1:10:41

BAM! That is five minutes under our goal time and a good twenty-plus minutes less than we did it in last year.

Here is us at the starting line, looking all happy and not-sweaty.

And here is us at the finish line, looking FUCKING TRIUMPHANT and also tired (and more than a little bit red in the face, I've just noticed) because we smashed it!

We had a lovely team dinner last night with lots of delicious carbs.

I woke up at RIDICULOUS o'clock this morning, so that I would have enough time to eat breakfast and wake myself up - having established that I am So Not A Morning Running Person. Facebook informed me that this awesome lady had finished this super-tough race, which totally got me in the pre-race mood and excited to kick arse.

We finally got to the starting line, where I tried not to think about that time a couple of years ago (when I was just doing it for fun) when my timer didn't register. And we were off! We pushed it out hard at the start, it was hard not to get caught up in the crowd and the excitement, and we have always gone hard for the first two ks.

But guess what? We went hard for almost ALL the ks! My running buddy and I were just looking at each other after every split-time update from my App Lady like, We are so awesome. We're going so fast. We're smashing it! It was so fun and I was just totally happy and really relaxed for the first nine ks or so. After that I really wanted to stop and have a nap, but Running Buddy wouldn't let me so we kept going.

We had our own personal cheer squad for one part of it, and I cannot overstate how awesome it made me feel, to have people cheering for me, and telling me that I could do it. Awesome.

I tried to push it out in the last k, but between being tired and having to dodge a ton of people near the finish line, I was never full-out sprinting (or as close as I get after 12ks) but I ran hard for longer than I usually sprint, so I am happy with that.

And then we stopped, and did I mention we are awesome? I really think we are. From struggling to run five minutes at a time to running twelve kilometers and (mostly) enjoying it - that is cool.

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us, with donations or otherwise. You guys rock.

We raised over $600 for the Little Heroes Foundation - and it's not too late to donate.

Ab Challenge: Complete

Yesterday, I did 125 sit-ups, 200 crunches, 65 leg raises, and a two minute plank. I completed the 30-Day Ab Challenge.*

Over the past month I have done the following:
1610 sit-ups
2120 crunches
901 leg raises
1400 seconds of plank.
That is pretty hardcore.**

I do not have a six-pack, having a bit too much of a fondness for carbs. You can absolutely see some definition, but my stomach is not totally flat nor rock hard. This is only hard to take when comparing it with my challenge buddy, who couldn't put on weight if his life depended on it.

You can see how hard I've worked, in the slight definition you can now see. I did the exact same amount of core work as someone who did end up with a six-pack. I regularly got up before seven a.m. to exercise. I can feel how much stronger I am now. And did I mention that I did a two-minute plank? I am strong.

I will probably continue to do some ab work on a semi-regular basis. I think the main advantage of these thirty-day things is that they instill regular workout habits. I will not continue to do 200 crunches a day, because that's just crazy and I think I pulled something in my back last time I did that.

One challenge down, one 12k to go.

*We also inadvertently completed a 30-Day Push-Up Challenge, because I insisted on adding some in, and turns out I added in the recommended 30-day dose.

**Hard. Core. Get it? Ha, I'm hilarious.

Dress Rehearsal

Yesterday was the final long run of our training program before the big race.

I have always found new clothes to be a good motivator, and since I have been running in frisbee shorts all this time, I thought some new running shorts might be nice. I bought these Nike running shorts with built-in compression shorts. They were on sale so I can only assume that they are last season's range or that real runners wear compression or little shorts but not both. However, since I am not used to seeing any part of my legs above the knee (hell, including my knees in some of my frisbee shorts), I though they'd be a good gateway apparel to actual running shorts. Also because they are purple.

This meant that I had to get a running armband for my phone, so what with that and the new shorts, I thought a full dress rehearsal was in order.

It was a good thing I did, because there were some technical difficulties with my phone - mostly with my music, which I figured out switches off after thirty minutes. Not helpful on a sixty-plus minutes run.

It was also my first long run without my morning-person running buddy, so it was a bit of test to see how I'd do in case she runs off and leaves me on race day. (She won't.)

We did pretty well. It's an interesting puzzle to see how slow you can go on the last 10ks if your first two are well below your goal average. I have realised there is a difference between plodding and jogging - and I really need to make sure I don't let myself do the former. Awesomely, the app lady thinks we did two 4-minute ks at the end there. (We didn't; she is on crack, or the GPS was.)

I no longer care about doing the whole race without stopping, I just want to beat our goal time. I think I have too much frisbee fitness still built in - if I get even a really short break, I am good to go so much better than if I have to be running constantly. But I'm talking about quick water breaks, not walking breaks.

I am really proud of how much progress we have made. I can now casually go out for a thirty-minute run - something I could never ever have done before all this started. And hopefully, next Sunday, we will be able to run 12ks in under an hour fifteen. Luckily, most of it is downhill!

We are fundraising for the Little Heroes Foundation - it would mean a lot if you could donate. I'm offering this frisbee shirt and DVDs of Chasing Sarasota to anyone who makes a donation and emails me to claim them.