Our 1st Present

Todd & I received our first present as a couple for our engagement. My good friend, Dave, and his girlfriend, Liz, stopped by my apartment last week to give it to us. They had been in Vegas recently and spotted this and knew it was the perfect engagement present for Todd & I.

Todd & I with our present

Since Todd & I will soon be coming together to get married, Dave told us our present represented something that Todd likes and something I like that are united as one. So what is it?

It's a Dark Chocolate Bacon Bar!

Todd & I thought our present was great! We have yet to eat it but we thought it was funny how it fit us perfectly as Todd loves bacon and I love dark chocolate.

Circleville Pumpkin Show

Over the weekend, Todd & I went to one of my all-time favorite events of the year...the Circleville Pumpkin Show. If you love eating anything pumpkiny (I'm not sure if that's even a word), you'll love this festival. Any pumpkin food you could ever imagine is here. They also have your typical fair food, rides, and craft booths set up so when you get there, you have to head to the info booth to get a map of where all the pumpkin products are. Here are a sample of what was there: pumpkin waffles, pumpkin pizza, pumpkin chili, pumpkin burgers, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin pop, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin elephant ears, chili dogs with pumpkin sauce, pumpkin cream puffs, and of course pumpkin pie.....and much more.

Todd & I have made this our yearly tradition and I look forward to it when the weather turns cool and fall arrives. Circleville is a smaller city about an hour south of Columbus and the festival runs for 4 days, ending on Saturday night. They have nightly parades, a contest for the largest home grown pumpkin, and they even name a Pumpkin Queen.

We had planned to go on Friday evening, but unfortunately Todd had to work late so we went on Saturday evening instead. The downfall of waiting until the last night is that they were out of a lot of the food and were even out of my favorite thing there, pumpkin donuts. There's a small bakery that makes the best pumpkin donuts ever, they literally melt in your mouth. Usually the line for donuts is out the door and down the block and people are usually walking out with dozens of donuts. I was pretty disappointed they were sold out on Saturday night but it makes me that more excited for next year!

A view of some of the rides from one end of the festival

The pumpkin show is kinda a big deal here

The big winner in 2010.....the pumpkin weighed 1622 pounds!
The prettiest pumpkin winner

Todd & I in 2008

Todd & I in 2009

Todd & I in 2010

Pumpkin cake

Pumpkin pizza & pumpkin pop

And since they were out of a lot of pumpkin food, we got a corn dog & fried cheese on a stick

And of course the bakery with the pumpkin donuts is also famous for making the world's largest pumpkin pie
Yes, this picture is from 2008....I didn't take one this year

Despite sitting in traffic to get into Circleville and the fact they were out of some food, we still had a great time. I did tell Todd though that we're never going on Saturday night again just to make sure we get to try all the pumpkin food we want.

It's Official!

I found this in my mailbox yesterday when I came home from work. It's official...I'm running the Boston Marathon on April 18, 2011!

Weekly Recap: October 18-24

After running 5 marathons, I've finally learned that it's best to take it easy for a week or so afterwards to avoid injury or even burn out. I was pretty excited to sleep in a little bit in the mornings and let my body rest up. I was probably only sore for a couple of days but I knew I'd put my body through a lot with running 26.2 mi and wanted to give it time to recover. It's been a very long time since I've taken 4 rest days during one week but I think it's just what I needed. I ran an easy 4 mi on Saturday and felt great. I'm itching to get back into the gym and start lifting again as well as maintain my fitness so when I start training for Boston in January, I'll have a good base.


Monday: REST

Tuesday: REST

Wednesday: REST

Thursday: 30 min elliptical; core & push ups

Friday: REST

Saturday: 4 mi w/ Todd (8:49 pace)

Sunday: taught 20 min core & taught 50 min spinning



TOTAL: 4 mi

Fried Food & Football

Our weekend plans changed on Friday night since Todd had to work late and then check in with work until about 1:00 AM. We ended up just ordering pizza and watching wedding shows on TLC....ok, I was watching wedding shows on TLC and Todd was working.

Todd did surprise me with this gorgeous fall bouquet though

After we ran an easy 4 mi on Saturday morning and Todd finished some more work from home, we headed down to campus to meet up with some friends to watch the Ohio State vs. Purdue football game. Sara & Jay were in town from Nashville and I hadn't seen them since Todd & I got engaged. I was pretty excited to show off my ring and talk about our wedding plans with Sara since, without them, Todd & I wouldn't have met. Todd and I met at their wedding in July 2008. We watched the first part of the game and ate lunch at Eddie George's Grill. Since it was a blow out, we walked around campus after halftime to show Sara & Jay the new student union. All four of us went to OSU but I went there for grad school while the other 3 went their for undergrad.

