Three Things Thursday ...

Jet Lagged: Although I returned to the East Coast on Monday morning, I haven't been able to shake being on West Coast time. Usually, I am falling asleep on the couch around 9 p.m., but all this week I have been forcing myself into bed well after midnight. And when my kids are begging to get up in the morning, I find myself bribing them to stay in bed. (Note: I am no better once I get out of bed. I end up walking around like a zombie.)

Needless to say, we can't keep functioning like this. I mean, school starts on Tuesday and those 6:45 a.m. alarms are going to be a rude wake up call.

Half Debut: Since moving to my house in April, I have turned my little sister into a runner (although, she still tries to say that she's not). For a while now, we have been contemplating running a half marathon together. Initially, we were going to go for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon, but finances and logistics got in the way.

Then, I tried to convince her that the Richmond Half Marathon would be a suitable alternative. But, that was a no go. She said that the November date was too soon, so instead, we registered for the 8K (my favorite race of all time).

I figured that the chances of getting her to commit to a half before the middle of 2013 was slim to none. Then this morning, this happened ...

Yup. I got her.

We are headed back to our hometown for her first half marathon in SEVEN WEEKS. And she said November was too soon ...

Off-Season: I'm overcooked. Done. Over it.

It occurred to me the other day that with the exception of the three weeks I took off immediately after Dilly was born, I have never taken more than 3 days in a row off from training. Not even after any of my six marathons. That's just insane.

The past five years of non-stop training has kicked my butt and I need some time to recover. So, that's what I have decided to do. After Patriots Sprint next weekend, I am going off the training plan. Yes, I will still run, bike and swim, but I am cutting my workout volume by about half from 10-16 hours per week to 5-8 hours per week. I am confident that my body needs to reset itself, and I know this will do it.

Hood to Coast: AfterNUUN Delight - Team Noon

Location: Mt. Hood, OR to Seaside, OR (202 miles - there was a detour this year)
Date: 8/24/12-8/25/12
Temperature: variable (my coldest leg was 49 degrees and my hottest was 78 degrees)
Official Time: 28:17:58 (average pace of 8:29 per mile)
Place in Division: 2/28 (Womens Open)
Overall Place: 261/1070

I've been thinking (even prior to racing) about how I was going to summarize this experience. And what I keep coming back to is, I can't. There is nothing I can say that will accurately depict how amazing it is to run Hood to Coast with a group of like-minded running bloggers, supported and cared for by the amazing people at Nuun Hydration.

Plain and simple, there is nothing else like it.

If you are ever given the opportunity to experience it, I guarantee, it will change you in some way. I know that it changed me.

The Good:

Nuun Hydration: Not that I expected anything less, but the people at Nuun were as amazing as always. In addition to sponsoring three teams (Team Morning, Team Noon and Team Night), they handled race logistics, pre-race activities, post-race festivities and everything in between. I cannot express how much I love these people. They welcomed us with open arms and we couldn't have asked for more.

The Mountain of SWAG: In addition to being sponsored by Nuun, we had numerous other companies supply us with gear, food and pretty much everything else you could possibly need during a relay. Talk about feeling like a kid on Christmas. I am extremely appreciative of their support and it would be totally worth your while to check these fine companies out.

• Team Sparkle
• KIND Snacks
• Road Noise Vests
• Sparkly Soul Headbands
• BenGay
• Aspaeris Compression Shorts
• Jamba Juice
• Tiger Tail
• Tough Chik
• Go Sport ID
• Endorphin Warrior
• ShowerPill
• Picky Bars
• Knuckle Lights
• Thorlos
• Maui Jim Sunglasses
• GNC
• Chobani
• Go Motion Gear
• Swiftwick Socks

My favorite swag - Custom Tough Chik Arm Warmers

The Course: I've said it before and I'll say it again - The views on this course are epically beautiful. Van 1 starts atop Mt. Hood while Van 2 starts roughly 40 miles down the road in Sandy, OR. Both vans make their way through the woods, down into the valley, back up over the mountains and to the sea. It's simply amazing.

My favorite part came a third of the way through my first leg. The sun was setting and I turned a corner and ran towards Mt. Hood in the distance. It was breathtaking.

as the sunset during my first leg ...

My Nuun-mates: These women (and men) are awesome. I love them to pieces and am so grateful to have them in my life.

Post-race festivities ..

Reunited: 2011 Nuun Platuun Van 2

Love my van-mate, Kim

Ready to roll ...

Me and HLove ...

Team Noon, Van 2 ...

Pre-Race Activities: Unlike last year, we were asked to come into town early for team bonding. I loved this mainly because the lack of interaction between teams in 2011 was my main criticism of the experience.

Over the course of the two days prior to the race, we went to a Mariners game ...

had a scavenger hunt (my team won!),

Ricole, Vanessa, Marjorie, Harmony, me and Stephanie

visited Oiselle Headquarters,

and created a million memories and new friends that I will cherish forever.

