Friday, March 22, 2013

And Then the Next Day....

The day after the RailRunner 10miler we was signed up for a 5k! In the past that was no big deal for me to run a 5k after a long run but my hubs hasn't ever had that experience so I was anxious to see how he would do.

Sunday, March 10, 2013 was the Diamond Dash 5k in Stanford, Ky. This race is for the girls on the softball team, on the registration there is a spot to put one of their names if you know one, the proceeds goes directly  to that girls for her uniform and such I think this is an awesome fund raiser for them:) and my mom works with someone who has a daughter on the team so she signed us up.

I actually felt pretty good and my legs didn't feel really tired or anything, there was a few of us that did the back to back races it was kinda funny all of us gathering together discussing our aches and pains!


Hubs running strong!

Off we went and as usual I took off way to fast, my first mile was like 8:15 second was 9:24 which was more like it for me right now!

I did ok until I got to the one long hill, then I started walking.

At the start of the race they announced in order for the distance to work out you had to do two laps around the track so don't go through the finish until you have made two laps. Which was the same as last year so I had already told Gerard (the hubs) about that. WELL....the course is kinda stupid anyway as it goes all around the schools parking lots so the softball girls were suppose to show you which way to turn and go EXCEPT they didn't tell the leaders to go the right way! On the track there was people standing reminding you to take two laps but the people at the finish shoot found out the leaders missed a turn and was telling people to take three laps??!! I didn't know about the wrong turn thing, the hubs was finishing his second lap as I was finishing my first someone told him to run another one and I told him not to as I didn't complete a third lap either, I was being stubborn and refused (but I also was unaware of the wrong turn mishap!). It was the most confusing thing EVER!!

When it came time for the results they gave me 1st overall female!!! BUT it really wasn't me:( it actually was one of my friends and I felt awful about it. I tried to give her the plaque and told her it really was hers and not mine but she insisted I keep it and she was fine.  So I went straight home and ordered her some headbands:)

Aren't we sweet??!! LOL

I hate when results go wrong and I understand how difficult it can be BUT geez that was awful!! The hubs made it though the race ok but he was worn out and tired for several days after~HA! He is just going to have to get with it to hang out with me as a runner:) YEAH RIGHT!!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

RailRunner 10miler

On Saturday, March 9 was the first RailRunner 10miler at the beautiful RJ Corman property in Nicholasville, Ky. As soon as they announced having this event I was really excited for it. Since we are training for half's right now we have done two 12 miles already, and I wasn't too good at them so I wasn't too sure how I would do. I decided to go into it without huge expectations, 1:40 would make me happy and anything better than that is awesome. I told the hubs the night before I was really going to try my best and see what happens.

Race day weather couldn't have been any better other than being a little cool it was about 37* with sunshine. Any event I have ever been at RJ Corman is top notch and this one was no exception. There was a couple of vendors set up but I never went up to any of them so I couldn't tell you who/what they were. This was the first race of the year that almost everyone of my runner friends was at so we all had a lot of catching up to do:)

Such an awesome group and that's not ALL of us:)

And this was my hubs first longer than a 5k  distance race so he was a little excited
and tried to steal my Bondi Band! Is he Crazy? What is he thinking? LOL!!

While we was waiting in the line up for the race to start all of us was chattering about what we was expecting and what kind of pace we was hoping/expecting. My intentions was to start out slower (9:30ish) for the first 5 miles and pick it up(9:09ish) in the second 5 miles.  That was a good plan except I started out with the rest of the group that I used to be able to keep up with......
Geez look how chubby I have gotten. Probably shouldn't have my arms up in the air!
And I blew that theory out the window with the first two miles clocking in at 8:47!! But I was able to keep up with the group for about 4 1/2 miles which I think impressed the hubs:) After that I slowly started slipping farther and farther away from the group and that was ok I was hoping to be able to run the whole thing so I knew I was going to have to slow down.

 If you are ever in Kentucky and there is a race at the RJ Corman property in Nicholasville, Ky you HAVE to make sure and do it. It is truly one of the prettiest 5k courses I have ever been on. For this 10mi race we ran the 5k course looped over to the airplane runway (yes Mr. Corman has his own airport, google him to read about him very interesting story behind him) where we ran up and down the runway back out to the 5k course again.

I was able to keep running until about 5.5 mi when I had to walk a few steps~ darn it! But the worst thing was the hubs saw me walking and yelled out "Keep running Bobbie!" I'M TRYING I nicely yelled back. The runway was the hardest part for me and I was already dreading it from the beginning so that didn't help. It was LONG, STRAIGHT and concrete you could see the end but just felt like I would never get there! I usually try not to look at my pace during races so it doesn't freak me out but several times while on the runway I looked down at my pace and of course it freaked me out 8:50. I just couldn't slow down and get my pacing right at all it was either too fast for me or walking. I knew when we left the runway and headed back to the 5k loop for the final there was a decent size hill so I tried hard to slow it down and save  some energy for it. (I was afraid to take any gels my belly wasn't feeling right)  While I was walking one of my buddies Todd came up behind me and said "Come on Bobbie just 2 more to go. Pace it with me" I tried but he was in his picking it up stage and I was  in my I'm DEAD stage.

