Time for a 2009 Run the Rocks 5K Update!

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted anything on here! It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time passes. Here is update on the 2009 Run the Rocks 5K.

What a fantastic race! Even though the sun once again decided not to make an appearance (3rd year in a row), the event was well attended. It was extremely well organized with plenty of goodies and activities at the end of the race.

We ended up with 13 members on our team, "It's Gotta be the Shoes." Our team placed 3rd overall in fundraising; raising $1790.00, and placed 6th overall in the running race. We were very happy with the end results. Jim was especially thrilled with his finish. He shaved 3 minutes off of last year's time and once again placed 1st in his age group. Better with age (LOL).

We love running in this event and plan to participate in the 2010 Run the Rocks 5K. Hope
to see you all out there next year pounding the pavement with us!

Run The Rocks 5K is next Sunday!

The RUN THE ROCKS 5K is rapidly approaching!

On Sunday, October 11, Jim and I will be taking part in this event, which is held at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, in memory of my father, Rev. Edwin R. Lincoln, who passed away from Pulmonary Fibrosis on July 26, 2008, and Jim’s mother, Winifred Merrill, who passed away from Pulmonary Fibrosis on March, 4, 2009.

This event raises funds for the American Lung Association of Colorado (ALAC). These funds help support ALAC Mission:

Asthma: Educating children and families about how to manage asthma so they can live active, healthy lives.
Tobacco: Ninety percent of all people who smoke got addicted before the age of 21. The ALAC program, “Not-On-Tobacco,” helps hundreds of high school students quit smoking.
Clean Air: ALAC works to promote mass transit, alternative fuels, and other measures to keep our air clean.
Lung Disease: ALAC provides workshops to help people with lung disease live healthier, more active lives.
Research: The American Lung Association, both locally and nationally, has provided $6 million to lung health research initiatives in Colorado over the last eight years.

Please consider making a pledge today. To make a pledge, click on the Red Rocks Website link above or on the right side of our blog. Once you are in the website, click on “Event Info.” On the Event Info page, click on “Make a Pledge” under the Visitor Section, then type Merrill in the “Last name” search box.

Thanks so much for you support!

2009 Red Rock Scramble 5K/5M

Jim and I ran in the Red Rock Scramble 5 Miler this morning. We love this race! The weather was perfect! Colorado blue skies, sunshine, and cool temperatures. Ideal running conditions!

This race takes place in Lyons, CO. The course is out and back, very scenic, and fairly flat. There is about a 200-foot elevation gain the first half of the race, which means there is a nice, gentle downhill the last half of the race, making it a pretty fast course.

The race felt really good today. This was not a chipped raced, so according to our Garmin Forerunner 405s, I finished the race in 45:57 minutes and Jim finished in 44:52. Once again Jim beat me! Arggh!

After the race we were treated to Einstein Bagels and homemade beef stew. The stew was fabulous!

If you are looking for a laidback race that’s not crowded, a fast course, and great post-race food, I would highly recommend this race.

2009 Boulder Half Marathon

Jim and I ran in the Boulder Marathon-Half Marathon-Relay yesterday. We participated in the half marathon. I wish I could say it was a great run. But it really wasn't. The half-marathon didn't start until 9 a.m. At the start of the half marathon, the temperatures were in the low 70s and the winds pretty strong. When Jim and I finished the half marathon, the temperatures were in the low 80s and the winds even stronger. Unfortunately, due to the weather conditions, water ran out quickly along the course, so many runners ended up on the side of the road suffering from heat stroke and dehydration. There were medics and ambulances everywhere! When the supply of ambulances ran out, the fire trucks rolled in. We counted the arrival of three fire trucks.

Jim and I didn’t break any records. Because of the heat, my goal of running the course in 2 hours quickly shifted to avoiding heat stroke and finishing the race, which I did by drinking plenty of water, squirting water on my head and back, and slowing down my pace. The results have not yet been posted online, but according to our Garmin 405 watches, Jim completed the race in approximately 2 hours 10 minutes and I completed the race in approximately 2 hours 13 minutes. Aside from not-so-good final race times, there were some high points to the day.

High Point One: Our friends Bret and Carol joined us in running the race. There is something to be said about the saying, “misery loves company.” Like us, they didn’t appreciate the warm temperatures and wind, so it was nice to be able share our feelings, frustrations and experiences at the end of the race. I have to say, Bret was the smart one at the end of the race. He signed up for a massage, while Carol, Jim, and I headed to the beer tent for a cold one!

High Point Two: We finally got to meet Bret and Carol’s oldest daughter, Sierra. She is so busy on the weekends with her track and cross-county meets which make it difficult for her to find the time to make it to her parent’s races! I am so glad we finally met and to know that she really does exist. Thanks for watching our camera Sierra!

High Point Three: Our friend John ran and completed the marathon. This was his first marathon and we were so glad to be there to witness his fantastic accomplishment under such rough conditions. Congratulations John!

