Celebrate America 10k Race Recap

Happy Memorial Day to everyone! This morning I celebrated our service men and women by running some of the most challenging 6.28 miles I have run.

Before heading to bed last night I obsessed over the weather forecast, there were going to be scattered showers throughout the night and early morning, but they were so sporadic it was hard to tell where they would be, so I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

I woke up about 5:45 for a 7:30 start time. Got up, got dressed, had a Luna Bar, and was ready to go. A big Thank You to my Daddy who got up quite early to go with me to the race and watch me finish! We arrived right at 7am, I picked up my number and my shirt, and was a little concerned that I did not see and timing chips. I thought "ok, no chips, small race, I'll be close to the front. There was well over 700 people today, so chip timing really would have been helpful. I warmed up some, and headed to the start line with about 5 minutes until the start. I did not want to be late and get stuck way back and lose up to a minute on my time.

Leading up to the start, the weather was dreary, but clear, needless to say it did not last long.

Well the gun went off, and I got up to pace with no problem. I started my first mile probably a little faster than I should have, I knew there will hills. To be honest, in retrospect, its best I went out fast because that was the best mile I had the whole race.

Mile 1- 8:45

Now from the stat through mile 1 it was very lightly drizzling, but as soon as Garmie beeped at mile 1 and all of a sudden, it started to rain. At first it was manageable, just rain, my ipod seemed safe wrapped safely in it's case, and it was moderate enough that the streets were draining, keeping my feet relatively dry. It was cool, felt nice, I was secretly pleased with the rain and figured it might actually help some- yeah I am niave.

Well as we turned the corner at 1.5 and started up the first serious hill, the heavens opened up and just rain became a monsoon, it literally looked like this.

At this point I realized my armband with my ipod was soaked so I took it off, and tucked my ipod safely into the pocket in my skirt and kept on going. The water started to puddle on the roads pretty quickly and my shoes were their own little lakes by the time I heard the beep at mile 2. My pace looked good though so I was pleased. I knew with all the outside factors I probably couldn't hit the under 55 minutes goal I had origanlly wanted, but I would still PR.

Mile 2- 8:59

I knew I had lost some time during mile 2 from the hill and messing with my ipod, so I made sure I let me legs carry me downhill as fast as was appropriate, I knew I needed to save my quads for the 2nd loop, I was keeping pretty good speed down the hill, and coming the the turn where the 5k and 10k would spilt at the finish line, and the rain was starting to get lighter. I felt pretty good, on pace, rain was going away, maybe I could turn my ipod back on, and then I turned the corner and saw a short, albeit very steep hill. Making it up that hill with no music, motivation and with heavy soaking wet shoes was tough and left me seriously considering why I didn't do the 5k. Dragging my getting tired butt up that hill totally killed the speed and momentum I had built up on the downhill at the start of the mile, this is where it started to come unraveled.

Mile 3- 8:58

I watched the 5k finishers turn to finish and I kept straight ahead to finish my 2nd half of the race. At this point the rain had really lightened up and I decided I needed my ipod to get back into my groove so I took it back out and fired it up. Mentally I felt it really did help, which is funny because this is where my paces took a plunge. We had to climb a hill I was not expecting because we had started at the top of it and I had not really factored it in when were going to be doing the 2nd half. So add in 1 more moderate hill, and a mile full of rolling hills, and I could already feel my legs getting annoyed, not to mention my feet were soaked. I just laughed at the water that squirted out of my shoe with each step I took, I knew 1 slow mile wouldn't break the race or my expected PR, so I took the slow mile, and cranked up the ipod going into mile 5.

Mile 4- 9:16

Right after the mile 4 marker, we turned to climb the monster hill again, and yet again, the rain came back. I did not handle the hill as well as I did the first time, my pace dropped, I struggled, and at that point I was seriously doubting my ability to PR. There was no downhills to counteract the 180 foot climb so I just had to suck it up and take what I could do, which at that point wasn't much.

