Morning Trail Race and Cooking with Bridget

The Grunt Girls were at it again with a fun (and challenging) trail race. Loved all the excitement, yet the laid back atmosphere of a trail race. Road races are often so keyed up with fighting for a spot, lots of congestion during the first couple of miles, and focusing on a PR. With a trail race, you often have to wait your turn when it's single track, which forces you to just enjoy the scenery while reaping the benefits of an all-over workout. Even my shoulders are tired from working hard to maintain balance while navigating all the rocks and boulders. The Ledges never disappoint for a race location.

Post-race I spent time in the kitchen with Bridget making blueberry muffins. She did all the work from start to finish, except breaking the egg. I didn't even end up using the mixer - she did it the old-fashioned way with good old muscles! Pictures below tell the story - so much fun!





As Julia Child would say, "Bon Appetit!"

Racing Season Is Upon Us!

Three weeks ago, I ran my first race of the season. Just a short 5k, but a nice tune-up for spring racing. This weekend, I will be running a 4.5 trail race - the April RAINN Trail Run sponsored by GruntGirl Racing. I'm beginning to get excited about my upcoming races and it makes me ponder my training goals.

This weekend's trail run is mostly for fun and to give my quads a screaming workout. Plus, it's sponsored by a kick-ass girls group and the money goes to a worthwhile cause. I'm also using this race as a progress check for the Rite-Aid 10k, which is fast approaching in 2 weeks. My best 10k time was a 1:03:02 at the Milwaukee Zoo race last June. I'd really really really like to break one hour. It's not going to be easy as it requires a sub-10 for EVERY mile. I can maintain that pace easily for 3 miles, maybe 4...but 6. Yikes! But I want that 59:59!

On Mother's Day, I will be cycling 50-miles alongside Karen as we knock out Fat Cyclist's 100 Miles of Nowhere. We'll be doing it by spinning like maniacs through 3 spin classes, drinking tons of water, then walking like John Wayne afterwards. Wish us luck!

In 7 weeks, I'm registered for the Mayor's Half Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska. I recently read course reviews on marathonguide.com and the course is challenging in spots. It's mostly a "trail" course, but that's defined as like our Towpath trail, bike trails, and this gravel trail that a lot (and I mean A LOT) of people complained about, as well as the hill at the finish line that the winner actually walked up (wtf?!). My current half mary PR is 2:17:30. I'd really like to hit 2:15. I don't think that's too out of the question, but we'll see on race day! But if I see a Moose or a Bear on the course, then I'm golden...and chances are, seeing a Moose or Bear will definitely make me run faster!

In 10 weeks, I will tackle my first triathlon of the season. I've been trying to do one sprint triathlon a year, mostly to overcome my weakness in the water. The bike portion in a spint tri is less than my work commute and the 5k run I can churn out easy peasy. But a half mile swim, Hmmmmm....I can do it, but it's ugly. At Portland, it took me a miserable 30:51 to swim 800m with the fishes. The fishes were even embarassed! I've been improving my stroke, so I'm hoping to shed 10 minutes from that previous tri. My goal for the Mossman Sprint Tri is 20 minutes swim, 50 minutes for the 12.5 mile bike, and 30 minutes for the 5k run. I'm actually decent in transition because T1 and T2 is like being a mom and having to rush everywhere. The funny thing about this race, though, is it's billed as being in the "protected waters of the Long Island Sound." Huh? Do I need protected? Protected from what? I dunno if I like that...

It's going to be an exciting several months and I can't wait!

What races do you have planned? Anything you'd like to recommend - I need to fill August! Any post-race brews that go better with a 10k or a half marathon? That would make for a good post - pairing beers to races. Viper, that one's yours!