Run for your Life 5K

The first Saturday in February marked the first of four 5K's in the Valdosta area. I love this time of year when the races are starting to take up each of my Saturday mornings. Honestly, I really don't mind at all as a matter of fact I live the rest of my week waiting on the next race. I enjoy these "fun runs" because many of them have a good charitable reason behind them. Take for example The Run for your Life 5K. The race was run in honor of Elizabeth Pitts a local child who lost her battle to cancer in July 2010. A portion of the money collected was donated to the Hugs of Hope Foundation which was founded by the Pitts family. The foundation supports families facing pediatric cancer by providing educational resources, emotional support, sibling/school support, and financial assistance for other families who find themselves in a similar situation. 

I look at the run as a privilege, an opportunity of giving back in a way. Elizabeth's mother spoke to the runners, over 100, before the race and I was taken back at how focused she was on providing aid to other family's that have or are facing the same thing her family went though. I don't have children but I can't imagine what it would be like to loose one to anything at such a young age. She talked about how no matter what Elizabeth always had a smile on her face. I thought of this many times during my run. I don't know what it was about that particular statement but It was my focus for the whole 5k.

The race was held at the elementary school where Elizabeth attended. I did not know it till I got there but the course was mostly on dirt/mud. There was very little pavement running which is what I train on so it was a little different for me. It was cold and raining but just a few moments before the race stated it stopped raining and the sun starting to peak out from under the clouds. I tossed Matt my running jacket just in time and I am glad I did because by the end I was a puddle of sweat. I had even pealed my fleece lined arm warmers down to my wrist. I made one change in this race that I must admit I was slightly nervous about. When the race director started calling out "expected" finish times to line up I chose to get into the front which I NEVER do. I am not even sure what I was thinking but I took the steps and found myself up in the front. Well I must say it turned out better for me than I could have anticipated. The "slight" competitive edge came out in me and I mostly kept up with those that were in the front of the line with me. Like I said before I went to the run for the simple fact that I enjoy running and I enjoy running even more for a good cause but I ended up with a shock. I came in first for my age group 25-29 with a time of 25:56.

I came in 17th overall and there were over 100 runners. That in itself made me happy. I did not go expecting to win or even come close but I will admit it felt good to hear my name called out during the awards ceremony. I felt like I was back in High School all over again. I remember looking at Matt and saying " I just got 1st in my age?". He laughed at my state of shock. I was just not expecting it. Anyway I won a $65.00 gift certificate for a local salon and spa for highlights. Which works out well since I just had my hair cut off. A great race for a great reason with the added benefit of winning. Till next Saturday - Happy Running.

My Quagmire Run

I was looking forward to this mornings run a little more than most mornings, if that is even possible. It has been a few mornings since I have been able to get in a run before work due to poor weather and my crazy work schedule. This coupled with the excitement of trying out new running gear had me bouncing out the door early in order to get in my run.  I had asked for a running Hydration pack for Christmas and my wonderful mother delivered the one I had spent time researching and decided would be the best for me. I pulled the belt out and clenched it down on my hips as tight as possible. I had washed the two bright yellow water bottles that go in the belt a few days ago so I retrieved them and filled both up with water. I knew I would not need the water on this mornings run because I only had time to fit in four miles before I needed to get back and start gearing up for work. A bit apprehensive about running with something on my waste I started jumping around trying to get the belt to move out of place but it stayed nice and snug like the reviews stated it would. So there I went out for my first Hydration pack test run with my lab Blue.

 

The first 20 feet was bliss then it happened… The belt started moving up. So I figured I had to make it tighter. I stopped got Blue to sit still and I once again tightened the belt as far as I could get it to go. Off we went for another 20-30 feet and once again the belt began to move back up. I then figured I needed to move the belt father down under my hip bones and tighten it. Well that worked for about 60 feet then once again the belt was bouncing around my waste. So needless to say I did this whole stop/start thing for right at a mile before deciding this was not going to work. I took the belt and slug it around my shoulder like a sling pack and took off running again. Well then the bottles began to fall out. Good thing about that is they are bright yellow so I could see the bottles on the ground from a bit away.  So here I am going at a snails pace because I have my 100 pound lab by a leash in one hand and I have to hold the two bottles in the belt with my other hand. Have you ever tried to run without using your arms? Well I have adapted to just one since Blue runs with me but not having either really does not work well.  Now that I think about it I can see where I looked rather comical to those that passed by me this morning. I did 3 miles like this. I made a tragedy of my time and my neck is killing me from where the pack was slung over my shoulder. Needless to say this was the first time I have had such a quagmire of a run thanks to my faulty equipment.  I’m glad I got a run in none the less.     

