Chicago Marathon 10-10-10

This past weekend I finished marathon #2 =) Last year I ran with my dad, but this year I ran it with my mom.

My goal for this year was to sneak under 4:30, but about 2 miles into it I knew that because of the heat tha

t just wasn't going to happen. So I decided to back off the pace and just enjoy the race with my mom.

It was yet another amazing race and I can't wait to run another. I signed up for the Hot Chocolate 15K on November 6th and my dad and I are going to try and do another marathon sometime in December or January. I just need to decide if I still want to hammer out the fulls or if I want to work on my speed with the half. I guess we will just have to

see =)

Rock 'n Roll Chicago

This past Sunday I ran the Rock 'n Roll Chicago Half Marathon and had a blast! I ran most of it with Kelly (one of my running buddies). We were on track to break 2:10 up until about mile 9 when I had to slow down a smidge. I ended up finishing in 2:12:27 which is yet another PR for me =)

Before the race I was worried about if I would be able to set a new PR or not when Kelly's husband Steve said "Elisa, nowadays you set a PR going from your bed to the kitchen." Which is true! I feel like every training run and every race I am getting faster and faster. It's an amazing feeling, definitely makes my goal of Boston-by-25 look more and more realistic!

Also, at the expo, I got to meet Kara Goucher! I got a picture with her and she signed my bib =)

Chi-2010 Training

Well, I have officially started my training for the Chicago Marathon. This year I am shooting for 4:30:00 (maybe faster...we'll see) which would knock about a half hour off of last years time.

What I decided to do is combine a few of Hal Higdon's training programs into one that I think will work pretty well for me. I'm taking the long runs from the intermediate program, the speed workouts from the advanced and the number of times running per week from the novice. I am also going to do core workout/upper body strength 2-3 times a week. So hopefully this custom program will help me reach my goal =)

It's amazing how addicted I have become to running. I used to hate it with a passion and now I just wish I was fast enough to hang with the elite crowd =P It's funny how that happens...you start running just to prove that you can do it. You don't care how slow or how fast you cross that finish line, just that you do. Then you start to think "Well I can go faster than that." and then it becomes a competition with yourself. You train harder, faster and you run more miles per week just to feed your addiction. It's pretty incredible.

Dexter/A2 Half Marathon

On June 6th I ran the Dexter/A2 Half Marathon and set a new PR! 2:15:07 which beats my previous PR (set during the first half of Chicago) by 13 minutes!

The race went really well, I felt strong the whole time and finished with a sprint. It's amazing what speed training can do. Just in the past few months I have knocked 1-2 minutes over my mile pace =)

PAWS Chicago

Alright, so the first time around I ran the marathon for me. This time I am running it for someone else =)

As many people probably know, my dog passed away recently. So I have decided to run this year's Chicago Marathon on behalf of PAWS Chicago. PAWS is an anti-cruelty organization that supports no animal should be destroyed simply because it is homeless.

My fund-raising goal is $600, I would greatly appreciate it if anyone could donate to my cause. Even if it is only a couple of dollars. Every little bit helps!

Here is my fund-raising website https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=342429&supId=293566907

Thank you!

Racing Time!

OK, so I've signed up for 2 half marathons. Dexter-Ann Arbor and Rock 'n Roll Chicago. Dexter is on June 6th and Chicago is on August 1st. As of right now I am set to break my previous half marathon PR by at least 20 minutes. I'm pretty excited at how much I have improved over the past year. Also, if I keep up the pace I've been going I will break my marathon time by 20 minutes =D

Boston 2016?

Well, I am getting faster and faster as my training progresses. Today I ran a 44:28 5-miler and this past weekend I ran a 1:58:04 12-miler. This is significantly faster than I am used to running. It is definitely a great feeling when you look down at your watch expecting to see 22 minutes at mile 2 and you actually see 18.

Today was also the Boston Marathon, I know a few people who ran this year and have run in the past. My dad has run Boston twice in the past. (He was my inspiration to start running in the first place). Over the next 5 years or so I hope to get my pace down to BQ time, which for a female my age is 3:40:59. That may seem nearly impossible considering my marathon time is currently 4:57:38, but I disagree. Through my speed training I have gotten exponentially faster over the past few months. I am hoping that a combination of intensive speed work, my long legs and my young age will be enough for me to qualify by the time I am 25. Quite a goal, and it's a goal that I fully intend on meeting.