Before Frankenstorm

Just a few instagrams from my

#TweetAndRun on Sun, Oct 28

The calm before Frankenstein's Monstorm

Marathon training milestone

800 miles since June 23!

Run Like a Princess with runDisney

Want to spend a night in Cinderella's Castle?

Enter daily for your chance to win!

Run Like a Princess Sweepstakes

 If we win, the kids are staying with grandma! ;-)

We're in training for the 5th Annual Princess Half Marathon!

Our princesses are in training for the Royal Family 5K!

Running with Gratitude Grief, & Gastroparesis (#Irun4GG)

It's been a difficult 3 months..

The pain of grief & gastroparesis can be intense...



In spite of the pain, I keep on running...

I finished the Chicago Marathon in 4:05:58





Michael & GG were with me...

Every step of the way...



I find solace in running...

I'm grateful for every mile...

Training for my 3rd Philly Marathon...



Identical twins run with Team Lemon

In memory of our grandma "GG"

and Leah's brother-in-law Michael.



Can you donate $2 to Alex's Lemonade?

Are you training for the Philadelphia Marathon?

Are you a runner with chronic illness?

Do you find solace in running?

Malinda's posts on Grief, Gratitude & Gastroparesis:

Grief & Gratitude
Sep 24, 2012

Grief & Gratitude. On Friday, July 13, our grandma "GG" fell. In the ER, she was diagnosed with cancer. She died 3 days later on Monday, July 16. It's been 10 weeks since GG died. We are still crying and missing you.

Tweeting While Running: #TweetAndRun
Sep 13, 2012

I've been using the hashtags #Irun4GG (I run in memory of my grandma GG), #GGplaylist (Random Shuffle + Grief + Gratitude) and #TweetAndRun. After honing my skills at cutting, pasting, cropping and typing while running, ...

Philly Undy 5000 Race Recap
Sep 08, 2012

Since Katie lost her husband to colon cancer, I was so grateful for her support of my tweet to bring awareness to the Undy 5000 and grieving families! I'm still trying to gather my thoughts to write a post, but wanted to share a ...

Twin Powers Activate on @TwinsRun ...
Aug 28, 2012

TWIN POWERS ACTIVATE! Can you donate $2 on @TwinsRun 2sDay? http://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/81058 · THANKS for your support! Malinda Runs 2 #GGPlaylist! Random Shuffle = Grief & Gratitude Love to get ...

Gastroparesis & Grief
Aug 19, 2012

Gastroparesis & Grief. It's been a difficult 5 weeks... The pain of grief and gastroparesis has been intense... Each day can be a struggle, but I keep on running... I find solace in running and I'm grateful for every mile... In 7 weeks ...

@TwinsRun 2gether
Jul 29, 2012

The twins' Irish grandmother was diagnosed with cancer on Friday, July 13 and died on Monday, July 16, 2012. Her sudden and unexpected death has affected the twins profoundly. Their grief is intense, ...

The Afghan Whigs
Jul 28, 2012

We are still grieving her loss, but we keep running in her honor and in her memory with Team Lemon to support Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer. Our grandma GG always had great sense of humor ...

#GGplaylist (Grandma's Songs & Signs)
Jul 27, 2012

#GGplaylist = random shuffle + grief + gratitude. Posted by TWINS RUN in our family at 1:21 PM · Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook. Labels: #GGplaylist, Afghan Whigs, grandma, Gratitude, Grief, ...

Random Shuffle + Grief + Graditude = #GGplaylist
Jul 25, 2012

Random Shuffle + Grief + Graditude = #GGPlaylist (July 24). Random Shuffle on iPhone = #GGplaylist. Grief + Gratitude <--> Great + Grandma. Follow #GGplaylist on Twitter & Instagram!


Blue Monday & #GGPlaylist
Jul 23, 2012

We are still grieving her loss, but we keep running in her honor and in her memory. She always had great sense of humor & her spirit is still with me on my #run! #randomplay shuffle songs = #ggplaylist! #irun4gg #runchat # ...


