Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Life has Been Busy

I really hate that my life seems too busy anymore :( it just seems like anymore I haven't had time to keep up with everything or maybe its because I haven't made time??!! Getting up early to run has me going to bed fairly early during the week, my computer has been acting stupid & slow so I haven't been using it much and my office at work moved into a new location~ that left me worn out last week! But I am getting my act together. I will make time to read all of your fabulous blogs and write posts to my blog!

I have a really exciting post to share and hoping I can  get it together tomorrow:) (It's exciting to me anyway!!)

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Disheartened and "Serres" Swag

Sunday was the final race of the Wilderness Trace Serres. Once again this year I completed all 14 races on the schedule. The final race is always a big one that brings out lots of runners and lots of faster runners. The course is almost the same as one of the earlier races (in which I PR'd at) and is pretty much the same route I do all of my regular runs on. Which means I SHOULD do fairly well, right?? Usually my hubz runs this race also and last year I really talked it up telling him I was going to beat him, this year he decided not to run:(

The Constitution 5k is always held on a Sunday evening at 5pm and is usually HOT. This year it wasn't hot and was about 73* and it felt pleasant. On my way to the race I could tell I just wasn't "feeling" it, I was disappointed the Hubz wasn't running it with me and disappointed that he wasn't even going to go watch me finish~ SHAME on him! I have been in the habit of taking my GU at least one hour before race time so if its going to "hit" me bathroom wise I still have time to deal with it, so I also ate my GU on the way. I picked a Blueberry Roctane out of my box, once I put some in my mouth I thought "This thing taste a little funny?' but I kept on eating it until I just couldn't stand it anymore. I looked at the back of it, it expired 10/2011??!! No wonder it tasted funny! Now I was worried and feeling nauseous although I'm sure it was all in my head.

For some reason this year they decided to move the start to where one block into the race you had to make a left turn, this was the dumbest decision ever with about 300 runners and of course no one lines up right, slower ones in the back. This made me nervous and sure enough I got caught up in several people and felt like I was fighting my way through.
This was the start after pushing my way through
Once we took off running you could quickly tell that even though the temps wasn't really hot it was REALLY humid! I had told one of my buddies before the race I would like to start out with 8min miles if I could, she agreed and thought that sounded like a good plan however she took off like a rocket, once we made the turn and got going down the first hill I never saw her again! She is much faster than me anyway so I expected her to go on without me. When I started getting really hot from it being humid I began to feel dizzy~ dang that expired GU that's what I blamed it on anyway.  Another thing that disappointed me, I left my headphones at home but I had my ipod with corded headphones in my car I just hate fooling with the cords. For the entire first mile I tried to get it right and just couldn't get the earbud to stay in place, I finally gave up and just tucked it into my shirt which meant I now had no music to help me push through. (The only time I listen to music is during races or if I'm long running by myself.) The first mile was my best at 7:50.

The second mile goes uphill downhill uphill downhill uphill then levels off. I could tell I wasn't running well and still wasn't feeling "it" by the time I reached the 2.5mi point I almost walked but reminded myself even my slower pace is faster than walking! There was a woman in front of me that I REALLY wanted to pass and I just couldn't work up enough strength to do it. Then a girl I know is in my age group passed me although I told her "GO!" as she passed me I really thought I would be able to pass her once we got up the hill. So much for that thought I was just completely not with it and couldn't perform like I know I CAN!
About a mile & half in really not into it if you can't tell
 So needless to say I missed out on placing at all.  My time was 25:44 which is still good. But I placed in every single "Serres" race except the last one which left me very disheartened!! I know you can't win them all and everyone has bad runs and I am VERY grateful that I am able to run and run half way decent. I just really wanted it that day!

On the other hand I was one of only three people to compete all 14 of the "Serres" races!
My "Serres" swag:)
If you complete so many of the races you get various stuff the extra thing for all the races was the bag. So I got a Tech Shirt, a Fleece Pullover, a Visor and the Bag! I LOVE the color they used this year also:) Now its the waiting game for it to start all over again next year! Although my month of October and well most of the rest of the year is booked with races~ got to have some motivation to keep on running!

