Catching Up

Carter with his proud brothers and sister

I have been a slacker when it comes to blogging recently, but alot has happened since my last post.  The most exciting thing that has happened is I have a new nephew.  Carter Jonathon Ames was born to my twin sister and her husband on October, 10.  Unfortunately I have not been able to make it over to Texas to meet the little guy, but I can't wait until I can!! He was a healthy 8lbs 5oz and he is adorable. Their other three kids adore him and enjoy taking turns holding him.

On October 22, me, Matt, and my mom ran in the Great Pumpkin Run in East Hill.  We have done it a few times and enjoy going back to it, especially for the homemade pumpkin bread.  It was a 5k race which is nice because it is over so quickly, but not so nice because it hurts like heck.  I just have to keep telling myself that it'll be over in 20 minutes :-).  I started off lined up at the front because there are always a ton of kids that run in this race and I hate having to weave through them as they sprint for 30 seconds, stop to walk for a minute, sprint, and so forth.  The gun fired and we were off, that first 200 meters is always the worst as I try to stay near the front and get settled into some type of rhythm.  Starting out, there was one girl who was about 20 yards in front of me and another who was right with me.  The one who was right with me didn't last for long, but the one in front of me lasted longer than I expected.  I passed her after about one mile into the race.  The race course is pretty nice, but there is one decent hill right before we reach mile two. Once over that, I knew I was on the home stretch and just had to hang on.  I ended up running a 19:38, getting first place (female), and winning $100...sweet!



I'm in the middle in red



Training has been going pretty well.  I've backed off on the bike a little bit and increased my time running as I prepare for the Houston Marathon in January.  I'm pretty excited (and nervous) about that race, the last time I did a marathon was in 2008.  The cool thing is that the Olympic Marathon Trials are the day before my race, so we are going to watch that in person.  All of the top runners will be there fighting for a spot on the 2012 Olympic team.




 Yesterday I ran in the Pensacola Half Marathon.  It was kind of a last minute decision to jump into it, but I figured it would be more fun than doing a long run on my own. I even got my mom to run it with me.  I woke up yesterday, went outside, and was expecting cool air, as I woke up to ice on my car the morning before.  Unfortunately, it had warmed up considerably. I barely needed a jacket. The race started at the Veteran's Memorial Park downtown and we got there around 5:45 to prepare for the 6:30 start.  I wasn't going into it with a whole lot of expectations, just wanted to have fun and see what I could do. 

Mom (in blue) around mile 3

I had never done the race before and I enjoyed the loop course. It was a nice change from the typical out and back races.  I felt pretty good through the first 8 miles, but the last 5 were a little tough.  Once I reached the top of the 12th Ave hill, my legs were a little tight and never fully loosened up after that.  After the halfway point, I never saw any other women except the one that was a little ways in front of me and gradually gaining time on me.  However, when I got to about the 12.5 mile mark this woman came running up next to me, she was going at a decent clip and I had to speed up a little to keep up with her.  She gradually started picking up her speed and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to stay with her. I tried to throw in a few kicks to try to shake her, but couldn't. Eventually, it came to a sprint down the final stretch and I was able to edge her out by 3 seconds, earning me second place female and 15th overall.  Mom also had a great race and was recognized at the finish line as a veteran of the US Army.