Goodbye 2009

I can't believe we have made it to December 31, 2009, but it's here so of course we have to do a blog on all that has gone on this past year.  I also can't believe the first decade of the 21st century is coming to end. I remember the last day of 1999 like it was yesterday, gathering Y2K supplies wondering what in the world this new century would hold :) Of course, it has been no different than the centuries before it. It is incredible, though, to look back on these past ten years and think about all that has changed. I was just a silly, boy crazy, 12 year old girl, now I am a much more mature 22 year old getting ready for my wedding to my prince and graduation from college. And in 2019....I'll be in my 30s!! Yikes :)
It's amazing how much can change in 365 days, last New Years I was out with my girlfriends planning how we were going to be single best friends forever and move to New York when we were done with school and be city girls ;) Right after the first of the year, I had an injury that once again sidelined me very close to Boston, I didn't know what this would mean for the biggest race I would ever run and soon enough I found out. After a very short training for Boston, my dad and I made the trip and I finished the Boston marathon. I thought this would be my proudest moment of the year, but then I met Lance 8 days later.  Immediately, I knew I would marry  him.  My parents have always told me they prayed for the man God was preparing for me, and when I met him I would not have a doubt he was "the one". When I met Lance, these prayers were answered.  I have been blessed with a man that exceeds any and all expectations I ever had in a mate and I cannot wait to begin our new life together in 10 weeks (from tomorrow)! After Lance and I started planning our first race together and he put together the hardest training program ever, we began preparation for the Atlanta marathon on Thanksgiving day.  Lance added 2 extra runs to this training program, a trail marathon and a 50K and did great at both.  We trained harder than either of us had ever trained before for Atlanta, and we were so confident for the Atlanta marathon.  After our first 20 mile run, I begin to worry a little.  I started aching worse than ever, in my right hip.  I tried to not let it bother me, but the pain got worse and worse.  In Atlanta, we started off strong and crashed later. Lance and I both finished in pain and learned that it would be best if we didn't run any marathons together in the future.  Lance starts out faster than me, and I finish faster than he does.  After Atlanta, I was ready to redeem my time, so Lance and I registered for the Mercedes marathon on Valentines Day, 2010.  We took some time off before we started training, and I had no idea what was in store on our first training run. Lance and I went for a 10 mile run to begin Mercedes training. After I finished, I knew something was wrong.  I don't make appointments with the orthopedic doctor unless I'm hurting very badly, and I knew this was one of those times. I made an appointment with a doctor at the Andrews Orthopedic Clinic in Birmingham for a day I would be in town during Christmas and anxiously awaited for a diagnosis.  The first appointment left me with plenty of hope I would be back out running in no time, the  word "stress fracture" was mentioned, but I didn't sweat it.  The lovely course my 2009 was taking all changed on that second trip to the doctor on December 28 when I found out my marathon days were over.
Lance has decided to take a few weeks off to try and let his plantar fasciitis heal, and has been planning his races for 2010.  I told him I will be very happy for him, but don't be worried if I get jealous... I want to be out there with him, but I have decided I think it is more important to take care of myself now and learn some new things that won't hurt my hip any further than to be having hip replacement surgery in my 40s. I have already been swimming, and I love it. Yesterday, I swam 2500 meters, which is about 1.60 miles.  I've tried pilates which has left me hobbling around from sore abs and legs, but I am always up for a challenge. Of course, I miss not being able to just hop on a treadmill or go out for a run, especially when I see a really big hill I want to run up, and it stinks knowing it's not a temporary thing.  I am glad, though, that I finally had a doctor that cared enough and was concerned enough to send me for an MRI, I am grateful for him.  I've had hip pain for the past 2 years, and have always thought it was due to something else, I can't imagine how awful it would be if I went 2 more years unchecked.  Although that day was heartbreaking, my year definitely comes out wonderful.  This has still been the best year of my life and I consider everything that has happened a blessing. I have loved everyday of this year.  I have the most amazing friends, the sweetest and most loving family, and a fiance that I can't even describe with words- he completes me.  2009 has been wonderful, and I am sure 2010 would only be better.

Lacey's Update

Well, I went back to the doctor today for my scheduled MRI and was expecting OK news. I was prepared for a stress fracture and knowing I could be out of running for a few months, but then I was expecting by late spring to be lacing up my running shoes again.  I had my MRI at noon, they did a scan of my hips and my legs.  After the MRI, I met with my orthopedic doctor.  First, he told me that I had a stress fracture in my femur bone which is the bone that runs from your knee to your hip. The fracture is in the very top part of the bone closest to my hip, then he proceeded to explain to me I also had arthritis in my hip, that's where all the pain in my hip has been coming from.  I can remember before I started training for Boston, the pain that I would feel in my right hip after a run, I thought it was just IT irritation because shortly after the pain began I started having IT issues, but apparently it was the arthritis all this time... And, yes, I am 22 years old with an arthritic hip... SERIOUSLY??
He eased his way into explaining to me that I should give up the marathons, and most of the running all together.  He said running usually helps to prevent arthritis in joints, but if you do get it or already have it and begin running, then it speeds up the process of losing the cartilage in joints and makes the pain worse.  His recommendation was a couple miles at a time a few times a week, after the minimum of 6 weeks that I have to take off to let the stress fracture heal.  I didn't know how to take it at first, I heard what he was saying and understood it all, but never grasped it until a few hours after we left the office.
When I left the doctor's office, my mom and I had some errands to run and one of the errands was going by a running shoe store to get mom a pair of running shoes since she has recently started training to run a 5K.  I realized how I upset I was when I walked into the store.  Any day before today, it was so familiar and like walking into a store of close family members.  Today, I felt like a stranger.  Then, of course seeing all the upcoming race announcements that would normally challenge me and encourage me to register before I left the store just left an empty place in my heart.  I didn't realize until that moment how much running meant to me.  It has almost been like a best friend that I have taken with me through so many hard and easy times in my life.  Runner is an adjective I am most likely to use to describe what Lacey is.  I don't know what lesson I may learn from this, but I can only be eager to find out.  It's kind of scary wondering where I'll go from here, but that is what makes the adventure exciting and challenging.  I have a favorite bible verse that I couldn't resist from almost reciting throughout the day today.  It is Psalm 37:4 and says "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart".  A very dear former pastor of mine shared this with me a few years ago, and it instantly became a prayer.  If you aren't a runner, this all may seem so silly to you, but I'm sure it can relate in another aspect of your life.  I honestly believe I was meant to fall in love with running, without it my life would be so different today.  Finishing my first marathon gave me a since of pride and accomplishment I never thought I would have. Finishing the Boston marathon gave my testimony new meaning and witness of the amazing God we serve.  If it weren't for my passion for running, I would not have met the man I will call my husband in 73 short days.  I believe God gave me the desire to run, and I have been blessed by it. I must be excited to see what the future has in store.  My running shoes may never be laced up again for a marathon, but I will still treasure all the memories they have given me. 