My Legs (#7, #19, #31): I won't lie. Heading into the race this year, I was beyond terrified of my legs. I just remembered watching Jess run them last year and thinking how happy I was that I didn't have to climb those mountains.

As the race approached, I realized that I was less scared about the terrain of the course than I was of my ability to run them strong. At some point (probably about a mile into my first leg), I decided that the hills had nothing on me. I was just going to run to the best of my ability at that very moment.

And I did.

Yes, the climbs were challenging. And yes, I had moments where I longed for it to be over. But, I also tried to relish every single step I took and I tried to reclaim my run love with each stride. I finished feeling powerful and strong, something that has eluded me lately.

Our Van Song - If you want to get an idea of the feel of my van, then look no further than our official van song: "You Can Leave Your Hat On", by Tom Jones. If you haven't heard it before, you need to. Trust me, you're missing out.

The Bad:

Van Food: I think the thing that messes with you during a relay the most is the lack of real food. We ate lunch on the way to the first exchange on Friday afternoon and didn't have another real meal until after 8 p.m. on Saturday. The 30 hours in between were filled with trail mix, KIND Bars, Nuun, brownies, M&Ms, cheese stick, gummy bears and Chobani. And while it tasted good at the time, it was a digestive nightmare for me. It didn't take long for me to be carrying around a "food baby."

Late Start: All three of the Nuun teams started after 2 p.m. this year. While that made for a relaxed morning, it left us running on a rather empty race course. Road kills weren't nearly as prevalent as last year and we were often getting run down by the elite teams (think, Nike). The late start also meant that we finished late and arrived at the beach after much of the festivities had occurred.

The Ugly:

The stench: From the 24th through the morning of the 27th, I took 1 shower and ran 16+ miles. Enough said ...

3TT: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good - After what seemed like an eternity (for me, not you), Nuun announced how our Hood to Coast teams would be divided on Tuesday. Each of the 36 runners was placed on a team, (Morning, Noon or Night) and assigned to a leg. Since we were allowed to give our preference of legs, I chose leg 1, leg 3 and leg 4 as my top three. I really wanted to be in van 1 in order to see other half of the course, as I was in van 2 last year.

So, what did I get?

Team Noon: Leg 7. (Click HERE for course maps)

Honestly, it probably wouldn't have been on my top three of van 2. At first I was a little bummed, but all that "woe is me" crap got washed away when I saw the rest of my van. Talk about awesomesauce. I hit the van-mate jackpot and I know we are going to have a blast.

Team Noon: AfterNuun Delight Van 2
Tonia – Racing With Babes: Legs 7, 19, 31
Kim – Nuun Employee: Legs 8, 20, 32
Tiffany – Heavy Medal: Legs 9, 21, 33
Zoe – Nuun Employee: Legs 10, 22, 34
Jessica – Pace of Me: Legs 11, 23, 35
Lindsay – Lindsay On The Go: Legs 12, 24, 36

And van 1 is pretty amazing too ...

Van 1
Kelly – According to Kelly: Legs 1, 13, 25
Laura – Nuun Employee: Legs 2, 14, 26
Laura– Camping Out In America: Legs 3, 15, 27
Jocelyn – Enthusiastic Runner: Legs 4, 16, 28
Sarah – Once Upon a (L)ime: Legs 5, 17, 29
Molly – Mollyberries’ Hodge Podge: Legs 6, 18, 30

Watch out Team Morning and Team Night, it's on. (I'm so not competitive at all ...)

The Bad -  Yesterday afternoon, I ran out to the store to pick up some groceries. On the way home, I was accelerating from a stop when a car cut into my lane and sideswiped me. (I'm totally fine, by the way).

Startled from what had happened, I quickly collected myself and noticed that the other driver paused just ahead of my car and then started driving again. I followed thinking that he or she was pulling out of the way of traffic so that we could exchange information.

When we got to the traffic signal, I got a bad feeling and pulled out my phone to snap a picture of the other car.

Good thing I did, because seconds later, the other car turned and booked it.

A freaking hit and run.

I called the cops and hopefully they can find the person. Either way, pretty much the entire front right side of the car needs to be replaced. So that's awesome!

The Ugly - I have been growing out my hair for the last few months. I have also been bleaching my hair every four weeks for the past few months. Now, after all that abuse, my hair has had enough. It's pretty much stopped holding color, lost all of it's curl, has a waxy feel and horrible texture. I mean, last night I took this picture after J told me I looked like a troll doll ...

Note: There is NO PRODUCT in my hair ...

It was bad. And I was over it.

So, like any rational person, I decided to start from scratch. I told J to get the clippers and to shave my head. We thought it was kind of hilarious. So we videotaped part of it ...



Yeah, that happened. Despite how truly UGLY it looked, I really like the end result.

That's right. The fohawk is back ...

Three Things Thursday ...

Nuun - As you've probably heard by now, I was once again selected by Nuun to run Hood to Coast as part of their team, AfterNUUN Delight.

Click the image to see who else made the team ...

To say I freaked the freak out when they posted the list would be an understatement. I was jumping around and screaming. Then I told the girls and they started jumping around and screaming. It was pretty loud there for a second.