Todd & his lunch...a deep fried bacon cheeseburger

Yes, this thing is for real...the bun and burger are deep fried with the toppings placed on top

Todd & I with Jay & Sara
Sara & I in front of the Ohio license plate artwork
Todd & Jay with Brutus the Buckeye
One of Archie Griffin's Heisman trophies

We had a great afternoon catching up and laughing with Jay & Sara. I definitely miss them but was glad to spend some time with them.

Wedding Date Set!

After several weeks of looking at venues for our reception and trying to find a date that the church was also available, we finally booked a place! Todd & I will be getting married on August 20, 2011 at St. Joan of Arc Church followed by our reception at Worthington Hills Country Club. We're so excited & cannot wait!

2010 Columbus Marathon Race Report

Going into the marathon, I was excited but very nervous. I knew my past 4-5 weeks of training hadn't been up to where it should have been. The 10 days I was gone on the cruise were when I really should have been pushing my mileage and speed and unfortunately that didn't happen. In fact, after looking back in my running log, I only maxed out at 34 miles/week, which was the week I had a 20 mi run. So yeah, I think you could say I was slightly under trained. I really do wonder how fast I could run a marathon if I could increase my mileage without getting injured. I think my breaking point is right around 35-40 miles/week on a consistent basis. My new motto is I'd rather be under trained than get injured and not make it to the starting line. I knew to break 3:30 or even PR (break 3:34), I'd really have to push myself physically and mentally during the race. The past few weeks had been an emotional roller coaster and at points, my stress levels were at an all-time high. Clearly, this was not the mental state I wanted to be in a week or two before a big race.

I'd run the Columbus Marathon in 2007 & 2008 and last year I registered to run the half but got a stress fracture about a week before (see a common theme here?) I actually really love running this race. It's local so I don't have to worry about traveling, my family can cheer me on at several spots, and I know the course like the back of my hand. It also doesn't hurt that it's extremely flat with just a few short inclines here and there....I wouldn't even really call them hills. They cap the race at 15,000 people with 5,000 running the full and 10,000 running the half. Both the half and full run about the first 13 mi together before the half splits off for the final sprint to the finish. I'm not gonna lie, seeing people start to pick up the pace around mile 11 or 12 because they're almost done with their race and be able to finish knowing you have to run another 13.1 mi is mentally challenging.

Dana & I the morning of the race...she was running the half while I ran the full

The stats:

Mile 1: 8:15
Mile 2: 7:52
Mile 3: 7:43 (I see my Mom & Todd for the first time!)
Mile 4: 8:02
Mile 5: 7:53
Mile 6: 7:51 (I'm feeling great, nice and relaxed.....time to take a shot block)
10K Split: 49:05
Mile 7: 8:01
Mile 8: 7:59
Mile 9: 7:46 (Huge crowd support at the turn onto 3rd street)
Mile 10: 7:56
Mile 11: 8:03
Mile 12: 8:09 (Slight uphill the past mile or so, I see Todd & he gives me some more shot blocks, chapstick, and a piece of gum)
Mile 13: 8:04
Half Split: 1:44:28 (Hmm, I really wish I was finishing right now with the half marathoners, I'm not too excited about running another 13.1 mi)
Mile 14: 8:07
Mile 15: 8:41 (I see my Mom! I dodge over to the side to get some sport beans from her and tell her I want to quit....she doesn't let me)
Mile 16: 8:21
Mile 17: 8:37 (Just keep pushing)
Mile 18: 9:03 (Crap, the 3:30 pace group just passed me)
Mile 19: 9:53 (Ok, get it together Jenny, you can walk through the water stations but that's it, no other walking! You've done this before and can gut it out)
Mile 20: 8:44
2o Split: 2:45:03 (Still on pace to run around 3:35, I think I can hang on)
Mile 21: 8:45
Mile 22: 8:37 (I see Todd again! Only 4 miles left, I can do this!)
Mile 23: 8:39
Mile 24: 8:41 (Seriously, I thought Columbus was flat, I don't remember this half mile long incline)
Mile 25: 9:05 (Legs getting tight & heavy, thank God Emily is waiting for me so she can run the last mile with me)
Mile 26: 8:44 (Do not let the 3:40 pace group pass you)
Mile .2: 2:00 (Sprint to the finish downhill....and I'M DONE!)

