Winter Training and Skiing

Hannah and I are continuing to run at the Harry J Ice Rink for our winter training.  In addition to our running, we are cross-country skiing on Mondays and Wednesdays with Junior Nordic Skiing.  We have been having a blast.  Skiing was cancelled this whole last week because it has been too cold.  We are very thankful to have the ice rink to run at. :)

Last week Hannah asked me if she could run with her ipod at the ice rink, so Tuesday was her first time running with the ipod.  When I looked at my watch after we finished our run, I was shocked.  We had finished our 3 mile run in 28:30!!  Our fastest 3 mile run yet.  Between running with the big kids, and running with the ipod, Hannah dropped a whole minute off her time!  Saturday was another test of the ipod theory.  Hannah ran that 3 mile run in 28:28!  We ran the first mile in 9 minutes, the second in 10 minutes, and the third in 9 minutes.  We were bummed when we went to the rink to run today and the ipod hadn't charged properly.  I'm not quite sure what our time was because my watch stopped during the run and I had to restart it.  We're looking forward to our next run to see how fast we can go!

Jingle Bell 5K

This weekend called for a winter blizzard, so we were thankful that there was only 4 inches of snow when we woke up Saturday morning!  However, I was a little concerned about the condition of the Coastal Trail.  We arrived at the Snow Goose and got to visit with several people we ran with in the Bonny Sosa races. 

Hannah taking a Pre-Race Nap

We were off at 11am and boy was the trail snowy!  There was about 2 inches of snow of snow on the trail and several parts had snow over our ankles.  Hannah and I were only 4 minutes into the race and I knew we were in for a tough run.  Hannah only fell one time when we were running through the deep part.  One lady behind us said that for every inch of snow, you can add a mile to your run.  I think she just might have been right!  Hannah and I agreed that this run was harder than any Kincaid race we have done thus far.  We finished in 38:14 AND Hannah ran the whole time!

Coming into the finish!  Hannah's hiding in the facemask (It was cold)

Here come Auntie Shauna and Owen

The whole race crew

Alaska is out of races until April, so our next race will be our race in Florida.  We will have to stay motivated for the next 3 months until then.  We'll be doing lots of running at the ice rink!

 

Team 5K in 50 States

Go for the Gravy 5K

 Greg and Suzy-Q waiting for the race to start

 Auntie Shauna and Owen goofing off before their race

Saturday morning was a blistery 10 degrees and boy was it cold!  Thankfully, Wasilla didn't have any wind to make things any colder.  This was our first true winter race and boy is it a whole different experience :)  I was at REI yesterday and picked up a Turtle Fur Windtech Maskot Beanie which blocks the wind and covers most of Hannah's face so she is more comfortable running in the cold. 

Pre-race activities included hot cocoa, hot apple cider, and coloring for the kids.  The kids also got to write on a big poster things that they were thankful for.  Hannah wrote on behalf of Ava that Ava was thankful for her awesome cousins :)

Hannah and I were off at 10am.  The trail ran along the Parks Highway and was quite icy.  We caught up to a lady that remembered us from the Bonny Sosa races which is always fun.  Hannah was a super strong runner girl and pushed it up the one long hill of the race.  At the top of the hill was our turn around point to head back for the finish.  Hannah's goal was to run this race in 29 minutes which is pretty fast given the cold and icy conditions, but what can I say...the girl has goals and who am I to dash them :)  Hannah and I were quite close to making that goal!  The last part of the trail was pretty icy, so we had to slow down a little.  We finished the race in 30:45!

Great race team 5K in 50 States!!!!

Owen ran the kids 1 mile race indoors which was nice for the kiddos and the spectators.  Auntie Shauna, Owen's faithful running buddy, took a feather off of his necklace for each of the 12 laps to keep track how far he ran.

 Suzy-Q and I cheering Owen on

Both Hannah and I got 1st place in our age groups!  This was my first time getting 1st in my age group.  The race had a raffle and Owen and Hannah both were lucky enough to win a prize.

1st place ladies :)

The races and awards ceremony were done at 11:45 so we had to hurry back home to have a bite to eat for lunch and then head back out again to the skiing kick off at 1:30.  What a busy day!!!!  We are looking forward to starting skiing next Monday and the Jingle Bell 5K in a couple weeks.

Winter Training continued...

Jennie writing...

