Summer Running - MUST HAVE

Frogg Togg Chilly Pad is a MUST HAVE for running in the Texas summer heat!



Though they won't win you any style points, these "towels" keep you cool while you're out in the heat. Irina and I got ours last summer and used them all the time. You can purchase online or go to Dick's Sporting Goods.

http://www.froggtoggs.com/#cooling/

Summer 2011 - Races

Let's keep our running up during the summer!

Here's what my 2011 race schedule has been so far:

January - Hot Chocolate Run 10K, Addison, TX

February - Austin Livestrong Half, Austin, TX

March - Leapin Leprechaun's 15K, McKinney, TX

April - Big D Half, Dallas, TX

May - Katy Trail 5K, Dallas, TX and Aquarium Run 5K, Tulsa, OK

June - Firefly 5K, Plano, TX

Here are my suggestions for races for the summer - all 5Ks you'll notice :)

Sunday, July 10th

Too Hot to Handle 5K - White Rock Lake, Dallas

Saturday, August 6th

Melon Dash 5K, Downtown McKinney

Saturday, Sept 17th

Oktoberfest 5K, Addison Circle

Leslie's Spring Races

Having not run since the Big D Half, I am trying to get back in the swing of things with 3 5K races scheduled over the next month. . . .feel free to join me in my efforts!

Running this one with my dad!

Upcoming Races

So some of us have been discussing upcoming races we would like to participate in over the next few months. . .the first requirement of adding any new races to my schedule is that they are NOT half marathons! The seconf requirement is that they are NOT in July!! Take a look at these options and let me know if you are interested:

• April 16th - Sprint for Cancer 5K and 10K (collaborating with them for Head for the Cure so I thought it would be nice to show some support and run their 5K!) DPSG DISCOUNT! Use this code to receive $3.00 off registration: DRP11DFW http://www.sprintforcancer.com/dallas/index.htm


• May 14th - Head for the Cure 5K - join the Diet Dr Pepper team and help defeat brain cancer step by step! https://secure.eventunited.com/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fHFTC%2fhftcnt%2fRegister.aspx http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bY-oVvj4g


• June 4th - Firefly 5K and 10K - Race through the dusk aglow in glimmering LED lights! http://www.fireflyrun.com/dallas.htm

Maybe after these races my new shoes won't look quite so new! :)

Big D Goals

With our next half marathon only 20 days away, I thought we should establish some race goals. . timing or otherwise.

Personally, I want to beat my Austin time of 2:42. This means I need to do a little thing called TRAIN! I plan on doing sprints once or twice a week leading up to the race and running a little bit of a faster pace on my long runs to help me prepare. I will set my goal at 2:35.

Who else??

Leapin Leprechaun 15K

Oh Stonebridge race course, how we have a love/hate relationship with you.

Let's break down the March 12th race in my favorite black and white categories: Highs and Lows. . .

High Points
1. Beautiful weather - a whole week before the official start to spring and we had gorgeous running weather!

2. We finished! Sheila had her best 15K time (it was her first, but still her best!) and I beat my other 15K time (Too Hot to Handle where I'm pretty sure I walked the last two miles because it truly was too hot to handle)

3. Sheila recruited a friend to run - Dustin ran his first race and did it in an awesome time. He will also be running the Big D half. . .yay for more runners!

4. Being confident that we are DONE with the Stonebridge course - seriously, why didn't we learn after the Resolution Run or the Memorial Day race??

Low Points
1. Hills - this is where the hate portion of our love/hate relationship comes in

2. X-Large shirts. . . .ok, ok, technically this one is our fault for not picking up our packets prior to race day, but they are pretty good Dri Fit shirts. . .Happy birthday to my dad! :)

3. Pretty sure they were re-using water cups on the mile 7 water station. Oh I still drank the water. . .just sayin' it was a low point

4. No photos! What?! How did this happen? There was even a leprechaun at the race, which was a perfect photo op, but alas. . . .

NERVOUS!!!

I have to admit, I've never felt quite so nervous about a race before!

I have run a whopping twice since the Austin Half and neither time out produced a good run. My legs pretty much felt like I was running through mud.

Do you all have any last minute tips or tricks to help make tomorrow a success?

On the bright side, it is supposed to be beautiful weather so I can just psych myself out that I'm just out for a leisurely run :)

Check back for a recap of how this thing goes!