High Point Four: John's wife, Stephanie was able to break away from her Sunday responsiblities and be there for John at the end of the rest. We haven't seen John and Stephanie in such a long time. It was great to be able to reconnect.

Even though this was a tough race for us, we are already looking forward to running in the Denver Half Marathon in October!

Saturday Training Run - Sept. 12th

Jim and I had another stellar training day! We drove downtown, parked in front of The Market at Larimer Square and ran 10 miles on the running/bike trail. We started from The Market and ran about a mile past the Cherry Creek Shopping Mall. The temperature was cool and the skies were overcast. It was perfect running weather. We weren’t the only individuals that thought so. The trail was full of runners, bikers, and walkers.

Jim being the outgoing person that he is greeted every runner along the way. Soon, I found myself also smiling and waving at every runner! I thought Jim would get tired of it, but he persisted and we probably greeted, smiled and waved at over a hundred runners!

After the run, we ended up at The Market for breakfast. Jim had a Breakfast Pocket which was filled with eggs, Canadian bacon, onions, cheese and served with a side of salsa. I had the Spinach Pocket, which was filled with spinach, onions, cheese and served with a side of marinara. Of course, we had to have our weekly non-fat vanilla lattes!

One thing Jim and I both observed during this run and last week while running in the Park to Park 10 Miler, was that our lower backs started to cramp at around 8.5 miles. We both decided we needed to work on strengthening our core muscles. When we got home we logged onto the Runner's World Website and looked up core strengthening exercises. We found an article about World Champion Hurdler Lolo Jones’ Core Workout and decided to try out the exercises shown in the article. Let me tell you, those exercises were a lot tougher than they looked! We are going to start doing these core exercises at least 3 times a week.

Running the Park-to-Park 10 Miler

Jim and I participated in the Park-to-Park 10 Miler today. Once again, our day started early. We woke up at 3:30 a.m. and were out the door by 5:00 a.m. We drove to South Denver High School, where we met our friends Bret, Carol and their daughter Lauren. Since this race was a point-to-point race, Bret offered to shuttle us to the starting line. Carol and Lauren stayed behind. Jim gave Lauren a stack of “Run the Rocks 5K” pamphlets to hand out while Carol and Lauren waited for Bret to return. We are so lucky to have such good friends! Not only did Bret shuttle us to the start line, they hung out and cheered us on as we crossed the finish line.

This race has a really nice course and was very well organized. It connects four Denver parks; City Park, Cheesman Park, Alamo Placita Park and finishes at Washington Park. All race finishers received a medal and at the post-race Expo were treated to a wealth of goodies; bottled water, Vitamin Water, Zero PowerAde, bananas, apples, Panera Bread Cinnamon bagels, muffins, sticky buns, cookies from Sogni Dolci Bakery, Fruit and Chocolate Fondue Dip from The Melting Pot, Dryers Ice Cream Fruit Bars, and Fruit2Day Snacks.

Jim and I were happy with our times. This was not a chipped race, so the results posted on the website are about 22 seconds longer than our actual time. According to our watches, we logged 10.1 miles and Jim's time was 1:32:49 at a 9:07 pace, my time was 1:33:42 at a 9:16 pace.

After hanging out at Washington Park for an hour or so, we all decided to go get something to eat. I know, I know, how could we possibly be hungry after all the goodies available to us at the post-race Expo? We didn’t really eat a lot while at the expo. Jim and I had a bagel and a Fruit2Day juice. We wanted something else that would hold us over until dinner. So, we headed to The Market at Larimer Square which is located in Larimer Square. I love The Market! There is something there for everyone. Bret and Carol had burritos smothered in green chili (I think I will order that the next time I go there!), Lauren had a Belgium waffle with strawberries and whipped cream (yummy!), Jim had an egg salad sandwich (protein!) and I had the quiche (more protein!). Of course, I had to have my weekly non-fat vanilla latte!

Happy Running!

Saturday Morning Training Run

Wow! I slept in until 4:30 a.m. this morning. Jim managed to sleep in until 5:00 a.m. One of the problems with waking up at 3:30 a.m. during the work week; it’s so hard to sleep in on the weekends!

We will be running in the Park-to-Park 10 Miler on Labor Day, so we ran an easy 5 mile run this morning at a 9:37 pace. The run felt really good, probably because I slept in until 4:30 a.m. I wanted to run longer, but knew it wouldn’t be wise with a 10 mile race a couple days away.

For our pre-race meal on Sunday evening, I plan to prepare a Fresh Tomato, Sausage, and Pecorino Pasta. I found the recipe in this month’s Cooking Light. My Big Boy tomato and basil plant have been producing like crazy and this recipe calls for both of these ingredients. Click on the link above for the recipe.  I have not yet tried this recipe.  It has received 4 stars out of 5, so I think it will be very good.

Wednesday Morning Training Run

We started today with another very, early morning training run. The alarm once again was set for 3:30 a.m. Fortunately, I woke up at 3:29 a.m. and was able to turn off the alarm before having to endure the alarm’s heart-stopping ringing, which I am convinced will one day cause me to have a heart attack.

