Setting up 2010...

Finished 2009 in Vegas...13 marathons for the year (18 marathons total) and 4 halves (1o total I think)...lots of life changes for me and more to come in 2010...

No-one ever said running 13 marathons in a year was easy...

BUT then again I might take that over LIFES stuff...ANYDAY!

Need to get healthy mentally now....and get back in the race....

2010....here I come!

My goal is to end 2010 an Ironman...this I know will be my biggest challenge athletically EVER. My focus needs to be onl June 27th in CDA, Idaho....where it all starts for me in the water...I need to learn how to love the swim by then...I need to force myself to get in the water and just do what my coach tells me to do...I like it when it's over...it's a matter of getting there...Just like things in life...sometimes you have to do what you don't want to cuz it's painful...and sometimes when you do what you want to it's equally as painful....

SO...here I go....

My journey to Ironman is the REAL DEAL for me...the little races along the way are to keep me inspired, competitive and in check...I like to race...what can I say?

RACE Line Up 2010:

2/7/2010 Surf City Half Marathon http://www.runsurfcity.com/

March, 2010 TBD OR nothing.....?

4/19/2010 Boston Marathon http://www.bostonmarathon.org/

4/23-4/24/2010 Ragnar Relays, So Cal -Big Sur Challenge is OUT... :(

http://www.ragnarrelay.com/losangeles/index.php

5/2/2010 Wildflower http://www.tricalifornia.com/index.cfm/WildFlower2010-main.htm

June 27th, 2010 IRONMAN Couer D'Alene http://www.ironmancda.com/

July 11th, 2010 Jungle Run...GOING to get my Monkey I was shimmed out of!

http://www.firstwave-events.com/jungle_run/half_marathon.html

August 14th, 2010 Idaho Springs, Half Marathon...My Birthday...

http://www.gtishalf.org/

August 27th http://www.hoodtocoast.com/

September TBD

October, 9th 2010 http://www.levisgranfondo.com/

November TBD

December TBD

** Subject to change...and add ons! haha....

Las Vegas RnR race report...

First let me start by saying...I AM BOSTON bound...I got that taken care of! Woo Hoo!

Saturday December 5th...Board the plane to Vegas! MY last race of 2009...NEED to make it count. NEED to PR! On the plane I make the perfect play list and look forward to hooking up with all my peeps at the airport in Vegas when I land!

packed 7 peeps in a 5 seater...FUNNY!

Arrive early into Vegas..MY sister & her friend Karen, Monica, my cousin John and his buddies all connect! AND off to the MGM we go! Check in...2 rooms between the 7 of us race night...ONLY 1 room ready! We all head up to the 1 ready room and walk in to find maintenance caulking the sink in the bathroom...NEW room assignment...throw all our bags in the room! Head to Mandalay Bay to the expo!

Monica and I with our free Wynn Beanies on! DORKS!

More.....dork!

Cold walk to the expo....check in get our bibs, etc....met up with some cool twitter people..and then headed for a little lunch! More cool twitter people...back to the hotel...get gear ready..laid out..YOU know the geeky stuff us runners do!Dinner for 16 at Fammia in the MGM...YES...all the cool twitter people, my sis, Mon, the John's and George...GOOD times...Dinner for me CHICKEN and salad...NOT enough chicken. NEEDED a whole chicken...a few stellas and then back to the room to go NIGHT NIGHT!

Alarm goes off at 4:15AM...UGH! I hate 6:15AM start times..throw our gear on...choke down half a bagel and big starbucks coffee...AND off to the start me and my crew head!

HERE's the deal..IT was 30 out and it felt like 25 to me. I planned for the cold so I was OK....walking over to the start helped get us warmed up...My sister and her friend Karen's first half marathon so she had to take pictures of all of us, etc...They were walking it...realizing we only had 25 mins til race start Monica and I headed to corral #2 with the 3 boys who were in corral #1! My cousin John wanted to PR the course and Q for Boston again...the boys lined up with the 3:10 pace group and Monica and I hung back a little in the front of corral #2!

A fake Celine Deon sang the national anthem...countdown...

wheelchairs were off!

Then corral 1...then Monica and I were off!

I had a race plan...I sharpied it on my arm...I knew exactly how I was supposed to race Vegas...BUT of course at mile one when I looked down at my watch and realized I just ran a 6:40 mile...and lost Monica...I needed to regroup and slow the heck down...I finally got back on pace and my first 10k was right on pace....made the turn out to mile 13 and was still feeling pretty good...hit the first half exactly on pace...and then something happened...

I hit a wall...wasn't feeling it...and wasn't loving what I was doing...wished at one point I quit with the half runners...wanted to DNF for the first time in my life...WTF? Mentally I wasn't where I needed to be to push thru for a PR...the mind games started...miles 16 to 20 were complete CRAP! My calves cramped and also a steady incline that made me question this sport...Mile 18'ish I saw my cousin John who was ahead of the 3:10 pace group...at that moment I prayed that he would get the PR, BQ and take any MOJO I had in me...

I knew I was Boston bound anyway....

Mile 20 I got my race back..and I was still pacing for a sub 3:28...my body was tired..my quads not loving me...I picked up some speed on the gradual descent...hit mile 24, an overpass that was a hill...and I walked...NOT to mention from mile 20 on I walked every aid station..NO lie. I needed the recovery for my legs. Mile 25 winded around the back side of Mandalay Bay...

which was ugly and I walked a little...

hit mile 26 and decided to get my crap together and get the race done! HAHA!

Finished at a 3:37 and some change! Didn't care about not PR'ing...still a good race time. COULD have been faster...for sure. Placed 16th in my AG and 129th female finisher overall!

Here is what I learned in Vegas...13 marathons in one year is retarded...

you can't PR every race when you are running that many in a year.

I also learned that if you are NOT mentally in the race you are screwed...

and I learned that what is happening in your personal life affects how you train and race...

sometimes it's better to back off, regroup and make a new plan.

SO...my plan for 2010 is Boston for a PR! Ironman to finish under 12 hours...

and some tri's and 13.1's in there too.

SOME GREAT races by my peeps in VEGAS:

Cousin John... 3:09:49 Boston Q! PR!

George...3:09:50 Boston! He only trained for 7 weeks BTW!

Jared...3:07 Boston Bound and a PR!

Monica....2:00 for the half...NO training! LOL

Teresa, my sis and her pal Karen...3:24 walking the half! First 1/2 marathon ever!