Balloon Festival 5K

I ran another 5K last Friday.

I couldn't help it.  It was small, cheap, and based on last year's results - I had a chance to place in my age group.  So I went for it.

The weather didn't seem like it was going to cooperate, but it mostly just stayed cloudy and the rain held off.  The race was part of a hot air balloon festival a few towns away which included food vendors, crafts, rides, and of course hot air balloons!

Somehow I convinced B to join me.  He's only been to two of my races - my first 10K, and my half marathon - so I was excited, even if he wasn't overly thrilled.  (Don't worry, while I was running he got a sausage and talked to the air national guard people that were there.)

It wasn't a chipped race, which always annoys me because I like accuracy.  But, since it was small, getting over the 'start' line wasn't really an issue.  I lined up with everyone, probably in the front of the middle of the pack.  The race was started with a "ready, set, go" through a bull horn, and the course guided by a guy on the bike.

I knew it was going to be somewhat hilly, and I haven't exactly been *ahem* keeping up with training, so I was nervous.  I felt good for the first mile and finished it with a split of 8:44, which is pretty fast for me.  There were a few woman around my pace so I stayed with them for a while before passing several of them.  Mile 2 was out through farmland (aka manure smell) and was mostly flat, except for the uphill turn around that included a water stop.

At this point, I was just pretty ready for it to be over. I wasn't feeling it and just kept pace with a girl next to me through the up and down hills.  Mile 2 split was 9:01.  There were rolling hills the last mile and I was grateful to see the dirt road that lead to the finish line.  As I ran towards the finish I saw B on the sideline with the camera.

I know, I look so great when I run, huh?  Sidenote: the girl behind me in the green shirt was the one I ran with almost the whole time.  After I got home and went to log my miles onto dailymile.com, I realized she was a girl I had recently friended on the site.  We're also running a few more of the same races this summer. Small world!

Mile 3 split was 9:08.  My official finish time was 27:55.  It wasn't a PR, but I'm still really pleased with it.  There were more hills than the one I PR'd on a few weeks ago, and this one was 3.13 whereas that one was 3.01.  So, yea, I was okay with my time. It was still well under 30, and it was in the 27s, so I can't complain!

Oh, and then there's the minor fact that I got 2nd in my age group again. Woo hoo!!! So, I call that a WIN.  2nd out of 15 in my age group, and 68 out of 154 overall. Not too shabby for a Friday night.  And it didn't even start to sprinkle until the awards.

I felt alot better than I looked here, I swear. So sloppy looking!

Anyway, now I've got myself $15 to spend at RoadID, which is what I chose from the table for my award :)  I'm probably going to get a wrist or ankle sport ID.  For those who aren't familiar, they're similar to the medical ID bracelets people with certain conditions tend to wear - only they have personal and contact information available in case anything where to happen to the wearer while running (or biking, or whatnot).  Gives the wearer and their loved ones some piece of mind.  There is also room on them to include an inspirational quote.... so now I need to decide on a running mantra.  And of course which color I want.

Ugh, decisions!

Stars & Stripes

Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe 4th of July weekend.

I wanted to buy a flag, be patriotic, etc.  B vetoed it when we were at Lowe's.  Not sure why.... we already have the bracket on the house, just need the pole and the flag.  I will probably just go buy one by myself anyway, even though its late.  But hey, its okay to be patriotic year round, isn't it?!

We had a great long weekend - getting things done on the house and spending time with friends and family, setting off fireworks, and eating waaaaaay too much food.  I've got a ton of pictures - maybe I'll post some another night, I'm not in the mood to fight with the photo uploader tonight.

I really wanted to post something, because I don't want to keep neglecting this blog, but I can't really think of much to say.

I ran 28 miles last month.  Pathetic compared to 62 I ran in March and April, even the 47 I ran in May.  But, it's more than none, and that's what matters.  I'm having some trouble motivating myself to get out there as much these days.  I have a 5K this Friday, and a 10K at the end of July... and the last time I ran over 6 miles (a 10K is 6.2) was....oh you know, that time I ran a half marathon... back at the beginning of May.  So yea, I need to pound the pavement the next few weeks to survive the 10K, never mind PR it.

I'm also struggling with the decision to sign up for another half marathon.  I really want to... it's just a matter of squeezing the race itself into my schedule AND the training.  I've got a few picked out that look promising but  I haven't made any decisions yet.

We'll see....

Don't Ask Me How I Know: Soda Cans

Do not leave a soda can (particularly a store brand one) in the center console of your truck for an extended period of time, especially when it's warm out.

Because you might be driving innocently through a new neighborhood to check out a house for a friend and suddenly hear a loud pop. And be covered in warm liquid.  And wonder if you've been shot.

