Did not get sucked up by a tornado

Finished the 13.1 but have been hit hard by a sore throat/conngestion/exhaustion that started to reveal itself mere hours after the race. (Wendy has it too.) Between the above and putting on a major event at work on Tuesday, I am down for the count but still kicking (barely). Needless to say, passing out on the couch after 12 hour work days M-W has been my preferred activity of choice. I was actaully supposed to take the dogs out for 3-4 miles with Matt tonight but I fell asleep sitting up in the chair. (Must be why I am awake now?) Once I have recovered from my non-running adventures, I will be back with an update/review of Nashville with musings about my plans for the summer.

Nashville Bound!

I have no idea why, but I am so nervous! I have had a little pit in my stomach all day! Directions are printed, iPod is charged and bags are packed. All that's left is to fill my H2O bottle and hit the road! Let's hope the weather gods are kind tomorrow...the forecast is sketchy at best but it could make for a memorable event!

Ramblings

Lots going on! Probably easiest to post in "bullets."


--Matt and I did not win the diamond but we did do well. About half the participants were on bikes; we were on foot. The top 3 teams were all on bikes. (If we do it again next year, I will be purchasing an el-chepo bike from Wal Mart b/c if we could have covered more ground, I truly believe we would have been in contention. We only got 2 questions wrong and all of the pre-research helped save us a ton of time. Not to mention I work downtown which helped with the navigating!) After the race, I tracked back all of our text messages and did a "map my run" on the point to point routes we took. Not even taking into consideration all of the "up and down the sidewalk" , "cross the street and cross back again", "run around the park and look for an impossibly obscure statue" that we did for 2 hours and 45 minutes, we did just over 7.1 miles!!! I figure it was probably 8 when all was said and done, if not being a little conservative. Physically, it felt harder than the half marathon b/c we sprinted from location to location and ran out of water 1 1/2 hours into it. We were troopers though and rewarded ourselves with powerade and beer at the after-party!



--We also made al.com and the Sunday edition of the Birmingham News. Pretty cool! In the picture we were actually getting the question wrong. Trying to translate a bible verse from Latin and figuring out what book it was from. I still swear it was Proverbs (and so did my "phone a friend", Lauren) but the system disagreed. Matt was so sweaty but I really like the pic!

--I FINALLY signed up for the Country Music Half last night. Nothing like waiting 2 hours before the deadline. I am in Corral 22 with a million other slow people. Turns out my sister has a friend who is running her first half that day and is in the same corral. Wonder where Wendy and her dad ended up? They were projecting a 5 hour finish and I put a 2.5 hour half so it's possible we're all in the same place (they mix full and half participants)

--I did 11 on Saturday and it went really well. (In fact all of my runs last week went as well or better than expected) Storms are in the forecast which could make things interesting. (Temps ranging from the upper 50s to the low 80s) How does one dress for that (rain and humidity/warmth)? How do you listen to your iPod if it's raining? (Will my armband protect it from the elements?)I don't even want to think about running without music. I don't know if I can disassociate myself from myself with just the elements to distract!

--I experimented with Cliff Shot Bloks on Saturday. YUM!!! How to best carry in a race? I never wear a belt or anything since all of my stuff is laid out on the treadmill during the long runs. I don't want to carry fluids, just the bloks and maybe some beans. Shit, why do I always wait til the last minute to figure out the little details? I will be traveling to Nashville Friday after work so this needs to be figured out Thursday night at the latest. Tomorrow is a rest day so I probably need to stop by The Trak Shak or Fleet Feet after work to check out my options.

--Did a hard 4 tonight and then got home from the gym and Matt wanted to take the dogs for a walk! (Remember the hilly neighborhood) Grabbed some QUICK leftovers and headed out to conquer the hills. My legs were spent so I asked to Matt to hold both leashes since I needed max capacity from my arms! So sad. Ended up doing a little over 2. That makes 21 miles over the past 3 days (not to mention the couple miles I did at work today in heels walking all across campus to meetings). That's a lot for me...especially with a race on Saturday! The rest of the week is cake with 2 on Wed and x-training on Thurs. Honestly the 3 hour drive Friday will probably be the most physically "taxing" thing for the rest of the week.

