Showing posts with label link up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label link up. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Tilda Tuesday: Matilda the Vizsla's Best (or Worst) Running Experiences

Last week, I shared my “Best (or Worst) of My Racing Experiences” (<--have you linked up yet? Please do!)

 Matilda my vizsla pup felt a little left out, as she has only done one official race (the Fast & Furry 8k). But even so, she wanted to share some of her own Best (or Worst) Running Experiences.

Hottest Run
Tilda has run in temperatures in the 90's, but always nice and easy with lots of water breaks and multiple cool-downs in the lake.

Coldest Run
She has definitely run in single digits, but always with a jacket. Vizslas are not cold weather dogs!

Longest Run: 
I think 10 miles is her longest run. I mean, I know we have done 10 mile multiple times, but I can't remember a particular time that she went longer than that, though I feel like she has gone at least 13.1 with me....let's just go with 10 miles though since I'm sure that's happened.

Scariest Run: 
Last week, she was super freaked out by a woman who was sort of hovering by the trees when we were running together in the dark. She got so spooked she actually pulled out of her collar, which caused me to freak out because she was running free! What if she got hit by a car??? I did get her to come back to me, but it was definitely a scare…We decided we need to buy a harness for running with her so she can’t pull out when she’s spooked. Vizslas are easily spooked, that's for sure!

FYI, we ended up buying THIS Ruffware Front Range Harness, as well as THIS new Stunt Puppy leash with reflective trim to make her more visible when we run in the dark!
Update- unfortunately this new harness chafed her under her arm on an easy 7 mile run. Even dogs get chafing issues when running. We had to return it. Does anyone have another suggestion for a better harness option? Help!

Hilliest Run
Probably the 10k loop that we do at the cabin. Those country roads are hilly!

Favorite Place to Run:  
She always prefers to run off leash...I mean, you can't beat the pure happiness of running off-leash!

...but when running with us onleash, she loves all the trails around the lakes. She probably knows Calhoun/Isles/Harriet the best, but she doesn't discriminate against Nokomis, Cedar, Brownie, Hiawatha or any other trails.

Things Tilda Hates to Encounter on a Run:
German Shepherds. We’re not sure why, but she hates German Shepherds.

Things Tilda LOVES to Encounter on a Run: 
Of course, there's her bff  Tin Fish lady. 

She also enjoys goose poop, bunnies, squirrels, and anyone who wants to pet her.

Strangest Behavior She Does on a Run: 
If you start the run with another person, you must end with that person. She leaves no man behind. She gets pretty upset if one person turns around and will keep turning back looking for that person.

Another funny thing she does is assume that every blond with a ponytail is me. When she runs with Dustin, she gets excited every time a girl runs by that maybe just might be me. She gets super excited and then she figures out that it's not me and gets disappointed. 

She knows how to make me feel loved.

Favorite Running Tradition:  
A Christmas Day run! The past several years, we have gone for an easy run before opening presents and eating an indulgent breakfast. It's a great way to start the holiday on a healthy note!

Favorite Time of Year to go Running: 
FALL! Tilda loves the fall weather. It's the perfect temperature for her to run- not too hot, not too cold.

I also love running with her in the fall the best because it's not as wet and muddy as the spring, so she doesn’t have to get a bath after each run. Let me tell you, she kicks up a lot of mud and dirt on her belly in the spring!

Highest Mileage Week: 
I haven’t really tracked this before, but I know that during this round of marathon training for the Outer Banks marathon, she has run at least 30 miles in a week with me.

Favorite Post-Run Recovery: 
A cozy nap under her favorite green blanket. 

Those are some of Matilda's Best (or Worst) Running Experiences. Be sure to check out THIS POST and link-up with some of YOUR best (or worst) racing experiences. Can't wait to read them!


Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Fitting Remarks: Best (or Worst) of My Racing History Link Up!

Guess what? It's my first link-up..I hope you participate!

So, on the "50 States, 50 Marathons" tab, you can see a map of the marathons I have completed. As I approach my 17th marathon, I have been reflecting on my previous races and I thought it might be fun to put together 16 questions based on my 16 marathons. I'm hoping you will link up and share your own "Best (or Worst) of My Racing History!"


Now, I know most people don't necessarily have 16 marathons to pull from, so please pull from ANY race distances- 1 mile, 5k, half marathon, whatever you want to share!

Best (or Worst) of My Racing History

The link up icon and code are at the bottom of this post. All you have to do is copy and paste the html code onto your blog for the above link-up picture!

Rules? 
You can answer as many or as few as you would like, or you can add your own questions! Then comment on the blog with a link to your post with the answers. If you don't have a blog, feel free to just answer them in the comments. It definitely does not have to be about marathons-it can be any race distance! Just tell me about your Best (or Worst) Racing Experiences! Looking forward to reading them.