 

And you probably won't be shot. But the interior of your new vehicle might be splattered with fizzing, warm soda.  You'll pull over and look around, shocked, dripping fizz, and be completely unsure of what the eff to do next.  Eventually you'll drive home.  And it'll probably be about 90 degrees out and of course you're wearing a long sleeve shirt from work, so you'll have to try and clean the mess up before you even bother changing, because OMG can't let the stains set in! So obviously you'll be sweating profusely.  And miserable and cranky.  Other people will probably find it hilarious - including the person who left the soda in your vehicle in the first place (who was probably your husband *ahem*).

Don't ask me how I know

The Race That Almost Wasn't

But I'm SO glad it was.

This was the Rush Hour 5K Road Race at my work.  Around 11am this morning, people started noticing that the toilets weren't flushing and the faucets had almost no water pressure. A friend and I walked over to the other building on our company's campus and found the same situation.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I drink a lot of liquid throughout the day - water, coffee, tea - pretty much constantly.  So, without working toilets there was a bit of panic that sent in with many of us.  Shortly after, a company email went out that there was a water main break and by noon our management team decided to let us head home for the day.

I sent an email to the organizer to confirm if they would still be holding the race.  Part of me really didn't want to drive back to work once I got home, and a few people in my department echoed similar sentiments and said they might not bother coming back.  A little after two, an email went out confirming the race was still on. I had spent the afternoon walking the dog, mowing the lawn, and finishing up some projects around the house, and headed back to work in time for the race.

Couple of things... it was pretty hot today.  And admittedly, I haven't run that much lately, at all.  Most shockingly, I showed up to this race by myself.  There was no guarantee anyone else I knew would be running, and I hadn't signed up with any one to run with.

There were some familiar faces since it was held at work, but no one I knew enough to talk to.  I was there about a half hour early, so I jogged a little, and walked around, stretching and listening to my ipod.  I started getting nervous, realizing I was really about to do this by myself.  Each race I've run has included at least one friend running with me - and many times had people I knew would be cheering at the end.  But not this time.

I put myself in the middle of the pack.  I know all the advice - don't go out too fast, find someone to pace with, save some for the end, etc etc etc.  And I told myself the only goal was to break 30 minutes.  So imagine my surprise when I look down after a quarter of a mile and I've got an 8:06ish pace going.  I knew I had to back off or I wasn't going to make it.  I tried to keep pace with a few women around me so I wouldn't keep speeding up.

Mile 1: 8:52

Crap. I'm not known for sub-9 minute miles. Ever. I suddenly became very worried I was going to bonk.  I tried to pull back, just stick with the group I was with and not worry about passing anyone in mile 2.

Mile 2: 9:19

I felt good. I had a good cushion left in order to get under 30, and that was the only goal.  It all went by so fast.  I kept checking my Garmin for my mileage and around 2.75 was headed down a windy sidewalk and couldn't believe it was almost over.

Mile 3: 8:52

A woman passed me that I had noticed before the race.  She looked like a runner.  In the half hour before the race, you can bet I was scouting everyone out and making assumptions about people - because what else are you supposed to do?!!?  I wasn't sure if she was in my age group (20-29) but felt like she might be.  But it didn't matter.  I just wanted under 30.

I could see the finish line and timer and was shocked and excited to see a time starting with 27.  I gave what I had left and came flying down the hill.  My Garmin read 27:06.

Total shock. I had thought maaaaybe I could get in under 29, maybe.  Seeing that 27 put a massive grin on my face.  I wandered around a little after, drinking some water and grabbed a clementine.  I tried to decide if I should just go or hang out for a bit watching the rest of the finishers.  I took a seat on the basketball court and ate my clementine, and just kept looking at my Garmin and smiling at the time.  I looked at my splits in awe.

I got up to throw out the rind from my clementine, and noticed they had started printing the results.  I looked at them upside and saw a 2 next to my name.  And then I saw the pile of medals.

Wait a minute... did I just get an age group award?

Yes, not only did I PR my 5K, by 3 minutes and 16 seconds, I received 2nd place for the 20-29 female age group.  And yes, there was more than 2 people in my age group - 7 of them in fact.  Last year,  in this same race, I was 7/9 in my age group.  This year...  I got a freakin' medal you guys!! I love medals.

Embarrassing picture with my medal.  

Yes, I'm in my truck - but don't worry mom, I swear I was at a red light!

I'm so happy and feel very rejuvenated with running.  Like all these miles I've run over the last year have actually helped me accomplish something I wasn't sure was possible.  And now I'm off to find myself another race to run...

No Really, I Still Run...

Approximately a year ago tomorrow (okay, it was actually June 29th, so a little less than a year), I strapped on my first timing chip and stepped up to the start line of my first ever road race.

I ran a 5K in 30:37, without stopping once.  I haven't looked back since.

