Frostbite 5K Race Report

So today was the final leg of the "Polar Bear Grand Prix," sponsored by Fleet Feet here in the Ville! (If you want a reminder of the first two legs--Reindeer Romp 4K and Snowman Shuffle 4 Miler

It was actually a little chilly (wind chill in the upper 30's) when we got there and I've been so used to running in mild temps (the last week or so) that I totally forgot to wear a headband and gloves!! DBF and I saw our friend Scott with his son, who seemed like a cool kid! Glad he came out. Then we met up with Joe and Tom and did a nice warmup together. Then, as usual, it was to the Port-a-Pots! The line was long but I got complimented on my speedy "execution." LOL

Almost as soon as I walked out of the bathroom, I dropped my jacket in some trees and found a spot behind the starting line with Scott and Joey. No time to waste, the race started and off we went.

I felt decent for the first mile, though the first mile is almost entirely uphill. I was surprised at how good I handled it though--even my training runs on that hill don't go as well as this did. I felt good! First mile split = 9:40.

Everything went downhill starting around 1.5 miles. Side stitches and cramping! Could it be that running only 24 miles in 3 weeks with no speedwork mixed in could have hindered my fitness? :) I just couldn't get back into the groove after that. Muscle soreness in my right leg just added to the displeasure. Tom told me after the race that he could see in my face when he passed me that I just wanted the race to be done. He read my face correctly. Mile 2 split = 19:20.

I just tried to keep myself focused and composed but I felt like I was crumbling. I had to stop and walk from the cramping and just felt so horrible as I watched several people fly by me. I felt more defeated than I had felt in a long time! I took some deep belly breaths and just pushed myself back into the race--repeating to myself "You can do anything for another mile! Not much left!" I actually started to check my Garmin for the distance to see how much longer I had.

Then...ahead...there was a sign with the number "3". Ahhhh!! Thank you! I strengthened up, pushed it out and kept going until the end. I was so happy when I saw my mom's face--she gave me two thumbs up and told me I was doing good. It wasn't one of those "I'm saying it just to say it" comments, I could tell in her face that I really WAS doing well.

I looked ahead and saw the time clock, which read 29:30. I panicked and picked up my pace. There was NO WAY I was going to be THAT close to running my first sub-30:00 5K and not DO IT! When I crossed, it was about 29:40 and while I was soooooooo happy and so excited, I basically just doubled over as I walked. I felt like doody!

I thanked the guy in front of me because I used him during the race to *sorta* pace myself. He was pretty strong and running around the same pace as me and it always comforts me to have something "familiar" to run with, and he was it today!

So great feeling right now, knowing that I have achieved one of my biggest goals EVER! It was one thing that I have always wanted--not just for this year. I just knew I could make it happen this year. I remember when I first started running again, I thought that this would be impossible. And now, I'm doing it! It's great!

As usual, we all met at Panera Bread and had a great breakfast. I think every runner in the area was in there today. It's so fun to go there and have a great meal AND be around a community of people that are sweaty and charged up from a good run! Tom and Joe gave me a great Birthday gift too! A fresh, beautiful Run the Ville T-Shirt! I'm pretty pumped--it looks great! I'm proud of it and even more, I'm glad that they like the logo that I created!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!!!

P.S. This is one of my Valentine's gifts! Talk about creamy, smooth chocolate...wow!

5K's are Harder and Why Didn't We Bring a Camera?

First of all, I'm tired of not having a great pictures to document each of my races. I wish I could clone myself and have Picture Taking Me stand along the race route and get all the good pictures while Runner Me runs. I wish I had a way to comfortably carry my camera and snap snap snap along the way. I just hate not having those memories in picture form.

So I've decided that I prefer running races that are 5 miles or up. I think the short distance races are much harder and they take a lot more out of me. I've done several 5Ks and a 4K and neither distance was entirely pleasurable. I find that I enjoy the steady, slightly slower nature of the longer races and I hope that the Half Marathon proves no different.