Mile 5- 9:23

Well as soon as Garmie beeped mile 5, the downhill I needed came into view. I instantly put my head back into it and said I needed to take advantage of it, and get down the hill and to the finish line at my intended pace for the day. The rain picked up, again, I was a little nervous about my ipod, but refused to waste time or slow down to get it out again. I found a solid lady to pace with the rest of the way, and told myself 10 minutes I would be done, I could do anything for 10 minutes. The hill that killed me right before I hit mile 3 was coming back, and this time, I refused to let it get me, I rocked the downhill and that last little hill was mine.

Mile 6- 8:33

Once I beeped at mile 6, I just hauled ass, I wanted a PR, it was raining, and as great as that last split felt, I was just done.

Garmie was right on time with the clock at the finish line, and I finished in 56:06, a 33 second PR from my last 10k in March. The distance went over, I ended at 6.28, but I figured it was because I frequestly run on the outside of the course.

Mile 6-6.28: 2:10 (7:43 avg. pace)

For as much as I struggled and as tough as it was, I was thrilled to actually get a PR, and even more so that it was more than just by a second or two.

I turned in my time card, looked for a banana, there was none, and we headed to the car. This race was tough. The elevation was 1,000 feet higher than usual, there were hills, I feel apart in miles 4 and 5 and duh, it rained, a LOT. But even what looked like a bad race was not, I learned to push through the pain, the difficulties, and the things I don't like (hills) and still come out of it with a PR and a smile on my face.

I am very proud of the race I ran today even if it was not what I consider to be my best. It was the best I could do today, in that race, in that moment, and that is enough for me. I have 1 more pace setting race, before marathon training starts, and I hope that like today I do the best I can that day for that race!

Memorial Day Weekend 2010/ Brookey’s Graduation

So a much delayed post coming your way, but lots of pictures to keep you entertained!


Starting back to Friday, I got up, ran 3 easy miles before packing, working, and heading to the airport. I made it to the house before rush hour traffic picked up, and enjoyed a trip to whole foods and dinner with the family.

I left John at home this weekend to play with his new toy and take care of Ms. Peach




Saturday morning I woke up before the rest of the house and went out for a long-ish run. I was actually pretty excited to tackle the hills in the neighborhood, they were tough, but manageable, I felt my breathing was a tad tougher than usual, but I chalk it up to a 1,000 foot difference in elevation. I did 8 miles in 1:16 so right at a 9:30 pace, not to bad considering the 8 huge hills I had to tackle.


After the run it was time for graduation, and to celebrate this girl




We got to the arena an hour early, right as the doors opened to snatch up some quality seats.




Things almost got ugly when a few people tried to steal our seats, but we had a few body guards, myself included who managed to hold down the fort until everyone made it.




Brooke’s graduating class was the largest in Norcross High School history with almost 600 students graduating




Even with all those kids to parade across the stage, they still somehow managed to get it all done in under 2 hours!!!








After the speedy ceremony wrapped up, it was time for the traditional post-graduation family pictures.


















After pictures we headed back to the house for a post-gradation party, we had quite a food spread too.



And there was also a nice surprise that came in this big box…



It was the cake! Very cute, and in an excellent choice of colors.






Food was eaten, gifts were open, and slowly but surely everyone else continued on with their day and other plans. I am so happy I was able to come home for Brookey’s special day! I am so proud of you Brookey, enjoy your next 4 years at Auburn!


Tommorrow morning is my race, I need to get myself psyched up for it, and I am shooting for a new PR at the very least.

Are We There Yet?

I have felt like a little kid on a long car trip all week..."Are we there yet?" Friday cannot seem to get here quick enough. I am very excited to head home, see the family and watch Brookey graduate, but I guess I am most excited for 3.5 days far far away from work.


I stayed up waaaay too late Tuesday night watching the Biggest Loser finale, and then tossing and turning, so I opted for the extra sleep Wednesday morning, and then would run after work. Now Wednesdays are typically the 1 day per week that I can get out on time no matter what, but the God's were against me and I did not walk out of the office until amost 7:30 last night- Insane! What I do is not THAT important!