The Boston Mini 1/2 Marathon

You know that childlike excitement you once felt? The kind that kept you lying awake in bed long after your parents tucked you in the night before a big field trip. That’s how my day started on October 30^th, 2010. More precisely I woke up at 4:30am with a mind full of questions, thoughts, and excitement; its race day. The day I have been looking forward to for months. The day I attempt to run my very first ½ marathon. I lay still for a little while going over things in my head but really I was nervous about trying to stand up since I had been nursing a hurt leg for a little over a week. I knew that if I stood up and was not able to put my full weight on my leg I was never going to make it to the starting line. But I also had a time line I needed to stay with so I got up long before my alarm clock sounded. My leg felt ok still a little stiff in the left calf but manageable. Off to shower, yes I shower before I race, I have to wake up somehow! I had all my gear laid out the night before so it did not take me long to get dressed and ready to go. Being that I was ready to go at roughly 6:00 and I did not have to leave my house till 6:45 I had a little time on my hands.  So I made some coffee for myself and my husband who by this time was slowly making his way out of bed only after giving me the one eye open look after seeing the time on the clock. You know the look that really says “its Saturday and I’m up way to early wouldn’t you rather take up a sport that starts later in the day”? But being the wonderful man that he is he never verbalizes this and begins to get himself ready to be my biggest fan!

I know I need to eat something but I have such a mix of excitement and nerves I am not hungry. I drink one small cup of coffee and grab a pack of crackers along with bottled water and a banana to munch on in the car. We left the house around 6:50 as planned and drove the 45 minutes to Boston. The run was set to start at 8:05 and we were there by 7:40 so I had plenty of time to get my packet, drink some water, and have my first GU Gel for the day. I have to say the consistency of the GU Gel is just nasty! I have some of the GU chomps at the house but I decided to go with the Gel and I can’t even recall why.. The weather was perfect! I was afraid it was going to be very cold and I had opted to wear my running shorts rather than my long running pants. But there was very little wind and it began warming up rather fast the later it was getting. About 10 minutes before the race began I told my husband and my second biggest race day fan Blue, my black lab, that I would see them in hopefully about 2 hours and off I went to stand with the other racers at the starting line. The congregation at any starting line is a story all to itself; they are just crazy esp. if there are thousands of runners. And then just like that the race started!

I have learned my lesson about allowing the initial desire to “run like hell” right out of the gate is not the best thing to do in any race of distance so I settled down the desire and set into a slow comfortable pace. It’s funny the way the mind works and the thoughts that run though your head at seemingly random times. Around mile 2.5 there was a cattle pasture to my left. There were roughly 50 or so cows standing in group and they all started running at the same time in the same direction the race was going. I immediately began thinking of my grandfather who was a cattle farmer. This lead to thoughts of my grandmother who was and will always be one of my favorite people in the world. I will admit I looked up towards heaven and smiled because I knew I could feel their presence. Now if I had been at about mile 12 I may have thought I was delusional but I was still feeling super strong. A lady that had been in front of my for a while panicked when she saw a police car approaching towards us and cut right in front of my causing me to stutter step a little. She kept turning around saying she was sorry so I took my ear buds out and ran with her for a while. We chatted about running and our goals and occupations.  She was a teacher in Fl and was running in her 2^nd ½ marathon. The thought crossed my mind once again that my grandmother was cheering me on of all the occupations in the world I find myself talking with a teacher which just happens to have been my grandmothers occupation. I’m just saying I know Im not crazy!

I had my second GU Gel on the run around mile 5. Next time I will make sure to take it near a water station. I had to deal with the taste for longer than I wish I had to. I lost the teacher at the turnaround. I believe she stopped to drink her water and I have gotten good at drinking and running. My mom called me just after the turnaround and I spoke with her briefly without ever missing a stride. If you’re wondering why I have a phone on me it’s because I got lost in the 15k I was in last year. I searched for my running group and husband for about an hour before Hawk, my running partner, spotted my hat. They will never let me live that one down. I still felt good around mile 7. My leg was holding up very well! My stride was off a little because of the soreness to my calf but I somehow forgot it was even bothering me. At some point you don’t even feel your legs anymore they are just there moving on cue. A youth minister from Thomasville caught up with me around mile 7.5 and we chatted for a while. I had my third GU Gel at mile 10. This one was a lime flavor and SO much better than the others I had. I sort of needed to Pee and there was the dreaded port-a-potty at the 10.5 mark. I thought it may be best I stop and pee since I knew the last three miles were going to be hard on me but as I simply started to slow my stride I could feel my muscles burning. It honestly felt better to keep on running at my pace than to slow down so I kept running.