Tomorrow I'll be running the same 5K at my work, and have high hopes to finally break 30 minutes.  I've run hundreds of miles (wow, that's kind of crazy to say) since that last race, and I know I can run a lot farther than I did then, let's just hope I can run faster!

I've done a few 3.1 mile training races and come in under 30 minutes, so I've got my fingers crossed.  Most of the people that run it are pretty quick (i.e. 102 out of 116 that ran it last year came in under 30 minutes), so hopefully I can find someone to use as a pacer and between them and my Garmin, I can achieve one of my big goals for the year.  I plan to do at least a few more to better my time this summer, and then hopefully I can go off and do a 10k under an hour... we'll see about that.

I haven't been running as much as I probably should be, or want to be.  But I've been doing a somewhat crazy amount of zumba, so I think I'm pretty strong cardio wise.  My plan is to run the first two miles around the same pace... aiming for somewhere between 9:15 and 9:30, kick it up in the third mile, and for the last quarter mile go pretty much all out.  I know the course much better this year, since I've walked and run it several times over the last few months, so I'll know where the ups and downs are and how much I have left.

Regardless of what happens, its crazy to think I've actually stuck with this for over a year.  Granted I took some time off in the late fall/early winter, but I've stayed with it for the most part - more than anything I have before.  Even though I played sports in high school, I don't think I've stayed this consistent with exercise before, ever.  For someone who has claimed many times in her life that she just wasn't cut out to run, I'd say that's a pretty big accomplishment.  I might not be fast, but at least I'm out there.

No matter what my time tomorrow, I'll still be proud of myself.

Well Hello There

I'm sure you all thought I was gone for good this time huh?

Sorry, I was busy FINISHING GRAD SCHOOL.

Yes, that's right, I am D.O.N.E. done done done done done.

I now have my Master's in Operations and Project Management and my M.B.A. So... who wants to pay me exorbitant amounts of money? No? No takers? Damn.

Life has been a wee crazy the last few... well months.  Frankly, this year is out of control and I'm not sure how we got to June 15th.  But alas, here we are.

I'm banking on the rest of 2011 to make up for the... slightly difficult first half.

And hopefully, this better half of the year will be better documented as well.  But not tonight... I did a Heart Walk for the American Heart Association after work, and haven't really eaten dinner yet... and its oooooo almost 10pm? Yea, I need to eat something.

Oh yea, and GO BRUINS!!

Big Lake Half Marathon Race Recap

*I realize I didn't post anything for Mother's Day. It has nothing to do with my mother - who is my #1 hero - but we have had some other things going on as well, that I will post about later.  Right now, this is what I want to write about, so this is what you get.*

A year ago, I was contemplating starting the Couch to 5k running program.  I had run during soccer practices growing up, and on occasion thought I could hit the pavement and knock out a few miles, but I always ended up out of breath, miserable, and feeling like I never, ever wanted to do that again.  I've been known to make the comment "my body isn't made for running".

Last Saturday, I ran a half marathon.

Friday night I organized everything I'd need to for the next day, and set my alarm for 5:00am, with hopes to be at the race site by 6:30/6:45am - it was a little over an hour away.  I checked the weather, which showed 50s and partly cloudy. Perfect.  Sunrise? 5:30am.

I woke up panicked and looked at my phone/clock/alarm.  4:47am.  I should probably just get up since I'm awake.  But I'll just wait for my alarm to go off.  A bit later, I could feel light coming through my eyelids.  That's strange... sunrise is 5:30, it shouldn't be light yet.  My eyes popped open and I grabbed my phone. 5:40.  You've got to be effing kidding me.  I jumped out of bed, tried not to panic, and started getting ready as quickly as I could.  I was out the door by 5:50.

I promptly swore at every car that got in front of me for the entire drive.  Registration closed at 7:30.  I arrived about 7:10, and panicked again when I couldn't find parking.  Eventually I found my way into the gymnasium, and was glad I had checked the registration the night before, since bib pick up was by number, not name.  198.  I hurried back to the truck and got my ipod, garmin, and clothes ready, trying to text my friend I was meeting up with.

We finally found each other.  I was on edge, nervous.  Anxious to get to the starting area, to get moving.  The group of us (myself, my friend, her friend, her cousin, and her cousins fiancee) made our way down to the start.  I stopped by the Make-A-Wish table to check in there, and received my - extremely tight - jersey.  When I told the organizer my name and she saw I had raised $991 dollars, she was excited.  When I told her it was actually $1,091, and that I also had a matching form they could fill out for another $100, she jumped up and down, shouted "thank you so much!" and gave me a hug.  Incredible feeling.

 Me, in all my tight jersey glory.  This picture was really just to make sure I didn't look too tubby, not so much to share with the world. Ah well.