Hannah and I have now run 3 miles, 3 times a week for the past 3 weeks!  Hannah and I continue to run at the ice rink 2 times a week and at Grama's house 1 time a week to keep getting hill training in.  This past Tuesday, Hannah and I got to run with a High School running club who was running at the rink at the same time.  The other runners and the coach were quite impressed with her!  Some of the boys gave her high fives as she ran by, and the coach kept praising her each time we went by.  The coach was quite impressed with how fast she was running.  Some of the high school runners were trying to complete their 3 mile run in 30 minutes.  Hannah and I finished our 3 mile run in 30:30.  Ava joined us for the run on Tuesday.  Here's a picture of Hannah and Ava after our run.

Hannah and I, Shauna and Owen will be running in the Go for the Gravy 5K this coming Saturday.  We will also go to our Cross-Country Skiing Kick-Off later that day!  We can't wait to get out for some more winter time fun and training.

Winter Training

Jennie writing...

Hannah and I have finished out the Bonny Sosa series and are starting into our first winter of training.  Without weekly races to look forward to we are having to find new motivations.  We will be running a combination of outside and inside, so that we are still getting some hill training done.  Our indoor training is at our local ice rink.  I was a little worried that Hannah was going to get bored running around the rink, especially since it is only an 1/8th of a mile oval.  Hannah and I have run three times at the rink so far for 3 miles each time.  Hannah actually likes running at the rink because there's usually something to watch while we are running :)  Thursday was hockey practice and today was speed skating practice.  We also started doing a few sets of stairs to help with the flatness of the track.

In a couple weeks we are going to start cross-country skiing with the local junior nordic club.  This will serve as part of our fitness training for the winter.  I haven't cross-country skied since I was a kid so I am looking forward to taking the beginning classes with Hannah to learn the basics.  Should be lots of fun!

On a side note Hannah and I are in the Life section of ADN today in our ladybug costumes at the last Bonny Sosa Race :)

Bonny Sosa #8

We were sad that tonight was our final Bonny Sosa race.  Hannah and I (and the rest of the crew) have really enjoyed running in this race series.  The Municipality of Anchorage has done a wonderful job putting these races together, and it wouldn't be possible without the wonderful volunteers who serve as race officials and course setters!  I am also thankful for my wonderful sister who took care of Suzy-Q (Ava) while Hannah and I were running.  It only took 8 weeks, but Ava finally fell a sleep and took a nap in the stroller!  We all look forward to participating in this race series again next year.

The Farr Family

Hannah and Owen enjoyed their pre-race Chai.  Hannah was a little worried about doing this last race as it was at Kincaid.  The hills at Kincaid can be pretty rough, but this race was only a 5K.  I gave Hannah a little pep talk, which cheered her up and off we went.  I could tell that my pep talk really helped Hannah because she said, "Auntie, I'm going to try to push it up the hills."  As we were running up the hills she was saying, "I'm a tough runner girl.  I...can...[panting]...do...it!"  There were only a couple of steep hills that we walked fast up, otherwise, Hannah ran the whole time.  Hannah and I finished in 33:15!

We recieved a couple of messages from friends while we were at the race that Hannah and I were on the 6 o'clock news!  We were so excited to hear that our interview aired.  We will post a link for you to check it out.  Hannah and I are going to be starting the Cross-Country Ski program in Chugiak once it snows to help keep us in shape throughout the winter.  We are going to be running as well with the help of studded running shoes from Uncle Greg :)

Enjoying Pre-Race Chai

Auntie Shauna and Owen ran their last Munchkin League race.  Owen has done a really good job with running these races, even though running is not his most favorite thing.

The Post-Race Crew

Go Team 5K in 50 States!!

Bonny Sosa Race #7

Jennie writing...

First Ever TV Interview

Getting ready to race

Bonny Sosa #7 was held at Service High School.  Channel 2 news was there tonight and we were interviewed by Megan Baldino of KTUU News!  We're hopeful we'll be on the news :) 
Hannah and I were thankful for a shorter race today (4.4K) as this is our 4th race in 10 days.  This was quite the muddy course and our moose hotdog dinner was a little to heavy for all of our tummies.  The whole crew ended up feeling sluggish :(  Hannah and I managed to stay on our feet while others were slipping and sliding.  One "fast runner" as Hannah calls them, fell right next to us and always thoughtful Hannah asked him if he was okay.  We fast walked up several of the hills, but still finished in 27:30!  Our next race isn't until next week, so we'll have a little time to recover.  See you all next week at Kincaid Park for the costume race!

Post race picture with Daddy, Hannah, Uncle Greg, Suzy-Q, Auntie Jennie, Owen & Auntie Shauna

Another successful race for Team 5K in 50 States