Random Shuffle + Grief + Graditude ...
Jul 23, 2012

Random Shuffle + Grief + Graditude = #GGPlaylist (July 23) ... Share to TwitterShare to Facebook. Labels: #GGplaylist, Afghan Whigs, Chicago Marathon, GG, grandma, Gratitude, Grief, instagram, Malinda, Marathon Training ...


I Will Say Your Names & Remember
Jul 20, 2012

They hold onto the grief that binds their love to you. They will remember the insidious unknowns. That stole your breath, stopped your beating hearts. They will relive your last moments, last touches, last breaths. And rewind ...

"GG" . . . Our Grief & Gratitude
Jul 19, 2012

“I know for certain that we never lose the people we love, even to death. They continue to participate in every act, thought and decision we make. Their love leaves an indelible imprint in our memories. We find comfort in ...


In Loving Memory of "GG"
Jul 17, 2012

We will continue to fight to end cancer in their memory. We will advocate for palliative care & hospice, too. We thank you for your support during this difficult time. "Grief is not the process of forgetting. Grief is the process of ...

Caught in the act of a #TweetAndRun during 2012 Chicago Marathon

Caught in the act of a #TweetAndRun

during 2012 Chicago Marathon ;-)

Chicago Marathon Race RT in progress...

Malinda's 1st #TweetAndMarathon

Malinda's 8th Marathon & PR (4:05:58)

#TweetAndRun #RnRPhilly Race Tweets ...

Sep 27, 2012

#TweetAndRun #RnRPhilly Race Tweets & RTs. Still trying to actually write a race recap for the Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon. In the meantime, in case you didn't realize that I really do #TweetAndRun...

#TweetAndRun #RnRPhilly - 1:57:07

Sep 20, 2012

#TweetAndRun #RnRPhilly - 1:57:07. Is he reading the back of my @TwinsRun shirt? Or, is he checking out my ass(ets)? ;-). This may be my favorite race photo(bomb)! :-). Still working on my race RT...so much to write!

Tweeting While Running: #TweetAndRun

Sep 13, 2012

I've been using the hashtags #Irun4GG (I run in memory of my grandma GG), #GGplaylist (Random Shuffle + Grief + Gratitude) and #TweetAndRun. After honing my skills at cutting, pasting, cropping and typing while running, ...

RnRPhilly Race RT (in progress) - TWINS RUN in our family

Sep 19, 2012

Did you run, cheer or follow on Sunday? In the meantime, in case you couldn't follow,. below are some of my tweets & instagrams! @MalindaAnnHill. (Slower 1/2 of @TwinsRun). #RnRPhilly #TwinsRun #TweetAndRun ...

Philly Undy 5000 Race Recap

Sep 08, 2012

TWINS RUN in our family ... Since Katie lost her husband to colon cancer, I was so grateful for her support of my tweet to bring awareness to the Undy 5000 and grieving families! I'm still trying to gather my thoughts to write a ...

Cyber ChEAR Squad

Sep 03, 2012

Were you part of the Cyber ChEAR Squad? Did you #TweetAndRun during the race? Will you #TweetAndRun during your next race? Just a few examples of our Cyber ChEAR Squad tweets!

ODDyssey Half Marathon Race Retweet

May 27, 2012

ODDyssey Half Marathon Race Retweet. RUN --> TWEET--> INSTAGRAM --> REPEAT. 13.1 miles in 2:20:50. I'd never thought I'd say this... My iPhone is now a race essential! Debated on whether or not to wear my costume ...

Leah's Chicago Marathon Recap

Chicago Marathon

PAULA!!!!!! Brrrr. Epic Garmin Fail. Ouch. PR. OUCH!!!

