I wanted to touch on the Heart Mini Marathon Event from Sunday – I ran in this race last year but only did the 5K.  This year, with two and half months of training and a years worth of races under my belt, I thought I’d try my hand at the 15k – otherwise known as the Mini Marathon.

I didn’t believe the rumors that the race course was hilly (aka hard) because I had run the 5K and didn’t think it was that bad.  For a look at the course, click here.

But it was both crazy hilly and hard and somehow I made it through.  And I stayed with my pace time to boot – an average time of 9 min miles over the course of 9.3 miles.  That’s an overall time of 1 hour and 24 mins.  Not the best, not the worst – somewhere in the middle of the pack.  But it’s another step forward in my journey to tackle the Flying Pig Half Marathon in under two hours and with May only a month away, it gives me optimism that I will make it.  Of course, then there’s the Full Marathon challenge this fall…. we’ll see.

For full race results, click here!

Yours truly ran the 10K as a part of my Flying Pig half marathon training.  While I did all right – an overall time of 53:10, with a pace time of 8:35 min – the real value of this race came out of my realizing how important nutrition is before a race.  After I finished the 10K, I felt so lightheaded I could barely stand up and I believe it was from a mixture of being dehydrated and not giving myself enough nutrients the night before/this morning.

So in the spirit of eating right, I’ve attached a link on the importance of staying hydrated and eating right during any and all physical activity.

Sports Nutrition for Marathoners (provided by the Nutrition Council of Greater Cincinnati

Or check out a Nutrition Clinic hosted by the O’Bryonville Running Spot on March 10 and March 21 at 6:30 pm.

If you want to join the fun, check out the Cavalier 5K on Sunday March 13 at 2 pm.  The course weaves through O’Bryonville and East Walnut Hills. The route will start and end at Purcell Marian High School. To see a map of the course and to register for the event please visit www.racedmc.com.

From the Purcell Marian website:  The Cavalier 5K supports the Purcell Marian Athletic Department and educational and extracurricular events sponsored by the Parent Teacher Organization (Parents Plus Program).

This year’s race will be chip timed. The top 15% of each division based on the pre-registration will receive awards.  Also, trophy awards will be presented to the first place male and female runners.

After the race, JOIN US FOR THE PARTY! There will be a variety of delicious complimentary food and refreshments as well as live music. It’s sure to be a good time!

Free parking is available in the school lot off Woodburn along the athletic field. Registration will begin at 12:30pm in Alumni Hall. All participants can enter through the South Entrance.

Questions? Call Tom Stickley, Purcell Marian Athletic Director, at (513) 487-3122 or visit our website at www.purcellmarian.org.

But when I graduated from college and moved back home, I quickly realized co-ed softball and flag football weren’t going to cut it in regards to staying healthy and active, at least not when you love meat, carbs and alcohol (and consume the later while playing).  I tried adding in some gym time but quickly realized – as most outdoorsy people do – I don’t have the dedication to being a gym rat.  Running on a treadmill going nowhere, while trying to avoid eye contact with the people around you is agonizing and I couldn’t help but stare at the timer as the seconds ticked by slowly.

I tried – and liked – the personal training.  It was great having someone push me to perform and I even ran suicides with glee (ok, that’s not true).  But it’s an expensive habit and I’m a journalist so I’m not exactly rolling in the money.

So, when I was surprised with a lab puppy for Valentine’s Day a few years back, I decided that I would try running outdoors.  Perfect exercise for the puppy (Scarlett) with unlimited energy and a good excuse for me to get off my rear.  And to my surprise, I really enjoyed it.   Scarlett’s enthusiasm for running was definitely infectious and I loved being outside.  We hit the pavement and the trail on our own a few times a week and I slowly build up some endurance.

I ran my first race in March 2010 – the Heart Mini Marathon 5k (3.2 miles) run with a good friend’s group (Go Team Merten).  I had no idea what to expect but I definitely didn’t expect to feel like an athlete and yet, I did.  I had that awesome, but terrible, butterfly feeling in my stomach right before a big competition and my adrenaline was pumping.  Even better, once that gun went off and I started running, I felt instantly apart of something.  As much as running is an individual sport for me, race day definitely gives me the feeling of team.

I was shocked by how well I did for my first race – I came in 12th in my division out of 229 with an overall time of 26:09, a pace of 8:26 a mile.  After that, it was on.  I am a super competitive person and I just had to go farther and run faster.  I ended up running six 5K’s, one 4 mile race, the Mt. Adams leg of the Flying Pig Relay and the Turkey Trot in 2010.

So now it’s 2011 and I have a new challenge: The Flying Pig Half Marathon (13.1 miles). I joined the Bob Roncker’s Training Group and it’s been great.  We run on Tuesday or Wednesday nights (depending on your schedule) and Saturday mornings.

The moral of this story?  I’m going to be covering all my runs in the Cincinnati area this year on my blog, starting with the first of the year, the Food on the Run 10K (about 6.2 miles) coming up this Saturday.  If you are interested in running, it’s at Yeatman’s Cove at 9 am.  The cost is $25 for both the 5K and the 10K runs if you register by Thursday.

I’ll also be keeping tabs on how far I go and my times/split times for my own benefit. And i’ll be sure to share any great running trails I come across during my training!

Happy running!

And secondly, someone recently told me they think I should start a  blog – apparently they are getting sick of my constant barrage of sports comments and link on their news feed.

I’m also considering joining the dark side and creating a twitter account but for now, creating content here is my main focus.

So here I go, full steam ahead!

PS – stop acting like Jason LaRue is dying. He’s a catcher, pretty sure he’s use to physical contact.

And yes, the Cardinals swept the Reds, and made me feel annoyed with Brandon Phillips (who I think had one hit the entire series) for opening his big trap.   But the mighty Cardinals promptly stumbled against the mediocre Cubs and the Brewers, while the “fraudulent” (don’t even get me started on Colin Cowherd, the same man who tried to make a case for why Joey Votto didn’t deserve to be an All-Star) Reds swept the Marlins and took the first of a three game series against the Diamondbacks.

So once again, the Cincinnati Reds are two games up in the National League Central and I take much joy in the fact that Carpenter is one of the reasons for that (a 3-2 loss to the Cubs and the wildly inaccurate Zambrano).

Also, Hal McCoy reports Brandon “Cardinal Hater” Phillips will be paying Cueto’s fine for his part in the brawl but will be appealing his own fine.  Hilarious.

What did shock me was that they sent down Travis Wood, one the young phenom pitchers. Granted, in yesterday’s win against the Cubs he gave up three earned runs, the most in his young career, but he had an 8-0 lead in the seventh.  And he still holds a 2.65 ERA and took a perfect game into the ninth against Philly right before the All-Star Break.  So why say goodbye until August 19th (the next slated start for Wood with the Reds)?   I think Dusty’s past pitching woes (ruining arms) is making him overly cautious with a great pitcher during a pennant race.

Hopefully, the Reds will prove why they are two up on national television tonight, and perhaps redeem Cincinnati a bit after that boring HOF game the Bengals muddled through last night.

*OPS – On Base Plus Slugging