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Yesterday I had a really whiny post that I had started complaining about the heat and how disappointed I've been in myself and my ability (or inability) to successfully execute a workout in the last few weeks. I held back on posting it because I didn't want to focus so much on the negative. I'm glad I held off because I ended up having a great run yesterday. It was a run where I was to be "cruising" along with my race pace for stretches of time. While I was running, I did feel like I was cruising and I was able to finding and maintain my pace again quickly between sets. It feels great to run and every time you check your Garmin, the average pace is the same, give or take 1 or 2 seconds.

I've been thinking more about my running mantra through my workout yesterday. A recent quote I saw on Twitter from Mohammed Ali stuck with me. I've modified it to make it easier to remember but I think I finally found a positive message that works for me. "The pain is worth the victory." 1:45, I'm coming for you!

I purchased a Road ID bracelet in the mail the other day and I received it yesterday. I was super pumped to give it a test run last night. It was comfortable and I'm bringing it with me to Minneapolis (Mall of America) this weekend! If you're in the area, let me know. I have out a few feelers and am looking to do my long run this weekend with a local running group.

Now that the dust has settled from the Olympic Track Trials, it is time for the recap, part 2!

My absolute favorite race of the whole trials was the Womens 5k. Having run this event on local roads several times, I can barely scrape by with a sub 23:xx pace, let alone the 15:xx that these ladies are posting. The Olympic standard required for anyone woman is 15:20. To start, Molly Huddle was favored to win and she stayed near the front for most of the race. The lead was exchanged several times until Julia Lucas decided to take control of this race and set a steaming pace with several laps to go. The rest of the racers let her lead the way as they kept steady a few paces behind. When the bell rang, Julie Culley and Molly Huddle really battled it out for first place as Julia Lucas began to run out of steam. That is until Kim Conley crept up from the middle of the pack, giving it everything she had. She leaned for the finish, beating out Julia Lucas, earning a time of 15:19:79 (the London standard by tenths of a second), and earning a spot on the Olympic team. I've watched the race highlights and it gives me goosebumps every time. I'm so beyond excited about the team of ladies we are sending to London in this event!

I guess I can't talk about the women's 5k without mentioning the mens 5k! After a riveting women's race, it was a hard event to follow. They didn't disappoint though. Only because of kind of a big deal, Prefontaine's meet record was broken! Galen Rupp (right) and Bernard Lagat (left--love that facial expression!) sped to the finish, placing 1st and 2nd in this event, respectively, securing their spot on the London team. Lopez Lomong earned the 3rd place spot.

The steeplechase is an event I didn't know much about prior to this year. Let me just say... before the Warrior Dash, there was the steeplechase. The Kenyan's are famous in this event and have won 9 of the last 11 gold medals (and the 2 they didn't win were in years when the Kenyan's boycotted the Olympics). The U.S. had a few favorites (Daniel Huling and Evan Jager), both from the Chicagoland area so I was instantly cheering for them. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the steeplechase it is an event where competitors must clear several barriers (aka hurdles that don't move) along the course, including one that has a water pit on the other end. This isn't an event for the everyday runner. These runners have to have grace and a certain level of athleticism. Evan Jager (green tank top) stayed near the middle/front of the pack for most of the race until he took a commanding lead towards the end of the race. He won by a large margin, despite the fact that this was only his 4th ever steeplechase race. I'm excited to see what he can do in London and maybe he can give the Kenyans a run for their money? One can hope, right?

Given the controversy in the womens 100m, I was really looking forward to seeing the 200m race. Given the millions of semi final and preliminary runs, by the time the final came around, I felt I had a close bond with all of the competitors. I was rooting for everyone to win, but only the top 3 would earn a spot to London! Allyson Felix blew the competition away finishing several steps in front of 2nd place. As soon as she finished, the announcers immediately stated that she is now the favorite in London. Go Allyson! Carmelita Jeter and Sonya Richards-Ross finished in 2nd and 3rd, respectively and will also represent the U.S. on the road to London. I couldn't find a photo of the finish, but I was able to find the video clip! Click here to watch this amazing event.

Having dismally dabbled in the high jump in high school, I have a significant amount of respect for this sport. It is hard and it requires a lot of grace and balance (a few things I lack). It appears the the women high jumpers gave the folks at Hayward Field a big sight to see. Chaunte Lowe (current American record holder), Brigetta Barrett, and Amy Acuff will be heading to London to represent Team USA. Watching these women fly over that bar is so inspiring.

What was your favorite part of the Olympic trials? Are you as pumped for London 2012 as I am???

To see my favorites in the first half, check out this post.
The source of all photos can be found here.

P.S. Have you entered my SpiBelt raffle? I've extended the deadline to Monday, July 16th!!

Fiiiiirst, have you entered my SpiBelt raffle yet?? Your odds of winning are really good! I've extended the deadline until Monday, July 16th!