Wow. I'm in pain! I do not like that, but luckily I have something else to think about. I'm not sure what was more exciting this weekend - meeting Paula Radcliffe and getting my photo with her (actually TWO pictures, thanks Malinda!) or setting a new marathon PR while qualifying for the 2014 Boston Marathon. Ok, I do know ... it was meeting PAULA! Paula, my idol, my hero, my inspiration! I can't say how much I loved reading her autobiography and learning more about her struggles. I was giddy when she replied to one of my tweets on Friday and was shaking for nearly an hour after meeting her in person on Saturday. I can't believe how amazingly lucky I was to have that experience. HURRAY!!!!

(Here I am telling Paula how happy I was to get a reply to my tweet to her!)

So let me get to the race report!

I started off the marathon at 8:30 pace for at least 1/2 a mile and I was proud of myself for starting out on my target pace (Paula had said on Saturday to trust your training, pace yourself and focus on your goal!). However, when we went into a tunnel and weird things started happening with my Garmin. One minute I'm going 9:30 minute pace, the next 7:45, I had no clue what to think! I reset it hoping that would help give a more accurate pace, but then it was saying I was going 10 minute mile. WTH? I ended up resetting it a total of 4 times and after the last one I just switched to the clock because I didn't trust it anymore. I never looked at my garmin again for the rest of the race!

Luckily I caught up with one of two 3:35 pace groups (I started in Corral C, but I'm pretty sure the group I ran with started in Corral B). I hoped that I could stick with them until mile 20. I started fading around mile 17 and somewhere between miles 18-19 they were out of sight (ahead of me!). I thought, oh well, I still can BQ (3:45:00) even if I can't run under 3:40.

I knew when I got to the 20 mile point that if the clock said 2:45, I would be ok. Since I started around 3 minutes after the gun went off, I knew I could run 10 minute miles and still reach goal.

When I had 4 miles to go I started to get painfully uncomfortable (damn you piriformis!!) and figured if I wasn't going to PR, I didn't have to kill myself by pushing harder through the pain. Although, to be honest, I think the only way I would have gone any faster is if I had someone like Kristen Keller running with me and encouraging me like she did the final mile at the Turkey Trot last year (thanks again for that, btw!)

When the finish line was within site I was searching for the clock but couldn't see it clearly until I was less than 200M away. When I saw it was still under 3:40 I think in dug a little deeper and picked up the pace a notch to make sure I made it. That was the first time I finished a marathon and had no clue what my unofficial time was! I tried to check my phone, but as soon as I entered my password i got the low battery signal and it turned off. Doh!

The walk through the finish line area to the Balboa tent was almost as painful as last year. Shifting from running to walking made all the pain intensify and all I wanted was my phone charger, a cold beer, and a massage (in that order!). I think it took me nearly ten minutes to get to that beer and massage. At least I met a very nice guy who chatted and shuffled with me to the tent (and I BEAT him!).

The post-race massage was my longest and best one ever! The perk to getting a ticket to the Balboa tent and finishing in a reasonable time was NO wait! I even had two therapists work on me simultaneously. What a luxury! It was painful, but also relaxing and they forced my legs to engage in some post-race stretching.

During the massage I started to shiver and regretted that I didn't pack an extra long sleeve fleece top in my bag. Despite the chills I grabbed another cold beer (mmmm!) and on my way to find a seat, I found a vent blowing out heat. Heaven! I sat on the floor in front of it and changed my socks and shoes, noticing that I had a new black toenail on the toe next to my little toe on my right foot. Wow for a little nail that can cause a lot of pain! I've never had a problem with that toe before so that was kind of strange.

When the heat mysteriously stopped I decided to walk over to meet my friend Amy and the kids who were getting bored. To my huge surprise I saw my twin Malinda walking towards me! Either I was in that massage for longer than I thought or she was smoking fast on the course! And she was! She even beat my time from last year AND ran a negative split (something I've only done once in 19 marathons!). WAY TO GO MALINDA! So proud of you!

