm, just in time for grocery shopping and getting ready for the next week!
Well, at least I will finally get a break in Dec, going home to MA and will only have Emmitt! YAY!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Our House has gone to the DOGS!
So summer is here, people are going away, and leaving their dogs....at our house!
Yesterday we had Roma and Bentley two 6 month old lab/German shepherd mixes. They are about Emmitt's size, but probably outweigh him by 15 lbs each. They are some of my regulars, I run them together on Monday and Wednesday mornings, however, their family went away all day yesterday so they came to stay with Emmitt and I.
Emmitt took one look and decided.."OOH boy, two dogs to chase me!" It was like being at the race track, around and around he ran, while the puppies stumbled over eachother trying to catch him. After 30 minutes of this, and two bathroom walks, the puppies passed out for almost 3 hours! Boy were they TIRED! It was great, they crack me up and entertain me for hours!
Emmitt, of course, really liked Roma. He rolled on his back and started playing with her the way he and Ellie used to play. Ear nibbling, ankle biting, so cute!
I would say we should get Emmitt another dog to play with, but at this rate, we have another dog coming to stay for 3 days...we do have other dogs for him to play with, and the days inbetween are for him to rest!
Yesterday we had Roma and Bentley two 6 month old lab/German shepherd mixes. They are about Emmitt's size, but probably outweigh him by 15 lbs each. They are some of my regulars, I run them together on Monday and Wednesday mornings, however, their family went away all day yesterday so they came to stay with Emmitt and I.
Emmitt took one look and decided.."OOH boy, two dogs to chase me!" It was like being at the race track, around and around he ran, while the puppies stumbled over eachother trying to catch him. After 30 minutes of this, and two bathroom walks, the puppies passed out for almost 3 hours! Boy were they TIRED! It was great, they crack me up and entertain me for hours!
Emmitt, of course, really liked Roma. He rolled on his back and started playing with her the way he and Ellie used to play. Ear nibbling, ankle biting, so cute!
I would say we should get Emmitt another dog to play with, but at this rate, we have another dog coming to stay for 3 days...we do have other dogs for him to play with, and the days inbetween are for him to rest!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Trails and tails
So Emmitt and I have been doing some trail exploring lately. There are about 15 miles of trails that are attached to the end of our little road. They wind up and around hills and streams, and are frequented by many bike clubs, neighbors, and running groups.
As the weather gets hotter and hotter many outdoor enthusiasts flock to these wooded trails (the Carolina North Forest) to keep them cool on their walks, runs or bike rides.
Once a week, on the warmest morning, I will take Emmitt. He's great off leash, he either stays at my heels or right in front of me, depending on his mood, and mine. I know the trails nearest our house the best, there are probably about 45 min of running trails, but I wanted to go further the other morning. There is a road that splits the middle of this forest, so Emmitt and I decided to explore the other side of the road yesterday. An hour into the run and Emmitt was wayy behind, and I was wayy confused. The trails aren't marked, and a few of them are small narrow switchbacks up a hill, so it can be very confusing....tho the breeze and nature, and fellow dogs for Emmitt to play with (everyone else who has a friendly dog leaves them off the leash as well) it all kept us entertained for almost 2 hrs. We probably didn't go as far as we could on the road in 2 hrs, but it was fun anyway.
He was, however, exhausted...which was my goal since this weekend is going to be HOT and HUUMID and we aren't going to be out walking and playing in the afternoons when the day is at its hottest. I wanted him to be nice and relaxed, and he was last night, and this morning, and this afternoon...and wait....yup still snoring over there on his pillow!
A typical morning for us is he goes to the bathroom, he eats, he cleans himself after breakfast while watching me make drew's lunch, he follows me up and wait for me to get dressed and brush my teeth etc. Finally, while I put on my sunscreen and hat (he doesn't like the smell so he leaves me alone for this part) He sits by the door and waits, at attention, for our (usually 30min to an hr) morning run....buuut not this morning. I finished with my sunscreen routine and went to the door...NO Emmitt....looked on his pillow, checked his food bowl....he was in his crate, wayy in back, hoping I wasn't going to take him on another long trail run...haha! Guess he learned his lesson! :)
Tomorrow is another day, I'm sure he will be ready to go run again after he gets his recharge!