Once we calmed down, the first thing the girls said was, "So, that means we're going to get a lot of Nuun, right?"

Right girls.

That's why we made that video. It had nothing to do with me wanting to once again run the Mother of All Relays. Or wanting to represent a company and product I truly believe in. Or even because, sometimes, Mommy needs a break from all this chaos that the three of you produce.

It was nothing like that. Not at all. It was so you could have more Nuun. I mean, it's not like we currently have a stockpile of 20 tubes in our home right now. Obviously, we need to replenish our supply.

Tough Chik - And since we're on the subject of companies and products that I am completely obsessed with, let's talk about what is coming up on the East Coast for Tough Chik.

On May 19-20, I'll be running the Tough Chik booth at the Ground Force IT Powersprint Triathlon here in Richmond, the first of several Richmond Multisport events on the Tough Chik calendar for 2012.

Then on June 1-2, it's onto ZOOMA Annapolis Half Marathon and 10K. The Tough Chik booth will be set up at both the expo and the Post Race Party. If you are attending this event, be sure to stop by and say hi.

And if you haven't registered yet, here's your chance. By using the code ANNCON6, you will receive $10 off the half or $5 off the 10K.

Finally, if you missed registration for Team Tough Chik in December and want to join this FANTASTIC group of ladies, you now can. Registration for the team will open again on May 1st. If you want to learn more, all you have to do is CLICK HERE.

Seriously? - Apparently, my blog has finally made it. After four years and zero efforts to ever make a paycheck off all of my ramblings, I got this in the mail on Monday.

That's right, my blog has been pre-approved for a credit card. Too bad it would never be able to pay the bill ...

2012 Nuun HTC Application ...

Unless you have been living under a rock, you probably know that Nuun is sponsoring THREE all-female, all-blogger teams to run the Mother of All Relays, Hood to Coast.

It's an amazing opportunity. One that I was fortunate enough to be a part of last year. And one that I would probably sacrifice a limb for to be selected again. (I'm kidding. I swear. Kind of. I mean, I REALLY want to run HTC and represent Nuun again. And I could always get a prosthetic.)

Last year, I wrote an essay, perhaps the most uncreative of the creative applications I could have chosen. And then, I only shared it with the selection committee.

But not this year.

This year, I stepped up my game.

This year, I made a VIDEO ESSAY. Kind of like a written essay, except you don't have to read it and you get to see my epically cute and Nuun-obsessed children.

And, because I am fully prepared to embarrass myself, I am going to share it with all of you. (Note: I only had a cell phone camera and my editing skills leave something to be desired.)

So without further adieu, here is my 2012 Nuun/HTC minimally Creative Application ...



Obviously, I should have been a videographer. But, I leave that to the professionals like Rodrigo and Becker.

So, are you applying too? The deadline is TODAY!

And if Hood to Coast isn't your thing, but you still want to represent Team Nuun, then check out this opportunity to race a Columbia Muddy Buddy event near you. Nuun will provide teams of two with race entry, Nuun shirts and Nuun hydration kits.

I'd apply, but Muddy Buddy and I are bitter enemies after that whole shoulder separation incident last year.

For full details on how to enter, CLICK HERE.

Good Luck!

condensed epicness ...

Remember that time I ran a little race called Hood to Coast? Well, what I never mentioned was that Nuun sent a videographer (or two) along for the ride. This is what they came up with. 27 hours and 59 minutes of epicness condensed into four minutes. Check it out ...

Nuun | Hood to Coast from eric becker on Vimeo.

ReeseStrong 5K Recap ...

Location: Mechanicsville, VA
Date: 9/17/11
Temperature: 55 degrees
Official Time: 22:04 (7:07 pace), 2:05 minute PR
Place in Age Group (25-29): 1/12
Place in Gender: 3/123
Overall Place: 23/234

As of Friday afternoon, this race was NOT on my schedule. Since I am currently in the middle of marathon training, it can be hard to fit in a 5K. But, due to the fact that a couple of my runs went over mileage earlier in the week, I only needed 5 miles on Saturday. I knew Earth Momma Mer was running a 5K and in the morning and I also knew the weather was going to be perfect for running fast. So, at 8 p.m. on Friday, I decided to race. The next morning, I woke up and headed over to the event to register, ran a one mile warmup and raced my tail off.

The Good:

The Course: The mostly flat course started with a slight downhill into a residential neighborhood that I have been fortunate enough to run in before. I had a rough idea of what to expect, including the quarter mile climb back to the finish.

My Pace: My goal for this race was to run around 7:30 per mile for the duration of the race. I had run a 7:41 pace for 4.14 miles at Hood to Coast, on little sleep and food, so it seemed simple enough. Right around the one mile mark, I glimpsed down at my watch and saw that I was at a 7:10 pace and that there were only 3 or 4 women ahead of me. At that point I decided that instead of watching the clock, I would listen to my body. If I felt like I could push it, I would. If I needed to back off, I'd do that. As long as no one with a ponytail passed me, it was all good.