I was really really wanting to run after a long and stressful day, but with packing hanging over my head, and still wanting to see my boyfriend before I leave town, I opted to make Wednesday my rest day for the week and make up the run Friday morning. I am glad I did, John and I watched our DVR'd episode of Law and Order and played with The Peach.

This morning I woke up before 5am to get in the 7.5 miles I had planned out in my head. I went and met my mom for a 3.5 mile run for her, a nice 3.5 mile warm-up for me: solid pace, only 2 walk breaks. After the 3.5 I headed to the gym to get in the last 4 miles- SpeedWork!

Originally I had wanted to do 8x400 yesterday, but this morning I was not feeling doing 8 of the same thing so I mixed it up.

400 warm-up
2x800
5x400
with 400 RI between

Goal times: 800's = 4:00, 400's = 1:53
Actual Times:  3:57, 3:55....1:53, 1:52, 1:50, 1:52, 1:48

I was happy with the times, but the earlier 400s felt harder then the last couple- I guess maybe my body is getting used to the work harder when tired mentality I have been trying to force-feed it. I wish I had seen more of it last weekend.


After I finally make it home tonight I have to pack- I didn't get that much done last night, so I have to make it count tonight. Tomorrow morning I am getting in 1 final easy run before hitting the road. I have a longer run planned for Saturday morning among the hills of Norcross. I will take pictures of the beasts, the scare me!

Ten Things Tuesday- Playing Catch up

Happy Tuesday all, this week has been a bit crazy and my posting a bit off, so here is my attempt to catch you up on the last 2 days.

1. Per usual, yesterday was crockpot Monday, I had been craving chili, but opted for chicken chili instead of my traditional recipe. It was pretty good, but I prefer my ground turkey.

2. Despite the fact that I slept in on Monday morning I still got in my intended 6 mile run last night. It felt great, and I think is my favorite training run distance at the moment. I am loving 6 miles right now.

3. For that 6 mile run, I made it into a short tempo, 2 miles easy, 2 miles at tempo pace, 2 miles easy. It resulted like this.

2 miles easy- 18:37 (9:19 pace)
2 mile tempo- 17:13 (8:37 pace)
2 miles easy- 18:31 (9:16 pace)


4. I have been super struggling with my energy level the last week of so, specially when I do an evening workout followed by a morning run. I thought I had made some improvements the last few days, but no such luck.

5. When I started my run this morning, my tummy was already yelling at me, well after about 2.5 miles I was tired, shakey, and getting a headache, so I called it a day at 2.5 and went home and had a huge breakfast.

6. 2.5 miles done in 23:49, really slow, easy run. I think I am finally getting the rhythm of hard day/easy day etc. Tomorrow will be tough- I’m excited!

7. After work today I went with Heather to get a pedicure. We found the best place ever. They have complimentary snacks and beverages (including wine), use hot stones, parafin wax, and is a great price. I will be back!

8.  I am surprised I am able to form coherent sentences, as I am beyond enthralled in the Biggest Loser season finale, its awesome, you should watch it!

9.  I have a looooong weekend coming up, almost 4 days off work, Yay!!!

10.  I leave town in 2 days to go home to watch the baby of the family graduate, I am very excited. I am also majorly slacking and have not even begun to pack yet...whoops, better get to work!



See ya Wednesday!

Back to the Grind

Well my pretty fabulous weekend is over :( The good news is I have a short and fun work week planned.

Saturday after my run, and a few hours in the office I headed out to Lawtey to round out Penny's birthday celebration! We hung out by the pool, made many pitchers of margaritas, and gabbed the afternoon away. Well 9:30pm came and I realized I hadn't eaten since before I left work, and since dinner was no where in sight I decided to head home in attempts to eat and then sleep.


Yesterday John and I woke up early despite the fact that we were up until Midnight! I was really wanting to head back to my favorite train for a bike ride...so we did! After running out there Saturday, I just fell in love with it even more.

