Tuesday, July 31, 2012

A Quick Catch Up

Ummm yeah so obviously I am behind in blogging, Why? Don't really know~ Ha! Just decided to take a break I guess. So instead of boring you with my mileage for the last few weeks I thinks I will just share four quick race recaps!

*July 13- Country Sunset 4miler- This was a tough run! The description for this race read "Are you country strong?" so I didn't really look for it to be an easy race but what else did I have to do with my time on a Friday night, Lol. This race is also part of a second series that I have been doing, if you do at least 7/12 races then you get a long sleeve dri fit shirt that makes it worth it right? It had rained off and on all day so I was expecting it to during the race but the race gods came through and it got very hot and humid instead. It was a night for the 3 H's Hot-Humid-Hills! And bugs this race honestly was in the middle of no where in the country and as the sun was setting the bugs came out in full force! I told the person I was going to be running with I would probably be at 9:15 to 9:30 pace and I was going to do my best not to take off all crazy fast. This was the first race that I actually had to walk a little to get up one of the steep hills! I was pleasantly surprised with an overall pace of 9:00 and a finish time of 35:37!!
Thankful that was over:)

*July 14-Run for Independence 5k- The bad thing about the 4miler race, the very next morning was a 5k that is part of the "Wilderness Trace Serres" and it is another tough course with hills. I thought I would be sluggish and tired legs but I wasn't I did notice though once we took off the first mile is almost all uphill and my hamstrings got tight and achy but I paced myself well and made it up. This race usually has a fairly big crowd (for our area) of at least 100+, this year there was only about 50 not sure why but I'm guessing because no one likes the course. Thankfully I paced myself well enough to pull off a finish time of 26:03 and a PR for this course by a minute and 37 seconds!! YAY ME:)
Thumbs up~ That's how I run

*July 21-Bluegrass State Games 5k- This race was held at the beautiful RJ Corman property in Nicholasville, Ky. (You should google RJ Corman, I think he has an interesting story and a very nice man!) I had done this race in 2009 and haven't been able to do it since. I really like participating in it since it is the Bluegrass State Games which is kinda like the Olympics for Ky.  On this morning I woke up with the dreaded awful stomach GI issues (sorry TMI!!!) I didn't think I was ever going to leave the bathroom but the race gods pulled through for me once again and right before the race started I felt so much better! Several of my running buddies were there and I met a couple of new ones~ Love it my group grows:) I didn't do such a great job pacing as usual and took off way too fast but I did not walk any even though I could have. I had a little young fellow in front of me that kept going side to side, he would slow way down and I would pass him then he would come speeding fast past me, it was driving me nuts, when he saw a race photographer he really went speeding in front of me and finally made some distance ahead of me. It was cloudy and a little bit cooler I was really hoping for a 24 something even if it was 24:59 its been a little while since I have ran a 24 something but at 1.5mi I began having a strange pain in my chest assuming it was due to my major bathroom issues that morning and I had to slow it down a little to regain myself. I am still very thrilled with my 25:08 and 2nd place in my age group!
Told ya Thumbs Up! Why do I look so gigantic??


*July 28-Jingle in July 5k- This was the 9th race in the Wilderness Trace Serres only 5 more to go! During the week before this race for whatever reason I only ran once and it wasn't a great run so in my mind I thought I would be really fresh and ready for that 24 something. From what I remembered about this course it was downhill going out and a long hill at the finish~uggh! And I bet you could never guess that I took off way to fast, why do I do that got to start controlling myself better!! One of my new running buddies told me at the end his watch beeped and said we was at 7:06 pace for a little while, I told him next time to yell at me to slow it down and save that for the end! (Something I will focus on:) Instead of feeling fresh and ready I felt heavy, tired and slow! I truly wanted to walk but my buddy was right in front of me (thankfully) and I told myself not to walk and just keep on going even if its slow! I mentioned to my buddy about the fact that I really wanted to and almost walked and he said "Around me you will never walk! I WILL NOT let you walk!" Oh thank goodness I have someone to pace with and hopefully improve with! I ended up finishing in 25:13 and 1st place in my age group~ guess it wasn't so bad after all I just know I can do better.
Every one in my growing group got medals~ Hooray!