I heard rumors about a Lululemon sponsored run and I didn't know much of the details. luckily my friend Nicole Fritz agreed to do a race recap/guest post! Thanks so much Nicole for such a great recap including all these great photos! :)


A few months ago, a friend of mine (Dave Mari) told me about this 5k that Lululemon was having at Fullersburg Woods in Oak Brook. The “I run because ________ 5k” was the first 5k of its kind. Its purpose was to show that everyone has their own reason for running. Some run to relieve stress, others run just for fun, and others have countless other reasons. All I know is that, if Dave was going to be there, and Lululemon was hosting it, I just had to be there too! Plus, it was FREE!!!The race was co-hosted by the Lululemon Athletica’s in Oak Brook and Naperville and was held on a Tuesday morning (July 3) at 7am… I’m still not sure why it was held on a Tuesday, but it worked for me! I woke up early and was on the road by 5:15am. I arrived to the race site in record time and was able to park at the forest preserve.

I picked up my packet and found my friend Jill. Our “packets” consisted of just our bib # and lots of paper. I was secretly hoping that we’d all get white Lulu tanks, but no such luck! :) After dropping my stuff off at my car, Jill and I did a little warmup. While running, we found Dave and of course he snapped a pic!




After our warmup and a quick bathroom break, we headed to the start line, which was just a short walk away. There’s Dave in his trademark monkey shirt!


Once we got to the starting line, I of course, had to retie my shoes. Dave took this as an opportunity to take a picture of the white flower in my hair! Last weekend, Dave gave me this flower from the Fellow Flowers. Fellow Flowers is a new group that encourages unity while running and training for races. They all wear flowers in their hair and each color represents something different. It’s really neat! Dave is probably their greatest supporter… he is always handing out flowers to the ladies lately!! :) You can find more information about them here.


If you have done just about any half marathon in Chicago, you have probably seen the Lululemon ladies at an aide station with their great signs! Of course, we had to snatch this one up and take a photo!!


The race started right on time, at 7am! It was not chip timed, so I tried to line up towards the front


The course was gorgeous!! We turned and twisted all throughout the woods. We ran paste the Graue Mill and a pretty waterfall. Much of this 5k course is included in the Oak Brook Half Marathon held on Labor Day every year. The mile markers were all accurately marked and my final Garmin distance was 3.12 miles. I finished in 22:58, which is slower than I usually run, but it was hot, humid and a little bit hilly too. Besides, I was just there for a fun run with friends… not to race! :)


After I finished the race, I walked back to find Dave. He always has so much fun at races! He takes pictures of EVERYTHING and says hi to EVERYONE. Dave is the best!! He is a celebrity in the world of running!! We were right by mile 3 when we spotted some Half Fanatics (another group we are a part of) and in true Dave style, we NEEDED a photo!! :) He definitely wins the award for taking the most photo’s on course!(For info on Half Fanatics, visit this website)




To see all of Dave’s photo’s, click here.


Lululemon offered FREE post race yoga as well! At 8am, Jill and I participated in a great 20 minute session and Dave was there to document just about every pose! Haha!!






Immediately after yoga, awards started and we had to be there since Jill won overall female!! She won a great Lulu yoga towel, valued at $48! Not bad for a race with no registration fee! I also walked away with a voucher for a free 90 minute yoga class in Hinsdale and a 30 minute sports massage in Naperville. I’ll take it!!


I will definitely be back next year! As much as I loved that it was free, my suggestion to Lulu would be to charge a little bit next year. They let 500 people “register” and my guess is that half that many people actually showed up. I bet a lot of the registered runners just rolled over in bed when their early alarm went off. Maybe if they have some money invested in an event, they would be more likely to show up. Regardless if it’s free or not, I will be at next year’s event!! :)

Pease don't forget to enter my SpiBelt raffle!! Every $3 donation to Open Heart Magic = 1 entry. The items are worth about a combined $30!

I'm up in Michigan with my husband's family this weekend, celebrating the 4th of July. We usually come up here every year for lots of good grilling and fireworks. Due to the temps, we haven't been doing a ton of grilling as the grillmaster almost melted the last time. We even went to Olive Garden last night for dinner because it was too hot to do anything. Even though it was getting late, I still wanted to get in my mid-week run. Last night I decided to go for my run at 10:00pm. I had been procrastinating it all day in hopes temps would be more cooperative. At least when we went out at 10, the sun was down so it wasn't too bad. I did the first 2 miles solo and then 2 of Toph's cousins joined me for the last 3. It was nice to have the company especially since we just kept going around the same loop about 6 times to make up the 5 miles. I have 14 miles on the schedule this weekend and I'm dreading it based on the temps. We'll see how things go but I think I'm going to do it Sunday morning since it is supposed to be cooler then. We'll see!

Pease don't forget to enter my SpiBelt raffle!! The odds of winning are very good considering no one has entered yet! Every $3 donation = 1 entry. Thanks y'all!