The strategy worked. I hit my goal and I didn't check my watch until the finish.

My Placing: 3rd woman overall. 1st in the 25-29 age group. Pretty much the coolest thing ever.

The Outfit: I have to admit that when I got to the start in my new Lululemon skirt and purple SwiftSocks, the other people at the front of the pack looked at me like, "This is a joke, right? She can't possibly run fast enough to be standing with us." (Note the dude in the orange cap giving us the crazy eyes)

It was either that, or they were jealous of "The Quads." Not really sure, but either way, I think I proved that fashion and speed are not mutually exclusive.


My Finishing Kick: When I turned the corner into the finishing chute, I could see that the clock still read, 21:xx. A sub-22 was within my grasp, I kicked it into overdrive and my last .1 was at a 5:36 pace. That is just insane.

The Weather: 55 degrees. Overcast. Light winds. A runner's heaven.

The Bad:

Tired Legs: Since I didn't decide to run this race until 8 p.m. the night before, I hadn't had a rest day in the 5 days prior. And I was just 24 hours off a quick 9 miler. I had run 34 miles in the four days. I have to wonder if fresh legs would have made a difference between 22:04 and sub-22.

The Ugly:

Let's be honest, there was no ugly.

zapped ...

If Hood to Coast taught me one thing, it was that I can run wicked fast on two hours of sleep. My fastest leg, and perhaps best run of my life, came seven hours (including the two that I slept) after an 8K PR. I now know, I have the mental and physical strength to push through.

But, you can only push through for so long. Right now, I am zapped. The last 19 days have been so hectic and crazy and exciting and worth cherishing that I have been pushing through to make sure I don't miss anything.

And it's finally caught up to me.

Since August 18th, I have ...

• Driven 11+ hours to and from Rhode Island and then another 3+ hours from Rhode Island to New Hampshire (and back) with three small children along for the ride.
• Flown cross country twice in five days.
• Ran/Survived/Crushed Hood to Coast.
• Logged 107.88 miles.
• Bought a new car.
• Dealt with some "life stresses"
• Eaten nothing but crap.
• Made new friends and amazing memories.
• Managed my family and maintained our home.
• Prepped for my children's return to school.
• Forgotten to sleep.

And now, I am paying for it all. I can barely stay awake. I had the most sucktastic 14 mile run yesterday. And I might be slightly moody. But, I wouldn't really know. You'd have to ask J.

So, to remedy, I am hitting reset. Taking the rest that I need. Sleeping as much as I can. Eating something other than the jumbo chocolate chip cookies that are sitting on our stove. Because if I don't, I'm pretty sure that things are going to get pretty ugly around here.

August Rewind ...

Eight months down, four to go. Here's my recap of August 2011 ...

Run Miles Planned/Miles Ran: 190/182.68

Bike Miles Planned/Mile Rode: 0/0 (seriously need to stop slacking on the bike)

Rest Days Planned/Rest Days Taken: 8/7

Highest Run Mileage Week: 8/22-2/28: 43.13 miles

Highest Bike Mileage Week: none. oops.

Long Runs Planned/Long Runs Completed: 4/4 (with a post-surgery distance PR of 14 miles)

Current Book: Amazingly, I read one and a half books this month. While in Rhode Island, I finished reading Running on Empty by Marshall Ulrich. And on my flight home from Seattle, I read The Long Run by Matt Long (thanks Tall Mom for lending it to me). Both books were awesomesauce. I highly recommend reading them ...

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Does my obsession with all things Nuun count?

Current Colors: Pink and Orange

Current Drink: Grape Nuun. I drink at least 64 oz per day.

Current Song: Tonight, Tonight - Hot Chelle Rae (I sang this song over and over in my head during my Hood to Coast legs).

Current Triumph: I hit 1,200 running miles last week, crushed my first two legs at Hood to Coast and I've raised 105% of my fundraising goal for NYC (click HERE to donate). Things are total awesomesauce ...

Current Goal: Stick to the training plan and crush NYC. And a new half marathon PR along the way ...

Current Blessing: I feel like my whole life is one big blessing and I am entirely grateful.

Current Excitement: School starts on Tuesday. Enough said.

2011 Goals - Status Update:

Personal:

• Clean up my diet - I am tracking my food religiously at SparkPeople, survived my sugar detox and have been able to add a small amount of sweets back in without causing a total binge.
  
• Eat no more than 25 cupcakes - As of September 2nd - 19 cupcakes eaten
  

Financial:

• Pay off our consumer debt by the end of the year - We have paid off over half of our consumer debt and are on track to be credit card debt free in 10 months. Plus, we are on track to have our student loans eliminated by February 2013, five month ahead of our schedule. And 10 years faster than if we let it go to term.
  
• Spend $0 on clothing - As of September 2nd - $178.50 spent - I caved and bought some stuff from Lululemon and a pair of jeans from eBay when my lone pair ripped.
  