So there is my month of July I have been doing long runs on Sundays and have been VERY pleased with them I'll let you know what the long runs are for soon!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

3TT- Out of Shape, My Horoscope & No Power

1. For whatever reason (trust me I have lots of excuses) I have fallen out of my regular Step & Tone Aerobics routine, I was going two times a week and was still able to keep up with my running. Then I started missing here and there sometimes not going at all but kept up on running. I told myself this is the week to get back to it! I want/am going to aerobics two times a week and keeping up with my running mileage of at least 25- 30miles.  Well.......I went to aerobics Tuesday night and have barely been able to get up and down since and feel ten times worse today~ Gosh I'm so out of shape!! Needless to say I haven't ran any this week :(
2. I was/am beginning to feel a little down and out about my out of shape(ness) then I read my Horoscope in the paper last night, the message it told me:    Take a break from your normal pace.  Thank you Horoscope for making me feel better about it:)

3. I had every intention of running last night even though I was barely able to move. I told myself it didn't matter if I was slow or even if I had to take walk breaks just get out there and get some miles in! It was crazy super hot and humid so I needed to wait for the sun to go down a little. It began to get cloudy and all areas around us was having storms but none looked like they was coming our way so I got ready to put the running attire on. Of course the wind picked up, it started thunder and lightening with pouring rain and our power went out ugghh! Its nothing unusual for our power to go out and normally comes right back on, wouldn't you know that wasn't the case last night! Our power was out from 7:15pm until 3:15am which of course meant I didn't go run:( I was starting to have memories of a few years ago when we had a terrible ice storm and had no power for 2weeks! So thankful we didn't have to wait that long again!

Wish me luck in going to aerobics tonight, as sore as my legs are I'm trying to talk myself out of going BUT

No Pain No Gain, RIGHT???

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

WIR- Still catching up- My Week in Panama City Beach, Fl

Monday 7/2- Run 4mi/36:00  Walk 2mi
Wednesday 7/4- Run 6.21mi/58:07
Saturday 7/7- Run/Walk 3mi/38:21

I am still trying to get back into a regular blogging routine, gosh one week off and its so hard to fit everything back in gear!

Panama City Beach, FL was the greatest family vacation we have EVER had (that came straight from my kiddo's!!). We are bad parents I know but this is our girls first ever trip to the beach and the are 18 & 13 years old so yeah they REALLY enjoyed it! Before we went I told my youngest daughter that "Yes I WOULD be running while we was on vacation, don't worry it will be early in the morning while you all sleep" her reply was "Mom it is vacation and you should be taking a vacation from everything!" But (for me) how often do you get to run by the beach??

So on our first morning there I got up and out the door around 5:30am (their time was an hour behind my time at home and that made it so much easier getting up~ crazy!). I knew is was about 1mi from our room to the Pier Park Mall so that was the direction I headed, I went up and down every street in the mall so I could check it out and see what all stores they had and find the Nike outlet:) When I first went out I didn't see anyone else out but one my way back I started seeing other people out running and cycling.  Wednesday morning my friend Sarah was going to be running a 10k at home, since I couldn't find a race of any kind in FL I sent her a text telling her I was going to get up and run my own 10k so I would at least be in "Spirit" with her. This time I went the opposite direction than the mall don't get me wrong I enjoy running flat ground but all flat and no hills even little hills didn't work well with me mentally. I felt like I was NEVER going to reach 3.10 to be able to turn around and head back! This morning I got up a little later and didn't head out until 6am I saw several more runners and walkers out that morning. One thing I didn't enjoy was the crazy humidity early in the mornings it felt like I was running in a sauna and my clothes looked like it as well! Not sure if I just sweat heavy or what but it seemed like the others I saw along the way was no where near as sweaty as I was! On Wednesdays route I went pass the County Pier on my way back through I stopped there to use the bathroom and get a drink of water and enjoy the ocean view for a couple of mins~ Sweet:) A couple of days we drove around to check out the area before we hit the beach, it really amazed me how many people waited to be out running until 9 - 10 am in the full sun no way I would have been happy doing that and probably would have drown in my own sweat, LOL!

