500 Festival Training Series 5K

It was sunny. I forgot my sunglasses.

It was chilly but not as cold as I was dressed for- except in the not sunny stretches. Those were definitely cold.

I think I ran it about the same time as I ran the Monumental back in October. My official time then was 42:22 and based on gun time (official time will be my chip time), I might be right around the same time.

I improved in terms of pace. It felt more steady and consistent.

Christy and I ran together the entire time. A couple of times I told her she could go ahead but she stayed with me. This is new for us- I think we mutually need each other (even though I'm pretty sure I need her more than she needs me).

My friends Ashli and Emily ran together and did well- finishing about 6-8 minutes before us. Best part of being a penguin is that you have people cheering for you at the end!

Since this is a training race for the big event in May, I think there were a good amount of first timers there. One of the main things I would want newbies to know about running an official event is that if you are walking or you know you are a slow runner, go to the BACK of the pack. There is no shame in starting there and you'll feel great passing people if you're faster than you think you are. Also, if you find yourself getting passed a lot, please move to the right so you stay out of the way of the people running. Finally, groups of runners shouldn't block paths, stop to tie shoes or adjust equipment, or otherwise impede the entire pack!

There was a race volunteer that I loved. I think she was a security guard for the campus we ran through and I think she was blocking traffic on the race route. She was the BEST cheerleader and was so full of energy and pep that she really gave me a much needed boost in that last mile!

All in all, a good event. This one was weird for me because I had no pre-race jitters. In fact, I kept forgetting I had a race today. But having done the event today, I'm feelin a little apprehensive about training for longer distances and am feeling unprepared for a 10K in just a month. By Monday, I'll be back in gear and ready to dig in and go after those longer runs.

13.1... Here I come!!

A Virtual 5K

I am participating in my friend Ashli's challenge to run 500 miles in 1 year. I'm using Daily Mile to track my progress. Since September 27, I have logged 80 miles towards that goal. One way that the group decided to stay motivated was to schedule a Virtual 5K. We set a date (this weekend) and all results have to be reported on Monday. Christy and I headed out to our standard neighborhood near work to get our 3.1 miles done. Neither of us were particularly motivated but knew we needed to get it done. I tried to keep pushing... I tried to go faster and run more. But a virtual 5K doesn't have other participants. One of the great things about running a 5K event is being around all those other people. I also have to admit that I like being able to pass people- even if I'm only passing walkers. It's very motivating and a great way to feel like you're making continual progress. That is completely lacking when doing a virtual 5K. I had no other runners or walkers around. Christy and I knew we had to head outdoors- trying to do the 5K on the treadmill would have been torture for us. It's funny- when I started running, I hated running outside. Then I got used to running outdoors and now I hate being stuck on a treadmill. So I did my 5K. I ended up with an average time- slower than I'd like, really. But I did it. My time was right around 45 minutes. Christy's time was approximately 35 minutes. Christy and I both want to break 100 miles by Christmas. Christy should hit that next week as she has logged 91 miles. If I really push, I should hit by the end of the following week. It's going to take some serious motivation. So it isn't an "official" race. And I've done the 5K distance on regular runs. But I'm counting this 5K as one of my races. Race for the Cure, Fishers Freedom Festival, Wine At the Line, Indianapolis Monumental, and now the Virtual 5K. In February, I did my first ever Couch to 5K workout. As of today, I've participated in 5 events. That's pretty cool.

I Did It!

