Toddlers, Teenagers, Turkey Trots

One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is the token Turkey Trot.   Which, of course, does not surprise anyone since running is favorite thing to do upon waking up.  I also signed Brenna up for the "tot trot" - a short 35 meter dash for kids under seven years old.   She was excited and enthusiastic about it, especially since she had new running shoes.

In fact, both kids have new running shoes.

So it's just about transitioning from the stroller to the sidewalk.



Because yes,  we still do sometimes use the stroller, but it's not just as simple as it used to be.  For example, a simple jog to Walgreens to pick up a prescription easily turns into a shopping spree.

The day before Thanksgiving, I took the kids to the packet pickup.  Hayden surprised me by announcing that he also wanted to race.   "Are you sure?" I asked him, because the race had an $8 price  tag.   He assured me, and even though I was skeptical, I believed him.

Race day was hectic and the tot trot was crowded.  The kids were understandably intimidated.

Brenna was a trooper and nervously stood at the start line.
Hayden, on the other hand, refused to leave my side.

 The start gun went off and the tot trot turned into the tot stampede...there were kids running everywhere.  My kids ran too - or maybe Hayden moreso got dragged - and less than 60 seconds later, it was all over.  The finish was a sea of lost kids, standing and screaming for their parents.  Once nice thing about having kids attached to your hip is you cannot lose them, even if you tried.

The adult race was much more organized.  The 10K started first and the 5K started five minutes later.   Of

course I chose the 5K!

The race started off fast but I stayed in my comfortable zone.  Within the first mile, I passed most of the girls in front of me.  I knew there was one more girl up ahead, but she remained out of my sight for most of the race.  The course quickly became crowded as we merged with the slower 10K runners.   It is much easier to just go around people on the left instead of weaving through the crowd, however, it's not very strategic because it is a longer route.  I chose that option anyway.

My longer route was 3.19 miles but I didn't care.  Until I saw the finish, looked down at my watch, and realized I was not going to break 20 minutes unless I started to sprint.  So, I smiled one last time and managed to cross the finish line at 19:56.

I recently turned 32 and I guess maybe I acquired some patience with my older age because for the first time ever, my mile splits go from slowest to fastest.

Mile 1 - 6:20

Mile 2 - 6:15

Mile 3 - 6:10

I knew that there was one girl very much ahead of me who after the first corner, never re-entered my sight line.  So I was surprised to learn at the rewards that I finished third place, not second.  Who was the other girl?

The other girl turned out to be so much faster than me that she never was in my sight to begin with!  And not only was this girl many minutes faster than me - she was only 13 years old.

But anyway, I got a small check and a pie.  The pie was strawberry.

On a similar note,

I am doing an inaugural, all-women trail race series.

The first race was a 5K on a hilly trail and an easy win.

The second race, a 6K, was on Saturday.  

There were some new, fast looking faces at the race.  But the only one that made me nervous was a short, thin girl lined up directly on the start line.  She was 13 years old.

Again, the race started off fast, but again, I know better so I allowed the young girl to take the lead.  I knew my best bet was not to run fast, but to run smart.  Unlike at the turkey  trot, I selective about my route...keeping the distance as short as possible, while attempting to avoid puddles of wet mud. 

A little past Mile 2, I was able to take the lead and pick it up for Mile 3.  This race was 3.75 miles and during the last half mile, I got tired.  I carefully glanced over my shoulder and saw emptiness.  I sighed with relief and slowed down.  But a few minutes later, I glanced again and there she was - moments behind me.

So once again, I realized that I had to frantically sprint to the finish.

This time, I barely beat the kid.  These kids are going to be super stars one day.

I wonder if it all started with a toddler trot?

Running Fast is Hard

With my intercostal muscle and foot finally fully healed, I have been loving every step of running.  I have not managed to find the willpower to find myself at the pool – it’s cold in the morning and in the afternoon, well, I rather run. I always tell myself, “Run today and swim tomorrow instead.”  And then the following day, I simply repeat myself.