Fractures, Pain, and Inflammation...OH MY!

Well, the title says it all. Lance and I are sedentary. We are finished running for at least a few months, why, you ask.... Lance can barely walk thanks to plantar fasciitis, and I go back to the orthopedic doctor on Monday for an MRI...yep, stress fracture...in my HIP.
Now that I think about it, my hip has been hurting pretty badly for about 3 months. I went to the doctor yesterday thinking I had a pulled hamstring. After a thorough examination, my doctor said I had no muscular problems, but there was a line around my hips/thigh bone on an x-ray and it was very painful anytime he pressed down on the outside of my hip. Monday,we will have a verdict.
Up until today, Lance has been running consistently. He ran 11 miles yesterday, but woke up this morning with severe pain in both feet. After hearing my news yesterday, he has decided to also sit out until his feet heal.
I don't mind the time off, I just wish it wasn't FORCED time off. I am still not sure how I feel about this injury, but if it is a stress fracture, I may be re-thinking marathon running. Maybe I should just bronze my Nike Victorys and stick to the itty bitty 13.1 half marathons. A retirement announcement may be in order, but I'll make that decision later.
Nothing can rain on our parade, though. We are 78 days away from the wedding and my sweet fiance and I are ready for our very first Christmas together! It is such a blessing to spend this special holiday around the people I love the most. Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas.

Lately...

Lance and I have been taking some time off from running the past couple of weeks to get ready to start training all over again. We start our new training this week, on Tuesday. We've had enough time off that I don't dread it, it's just not the first thing I am looking forward to :) I am crossing my fingers everything feels nice on that first run, and not too achy. Since the marathon, Lance has been treating his plantar fasciatis and I have been battling left knee and right hip pain. I don't think it's anything new, the hip (which is actually more of my butt) is from my new tight hamstrings that won't go away, and the knee problem can be fixed by my dear, sweet chiropractor. Going to the chiropractor is definitely on my list of favorites. Lance has been treating his feet with tart cherry juice, Bromelain supplements, pineapple, salmon, and some rest. It seems to be working very well. Bromelain is our new favorite supplement, it is a natural anti-inflammatory that is found in the skin of pineapple. Tart cherry juice is something else he researched and is suppossed to help fight inflammation- it is VERY tart, but also a winner.
The new training plan is pretty intense, well at least for Lance. I am going to get in as much as I can, but my goal is to not get too sick of running. This last training wore me out, and I ended up running a marathon with an exhausted body. Who knows, we will see how everything worked out in February :)
Well, Christmas is only 12 days away! I finish up classes with my last final on Tuesday. Lance has everything in place to start collecting data for his research, and the wedding is only 88 days away! In less than three months, we will be married! I can't wait. I was thinking about all the joys and blessings this past year has brought. This time last year, I was getting ready to start training for Boston. I had no idea I would train a little, get injured, barely train, bomb Boston-but still finish!, meet the love of my life, and be planning a wedding that will happen 3 months into the new year. I don't know what I did right, but I am so thankful. 2009 has been a fabulous year, sure there have been hard times and not so fun times, but all the great and wonderful things FAR outweigh the bad. I have been so blessed with this incredible life. I can't wait to see what is in store next for me, and my sweetheart :)

Running Lately

Well, Lance and I have been recovering physically, mentally, and emotionally from the brutal beating Atlanta handed us. We went on our first "real" run yesterday at the Intramural fields, and we ran 3.27 at a 7:38 average pace. It was nice and felt really good to actually run again. Our legs felt good, I was still a little tired. We ran on the IM fields because of the soft grass and we didn't think we need anymore pavement beatings right now. It was very muddy, which I didn't like too much but I lived through it.
Today, Lance and I went to the gym and I ran 7 on the treadmill. Yes, I would much rather run outside but I have a tad bit of a fear, especially right after a marathon, that I will get out 6 or 7 miles and get a really bad pain somewhere and miserably have to hobble back to where I started. But the little run today was nice and I'm ready for the road and outdoors again, even if it is FREEZING!
Lance and I will officially start training for Mercedes on December 14, until then we will just be making sure our legs are fresh, while still getting in some non-training runs. We are excited, and still trying to plan our 2010 races. Right now, we just have Mercedes for sure. It's a little tough to plan for anywhere we need to travel to because I have classes on Friday (GASP!)! I know, it's awful. I haven't had Friday classes in at least 4 semesters, so I'm not sure how I feel about it. But, we are trying to find some other races to cover more of our 50 states marathon tour :) Oh yeah, if I haven't announced this before- Lance and I have set our goal to run 50 marathons in 50 different states. It's kind of hard because we don't want to run 2 or 3 in, say Tennessee, but there are so many fun ones throughout the year Tennessee offers. We have found a lot of fun races that we can't wait to have the opportunity to run. Eventually, we will have the chance to get them all run :) It may take us 20 years, but we have a start. I have 3 states covered and Lance has 2.... The difference: I have checked off Massachusetts, but don't be alarmed- if I requalify I WILL be back to have a rematch on the Hopkinton to Boston course!
Hopefully our posts will get more frequent and exciting in the next couple of weeks, until then we will be resting our legs! Happy Weekend!