In shorter races, I'm contantly thinking "Oh you don't have much more. Not much more! Keep pushing!" I hate that! Because it's ALWAYS longer than you think it will be. When I run 5-6 mile races, I don't start thinking about the finish until mile 4 or so--mentally it's just not as taxing to me.

That being said, though, I had fun as usual. I'm tired. But what a great Valentines Day! DBF and I took care of our hearts this morning and got a great race under our belts and had fun together. <3

6.5 miles through hell?

Okay so it wasn't as bad as Hell. I got up this morning a little skeptical about running just because I was worried about my knee. I went for it anyway, though, because I was pretty confident in my self diagnosis. I parked at Cherokee Park--which was basically closed. There were folks out there running but there were lots of workers with chainsaws everywhere. The path is NOT cleared by any stretch of the imagination--and in some spots, there is only enough room for a car to travel on the pedestrian section. There's just too much ice and snow still, so I took my run out of the park and into some of the neighborhoods in the Highlands.

It was a nice run except for the sliding on the ice a couple of times, a branch attack that scratched my eye and then the weirdest part of all...

I was running down a back street and I saw a woman walking toward me in the distance on the other side of the road. Each step I took, I noticed that not only were we getting closer to each other, but she was actually crossing over to MY side of the road. I looked to see if her side wasn't clear but her side was actually MORE clear than the side I was running on. She continued to cross over closer to me and in no time--she was right in front of me about 8 feet away. I had three options: go to my right (and her left) into the middle of the road, go to my left (her right) into a huge patch of ice or just stop.

I wasn't going to go to my right just for the principle of it--that's where SHE had just come from. Why should I move for HER when she was already on the other side of the street and had NO need to be on MY side coming right at me.

I wasn't going to go to my left into the ice because it was ICE...and I had already had too many dangerous close calls.

So I stopped running. Her arm brushed mine and it was like it was all in slow motion. I watched, TOTALLY STUNNED, as she walked past me. She wasn't just walking past me like people do on sidewalks, she was ULTRA close. I watched her until she got behind me. I said audibly, "Woooooow. Oh. My. Gosh."

And then I took off again.

What on EARTH would have been her reasoning to cross a street and walk right into someone? LOL

At least I got my run in...6.5 weird miles. :)

Flurries and Injuries...

Don't make for good outdoor training. The injuries make for NO training.

This week has been a complete disaster for my relationship with my life partner, Running. Yes, we're THAT committed. The two weeks prior to this week were close to disastrous. I felt Running starting to slip away and then this week, it's like we've started a long distance relationship. I'm not sure who to blame--if I can blame anyone. Running has been there waiting, hoping I would give it a shot. I've WANTED to be with Running. But for one reason or another, our relationship has been that of forbidden and also unfulfilled romance.

As many of you are probably aware, the President declared that Kentucky (where I call home) is in a state of disaster due to the recent ice storms. Tuesday of last week, my area received sleet, snow and very cold temperatures. I was still able to make it to work but it was slick and officials were asking people to stay home. Overnight into Wednesday morning, we were basically hit with ICE--I awoke to a nice coating of ice on the accumulated snow. Poor Chassis (my dog) couldn't even walk--she just skated around outside. The entire night was filled with incessant sleep disturbances from transformers blowing--I'm not talking once or twice either. The entire night was nothing but BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! I decided to stay home and after breakfast, I fell asleep in my recliner--startled awake by a weird sound. I looked out the window, nothing that I could see. Went back to sleep. Startled awake again. It occurred to me that tree limbs were cracking and breaking due to the weight of the ice. These poor trees and EVERYTHING was covered in 1-2 inches of ice. The noise of these falling branches was incredible--never heard anything like it.

Needless to say, not a lot of running. I've tried to get out but it's very difficult when even the STREETS are ice covered. I managed to get out on Saturday--early enough to avoid large amounts of trafic and I just stuck to the main roads since they were mostly clear. It was an exhilirating run! I loved running on these streets that I usually drive on--and I also ran through the parking lot of a large, nearby church because their lot was very well cleared. Fun run, and I definitely needed to get out! It was great.

