Run Your Buns Off 5k!!!

I started running about 10 years ago.  I laced up my sneakers because I had just started college and was deathly afraid of the Freshie 15....which I put on anyways.

But once I got into running it became more than just about running.  As I mentioned previously, it was around the same time that my love of rabbits began.  Since then, it has been my dream to help an organization put together a race to benefit the rescue of abandoned House Rabbits.

Enter the Ohio House Rabbit Rescue.  This past January I saw the meeting minutes and noticed that they were contemplating putting together a 5k run to help make THEIR dream of a rabbit rescue shelter possible.

I think the stars collided at that moment.  Now I can call myself the Race Director for the Run Your Buns Off 5k and Little Hopper Fun Run which will be taking place on September 23, 2012 here in C-Bus.

I am so excited about this event and about sharing my love of running and bunnies with all my friends, running buddies, and family members.  I am hoping that people of all abilities will attend this event as the fees go to this wonderful organization and of course to our little furry friends.

One thing I have learned through my participation is that I have wonderful running friends and wonderful rabbit friends.  My life is more complete with them around.

Please consider visiting http://www.premierraces.com/ and signing up for this event.  If you can't attend consider sponsoring a runner, or the race directly.  Feel free to email me at shanmac16@hotmail.com if you have questions about how to do so.

If there is one thing I can say that I love about myself and my friends and family, it's our passion to help other people, other animals, important causes.  We care as much about our next PR as we do about being supportive of one another.

Oh!! If you can make it out...don't forget your tail and ears.!

Long Time No See! Cap City Half Marathon Race Report

I don't know why it has been so long, but it has!  Two months since I wrote a new blog post.  I can't decide if so much has happened, or if nothing really at all has happened.

Right after I last posted we adopted another Bunny Bun- his name is Thurman- he's a major sweet heart but not so keen on being petted.  He loves his nose kissees though!

Right after that I also ran my 12th half marathon, which I confess I was pretty excited about.  It was the Cap City Half Marathon here in Columbus Ohio.  The day was fairly cool- but there was high humidity.  At about 97% , which if you have not trained in it- it was overwhelming.  I felt miserable after the first 3 miles.  It was one of those crazy days...I knew a bunch of people who had personal bests, and for me it was close to a worst.  But, I finished...which is part of the excitement in my book.

As far as half marathons go, this race has some great things, like the medal, shirt and expo was well organized.  But the course wasn't impressive and neither were the water stations.  I wish they would have had them on both sides so that the flow of runner traffic went more smoothly.  Many of the stops could not keep up with the number of runners and I felt for the volunteers who looked overwhelmed.

Overall though I would say give this one a go- big beautiful medal, nice post race party and champagne and the race director is really nice and awesome.

As usual, I wore the bunny ears and tail and DH took this of me post race.  I need to get a shirt that has more info about the bunnies on it, but I do get asked about the ears...so there you have it :)

Whats next?  I am not entirely sure.  I am registered for the Air Force Marathon in Dayton Ohio.  It is a race that is very near and dear to me as it is where I finished my first marathon ever.  It's well organized and I am staying close to the base so I should be able to walk to the start this year rather than having to worry about the parking situation.  Tail and ears?  I don't know yet, hoping to maybe meet a time goal, but it is becoming a signature of mine so I guess we will see.

Hope everyone is doing well and more soon!

A little padding in the middle

Since I crossed the Columbus Marathon finish line I have gracefully put on 10+ pounds and it is uncomfortable.  I am not sure how or why I let myself do this.  I've known its been there for the last 5 months and occasionally I think I need to do something about this....but I've been lazy about actually taking an action steps.

So.  In order to get my running game back on and to 'eat like my bunnies,' I will promise to get down to my Columbus Marathon weight with the big goal of getting down to my wedding weight.   All of these things are feesible with a MUCH improved diet and exercise. 

I figure I will challenge myself week by week, logging in and sharing how its going.  The big thing I need to improve upon is cutting out all the junk food and snacks.  If I thought I could get away with it, pizza and icecream would be my diet entirely.

I think what bugs me most are the people who continually tell your, or say "Hey, your run alot, you should be able to eat whaterver you want."

Guess what it doesn't work like that and I have the extra 10 to prove it.

So here goes:

Goal 1: 126
Final Goal 123

How did I work towards this goal today??
-Ran 3 miles in 31:44
-drank more water
-intend to lift after work and take the dog for a walk
-stay within my calorie range.

Make Mine Chocolate

I confess that 6, 7 years ago, I knew nothing about rabbits.  Well, at least the people I knew who had rabbits kept them in their backyard in a hutch.....