Monday, September 10, 2012

That's more Like It.....I Learned from my Lessons

In my last post I mentioned where I thought I went wrong in not reaching my goal time at the Half. So I took those lessons into Saturdays 15k in hopes of reaching a goal time I have wanted for 3 years.

Me & Sarah:)
Saturday, September 8 was the Run for the Pets 15k (or 5k) which is another "Serres" race. The first year I ran this I had awful belly troubles and it rained lightly, the second year it rained before the race but not during (at least I don't think so) this year the forecast said 80% chance of rain one of my daughters even said "Mom it always seems to rain at this race for you!" It had stormed in the night and rained quite a bit in the morning before the race and was very cloudy everyone was hoping the rain was over. As we lined up and listened to race director tell us about tree debris and a limb that fell on the road it began to rain.....well not just rain but DOWNPOUR sheets of rain. Less than a half mile in the wind picked up(30-40mph) and it rained even more & harder, the drops felt like pellets hitting our bodies!  The rain lasted for about 2 miles but the wind continued the entire race off and on.

Don't think this pic really shows how the rain was coming down but it was pouring!
I say this over and over but I am not one to look at my watch to keep an eye on my pace but this day I did, I had a goal I wanted to achieve! Even though I was feeling fine and ok with the pace I told my buddy "I'm going to fast I've got to slow it down a little so I don't die out at the end." The course for this race is pretty & hilly (like every course around me!) but the end seems to be the worst on the hills and you finish going uphill with a slight downhill to follow.  Jenna (#302 right behind me in the pic above) is a much faster runner than I am but she was pacing with me we talked off and on mostly during the crazy rainfall but I tried to focus on my pace and such. I was super impressed with myself that I was able to stay with her for 5miles after that I told her I had to slow it down a bit and I was going to do my best NOT to walk any! So the next 4mi was all me....I walked through the water stop around 5.25 and jokingly ask the small young fellow there "Think you could carry me to the finish?" The look on his face was priceless, LOL! I made sure I kept Jenna in my sights and not let her get so far ahead I couldn't see her anymore. At 5.81 a big ball of leaves came flying down at me out of a tree and hit me on my left ear hard enough to almost knock my headphone out! But I kept on running along:) I took one GU before the race and brought another one with me, I could feel my energy getting low and decided to take the second one at the water stop at 6.40. That was the only two times I walked was through those water stops I was so proud of myself! As I was going up the last hill which is fairly steep, part of my mind wanted me to walk but the other part said "Feel the Victory, You might be feeling a little pain now but that is what Victory feels like DON'T STOP NOW!!" and I didn't I pushed on through it.

My goal time was 1:25:00 my finish time:
                                                           1:24:26
Hooray I did it!! I was so stinking happy and didn't even care anymore that I was soaking wet from head to toe! I think the rain made several people stay home there ended up being about 46 people in the 15k but I was lucky enough to get 1st in my age group (30-39) and its the first time I have ever placed at this race!!

YAY ME!!

Friday, September 7, 2012

Indy Women's Half- I Wanted SO Much More...But it was FUN



Some of the sights before my phone died!
Downtown Indianapolis is really cool place, I think so at least:) It sorta made me think of Nashville, Tn without the bars. We walked around the downtown area the night before and decided to carb load it up at Buca di Beppo, have you ever been there? It was a very interesting place I felt like I was on an episode of the Soprano's and might have to take cover under the table at any moment, LOL! The food was spectacular and everything is served family style huge portions for everyone to share even the dessert

Look at the size of that thing! Mom made us get the dessert, LOL!

All smiles before & ready to roll!
Sarah, Shalan & Me
The weather ended up cooperating with us as far as the rain goes, HOWEVER it was so crazy SUPER humid at 7am it was 83% humidity and 77*! Thank goodness the sun didn't come out and it stayed cloudy we would have really roasted! I went into this half with a big goal: Finish time of 1:57 or no more than 1:59! My last half was 1:58:30 so I really thought I could do it, I even printed me a pace band to help 8:55 pace I should be able to handle that.....

