Sea to Summit

I finally put together all our 'bling'. Those were 2 great races, and I'm so glad that we were able to run them together!

Millinockett Marathon & Half

Last year I photographed this great event that raises funds and spirits in this pretty little town. Watching everyone cross the finish line with happy faces despite the harsh conditions made me determined to heal my body and join them this year! It was hard work, but it was all worth it to be out there in that beautiful wilderness with so many great people. I was so glad to be out there today!

He might have been feeling a bit anxious walking up to the start of the marathon...it was COLD!!

We didn't run that far, but we borrowed the sign to pose for a photo because that runner on the left is a musher friend. I couldn't wait to show his wife the pic! We had a good laugh over it!

I think he was happy to be done! He didn't know it at the time, but he placed 3rd in his age group again. Awesome!

We were definitely feeling a sense of accomplishment when they gave us our Sea to Summit Medals for completing both the MDI and Millinockett courses this fall. Whew!

This one reminds me of the song we used to sing in Girl Scouts: 'Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold.' It was so awesome to see a friend from my team penning days run her first half marathon and love every minute of it! And kudos to my running partner for doing it despite having a terrible chest cold. Now that's strength!

We did it!

Lake Auburn Half Marathon, 5k and Kids Fun Run

Every race is fun to capture because there are so many stories. This race had more than most. Maybe it was the weather? It was fierce at times! There were times that I wondered if it was worth it to stand there under an umbrella as lightning lit up the sky, but then I pulled up all of these great images and many, many more! I wish that I could share them all. Since I can't do that...here are a few of my favorites...

Training is on track!

So yeah, this early morning run came really fast considering l didn't fall into bed until 2 am! The cats made sure that l didn't sleep in though - "You didn't get enough sleep, Mom? Oh well. Sucks to be you! We can see the bottom of our dish, and Amber needs to go out. Up and at 'em!" Brats.  Y Ya gotta love 'em!!

It's time to start!

Here we go...I've signed up for my next half-marathon - the Mount Desert Island Half on October 16th. That gives me 24 weeks to train.
I used this 12 week beginner program to prepare for running Niagara Falls and that went well for my first half. MDI is a much more difficult course (hilly) though,  so my plan is to complete this 12 week program and then move up to the next level and do that 12 week program before running the race. Barring accidents or injuries, I will be strong & ready!
I'm posting this here because some people have told me that they're curious about what it takes to complete such a challenge. If anyone would like to join me, let me know. Or follow along - I'll be posting updates as l go!
If I can do this, ANYONE can. For me, it's not about winning, placing, or beating anyone else. (Although the people who actually race have all my admiration!) It's about enjoying a beautiful course (Hello? Coast of Maine?!) while visiting with friends, getting fresh air and exercise, and challenging myself to get out there and finish that 13.1 miles, whether I run, walk, skip, or crawl!
This program is written by Hal Higdon and can be found on his website, along with lots of useful, common sense information regarding running. http://www.halhigdon.com

Commemorative Bracelets

I decided to put together charm bracelets for each of the half-marathons that I have completed. I searched and searched until I found just the right charms - a Niagara Falls, Canada charm and a Canadian maple leaf to commemorate the Niagara Falls International Half-Marathon last fall, and the State of Maine, a loon, and a piece of tourmaline to commemorate the Maine Half-Marathon that I struggled through a few weeks ago - along with year and distance charms for each.

I'm very happy with my choices. I wonder what course is next?

"Where there's a will, there's a way!"

Here we are, waiting for the start of our latest challenge - completing a half marathon! Yup, 13.1 miles of torture for those of us who are unprepared. That would be me. I signed up last spring when I had high hopes of many hours and miles of running throughout the summer. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. But, I felt like I had made a commitment, so here I am, hoping that I have the mental fortitude to just keep putting one foot in front of the other, for the next few hours...my friends were ready, and they were a very encouraging that I could do this!

There is the map of my efforts throughout the course. It was an absolutely gorgeous fall morning for a run/walk along the coast. So, I focused on how happy I was to be there! I saw some friends along the way, and lots of friendly strangers who provided so much support. You can see that mile 8 was when I really started to slow down. It was during that mile that I struggled to remove all my rings because my hands were terribly swollen and the jewelry was starting to cut off the circulation in my fingers! I've never had that happen before. That was scary, although not as scary as when I stepped wrong on my formerly broken ankle and it gave out on me. I thought I was done at that point. Fortunately, it was fine.

It was shortly before mile 10 when my biggest help arrived in the form of the 3 hour pacer. She was running her 268th half-marathon (WHAT?!) and extremely determined to maintain her pace group! She had factored in walking up the last hill of the course, a bathroom break before mile 12, and calculated in other factors, such as fatigue during the final stretch, for her group. She was such a fantastic push to the end that I hunted her down after I crossed the finish line to give her a big hug and a great big 'thank you'.

Knowing that my friends (Who rocked this race!) and my family were all waiting for me to finish are what inspired me to keep moving forward even when it really hurt. Also, that bling around my neck was a pretty good incentive for someone as 'loony' as I am!

He ran his 1st half-marathon today!

And, even though he started way in the back because he was afraid that he couldn't go the distance, he finished 28th out of 338 with a time of 1:36.13.  I couldn't be more proud of his efforts!

Personalizing It

I thought this was junk mail...

And almost threw it away!  Good thing I didn't.  It's the engraved tab to attach to the back of my half-marathon medal.  Yay!  It's finally here!  And it looks so cool...