Best Finisher's Shirt  
I'm going to go with the Newport Marathon. Their finisher's shirt was a zippered long sleeve. It's army green, so not my usual color choice, but it's perfect for a fall run and I end up wearing it way more than I thought I would.  

Otherwise I would go with the Berlin Marathon finisher’s shirt. I sported that shirt on #FinisherShirtFriday so it's clearly one of my favorites.

Worst Finisher's Shirt
The oversized green t-shirts from the Marathon-to-Marathon in Iowa were pretty hideous.

However, the shirts from Twin Cities Marathon 2005 were pretty bad as well. I ran that marathon with my sister and we were definitely at the back of the pack. By the time we got to the finish, only XXL cotton tees were left. It was basically a dress on me and the pee yellow was not my best shade.

Best Finish Line 
Twin Cities.  It gets me every time. I absolutely love the grandeur and beauty of coming over that last hill on Summit and seeing the capitol below- the colors, the people, the noise- it's so amazing.

The second best finish line would be at the Berlin Marathon. Finishing under the Brandenburg Gate was pretty darn cool.

Best Overall SWAG/Gear
I’m sure the best gear is at Boston, but I haven't run it yet, so I'll have to go with the Flying Pig marathon. Their expo had a lot of really cool gear. Every year they give every participant something unique- this year it was a waterproof bag, which we have used camping and my husband used it tubing with some buddies. I just loved how they carried the pig theme throughout the whole race. It was cute.

Best Crowd Support 
Berlin was definitely great, but like I mentioned in my recap of that marathon, not everyone cheered for you if you weren't from their country. I think I'll go with Twin Cities. I mean..best spectators ever, right? 

The Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, PA also had pretty great spectators.

Hottest Race 
I have run a lot of HOT marathons: Chicago 2007, Go! St. Louis in 2011, and the Marathon-to-Marathon in Marathon, Iowa. The first two were complete and utter disasters.  However, even though my time didn't show it, I ran the Marathon-to-Marathon a lot smarter (read my recap here). I adjusted for the heat and didn't fall apart.  The St. George marathon was also warm (in the 80's when we finished) but you start very early and at altitude so it didn't feel as bad.

In terms of actual temperature, I think Chicago and the Marathon-to-Marathon both were nearly 90 degrees when I finished.

Coldest Race
 The coldest marathon I ran was the Grand Rapids, MI marathon. I think the high temperature was in the mid-30s, but what made it crazy cold was the wind. I actually lost a contact lense at this race it was so windy (this was pre-Lasik surgery). This is the only marathon that I have run in pants.

Most Beautiful Course: 
Tough call. The Big Sur Marathon runs along the Pacific Coastal highway and really is stunning. The St. George Marathon runs through the breathtaking Snow Canyon and other amazing sites in the southwest. However, I might have to go with Twin Cities on this one. The fall colors are just too pretty...AND it's my hometown race. What can I say? I'm biased.

Hilliest Course 
Big Sur was probably the hilliest. St. George had a ton of hills in the first half and then a lot of downhill in the second half that really tore up my quads.
Big Sur Marathon
Race That Took the Most Mental Strength 
Definitely the Marathon-to-Marathon  Running 26.2 miles on deserted country roads in very rural Iowa,  with virtually no spectators and only 200 total runners was a challenge.

Most Disappointing Finish 
I'll vote for Flying Pig because its still the most "fresh" in my memory. My training went so well for that race, yet I fell apart and ran a 4:11 when I had really hoped for something in the 3:4X's.

Best Start Line: 
Any start line where you get to wait inside is awesome, so that would include the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon, Steamtown MarathonGrand Rapids, and it used to include Twin Cities. However, the St. George Marathon probably had one of the coolest start lines with bonfires, music, plenty of coffee/water, and more.


Most Organized 
Definitely the St. George Marathon. Absolutely flawless organization. 

Flattest Course 
The Chicago Marathon, the Marathon-to-Marathon in Iowa, or Berlin. They were all very flat.

Best Finish Line Food: 
St. Jude Memphis Marathon- They had pizza, chili, beer, yogurt, freezy pops, soda, and of course all the regular stuff like bananas, gatorade, etc. Just an amazing spread.

Coolest Medal:
Either Newport (handblown glass) or St. George (granite)

Most Emotional Finish
Gosh, they are all emotional. I suppose one particular emotional moment was at the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle marathon when I finally went under four hours. That's me in the corner there breaking down in tears.

I look forward to hearing about your Best and Worst race memories! Link up below.

1. erin at sweet sweat life  twitter: @erinklegstad Read her awesome post HERE
2. Hyedi at Finding a Balance twitter: @hyedi  Read her fun post HERE
3. Jennifer at Kinetic Fix twitter: @kineticfix     Read her unique post HERE

Best (or Worst) of My Racing History