Randomly my husband and I decided to visit Capital Area Humane Society to meet the animals and he took me into the rabbit room.  I had no clue what to expect, but when I came around the corner there was this bunny, tan, kinda chubby, with the sweetest face who put his nose right up to the cage.  I took him out not knowing what to expect.  And DH and I put him down in the "get to know you room.'  Having just been neutered he was WIRED and I was a little bit shocked.  I thought bunnies were supposed to be soft cuddly things that you could snuggle with.  But this bunny acted like he was on crack.

But...I fell in love.  I knew I had to have this little critter as a part of my family.  My family thought I was crazy and my hubby was a little shocked, but I was taken with the little guy.

Over the next week Hoosier was put on hold twice and I left for vacation.  Each time I learned he was on hold a little part of me got bummed out.  I was also having trouble convincing my parents that adopting a rabbit was a good idea.

Yet, in the middle of my vacation I got a call from (now) DH.  "Shannie, I adopted Hoosier!!!"

I WAS ECSTATIC!  I also was going to have to keep him a secret.  My parents weren't keen on it and my college had a strict no pets policy.

But Hoosier and I were fast friends and there were many a times I smuggled his little furry body in and out of my dorm room.  My friends who knew about him thought it was hilarious and marveled at my ability to hide him.  Don't get me wrong, I know why they had a no pet policy in place and it was for very good reasons! But I was not an average gal, and he was not the average bun.  His cuteness won everyone over, including my parents.  Especially when they saw he could be litter trained and LOVED apple pie(he was a freak for apple!).

Hoosier recently left me and I admit that most days I still feel this dull ache at his loss.  Over the years he and I had grown so close it was heartbreaking to have to let him go.  In his old age he developed arthritis, but never willing to back down he would sit at the foot of the couch and stare at me until I picked him up and set him in my lap.  When I'd come home he was always ready to greet me.  One thing is for certain, no matter how sick Hoosier got he always maintained a sunny disposition.  I think that is what made letting go so hard for me.  Sometimes I am not sure if its the choices I had to make, or my fear of forgetting him that saddens me more.

But, one thing that will never change is how much he taught me about the love and bond between people and their companion animals.  Pets seems like such a..well, the term is paternalistic and for many of us these animals are more than just a pet...they are our COMPANIONS.  Our best friends.

Each year at Easter, bunnies will be bought for children, as part of their Easter basket.  Many will then be abandoned as families lose interest, or realize that a rabbit isn't quite the kind of pet that they thought they were.  In a culture or society of instant gratification we don't often think about the long term consequences of our actions.  Buying a bunny for Easter is 'fun' its a part of the 'holiday' a way to 'celebrate' with a real-live bunny!!!

In honor of Hoosier Bun Bun and all the other critters out there........please fill your Easter basket with chocolate this year rather than a live bunny.  If you are contemplating a bunny please do your research, I have linked several organizations to my blog.  Rabbits are not starter pets and require very specific care and love.  You also need a vet that is familiar with rabbit care and health.  In the end please adopt.  There are so many pets in the world that need a good home....yours could be just the one they need.

Xenia Half Marathon and Other News

On Sunday March 25th I ran the ORRRC Half Marathon in Xenia Ohio.  Finish time was 2:21:34 just a few from another personal best!!!  I got up early around 4:45 a.m because I was meeting several friends for this years race.  Several of us were doing the half and a couple were doing the full marathon.  Xenia is a small little town near Dayton Ohio, infamous for its F5 tornado in the 1970's.

This race was (for me) more of a checkpoint.  I wanted to see where I was at and what kind of shape I am in.  I am doing the Cap City Half Marathon in May and would like to go for a personal best, so this was a race to jump off from. 

Needless to say I was floored with my time!!!  The weather was perfect, a little foggy, cloudy and cooler.  My only complaint was that once you got going you could really feel the humidity.  The course itself is admittedly a little bland, but I enjoy small town races.  Calling it pancake flat is a little bit of a lie.  There are some small rollers in the first 5 miles and a gradual incline on the bike path.  When you turn around to come back into town that portion is really flat.

There were a little over 1,000 people which is much larger than what I thought.  Packet pick-up was well organized and for an early bird fee of $25 I would highly recommend checking this race out.  The post race snacks were awesome, a variety of drinks (coke, pepsi, water, gaterade, etc) and the food was AWESOME!! They had soups and a bunch of homemade cookies.  YUM!

Overall, I thought this was a well organized race from start to finish.  I was appreciative of the volunteers who always had a smile on their face.  It was well supported for it's size.  Highly recommended half marathon, full marathon might get lonely. 