I had an itch to race but resistant because I am not in my best shape.  When I saw my friend Angie last week at the trail race (as mentioned below), I thought it was really cool that she could just run a race for fun.  She is nursing school so not in her best shape either (last year, she won that race - this year, she chatted with me for the last four miles).

I love racing.  I also want to be able to separate the fun aspect from the competitive aspect.  I cannot always be in tiptop shape but that doesn't mean I need to sit at home.  Octoberfest seemed like the perfect event to pull off a "just for fun race."

My original plan was to do the 5 mile race as a tempo run.  I cannot even recall my last tempo run.  But after a chatty 45 minute warm-up with a friend, I missed the start and switched to the slightly later 5K.  And also, 45 minutes to me is practically an entire workout on its own.

                

As always, I felt great during the first half mile but I cautiously kept myself from sprinting ahead.  I was guessing I was running a 6 minute pace.  I started to feel tired around Mile 2, which is typical, so I looked down at my watch.  I was surprised to see I was only running a 6:20 pace.   And then we reached the stairs.   Stairs?!?!    I took them two at a time, which in hindsight, was not the best approach.  It made my legs feel really heavy when I attempted to run fast again.  I looked at my watch – 6:27 pace!

I ended up with a 19:36, so not horrible considering the lack of training. And because of the convoluted local race schedule, I placed 3rd and got a plaque.

It made me re-realize how hard it is to run fast  (if that is even considered fast).  But, it was fun, and that was the point.

Next weekend is another race.  It is a kid race.  Like me, the kids have done minimal training.

Brenna, who literally follows in my footsteps (since I do not let her cling to my leg), is eager to run to run like mom.  She even sticks out her tongue deep in concentration.  Her short legs are surprisingly quick.

 

Hayden, on the other hand, is not only realizing how hard it is to run fast, but how hard it is just to run.  After a few seconds, he pretends to fall.  And after a few falls, he is exhausted.  This is the result of too many summer afternoons watching My Little Pony because it was 120 degrees outside.  

I don’t want to force him to do something he dislikes, but if up to him, he would only play with Lego and trains all day.  So, I do not know if he will do the race – that’s for him to decide – I can only encourage him to be healthy and remind him what I remind myself:  It’s all about having fun.

Too Hot to Trot / Salsa Festival 5K

In general, 5Ks are a comfort distance for me.  I understand them and even when they suck, they only suck for 10-15 minutes.  But, I have only ran one this entire year, and it did not go very well.  My efforts have mostly gone towards running farther, not faster, so I knew a PR was not in the cards.  But I thought maybe I could win.  The race market is so saturated that all the fast runners are dispersed.  This means that more average runners, like me, are able to win races.  It was just a matter of luck - luck that no one fast shows up.

I was running on behalf of my "other" family, who had a tent sent up and so gave me a race entry.  I run a  lot. hundreds of miles a month.  Yet, I have been injury-free since 2006. I like to take credit and say it is because I do hot yoga, intrinsically listen to my body and never run through pain.  And yeah.......it IS part of that.  But, come on, I have bunions and scoliosis - I am basically an injury in running shoes. My saving grace is my magnificent team and their marvelous hands.

As I was on the massage table getting my regular routine, I saw a fast looking girl wearing a track and field shirt.  People who wear track and field shirts never fail to be fast.  I immediately decided that she would win the race.

And she did - but I enjoy and appreciate a good race - it keeps it exciting.

She took the early lead the first mile but I felt really good. I only glanced down at my Garmin once - towards the middle of Mile 1.  It said "6:02."  It felt fast but also effortless.

Right after that first mile, I found myself behind her - this is my favorite spot because you get to control the pace.  But she slowed to let me pass and I found myself in that common conundrum of whether I should make the move.  My legs would not slow down so I passed.  

At Mile 3, I let her pass me back.  She got ahead of me and remained ahead of me - although I was able to not let her gain much distance, I couldn't dig it out of my legs to catch her. 