So I didn't hit my A goal (3:34:59), but I did achieve goal B (PR/-5BQ for 2014). I'm a little bummed that I didn't run a negative split, but considering I could only judge my pace when I passed a mile marker clock, it could have been a lot worse! My 2nd 5K was my fastest and I am certain that's why I started fading the last 3-4 miles. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I had no business running nearly 3 sub-8:00 miles in a marathon. DUH!

A few random thoughts....

The temperature difference between last year and this year coudn't have been more stark. Last year I started the race in a bra top. This year, I was covered in a lot of layers. I left my extra shirt and jacket on for almost three miles. I ditched the gloves around the 10k pt and the arm warmers and fuzzy headband a couple miles later.

Pet Peeve: I really wish they would alternate flavors of Gatorade at the various stops. I never want another cup of lemon-lime! I would have paid extra for some fruit punch and a variety of other flavors.

I'm so grateful to my long-time friend Amy for taking my kids to the race and getting this cool picture of me in Chinatown. I look unhappy, and at that point, I think I was ready to be at the finish line!

I loved having my name on my shirt. I almost felt like I was still in Charlottesville because I heard my name so much! :)

This marathon didn't feel as easy and pain free as my previous PR at Charlottesville. After that marathon I actually walked home 2 miles after the race and felt fine! After the race yesterday, I was struggling to walk without wincing and could barely keep up with my sister! And I'm still pretty sore today.

So here are my stats!!

Chicago Marathon PR's

Race Recaps from Twins in Progress...

Personal Record for Leah!

3:35:36

 Personal Record for Malinda!

4:05:58

Best PR of all, we met Paula Radcliffe!

 Malinda and Paula

Leah and Paula

Thanks for inspiring us, Paula!

