31 on 31: Part 1

I discovered a few months back that my upcoming birthday would be a special one. Now, you may ask, what's so special about turning 31? It's not 30 or 21 or 16 or 50 or any other 'special' number. It's just a 3 followed by a 1.

However, it's not the number that is making it special, but what I will be doing and who will be with me.

I will turn 31 in exactly one week, on Sunday, December 8, 2013. On that same day, I will be running my second marathon, the MetroPCS Dallas Marathon.

Some of you may be thinking "why on Earth would you want to run, not only a marathon, but a second marathon, in celebration of your birthday?!"

Well, you see, like I mentioned, a few months ago I discovered something. I've run quite a few road races in my life. My first one goes back to my senior year in high school and it includes many races over the next 12+ years. As I thought about it, I thought about the people who I've seen out at these same races with shirts saying it was there birthday or anniversary. Something and some day that was special to them. Then I thought about my own birthday.

Last year, the MetroPCS Dallas Marathon and Half Marathon was held the day after my birthday, so we celebrated it early so I could run the half marathon on the 9th. But when I found out this year's race would be on my actual birthday I thought, wouldn't it be funny/cool if I ran my 31st race on my 31st birthday? I didn't think that would be possible, but it was an awesome idea if nothing else.

And then I thought about it more. Like, really thought about it, and discovered...it might be possible after all. So I sat down a made a list of all of my road races dating back to my first race in 2000. After multiple drafts, this is what I came up with...

1. Dallas YMCA 33^rd Turkey Trot – November 23, 2000
2. Max’s O’Hartford 5K – March 14, 2010
3. Max’s O’Hartford 5K – March 18, 2012
4. Ten Penny Ale Shamrock 5K - May 20, 2012
5. Amica Ironhorse Half Marathon – June 3, 2012
6. Color Me Rad 5K – September 8, 2012
7. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10 Miler – September 29, 2012
8. ING Hartford Marathon – October 13, 2012
9. Double Trouble 5K & 10K – October 27, 2012
10. Foam Fest – November 3, 2012
11. Mighty Mud Dash – November 10, 2012
12. Walking Dead 5K – November 17, 2012
13. Dallas YMCA 45^th Turkey Trot – November 22, 2012
14. Metro PCS Dallas Half Marathon – December 9, 2012
15. Electric Run – January 19, 2013
16. Texas Half Marathon – February 3, 2013
17. Hot Chocolate 5K – February 9, 2013
18. Race 2 Rescue - March 2, 2013
19. Dallas Rock n Roll Half – March 24, 2013
20. Hero Rush 5K – April 6, 2013
21. Big D Texas Half Marathon – April 14, 2013
22. Vampire 5K – April 26, 2013
23. Cinco de Miler – May 5, 2013
24. Drenched 5K – May 25, 2013
25. Run or Dye 5K – June 22, 2013
26. Hottest Half Marathon – August 25, 2013
27. Mud Factor – September 7, 2013
28. Patriot Games – September 21, 2013
29. Tyler Rose Half Marathon – October 13, 2013
30. Ugly Sweater 5K – November 30, 2013
31. Metro PCS Dallas Marathon – December 8, 2013

The marathon that I would be running on my 31st birthday was indeed going to be my 31st race! It was POSSIBLE!

When I found that out, I was excited. It was such a cool idea. When I determined that this was actually going to happen, I tried to think of ways to get friends involved to help me celebrate.

Sure, I could have them all cheer me on throughout the race, holding up signs and being at the finish line (which has maybe happened 3 times in all of my races...and honestly, those were the most special). But, I've run a marathon before and I know how hard it was for me. It's just as much a mental race as it is a physical one. When you are out on the road, even though you are surrounded by people, you feel very alone and it weighs you down. I know where I needed the support. I know where I needed the extra nutrients. And I knew how to get it this time...

One of the features of this marathon is a 5-person relay team.  I knew I would never get someone to run with me for the full marathon, but I thought that maybe I could get 5 friends to run the relay along side me, as a sort of birthday present to me, if you will.

Each person would take a leg of the race, running anywhere from 4.4 miles to 6.5 miles, and run beside me, keep me motivated and give me things to keep me going. And I was lucky enough to find those people!

Leg 1 - Mel - 5.7 Miles
Leg 2 - Megan - 5.0 Miles
Leg 3 - Kelcee - 4.6 Miles
Leg 4 - Leia - 4.4 Miles
Leg 5 - Patricia - 6.5 Miles

I also have Linda running her first half marathon, so she'll be with me for the first 7.5 miles before she turns back to finish her race and I keep going to finish mine. Ashley and my goddaughter, Jordan, along with Shannon, Stephanie and Blair and hopefully many others, will be out cheering for us throughout the course. My parents are even coming out and they have never been to one of my road races. I don't know how much they will see (as I anticipate a finish between 5 and 5.5 hours) but the fact that they are coming out to support me and celebrate my birthday means a lot.

I'm actually extremely excited about this race, compared to the daunting feeling I had during my first marathon. I know that I can and will improve upon my marathon time. I can only get better. And even if I still struggle through this race, I have my girls to keep me going. What I've learned through coaching them this year, is that when I focus on them, not only do they do well...but so do I. I wouldn't trade any of my time with them for the world.