At the end, I was doing that floppy weird thing with my hands that shows I am fatigued, but I still felt relatively unscathed for the end of a 5K.  

I came in second place by a handful of seconds (19:06).  It is a very average 5K time for me but I am okay with that.   Brenna quickly claimed my award as her own, so obviously she was with it, too.

And yes - yes that is a bag of chips in her hand, which should not be surprising since it was a SALSA FESTIVAL.  While I was enjoying my speedy competition, another race was going on behind me:

The kids, especially  Hayden, were pretty crabby during this whole event.  After the race, we went home to change and let the kids recover (because sitting in a stroller can be exhausting) and then returned for our "complimentary" entry.  This included a margarita and unlimited chips and salsa.

Even though chips and salsa are one of Hayden's favorite foods (second only to hot dogs), there were very few moments spared of whining and complaining.  Admittedly, the conditions were not ideal:  it was hot (upper-90s) and uncomfortably crowded.  

Eventually, things were calmed when the kids each got an ice cream and I got a margarita.  Brenna and I walked around in our matching running skirts and pink tank tops.  She also experienced her first porta-potty.  Multiple times.

But it didn't take long for my margarita to spill and for the kids' ice cream to melt.   So that concluded our day at the salsa festival.

Skirt Chaser, a Family Affair

I have been looking forward to this race ever since I acquired my favorite, sun-catching, sparkling, awesome running skirt:

Aside from having the best running skirt, I had two goals for this race:

1) Not to let any boys catch me (girls have a 3 minute head start)

2) To run faster than last year.

Technically I achieved both goals - no boy caught me and my time was ONE SECOND faster than last year.

My initial response was disappointment.  Really, one second?  Out of ALL the 5Ks I have run in the past year, I was expecting something closer to 19 minutes.  However, I don't remember any of those 5Ks knocking me down as much as this one did.  I think it has to do with the 2pm start time - running fast with breakfast and lunch in my  belly just does not bode with my digestive system.  I won't get into the unpleasant details, but they were...well, unpleasant.

I think considering the mess that became my stomach, I actually did okay. And really, a 19:26, although 22 seconds slower than my last 5K time, falls within my acceptable range.  It was hot.  There were hills.  I had a stomach ache.

But, I must also say, I actually didn't feel like I was running slow.  I felt pretty solid both mentally and physically.  I think for me to run significantly better than this, I would need to run more than 40 miles a week (and do track workouts).  My problem is if I do this, I will just whine about my lack of progress on the bike and in the pool.  I do fear that in an attempt to give attention to everything, I may not be giving enough attention to anything.  I joined a tri-team in an effort to make sense to a sport that I  do not completely understand - but I will discuss that at another time.

Let's get back to the race.

I arrived early enough to get my ample warm up (three miles) on the nearby trails.  I played for a little too long - ended up running 4.5 miles, and arriving on the start line with less than three minutes to spare.  When I stopped, I realized my bib was flapping in the wind, I was hot, I was thirsty and I had lost my car key.   But when you stand with your toe on the start line, the adrenaline does a good job erasing your mind of such annoyances.

The first mile felt comfortably fast.  We ran past my dad so I told my friend to smile:

I love this picture because no one is smiling but us.  It is a running rule that I have had for a long time now - if you see a camera, pose for that camera.

3 minutes after the women started, the boys started.  After all the fast and kinda fast boys went, boys pushing double yellow jogging strollers got to start.  I can understand while attempting to recover from a such a brutal handicap, it's hard to remember the golden running rule:

While David and the kids were weaving their way through walking women in tutus, I found myself in fourth place. But somewhere in Mile 2, I was passed.  And then passed again.  I was okay with this and the goal was just not to let anyone else pass me. I also managed to stay about five seconds from the 5th place female for the rest of the race.  

The course is an out-and-back, which includes a substantial hill.  However, in a race, I barely even notice this hill.  