As I had predicted the last three miles were the hardest for me. I had never run more than 10 miles EVER! I simply did not have time to expand my distance when I was training for this race. Most days I got in a minimum of 4 miles and some days I was able to do up to 6. Now if you count the biking I did then there were a few days I ran 5 miles and did a 5 mile bike ride. Needless to say I was starting to hurt a bit. I never allowed the option of walking to enter my mind. I tried to focus on any and all positive things I could. I pushed through the pain and crested the last hill which offered a view of the finish line. I knew my tank was about out so I held my pace rather than kicking in the afterburners. I was almost exactly ½ a mile away from the finish when I felt a funny pain in my right calf muscle. I did not know what it was at first it felt like someone had just slightly squeezed my leg. It was gone as quickly as it came on and I thought for a moment I had only imagined it. Then it happened; a full lock up of my right calf muscle that stopped me in my tracks. If I had even thought about taking another step I would have fallen on my face. I have never experienced a leg cramp before but I let me say they SUCK.  The cramp subsided enough that I was able to get running again. I knew I needed to get to the end fast before It locked up on me so I “ran like hell” just hoping it did not come back and send me airborne. 

I was able to finish without any more cramps thankfully. My husband and lab met me at the finish and helped me to the truck where both my legs went into fits of convulsions. They hurt but are funny to watch at the same time. My only guess is that I got dehydrated and that is what was causing the cramps. More water next time.  

My time was 2 hours and 23 minutes. Not what I was wanting but in the end I was okay with it. Not to bad for my first ½ marathon I don’t think. Now if I can just work up my mileage and add tempo runs as well as some hill work I think I can take a good bit of time off my next attempt. Till then I will own the feeling of the race finishers exaggerated enthusiasm that gives you a sense of superhuman strength, unreasonable optimism, and unbridled genius!                   

Perplexed

My training is about to become interesting! By interesting I don't mean fun and exciting such as running a race on stilts or attempting a race blindfolded. No interesting as in looking for odd hours I can fit in a daily run. My work schedule has done the full rotation placing me back on midnights... UGH.... I am not a night owl! So instead of waking up all refreshed and ready to hit the pavement in the mornings I will be falling into bed. 

I can only think of two possible options I have:

1. Hit the gym as soon as I get off work at 7am.
2. Go home get some sleep and hit the gym before I go into work at 10pm

Option 1... There will be many mornings I will be so tired and sleepy the act of driving home will take more concentration than I have left in the tank. My performance may suffer due to the tiredness factor. There will also be many mornings, such as this Thursday, I will get off work for an hour only to have to be in court at 8am. On the flip side I know that if I can muster up enough spare energy to get in a run and a bit of weight training I will sleep very well! 

Option 2... Would I be draining myself of vital energy I potentially need at work? It's imperative I bring my A game each and every time I set out to save my small corner of the world. This is probably more of a mindset issue than a reality. I feel like I will not push myself as hard knowing I have to go into work for the night. And most importantly my wonderful husband (6 years and counting =)) would be the one to suffer most of me training after I wake up. Bless his heart he does not get to see me much when I'm working nights as it is! I get home and he has already left for work and when he gets home from work we have just a couple of hours before I am getting ready to go into work. I just don't think I can take those few hours away from him or myself. This would be a good spot to give my husband a big "shout out" Thank you for being so supportive of my career choice and running desires! Your the best and I love you more than life itself!   

Well the sun is beginning to make its way above the trees which means its time for me to get some sleep. Hopefully, I can figure something out that still allows me to get in my daily miles and also maximize the time I get to spend with my hubby, family, and friends. Good night daylight!

Cross that line become a Runner!

August 21, 2010: VSU Community 5K fun Run.

I received a call from a good friend of mine sometime in July in which she expressed the desire to run in a 1/2 marathon. I was in shock! I met India (the one in green) while attending police academy. India is very much a makeup, pink lace girl. I am more of the adventurous outdoor type. However, we became inseparable during our 10 weeks of police academy. She hated to run, I loved it, and its something we had to do every morning. However, when she expressed to me her desire I did not miss a beat I told her to start running and I would run the 1/2 with her. She ran her first ever race, a 5K, on August 21st with me. She called me the day before the race and asked me all kinds of questions about what to expect, what to wear, what to eat, and such. I answered her questions the best I could without expressing how comical I felt the conversation was. I was so excited for her once she crossed the finish line because I know what it feels like when you don't believe you belong amongst all the spandex, fancy shoes, and technical shirts. Its something after you complete your first race that makes you believe you are a runner. The distance does not even matter its the ability to start something and make it to the end amongst the cheering that counts. Oh, she still wore makeup for the race! Somethings never change =)