As we celebrate another wonderful 4th of July weekend, I just want to take a moment to thank a few folks. Thank you to those that have served in the military and continue to serve for our country. I come from a family where many members have served in the military. We are extremely lucky to still have all of these family members still with us today. My grandpa served in the Korean war as an Airborne ranger (he jumped out of airplanes with parachutes in the 1950s). My dad was a marine. I have 2 cousins that are marines and another cousin that served in the army. As I believe I've mentioned before, I don't have any sisters. But I do have 2 awesome brothers. and both of them have served in the military. Artie attended the Naval Academy and Danny serves in the Air Force. They have both had their ups and downs in being a part of their respective branches and they are both almost done serving their time.

Artie is on the left and Danny is on the right

As part of the weekend celebrations, I feel it is very important to thank those that have served our country, regardless of political opinion. Thanks Artie and Danny! I couldn't be prouder of you and what you've done for our country!

And a Happy 4th of July to all of you! I am really sick of talking about how hot it is all the time, but that is pretty much all anyone can talk about. My workout on Wednesday was terrible. I'm doing another run tonight that I'm expecting to be terrible. Also, I'm expecting my long run this weekend to be terrible as well. When will this heat die down? We cannot be expected to run in 100 degree heat with 90% humidity every day. This is just so insane! What are you doing to try and beat the heat?

News flash. It is hot out there, throughout many parts of the midwest. We had a mild winter and are now paying for it with a ruthless summer. The temps and humidity continue to plague workouts and slow our times. But this type of training can make us stronger, if only we're not afraid to get out there (after taking the proper precautions, of course).

Thursday I met up with the FN Runners for an fn hot run.
Even though it was super warm out, we still had a good amount of crazies out there joining me for a run!

L to R: Maggie, me, Amanda, Genevieve (+2 munchkins), Jill, Michelle, Keith, Susan

Yes, Maggie and I ran in sports bras. It was so hot and gross, we just didn't care. Plus, it was kind of a delayed response to Kelly the Culinarian's Sports Bra Challenge. We ran it slow, we ran it steady, we completed our run on a hot day and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. (This run was meant to be a recovery run after my mile repeat workout earlier in the week, so there wasn't a planned pace anyways.)

On Saturday, I had a long run scheduled for 13 miles. 7 miles at an easy pace, 4 miles at half marathon goal pace, 2 miles cool down. Prepping for my long run the day before, I made sure I had plenty of fluids (trying to learn from my mistakes). Even though temperatures were warm and it was humid, I headed out and tried to do my best in the heat. To be honest, the first 9 miles weren't bad. I felt my body was doing ok in the heat. Something I haven't felt before and it felt good. I picked it up at mile 7 as planned but came into a snag at the water stop at mile 10. I had trouble getting into my groove again and the heat was starting to wear me out. Miles 11 and 12 at "goal pace" didn't really workout so well, but that's okay. I did my best considering the conditions. I feel like I'm coming around to acclimating in this weather. I'm liking the feeling. This weekend is a similar workout and I'm going go try it again. The best I can do at this point is try! At least I'm going out there and giving it a try instead of staying in on the treadmill. Plus, I don't think I could do 14 miles on the treadmill and live to tell the tale. I would die of boredom (not joking).

In an attempt at trying to be "healthier" I bought some good groceries this week to make actual recipes and real lunches. Last night I made corn cakes that were super easy and super delicious. By themselves they were kind of bland, but the toppings helped make them great! The recipe can be found here. I didn't include green onion since Toph and I both don't like it, and we added tomatoes on top afterwards (I didn't want to mix them in and have it be too wet.) We also thought avocados would go great on top, if you had some available. The goat cheese definitely made the dish though. So good!

Thanks Pinterest!

P.S. Have you entered my SpiBelt Raffle yet??

As my goal half marathon looms near, it is time for another raffle fundraiser! The folks at SpiBelt were generous to donate 2 products that I will be raffling off. In case you are unfamiliar with SpiBelt, it is a handy item-holder designed to fit your keys, cell phone, and/or energy (Gu, chews, etc.) during physical activity (running or biking, etc.) I know quite a few friends that swear by their SpiBelt and enjoy it especially when different shorts have different sized pockets. You never have to worry about transferring items from pair of shorts to pair of shorts--just keep what you need in your SpiBelt!

The winner of this raffle will win BOTH items. 1) The black running belt and 2) the pink and black spiband.

Are you curious how to enter this amazing raffle?

All you have to do is donate to my charity, Open Heart Magic by clicking HERE. For this raffle, every $3 donation = 1 entry. ($3 for 1, $6 for 2, etc.)

Those that have donated to this raffle (or any previous raffle) can gain additional raffle entries if you:
1) like SpiBelt on Facebook
2) like Running Kellometers on Facebook
3) blog about the raffle
4) tweet about the raffle (@kellywils0n)

If you do any of the items mentioned above, please leave a comment (you can include everything all in one comment) letting me know so I can be sure to include the additional entries! (If you have any questions please leave a comment or send me an email!)

You have until Sunday, July 8th (11:59pm CST) to enter. The winner will be announced on Monday, July 9th. Best of luck!
*** The raffle deadline has been extended due to the 4th of July holiday! You have until Sunday, July 15th to enter and the winner will be announced on Monday, July 16th! Best of luck!!

This raffle is open to all readers who donate or have previously donated to the Open Heart Magic charity.