I have no doubt that David noticed this hill, though.  I have pushed the jogging stroller up this hill many, many times...it is a workout.   But what goes up, must come down and 100 pounds of stroller can gain a lot of momentum.  David is on the left side here so I suspect he is passing people:

And he remembered to pose for the camera.  So did Hayden.

Even though Brenna was a bit moody and refused to wear shoes, we had a really fun time.  I love when I can incorporate my running life and my family life into one wonderful day.  It is the best of the both worlds - which is my world!! - and for that, I am so so incredibly lucky.

Weather Woes

It's pretty hard to complain about the Arizona weather in  the winter - the forecast varies from "Sunny with a Chance of Clouds"  to "Sunny with a Chance of Three Clouds."  We've been spending a lot of time outside, climbing mountains and stuff.

However, every once in awhile, the weather goes astray.  When this happens, it becomes the top story on the news and the headline of every paper:  Weather Forecast is Changes!

First, it was cold.  Maybe not cold compared to the rest of the country, but cold considering I do not own running pants and that I require a sweater for anything under 75 degrees.

If I don't own running pants, it's safe to say the kids do not own running pants so this put a damper on everyone's training.  After suffering through multiple runs that left my hands so frozen it hurt to bend my fingers, like a fool, I decided to try riding my bike.  Of course I do not own cold-weather cycling clothes, so I did my best to improvise with a hair band across my nose, fuzzy socks for leg warmers and non-fuzzy socks for arm warmers:

After the horrible cold spell, the rain clouds appeared.  Rain in Arizona usually resembles the burst of a water balloon - immediately intense but a quickly empty sky .  If it rains on a Saturday morning, you will be running or riding your bike by noon.

Except not last Saturday.  It was raining heavily when I woke up around 7am.  So, I waited.  At 9am, I was surprised that it was still raining heavily.  So, I waited some more.  By noon, it was still raining!  So, I surrendered to the sky and rescheduled my run for Sunday.

Sunday was also the big race day for the kids - but unfortunately, the rain clouds did not clear.  The race was canceled.

One thing about a missed race, or even a bad race, is that there is always another race.  The kids have an  upcoming 300-yard dash.  I remain unattached, but have a tentative 8 races planned for the next two months.

And so training continues.

After the cold front, and the rain, came the worst - the wind.

I  try not to let the elements dissuade me so on Monday, I battled the wind on bike and tackled it on Tuesday for speedwork.  The planned workout was 3 x 6 minutes @ 5K effort.  After studying the wind during my warm up, I placed myself on the cross-cut canal, which by coincidence, was hit by a cross wind.  My first 6 minutes were erroneously 5:10 (@ 6:07 pace).  It felt good.  My next 6 minutes (and 10 seconds) were at 5:59 pace.  It felt good.  My last six minutes were 5:10 again (the wind had picked up and I got tired) @ 6:07 pace again.  Ended with 2:10 x 2 (@ 5:55 pace).  So, 20:40 and 3.45  miles worth of "speed."  Better than last week and my first sub-6 mile in many months.

I wish improving in the pool was as simple as improving on my feet.  But I will save a whiny swim post for a rainy day.

Marathons and Minutes

Even though I do not enjoy running marathons, I do enjoy spectating them.  I guess it's similar  to the experience of watching the Ironman:  I cannot help but think to myself, Thank goodness that is not me.  Even though the rest of my Sunday schedule was rather bland (laundry, house cleaning, grocery shopping), at least it was not running 26.2 miles.  It made the day seem grand.

I live right in the middle of the Rock and Roll AZ courses - the half marathon skirts the right side of my neighborhood while the marathon brushes the north side of my neighborhood, loops around, and then goes down the left side.

At first, the kids were not excited about the environment - a lot of music, a lot of yelling and a lot of people.  But they have been doing this since they were babies so they quickly adjusted.
  =


I volunteered at us a water station and the kids were willing to help.  A few people took water from Brenna, but in general, I think they were a little short and overlooked.

After observing hundreds of runners, Brenna requested to change her shoes.  She wanted to run!  I normally do not encourage bandit-ing (running without a bib), but I think pre-elementary age kids are an adorable exception.