As the weather gets hotter and hotter many outdoor enthusiasts flock to these wooded trails (the Carolina North Forest) to keep them cool on their walks, runs or bike rides.
Once a week, on the warmest morning, I will take Emmitt. He's great off leash, he either stays at my heels or right in front of me, depending on his mood, and mine. I know the trails nearest our house the best, there are probably about 45 min of running trails, but I wanted to go further the other morning. There is a road that splits the middle of this forest, so Emmitt and I decided to explore the other side of the road yesterday. An hour into the run and Emmitt was wayy behind, and I was wayy confused. The trails aren't marked, and a few of them are small narrow switchbacks up a hill, so it can be very confusing....tho the breeze and nature, and fellow dogs for Emmitt to play with (everyone else who has a friendly dog leaves them off the leash as well) it all kept us entertained for almost 2 hrs. We probably didn't go as far as we could on the road in 2 hrs, but it was fun anyway.
He was, however, exhausted...which was my goal since this weekend is going to be HOT and HUUMID and we aren't going to be out walking and playing in the afternoons when the day is at its hottest. I wanted him to be nice and relaxed, and he was last night, and this morning, and this afternoon...and wait....yup still snoring over there on his pillow!
A typical morning for us is he goes to the bathroom, he eats, he cleans himself after breakfast while watching me make drew's lunch, he follows me up and wait for me to get dressed and brush my teeth etc. Finally, while I put on my sunscreen and hat (he doesn't like the smell so he leaves me alone for this part) He sits by the door and waits, at attention, for our (usually 30min to an hr) morning run....buuut not this morning. I finished with my sunscreen routine and went to the door...NO Emmitt....looked on his pillow, checked his food bowl....he was in his crate, wayy in back, hoping I wasn't going to take him on another long trail run...haha! Guess he learned his lesson! :)
Tomorrow is another day, I'm sure he will be ready to go run again after he gets his recharge!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Blog Slacking
Well its been a little while since I last posted.
Lets see, I have been keeping myself busy with dogs 7 days a week lately. I have a handful of dogs that are on a regular schedule, and then a few others that are random, here and there every other day or something.
Its really great, dogs are the best coworkers! They are always happy to see you, give plenty of kisses, love the food you give them, and never ever complain if you are a minute or two late!
Most of my doggie "coworkers" are mutts, only really 2 pure bread dogs. One is a gordon setter, the other is a Cavlier King Charles Spaniel (who is so tiny tiny).
He has become a regular weekend fixture at our house. He is probably the size of Emmitt's head and neck, and if he stands on his back legs, and reaches up, he can hit Emmitt on the head...and he does. They crack me up!
The king charles will run at Emmitt, bark, and run under the coffee table where he hides from Emmitt, until Emmitt turns and goes back to his pillow. Then the little King Charles will wiggle out, and run back to Emmitt, hit him in the face, and run around again. It repeats over and over and over, until they finally run around the house...up and down the stairs...they are hysterical! Best of friends!
Lets see, I have been keeping myself busy with dogs 7 days a week lately. I have a handful of dogs that are on a regular schedule, and then a few others that are random, here and there every other day or something.
Its really great, dogs are the best coworkers! They are always happy to see you, give plenty of kisses, love the food you give them, and never ever complain if you are a minute or two late!
Most of my doggie "coworkers" are mutts, only really 2 pure bread dogs. One is a gordon setter, the other is a Cavlier King Charles Spaniel (who is so tiny tiny).
He has become a regular weekend fixture at our house. He is probably the size of Emmitt's head and neck, and if he stands on his back legs, and reaches up, he can hit Emmitt on the head...and he does. They crack me up!
The king charles will run at Emmitt, bark, and run under the coffee table where he hides from Emmitt, until Emmitt turns and goes back to his pillow. Then the little King Charles will wiggle out, and run back to Emmitt, hit him in the face, and run around again. It repeats over and over and over, until they finally run around the house...up and down the stairs...they are hysterical! Best of friends!
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