Overall Time for 26.2 mi: 3:39:35

Average Pace: 8:23
Overall: 1010/4106
Female: 190/1569
Females 25-29: 41/297

All in all, I really can't complain about running a 3:39 and qualifying for Boston for my 3rd time. I've run 5 marathons, 2 faster and 2 slower. I felt great until about 15 mi and I think mentally knowing I still had 11 more miles to go physically drained me....well, and the fact that I hadn't trained that hard and probably started out too fast. As I ran by my Mom around mile 15, she handed me my sport beans and I literally stopped running. I told her I was done, I hated this, and I wanted to quit. Thank god she was there to talk me out of that because she knew I would have really regretted that decision. It took me from mile 15 to 20 to mentally get back into the race and fight to finish under 3:40. I passed Todd around mile 18 and he knew I was struggling but when I saw him again around mile 22, he couldn't believe how much better I looked. My legs started to get really heavy the last mile, but luckily I had Emily waiting for me (she had run the half) to run the last mile with me. I will admit too that I walked through the last 6 or so water stations. In fact, I actually feel slightly guilty about doing this and still running 3:39. I also think some people may think it's absurd I, on average, ran 28-30 miles/week and still qualified for Boston.

Around mile 18, holding my arm sleeves to give to Todd

Half mile to go!
Emily helping me push through the last little bit...you can see the pain on my face
Finished!

My parents & I
Todd & I
Battle wounds....apparently a blister popped during the race & was bleeding on my sock & shoe
Much deserved veggie burger, sweet potato fries and giant cookie at Northstar Cafe

Wedding #13

This past Saturday, Todd & I attended our 13th wedding together. My friend and former college teammate & roommate, Katie, was marrying Kirt. I was excited since this was the first wedding Todd & I were attending as an engaged couple and we were going to see a couple of my other good girl friends from college. It's amazing now that we're planning our own wedding, how many details of Katie and Kirt's wedding I noticed and paid attention to. The ceremony & reception were beautiful along with the bride and groom but unfortunately since I was running the marathon the next morning, we didn't stay very late or get a chance to really dance either.

Katie & Kirt saying their vows

Todd & I

Katie & I

Good friends & former teammates....Dana, Shimmer, me, and Ruthie

Weekly Recap: October 11-17

I had a great taper week and ended the week running my 5th marathon in 3:39:35, qualifying for Boston for the 3rd time. I'll have a race report ready in the next couple days. By the way, this was my first 40 mile week since February.....can you say under trained??

Monday: 30 min bike

Tuesday: 7 mi (7:58 pace; 4 x 4 min @ 7:15-7:20 pace)

Wednesday: REST

Thursday: 4 mi easy (8:18 pace)

Friday: REST

Saturday: 3 mi easy w/ Todd (8:25 pace)

Sunday: 26.2 mi--COLUMBUS MARATHON (3:39:35; 8:23 pace)


TOTAL: 40 mi

#5 Down

I did it, I ran my 5th marathon. I didn't really meet any of my goals except qualifying for Boston....which doesn't really matter since I deferred my 2010 entry anyways. I guess now I can run again in 2012. I ran the Columbus Marathon in 3:39:35 for an average pace of 8:23 and qualified for Boston for the 3rd time. More details to come later in the week with a full race report.

Showing off my finisher's medal

Am I Really Running a Marathon Tomorrow?

Last night, Todd & I headed downtown to the Columbus Marathon expo. The funny thing is, it still didn't hit me that I'm running a marathon tomorrow. Ok, well maybe I realized it once I got my bib and saw that I was #118. Apparently I'm an elite runner now, I must have missed the memo on that one. Actually, this is the first year Columbus is doing seeded corrals for the start and I'm in corral 1 since I've run a half marathon under 1:45 in the past year and a half.

The expo was nothing to write home about and in fact, was slightly disappointing. Of course, the last expo I went to was the best of the best, the Boston Marathon expo. At Columbus, there were probably close to 100 booths set up but there were no free samples of anything....no cliff bars, no cereal, no gu, no nothing. Most of the booths were selling clothes or promoting other races. Despite my disappointment, it didn't stop me from spending some money.

Standing next to the course map

Banners lining street with this year's slogan, "Feel the Whole City Behind You"

Purchase #1: Run Columbus t-shirt

Purchase #2: Run Cbus technical shirt

Purchase #3: 26.2 Pint Glass...I'm wearing the "free" race shirt....and by free I mean it cost $65 since that was the race registration fee

Once Todd & I got back from the expo, I made a pasta dinner and we watched the Spirit of the Marathon to get me pumped up for the race. Of course, I fell asleep about halfway through.

I just got back from my easy 3 mi shakeout run (8:25 pace) and all that's stopping me from running 26.2 mi is going to a wedding of one of my former college teammates & roommates at UD. Should be an interesting night!