We did just under 22 miles. John actually rode in circles until he hit 22 miles, but it was close enough for me. It was a nice sunny, warm day, and we really enjoyed our bike ride today. I have also decided that I will probably be doing most of my long runs out on the trail.

After we finished riding and loaded up the truck, I was struck with a huge wave of hunger. I was still not fully replenished after my run and then add another 1300 calories lost from a bike ride and I needed something serious before heading out for the grocery store rounds.

A quick lunch and a shopping trip later, we decided more sun was needed, so we headed out to the beach to sit and read in the sun for a few hours. We headed up to one of our regular spots, and happened to bump into some friends that were out there with the same idea we had. We stayed a little voer 2 hours and then decided to head home to get dinner started and get the house cleaned up and ready for the week.

Now a little story for you, all last week I was craving a Blizzard from Dairy Queen after seeing a commercial for them on tv. On our way home from the beach we passed right by a DQ and I made John pull in to get me one of these bad boys...

Oreo Bilzzards remind me of my childhood, and I enjoyed every bite of this anti-healthy snack. I cleaned up my act for dinner and had lots of veggies and some chicken.

Another Law and Order Marathon came on last night so John and watched that, folded laundry and were generally lazy before turning in for the night. I started my Monday off by sleeping in as usual and will be running after work.

Birthday Run

It's the weekend! First and foremost I want to wish a VERY Happy Birthday to Penny, and The Peach!!!

Penny was kind enough to get up at 5am on her birthday to come and meet me for a 12 mile run this morning. She kicked my butt this morning, but in a good way.

To start off, we met at the Baldwin end of the Jacksonville- Baldwin Trail that John and I frequent to ride our bikes.

It was quite peaceful out this morning. We started our run about 6:20 just as the sun was beginning to come up.

We probably could have used to start even earlier as it was SO hot and humid by the end, but I am not sure it would have made much difference.

Penny had to do 4 miles at race pace per her schedule(not sure which race pace but faster than I can run 4 miles). So we planned it out like this: 4 miles easy together, 4 miles at our own paces, 7:15 for her, surviving for me (9:30), and then the last 4 miles together easy.

Well the first 4 miles flew by, for me at least, we were talking, and taking in the trail. I have only ever ridded out here before, but I loved running out there, it was so quiet and peaceful and I didn't have to worry about getting hit by cars.

Mile 1-  9:16

Mile 2-  9:25

Mile 3-  9:27

Mile 4-  9:35

Positive splits quite ugly now that I look at them.

I was kind of shocked when Garmie beeped at 4 miles and Penny went ahead and sped up, I just decided to keep on about where I was, see if I could keep some even splits, I ALWAYS prefer to go eay at first and pick it up at the end, so I decided to try and stay in my 9:30 window and then I knew we would be trying to pick it up at least the last mile or so.

Well about the time I got past mile 5 I see a biker coming towards me that looks awful familiar...yep, it was John! He decided to come out and meet us on his bike, and really to test out his new Garmin that came this week. He had started on the Jacksonville side of the trail, and found us both running along. It was nice to have the distraction of someone else since I was on my own at that point, and he also managed to take some pictures for us!!!

Penny was flying and doing great working to hit her mile splits for those middle 4.

After leaving Penny, John came back to find me where I had turned around at mile 6. After taking my gu (I left out that unfortunate picture). I was doing fine at first, but after taking the gu I had trouble getting my pace back up. I didn't push it too much harder then because I knew I was still on track to finish at about an average of 9:30, and I also knew that I would need that energy in the last few miles.

Mile 5-  9:20
Mile 6-  9:28
Mile 7-  9:45
Mile 8-  9:39

Penny and I met back up just before mile 8 and kept on going. It was nice to get a conversation partner back, and I was confident the last 4 miles would go by as quick as the first 4. We chatted about our upcoming marathon training and all the thoughts and advice we had heard and what to make of it all. I will be happy to do this first one and get the experience, and build from there on what I would and would not do again.