Running:

• Run 2,000 miles - As of September 2nd - 1215.47 miles run.
• Run a sub 1:55 half marathon - Next race - 10/16, Newport Half Marathon
  
• Take 30+ minutes off my marathon - Completed - 3/26, National Marathon, 4:15:48, 33:50 PR.

Hood to Coast Recap: Nuun Platuun ...

Location: Mt. Hood, OR to Seaside, OR (200 miles)
Date: 8/26/11 - 8/27/11
Temperature: variable
Official Time: 27:59:17 (average pace of 8:24 per mile)
Place in Division: 10/39 (Womens Open)
Overall Place: 311/1268

I am 100% positive that this recap will not do justice to the experience that I had at Hood to Coast. In fact, I'm not even sure that I can accurately express how monumental the entire event is or how amazing the Nuun staff is. You have to experience it for yourself. The great parts were fantastic. The good parts were great. And the bad parts weren't really all that bad. Even the lack of sleep and real food weren't horrible. I'd do it all again, right this very instant, if given the opportunity.

The Good:

Nuun: Not only did Nuun sponsor both Nuun Platuun and AfterNUUN Delite (think all race logistics taken care off, more Nuun than you could ever drink, wicked cute gear, etc), but the Nuun staff was AMAZING. They were friendly and welcoming, and at least in my van, put up with all of our crazy antics. I returned home wishing that Nuun was headquartered in Richmond, because it would be an awesome company to work for. (Note: I also wish that all my nuun-mates lived in Richmond. That would be EPIC.)

The numerous companies that hooked us up: In addition to Nuun, there were several other companies that showed Nuun Platuun some love. All of the SWAG we received, rocked my socks and it would be totally worth your while to check these fine companies out.

• Running Skirts
• Tommie Copper
• Moving Comfort
• RoadID
• 2Toms
• FlashBrite
• Buildasign.com
• GU Energy
• Jamba Juice
• Jenny Craig
• Jack Black Skin Care

The Course: Not only is Hood to Coast, the Mother of all Relays, but the views are FANTASTIC. Even the overnight legs (with the exception of those on gravel) were beautiful.

My Nuun-mates: Wicked Awesome. That is all.

Spreading the Nuun Love: As Nuun Ambassadors, it was our job to spread the Nuun Love during the race. At the major exchanges, transitions and even Quiznos, we handed out samples, applied tattoos and informed our fellow athletes about Nuun and all of it's awesomeness.

And I LOVED EVERY SECOND of it. I was totally in my element. And I couldn't get enough. It made me realize that I need a job that lets me engage with other people while working with something that I truly believe in. So, Nuun, if you're looking for someone to run your Southeast Sample Team, give me a call.

My First Leg (#11): I lucked out on the timing of my legs, with my first run starting at sunset. Talk about beautiful. And although it was slightly warmer than I would have hoped, I crushed it. When I finished the mostly flat run, my Garmin read 38:14 for 4.87 miles (7:51 pace). A new 8K PR by 44 seconds.

My Second Leg (#23): This leg shouldn't really be in the "Good" category. It should be in the FREAKING AWESOME category. 4.14 miles of small rollers, hidden in the massive trees of the Pacific Northwest on a very crisp morning. It was the single most perfect run of my entire running career. I ran fast and hard and could have kept going. I finished the leg 31:47 after I took off (7:40 pace) and hit the 4 mile mark at 30:47, 1:26 faster than I'd ever run 4 miles before. I wish I could have bottled up that leg.

Our Driver/Coach, Casey: Fueled with endless energy (without caffeine, by the way), Casey drove our van, recorded our splits, kept us realistic and optimistic from start to finish, and tolerated all of our insanity (and trust me, we weren't tame) without a SINGLE SECOND of sleep.

And as if he wasn't already awesomesauce, with just about 3 miles left in my last leg, he jumped out of the van and helped me and my suffering quad make it to the exchange. Total rock star.

The Memories/Inside Jokes: There were so many moments that I want to share here, but it would be futile. Anyone outside of our van, or perhaps our team, wouldn't really "get" what happened or how hilarious the members of Nuun Platuun are (Note: We created new words and laughed until it hurt). But, I will say that I cherish EVERY SINGLE SECOND of this journey and would highly recommend that EVERYONE run a relay at some point. All of the "hard parts" are worth it.

The Bad:

The Weather: It was unseasonably warm. Like Virginia warm. Enough said.

My Disorganization: I am a little OCD. I pack and I repack. I rarely forget things. But the biggest mistake I made during Hood to Coast was not packing each outfit in Ziploc bags. I felt like I was constantly digging for and losing things.


Minimal Interaction: Going into this event, I assumed that both Nuun teams would be hanging out all the time. But, in actuality, I barely saw anyone from AfterNUUN delite and I didn't really get to spend a good amount of time with Van 1 of Nuun Platuun until the post-race party. It was one of those logistical things about relay races that I just didn't consider.

The Ugly:

My Third Leg (#35): During my first wicked awesome leg, I tweaked my quad. THE QUAD. Immediately after, I said to Jess that I felt like I had pulled a lot harder with one leg than the other. I tried to loosen up the quad during our "rest" period, but when I started leg 2, it was still sore. But then, I crushed leg 2. Unfortunately, I also crushed my quad.