That is me before the race when I am still very, very, very cold and still not entirely sure how I was going to do in those very, very, very cold temps! I did that 5K and I might have kicked some booty on it. My official time is 42:22 but my friend Emily found out that was gun time. There might have been an issue with the start line mats and chips. So the clock started for everyone at the same time and ended when you crossed the finish line. Therefore, I think I can maybe take about 2 minutes off my time... but will stick with that officially recorded time for the record. I'll be sharing more about the race on Fit City later in the week but here are some of the highlights: It was definitely cold. Instead of 25, it was a balmy 28 when we arrived. Brrrrr.... the sun coming up definitely helped. I reacted to the cold better than I thought I would. My breathing was fine, my upper body was fine. My legs hated it. My legs were sore and in pain more than usual. Of course, given that I was able to make a new personal record- either officially or unofficially- some of that pain might have been from running faster than I thought I could when I was running! Christy and I rode down together in my van. When we arrived, she handed me a pair of running pants she'd picked up the night before. I was hugely grateful as I was not looking forward to exposing my shins and calves to that frigid air. I changed from capris to pants in the car. Stepped out to see how they fit... too big! The size Large pants were too big!! Thankfully, she had bought a second pair in Medium. I held my breath, really not thinking it was going to fit. I now wear size MEDIUM RUNNING PANTS! That is INSANE! During the run, I observed several moms and daughter running together. There was one girl who was fighting it the entire way. She was a little on the heavy side and we hadn't even gotten to the 1 mile mark and her mom was having to really encourage / pull her along. I wonder how it turned out for them? I saw plenty of girls who were very excited to be out there running with their moms (or aunts or whatever). Cheerleaders on run routes are SO IMPORTANT. If there is ever a run in your area, I would seriously encourage you to get out there and stand on a corner and cheer like crazy for those people running by. There were times that I was starting to falter and then I'd come upon someone cheering like mad and telling me to dig deep and encouraging me to keep going... and I'd find a little more run left in me. Christy and I decided to share that cheerleading encouragement on our drive home. The event is a half marathon and a full marathon. This was the inaugural year for the 5K. The 5K runners were done waaaaaay before the marathoners, of course. As we tried to get out of downtown, we kept hitting closed roads due to the run routes. At some intersections, traffic was directed by police officers when there were breaks in the runner traffic. When we had to sit at an intersection waiting for runners to go past, we would put the windows down and cheer and hoop and holler like mad. As we finally got on the main road to head away from downtown, we were heading opposed to the runners! They had half the road, we had the other half. Car traffic was going VERY slowly so we had my window down and we were cheering and yelling. I was hoping I had a pompom from Teagan's Halloween costume in the car but I didn't see one... but I did find Zach's stuffed Ernie doll. I grabbed Ernie and held him out the window while yelling "YAAAAAY!" So many of those runners LOVED it. We started getting big grins and smiles and waves and people pointing and yelling hello to Ernie. I started having Ernie give "thumbs up" and blow kisses at the runners. It was a serious blast and I hope that I have a chance to be a race cheerleader again sometime- it was awesome! Christy and I ate afterwards- we had to head out of the city because there was no parking anywhere downtown so I couldn't hit any of my spots down there. We went to a place called Le Peep. I haven't been there in years- it was SO GOOD. I had La Jolla Benedict- english muffin, poached egg and hollandaise on top and in between was mushrooms, garlic, spinach, a splash of balsamic vinegar, and tomatoes. It was heavenly! On the drive down to the race, Christy and I shared a little bottle of 5 Hour Energy. I used that stuff the day I stayed home and did all that cleaning to create the play room. I took the entire bottle that day. I took half a bottle today, as did Christy. I wanted something to prevent me from getting a caffeine withdrawal headache later on and I didn't want coffee because sometimes coffee requires having a bathroom closeby after consuming it. Ahem. Christy and I both think the 5 Hour Energy helped keep our energy going as we ran- we both had a very positive sense of our fuel through out the race. I'd forgotten we'd even taken it until she brought it up at the restaurant! I have way cool mementos from this event. I have the typical tee-shirt. I also got my first ever participant medal! And I have an event poster that has my name on it! The poster has names of thousands of particpants printed on it in very tiny, very light print. So cool! So it went well. Christy and I both beat our previous run times and both did really well. She was able to run about a 10 minute mile for her average race pace and I kept under a 14 minute mile. My next event will be a Virtual 5K for the 500 Mile Challenge- participants run a 5K at any time they choose out of a 2 or 3 day weekend. Then we all report our time to each other. After that... not completely certain. But you will be one of the first to know!! And did I mention that I actually full out sprinted for the last 10th of a mile (maybe a little less than that)? I kicked it into high gear and barreled through! Yay!

Race Day!

It's a 5K day! If you're aware of the weather in Indiana, you know it's pretty miserable for going outside to run. I've never run in temps lower than 45-50 degrees Farenheit so this will be a brand new experience for Christy and I both. I don't have a strategy or plan- I'm just going to run as much as I can and walk when I need to recover. I'm hoping the cold will inspire me to run more so I can get into my warm car sooner. Timeline: Feb 27 - Did my first ever Couch to 5K workout April - Race for the Cure June - Fishers Freedom Festival 5K September - Wine At The Line 5K November - Indianapolis Monumental 5K December - 500 Mile Challenge Virtual 5K After that... unknown... but plans will be made soon! I've got my clothes in the washer- capris with pocket (for my phone which is also my tracker and music player), long sleeve shirt, socks, favorite sports bra. I've got warm items ready to go- an ear cover, gloves, a warm flannel shirt to wear before and after the run. My bib is sitting here, ready to be pinned. My shoes (complete with a cute little velcro pouch- to hold car key, ID- I got for free at the pre-race Expo downtown at packet pick up) are ready to be put on before I head out the door. My morning menu is planned- whole wheat english muffin, peanut butter, banana. Splash of caffeine to avoid headaches. I pick up Christy at 7 and we head downtown for the 8:20 start time. I'm nervous. I'm excited. I'm apprehensive. I'm excited to be around runners going for the half and full distances in the marathon. The energy is amazing. The weather is frightening. Tune in to the Facebook page and/or Twitter (links off to the side) for updates before and after the event!!