The morning after we got home I got an invite to run/walk with one of my running buddies that is pregnant, it was nice catching up with each other and enjoying Cracker Barrel breakfast after!

After two days of being on the beach all of my family decided they was ready to move there permanently! I wouldn't mind going once a month but for me there's no place like home!!

Where has your favorite vacation spot been? Did it make you want to move there forever? Or is there no place like home?

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

WIR- Geez I'm so Far Behind/ I REALLY came Alive in June

I am still trying to catch up from being on vacation and am just now catching up on the last week of June!

Monday 6/25- Run 4mi/36:45
Tuesday 6/26- Run 3mi/31:19  Step & Tone Aerobics
Wednesday 6/27- Run 4.5mi/40:49   Run 3mi/28:25
Thursday 6/28- Run 3mi/32:06
Saturday 6/30- RJ Corman 5k 25:41

For the last couple of weeks I have been doing good at running 6days a week, it has taken me some time to adjust to it both mentally and physically but I am enjoying it. It has also been so gosh awful HOT around my parts like many other places in the country that I have been doing most of my running in the early mornings to beat the heat! Monday and Wednesday I ran in the evening with the Hubz, I enjoy those runs so much because even though he doesn't "LOVE" running as much as I do he still goes along with me so we spend time together:) Usually I let him lead the way when we run together but Wednesday I chose our path it was all good until I took us a somewhat new direction and we went up a crazy small but super steep hill! We was already about 1.5mi into our run, it was at least 88* and I said "this was dumb, who's idea was it to come this way, LOL!!" He replied with "yes it was wonder who decided this?!" and he had done squats at the gym the day before so he was really feeling it~ sorry sweetie!! We was able to reward ourselves after with some yummy Orange Leaf froyo dang I love that stuff I bet we go there at least 3 times a week!!

So I'm not too sure how and or why but I sure came alive in the month of June with running, my monthly mileage was 107!! That is my first 100+ mile month this year and its been probably a year and a half since I've had one! Now if I can just keep it up and keep adding on:)

Saturday I ran the RJ Corman 5k in lovely Wilmore, Ky. The course is a pretty tough course but they serve home made ice cream after so yep I am there!! It was one of the crazy super hot days and at 8am when the race started I think it was already 85* so I told myself to play it smart don't go out all crazy fast and just pace myself the best I could on the hills. None of my regular "race" buddies was there so I was all on my own for pacing, at the end of the race I felt pretty pleased except this girl and I kept playing back and forward with each other, I would pass her then she would pass me this went on for about a mile and a half. Finally I tried my best to pick up my pace in the last half mile and get away from her I thought I had it but she passed me in the last .15 it was just so HOT & HUMID I just let her go!
 I actually had another woman pass me as well at the end (shown above in the black shirt), she came out of no where, guessing she paced herself much better than I did. When they started the awards in my age group I thought that lady looked like she was in my group and I probably got 2nd place which is still great. They didn't call my name for 3rd or 2nd so I looked at Mom and said "Well dang I didn't get anything" she kept telling me "I think so just wait and see". Sometimes I hate to say it BUT Mom's are usually right and probably 9 times out of 10 mine is right...... I got 1st place!!! Of course her response was "I told ya!"

Once again THANK YOU Mom for believing in me and being with me for support!! Love Ya:)

Wednesday, July 4, 2012