Seven hours later, when I was about to start my third leg, it hurt to get out of the van. I planned to run as strong as I could, but I didn't really know how it would go. The first 4 miles were great. I was averaging an 8:38 pace. And then the climbs came. And my quad failed. I ended up walk/running the next two miles, before Casey convinced me to push it to the finish.

I handed off to XL MIC, after 8 miles and 1:19:57. She ran to the finish line and I ran to the medic tent. (Note: I'm better. Not 100% better, but better than I was).

Missing the Finish: As soon as I got back from the medic tent, we headed out to try to make it to the beach to see XL MIC finish. We made it like half a mile and hit bumper-to-bumper traffic (something that occurred pretty much the whole race). It took us over two hours to make it the six miles to the beach. Such a bummer.

Our Van Guest: Don't ask. Let's just say, our "guest" was a total fail.

Thanks again to all of the wonderful people at Nuun for allowing me to be a part of this EPIC event. I've already got it marked down on my calendar for next year. I'm grandfathered in, right?

back to reality ...

Wow! I'm not even sure where I should begin. Hood to Coast was amazing. Nuun, and everyone who works there, is amazing. My nuun-mates are amazing.

(Nuun Platuun Van 2: Casey, XLMIC, Harmony, Jess, me, Susan, and Kim)

Even all the missteps were amazing (well, maybe amazingly funny or amazingly frustrating). Honestly, I'm don't even know if my recap will do my experience any justice.

But regardless, the recap is going to have to wait, as today is my first full day home since August 18th. I have no clue what's going on here and I need to get my butt in gear. So, to hold you over, here are some of my favorite pictures from the weekend ...

P.S. Today is the LAST DAY to enter my wicked awesome Running Skirts raffle. The winner will take home a COMPLETE OUTFIT from Running Skirts. Shirt. Skirt. Socks. Gear Bag. Winner takes all.

All you need to do is make a donation HERE. For every $5 you donate, you get one entry. All of the details can be found HERE. And as an extra incentive to donate, if you make a contribution TODAY, I will give you five (5) bonus entries to the raffle. Plus, you'll earn some good karma. So what are you waiting for?

Hood to Coast Preview ...

Unless you live in a bubble, you probably know that this Friday and Saturday, I will be running Hood to Coast (a.k.a. the Mother of All Relays) with Nuun Platuun (and our sister team, AfterNUUN Delite). I'll be joined by 19 other amazing blogging runners and 4 Nuun staff members for a 197 mile, two day adventure.

To say that I am excited would be an understatement.

I know that running this relay, while being sponsored by Nuun, is pretty much a once in a lifetime chance (Yes, I am trying to make you jealous). And considering I live 3,000 miles or so from Oregon, it's probably the only time I'll ever run this race. Thus, I plan to make the most of it.

So, here's what I have in mind ...

1. Have fun.
2. Spread the Nuun love.
3. Take lots of pictures.
4. Look fantastic.
5. Run strong, meaning stick as close to those prediction times as possible.

And speaking of those prediction times, here's what I have ahead of me:

Leg 11: Leg on Springwater trail over relatively rolling to flat terrain
Distance: 4.84 mile
Predicted Times: 40:34 (8:22 pace)

Leg 23: Basically flat terrain on narrow country roads with minimal shoulder
Distance: 4.18 mile
Predicted Times: 33:52 (8:06 pace)

Leg 35: Gently rolling terrain on a combination of paved and gravel roads
Distance: 8.09 mile
Predicted Times: 1:13:58 (9:08 pace)

Needless to say, this is going to be interesting. I'm not really sure how they figured out those paces (OK, they used my 10K time), but if they say I can, then I guess I can, right?

And because I know you want to track the Nuun teams all weekend long (both teams start at 12:30 on Friday), I'm going to give you about a zillion (or five) ways to do that.

1. Follow me on Twitter (@tmbrunnerfirst) HERE
2. Follow Nuun Platuun on Twitter (@NuunPlatuun) HERE
3. Follow AfterNUUN Delite on Twitter (@AfterNUUNDelite) HERE
4. "Like" Racing With Babes on Facebook HERE
5. "Like" Bloggers spreading the Nuun Love on Facebook HERE

Let Operation Hydration commence ...

Three Things Thursday ...

Speed - Ever since returning to running (June 1) after my surgery, I have been focused on slowly building my mileage. I've skipped all forms of speedwork, despite the fact that the posse holds weekly hill repeat sessions. Part of me felt like a slacker. And the other part of me knew that I couldn't build my distance and speed at the same time (and neither should you).

Anyway, I vowed to add the speedwork back into my schedule once the San Francisco Half was out of the way. And that's exactly what I did. Last night, I hit the treadmill for 800m repeats ...

(This is how you dress to run repeats on your treadmill when no one is going to see you, right?)

