Minneapolis-Star-Tribune-runningkellometers

I know I haven't really been blogging all that much lately. To be honest, I have lots of run envy out there but I'm happily brewing Baby Wilson instead. This week the husband is on his "Dad Trip" which is a vacation that his friends wanted to take as his last big "hoorah" before becoming a dad. (He is one of the first of his close friends to become a Dad, but I have a feeling the others won't be too far behind.) Anyways, I've been occupying my time getting the nursery set up and playing with the pup. The other night I was putting something away in the closet and thought it would be funny to bring out the old yearbooks and see if there were any fun Track and Field photos. Oh and let me tell you. It did not disappoint. All of these photos are from my junior year of high school when I was about 17 years old.

As I may have mentioned before, I was on the "sprinting" squad. You know, because I'm obviously built for speed. Here is a sweet action shot of me setting up the starting blocks for a teammate as we set up for a relay. It was probably the 4x200m (I wasn't in the right clique to be on the 4x400m relay). I wish this photo wasn't in black and white so you could see how OBNOXIOUS my track spikes were. Seriously, they were super bright and loud, and I loved them. I actually bought them at Dick Pond Lisle, way back in the day. Oh yeah, and my hair was short and blonde back then. Hard to believe, am I right?

I'm the one on the left

Junior year I decided that I wanted to try some different field events. Hurdles and high jump didn't work out so well for me. They required a bit too much coordination that I just didn't have. Why not give long jump a try?

This picture CRACKS. ME. UP. Is it embarrassing if I still own (and wear) those running tights? I didn't think so. Yet again with those obnoxious spikes. What is up with my form? Or lack there of. I still had my no-muscle Olive Oyl arms. I actually wasn't a horrible long jumper for only doing it for a single season with no previous experience. I think those long legs worked to my advantage. I came in 6th place in our conference meet and I think that was the only time I actually earned my team some points at a conference event.

And then, the obligatory group shot.
I remember taking this photo like it was yesterday. I was due for some new sports bras so I was actually wearing 2 old and dingey white ones with my awesome uniform when this photo was taken. Thankfully with the black and white, you can't really tell. In case you don't know where I am, I've added a sweet arrow to help you find me.

Well, this has been an extremely fun trip down memory lane and has got me even more excited to watch the World Championships in Moscow this week and anxiously await my return to running in Winter 2013.

After my first 5k back in 2006, I had a lot of fun. There weren't really as many races as there are right now so I wasn't quite sure what my next step should be. My roommate at the time convinced me that we should sign up for Hustle Up the Hancock. The event sold out quickly, you needed to raise money for charity, and climb a crapload of stairs. But it would be fun, I figured, so I committed to doing it.

As I've mentioned many, many times before, the Shamrock Shuffle is my favorite race in the city of Chicago. (I'm not the only one. Too Tall Fritz agrees with me too.) This past year was my 7th Shamrock Shuffle and I thought it might be fun to share some old photos from years' past.

The year was 2007. I was a born again runner and my first race ever had been in the previous summer. My roommate at the time convinced me to sign up and I thought it would be a fun time. I started training in whatever old tees and shorts I had lying around. I didn't know what dryfit was and the sports bras I owned were probably too old to be wearing during physical activity. I laced up my old high school running shoes and got on the treadmill with my newly acquired gym membership. I was an adult now; college was over.


This race was kind of a big stepping stone in my life. I made a lot of big decisions on the day of this race and it turned my life around for the better. Perhaps this is why the Shamrock Shuffle always holds a special place in my heart? :)


I was going through some old photos last week and I found some shots that I was really excited about. They were from my 2nd ever Shuffle in 2008. I ran it with my friend Kate and it was her first race ever. I was still living in the city at the time, and she had come down to spend the night at my place before heading to the start. I remember these photos being taken, but I couldn't remember what I did with them. After finding them in a photo album (instead of in a Facebook album), it was fun to look back and reflect.


We look so young! I was wondering why I didn't have any professional photos from this race. It is because I covered up my bib like a noob! Haha. Things to note: I still wear this headband all the time in the winter. I also still have this jacket that I keep around specifically for the Shamrock Shuffle. This race also started the tradition of us (me, Kate S. and Kate LF.) doing the race together  Some years we don't see each other, some years we've crossed the finish line together, and some years we've met up afterwards for the post-race beverage. Either way, this race is something we always make time to do. I really do hope to continue this tradition in the years to come, even if I need to leave Baby Wilson at home with Dad. :)

This year was a year in which I debated whether or not to run the race. The night before, I traveled from the city to the suburbs to hang with my friends (the Kates) so we could carpool to the race together. If I hadn't been with them, I probably would have stayed in my nice warm bed instead of lacing up my shoes to head out into the snow. BUT, we got out there, and we did it!
This year, the Shamrock Shuffle only had about 13,000 finishers (compared to 40,000 registrants and usually 38,000-40,000 finishers). My friends and I were some of the crazy few that got out there and ran, despite the snow. Also, you may note that this headband may look familiar. :) The shirt I'm wearing says "Everyone Loves an Irish Girl." I still own this shirt specifically to wear to the Shamrock Shuffle. I don't think its weird that I keep around specific pieces of clothing to wear just to 1 race per year.

For more old race photos of me, check out the "Previous Races" link at the top of my blog. There are definitely some gems in there. Lol.

Is there a race that you love so much that you've done it multiple years in a row? Do you have certain clothing items that you keep in your running wardrobe specifically for a particular race?