Year of Cardio - Baltimore 10 Miler

The Baltimore 10 Miler is the last "short" run before my half in October and full in November.  The timing of the races weren't ideal since there is such a huge gap between the 10 miler and the Marathons but it makes sense not to be doing the longest runs in the summer.  

Overall the run went well, Dennis and I had a nice little weekend together (thanks to my parents for coming down and babysitting) and we both successfully ran the challenging race. 

Packet pick up was on Friday at the zoo so we had to take a half day (darn) from work to head straight there to get our numbers.  The drive wasn't horrible (except for the rain) but I used the car ride to catch up on some much needed sleep.  Once we got our packets, we found our hotel and figured we'd take a walk to dinner.  

We found this really neat restaurant/butcher that was in a converted garage.  

The next morning we got to the start line and eagerly waiting for the race to start.  We had a little bit before the gun went off so we made sure to visit some of the promo tents beforehand. (even the 10k finisher picture op, lol)

Mentally I was 70% there.  I had missed a couple of my training runs, one being the 7 miles and that really screwed me up in my head.  So as predicted, at mile 7, I started to fall apart.  I had to walk for a bit and it was just a matter of getting to the finish line.  

I finished JUST under a 10 minute pace, with a time of 1 hour, 38 minutes and some change.  Not my best 10 mile time, but I can't be upset with my time.  

Dennis did awesome and was very happy with his time!  Post race we enjoyed the festitivies, included 2 free beers!

Since we had babysitters for the weekend, we decided to keep the party going and we met up with some friends for more drinks.  First we went to South Riding Inn and then we went to another place after that.  

I am VERY happy that my running is done for the time being but feel very accomplished for running/finishing this race! 

Happy Memorial Day - Murph

I'd successfully avoided doing Murph since the 1st time I did it back 2012 while pregnant.  My score then was a whopping 97 minutes (using a band for the Pull Ups and Push Ups on my knees) but the group of people I completed it were nothing short of amazing and helped me get through every.single.rep.  

But this year - Dennis and I were on a mission.  We were well into our Year of Cardio and were both going at Murph head on.  Dennis was being super hard core and doing it RX'd (with a weight vest) and I was going to attempt doing all 100 pull ups RX'd.  

I of course demanded that my hair be tightly braided for the WOD (this was imperative to my performance) and the obligatory before photo was taken. 

Contestant number 1, Shawn, was going into this WOD with a "I get what I get" attitude.  Not overly concerned with his time as he knew the runs were his weakness but would be happy to just finish. 

Contestant number 2, Karen (me), was hoping to obviously decrease her time of 97 minutes and get as many RX'd pull ups as she possibly could.  

Contestant number 3, Coach Adam, who has self proclaimed himself as fat and out of shape who was out late the night prior was there for comic relief and to just "not die."  

Contestant number 4, Dennis, was there to get his 1st RX with the weight vest.  
Contestant number 5, Leah, just on a whim decided to borrow somebody's vest and do it RX'd.  How awesome is that!?!

Fast forward to 1 Mile, 100 Pull Ups, 200 Push Ups, 300 Air Squats, and 1 mile run later......we were all done with our personal battle with Murph.  And hey, we all still looked good!

Clearly we all removed/changed our shirts.

I didn't accomplish my 100 pull up goal, BUT I did do 50 of them unassisted and then went to the band.  I was stoked about this!  My running was on point from all the training that I had previously been doing for my upcoming 10 mile run and the push ups (on my knees) and air squats were just a matter of chipping them away.  

It was completely amazing doing this WOD with the members of Hydraulic.  Even though our box is small, it was HUGE with energy.  I felt like the box was alive as everybody was moving and working towards the same thing.  We'd throw glances to one another during the WOD for encouragement and with the little breath we had, we'd occasional yell out a motivational "C'mon Guys, Keep Moving" here and there.  

Exhaustion, all I see are faces of Exhaustion

After all was said and done, my finish time was 60:57 - PRing by over 30 minutes AND increasing the difficulty of the work out.  I'd say that is something to be pretty freaking proud of.  Next year, obviously, my goal is to do all 100 Pull Ups unbroken and then start working on getting the push ups off my knees. 

After everybody was done with Murph, we hung around, ate some food and just relaxed after a hard day's WOD.  I am so happy to be a part of the CrossFit Hydraulic's family and now I have another bad ass picture to add to my collection.  Until next year Murph!!!!

Can you Spot the 3 People that Didn't Do Murph!?

My Latest Updates

Since my last blog post, not too much has changed for me as far as my activity level.  I  celebrated my 33rd birthday in style and Dennis did everything in his power to make all my birthday wishes come true.  Birthday wishes included Moe's Catering, an Ice Luge, and a Human Pyramid.  It was a really fun day!  Thanks to all that came to celebrate!!

The following weekend Dennis went to Boston for a bachelor party and he was able to drop in at Crossfit Fenway where our Original Crossfit Coaches are now at.  I was SO happy/jealous that Dennis got to see Mike and Molly!!!  He said they were both doing well, getting ready for regionals (and hopefully the games) and that taking a class with Mike was just like the good ole days at 610.  Sigh.  

Since my 10k race, I've been true to my running schedule and just banging out the miles.  Here are examples of two of my longer runs:

The distances are getting pretty challenging but as you can see from my pace, I am handling them quite well.  I'm starting to really learn "how" I run and what I need to do to manage the longer runs.  If I start off too fast, forget it.  I'm still standing by the fact that my heart is my natural metronome and keeps me on a strong solid pace.  My goal is to beat my previous 10 Mile time which is 1:37 which is a 21 PR from the last time I ran a 10 Miler.  Hopefully if I keep the same paces that I've been doing on my practice runs, it shouldn't be an issue.  

Another highlight of this month is that I finally went shopping for new clothes that fit and the difference is quite amazing.  I've never felt more confident and sexy in my entire life.

With that said, I've worked so hard for this.  So far in 2016 I've logged over 150 miles ran, 50 miles biked to work, leisure rides with kids in tow, Monthly rowing challenges, and my commitment to Crossfit (at least 3 WODs per week, but typically more like 4-5) with some very specific dieting has lead me to my success.  It's a lot.  It's hard to manage, it's hard to plan ahead, and it's hard to be true, but I am determined and with Dennis as my biggest supporter, I think I can push through.  

#PowerCouple

I have 1.5 weeks left until my 10 mile race in Baltimore and I have to admit I'm starting to get slightly nervous, but as long as I keep to the path I'm on, I know I will do great.  

A few other highlights since my last blog was that Dennis and I participated in DC's annual bike to work day!  After about a month of rain, we had gorgeous weather and were able to finally enjoy this event.  If you are able, I highly recommend doing it!

Besides my 10 mile race coming up, I am also looking forward to Memorial Day weekend where we traditionally do the Murph WOD.  Dennis will be doing it with a vest this year (swoon) and I am aiming to do all the Pull Ups RX'd finally!  It will kill my time, but I think it's completely worth the bragging rights!