My Second 5K

It was a good race. I did well considering I haven't been training. I'm eager to see how I can do better in a couple of months... I've got my eye on a 5K on Nov 6. I improved on my time from my first 5K. In June, my time was 46 minutes and 26 seconds. This 5K, my time was 43 minutes and 47 seconds. An improvement - amazing to me considering I didn't really do any training for this event. In fact, I was almost anti-training. I was working out but I was only running once a week and not aiming for certain mileage or endurance goals. My plan is to keep working towards the 500 Miles plan and, in so doing, I'll be better prepared for the Nov 6 5K and should be able to shave a bit more off my time. This was an inaugural event for Mallow Run Winery. They worked with an event company for organization. It was very well done. There was very little we could complain about. There are certainly areas that can be improved for next year- and I truly hope there is a next year! I registered on site since I didn't really commit to doing the event until about 2 days prior. That went fairly easily. We walked around the winery a bit before the start- just to warm up. The 5 mile racers started at 4 p.m. and the 5K start was at 4:15. There were 1,213 participants in the 5K and 470 5 mile runners. The route was well marked with volunteers posted at intersections or corners to help us stay on track. When the 5 milers were in the final stretch, they came down the road that the 5Kers were heading up and there were volunteers on bikes and in a golf cart that cleared the road for them. That was one point of contention for me. A lot of us that wanted to run had to walk because we got a bit packed in at that point. We were running through farmland and it was a serene setting- fields of dry corn, horses in a pasture, bright blue sky and a pounding hot sun. My other complaint was the handling of the drink station halfway through the course. They were a bit slow on cup filling and they had the station set on one side of the course so there was a bit of a slow down and even stop to get hydration. You have to spread out your water station and have a system in place where certain people fill, a filler hands to a hander outer, and you have your tables spread out and on both sides of the course. I did have water from that station and also gatorade and was surprised at how the gatorade actually pepped me up a bit. I might have to consider those gels they sell of gatorade type picker uppers for mid race. I took advantage of shade and downhill whenever I could. In the last mile, heading down the incline, the paramedic team was on the other side of the road assisting someone. As I got closer, I saw a worried mom seated on the ground, stroking the hair of a child who was laying in the ditch, being attended to by the paramedics. The child appeared to be around 10 years old and they had oxyen flowing and she was definitely passed out, heat exhausted, dehydrated, something. I held up my hands and prayed for a moment as I ran. I had to contain my emotion- I immediately put myself in that mom's shoes. But I had to keep running. And I did. And I crossed that finish line. And it felt awesome. The winery had pizza and wine and free wine tastings and special prices for event attenders. We sat outside and listened to the band for a few minutes and then headed into the store to each buy a bottle of wine to take home as a souvenir. I definitely earned my shirt and wine glass!

Wine at the Line

What are you doing today? Heading to closing day of a Farmer's Market (that season went by too fast, for sure!)? Relaxing at home? Planning to enjoy a trip to a museum for no admission thanks to the Smithsonian Free Museum Day?

I plan to get a good breakfast in on Saturday morning. Something really well balanced. Eggs for protein. Wheat toast for carbs. Melon and strawberries and banana for fruit. Yogurt for dairy.

Might go to the Farmer's Market. If we can swing it in the budget, I'd like to stock up on some beef from Royer Farm Fresh Beef and I know Jeff would like some more corn salsa from the place where I'd like to stock up on some more pickled baby beets for me and Teagan.

I need to get some housework done. Dishes, laundry, must vaccuum.

A light lunch around noon would be good for me. Nothing heavy. Maybe some of the chicken and veggie and quinoa soup I made earlier in the week. Yes, that sounds perfect!

Lots of water throughout the day, of course.

Because I'm doing my 2nd 5K on Saturday at 4:00!

Christy and I will be driving down south of home- about an hour away. There is a local winery- Mallow Run- that is having a running event and after party. There is a 5 mile run and a 5K run/walk. Afterwards- wine, pizza, music.