Cheddar Chicken Casserole

I went to my friend's bridal shower about a month ago, and the girl hosting the shower made a really good chicken salad that was served on croissants. I finally got around to emailing her for the recipe and made it the other night. You can either serve it as chicken salad on bread or as a casserole since it's baked in the oven. Either way, it's delicious!

Cheddar Chicken Casserole

Cheddar Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

4 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 cups diced celery

1 cup mayonnaise (I used a little less & used low fat mayo)

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup chopped onion

8 oz. shredded cheese (cheddar or swiss)

1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and transfer to a large casserole dish coated with cooking spray or butter, top with almonds.

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. It keeps well in a warm oven.

Taper Madness & Marathon Plans

With the Columbus Marathon 4 days away, I've been (obviously) thinking a lot lately about the race. This taper madness always lets self-doubt creep into my head. The past couple weeks have been a roller coaster of highs & lows, I went on vacation & got engaged but then a few days later, my Grandma passed away. To be honest, my heart really isn't into this upcoming race. I know my training was sub-par and for the first time, I feel like my endurance isn't where it should be. I only did two 20 milers and a couple 17 milers. Granted, I did more tempo runs & speedwork but I'm not sure that will translate into a PR in a 26.2 mi race. The most important thing right now though is that I'm injury-free and will actually be at the starting line on Sunday morning. Even though I feel slightly undertrained, I guess it's better to get to the starting line undertrained than be overtrained and not even get to the starting line.

So what are my goals for the race? My first goal is to not stop and walk. Yes, I'm being serious. I had to stop a few times on both of my 20 milers this training cycle, partly due to poor nutrition before my runs and partly due to mentally giving up. My ultimate goal for the race would be to break 3:30 and I'd be thrilled to PR and run under 3:34, but I'd also be happy qualifying for Boston for the 3rd time.

Weekly Recap: October 4-10

My first week of tapering went alright. I wasn't planning on taking 2 days off but I guess at this point, getting an extra day of rest might be better than getting in a workout. Less than 1 week till race day!

Monday: REST

Tuesday: 6 mi (3 mi @ 7:27 pace; average pace 7:38)

Wednesday: 40 min ellitical; lifted total body

Thursday: 7 mi easy (8:11 pace)

Friday: REST

Saturday: 8 mi (8:01 pace)

Sunday: taught 20 min core & taught 50 min spinning


TOTAL: 21 mi

Wedding Plans & Bachelorette Party

My weekend consisted of attempting to make plans for our wedding & failing miserably and going to one of my good friends' bachelorette party. After getting my 8 mi run in Saturday morning, I was going to look at a couple reception venues with my parents. Todd & I had already looked at them and were very excited about one of the places. I wanted to show my parents since they're helping out with some of the cost of the wedding and I was hoping to sign a contract that day. Well, we show up at the place we really liked and a wedding was just finishing up so we were told to come back in a little bit. We drove to the other place and as soon as I get out of the car, someone from the first place calls me to tell me she didn't know but a couple booked for our wedding date late the night before. Of course, I'm devastated. I was planning on booking it that day and now I couldn't. They told me they still had one date available the following month and a couple the month after that. Unfortunately, I'm deadset on getting married in the summer or early fall of next year so only one of those dates would work. We met with the priest at our church today and of course the church is booked for that date. UGH!!! Short version of the story is that I can't seem to find a date that the church and a venue for our reception are both available for next August or September. We really fell in love with the venue we were planning on signing with so now every time I look at another place, I'm not happy just because it doesn't look like the place I love. I never knew wedding planning would be this stressful and emotional! Let's hope we can figure something out this week so Todd & I don't have to put off getting married until 2012.

On a brighter note, I spent last night at my good girlfriend's bachelorette party. She's getting married in December and I'm one of her bridesmaids. We started the evening with dinner, drinks, and presents at her mom's house before taking a limo downtown to a few bars. There were 10 of us total and even though I had never met some other girls, I had a great time.

Since her wedding colors are black and yellow, all the girls wore just black while the bride-to-be, Megs, wore yellow.....me, Megs, Shubs (and baby), and Lynn

Gotta love all the bachlorette swag

All the girls in front of the limo

Megs, me, and Lynn in the limo

We're kinda a big deal

Lynn & her beer boot

We went to a dueling piano bar and Megs was called up on stage while they sang a song to her

And then Lynn decided to go up on stage & sing with the piano player
Lynn & I

Todd was also downtown for a going away party for a couple of our friends who are moving to Japan in a few weeks. After the going away dinner, he met me at the bar where we were having the bachelorette party and then we stopped by the bar his friends were at for the going away party so I could say bye to his friends. It kinda worked out perfect that we were both downtown the same night.

Our typical MJ sandwich with Todd