After a quick warmup, I did 6 x 800m @ 7:30 @ 0% incline (equals 7:49 pace on the road/track) with a 400m jog in between. By the last one, I was definitely spent but I felt strong. And if we are being honest here, I was more concerned for my treadmill than for me. I'm pretty sure he's on his last leg. Boo!

And then this morning, after a full 9 hour rest, I met the posse for hill repeats. 1.5 mile warmup, 7 repeats (.13 mile) @ 10K pace (splits: 0:58, 0:59, 0:59, 0:58, 0:59, 0:59, 0:57), 1 mile cooldown. Basically, I am a human metronome. Be jealous.

Speedwork, you've got nothing on me ...

Running Skirts - In case you missed it, on Monday, I posted my latest raffle to raise funds for Grassroot Soccer (My NYC Marathon Charity Team). The winner will take home a COMPLETE OUTFIT from Running Skirts. Shirt. Skirt. Socks. Gear Bag. Winner takes all.

All you need to do is make a donation HERE. For every $5 you donate, you get one entry. All of the details can be found HERE. And as an extra incentive to donate, if you make a contribution TODAY, I will give you five (5) bonus entries. So what are you waiting for?

Nuun - As you know, I am running Hood to Coast later this month with Nuun Platuun. The lovely Kerrie T. made our team this sweet logo ...

Basically, I am in love.

And if you'd love to try Nuun, here's your chance. From now until September 30th, you can save 25% on your order from Nuun HERE. Just use the code "nuunplatuun" at checkout.

Nuun Platuun!

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The information on this very select group of highly-trained individuals has been held classified ... until now. Running in the Hood to Coast Relay will be two hand-picked Nuun teams of female bloggers. One many people already know about... they are After-NUUN Delight.

Introducing their badass flipside...

N*U*U*N PLATUUN

free your mind and your feet will follow...

Major Miles... aka Tricia...firmly believes "Endurance Isn't Only Physical". She applies that doctrine by doing the majority of her training mentally. Sure, she plans on putting in some "major miles" as part of training, but just as importantly she is preparing for Hood to Coast by dreaming about running down that mountain, talking about the upcoming relay to anyone that will listen, and focusing her energy on tracking down the perfect camo print in wicking material.

"Draft beer, not people"

Captain Cupcake ...Average A who keeps the Diary of an Average Runner, has this to say: My life has become amazing once I started believing in myselfand putting my mind and spirit into my dreams. This runs the gamut in every aspect of life: from overcoming addictions; moving across the country on my own; and becoming better, stronger, and faster in my own body every single day.

I am really excited to not only have the chance to run this
historic race, but I am excited to team up with so many wonderful, talented, and inspiring female bloggers -- some of whom I've admired for years!

Our third runner is the quiet brains behind 'Operation Hydration', Corporal Kim ...our Nuun Staffer

Captain Obvious of Seattle has a superpower-esque way of making completely useless observations to her running buddies: “Look, there’s a slug. Don’t want to step on that.” She has been distance running, racing and blogging about it for two years, and recently completed her first full marathon. Captain Obvious, who blogs at Mom vs. Marathon, would like to point out that she is a mother, as well.

Running the "Bataan" leg... Captain Underpants ... aka the faster bunny whose notable accomplishments include but are not limited to having run three marathons, BQ-ed and NYC qualified. She is incredibly good at never getting injured! Hasn't been injured since age 16. Additionally, she's got a couple tech-y sounding degrees that she is proud of (Engineering and MBA). (The lack of any English classes probably explains the awful grammar in her blog). She can make some mean pancakes for breakfast and a great key lime pie. She is learning to bike so that one day she can do a triathlon.

A lover of all things crazy and that push you to the limit, she is excited to be a member of this squad because Hood to Coast is just that. She feels that to be on a team with a ton of extremely nice and inspiring women is priceless.

General Confusion.Lisa is a married mother of two wonderful children who blogs at Discovering the Meaning of Stonehenge. She took up running 3 1/2 years ago, at age forty. While training for her first marathon, she discovered her love of running and fitness. Since 2008, she has run five marathons, 16+ half marathons, six mud runs and oodles of other races. She is a RRCA certified running coach as well as trained in pre- and post-natal fitness, teaching Stroller Strides and Body Back bootcamp classes. Running is her escape, her fun and her “me” time. She builds friendships around running, but also finds her “happy place” during solo runs.

She loves spending time with her family, especially outdoors. Hiking and biking are key activities that everyone in the family loves. Her son is following in her footsteps and recently ran his first 5K.

In a previous life, Lisa was a casino executive (for 18 years!). She worked long hours in a tough, people-focused industry which really gave her a thick skin. There isn’t much Lisa hasn’t seen or heard, and a bunch of women in a van during Hood to Coast will be tame compared to some of the high rollers in the casinos.

Hood to Coast has been a dream of Lisa’s for many years. Her father ran it a few times in the 80’s and even before Lisa was a runner, she thought that HTC would be very cool. The course goes through her old stomping grounds of Mt. Hood, Sandy, Gresham, downtown Portland and the Oregon Coast. She is thrilled and honored to have been chosen by NUUN to run on their team.