Leah's Chicago Marathon Goals

"I had goals. They were evil goals, but they were goals." Dr. Doofenshmirtz A Goal: 3:34:59 or faster (BQ-10 2014) B Goal: 3:38:03 or faster (PR) C Goal: 3:39:59 or faster (BQ-5 2014) D Goal: 3:44:59 or faster (BQ 2014) E Goal: 3:59.59 or faster (breaking 4 hours for the 5th time) F Goal: 4:07:44 or faster (course PR) G Goal: Dropping out if I'm in as much Piriformis pain as I was from mile 10 - finish in 2011 Goal A should be realistic based on my marathon PR (3:38:04) and my past race performances.* BUT.... you never know what will happen on race day! So I'm trying to think about other scenarios. I believe I'll be satisfied as long as I get a BQ for 2014! :) And if I can't do that, I can try again at Three Bridges and/or Disney! * Race Time Predictor Chart | Women's Race Predictor | Jeff Galloway's Calculator | McMillan's calculator 3:28 - 3:31 potential based on 10K PR 3:30 - 3:32 - 3:33 based on 1/2 marathon PR 3:24 - 3:25 based on 10 miler PR FYI: If I run the first half of Chicago any faster than 1:48:00, I will be asking for trouble!  I'd like to stay between 1:48-1:52 for the first half. And run 1:46-1:51 for the 2nd half. 2012 Chicago Marathon 2011 Chicago Marathon Race Day Temperatures High: 52°F Low: 41°F High: 80°F Low: 57°F Race Start Temperature 42°F 59°F SUPER COOL TOOL! Marathon Time Conversion = Charlottesville Marathon in 3:38:04 Boston Marathon Chicago Marathon Walt Disney World Marathon Comparable Finish Time  3:26:23  3:33:41  3:36:54 Course Time Difference -0:05:21 -0:05:25 -0:05:22 Weather Time Difference -0:06:19 +0:01:03 +0:04:12 Total Finish Time Difference -0:11:40 -0:04:22 -0:01:09 Compare Race Details to Charlottesville Marathon Compare Race Details to Charlottesville Marathon Compare Race Details to Charlottesville Marathon Comparing last year's Chicago Marathon with my PR Kilometers chicago '11 cville PR Miles Net 5K 0:26:32 24:43.2 3m Net 10K 0:52:42 48:55.5 6m Net 15K 1:18:53 1:12:44 9m Net 20K 1:45:37 1:37:17 12m Net Half 1:51:40 1:45:18 13m Net 25K 2:13:56 2:01:49 15m Net 30K 2:43:25 2:27:30 18m Net 35K 3:16:35 2:53:18 21m Net 40K 3:52:15 3:20:53 24m 26.2 miles 4:07:45 3:38:04 26.2 miles mile-by-mile spilts for top 4 marathons.... Cville PR!!! nat'l 2nd fastest 3bridges 3rd fastest disney 4th fastest 1 0:08:19 8:19 n/a n/a 0:09:18 9:18 0:08:59 8:59 1 2 0:16:19 8:01 n/a n/a 0:18:45 9:28 0:17:48 8:50 2 3 0:24:43 8:24 n/a n/a 0:27:54 9:09 0:26:29 8:42 3 4 0:32:47 8:05 n/a n/a 0:36:55 9:01 0:34:59 8:31 4 5 0:40:35 7:48 n/a n/a 0:46:16 9:22 0:43:43 8:44 5 6 0:48:55 8:21 n/a n/a 0:54:57 8:41 0:52:19 8:37 6 7 0:56:49 7:54 n/a n/a 1:03:40 8:44 1:00:47 8:28 7 8 1:04:34 7:45 n/a n/a 1:12:41 9:01 1:09:25 8:38 8 9 1:12:44 8:11 n/a n/a 1:21:57 9:17 1:18:01 8:37 9 10 1:21:03 8:19 n/a n/a 1:31:04 9:07 1:26:37 8:37 10 11 1:29:03 8:01 n/a n/a 1:39:15 8:12 1:35:24 8:47 11 12 1:37:17 8:15 n/a n/a 1:47:15 8:01 1:44:14 8:50 12 13 1:45:19 (8:02) 2:01:32 (9:17) 1:55:37 (8:50) 1:55:11 (8:48) 13 14 1:53:30 8:11 n/a n/a 2:04:37 9:00 2:02:04 9:01 14 15 2:01:49 8:20 n/a n/a 2:13:58 9:22 2:10:49 8:46 15 16 2:10:17 8:28 n/a n/a 2:23:26 9:28 2:19:42 8:53 16 17 2:18:56 8:40 n/a n/a 2:32:08 8:43 2:28:45 9:03 17 18 2:27:31 8:35 n/a n/a 2:40:43 8:36 2:37:41 8:57 18 19 2:36:16 8:46 n/a n/a 2:49:23 8:40 2:46:51 9:10 19 20 2:45:05 8:49 n/a n/a 2:58:32 9:10 2:56:03 9:12 20 21 2:53:18 8:14 n/a n/a 3:08:06 9:34 3:05:27 9:24 21 22 3:02:04 8:46 n/a n/a 3:17:51 9:46 3:14:49 9:23 22 23 3:10:59 8:55 n/a n/a 3:27:03 9:13 3:24:16 9:27 23 24 n/a 9:55 n/a n/a 3:35:36 8:34 3:33:10 8:54 24 25 n/a 9:14 n/a n/a 3:44:32 8:56 3:42:28 9:19 25 26 n/a 9:11 n/a n/a 3:54:17 9:46 3:52:00 9:32 26 FINAL 3:38:04 (8:19) 3:54:47 (8:58) 3:55:04 (8:58) 3:56:07 (9:01) FINAL 2nd half 1:52:55 (+7min) (8:37) 1:53:15 (-8min!) (8:39) negative split! 1:59:27 (+4min) (9:07) 2:00:56 (+5min) (9:14)