The following picture was taken by Leslie:


This experience was helpful because before the race I was floundering a little bit when it came to my goals.  Now I am clear.   I want to PR (or at least train to PR) in a half- marathon and then build on that training to PR in a full marathon.  I am DETERMINED to accomplish this.  What I like about a half  is that the distance is manageable.  You can train for it and still have a life (or write a dissertation).  It is a challenge, and a rather refreshing one right now!

In order to do this I have picked out two more races before Cap City in May.  The Westerville Bunny Hop 5k, and the Greenswell Glacier Ridge 10k.  I intend to race both to get a sense of time and speed.  I know this seems strange but at least at this PR attempt I am mostly going to be doing more mileage.  What I generally lack is discipline to run the miles, especially during the week.  The resources I found suggest that a mileage build-up is key.  The next time I want to PR speedwork will be in order, especially when I think about my fall marathon. 

Overall, I am really excited to have some specific, very focused goals. Of course I know things can happen, race day weather, illness, injury..but at least this will be something to look forward to! 

Now..where are those jet packs :)

Running, Running and More Running

I confess that I have a tough time making up my mind about what I want to train for.  I get super excited about races but don't always take the most realistic approach when thinking about whether or not I actually have time to train for one.

So, needless to say I am really really proud of myself for making the decision to pick something and STICK WITH IT!  I plan on running a few 5k's and 10k's and then I am doing two (maybe 3) half marathons. 
ORRRC Half Marathon
Earth Day Challenge (maybe) Half
Cap City Half

My goal is to stay in shape through the spring by gradually working up to racing the Cap City Half.  I want to enter summer training with a really solid base of 15-25 miles per week

In Honor of "The post I hate to write"

There is a lovely young woman in my running group (Marathoner in Training) who has a blog I follow called Words to Run By.  In a recent blog post she shared about her struggle with self-confidence and her battle with weight loss.

Her words gave me the courage to share my own struggles.  Looking at me you see regular girl-but I know EXACTLY how Sara feels.  I remember 5th and 6th grade like it was yesterday.  All my little friends were tiny sticks and I was starting to hit puberty.  Gosh, I think I ate everything in sight and would try and eat two lunches if I could!  Of course, as luck would have it-my height has stayed pretty much the same, but I remember going to the doctor and being in 'the triple digits.'  It seems so silly now but I think what was more upsetting was the impact it's had on my mind set!  Suddenly I was aware of differences (physically) between myself and others.  Those differences made me second guess myself and question my own worth.

Most recently I have gained a little weight (THERE I SAID IT)  A life of full-time job, plus ABD (doctoral candidate) plus any other work, plus the assumption that somehow I can eat all the same things as my husband.  All the running in the world is not going to keep the weight off if I keep eating fast food, junk food and sitting like a desk jockey all day!.

I know this and I am working on it, but it all came to a head last weekend.  I was signed up for Last Chance for Boston Half marathon and was really dreading it.  The added weight has slowed me down some and I feel awkward.   So...I haven't really been running as much lately. Plus I am self-concious in my running gear.  When I woke up that morning I had a HUGE panic attack!!!

I felt sick, I was nervous....all I could  think of was- NO WAY! I am NOT going out there, in public.  So- I laid down and fell back asleep.  Later that morning when I woke up, my husband and I were going to go to breakfast, he voices his concerns.  The look on his face made me burst into tears.  Poor DH was horrified.

Was it a little irrational?  Probably, but gosh I just felt so-low.  And I didn't want to run, I didn't want to go out- NOTHING!

DH and I started lifting weights again and slowly it's helping me get my confidence back.  It's something else for me to track- how much can I bench press this week?  Plus, I get looks of admiration because other than a couple of fitness diva's I'm usually one of the only chics who regularly hits the free weights.  The gents have been giving me space in the weight room :)

It's also helping me a bunch when it comes to building my confidence.  Do I have a little extra padding to lose?  Yes, I do-but the body is an amazing thing and it will do what you ask of it if you treat it right.

So, slowly I am trying to re-train my brain.  I am trying to look at the big picture of life.  Change is slow, but slow change is permanent change.

So, yes Sara- I know how you feel.  It's a battle everyday.  Some days just plain suck.  Other times I feel on top of the world.  I try to remind myself that this is it.  This is the body I was born with, no I really didn't choose it, but I admire it for all the things it's done for me.  Other days I hate it!!!  In a society where conformity is valued and diveristy is demonized it's easy to fall prey to self-loathing.  Don't forget that you are a powerhouse, and the fact that you WANT it and you WORK everyday to do better...well, my friend, the battle is half won :)

See you on the trails!