Now, I'm not in any condition to run the entire 5K. I'm not doubting myself or being nervous- just realistic. I haven't been able to run more than a 3 minute interval since changing my running style. So I'll do my best at my very slow pace and I will walk when I need to and run as much as I can.

Hopefully, this boosts my motivation for the next event on my radar...

Also, I'm still going going going on Ashli's challenge to run 500 miles in 1 year. I added a widget over on the side that will show you what mileage I did on my last run or walk. If you are on DailyMile and you are going to join us on the challenge, there is a group started up to help track all of our miles. Let me know if you want to join- friend request me on dailymile and then I can invite you to the challenge group.

Send me fleet feet vibes this evening! 4:00 PM EST

5K

I ran 2 miles. I walked and ran the last mile. I learned a lot, I felt awesome afterwards and was surprised at how strong I felt during. It was a great morning and I am so happy to have shared this accomplishment with some great friends.

First- Christy. She's been training by my side all along. She's made vast improvements- well ahead of mine. She's encouraged me and heard me complain and watched me struggle and celebrated my triumphs. All the while, she's been pushing to reach her own goals. Today, she ran her first 5K in 43 minutes and 59 seconds. She ran the entire course- no walk breaks for her! I don't have a pic... her preference, not mine!

Second- my little running church family! This is Amanda, Ashli, me, and Ginger. These women have been encouraging me along the way and all are better athletes than I am and did great in the race. I was thrilled to be with them when the race started and emotional to have them waiting for me, cheering, at the finish line.


My cheering section... Jeff brought the kids to a corner of the route that isn't far from home. It perked me up to see them!! It was so important to me to have my family there, cheering me on, supporting me.

And after the race... recovery well under way... walking home... tired, proud, feeling accomplished and sweaty and hot.

My finishing time was 46 minutes and 26 seconds. My pace was right around 15 minutes per mile. I ran 2 solid miles before taking a walk break and I don't regret that walk recovery time in the slightest. I did what my body told me it could do the entire route. I knew when I could push and go harder. I knew when I needed to slow down and recover. I knew when I could pick up the pace and jog a bit again.

Surprisingly, I kept up with Christy for those first 2 miles. Typically, we run together for about the first mile and then I slow down or walk and she starts to push and pulls away from me.

Things I remember:
- Not long after passing my family, there was an older woman dressed all in purple who stood on a corner and smiled and clapped for everyone as they went by.
- The guy who had turned on his full lawn sprinkler system and invited runners and walkers to run down his sidewalk to cool off.
- The cheering of the volunteers at the midway water station.
- The guy with the horse puppet who cheered us on about 1/2 mile from the finish line.
- The dad sitting in his driveway with his 2 young boys on his lap, watching runners go by as they lounged in their pj's.
- The local high school pep band that was playing at the start and finish of the race. Loved hearing the drums and horns as I approached the finish line!

The lessons I learned:
- I'm good at starting at my normal pace. I didn't take off and go faster at the start. I started slow and stayed slow and steady.
- I need to work on my last mile so that I can run the entire 3.1 next time. I stayed pretty strong and steady the first 2 miles and then my body just stopped.
- A half mile walk to the park where the race starts is a great warm up.
- A half mile walk back home after walking 1/2 mile and then running 3.1 miles kinda sucks.
- Running and being emotional aren't a good mix.

I got to the last turn and the finish line was ahead. Maybe 1/10 of a mile. I had walked to almost the corner and realized that I was about to turn on the last street. I gave a grunt and kicked it into high gear. I was about half way to the finish line when I saw Jeff and the kids. I heard Teagan yelling for me "Mommy! Mama!!" Something about them being there, so close to the finish line... I started to cry but needed to keep running. Problem is, when I cry, my throat closes up. This makes it remarkably hard to breathe. So I pulled it back together and started to run again.

Then I see Christy. She had finished and was coming back down the route to be with me as I finished. I had to fight the tears all over again. We gave each other a thumbs up and a smile and I tucked the emotional breakdown into my pocket until...

The finish line was in sight- just feet ahead of me. And my friends- Amanda, Ashli, and Ginger- started to cheer for me. Loudly. Screaming my name, yelling for me to get to that finish line. I choked up all over again and kept pushing and pushing even though the air was not going into my lungs.

I crossed the finish line and started to walk, wheezing and wheezing. Miss Tori- one of Teagan's teachers- came up to me and hugged me (she's a runner and did great in this 5K). I choked out that I couldn't breathe and she handed me a water bottle. That sip of water reminded me that I could breath through my nose. Duh. I was fine after that.