Post Marathon Update

Well, it's been 4 days since the torture we went through in Atlanta, and Lance and I are recovering well. I have been hitting the gym pretty hard, and Lance has just about worked through all the deadness and soreness in his legs. We have decided to start our training for Mercedes on the 14th, about 2 weeks from now. We are both so excited to get back into training. It's crazy how you hate and dread those training runs, but the second you don't have to train, you miss them so badly. We also have decided that for Mercedes, although we will train together, we are going to run the marathon individually. We aren't using Garmins, and running with as much simplicity as we can :) We are still planning to do a marathon in Colombus, GA in January as a training run. It's a new marathon, and it's free, so why not? After that, we will taper in preparation for Mercedes. I am excited! I think this is the best I have ever felt 4 days out from running 26.2. I know Lance and I are both ready to hit our goal, we just don't need to run a marathon with the worst elevation and climbs in the country! I am still very bitter towards Atlanta, and it may take awhile for me to get over my hatred, I'm holding a good grudge on this one! Lance put together this elevation map earlier today. It compares the Atlanta elevation with the elevation for Mercedes. Hopefully now you can see why this race almost killed us. We like hills and we like challenges, but this was pure TORTURE! We aren't looking for a flat, easy course, we love elevation changes and have nothing against hills, but once again-Atlanta just sucked!!! Ok, enough blasting Atlanta, here's the elevation map, Atlanta is on the top, and Mercedes is on the bottom... Ouch! Doesn't it make your legs hurt just looking at it ?!?!

Atlanta Marathon Race Review

Lances' Recap:
After putting in numerous hours and miles of training, Lacey and I thought we were as ready as anyone could be for the Atlanta Marathon. We had talked with people that had run parts of the course, read all about the course, and knew that is was hilly and definitely not a flat course. With all the training though, we constantly had hills in every run and thought that training in Auburn would be more than adequate for Atlanta. Even with significant preparation, a marathon is not necessarily a race that you want to make more challenging. Just running 26.2 miles can, and as we found- out a constantly changing terrain, really punish the body.

We woke up race day morning and felt wonderful and were full with excitement and anticipation. The weather was ideal for a marathon, with temperatures not expected to be above 55 for the entirety of the race. The plan was to maintain 8:00 / mile pace for the first 22 or so miles and then see how we felt and try to turn it on at the end. This goal, which we thought was easily attainable based on how the training had gone, would easily qualify Lacey for the Boston Marathon with a 3:30 (she has to run under a 3:40 to qualify). In addition, the goal would give me a good hard training run to gauge how much harder I would have to train to qualify myself with a 3:10 in another race.

Well the Atlanta Marathon course had other plans in store for us during the race! The first few miles came and went easily keeping the 8:00 / mile pace, but about 8 miles in Lacey started to slow with some tightness in her hamstrings. This small slip in pace beginning at this point still had us well within qualifying her for Boston and at the half split (13.1 miles) we were at an 8:07 / mile pace. That’s when I began to realize that I had done some serious damage to my body with the constant up and down that the course had already thrown at us and now we had to turn around and do it all over again (Atlanta is an out and back course). My quads were completely gone and were no longer providing any cushion with each step we took. This was something that had never happened in our training runs regardless of the hills we took in Auburn so I knew a sub 3:30 was probably out of the question but I still figured I could hold on. With a water stop around mile 16, I was still running well and in order to try and work some stiffness out of my legs I gave it a good kick and sped up to pick up water for both Lacey and me. I was hoping that this little burst would help reawaken my dead quads.

That last kick lasted until mile 18 when Lacey looked over at me, thinking she was slowing me down, and saw that I was struggling just as bad if not worse. At this point of the race, I did not think my body was going to allow me to finish. Every step was filled with jarring pain in my knees due to the quads not being able to act as my shock absorbers. We tried not to slow but with every look down at the watch it began more and more obvious we were slowing dramatically. I felt so awful because I was supposed to be the stronger of the two of us and should be able to push the pace to keep us both going to ensure Lacey qualified for Boston. I had nothing, though, and told Lacey to go on without me and that I would just finish as soon as I could. Running on less than fumes with pain in every step, I finally made it to the finish line in 4:29:01 (Lacey finished in 4:19:16). By far the worst race day performance for either one of us and ultimately rather humbling. A marathon is not easy but both Lacey and I determined to keep running them and enjoying the fact that we are capable of even attempting such a demanding physical activity. One day, we will run Boston together and look back on the Atlanta race as something that helped make us better and even more determined runners.

Now we are already looking forward to the next one. Last night, we signed up for the Mercedes Marathon that is run on Valentine’s Day 2010 in Birmingham AL. We will get back to training in a week or two after our bodies had recovered sufficiently from the beating Atlanta gave us. We both know we are better runners than the times at Atlanta indicate, and we are more determined than ever to run the best race of our lives that we both still know is inside us! Only 77 more days until the next opportunity.

Lacey's Recap:
Lance said it best and professionally, I'll sum it in my non-professionalization up with this: ATLANTA SUCKED! It was the hardest race I have ever run in my life. Lance and I trained so hard and put so much time and effort into a strict training plan, and I know we were ready. We just got a marathon thrown at us that we did not expect. I guess we figured since Atlanta is so close to Auburn and it's not in a mountainous region, that it could not be as hilly as everyone said it was... well, we were wrong! It was so hilly! We passed out hotel between 17 and 18 and I seriously considered bailing on the course and heading back to the room, but I knew Lance wouldn't let me, and I am NOT a quitter! When, Lance and I both crashed around mile 18, we did have a pretty good time at first. We were laughing with all the volunteers at our run/limp/hop groove we were in. Then, around 23 it wasn't funny anymore, the pain was SEVERE. Every step felt like knives stabbing in my hamstrings, butt, back, and feet. OUCH! I wondered for a few miles, why I like to run these crazy races, but as soon as I crossed the finish line I remembered why. I run because I have the ability, health, and determination to push myself to new extremes and it makes me stronger everytime. Running gets me through things that nothing else can, and without it I would not be the Lacey who I am, and I would not have the amazing fiance I have either. Running has worked pretty well for me :)

The constant demand of pushing up hills is still exerting it's effect on Lance and I. Just come watch me attempt to walk, and you will understand, those hills were not for sissies :) Lance and I were planning on going back to Atlanta every Thanksgiving and running this race again, since it was our first race together, but I think we have decided Thanksgiving will be spent with families, and we can just leave it to ourselves to get a run in that day :) It was very humbling, and I do believe it made us stronger. We WILL hit our 3:30 goal. One thing that is different about this race from all the others is that the second after I finished I was ready to run another marathon. I knew it would need to be a couple of months, but I can't wait to cross my next finish line. There could not be a more perfect next race for us than the Mercedes Marathon on Valentines Day. I'm excited! I ran the half last year and didn't think the hills were too daunting. Lance and I are tossing our Garmins for that one and just running by how we feel- this is how I ran Memphis and finished in 3:35:42, so I think it works well. I'm just thankful we are both such healthy and dedicated individuals who both have this crazy obsession with running. Yeah, I admit we may have something loose in our noggins, but I wouldn't have it any other way :)

'Twas the night (or day) before the MARATHON!