I thought I should probably use the port-a-potty.  Afterall, I was a 'Wish Racer', and there were some sectioned off specifically for us, ideally to reduce the lines.  I walked over, but the lines were still long.  Do I reallly have to go?  I decided no, knowing I may regret it later.  I anxiously kept checking my watch, suggesting to my group that maybe we should move towards the starting area.  Finally getting them to agree, we made our way over to the starting area.

My goals were simple.... 1) Finish and 2) Don't finish last.  But, I'm too competitive for my own good, and had to put a few other stipulations on myself.  Like, finishing under two and a half hours would be great.  And under 2:20 would be fantastic.  But all in all, if I made it, and didn't have to walk much, I'd be happy.

The first mile was heading into town and towards the lake.  We talked a lot and laughed at ourselves.  The first few miles felt really easy.  Around mile five I ate my package of dried cranberries, since that was what I had used during my training runs.  The first seven-ish miles were made up of rolling hills on a main road, overlooking the lake.  Not a cloud in the sky and mid-fifties, everything felt great.  The course had a total of nine water stops, which was perfect, never feeling like we had to go too long between.

Somewhere around mile four or five, I had it with my race jersey.  I took it off and tucked it into the back of my capris.  The compression wasn't something I was used to and I couldn't deal with anymore.  It stayed tucked well, and after a few minutes I didn't even notice the flapping against the back of my legs anymore.  After mile seven, we headed down back roads, that consisted of much steeper hills, and I made the mistake of letting myself use gravity to get down them - which wrecked havoc on my knees.  But, we kept chugging along at a pace I didn't think possible for myself.

The farthest I had run during training (and ever) was 10.25 miles.  I would say at right about that point, I was ready to be done.  I had my fun, and I would have been totally fine with rounding a corner and seeing the finish line.  No dice.

There were some serious elevation changes up and down during those last few miles, and they really zapped my energy.  My friend was carrying a camelpak and had some energy chews which I yelled ahead for at one point - going up a hill I had dropped back a ways.  It didn't seem to do much to help.

The last two miles were totally a mental game, and 20 (or so) very long minutes.  I told my friend J to go ahead without me, to stay with her friend who was running with us, but she dropped back with me anyway.  I mumbled alot of things those last two miles, including "I don't think I can make it" and "Why isn't the finish line here yet".  I had one older lady ask if I knew my pace, I glanced down at my garmin and told her.  She complained about going downhill, and I agreed, telling her I thought my kneecaps were going to fall off.

Even looking down at my garmin, knowing I had under a mile left, I didn't think I had any push left in me.  We finally started seeing the crowds and rounded into the finishers chute.  I knew my parents and B were there somewhere, but all I could focus on was getting to the point where I could finally stop.  I ducked my head down trying to make those last few seconds go by faster, and about 25 yards from the finish I looked up to see my parents smiling and waving, my mom and B snapping pictures.  I kicked it into gear with the last bit of energy I had left, and crossed that finish line, completing my first half marathon.

I grabbed my medal and had to keep walking around or I think I would have fallen down.  My legs were spent and tight, and even though I'm not sure I managed a smile for a while, I was ecstatic.  I didn't know my official time yet, but I knew it was under 2:20 according to my garmin.  I hit every goal I set out with, even the ones I didn't think were possible.

Splits, according to my garmin:

Official (chip) time: 2:11:25

FYI: Chip time is the actual time from when I crossed the start line, until I crossed the finish line.  There is a timing chip on the back of the numbers we wear.  Gun time is the time from the official start to when I crossed the finish line.


During training, I had a hard time hitting more than 1 sub-10 minute mile in a row.  I hit two in a row, 3 times during my half marathon.  And not a single mile was over 10:24.  I had been sure a majority of the miles would be closer to 11 minutes.  Incredible, once again.

A year ago, I couldn't have run a mile without feeling like I wanted to pass out.  Saturday, May 7th, I ran over 13 miles in a row, without stopping (only to finish a sip of water before throwing the cup away), in a time I honestly thought I couldn't achieve.

I had awesome support throughout my training as well as during the race.  I honestly don't know if I could have done it - at least not as well - without the people supporting me.  But in the end, I did it.  No one else.  Nobody did the training for me, suffering through miles on the treadmill, pouring ran, and the stench of cow manure (a training route I have to seriously rethink!).  Nobody made my legs keep moving during that race, only I kept them going forward, even when I felt like I was moving backward up that hill going into mile 12.  Nobody made me do it.  Nobody ever made me feel like I had to do it.  I didn't have to prove to anyone that I could.

Except for myself.

A year ago, I scoffed at the idea, thinking it was impossible.  But it wasn't, and it isn't.  And I kind of can't wait to do it again.

Now, I think I can finally admit to being a runner.