But that was the last time I ran. To make up for my lack of anything physical, Sunday I did that workout (see previous entry). It was great and I was tolerably sore on Monday. Tuesday--still a little stiff but okay. And then, at work, I kneeled down and it happened.

My knee just gave out. SO. MUCH. PAIN. Stood up--pain. Sat down--pain. Climb ladder/steps--pain.

Knee cap pain=out of commission.

It's better. My self-diagnosis blames Sunday's workout, as it was INTENSE in the areas of squatting and lunging. I think the muscles were so strained that my work (which requires lots of kneeling and bending at the knee) was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. It's better but it's not 100% and I am REALLY scared to run for fear of further damaging it.

One more gripe--my shoulder is really hurt. I'm going to have to completely rehab it before I do anything else--no more weights, no more pushups, no more pullups. I've come to terms with the fact that it'll be a few weeks before I can do anything upper body. I'm not happy about it but I feel better about THAT than I do about not being able to run.

So HM training is on hold. I really wanna go for a run tomorrow but I'm so scared to. Sigh.

At least it's going to warm up...

I'm not a workout DVD type woman...

but...I know a good workout when I see one.



We subscribe to Netflix so we can stream videos instantly via the XBox 360 (or PC, if you wish). It's so convenient! A week or so ago, I decided to see what workout videos might be available for instant queue on Netflix and I watched a couple to see which I'd like to try. I ended up deciding on one--Jillian Michael's Shape Up Front. And you can shoot me, I didn't know who she was. Sorry, I don't watch the Biggest Loser.

Anyway, I've been waiting for the right time to use this video and today was it. Let me just say this--I'm in decent shape. I can run double digit miles, I am not puny, I am no stranger to strength, resistance or any other type of training. But this workout kicked my ass! I actually hated her for a few minutes.

I chose this workout because it looked like the best workout for a runner--out of the instant queue options I had, that is. It works your abs, shoulders, thighs, triceps, hip flexors and chest. Obviously with it covering that many areas, you're not spending a significant amount of time on ONE area. But for a runner like me, it is a good start to help strengthen and build VERY important areas that we need to perform well out on the road or the trail.

The highlight: the fact that I actually finished this video.

The shock: that it's MUCH harder than I expected and I have to go shower now because I got way more sweaty than I do when I run

The lowlight: I could not complete the hip flexor routine. Oh. My. Gosh. I have to work on that.

Running + Gymnastics = Reduced Crime

I'm sure most of you are familiar with Parkour and Free Running but if not, watch that video. It's a compilation of video from the founder of Parkour, David Belle. He is absolutely amazing. If you're interested in seeing Belle in a movie that has a lot of great Parkour moves, check out Banlieue 13. Here's a trailor for it:



I recently read that twelve schools in London have been teaching their kids the basics of free running, which is just amazing to me. Can you imagine the potential for lawsuits if there were a Parkour/Free Running Program for Secondary Schools in the United States? I think it's a fantastic thought though--I mean imagine being a child in London. You go to school, learn about the Battle of Edington, do a little mathematics, maybe read a chapter from a classic novel--and then off to Parkour class. How amazing would that be? It's got to be great fun, a great workout and a wonderful lesson in learning to gauge risk.

Apparently, that's not all--officials in London believe that these Parkour programs have actually cut youth crime by 30%. That's amazing! And whether or not it's true, it's amazing that they're even making that connection. I don't know about you but as a child, if given the opportunity to either A) Do some parkour with some friends or B) Carry a gun and try to rob old ladies...I'd pick A any day.

Onto REAL running. I ran a fun route yesterday--5 hilly miles around my neighborhood. I rarely venture across a busy street that is about 1.5 miles from my house--I generally run to the street and turn around but across that busy street there are some gem hills. And I was feeling it. So I did it. It was an amazing challenge and I'm sore but it was a great workout.