Miles 1-4:  8:40, 8:34, 8:57, 9:04
There was a little over 1400 women running so it wasn't terribly crowded and we lined up about half way in the middle.  Of course like I always do, I took off like a rocket weaving in & out realizing we should have moved up a little farther about a half mile in I got caught up in all kinds of walkers (I have nothing against walkers just wish they would get closer to the back:). I was feeling good these miles checking the Garmin often seeing I was well above the "goal" pace. I kept telling myself to slow it down but for some reason my legs wasn't listening to my thoughts! I was around two women that seemed to have a good pace going and I felt comfortable so I tried to just stay with them, every time I checked the pace it was around 8:30-8:45 dang it still too fast but I was feeling ok so I just kept on with it!

Miles 5-8:  9:14, 9:52, 10:25, 10:30
Geez it was so stinking HUMID and I was drenched in sweat and burning up wishing I hadn't worn my hat but I didn't want to lose it either and starting to have sinus trouble. I am terrible about not getting water at the beginning stops and waiting until I feel like I just HAVE to have a drink. The first two water stops were just a little before mile 2 & 4, at 5.5mi I was regretting not stopping at least at one of those but there went my thoughts again "The next one should be here in just a few minutes before mile 6, right?!" Nope it was almost at 6.5!! About mile 5.75 I walked~UGGHH! I was still close to the two women I was trying to hang with but I was feeling like I just couldn't go on any farther, I made it a small walk break though. When I finally reached the water stopped of course I walked through it and a little past....ok well maybe a lot past before I began running again. At the half way point I was still on target to finish in "goal" time IF I could keep running and pick up my pace a little. Around mile 8.5 I was just DEAD!

Miles 9-12:  10:42, 11:08, 10:54, 12:38
Yep all that "quickness" in the beginning got me, I was SUPER hot, had a terrible chafe spot under my right arm that was buring like fire, really needed to pee but didn't want to waste any more time to stop and go and I could feel a blister coming on my right big toe! Holy cow I was falling to pieces!! During mile 9 I kept looking at my time trying to calculate if I could still finish in 1:59, of course the answer to that was NO but even if I could hold on to a 10:00 pace it should be just a little over 2:00. I just couldn't do it. I was having the terrible talk to myself saying "you are such a terrible runner, why do you even put these BIG goals on yourself, suck it up and go!!" Then at the 10mi water stop my friend Shalan had caught up with me and nothing against her but that really crushed me I knew I was probably so much ahead of her and then there she went sailing on past me! I was happy for her don't get me wrong I was just mad at myself! We walked through the water stop together and I told her I was just done and ready to be finished and I raised my arm to show her the chafe spot, her reaction showed me it was worse than I thought it was. From that point on I just ran as much as I could and walked lots~UGGHH! I did see one of the women I was originally trying to stay with which was making me feel better.

This was at mile 12~ So READY to be DONE!!
Miles 13-.15:  10:51, 1:25
Oh goodness that was the longest last mile (but isn't it usually!!). Some how I managed to work up enough energy to actually run most of the last mile and completely run the last half mile or so. I crossed the finish line in 2:13:00 by my Garmin, only 16mins off from my "goal" time. The first thing I did was walk straight into the medical tent and ask for something to put on my chafed arm, it hurt BAD! That is the first time also I have ever had to visit the medical tent. I know I went wrong in the beginning by not making myself "slow" down to the 8:55 pace and by letting myself to start walking when I should have just slowed down and keep running but these are lessons I will take with me into the next half in a few short weeks!

Yep shoes off I'm over it!
Overall-
Overall this is really an awesome race. I wasn't too sure if I would enjoy an all women's event you know how it can be when you get a bunch of women together (LOL) but I was pleasantly surprised how friendly everyone seemed to be. The finish area was great serving Chocolate Milk,  Mimosa's, Bloody Mary's and Beer but the fruit and main food was gone by the time we got up there. There was a couple of bands out along the course and several spots that had crowd support, lots of police and volunteers with traffic control which was really nice since we was running in some high traffic areas. The expo wasn't very big with just a few booths but they did have free manicures provided by Paul Mitchell the School and free massages at the expo and after the race although we didn't do either :(  The course was perfect and flat going through the downtown and a couple of residential streets. I look forward to making this an annual event with my girlfriends and hope that more of us will be able to go next year and maybe be able to make a long "Girls Weekend" out of it!!

Still smiling when its all said and DONE!
Stole this photo from FB but the butterfly on top corner is a removable pin~ How cute!