Well, once again... it's almost here!!!!! We won't get to write a blog tonight because we will be in Atlanta, so here it is!! Lance and I have our bags packed and are ready to hit the road. We have 2 gallons of water, 2 pedialytes, and MANY bagels to make the trip with us. We both feel great and have fresh legs, we are ready to RUN. Lance totaled up all the miles and hours we have put into this training. We have trained for over 88 hours and ran over 630 miles. We haven't stopped for a second since the first week in August. When we first began our training, Thanksgiving Day seemed so far away, but we both knew it would be here before we knew it and it is! There were many runs I thought every mile, "this is never going to end" but it always ends and you always wake up for that next run. It is fun yet so challenging, challenging not only to your physical strength and ability but also your mental strength. We have both pushed ourselves harder and farther than ever before and we are confident we will be successful in this race.
I think it is ironic I will be running my third marathon with my husband-to-be on such an important day of thanksgiving. I am SO thankful for the gift God has given me to run the distance, and I pray I never forget where my strength and determination comes from. And even more, I am so thankful for my sweet, wonderful, amazing fiance who has changed my life in so many wonderful ways. This training and journey to the marathon would have not been the same without him. We have so much to be thankful for, it's sad we only think there is one day out of the whole year when we should reflect on everything we are thankful for. I am reminded daily of all the blessings God has given me, I don't deserve any of them but am so very thankful for them all!! Hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving :)

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

We LOVE 2s!!

Lance and I are back in Auburn after a lovely trip to "the country" for a few days. Of course, it always goes by too fast. We got a few short runs in. We also got tuxes ordered and my final dress fitting accomplished. My dress is BEAUTIFUL and perfect in every way. The tuxes are phenomenal :) Lance and I had our first pre marital counseling session which was a blast- we are completely opposite yet completely perfect! Only 107 more days until "I DO!"
Only 2 more days until the big race and Lance and I both have happy news...we have our bib numbers!!! For anyone who followed my past races and/or my Boston blog, you know I have a slight obsession with my bib number. I REALLY believe my bib number influences how I race. Anytime I have a 2 in my bib number, it is a GREAT race, the more 2s the better. For my first marathon, I was #212. Last April in Boston, I was #14476. Memphis was my best race EVER and Boston was my worst.... For Atlanta...hope you are ready... I am #282!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And Lance is #244! He got a 2 also! I am SO EXCITED!
We leave tomorrow around lunchtime for Atlanta and the expo! I LOVE expos!! Well, I love shopping and I love running and at expos, that is what you do- shop for running gear-usually really cool, discounted, and wild running gear!
YAY!! Almost marathon time :) Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time of year, I have SO MUCH to be thankful for. I am so blessed! Happy Happy Tuesday!!

Hungry Runners

We're BACK! Sorry for the long lapse of time since the previous post, I (Lacey) have been swamped with schoolwork, and Lance has been reading running books and trying to convince me he needs to run a 100 miler :) (No, I haven't agreed to it yet!) Lance and I have made a compromise that I will try to learn to enjoy trail running so I can do ultras with him if he will try really hard to train to get to Boston and run that with me (If I can re-qualify!)
Our marathon is only 10 days away! I can't believe it is so close. Lance has been reading about it and relaying to me that the hills are supposedly worse than Boston- oh dear! I'm still confident we can both PR and at 3:30:00. I'm EXCITED! I have been experiencing some over trained symptoms-hot flashes and TIGHT hamstrings- so "Dr." Lance has been trying to keep me still which is probably the hardest job anyone could have. After one day of sitting on my butt, I have to do something!! Tomorrow we are going to run 6-8 miles around Auburn at an easy pace, hopefully we will both feel great afterwards!
Now, about the title of this post. Lance and I had an amazing dinner once again tonight. He wanted me to post it, so that's where this post originated. Saturday evening we went to Lance's aunt and uncle's house not far from Auburn. Aunt Lila made an AMAZING vegetarian pizza, and since we needed an idea for dinner we decided to try and replicate it. Here is Lance's quote of the evening, "I have eaten more vegetables tonight than I have in my whole life!" My pizza had A LOT of veggies, but it turned out SO well! Thanks, Aunt Lila for the dinner inspiration :)
Here's the recipe:
1 Whole Wheat Crust (I used Mama Mary's 100% Whole Wheat)
1/2 cup Barilla Marinara Sauce
1/2 cup fat free mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup part skim mozzarella cheese
about 2 cups assorted veggies- I used spinach, red yellow and orange bell peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and red onion and tossed them in minced garlic.

You just layer it like a pizza :) I mixed all the veggies together in a bowl so they would be evenely dispersed on the pizza. SO YUMMY! Enjoy :)
Lance and I devoured the whole pizza, we are HUNGRY runners :) So, you made need to fix two pizzas :)
I'm going to have ice cream now :)

2 weeks!

Well, our running lately has been about as eventful as our blog updates, it's been non-existant. Lance and I are both just tired. We both feel very confident that Atlanta will be a great race and we both know we are ready for it, so until then we are trying to stay away from the injuries and keep moving just enough to keep our legs ready. We were supposed to run Monday morning, but after getting up and ready I was a little unsure about my hamstring, so we decided to use that as a cross training day. I worked out on the elliptical, taught RPM, and took a bootcamp class. Lance came with me to the bootcamp class because he had school earlier. It was rough, I'm still feeling the effects of bootcamp :) Tuesday, we were braving hurricane Ida, and Lance surprised me with the movie, Elf, so we didn't do anything that day. Yesterday (Wednesday), we finally got a run in. I did 16 at a 7:58 pace and Lance blew me away completing 13.15 at a 7:36 average pace, this was after he had a 6:20 and 6:50 mile! So, surprise surprise this morning we slept in. I have RPM this afternoon and may try a short run, I think Lance is planning to try to get in 10.
Today is 2 weeks from race day! And even more exciting, we are a short 4 months from our wedding day!!! Tomorrow we can say our wedding is LESS than 4 months away! How exciting! This time next week we will be leaving Auburn to go to my parent's house in Corner, AL, and I don't think I have ever been this excited to see Corner. I haven't been home since the first week in August. We have a busy week of wedding planning and events while we are in Corner, and short runs planned. We have one more 14 mile run planned for Saturday, then we are really tapering. After Saturday, our longest run will be 8 miles until the marathon! Everything is getting so close!!