Nothing new to report but I have been trying to stay on target with my training for the Mini in April. It's been difficult because of some aches, sick days and the weather but no excuses! I'm on the right path!! I hope you guys are too!

Shivering Saturday!!

Went out this morning and met my running buddies at the park--we hadn't discussed mileage because quite frankly, I think we all wondered IF we would do more than 2-3 miles!! Did I mention the wind chill was at -1 when I left? I have to start remembering that having a dog means I have to get up a little earlier on long run days if I'm meeting anyone because Chassis takes too long to go to the bathroom. I have to go outside and throw the ball around with her for her to actually THINK about pooping, and I usually remember this when I'm SUPPOSED to be leaving the house.

The run was pretty comfortable for me for the duration, and I was pleased at our pace, as it was a pace that allowed me to comfortably get in more miles. I had a few aches and pains early on but I attribute that mostly to the cold, and the hard concrete. We ran down Bardstown Road which was quite fun actually, tons of distractions in all of the businesses in the area. It brought back a lot of memories of drunken nights walking around down there with friends--who knew I'd be running down there at 8am with friends? LOL

We lost one of our buddies after about 6.5 miles, and then I lost the last one at just before 9. I had intended to get in 10 this morning, so I had to push myself a little harder now that everybody was gone--and I ended up continuing on with a distance PR of 11.11. Each long run, I start to realize that the HM is definitely possible and I can't wait to see how it goes! I'm really excited!

I also really want to say thank you to Tom, Joe and to my Margaritaville Teammates and the other members at RuntheVille.com--it is through the inspiration, the support and the motivation I receive from you all that has allowed me to push myself beyond my comfort zone. Yeah, I did the work but I know without a doubt that I wouldn't be at this level in my training and in my fitness without you all. And a special thanks to Tom and Joe for really pushing me during our group runs, and thanks to Tom for pushing me with the Pushups Challenge.

You can do a lot of things on your own in life, but there's so much more to be gained when you allow others to come into your life and help you out!

I'd be neglecting some very important people if I didn't mention my mom and DBF. Their continued support and love keeps me going and growing stronger!

Brrrrrrrrrrun!!!

I hope everyone is staying nice and warm--not because you're staying inside (unless you own a TM or have a gym membership) but because you have all the proper gear to run in the cold!

Seems like a lot of the North and NE US are experiencing some cold weather, and we definitely are here! But it's nothing I can't handle. I just look like a ninja when I'm out running--a mismatch ninja!

DBF brought home a gift today--a foam roller. This thing is crazy and amazing. It hurt. But it was great pain. I am really psyched to use this thing, as it felt amazing. I'm LOVING the glute and the back exercises the best--WHOA!!!! I'll keep you updated on how it goes. I don't think I can explain what it feels like to use this thing, it's just something you have to try yourself to understand!

Snowman Shuffle 4 Mile RR

Today was the second leg of the three race series, the Polar Bear Grand Prix. This race was 4 miles on a familiar course that has a couple of killer hills. I woke up this morning and visualized me running a PR and got up, followed through my pre-race routine and a little after 7AM, I heard it--the rain came all at once and it was pouring down! I expected rain but I was kinda hoping it would be a light mist--not a pourdown!

When Joey and I got there, we found a decent parking space and sat in the warm car for a few minutes getting everything ready before hopping out into the cold and the rain, which had died down considerably to that mist I was wishing for. (MISTY RAIN!!!)

I had to go to the bathroom, which is customary for me before a race and luckily, I saw Joe coming out just as I was getting in line. We hooked up with Tom and did our warm up a few minutes before the start. The warmup actually made me feel a little off balance and my ears felt a little strange--I didn't have them covered and I think that's why. When we finished our warm up, we came back together at the start line and a relatively new forum member approached us and introduced himself! I was pretty excited to meet him, and glad he wasn't scared to approach our crazy asses!! Scott, if you read this, it was a great pleasure to meet you and I'm really glad you were there to help push Joey a little!