I had Christy by my side, Ashli and Amanda and Ginger came to hug me... my husband and kids came to celebrate my accomplishment. I felt... sore and tired and sweaty and so, so proud. While I ran, I though about Momza and the comment she shared here this week... and about Nancy who sent me a note to cheer me on... and Beth who has given me amazing support and encouragement and advice... and Emily who has been doing her own challenges in running and has also guided me and inspired me... and all of the internet and real life friends I've made who have supported me, encouraged me... who have said that I inspire them... you all became my inspiration to be able to come back to this blog and say that I did my very best and that I was proud of what I had accomplished.

Tomorrow... I'll share the story of Teagan's reaction to all of this. Let's just say that I won't be winning any Mom of the Year awards if nominations are left up to strangers and neighbors who witness the behavior of your child.

Friday Fragments 2.26.10

Friday! Fragments! Fours (as in Mrs)! Fun!

Click the FriFrag button to join in on the fun!

Click the Feel Good Friday button to learn more about it- then visit her home page and join in!

*****

I'm still not back to full health. It's been 1 week. I'm not feeling a need to go to the doctor just yet- no drainage from the ear, no pain, no fever. Just that fullness. So I feel like waiting a bit longer isn't a bad thing.

I'm using my neti pot regularly. And I'm exercising, eating better, sleeping well. And taking Airborne. I know that can be controversial. There were lawsuits about it not being effective. That's when the creator bought the company back- she felt her product was being misrepresented. Here's what I know- I just plain old like the stuff and even if it's a placebo effect, I like the drink, I like the energy boost I feel after. So I'm going to keep taking it.

But the pink grapefruit- while my favorite flavor so far- does this weird bubbly thing that the citrus flavor hasn't done! Check it out!

*****

For my Feel Good Friday Fragment, I'm sharing my Facebook affirmation for the week!

YOU INSPIRE

Don't we all need to hear that sometimes?

*****

We went to Jeff's nephew's basketball game last night. A bunch of 9 year olds running around, dribbling and shooting and working hard. Corbin's team is undefeated and if they won this game, they play a championship game on Sunday- at the High School! Corbin's team won! Yay! But my heart went out to a boy on the opposing team... he played so hard. This was so important to him. He cried. His coach pulled him aside and said some pep talk stuff to him- it looked supportive from where I was. As we were leaving, he and his family passed us. I reached out to him and said "You really played a great game and worked so hard." He said thanks, but was still put out, of course. His mom gave me a very grateful thank you- looked me in the eyes and there was this cool mom to mom moment where we both just understood.

I love moments like that.

*****

We have our plan all set for Teagan's birthday party! She helped me with the guest list- and has asked to include Zach's 2 little friends from daycare (she knew them back when she went there, too). And she was very concerned to make certain that Mommy, Daddy, and Zach would be there. But what I loved most was her absolute certainty that her school friend be invited. We will be inviting several school friends but there is one little boy that she seems to have a special connection with. I've met him and his parents once before and liked them very much. He is high functioning on the autism scale- and Teagan is kind to him, helps him, encourages him. She really, really likes him and I love that she's found a friend who is unique and can teach her so much. I think we need to arrange a playdate.

*****

OK- I'm watching Survivor as I watch this. THAT IMMUNITY / REWARD COMPETITION WAS RIDICULOUS! Jeff and I were bouncing around and cracking up- hooting and hollering at the TV! I've been waiting for the Heroes to get their act together and this was AWESOME!

*****

OK- my biggest fragment for last. Prepare to hear a lot more about this one over the next 50 days.

I made a choice and a commitment yesterday. I joined the Indy MomsLikeMe Team for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. This is my first ever 5k. I'm not going in the competitive group but instead with the larger group of walking moms. I have 50 days to get myself geared up for this. I'd love to actually run some of it. I'm hearing a lot of good things about the Couch to 5K program. I'm definitely feeling inspired to stay on my health and fitness track with this as a goal!!

I'll add this to my sidebar as well. The button takes you to my personal race page. And if you happen to have a couple of spare bucks or just feel like this is a cause worth supporting, I would be very grateful and proud to run for your donations. In fact, I think the more donations are made, the more I run instead of walk!

*****

Our weekend includes an easy Saturday and a jam packed Sunday. Church (sing at both services), I have a meeting after church (a cool initiative to do ministry with our sister church in the same town), Teagan has a birthday party to attend at one of those bounce places (Monkey Joe's). What's going on with you this weekend?