Training week 14.... COMPLETED!!

With training week 14 of 16 now complete, both Lacey and I are starting to get really excited for the upcoming marathon. This week was the beginning of the taper week and it was a week filled with great runs for both of us. Taper weeks are not meant to be easy weeks but rather intense to keep the two of us focused on our goal. The nice thing though about a taper week is that intensity only has to last for 40-45 miles this week and next then only 30 miles the week before the marathon, which is a stark contrast to the 60 miles a week that we hit during our peak. We are both dealing with various sore and tight muscles but with the upcoming “easy” weeks, the hope is we can go into the race feeling strong. I think Lacey is going to do amazing and I cannot wait to be there with her when she qualifies for THE BOSTON MARATHON again! The goal time of 3:30 (8:00/mile pace) qualifies her, but for those of you unfamiliar with the qualifying standards, that time comes nowhere near close to qualifying me. My hope is to train even harder after taking a few weeks off when the Atlanta Marathon is over and then run the Mercedes Marathon (Birmingham, AL) in February and the Snickers Marathon (Albany, GA) in March in hopes of running a 3:10 (7:15/mile pace). After the runs this week and the experience we have gained through this training, I am feeling more confident that I can come pretty close to qualifying early next year.

For today’s run, we had a rather challenging route around Auburn with some good climbs and rolling hills. Lacey and I were together for the first 8 miles or so and then she had to back it off a bit with some tightness in her hamstring. At this point, if any tightness or tweaks in our bodies begin to creep up during a run, its best to back it off a bit. I had to back it off a bit this past Monday. The training now is just to maintain our bodies and pushing through some tightness would just do more harm than good. Once Lacey told me she was going to slow down, I took my e-Gel and begin to push my pace. This run was the first time I had ever had a negative split for a long run, which means I ran the last half faster than a ran the first half. I ended with 16.57 miles in 2:08 (7:44/mile average pace). I think Lacey still had a great run as well, even though she would argue otherwise because we both hate it when we cannot push ourselves to the max during a run. She got 14 miles at an 8:02/mile average pace. Since we are such crazy workout freaks, we then went to the gym. Lacey did Body Pump while I flushed my legs out for a bit on the stationary bike. Then we still had not had enough, so we did an RPM cycling class.

To top the morning off, we got home and took Max to the dog park so he could get in a run as well. He really loves going to the park and it is such a beautiful day out, we could not think of anything more enjoyable to do. Now we are all tired but we get to spend the rest of the day relaxing and watching college football. WAR EAGLE and WE ARE… PENN STATE!

A side note, anyone that goes for a run longer than 14-16 miles really should try the Crank Sports e-Gel (http://www.cranksports.com). I have used Gu’s and PowerBar gel but absolutely nothing compares to the e-Gel. If you decided to buy some, use my referral number, 371454.

Thursday/Friday Recap

Yesterday Lance and I had a wonderful run, especially considering it came from our own motivation. We had a 12 mile run on the training plan, but we mapped out a 12.5 mile run. My goal was marathon pace since we had a hard leg workout the day before (Wednesday). We started and we were both running great. I was right on Lance's heels the whole first 3-4 miles which is abnormal because he is usually out of sight by then. About mile 5 I realized I was averaging 7:30s, so I decided to hit my threshold run (our running group does this run on Wednesday as their mid week run, you run 10 miles at a pace 10 seconds slower than your lactic threshold pace). We didn't run this Wednesday, and I knew it would be very beneficial to get it in, so I kept pushing myself and running hard! My threshold pace is 7:32 min/mile, and I hit 10 miles with a 7:30 average! After that, I slowed down a little, but still managed a 7:38 average for the whole 12.5 miles. I was very happy with the results of yesterday's run, I felt like I had really pushed myself. Taper weeks don't mean easy weeks :) Today was an off day, I taught RPM so Lance and I both did that.
Tomorrow is our first taper Saturday. We have 16 planned. The first few are pretty difficult, it's a hilly route, but then we will get to run through campus on GAME DAY!!
Oh, and by the way, we had our new favorite ravioli recipe for dinner AGAIN last night, we are addicts! We just can't stop eating it :) Try it if you haven't yet!

Dinner Tonight :)

Running is going well so far, Lance and I are both exhausted. We began taper week yesterday, and have been successful so far. I am fighting off a sickness and hoping it doesn't progress! We ran 10 yesterday and 8 today. 12 is on the schedule for Thursday :) Only 23 days until the marathon!!!
On another note, I haven't posted anything on here more than our runs and a few updates on the wedding, but we're going to branch out a little tonight. Lance requested I add this to our blog, and I thought it was a great idea.
A couple of months ago, Lance and I started researching and thinking about a vegetarian diet. I had to do work at a high school lunchroom for a class I am in, and this experiment made my mind up rather quickly. After cooking ground meat for about 500 servings, I could no longer stand the thought of it- I have OCD tendencies and I believe this was one. Anyways, I began my vegetarian lifestyle about 2 months ago. Lance kind of had to follow along since I cook our dinner, but he would still eat lunch meat. Lance's final meat dinner was after his Mystery Mountain Marathon when he had a steak dinner (I am cringing). Since then, he decided to go vegetarian with me. So, that's the background- I got grossed out and converted and Lance figured it was a good idea :)
I love it, I feel so great, and I swear we save a ton of money. We get plenty of protein and each take vitamins. We still drink milk-chocolate milk is my FAVORITE post run meal- so we get a great absorbable source of calcium plus vitamin D and riboflavin that are found in dairy. So, we aren't vegan, vegans use no animal products.
The only problem is my new lack of cooking. I make dinner every night, but it gets VERY repetitive, so I've tried to start experimenting. I am not a cookbook fan, I like to make up my own recipes so we have had a few FAILED dinners but tonight's was AMAZING. I made a homemade mushroom ravioli. Actually, we have had it two night's in a row now :) See, we get repetive! Anyways, here is the recipe, and Lance swears even if you are carnivorous, you will love it :) The serving is for 3 (I get 1, Lance gets 2). The only thing that would be different if you made more or less would be the ricotta cheese- 1/12 cup is for one serving and can be adjusted from there. Well, honestly, you can make as much or little as you want- we are very anal about our diet, so we use Livestrong.com's The Daily Plate. It's wonderful, and I highly recommend it. So I have to adjust servings for everything we eat!! Ok, really, here is the super healthy, super delicious recipe:

24 Nasoya won ton wrappers
1/4 cup part skim ricotta cheese
3 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
about 1/4 cup finely chopped mushrooms (I estimate)
about 1/4 cup finely chopped onion (I estimate here, too)
garlic salt
parsley
1 small can no salt added tomato sauce

In small skillet, add mushrooms and onion and a little shake of garlic salt (I never measure, so whatever your preference is!). I also add a little soy sauce here and stir fry about 5 minutes until onions are translucent.
In a small bowl, mix together cheeses, mushrooms, onions, some parsley, and garlic. This is your filling.
In a large pot, add water about 2 inches from the rim and bring to a boil.
While you are waiting on the water to boil begin assembling the ravioli. Get one won ton wrapper, add about a teaspoon of filling, wet the sides of the wrapper and fold over in a triangle. Press the sides of the wrapper together and make sure it is sealed. You can make the ravioli ahead of time, but it really doesn't take that long.
Once water begins to boil, turn it down a little so the boil isn't too rough and add ravioli. Don't overcrowd the pot, or they will stick together.
Boil for about 3 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon.
Spoon out tomato sauce over ravioli- however much you prefer. Garnish with more parsley and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Tonight, I had some of the filling left over and put a dollop on top. Wish we would've had this idea earlier, and taken a picture- it was so pretty :)

Try it! It's SO GOOD!! And remember- Biggest Loser tonight!! YES!!!

Great Running Week!

Wow, it's been a week since we updated! So sorry, I (Lacey) have been bombarded with school and Lance has been in meetings, class, and healing a injury. This past Tuesday, we had a great 13.1 mile run around Auburn. We knew there was a huge chance of rain while we would be out running, but we decided to get tough and go for it. Well, we got soaked! But it was a great run. We both averaged a little over an 8 min/mile pace. I think it made us a little stronger :) Lance did this run in his new Vibram Five Finger "shoes". When we got home, Lance had severe pain in his foot. After talking with another runner, he diagnosed himself with a form of tendonitis. We hoped a few days rest would help ease the severe pain so he could go on the 20 miler we had scheduled for today. So, Lance took off Wednesday-Friday. I went for another run on Thursday. I got 11.2 in, but had DEAD legs. I was a little worried that the run today would be really tough!
So that brings us to today- Saturday. We have had this 20 miler on the training schedule since August, and I have been fearing it since then. Lance has ran a marathon and ultra so it probably seemed like a piece of cake to him. I never have good long training runs, and I have really been hoping today would be better. Our goal for the Atlanta marathon is 3:30. That is about an 8 min/mile average. That was our goal for today's run also. I tend to go out too fast, so Lance was continuously slowing me down the first 3-4 miles, but in the end it was completely worth it. I kept waiting to run out of energy, but it never happened. Lance and I had an amazing run! Every mile we hit 8 minutes perfectly! We used a new energy gel, called e-gel, and I am on the e-gel bandwagon now. They are incredible. We each took 2, one around mile 8 and the other around mile 15. We both stayed strong the entire run (oh yeah, and we got rained on again today! We are rain running pros now!), and finished our 20 miles in 2:40:00. Right on track for our 3:30:00 goal in Atlanta. Today's run is the best training run I have ever had. I still had plenty left at the end- I know we both could've stayed on pace for another 6.2 miles. I am more excited than ever for Atlanta, and can't wait to see how we perform on race day!! Only 3 1/2 weeks left.... and we are almost to the 4 month mark for the wedding countdown! WOW!!! Now, we are icing, stretching, wearing compression socks, and hanging out (with the Christmas tree lights on) watching football :) Could life get any better? Hope everyone has a great weekend! War Eagle!
Lacey

Long Run and Christmas Tree Saturday

Today, we had scheduled 18 miles. Some of our fellow runners were wanting to do 20 but start at 7am but we had to start at 6am to get all the miles in before Lacey had to teach RPM at the gym. We figured we could do 6 miles and then meet up with the rest of the group to do 12 more. I decided to run the first 6 miles in his new Vibrum Five Finger KSO “shoes” (in the picture above). They are basically just a piece of leather with a strap to keep it attached to the feet, with no padding at all and are the closest one can come to barefoot running without actually running barefoot. They were rough on my calves and I actually tripped twice while running because my feet and leg muscles were tiring much quicker than usual. Once meeting up with the group, I changed shoes into my Nike Frees but the damage to the feet and legs were already done. In yet another show of how much Lacey loves me, a rather nice blood blister formed on my foot during the run and Lacey popped it and cleaned it up nicely.

In addition to the tired legs from the Vibrum Five Fingers, we had worked out legs on Thursday and both Lacey and I had dead legs so the 12 miles with the group were rather grueling. The route was challenging with some significant climbs, which included the biggest hill in Auburn, the Moore’s Mill Hill. Even though our average pace was slower than desired, it was still well within our goal pace for the upcoming Atlanta Marathon and thus an overall success. For long runs, you never really know how the body is going to respond but finishing a long run provides a good sense of accomplishment, not to mention allows you to eat as much and pretty much anything you want for the rest of the day. We were satisfied with the long run results especially considering the way our bodies felt before the run. I ended with 18.26 miles at an 8:00/mile pace and Lacey got to 18.3 miles at an 8:10/mile pace. To qualify Lacey for Boston-well, to set her PR and hit her goal time- we need to run 8:00/mile pace for 26.2, which seems well within reach and the overall time of 3:30 will be a personal best for both of us.

In other news, we put up our Christmas tree and stockings for us as well as “the kids”, Maximus and Popcorn. Yes, we know it is early but it really makes everyone in the house even happier and we get to enjoy it even longer.