--I need a plan for after Saturday. I've been saying I want a break from training and I do, but not a break from running. Just want some ideas on how to maximize the time so that I don't get burnt out but that I am still running with purpose.

Another race before the Country Music 1/2?

I have one more race before the half at the end of the month. What kind? One that has very little to do with running. Matt and I were selected to participate in Bromberg's Diamond Dash next Saturday!! The Diamond Dash is being billed as a high tech scavenger hunt which will be held in downtown Birmingham with the end prize being a $15,000 Ritani engagement ring. I am incredibly excited and we have both been doing a little research to get an idea of what to expect. Apparently, Diamond Dashes have been quite the trend around the country over the past year. No motorized vehicles are allowed in this hunt, but since I don't have a bike, I think we are going to rely on running to get from place to place. I have a 10.5 on the books for next weekend and of course in true Type A fashion I have already been trying to figure out how to fit that in since I don't want to do the hunt on tired legs nor do I want to get that started at 5pm. I have thought about tagging on 6 to my usual run with Amy on Sunday or possibly trying Friday night after work. We shall see.

Country Music is 3 weeks from now and during my run today, I really began to doubt my ability or desire to do the race. I think I am just tired and somewhat burnt out from following training plans since November. After this race, I know I will be taking some time off. Not sure exactly what that means b/c I def. want to keep some base mileage but I would like to focus on strength training and possibly some yoga and swimming.

Anyway, I had 9 scheduled for today and barely managed to eek out 8.17. I seriously felt like Venus Williams must have felt during her match with Kim Clijsters today. (In case you were wondering, Williams got her ass kicked by Clijsters, 6-2, 6-1.) I actually watched the beating during my run, but at least the torture for Williams took less time than my run and she still ended with a trophy and a hefty payday at the end of it. (LOL) I was (of course) on the 'mill today and the cardio room was especially roasting. I took 3 sports beans at miles 2 and 4 and was alternating water and G2 but I still stopped sweating TWICE. While I know I probably could have finished if I had really wanted to, I was absolutely drenched, salty, nauseous and mentally spent. I assessed myself at mile 5 (the first time I noticed I had stopped sweating) and wanted to quit then but I reminded myself of how hot it was in Nashville for the race last year and decided to keep pushing. ("What if this were race day? You wouldn't settle for a DNF. You would WALK to the end if that's what it took to finish.") The way the run went today made me really question what the hell I am doing, planning another 13.1 at the end of the month. I haven't quite gotten in the mileage I would like the way I did for Mercedes, but I have still been very vigilant with my plan and I am not racing on the 24th. I am going to experience this with my best friend and enjoy the scenery.

Things I need to do before Nashville:

• Buy some running capris. I am set on shorts now but I do not wanting to risk chafing over that kind of distance with these thighs and the longer tights are going to be WAY too warm. I actually have a pair of UnderArmour picked out, I just need to bite the bullet and purchase them.
  
• Buy a couple more pair of Experia socks. I have 3 pair going through the rotation and they are holding up INCREDIBLY well. I realize that I suffer in runs when I am in my cheaper socks but I have to time laundry just right to make sure I have those 3 pair available at all times.
  
• Actually register for the race. I waited until the week before Mercedes in case of injury gods coming to visit. Same reason for waiting here and I really want to know that my 10.5 goes better than today. The past 2 Saturdays have not been kind to me!
  

Race Report: Rumpshaker

I really hate to start the post this way and to admit it in blog-land no less, but I didn't meet my goal. Obviously I am disappointed in myself but as I mentioned in a previous post, running is NEVER a guarantee. My IW and tempos/upping the speed had been going well and I ran 3 at pace on Wednesday but it was TOUGH and I could only hope for a flat course today and a good shot of adrenaline to get me through b/c my ass had been truly kicked at the end of that training run.

