Taking a Trip Down Memory Lane

At night when I am having trouble falling asleep, I try to relax my mind by thinking about running. I conjure up memories of previous miles ran and some of my favorite running experiences.  This method tends to work most times and I drift off falling asleep as I'm "running" free. 

I was looking through my keepsakes the other day and I came across two photos that made me smile. These photos were taken when I lived overseas and I was really having a blast with my running.



The photo above was taken at the finish of my second marathon.  I ran the Venice marathon for the first time in 1998, then I ran it a second time in 1999. For the first year  that I ran it, I followed a training program from a Running Times magazine. The following year I worked with a coach/mentor and he really whipped me into shape.This marathon wasn't even a "goal" race for me.  I had been training to run the ARMY 10 miler which had taken place earlier that month.  I didn't do as well as I had hoped at the 10 miler. This marathon was a total redemption run for me. I qualified for the Boston Marathon but, I didn't have the resources to run the race. It took me almost nine years to qualify for Boston again. 

This next photo was taken at the finish of Montefortiana. This was my first half marathon. It had taken place in January of 2000. The race was run in Northern Italy and I remember it being freezing cold.  It was one of the most spectacular courses that I had ever run. It went through quaint villages and beautiful farm lands. It was a hilly course with a mixture of roads and dirt trails.  I had finished 8th woman overall and I received a neat little backpack filled with treats and a bottle of wine.  

I hope someday to return to Europe to run one of these events again. 

27 weeks pregnant. Not much running going on over here.

I have reached the end of the road with running. My hats off to the ladies that are able to run through out their entire pregnancy. (I'm looking at you Hungry Runner Girl)

I was so looking forward to the weather cooling off so I could workout on my lunch break. It has cooled off but,  my motivation has taken a nose dive.  I'm happy if I get to go out for a two mile walk. Most the time I will find errands to run so I don't even bother with working out. The weekends are a little better. I'm going out for walks while pushing my son in the stroller and I get exercise from chasing him around the playground at the park. 

I tried running last week and I was super uncomfortable less than a quarter mile in. I just felt so much pressure on my bladder and the last thing I want to do is piss my pants while out on a run.

This is usually my favorite time of year when it comes to running. There are tons of races and the weather is perfect. I feel kind of left out. Earlier this year I was invited to be part of a fast Ragnar team for the Las Vegas Ragnar race. I had to give up my spot when I found out I was pregnant. To be honest I'm not a real big fan of Ragnar. The idea of spending 24 hours in a smelly van and running doesn't sound fun to me. I was super jealous though when I found out that the team I was going to be on won their division.



Nice Work Sin City Balls and Dolls

The Rock n Roll Las Vegas marathon is next month. I'm excited for friends that are running. At this point I'm daydreaming about future races and running goals for the future. 

 I'm going to take the plunge next year and I'm finally going to buy a Garmin. I'm happy that they have made a watch cheap enough to meet my price point. $129.99 is just about affordable for me.  I think having a new fancy running watch will light a fire under my ass to get me motivated to run.