Luckily for me, there are enough 5Ks, 10Ks, 5 milers, 10 milers, half marathons, trail races, duathlons and triathlons for me to do in the absence of the marathon.  I haven't picked out anything yet, but I also haven't done a lick of speedwork since the last time I made that claim back in September.

I returned to my haphazardous training method where I have no idea what the workout is until I am at least three intervals deep.  I don't look at my pace at all and focus on my perceived exertion instead:

On the way out (a very slight downhill, hardly noticeable)
- 4 minutes "fast" (5:52 pace)
- 4 x 1 minute "faster" (5:33 avg interval pace)

On the way back (a very slight uphill, hard not to notice)
-  4 minutes "fast" (6:02 pace)
- 4 x 1 minute "faster" (5:40 avg interval pace)

Only 16 minutes / 2.83 miles of actual "speed", but it's a starting point.  Now I just need to select an endpoint.

During the workout, I was slightly frustrated with how high my heart rate got during the one minute intervals.  This, of course, meant I required longer recovery.  But, I was also slightly satisfied when I reviewed the numbers after my cool down.  Anything faster than 5:50 is very fast for me - a minute, even though such a short increment of time, can feel very long if you run fast enough.

But, here is the thing...you can endure anything for one minute.  No matter what, that minute is going to end in less than 60 seconds.  The only time you can say that with certainty during the marathon is after you run 26.1 miles.  And that is a lot of miles.

Desert Classic 30K Relay

This was a spur-of-the-moment race spawned from my best running friend, Michelle.  When I say "spur-of-the-moment," I mean I woke up at 6am on Sunday morning with a text that said, "Call me."

Originally, I was not enthusiastic because the air was wet and cold from a night of gentle raining.  But, after slipping on my compression socks and swallowing a few sips of caffeine, I grabbed my Garmin and felt rather good.

I was running the first leg - a 5K - of a 30K relay race.  I arrived at the site and immediately began warming up.  Within the second mile, the rest of my team arrived.  We scrambled to the registration table and each began filling out an entry form.  We paused in unison when we got to the line item, Team Name.

After passing around blank stares, someone suggested Lady Runners, which we all wrote down in haste.  Well, everyone except me - I absent mindedly wrote our name as  sentence.

Thus, our official tame name: The Lady Runners.  

Michelle and I managed to coordinate half a team outfit (from waist down):

But then we failed to communicate this to half our team.

Even though not intuitive by team name or (lack of) uniform, we were a force to be reckon with.

Not to say that we I didn't drop the baton (which was really a wrist band and hard to pass) or that no one tripped and fell during transitions (at least it wasn't me) but we won for first females.  We were the 4th team overall - even our credentials could not compete with the teenage-boy cross country runners.

My 5K resembled the bulk of my 5Ks this year:

Mile 1:  6:00 (slight downhill)
Mile 2:  6:05 (sharp turn-around)
Mile 3:  6:06 (slight uphill)
.15     : 52
Final = 19:03

Earlier this year, a 19-minute 5K would have me gasping for air at the end and collapsing at the finish.  But this time, I sauntered over the finish with barely a drip of sweat.  OK - the sweat part was because it was freezing cold, but I do think I could have held on for another mile.

Maybe that means I should have ran faster, but maybe it also means that it is time to run farther.

2012 was the year of 5Ks.  2013 is the year of distances longer than 5Ks!  But nothing crazy like marathons.

MoonValley Grasshopper Bridge 5K, Then and Now

I ran this race two years ago pushing my jogging stroller.

I was excited to look back in the blog so I could do a then-and-now comparison, but found myself disappointed when I realized that this blog was not yet created two years ago.  Is time really going by that quickly?  Life before the blog seems like a few months ago.

I went on a hunt for pictures.  I could not find any.  Did we not take any pictures??
I went on a hunt for pictures taken during the month of September in the year 2010. I could not find any.  Did we not take any pictures for an entire month???

