Friday, September 28, 2012

Race Schedule for end of 2012 - early 2013

trying to keep get my scattered self under control and make a list of my upcoming races.  Just so I know when and where I need to be to run my little butt off.  :-)
  1. October 20, 2012  - Spooktacular Scott Teays 5k
  2. October 27, 2012 - Pumpkins in the Park 5k
  3. November 11, 2012 - Marshall Half Marathon
  4. December 8, 2012 - Run Run Rudolph 5k
  5. December 9, 2012 - Winter Series 5k
  6. January 6, 2013 - Winter Series 8k
  7. February 3, 2013 - Winter Series 10k
  8. February 24, 2013 - Disney Princess Half Marathon
Wonder which of those I should wear this in?????:

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Race Report - Pumpkin Run 5k

So today was the Pumpkin Run 5k.  I'm beginning to think 5k's don't like me anymore. Or maybe it's that I don't like 5k's anymore - nah, it's not either one of those.  I could make excuses and say that I've been busy, I got sick, it was too hot, it was too rainy... blah blah blah.  

The truth of the matter is - I've been lazy, with the attitude of "it's 'only' 3.1 miles, it'll be easy".   Yeah, not so much.  To run that 3.1 miles at the paces my brain wants me to be able to run requires work.  Work that I have been too lazy for and have neglected to do.  And without the proper training and prep work, the brain may think I can run a 5k in under 29 minutes, but in reality the body says, "um  no.  How 'bout 32 minutes?"

I went to bed early-ish last night so I'd have plenty of rest; I hydrated well (lots of grape powerade and Mickey D's sweet tea - maybe not the best choices, but they're my favorites); I ate a good dinner.  The alarm went off this morning and I was up and out of bed and ready to run.  I was trying not to pressure myself into running at a certain pace or trying to finish in a certain time, but that darn under 29 minute thing has grabbed a hold of my brain and just won't let go.  I knew it was highly unlikely, but you never know, it could've been possible.  But today wasn't the day.

The race started right at 8:00.  Temps were somewhere in the 60's, skies cloudy - nice running weather.  I started off at a nice comfortable pace (a little over 10mpm, which was too slow for under 29 goal) and I kept it up for the first 2 miles.  Felt good and was having a really good run for most of those 2 miles.  But somewhere towards the end of mile 2, my stomach started to hurt.  It wasn't bad at first, but the farther I ran, the worse it got.  My pace slowed and I started to run/walk.  (Which took me down mentally - I really don't like to walk in a 5k.)  Eventually I started running without walking again, and I even attempted a fast finish to try to stay under 32, but didn't quite make it.

Part of me is disappointed in my time (32:02 on my garmin, 32:05 officially) but another part of me is just happy that I had the opportunity to run and that I finished.  Trying to make that second part stronger than the first, but it's difficult - I want that under 29.  I want it bad.   I'm confident that I'll be able to do it someday, and someday soon.  I've got 4 weeks until my next 5k.  I'm putting my laziness on the shelf and I'm going to work and train so I can get there and give my best honest 100% effort in the attempt.

Of course, I'll be training for my next half marathon at the same time.  Can I effectively train for both the speed of the 5k and the distance of the half?  Good question....  I'm sure there are some running experts out there that say it's a bad idea to try.  But I'm a rule bender.  And I have a feeling that I'll gain some speed as a side effect of the strength and endurance i'll be building as I train for distance.  I  may not make the under 29 at the next 5k, but I'm thinking (wishing? hoping? dreaming?) that I'll do it before the end of the year.


Pics of today's race, taken by the Herald Dispatch
Gallery: Pumpkin Run 5K - The Herald Dispatch
(I'm in the middle of the 9th picture in the gallery.  ;-) )

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Cone Fest 2012

Spend most of the day today at a slalom skateboarding event

Joseph Kyle Smith ripping through the cones
Roller Girl Leah Devine tries out the course

 
Lucas - gonna be a force to be reckoned with as he gets older
 
Dennis Blevins and Joseph Kyle Smith go head to head

Marc takes a run on the course
All pics taken be me at the Kentucky Fried Cone Fest at Ashland Kentucky's Poage Landing Days

OBX 2012

My yearly beach vacation ended yesterday.  We (me, my husband, and my parents) went to the Outer Banks for the second time.  Love it there.  The weather was mostly perfect - sunny and fairly warm; a couple of days were a bit cloudy with a chill in the wind, but nothing too bad.