Monday, Monday

Yes, another Monday has come and Lance and I made the best of it with sleeping in and having an amazing run. We normally start around 6:30/7 but we couldn't bear the chilly air that early this morning, so instead we began our run at 9:30 and it was PERFECT. The weather was absolutely beautiful. We had a great 12.5 mile run. I averaged 7:45 min/mile and Lance, of course, was faster with 7:40 min/miles. We got brave and went down and UP the horrible, awful, terrible Moore's Mill hill. Climbing the hill, for me, was more of a fast walk than a run, but I didn't stop so that's a success.
We are taking tomorrow off so we can do a lactic threshold 10 mile run on Wednesday with our running group. I am very excited about it! Now, if we can just figure out our threshold times. I am trying to get Lance to enter in my slowest race time so my min/mile can be slow (yes, I can be a wimp) but he is taking my best time ever... It should be a great, challenging run. Happy Monday!!!

Our weekend

Well, normally after a weekend of football like the one we just had, I would say it was an unsuccessful weekend; however, after all the dress drama that has surrounded our house this weekend, we are just glad THE DRESS FITS! :)
The drama began Thursday morning. I was suppossed to have bridal portraits made this past Friday, and I got an e-mail early Thursday morning saying the photographer had hurt her back and was having emergency back surgery, therefore no bridal portraits for a LONG time. The day got progressively worse after that, and finally my mom got to Auburn that evening with THE DRESS. I knew the day would finally get better and all would be made up when I got in my beautiful dress and knew it fit.... well, that could not be the case- too easy. The dress would not zip, actually very far from zipping. Then, not only was I frantic but mom also got the frantic bug. I resorted to tears :( The next morning mom called the lady at the dress shop to see when we could meet with the seamstress ASAP. The lady was shocked the dress was so small, so she offered some advice, to try and pull the top down some and try to zip it again. We figured there was no way a little tug would make such a difference, nonetheless we tried it. To our amazement, THE DRESS FIT! It zipped all the way up! And after a few minutes in the dress, I could breathe again :) It looked amazing, looked like it was made exactly for me. It fit like a glove. So, that was the only success we cared about this weekend!
Our running was a little impaired also. Our goal was to get 16 in Saturday, but that didnt quite happen. I wanted to start at 5 Saturday morning, but Lance insisted on 6. I had to be at the gym for our new pump and rpm release at 8, so I knew we would be have to be booking it to be done in time. We finished in plenty of time with the first 11, then we had a friend who got locked out of his car so we helped him which took way longer than expected because apparently every locksmith is too busy on gamedays to do their job. Anyways, I got lost on the route and jogged a little later, ending up with 13, Lance got 12.
The football game was a disaster, it was cold AND it rained AND Lance and I got stuck in the student section- but I just kept reminding myself the dress zipped!
I am extremely excited about the cold weather! I LOVE to run in this weather, but Lance hates it- this should be an interesting fall/winter :)

Finally Feeling like Fall :)

Lance and I went for a 12 mile run this morning, and the weather was AMAZING! It was cool, and we had some rain sprinkles for the first few miles. Fall has finally found Auburn! Lance had an amazing run, he wanted to see how hard he could push himself coming off a marathon, and he did GREAT! He had around 7:30 min/miles. I was a little (well, a lot) slower with 8:00 averages. I felt good,though. I think I could have pushed a little harder, but I found myself just wanting to enjoy this beautiful town and perfect weather :)
Well, it's Tuesday... my favorite day of the week.. BIGGEST LOSER tonight! I'm so excited!
My family is coming to Auburn Thursday evening- I can't wait to see them :) And I have bridal portraits Friday morning-SO EXCITING! Lance's family is coming to the game Saturday, so we will have a fun family-filled weekend! We are both very excited to spend time with our wonderful families!!!
Hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday! The only thing that could make it better is a quick run (hurry, you've got 40 minutes!) Then, curl up and watch the Biggest Loser :) That combination can make the worst day turn perfect :)

Lacey

Lance's Mystery Mountain Marathon recap

This picture is Lance right after he crossed the finish line! YAY Lance :)

First off, if you ever get the opportunity to run this race, take it! The views from the tops of the mountain are amazing and unforgettable. This race embodies all that is wonderful about running, especially trail running.

From the start of the race, I wanted to make sure I did not go out too fast. This was made more difficult by having the 12-mile racers run the first 11 miles with the marathoners. Instead of racing people, I took the approach to just race the course, push my body the way I thought it would respond the best, and to use ultra running logic where if you cannot see the top of the hill then walk up it. The first 11 miles were rather effortless, I tried to focus on putting in enough fluids, and taking gels at regular time intervals so that I would have plenty of energy for the second portion of the race that I knew would be more demanding.

As we broke off from the 12- mile racers, there were some significant climbs, but the most demanding part was a steep, rocky descent that took all the strength out of my quads that lasted from around mile 16 to mile 18. After that, there was another climb back up the mountain around the most relaxing waterfall. After reaching the top one more time, a steep but short power line descent was waiting. I knew if I could make it down without falling, that for the remainder of the race I could run and finish under 6 hours.

After reaching an aid station at 22 miles and eating some real food (PB&J squares) that tasted so good after eating gels all afternoon, I knew I was just about finished. I took off down the trail and before I knew it, I had finished my second marathon distance race. This one was nothing like the first marathon I ran (Country Music Marathon in Nashville) and my time was significant slower as one would expect when climbing mountains but I felt crossing the finish line that it was my best overall race to date. This was the first race farther than a half marathon that I felt as though I competed to the best of my abilities. By not going out too fast and taking food and water at very regular intervals, my body did not crash as it has done in long races in the past. It was nice to have enough energy left to run the later stages of a trail race and finish with a respectable time. It was a wonderful day with my 29^th place finish in a time of 5:47 and the guy I went with, Eric who I thought had a good chance to win, finished 2^nd with a time of 4:15. I will definitely try to get up there and run this race again next year. Now it is time to focus on the next six weeks of training for the Atlanta Marathon where I hope to run with Lacey the entire way and for both of to set personal best of 3:30.

Tough 10/Mystery Mountain Weekend

It's a busy race weekend for Lance and myself. I ran the Tough 10 here in Auburn this morning. My goal was to run the 10 miles in 1:15 which would be a 7:30 average pace. I was shocked to cross the finish line at 1:14:20! It was pretty warm and humid for my race preferences :) Pretty hilly course, but overall great race. I came in 2nd overall female and was extremely happy. The girl who beat me was one heck of a runner and deserved 1st place a lot more than I did!
Lance left after my race this morning to go to Georgia and prepare for his race tomorrow morning, the Mystery Mountain Marathon! It is a trail marathon, and supposed to be a very tough course. A couple of days ago, Lance was reading me some information on the race that warned the runners not to feed the bears!!! Oh dear, please say special prayers of safety for Lance, I will appreciate it very much :) I have a feeling he will do great, he deserves an amazing race!
Next week we start increasing all of our daily runs, so I'm relaxing for the remainder of the day, although 10 miles is a pretty wimpy run at this point of our training, and I'm kind of jealous Lance is getting a marathon in, although he is Superman :) I'll take an easy day, though and catch up on some school work~
GOOD LUCK LANCE!!!!!