This is why I must blog.
Even if I have nothing positive to say, or simply nothing to say, this blog must forever remain in existence in order for our past to remain in existence. Without a photograph or written proof, all you have is a fading memory that begs the question - Is that really what happened?

Curious as to why we took no photos of September 2010, I went on a mission to learn why.  I opened up computer folders and scoured Photobucket and Picasa photos.   I did remember that I actually did blog back then - it was a riveting blog called, Babies Eat Food, that chronicled the early exploration of their palette.

On Sept.7th, Hayden tried and disliked roasted eggplant:


On Sept. 21st, the babies ate meatballs with rotini pasta for dinner and enjoyed it:


The blog then takes a hiatus but I discovered more after remembering I had a YouTube account.  On Sept. 23rd, the babies played hide-and-go-seek.  This was two days before the race:

I have public records of conversations at an online community I frequented at the time (hi guys) and I made this comment at 10am, the morning of the race.  This must have been during their morning nap. Back then, the babies took two naps.  As of now, I need to beg and pray in order to make them take one.

I placed 3rd in my age group - but back then, I never stayed for awards.  I never cooled-down, nor stayed to mingle.

This year, kids at home, I placed 3rd overall.  I did cool down.  And I did stay to mingle.

As much as I loved racing with my babies, somethings are just more fun on your own.  I spend every waking minute tending to my kids - between feeding these two hungry beasts and making sure they stay alive, there is not much downtime in my day.  It is nice to do something for myself and not have to think of anyone but myself.  Selfish? Yes.  But that is the nature of the sport.  Aside from maybe some charities, people race for one person.  No one saves the world by getting a PR.

And a PR was not my goal - I haven't ran a sub-6 pace for not even a minute since August.  My goal was just to have fun.  And, pick up my summer series overall award.

I didn't look at my watch the entire race but I had to set to auto-lap every mile.
-Mile 1 was easy.  I wasn't even breathing heavy.  5:58.
-Mile 2 started getting hard. 5:56.
-Mile 3 was hard.  I hate running in grass.  6:10.
-.15 to finish: 54 seconds.
Garmin final time:

Their final time:  19:05.










And, I did take pictures this time.

It was a bit of redemption after the debacle of a run last weekend.  I can run. I just need to figure out how to run farther, and how to do it after swimming and biking, while fueling, and in the heat, with no socks and without getting blisters and drinking from water stations without stopping.  I can do that!

5K Summer Series, #5 FINAL

There are 5 races in the summer series.  The worst race is dropped.  For me, this was race #4 since I missed it due to the triathlon.  I also had that bad race for race #2.  Those two races balanced out my two wins - and I was tried for first place for the series.

If I won this race, I would win the series.
If I lost this race, I would come in second.

Historically, I do not perform well under pressure.
I tried to convince myself that second place was still very good, but I could not shake off something my elite runner friend/mentor said a few months ago:  Second place is the first loser.  It sounds harsh.
But it is also true.

The night before the race I was watching the Olympics' Mens 5K Final.  It is interesting watching track events because they run directly next to their competition for most of the entire race.  I usually have no idea where my competition is unless they pass me.  In the spirit of the Olympics, I decided to try something new.

On the start line, I saw the girl who was racing me for first place.  She is a nice girl, I like her.  I stood next to her and said, "I am going to run with you today."
Her response?  "Bring it."  It made me like her even more!
We friendly chatted until it was time to race.

These 5Ks always have a fast start.  And this was no exception.
I knew right away that this was not a sustainable race pace so I let myself fall behind.

But by Mile 1, I had caught up. I heard my Garmin beep - I had it set to auto-lap every mile.   I did not look at it.  There really is very little to gain by looking at the Garmin - unless it is the perfect number, it can send you into a mental tailspin.

Mile 2 included a large uphill.  Hill running is my forte and it did not faze me.

At the turn around, I realize I had a substantial lead.  Now, I just had to to sustain it on the downhill.

The downhill was relatively easy. My Garmin beeped again.