Private Chafe ... aka Jess Allen aka "THE" Blonde Ponytail ;) Jess ran her first race ever, the Portland Marathon, last October 2010 and began her blog, Blonde Ponytail shortly thereafter. Jess is a recognized ninja. When she isn't silently assassinating wrong-doers, she advises students at Washington State University where her husband coaches baseball. Jess is a NSCA-CSCS and former Stanford University softball player. She is mom to one fur-child, Cooper, a 3.5 yr old golden retriever.

Cap'n Crunch introduces herself: Hi everyone! I’m Caitlin and unlike most of the lovely ladies on my team, I am not (currently) a blogger! I am a part of the Nuun Event Marketing team and I volunteered myself for a spot on the team! I graduated from Washington State University in 2010 where I played soccer for the Cougs, in addition to earning my degree in Comm. I grew up in a running family and have run two half marathons in the past year. My Hood to Coast legs will be the most I’ve ever run in 24 hours and I’m quite looking forward to the challenge.

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Code name: Nightingale. This super secret agent is rumored to blog at Nurse on the Run. Her identity is closely guarded and all info is classified. When sighted, she is usually in the vicinity of someone needing medical assistance... or running really fast!

Major Pain ...aka H Love... whose motto and blog are Keep On Keeping On. She tells us: I spent my time growing up between Florida and Washington State, enjoying the beauty of both places! I am a small town girl who loves to compete (with myself) and try new things. I have always loved sports, but running was never one of them. I played basketball at the community college level and then finished my schooling at Washington State University! Go Cougs! In 2009 another mom asked me to be on a 100K relay team to run the last leg....4.3 miles! What? It was

a huge challenge. After running those 4.3 miles I was HOOKED! Those 4.3 miles , led to 13.1 and recently 26.2! Being part of NUUN Platuun is a huge gift and I still can't believe I am going to be part of HOOD to COAST! I am a mom of three amazng kids (10, 8 & 5) who inspire me daily! I am blessed with a hard working hubby that makes me laugh and supports me in all I do.

I "stay at home" (ha, ha, that's a joke) with the kiddos and work part time as a Early Childhood Education consultant and trainer. I love to bust a move (no alcohol necessary) and enjoy hanging with my fam and friends. Love, love, love, white sand beaches,the gulf of mexico and warm sunshine! I try to enjoy the moments I am given and always looks for ways to inspire and connect with others! Can't wait to "bring it" with this amazing group of women! Go NUUN Platuun! Hoo- Rah!!

Sergeant Style ... aka Tonia. Here's the short version: Mom. Runner. Wife. Triathlete. Friend. Pescatarian. Coach. Not necessarily in that order.

And the not so short version: As a former Division I Track and Field athlete, I have always had an athletic side, but it wasn't until my second child was born that running became my passion. I began running in 2007 after I vowed to run a 10K by the end of the year. I finished that 10K and have never looked back. Since then, I've run 4 marathons, 10 half marathons and a slew of shorter races. Right now, I am training for the NYC Marathon with Team Grassroot Soccer.

Although, I am primarily a stay-at-home mom, I have been active in the fitness industry for five years and is am a certified running coach with the Road Runners Club of America. In 2010, I established, TMB Endurance Training, a coaching endeavor focused primarily on distance runners. I am also certified as a fitness instructor with the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, where much of my focus has been spent in the areas of Prenatal and Postnatal Fitness.

On a personal level, I am mother to three beautiful daughters, Dizzle, Doodle, and Dilly, wife of 7 years to J and author of the blog, Racing With Babes.

Notable accomplishments: 3 kids. 4 marathons. An Ivy League degree. An a appearance in the August 2011 Runner's World magazine.

Why I am so excited to be on Team Nuun for Hood to Coast: Well, isn't it obvious? Hood to Coast is "the Mother of All Relays" and running it with Team Nuun is a once in a lifetime experience. Who wouldn't be excited? Seriously, though, I am so honored to be included in this group of amazing blogging women from all over the country. I am looking forward to being challenged and forming new friendships and bonds. I know this is bound to be an experience I will never forget.

Commando ...aka XLMIC, blogger at Taking It On ... lurks in the shadows until the perfect moment to jump out and bust someone's cojones. She is relentless in everything she does. If she cannot out-and-out beat you running on the road, she will annoy you into the ground or make you laugh until you are immobilized... or you wet your pants. She appears unphased by almost any situation. She began running as a way of cross-training for her favorite sport, rowing. She rowed for Cornell University, at Vesper Boat Club, and was on the 1991 US PanAm team. After running two sub-4 hour marathons, she had four kids and took an injury-forced, 8-year hiatus from athletics. (She also has 6 grown stepkids). She resumed running less than a year ago and prefers to run at night... stealth-style... after everyone is asleep. Don't look for her because you won't find her that way. Just listen... she has a hard time keeping quiet for very long.

These formidable and fun athletes will present a force to be reckoned with at the 2011 Hood to Coast!