John stayed a bit longer to snap a few more pictures before heading home.

Penny and I had decided to pick it up for the last 2 miles. Well with about 2.5 to go I decided to stop for a minute, catch my breath and then just try to get it over with. by that point I was soaked with sweat, my skirt was sticking to me, and the bugs that were chasing me were getting stuck to my skin- gross!!!

The last 2 miles came, and they hurt, I was hot, tired, sweaty and just ready to be done. I sucked it up big time, I felt like a newbie runner all over again. I told Penny just to keep talking to me, since I was panting like a dog at this point I wasn't offering much good conversation. I did manage to keep my last 2 miles to sub-9:00 paces, but it wasn't pretty, my form sucked, and I didn't even really have it in me to sprint the last .1 like I always try to. Oh well, still faster than I normally finish my last 2 miles of a 12 mile run.

Mile 9-   9:34
Mile 10- 9:16
Mile 11- 8:55
Mile 12- 8:50


12 Miles- 1:52:30 (on the dot, that never happens), avg. pace 9:23, 1312 calories burned (Crazy!!!)

I am pleased to have a sub-9:30 average pace, and glas I was able to pick it up the last 2 miles more than I usually would. A huge thanks to Penny for sticking with me when I was slowing down, and even more so for pushing me at the end!

Also, a big shout out to Jaime too who rocked her solo 15 miler this morning while I stole her running partner ;)

I went straight to work after we finished, and am going to be heading out to Lawtey as soon as I am done to sit by the pool with the birthday girls, margarita in hand :) Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, see ya tomorrow with a recap!

Exhaustion

The weekend is so close I can smell it! This weekend if full of big plans, which I will get to in a second. I have felt unnecessarily tired this week, almost woozy. At first I thought it was several harder runs + a little less sleep, but when I got almost dizzy today I decided maybe I am not eating enough for all the miles I am running. I eat a ton of fruit, some veggies, lots of yogurt, a few carbs but not a ton. Any advice on battling the exhaustion is welcome. I think I need to spend some time researching some better diet plans before I start marathon training because I have a feeling if I keep it where I am right now it could go south...fast!

Back to more normal conversation, this morning I got up before the crack of dawn again to go meet my mom and her running partner for 3.5 miles of warm-up for me, a "fake-race" for them. We did 3.1 miles total with a 1/2 mile warm-up but we all know I like round numbers so 3.5 total it was.

Next up came my own personal speedwork session. Normally I pick a distance for my speedwork sessions and just do between 4 and 8 repeats. Today I opted for something a little different, something that Jaime had detailed in my marathon training plan that she has helped me with. I made a slight modification, mostly to get in the mileage I wanted. So here is what I had planned

400, 800, 1600, 800, 400
With 400 recovery at 9:13 pace after 400s and 800s. 2 minutes rest after the 1600

Goal Times:  400's- 1:53,  800's- 4:00,  1600- 8:20

Actual Times:  1:52, 3:57, 8:09, 3:53, 1:49

I was really pleased with how I did, the first 400 and 800 felt fine, and even the mile in the middle wasn't bad, I almost felt like I should have been pushing harder. The 2nd 800 was probably the toughest, but after about 10 seconds into my recovery lap I felt ok again. I ended up rounding out the day at 7 miles and 21 so far for the week, it so strange to think how that use to be my weekly mileage total.

So for the weekend, there is a lot on board. Tomorrow night I have 1 errand to run after work and then John and I have a low key dinner and a movie night planned.

Saturday I will be getting up at the ususal hour and meeting Penny who is in town this weekend for 12 mile run. I am excited to see her, its been a while, and to have the speed demon herself kick my butt into gear for my race next weekend. After the run I have to head into the office for a few hours :( But then I am headed to Lawtey to celebrate by the pool with the Birthday Girls!

That's right! Penny and Peaches share a birthday. Peachie was born on Penny's 21st birthday, and I am excited to celebrate with both of them at Hotel Bloom this Saturday!