This is the 2nd year of the Rumpshaker and with over 3,000 participants, it's grown quickly. The organizers actually moved the run to downtown Birmingham this year to accommodate more people; last year it was in one of the suburbs just minutes from downtown. They still have some kinks to work out (parking, start line) but overall was a great event: great goodies, 2 t-shirts(!)...one race shirt (cotton), 1 New Balance tech shirt courtesy of fleet feet, nice post race party/band/expo. They also had the official race results printed "on demand" and posted on the side of the beer truck (talk about quick turnaround)

After experiencing severely congested traffic trying to get to race area, I met up with Lauren, Amy, Kathryn and her husband, Zach (who was our official gear holder/photographer). We tried to get pre-race photos but my camera seemed to be in paperweight mode :( Luckily Kathryn had hers so hopefully she will send those along soon. It was low 40s at the start and I had really been debating on what to wear. I had my running tights (mid calf) and my lightweight pink Reebok pullover (as seen in Mercedes) but had added a s/s base layer under this. Basically putting me at the same level of clothing that I had used for the half in February. I was really worrying that I might be overdressed but I was under-dressed compared to the group and they convinced I would be happy to have the base to cut the wind (it was incredibly windy this morning). Next time I know I need to go with my first instinct (foreshadowing).

We made our way over to the start, per the announcement and tried to get near the front. A guy in front of me was programming his Garmin so I asked him his expected pace. He said 9:00-9:15 so I mentally took note that if I passed him I was probably in trouble (again, foreshadowing, anyone?)

We stood around and we heard that the race was starting a little bit late due to the parking debacle. I assumed there would be some kind of announcement or countdown to the start since it was a decent sized race but there was NOTHING. All of a sudden people started shuffling ahead! I had already set my iPod and watch to "go" so I took a deep breath and stepped purposefully on the timing mat. To say there was a lot of congestion in the first .25-.3 miles is putting it mildly. I was wildly weaving around people, BLEW past the Garmin guy and I knew I was expending way too much energy for it to be so early. I had a momentary thought "why did I pick this race to achieve a time goal?" Then I looked up. No way around this. "Holy shit" We were getting ready to round a corner to take a monster hill to run on an overpass and would be crossing over the roads/railroad tracks below.

I had assumed that since we were on a downtown course we were going to be taking a pretty flat route. Komen, BE&K and Mercedes have all been downtown and the 1st 2 have been fairly forgiving. Mercedes had its share of hills but that was a little south of downtown and they were more of the rolling variety, not the "I'm climbing the overpass variety".

I kept going and felt my feet going numb as I climbed the hill. Seriously? I was burning up (rolled up my sleeves) and my stomach also started to feel queasy (I don't have issues with this luckily) and I thought "is this for real?" Unfortunately with this hill, what comes up does NOT come down, we got to the top and leveled off. Made it to the 1 mile mark and my watch read 9:34. I knew I wasn't feeling great and tried to ease up the pace. Made it to a water stop shortly thereafter and I was breathing so hard I basically came to a crawl to suck down the hydration. Mile 2 I was closing in on 20 minutes. My body did not feel like I was going to make it. Look up and saw another steep climb probably about .3 in length. Seriously? Then, here it comes...I WALKED. For 15 seconds, but still. Knew my time was going down the drain. I could barely breathe. Made it to the top. Walked again, not sure how long (just picked a tree up ahead to allow me to catch my breath) We had turned at the summit of that last hill and the last .75 was a straightaway and I could see the balloons at the finish line, looking like a mirage. Remember how I said it was windy? While we had not been graced with a tailwind on any part of the course, I faced the last straightaway going straight in to a killer headwind. Not an excuse but I felt like I was having to push extra hard just to move.