After donning my running gear, I dragged myself downstairs, turned on the coffee and started stretching. As soon as the coffee was done, Jim stumbled downstairs, mumbled what I think was a, “good morning” and headed straight for the coffee pot. He’s not a very talkative guy at 3:45 a.m. I just can’t understand why?

Once again, we were out the door at 4:00 a.m. We decided to try a different route this morning. Running the same route 3-4 times a week gets boring, so we try to mix it up a little. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. Even with our Princeton Tec FUEL Head Lamps, we’ve gotten turned around in some of the neighborhoods we’ve ventured into. Everything looks so different when it is dark. Today’s route was successful and we will add it to our early morning training run route list.

Today, we ran 7 miles at a 9:25 pace. The temperatures were around 57 degrees and humid. The humidity is so unusual for us here in Colorado. Unfortunately, during the run my Fuel Belt Sprint Palm Holder 10 ounce Water Bottle slipped from its holder and fell. Upon impact, the cap cracked. In order to prevent the water from splashing out from the cap while running, I had to cup my hand over the cap. It didn’t work very well. I ended up with more water on me than in me!

After the run I prepared myself a “Breakfast Taco.” For the curious individual wondering what is in a “Breakfast Taco,” it is a scrambled egg, with green onions, diced tomatoes, diced ham and cheddar cheese folded in a flour tortilla. It is very, very delicious and easy to make.

Monday Morning Training Run

This morning the alarm jolted us awake at 3:30 a.m. After a quick cup of coffee, a graham cracker with Whole Foods organic peanut butter, and ten minutes of stretching, Jim and I headed out the door at 4:00 a.m. for a run. The temperature was around 55 degrees. Perfect running weather!

We ran 7 miles at a 9:27 pace. Now why couldn’t I have run at that pace when we were running in Boulder the other day? Perhaps, I was better hydrated and more rested. Whatever the reasons, the run felt really good for me. Jim on the other hand, didn’t feel quite as good as I did. He was glad when the run was over.

After the run I was craving a yogurt smoothie. So, I prepared myself a blueberry, mango, banana yogurt smoothie, sprinkled with granola. It was fabulous and left me feeling satisfied and full for several hours.  Here is the recipe:

  Blueberry, Banana, Mango Yogurt Smoothie

  Place the following ingredients in a blender.
  Blend until smooth.
  Pour into glass and sprinkle with granola
  Enjoy!

  1/3 cup of frozen blueberries
  1/3 cup of frozen banana
  1/3 cup of frozen mango
  1/2 cup of non-fat vanilla yogurt
  1/2 cup of non-fat milk
  1-2 drops of vanilla
  2 Tbsps of granola

Tomorrow is a rest day! So with a little luck, I will be able to sleep until 4:30 tomorrow morning.

Training for the 2009 Boulder Backroads Half-Marathon

In an effort to familiarize and prepare for the 11th Annual 2009 Boulder Backroads Half-Marathon being held on September 20, 2009, Jim and I decided to run 10 miles of the race course this morning. It was a beautiful morning. We started the run at 7:00 a.m. The temperatures were cool, there was no wind, the sun was shining, the sky was blue as blue can be, and ferruginous hawks were busy doing what they do best, searching for food.

As the name implies, this race is run on the backroads of Boulder. A majority of the course in on dirt roads, however, there are stretches of asphalt. The views of the Flatirons and Rocky Mountains are spectacular!

Jim and I felt pretty strong during the run. A couple of times I fueled up on some GU Chomps Energy Chews and Jim had a GU Energy Gel. Jim especially felt good, as he finished the run with a blazing 9:15 pace. I plodded along at a much slower pace and finished with a 9:45 pace.

After our run we went and had breakfast at the Blue Sky Yoga Café, located across from the Colorado Mills, next to Hops Brewery. There we devoured a delicious breakfast and savored our weekly non-fat latte. To me, lattes are a tiny piece of heaven swirling around in my mouth!

After breakfast we headed to our favorite running store, The Runners Roost, located in the Belmar Shopping Center in Lakewood. We signed up for the Park-to-Park 10 Miler.  This race is being held on Labor Day, September 7, 2009 and will take us around 4 of Denver's parks.  We also purchased new running shoes.

My existing shoes have 485 miles on them and I’ve begun to feel pain in my heels, a sure sign that the shoes are ready to be replaced. I purchased another pair of Asics GEL-Nimbus 11s. I’ve run in Asics GEL-Nimbus running shoes for years, but oh, the new color on this pair is so cool. Purple, gray, silver and black; Colorado Rockies colors! Of course I had to buy some socks to match, so I bought a couple pairs of Balegas Lady Enduro running socks.

Jim has 400 miles on his running shoes and purchased a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 9s.  He was a little disappointed that the color was the same as his last pair.  He would like to eventually try another shoe brand but doesn't want to change this close to the Boulder Half-Marathon, so he stayed with the shoe that works for him.