Mile 3 rehashed the rolling hills in the beginning.  At this point, I became uncomfortable.

For some reason, the balls of my feet were burning.  Perhaps my shoes were too big but this did not happen at my last race?  My stomach also started to feel alarmingly unsettled.

The nice thing about the last mile is that you can remind yourself: It's the last mile.

Anything is tolerable for just one mile.

I was relieved when the Garmin beeped at Mile 3 but the finish still seemed far away.  I believe this course was closer to 3.2 miles than 3.1.  My feet and stomach were begging for the finish line.

When I asked my Dad (post-race) if it looked like I was running fast, he said no.

But when I turned the corner and saw the clock, I did sprint the last the few steps.

Chip time = 19:10,
Gun time = 19:13.
Mile 1 = 5:58                     
Mile 2 =  6:10
Mile 3 = 5:56
.21 = 1:35 (because I forgot to stop my watch for about 1 minute.)

In 90 + degree weather, I am proud of this performance - it was good enough to win the series.

It was also good enough for another gold medal to bring home to Brenna.  She immediately put it on and did her poses.

I promise I am not priming her for Toddlers and Tiaras.  She developed these poses completely on her own.

She is simply a natural in front of the camera.  Here she is a week earlier:

I also promise that I did not pick out that outfit.  She also did that completely on her own.

5K Summer Series, #3 (4 miler)

I was pretty excited about this race because it was my redemption race.  I was disappointed with my previous performance.  Not disappointed with my legs, but disappointed with my head.

 Even before the race, I had compiled a list of reasons why the race was going to suck.  We are not machines and we all have bad runs.  We cannot control that fact but we can control the thoughts in our head - and make it less of a bad run.

I've been working on these thoughts during my training.  A friend once told me that "every workout has a goal."  That goal is not always related to pace.

My goal for this race was not to win or to run to super fast.
My goal for this race was to ensure that not a single negative thought entered my head.  I wasn't going to think, "it hurts" or "I'm tired" and I certainly was not going to think, "I can't."  When these negative thoughts result in negative performances, it can also trigger negative thoughts, such as "I suck."  What a horrible thing to think in general - nonetheless during a race!

The morning of the race I wore my brand new running skirt.  This skirt is too cute to run in, however it's also a bit short to wear out-and-about.  So, it has been decorating my dresser for a few weeks.  I also wore brand new running shoes.  I figured the first step to a positive self-thinking was looking the part.

I knew from previous years that the first two miles of the course were at a downhill, and that the last two miles were uphill. I also knew that Mcmillan's dandy running calculator suggested a 6:20 pace. I decided I would run 6:10 for the first two miles and then try to stay under 6:30 for the last two.
On the start line, I saw some fast looking women and I knew I was not going to win the race.  I was okay with that - because it wasn't my goal.

The first two miles were fun. It was a little challenging fighting the urge to run faster and staying in my pace range (6:08-6:10) yet I managed to pass all but one of the women who started in front of me (the start was organized based on your projected pace).

 I knew the single woman still ahead of me was a good runner.  I always know a good runner by their fancy sunglasses.   I slowly caught up to her and passed her at the beginning of Mile 4.

I didn't really want to pass her - it is much more fun to chase rather be chased.  But, it was a race.

(By the way, she IS a good runner.  Just a runner who started off with a 5:40 first mile....sounds a little too familiar for me!)

Mile 4 had some significant upgrade so it was an unpleasant mile.  But I kept reminding myself, No negative thoughts, No negative thoughts, No negative thoughts......... and that my running skirt was too cute for a wussy girl.


Mile 3 was 6:20 and Mile 4 was 6:30 - bringing me passed the finish (4.02 miles) in 25:18.  That is 80 seconds faster than last year - and I did win the race after all.



Even if it's not the goal, it is always more fun to win than not win.













As usual, I brought my medal home for Brenna.  She did wear it for a few hours and to the grocery store.  However, the grocery store had Barbie dolls on clearance for $2.50.  I let Brenna pick one out.  She became instantly enamored, and my medal became instantly forgotten.