Chicago Marathon Playlist

Music to Move Me to PR (BQ)!  by Leah Connor I need between 3:35 (goal A) to 4:10 (goal E) of music ... So this is work in progress... top tier (3 hrs) It's Time Imagine Dragronts All I Ever Wanted The Airborne Toxic Event Anna Sun Walk the Moon Anywhere In The World Mark Ronson feat. Katy B Are We All We Are  Pink Blow Me (One Last Kiss) Pink Butyric Acid Consolidated Call Me Maybe Carly Rae Jepsen Chasing The Sun The Wanted Cupid Shuffle Cupid Disturbia Rihanna Do It Anyway Ben Folds Five Every Time You Go Ellie Goulding Gangnam Style PSY Give Me Everything (Tonight) Pitbull Feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer Glad You Came The Wanted Gonna Make You Sweat C & C MUSIC FACTORY Good Time (Original Version) Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen Here Comes The Weekend  Pink Hot In Here Nelly How Come You're Not Here Pink I Got It (What You Need?) Galactic It's Time Imagine Dragronts I've Been Losing You a-Ha Let's Go (Extended Mix) 2012 Calvin Harris feat. Ne-Yo Little Talks Of Monsters and Men Live Your Life T.I. (featuring Rihanna) Magic  B.o.B (featuring Rivers Cuomo) Midnight City M83 Please Don't Leave Me Pink Rocket The Wanted Runaways The Killers S&M (Remix)  Rihanna (Featuring Britney Spears) Satellite The Wanted Save Yourself Stabbing Westward She's So Mean Matchbox Twenty Slut Like You (Explicit Version) Pink Stay On The Outside Whitey Sure Shot Beastie Boys Tear It Up Delta Spirit The Theory Of Relativity Stars The Truth About Love (Explicit Version) Pink Titanium David Guetta & Sia Tonight Is The Night Outasight Too Close Alex Clare Try Pink Turn Up The Music Chris Brown  Up All Night One Direction Walk of Shame (Explicit Version) Pink Walking on a Dream Empire of the Sun Warrior (Bonus Track) Kimbra We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together Taylor Swift We Found Love (Ft. Calvin Harris) Rihanna What Makes You Beautiful One Direction Whistle Flo Rida Written In The Stars Tinie Tempah Ft Eric Turner You Make Me Feel (feat. Sabi)  Cobra Starship maybe songs 7.2 hrs... All In Lifehouse All That you Are Goo Goo Dolls All The Right Moves One Republic All the Way New Order All We Are OneRepublic Antidote (Original Mix) Swedish House Mafia feat. Knife Party Anything, Anything… Dramarama Bad Romance Lady GaGa Beggin' On Your Knees Victorious Cast Better Than Revenge Taylor Swift Between Something and Nothing The Ocean Blue Bittersweet Symphony The Verve Bizarre Love Triangle New Order Boys Boys Boys Lady GaGa Break Your Heart ft. Ludacris Taio Cruz Breakaway (Extended Version) Big Pig Breakeven The Script Breathe Michelle Branch Breathe Me Sia Brighter Than The Sun Colbie Caillat Brilliant Mind Furniture Broken Music A Kiss Could Be Deadly Bulletproof La Roux BYou Sabrina Bryan Called Out In The Dark Snow Patrol Calling You Aqua Candy Everybody Wants 10,000 Maniacs Can't Be Tamed Miley Cyrus Can't Help Falling In Love Radio Disney Ultimate Jams Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World Johnny Clegg & Savuka DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love Usher Dog Days Are Over Florence And The Machine Feed The Tree Belly First Time Lifehouse Fly On The Wall (David Khane Remix) Miley Cyrus Good Life OneRepublic Halfway Gone Lifehouse Here Comes The Sun The Beatles How Far We've Come Matchbox 20 I Call Your Name Johnny Clegg & Savuka I Go Crazy Flesh For Lulu I Gotta Feeling Black Eyed Peas Immigrant Song Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross In Motion The Social Network - Soundtrack Intergalactic Beastie Boys It's On Cast of Camp Rock 2 Krafty (Radio Edit) New Order Mr. Brightside The Killers Notbroken Goo Goo Dolls Oops! I Did It Again Britney Spears party up dmx Robot Miley Cyrus Semi-Charmed Life Third Eye Blind Send Me on My Way Rusted Root Seven Nation Army The White Stripes She Bop Cyndi Lauper slackjawed the connells Somebody Told Me Killers Somebody's Baby Phantom Planet Something That I Want Tangled Steady As The Sidewalk Cracks (!!! Chk Chik Chick) stole my heart One Direction Stop And Eras Selena Gomez & The Scene Supermassive Black Hole Muse Take My Heart Away Johnny Clegg/Johnny Clegg & Savuka/Savuka Teeth Lady GaGa Telephone (featuring Beyonce) RO2A.ArabLionZ.CoM Tell Me A Lie One Direction The Sign Ace Of Base There Is A Light That Never Goes Out The Smiths This Year The Mountain Goats Thorns (distant vocals version) Wumpscut Time is Running Out Muse Time of Your Life Green Day Time Stand Still Rush Too Early For The Sky Johnny Clegg & Savuka Toxic Britney Spears Trouble P!nk Try The Connells Tub Thumping Chumbawumba Two More Lonely People Miley Cyrus U + Ur Hand Pink Unwell Matchbox Twenty Viva La Vida (Edit) Coldplay Waiting Outside The Lines Greyson Chance Walking On A Dream Empire Of The Sun Wannabe Spice Girls Watch Me Bella Thorne & Zendaya We Are Young Fun. We Built This City On Rock And Roll Starship What Do All the People Know The Monroes What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) Kelly Clarkson what the hell avril lavigne What You Know (Young Empires Remix)  Two Door Cinema Club Whataya Want From Me Pink Who Says? Selena Gomez & The Scene You're The Reason Victorious Cast feat. Victoria Justice

