pssht that wasn't hard

so basically that was awesome.

there are no words to describe the feeling of successfully completing our first major race, enjoying every minute of it no less. So we figured to give you an idea of our day we would walk you through it:

9:30pm Saturday -- going to bed... don't laugh we had an early morning
4:30am Sunday -- wake up call for the race, and yes it was raining
5:00am -- pick up and head to the busses
5:30 -- arrive at the bus stop, yes it is still raining time to eat our power bars and HOPE the rain stops
6:00 -- time to board the busses, it appears the rain has let up
6:30 -- bus arrives at the starting line, and the break in the rain is over just in time for us to stand outside
6:45 -- nice runner-man gives us a trash bag to create a makeshift shelter from the elements (WIN)
7:00 -- shit. race time in one hour... still cold but whatevs we got this..right?
7:30 -- we should probably warm up, good thing awkward announcer dude is making all of us do jumping jacks
8:00 -- START
8:03 -- ok now you can start... the mass of people prevented an on time start

Racetime:
mile 1 -- went by fast, 8:40 was our split, faster than our plan but we were feelin it...
mile 5 -- OHHHH we're half way there, OHHHHOoO livin on a prayer (and yes we sang out loud, and yes the man running next to us commented on it)
mile 6 -- oops that was too fast (DANA slow down, thanks Mar)
mile 7 -- fac loop left??
mile 7.5 -- lion king anyone??
mile 8 -- where's the water, not powerade... WATER
mile 8.5 -- girls holding beer sign "GO LOYOLA"
mile 9 -- We. can. do. this.
three blocks to go -- man on the side of the road, "three blocks left!" mary -- "Dana don't listen to them they're exaggerating"
100m -- Aunt Amy, "dana, oh DANA!"
FINISHHHHH

1:22:56 later... we finished, sprinting no less :)
we finished tied for 888 out of 4,000 people and tied for third in our age group... basically we DOMINATED, and don't worry mary let everyone know as we crossed the finished line "HOLY SHIT" hahahaha

Now, for that marathon.....

Ten Mile Race?

it's been a while since we've posted... and since then we have come to steadily increase our mileage and successfully complete many long early morning runs. This weekend for us marks the first big race, and for me (dana) the first time that I will ever run ten miles. The thought, at this point is somewhat daunting. However, I am fully confident that at this point we are physically in shape and prepared.

Taper week.... aka the week before the big race has been difficult, we are cutting our mileage to rest our legs, but it is not as easy as it sounds. It is in my nature to be nervous for the race, but I have come to realize that resting this week will only benefit me on sunday morning when we take the starting line. Watching the boston marathon this past monday reinvigorated me and inspired me to complete this race sunday to the best of my ability.

Marathon dreams... are still present, in fact when we are at the race sunday we will be talking to a friend who ran the marine corps marathon this past fall. Hopefully, she will give us words of encouragement to continue our training and ideally, compete in the marathon this fall.

wish us luck,

M & D

Oh New Years Resolutions...

Hola,

we basically suck at keeping up on this thing... therefore in addition to our other resolutions, writing on our blog is the top one. We just got back from christmas break and are starting to get back into a routine, adjusting our long runs according to our new schedules.

Also, today marks 13 weeks from our first long race, the George Washington Parkway 10miler... should be interesting, considering we are still running our long runs at 6 miles, but don't worry... as always, we have a plan! A 10 week plan that we printed off of the internet to be specific, therefore we still have three weeks to get our shit together and start "officially" training.

xoxo M & D

So, apparently there is winter in Baltimore?

Recently the southern city of baltimore has begun to feel more like home for us...and it's about time, i mean end of december it better be getting cold out!

One thing that the cold is not so good for however is running, it makes your sweat freeze on your face and your breath come in piercing gasps... but nothing beats walking back into the warm building after busting your butt in the cold... i crave the rush of adrenaline on the last hill, approaching campion tower at last, fingers frozen, barely breathing...but once at the top i know that 602 is waiting for us...full of heat :)

We have been trying to balance our lives, one would think that since classes are over it would be easy to balance studying and running...they are SO wrong, there aren't enough hours in the day to study for the exams, eat, run, and shower, let alone enjoy the final few days with your roommates before a long three week absence....

Speaking of which, I will be without a running buddy when I return to Massachusetts and mary will have to traverse the cold snowy streets of Buffalo alone for a while... i hope we don't get too out of shape :)

bye for now

M & D

Remember how we said that running 6 miles on a treadmill is no easy feat?? That's why we went with 4miles yeaterday. We made an executive decision, and it turned out to be an excellent one. There is nothing better than an awesome long run outside, but the coldness is not exactly encouraging, or good for breathing.

It was a good run though... especially with finals. Sometimes a good run is just what you need to work out the angst and move on with the day. That's why you do it... or at least one of many reasons.

Dana and I have been discussing the whole shoe thing too... basically I need new ones. Note: if your feet are hurting, check out your shoes. The awesome thing about running is that, most of the time, all you need are you and your shoes. So take care of them, and retire them when its time. Your feet will thank you.

M&D