Our week in pictures:
Cool and cloudy Sunday morning

Monday run on the trails in the Nags Head Woods


Roanoke Sound at the end of Roanoke Trail in Nags Head Woods

Corolla Wild Horse Tour on Tuesday

Horses on the beach at Corolla

Empty beach on Wednesday Morning

Feet in the sand on Thursday
Dad fishing on Friday morning

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Happy Birthday!

Taking a moment to give some birthday shout-outs to 2 very important women in my life...
(September 7 is a big day for birthdays in my family.)

Gramma modeling her awesome hat
Happy 90th Birthday Gramma!
 
Mom & Patty
Happy Birthday Mom!
Shhh... She's 64, but I didn't tell you that!

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Race Report - Charleston Distance Run 5k

CDR 5k - September 1, 2012

I had big plans once again this year to run the 15 mile Charleston Distance Run. But once again, "stuff" happened and I wasn't able to train the way I needed to to cover the distance or the dreaded Capitol Punishment Hill (I've also heard it called "the Hill of Death"). So I signed up for the 5k again this year.

I had no motivation or discipline on the running/physical activity front in August. Except for the Komen walk, I didn't do much - I skipped runs, I skipped strength workouts. I justified it by saying my body was worn out from the walk. Sounded good, but wasn't exactly true. I was just being lazy.

I went into the 5k yesterday with a ridiculously optimistic goal of finishing in 29:30. That comes out to an average pace of about 9 1/2 minutes per mile. A pace I think I managed to come close to on only two one-mile runs since my run streak ended on July 4. I wanted to push myself and see what I could make my body do. I wanted the race to feel hard.

I got what I wanted. It was hard out there.

Saturday morning at 6:45am, the weather app on my phone said it was 75 degrees with 97% humidity. Can we say "sauna"? It was pretty nasty - the air was soupy and steamy. Thankfully it was cloudy, so there was no hot sun to have to deal with too.

I lined up at the start, not realizing that I was too far back and had some walkers around me that I would have to worm my way around once the cannon went off. It was past the mile 1 mark when I finally cleared the crowds and felt like I had some room. I checked my watch at mile 1 and saw that my pace was slower than I needed for my goal. Which caused me to take off faster than I could really handle. By the time I reached a water station, I had to slow down to walk and gulp down the lovely cup of ice water I was given. I usually don't stop for water in a 5k, but this time I was way too hot, totally soaked with sweat, and needed that drink.

Once I was done with the water, I started running again, at what might be considered a "comfortably hard" pace. I pretty sure at this point my goal was toast, but I thought I might be able to manage a course PR and beat last year's time. It wasn't long before "comfortably hard" became "hard hard" and I had to walk again (goshdarnit - i hate walking in a 5k!) for a few seconds. I started running again. But walked again at the next water station where I just kind of blindly grabbed a cup.

I started drinking and realized I had yellow gatorade (lemonade? what flavor is yellow gatorade anyway?). Whatever flavor it is, a past bad experience with stuff causes me to feel sick everytime I drink it. Needless to say, i usually don't drink it. I was running again but the gatorade started doing it's evil work. I had to slow down and take freqent walk breaks so I wouldn't throw it back up.

In the midst of all the slow downs and the walking, I had given up looking at my pace and just concentrated on the mileage and how much farther I had to go. I knew I was slower than I had wanted to be, but didn't want to know just how slow. I was pretty miserable and just wanted to be done. But I did tell myself that no matter what, once I entered Laidley Field there would be no walking... (the street leading up to it was another story, but once I went through that gate it was running all the way.)

So I ran around the track, on the inside lane to make it the shortest route to the finish that I could. I heard them announce my name (they pronounced it right!), which gave me a teeny bit of a kick to push for the finish a bit faster, but there was no sprinting to pass the people in front of me. I rounded the last corner and saw the time on the clock, and felt slightly disappointed  to see that I was over 30 minutes (by almost a minute). I stopped my garmin at 31:29. My official time is listed at 31:28. 2 minutes slower than my goal, and about 1 minute slower than last year.

I'm slightly disappointed that I didn't meet my goal or beat last year's time. But at the same time, I'm surprised my time was as "fast" as it was, given the way I felt and how much I thought I walked. From what I've heard from other runners and read in the paper, the heat/humidity took a toll on everyone. Even the winners were slower than they expected due to the conditions.

All in all, I'm just happy that I got to run and that I finished.