So think of me on the 8th. Think of us. Think of the teamwork that will take place and the accomplishment of us combined.

Stay tuned as I will put up Part 2 to this post after the race and let you know how we did!! :-)

Upcoming Races

I've been a busy girl...signing up for races left and right. I'm sure I'll regret it later, but here's a list of the upcoming races for this Fall and Winter:


Saturday, September 8 - Color Me Rad 5K - Fort Worth, TX

Saturday, September 29 - The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10 Miler - Walt Disney World, FL

Saturday, October 13 - ING Hartford Marathon - Hartford, CT

Saturday, November 10 - Mighty Mud Dash - Grand Prairie, TX

Sunday, December 9 - MetroPCS Dallas Marathon - Dallas, TX


It's kind of crazy seeing that list. I know that I've spaced them out pretty well...but it's still alot to take on.

Stay tuned to see how I do...you read more about them on my running blog.

My First Half Marathon

That's right! I DID IT! Not as fast as I would have liked, but I finished nonetheless! :-)

Check out the post about the race here on my running blog!

Happy Reading!!

Ten Penny Ale 5K

Ah...Ten Penny Ale time!

Today was the Shamrock Duathlon & 5K out in Glastonbury. Something that was just a fun run for Bryan and I, but something Arielle was training for.

A couple months ago, during my kick of getting people at work to sign up for training programs, I managed to convince Arielle to join this particular 5k training group. Bryan and I were already in our half marathon training program, and this group would meet at the same time. It was something I know she wanted to do, but I was hoping she would actually do it.

And guess what...she did.

So...Bryan and I decided that we would sign up for the 5k and run with her (see that post here). And run with her we did. We never left her, kept saying motivating things and giving her tips to get her through a little easier.

She was a trooper...even when Bryan physically pushed her forward at one point during the race (ok, it was just a nudge...but it was funny). We got her water when she needed it, let her take walk breaks when she needed and tried to keep her smiling.

I even recruited a cheering squad for her, consisting of her fiancee Andrea, Robyn, Stacie, Andy and Traci. Sure, they were there to see us too...but they were mainly there for Arielle.

She finished in 43:38 and I couldn't be prouder!

We celebrated with a Ten Penny Ale at the finish line and then the group of us went to breakfast...which was delicious by the way! I think one of the greatest things was that we did it as a team. It was one of my favorite experiences so far!

The half marathon is two weeks from today...this was my first run in 2 weeks because of my injury and I feel pretty good honestly. The foot is doing well...so I can only hope that, as long as I'm careful, I'll be ok for that big run. Keep those fingers crossed. :-)

See this post on my running blog.

O'Hartford 5K

Max's O'Hartford 5K was the end of my 5K training group this season. It was something I was building up for...and not all at the same time.

I didn't put everything I had into training for this race. There ended up being so much happening in my life at the time, both good and bad, that I didn't really do what I wanted and needed to do to make this race amazing.

But, that being said, you better believe I was happy that I did it. I was happy that Stacie trained with me and proud of her for finishing. She ended up finishing only about 10 seconds behind me. Not bad!

I also know that if it weren't for our coaches (Liz and Allison) that we both wouldn't have done as well as we did. Allison ran with me (picture below) and Liz with Stacie. I can't thank them enough for their support.

I've got the Amica Ironhorse Half Marathon that I'm training for next and I'm pumped! If you would like to check on my progress during my training, check out my running blog, 365 Days To Become A Marathon Runner. There is also another post about this particular race here.

I'll post that race here as well, but I'm sure there will be trials and tribulations, successes and failures in the next 3 months! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Bailey's Graduation

When we chose Bailey to be our puppy, we knew were were going to have to get her trained. There was going to be no way to do it ourselves with our schedules. The Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons were right around the corner and with work and shows, it was going to be nearly impossible if we didn't employ help.

So, we signed her up at PetsMart for their Puppy Class. This is specifically designed for puppies under 5 months old. Her trainer, Katrina, was great and over the next 6 weeks I took her in for weekly training sessions with Bailey's best friend (whom she met in class), Isabella.

I'm happy to say, Bailey passed with flying colors and even managed to win the coveted puppy push up competition! She's was super happy and loved wearing her graduation cap!




See...she's even smiling!

I was very proud of our little girl and we hope to sign her up for the intermediate class in late February! Go Bailey!!

Training: Week 2

Not much to report on the running front. My injuries seem to have taken a back seat this week, which I am grateful for. If I keep up a faster pace, my strides are longer and that relieves the pressure on my knee and ankle. So I'm currently increasing my endurance at the faster pace so I keep injury free!

Unfortunate news about this week was the I ended up getting a pretty harsh cold that knocked my training back a few days as I couldn't breathe well and my body was achy. I kept up my strength training as best I could at home, but the gym was out this weekend.

Stay tuned for next week's update!!


PS - See new races that I've added to my year of running:

O'Hartford 5K - March
IronHorse Half Marathon - June
Old Wethersfield 10K - August