Then within the last mile another one of my "group" came up behind me, it was the only thing that saved me! (Although the hubs doesn't like hearing that:) Ricky is a really great motivator when you are feeling like this is it, I suck, I'm never doing this again, Why do I even try! Some people are just good at that and he is one of them. There is a foot bridge that is awful to cross, it jumps up and down and make me dizzy. I told Ricky the bridge would get me and I would probably be walking after it but there was only a half mile left. His reply "You can do this! It's only a half mile, you just ran a marathon the whole thing! Let's slow it down, YOU CAN DO THIS!"

Ricky #175 to my left Sorry Jennifer to my right but I didn't want you to beat me!
And wouldn't you know it I DID! And I even picked it up for a strong finish! I felt like I was going to throw up, pass out, fall down or use the bathroom on myself I pushed that hard at the end, BUT if you WANT something that's what you gotta do sometimes! I finished in 1:35:47 with a 9:32 overall pace! Best long run I've had pace wise in a long time and I even walked what I thought was lots!

I'm hanging in there and am accepting where I am at as far as pace and such but gotta ask the question:
How do you not beat yourself up? How do you stay motivated when you feel like your going no where?

**I HAVE to give a HUGE shout out to Bob with 3 Way Racing! This man was the nicest to me while I was   being a complainer, he was even nice enough to say I wasn't. First I had a discount code that didn't work that he fixed then my hubs had a problem with his finish time that was reported. So being the awesome wife I am contacted Bob and wouldn't you know he took the time to review the RaceFace video taken at the end of the race and correct his time even though it really was my hubs fault. He had his bib on his shirt that was tied around his waist and it didn't read when he crossed the finish. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH BOB! WE REALLY ENJOYED THE RACE AND LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR! AND OTHER RACES PUT ON BY YOU, THEY ARE AWESOME:)

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

February Gone Already... I'm ok In the Back or Am I?

Man I just really can't believe how fast this year is going already. It seems like just yesterday was January 1, does any one else think the same?

January started out pretty good for me- I was getting miles in slowly but getting them, I was slowly losing some of the "extra Holiday pounds" I put on and was doing a good job of going to aerobics! Well then along came February......... (at least I'm recapping Feb before the end of March:)

* My hubs has now become a distance runner! He has been a runner with me but the most I could ever get him to do was 6mi and that was only once, he never ever really wanted to above 4mi. Now that is a different story. Now he is signed up for 3 Half Marathons (so far) this year!!! The first one and the hardest in my opinion, is coming up March 30
So we have been doing weekly long runs in February. There is a group of us that meets every Sunday for long runs, there is always 3 people and sometimes 6 or more. I LOVE it, I think its awesome we can all get together for this and I feel like its something we can and WILL always keep doing even if we aren't "in training" for anything.

* As everyone knows I am in a constant complaint of how slow I am, how I stink as a runner right now...Well in my opinion I'm still not any better! I really thought by now I would be and I think at this point I am just putting too much thought into my abilities as a runner?!?! Every Sunday when we take off I tell everyone "I already know I will be in the back of the pack, don't worry about me I'll be fine!" I'm starting to not be "fine" with it any more and I think its playing into me thinking too much about my running abilities :( I think part of my problem is taking off too fast which is something I have always done. In the second half of the runs I am dead, worn out and start walking way too much! UGGHH!!!! I need some advice, help or something to get me back on track to where I was!! (I was able to easily do 4 - 6 miles at a 8:50 to 9:00 pace, right now I'm lucky to run 4mi without walking and at a 9:45 to 10:00 pace!!)

* I only ran one race in February and wouldn't have done it if it wasn't part of a series (those dang series I'm always a sucker for them). It was a cross country race on a golf course. The course itself sucked as much as I did!
That's me in the white shirt and pink gloves, I should have been able to stay with the man in the black shirt beside me but sadly I was about 4mins behind him at the finish.
There was a huge hill at the beginning that you went right back down after climbing up, I'm not sure what was worst going up or down. Going down was on the cart path that was narrow with tree roots sticking up all through it and 3 speed bumps! I walked so much I didn't even care I just didn't want to hurt myself!

* I was doing so good in January. I was going to aerobics twice a week, started doing morning runs again and had lost 4lbs. February came along I gained all 4lbs back in the first two weeks and only made it to aerobics once! I really wanted to get in 75mi for the month but ended up with 68.

* BUT now its March and official Spring is one week away!! New month, new goals & I can feel a come back coming my way:)