Hayden was not jealous of her new toy since, you know, he has his yellow cars.

5K Summer Series, #2

I reverted to some old habits during this race:  a fast first mile, a decent second mile and a dreadful third mile.
Old habits die hard.
When I stood on the start line next to Daniel, he asked, "6:18 pace?"
I agreed.
But then I found myself running sub-6.  And although I knew I was running too fast, it felt manageable.
Maybe on another day it would have been manageable.

Let me back-track to Monday.

Monday started off as a normal day.  I went running before work, had a productive day and went grocery shopping to raid the clearance section of meats and veggies that expire at midnight.
When I was driving home from the grocery store, absolute exhaustion hit me like ton of bricks.
I just needed to lie down.

Once I lied down, I did not get back up.
My 75% discounted, but needed to be ate immediately, meats and veggies did not get cooked.  I sent David out for fast food instead.  This is a never-seen occurrence.  Not so much the fast food, but letting food go to waste!

Around 10pm, I was suddenly awakened by throbbing, aching arms.
I woke up David, who told me I had anemia and needed a juicy steak.
I called my mom, who said it sounded like the flu.

My mom brought be both a steak and Tamiflu the following morning (and chicken noodle soup).  Although nothing made me instantly recover, I felt mildly better.  I slept the entire day.
I slept most of the day on Wednesday but by Thursday, I was able to watch TV in between naps and check my Facebook.  All my Facebook friends were alive.

Some people have asked me what I did with my kids during my 4-day hibernation.  As always, I utilized my help.  But, they also did a good job entertaining themselves.
It doesn't really take much to entertain them, a simple office chair in the kitchen will do the trick:

Hayden played with cars:

And Brenna huddled in blankets, just like her mother, and watched him.

such a good girl!



My mom warned me not to run over the weekend.
She said, "You don't want to relapse!  Take it easy!"
Even though she is always right, my brain convinces me that I need to do the opposite.
Like I said, old habits die hard, right?

A bunch of other things then proceeded to go wrong in the next day:  insomnia, bloating, lower back pain and a new blister.  I don't know how you get a blister from being bed-ridden.

This 5K is my favorite one of the series because it is a trail run.  It's not technical nor difficult, but a trail is a trail and it's always better than a road or sidewalk.   I decided that I was okay not winning this race and formulated two reasonable goals.  The A goal was sub 6:20.  The B goal was sub 6:30.

So you see now why it really made no sense for me to run the first mile in 6 minutes flat.
I will say what I always say, it just felt good.
That first mile always feels good.

The second mile felt okay too.  There were some tight turns and mellow dips that naturally slowed me down for a 6:12 mile.

The third mile is where my race spiraled out of control.  I started the mile with fatigue so I transitioned to my A goal.  I focused on keeping my breathing smooth and solid.  But as the mile progressed, my physical state withered.  I lost control of my breathing and found myself gasping.  My chest hurt, my heart rate was too high and my arms were tumultuously tight.  In between moments of telling myself, "I can't" and reminding myself, "I can", I focused on shaking out the arms and taking deep breathes as I transitioned to my B goal.

I think a well-performed 5K should hurt.
But I don't think it should hurt like that.

I got passed in the last mile which did help me achieve my B goal (6:29).

I finished second overall but only because the course was short - it ended at 3 miles exactly.  Had there been a .1 sprint, I would have come in third - this runner and I had an identical chip times, I only beat her with the gun time.  And, unlike me, she didn't look like she was meeting death when she passed the finish.

When they called me up for my award, I promptly grabbed my medal and went over to a bush to puke.
I would have felt sorry for myself, but it was poor pacing on my part.  You have to race according to your capabilities for the day, not your capabilities in general.

When I returned, the kids were excited to see me back in my running shoes that had collected dust on the floor next to the door all week.  They got in the stroller and sat in it for quite awhile.
I love that my kids love to run.
But they will have to wait until next week.