As for the race itself--I had a great first mile. I felt strong, got in the groove relatively quickly, thanks to our warm up and just ran a smooth, comfortable 9:30 pace. Can you believe I'm actually calling 9:30 comfortable? LOL It was mostly downhill and smooth but I felt great and earlier this year, I would NEVER have been able to run that quickly!

I didn't check my Garmin much during the first 2 miles, as I was just focused on running as fast as I could comfortably, and I was just HOPING to reach mile 2 in 20:00. I also got to see Joe, Tom and Joey (I somehow missed Scott) pass and that TOTALLY made me feel happy and distracted! At the 2 mile split, the guy called out 19:00 and while I was elated to have surpassed my goal, it was at this point that I realized I still had a tough time ahead but that I wasn't ready to give up. I still felt like I could totally pull off the 40:00 race.

By mile 2.5 though, I started to crumble. The hills were popping up and my early speed was catching up to me...my legs were fine but for the first time in several months, I was actually REALLY short of breath. I slowed down and even had to stop and walk for several seconds just to calm my breathing down as I was going up the worst hill.

I can't recall the mile 3 split but I just kept pushing to the end of the race--when I rounded the top of the final hill as I was approaching the finish, I knew I was close and I looked ahead to see the time. I knew I was going to finish with a brand new PR and a milestone of which to be proud. I finished several seconds after the 39:00 mark and I am SO PROUD! A new PR, and my first time running a sub-10:00 pace during a race that long!

UPDATE: Race results have been posted and they have my official time as 39:00!!

I had a blast as usual, and I'm loving these PRs every time--though I am aware that I will not PR every race I run. I'm just excited to see improvement, as I say so often. I'm proud of the work I've done!

Tom, Joe, Scott and Joey ran GREAT races, all of which should be very proud. We're such a tough group!!!!! I'm bummed I didn't get to speak to Hippiedigger--I saw someone standing with Tom and Joe after the finish but I didn't recognize him or even have a clue who he was, and I had to take off to catch up with Joey. Maybe I'll get to holler at him next time!

And of course, Panera Bread was THE BOMB!!!! I LOVE LOVE their breakfast. And I always love the company!

After breakfast, I went home and showered and Joey and I watched Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (second try)--bleh. After the movie, I got the urge to log some more miles so I headed up to the park to meet mom. I got in a VERY solid 4 miles that actually seemed to loosen me up and make me feel so much better.

Feels like next week should be a taper week but it's not...hopefully I can take it easy but still get in some quality workouts. I hope everyone has a great weekend, and everyone who raced--I hope it went great.

By the way, I'm loving these guys, I just bought them last week and they've been great for me!

Pass the Body Glide, Please.

After my shower that followed my ice bath after my run earlier, I am determined to never leave the house without my Body Glide if I'm wearing shorts/running skirt.

I left this morning without even considering the need for Body Glide. Yeah, I had on a skirt. Yeah, my legs were gonna touch. Yeah, it was 60 degrees. But it's January. And I haven't used my Body Glide in a couple of months, honestly.

Seven miles into my run, I was in agony. I'm not sure exactly why it was so bad this morning--I've never actually experienced chafing that bad. A little rub-a-dub, yeah. But not this horrid chafing. And what's so strange about it is that when I was 10-15 pounds heavier, I didn't have it bad. Explain to me how losing FAT off of your thighs, for instance, can make you chafe worse? Or maybe it's because I never ran long enough back then TO chafe. Ahh, yes, that's it.

I was in PAIN. I contemplated many remedies along the run--puddles, spitting and rubbing, stopping--until I remembered: "YES, I HAVE LIP GLOSS IN MY POCKET."

So yeah, I stood on the side of a busy public street and rubbed lip gloss on my thighs. But hey, it got me back to my car in less pain.

But my shower was brutal. As soon as that hot water touched the skin...OUCH!

I think they should make a key chain sized tube of Body Glide for someone like me who is prone to forgetfulness of non-daily use products. I dunno, though, I'd probably just forget my lip gloss on a run and have to use the Body Glide on my lips.