From Miss to Mrs

Bridesmaids minus one. Chicago shower penthouse.

I was proud to host a shower for the future Mrs. Higgins, my sister last weekend in Lake Geneva, WI. This was her second shower. The first was in a penthouse with an organized theme and chocolate fondue. I assured her to lower her expectations significantly for mine.

Entertainment attempt

There is something about Costco cake, bridal bingo, and pizza that was just our style. I hope to someday be half as motivation, successful, and fun loving as my sister Tricia. She has always pushed me towards my goals while making sure I take time for myself.  I couldn't ask for a better role model.  As for you future BIL, Sarah (our younger sister) and I have always wanted a brother so buckle up.

We're Engaged!

I said YES! Just 5 short months after my big sister gets hitched I will be doing the same. I am incredibly excited and terrified at the same time.  So much to do in so little time. Check out our website here for more pictures and the proposal story!

Haunted Hustle

In the week approaching my first marathon I refused to check the weather.  I overheard a few ramblings of a rainy weekend ahead but I didn't want to believe it.  I became worried that I would have another race cancelled due to thunderstorms when I finally did log on to weather.com.  I continued to be optimistic and began to plan for my friends and family coming into town for support.

After turning down invitations for dinner with friends on Friday night I stayed in with my younger sister Sarah and watched The Lucky One and What to Expect when You're Expecting.  I was nervous to eat out due because I didn't want to upset my stomach for the race the next day.  Sarah thought I was crazy to eat popcorn the night before the race but I assured her I always eat it before long runs.  I slept okay the night before the race waking up a few times due to the thunder and logging onto my laptop quick to make sure the race wasn't cancelled. At 5:30am I woke up to get some breakfast 2 hours before race time. Sarah and Ryan weren't too thrilled to be woken up and forced out the door by 6:30!  Due to the rain I left behind my ipod and garmin because I didn't want them to get soaked.   I knew I would really miss both of these but I wasn't about to purchase two new ones.  I was also nervous I would start out way too fast in the beginning without my watch.

As I lined up at the starting line I noticed a girl next to me wearing her garmin and asked her if she was worried it would get wet.  She said she was going to cover it with her sleeve and hope for the best. We introduced ourselves and Gina turned out to be really sweet.  I surprisingly stuck with her for the first 12 miles.  Once we started she admitted she had finished multiple marathons including a 50k!  She stated she wasn't going for a specific time in the Haunted Hustle.  After the first 12 miles I fell back due to the hills but then caught up to her again.  The hills in this race were overwhelming. I knew it would be a little hilly in the beginning but I noticed many runners walking up them.  After catching up with Gina again we ran through the trails and we both admitted we were nervous about slipping on the wooden bridges.  We chatted with a few other runners and it was really a great race despite the crummy weather.  I wore a baseball cap in hopes of keeping the rain from my face a little but I ended up throwing it away because it was getting too hot on my head. When I approached mile 20 Gina sped away but I was happy with my pace.

My family was amazing. I ended up seeing them 4 times though out the race. I was so happy to see them the first time and even teared up a little.  My mom made me a sign and everything. My dad decided to run a block with me which was hilarious!  Finally I made it to mile 23 and told myself I was going to start running faster and have a strong finish.  Well that was much easier said than done because I felt like I couldn't go any faster or lift my legs and higher.  I think I probably stayed about the same pace but was so happy to be almost done.

I saw the finish ahead and sped forward. I could see the finish clock at 3:58 and was ecstatic  I had no idea what my time would be. I knew I was in front of the 4:00 hour pacer but I figured they were right behind me.  I am hooked for life and can't wait to run my next marathon.

Place:
20th women
5th in my age group 20-24
116th overall

Chileda Classic

I do not recommend signing up for a race two days prior.  Last week that is exactly what I did.  I wanted to get a race in before my next marathon in October and I knew another one through Lacrosse, WI would be beautiful. I finally bit the bullet and paid to $40 for a 10k.  This was my first race where I went alone and knew no one else running! I realized when I was setting out my race outfit the night before that I completely forgot my garmin. I have never done a race without my watch. I was nervous that I would be lost without knowing my pace.  My watch didn't work during the last leg of my Ragnar Chicago race and I ended up running at a 7:45 pace!

I of course was way too early for the start of the 10k and walked around for a while.  I met a girl who was also running alone and we decided to run together.  I also noticed she had the new Garmin Forerunner 410 and I wanted to ask for a product review. Surprisingly we stuck together for most of the race.  After we saw our time after the first mile she exclaimed "that is the fastest mile I have ever run!" I had so much fun running with her.  I finished in 49 minutes and I was really happy with it. It was my first 10k and would definitely do it again.

1 week off

After my half marathon I decided to take a week off from running.  I had no idea it would be so hard to get back into it. My short three mile runs this week have been awful. I am nervous for my 10 miler on Saturday. In other news I AM ENGAGED! I will post photos soon. :)

Heat

While at work last week I stumbled into our campus's fitness center at 4:45am.  I then heard on the news that there is a significant chance that the Madison Marathon will be cancelled. I knew the forecast predicted temperatures to be over 95 degrees but I never thought it would actually be cancelled.  I was devastated because I knew that since the Green Bay marathon the week before was cancelled that mine would be too. Friday it was confirmed.  We were permitted to still run the half. I started scrambling to find other marathons that weren't full.  With the Ragnar Relay 2 weeks away I didn't want to risk it by running three races in a row.   So with that I signed up for a different marathon in October.  Yes, that means 18 more weeks of training!

As for the half it was so much fun. I thought I would be bitter the entire time but I loved every minute. I finished in 1:48 a huge PR for me by at least 5 minutes.  The heat really got to me in the end at 80-85 degrees. I held my small Gatorade bottle for the first 5 miles then pitched it.  I relied on the provider water and sports drink after that which was a mistake. I didn't think I needed my fuel belt for a half.  I learned my lesson!

I am excited for the next race and I even have two friends doing it with me!

Birthdays

Happy Friday!
I am off to Prarie Du Chien, WI this weekend. I have never been there but I am hoping it is a good time.

As far as running goes I did 4.25 miles outside last night and did the last 2 on the treadmill. I am following the training schedule for the Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN. It is going pretty well so far and I am getting used to morning workouts. Nothing like waking up at the crack of dawn and going to bed at 8:30am.  I love acting like I am 80 years old. I love clif energy bars but am sick of how expensive they are! I made this homemade version of them last night from peasandthankyou.com. They turned out pretty good! I like to wake up and eat one of these a few hours before a run to let it digest and then go back to sleep.