Malinda's 5K Before Chicago Marathon

My fastest 5K!

Time: 24:23

Pace: 7:51

5th Place (F 40-44)

306 / 2,724 (Overall)

OK #NikePlus, you were close!

Leah's 5K Before Chicago Marathon

Charlottesville Catholic School All-Terrain 5K

http://www.agoodgroup.com/twins/index.html#ccs5k

Eight days out from the Chicago Marathon, I decided to run a local 5K that I've never run before. I had always been leery of any race with the words "All-Terrain" in the name because I do not perform well on trails or grass. I ran my first and only trail race back in 2007. I fell twice and nearly tripped multiple times over 6.2 anxiety-ridden miles. I ran my first cross-country race last year and, once again, I was so terrified of slipping and falling that I had a lackluster time (both in terms of finishing and enjoying the experience!). 

Since I'm going to be moving next summer, I figured this is the last time I could try the course and when I saw amazing race pictures from the previous year's event, I knew I had to give it a shot (yes, I'm obsessed with getting race photos!).

My goal for the Charlottesville Catholic School All-Terrain 5K was to NOT get injured. I knew I wasn't going to PR on a course that wasn't exclusively on pavement, so some of the pressure was off. After reviewing past race results, I knew that I could place in the top 3 overall if nobody super fast showed up or at least win my age group. 

The first mile was on the road or paved trail so I flew through that in 7:07. Then it started to get challenging and I stopped checking my watch and just tried to keep up with those around me and not get passed. I spent most of the 2nd mile behind a high school girl and a much younger boy. As soon as there was an opening, I passed both and didn't look back. With less than a mile to go, I heard a woman say, "You're the first woman! Go!" and my first thought was, "Uh oh, I'm going to blow it!" I knew I didn't have it in me to sprint to the finish line after barely making it up the last steep hill. 

When we got to a turnaround point and I could see who was behind me I got even more worried. I saw the high schooler and I was confident she wasn't going to pass me, but there was another woman on her heels and SHE was who I was worrieda about. Well, my fears were realized in the final stretch and she did fly by me. Oh well! 2nd place is nothing to be upset about. And I did beat a lot of fit looking guys! :)

After the race I congratulated her and told her I was so afraid during the trail portions because I had the marathon in a week. And she said, "Oh well now I don't feel as good about beating you!" I told her she did an amazing job! :)

My Splits