Running, running and more running

I spent the summer training for the Akron Marathon and got very creative in doing so. Most of the time I ran early in the morning before Scott left for work. But when he started leaving at 6 a.m. instead of 6:45, I got creative. There were some really early mornings (I think 3:45 was my earliest wake up call), a few late nights, running on a track while the kids watched a DVD on the bleachers, running with Oliver in the jogging stroller and Bruce and Phoebe on bikes, getting a sitter for a few kid-free miles, running a 3.5-mile loop to stay within a mile of home while carrying my phone because Scott was on call and would have to leave if the pager went off. If it doesn't kill me, it will make me stronger, right?

I raced the New Hampshire 10-miler at the end of August. It was a USATF-New England Grand Prix race so was well-attended. It was hot and there were some big hills. I still had a solid finish, but felt like the hills got the best of me. I finished 15th woman with a time of 1:05:10.

Nine days later on Labor Day, I ran the Cape Ann 25K. This race is notoriously hilly, so I paced myself well and worked on my form on the hills and put in a more even effort on the hills. I felt really good even in the later miles and caught a few people, but finished in 4th place - just out of the prize money - with a 1:40:11. Still, I was happy that I'd run a 6:27 pace over a hilly 25K. I was hoping it was a good sign for the Akron Marathon.