And So Our Weekend Begins....

Yes, our weekends come early! We are getting spoiled. Lance and I went out for another 10 mile run this morning- next week we are increasing all our normal 10 mile days to 12-Yay!!! I had sore, dead, heavy legs from taking a bodypump class yesterday so my run was hard. (OUCH, they are still very sore!)I still managed to average a 7:52 pace and Lance was superman, of course, with a 7:39 average pace. I am getting ready for the Tough 10 race here in Auburn in Saturday and Super Lance has a trail marathon on Sunday. The new Fall weather is wonderful to run in, hopefully it will stick around :)
Some mornings, like today, are hard. It's hard to get up, even harder to stay up, and the hardest to actually lace up my running shoes and leave the house. However, the harder it is to get going, the better it feels once the run is completed and you feel so accomplished. I just LOVE it :)
On to wedding news, my dress and veil are in and I have a silk bouquet all ready for my bridal portraits next Friday! I am very excited. Monday we will be exactly 5 months from our BIG DAY!!! I'm hoping time will start speeding by soon :)
Hope everyone has a great day- go for a run and it may even get better :)

10 mile Tuesday

Lance and I went out this morning for our regular Tuesday 10 miler. Yes, Lance went, too- 2 days after barely surviving his ultra- and he STILL beat me :) We both had good runs. It was a nice morning, pretty cool but a good bit of humidity. We came home and both made sprints to the freezer to get the ice packs out, we are up to 7 now and some days that still isn't enough! One day, maybe one us will be good enough to get those cool ice bath machines like Ryan Hall gets :) Overall, Tuesday has started out well and will end wonderfully with our favorite- BIGGEST LOSER!!! Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Lance's StumpJump 50K report

Going into the race, I felt as though I was in the best shape of my life. I had completed a 50k in May and had run some training runs on the trails around Auburn, so I was feeling prepared. As I soon learned though, you can never be fully prepared for what was in store. The race started well and my goal was to break the race up into five individual 10k races. I wanted to complete each 10k portion less than 1 hour so that I could come close to my goal time of 5:10. The first 10k went well, close to 0:50, I was still very satisfied with the second 10k being around 1:10, and even with the third 10k being 1:30 I was still very satisfied with my progress. After that point though, things started to go bad both mentally and physically. I was 3:30 into the race and still had 20k left to go but I drag myself up the “Rock Garden”, sit down on a cooler at an aid station, and say that I want to quit the race. My mind and body had completely given out of me and I just wanted out of the race. Luckily, the aid station workers were very supportive, put some cold towels on my neck, and provided me with some snacks and water with an electrolyte tablet. I sat there for about 5 minutes just watching the time tick away on my watch and finally just got up, thanked the aid station workers, and just started putting one foot in front of the other. The next 3-4 miles went really well and I thought I could still finish with a respectable time. The body though started to give out though on a tough climb where I must have taken too large of a step. My hamstring tightened into a ball and did not loosen up the rest of the day. I just keep pushing and would run when I could, finally finishing the race 7:48 after I had started. It was a very long day! I was very disappointed in the time but very proud of myself for not stopping the many times I felt like stopping. In training for the Atlanta Marathon on Thanksgiving Day, I know I need to train my mind as much as my body and this race really helped with that. I know I can keep going even when everything in my mind and body are saying I should stop. With more practice, I should become a stronger trail runner but for now, I am very happy with the way the trail races toughen me mentally and make me a stronger road race runner.

-Lance

Happy Saturday!

Lance finished his 50K race and I was beyond thrilled when I finally heard his voice. He has a long update to give later :) I had a very hard, long 17 mile run this morning. I was hoping to go for 20 but I just could not do it, so I listened to my body for once, packed it up, and came home. My sweet, wonderful mother is in town this weekend so I have spent a wonderful day with her :)
Mom did bring my bouquet for my bridal portraits and my pretty wedding shoes :) So exciting! The wedding is only a short 160 days away!!! We looked for dresses today for the rehearsal and my bridal shower without luck, but we had a good time shopping together. Auburn is about to spank UT- hope everyone is enjoying their weekend :)

StumpJump 50K

Lance is off to Chattanooga to run his second 50K! He and another runner friend who is running the race tomorrow, Eric, left Auburn around 12:30. I will make sure and update tomorrow as soon as I hear from him. I'll be praying hard until I get the call that he is finished. For those of you unfamiliar with trail running (and I am very inexperienced) it's HARD. I can't do it, I get angry, but Lance loves it. You climb mountains and cross rivers and get really dirty. From what Lance has gathered, this should be an amazing race. Dean Karnazes who is an ultramarathon superstar will be running this race tomorrow morning, which is huge in itself. Maybe Lance can bring back some advice from Dean :)
I have a 20-22 miler planned for tomorrow morning and I am VERY excited. Training this time around has been the best yet. Everything has gone very smoothly so far and I feel amazing, I think Lance and I both are in the best shape of our lives. The weather should be perfect in the morning, which is the most exciting part of the whole run! I'm planning to wear my long sleeved Boston marathon shirt, I think I run better when I run in Boston attire :) Ok, maybe that is completely mental. Hopefully next time I post- we will have a new PR from Lance :)

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him.” Psalm 28:7

Welcome!

Lance and I decided to create a blog together after rereading my Boston blog. We wanted to have a way to share our running experiences as well as our new life together with everyone. It is such an exciting time for us! The wedding is only 161 days away and our first marathon together is less than 2 months away! We are running the Thanksgiving Day marathon together in Atlanta, GA, and we are so excited! Lance is the overachiever and has a 50K this weekend (October 3rd) in Chattanooga and a trail marathon next weekend (October 11) in North Georgia. I am running a 10 mile race next weekend, I'm not near as ambitious as Lance :) We hope to have a lot to share, but goodnight for now!