Knowing that my time goal had been shot, my goal at this point was just to keep going and to not let my friends pass me (shallow, I know). I actually saw a girl that I had run with for most of Mercedes and she recognized me. She shook her head, also gasping and said she felt like this was harder than the half. I agreed.

I didn't look at my watch when I crossed and I honestly don't remember my ultimate time from looking at the sheet. I do, however, know that my overall pace was 10:24. No, it wasn't my goal, but considering what I experienced above and the fact that I WALKED and got my ass kicked by this 5K, I am pleasantly surprised and pleased. AND my friends said that they had a blast. Kathryn is ready to sign up for another one tomorrow, she kept saying how much fun she had. Amy and Lauren also echoed similar sentiments with the caveat that they need more training. I think they all agreed to Komen in October.

For the record, I never did see Garmin guy again and I looked for him the whole time (he was wearing a distinctive shirt). Also, my sentiments above were echoed by several of the race participants based on the inevitable eavesdropping after the race. I was NOT an easy course for a road race and also (not that this matters) was in an ugly part of an industrial part of downtown and was so reminiscent of the part of Mercedes that I loathed from a mental perspective.

I leave you with one picture from after the race, the only one my camera would cooperate for. Me with Kathryn (left) and Lauren waiting to cross the railroad tracks to head back to the post race party. (We lost Amy and ended up finding her at the party). Look at how seriously short I am!!

I'm not just running for the PR

I am aware that I should be asleep right now but I got home LATE from work and then DIED on the couch for 3+ hours so I am getting all my stuff ready for the morning, rearranging some stuff on the iPod, etc.

I know I have focused a lot on the PR aspect of this race (and for better or worse, I actually ran race tempo for my 3 miles on Wed, but that's another story), but even before slowly developing this running addiction I had been planning on participating in the Rumpshaker for several months. My uncle who is in his late 40s, was suddenly diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer just before Thanksgiving (2009). I am extremely close to he and my aunt (my mom's sister and she is seriously like a 2nd mother to me), as well as my 13 y/o cousin (who is more like my nephew). Ryan (my uncle) is putting up one heck of a fight in hopes that he can watch his son grow up. It's been a rough few months for their family and I continue to be amazed at their strength and perseverance through countless trips to the ED/hospital/clinic, extreme sickness from chemo, daily adjustments to a new lifestyle, not to mention the emotional battle that each of them must face internally every day.

I am wearing a sign tomorrow that I am racing in his honor. (Ryan could CARE LESS if I PR, he has bigger fish to fry.) All of the proceeds to the race go directly to local hospitals/research labs in the hopes of finding a cure for a disease which offers little hope unless caught early (and rarely is). I have lost too many dear family members to cancer (various types) and too many others that are dear to me have been affected, so these are causes which I am truly passionate about.

Thanks to Tall Mom on the Run for the high five! Both Kathryn and Lauren are 6'0" so I will be in "tall company" tomorrow! Race report and pics to come sometime after my pedicure tomorrow. Oh how I feel for the poor Aveda Institute student that gets these feet tomorrow. LOL!

Nerves...and a Pacing FAIL

Originally written yesterday, just now getting time to post this.

Rumpshaker 5K is the weekend and I have an unexpected case of anxiety! WHERE DID THIS COME FROM??? I really expected to be rolling into this week cool as a cucumber. I mean, I have been following my training and even adding back distance on my weekend long runs in prep for the Country Music Half at the end of April. I KNOW for a fact I am stronger than I was prior to Feb 14 (Mercedes Half), having “kicked up” (hey, it’s all relative) my pace on both the long and short distances and feeling really good while doing so. For all of this, I KNOW I should be able to PR (that in and of itself, with my past times shouldn’t be a stretch since I had A. trained to finish on my first one…couch to 5K style, B. ran a couple completely sluggish and out of shape). However, I also KNOW that nothing in running is a guarantee. On any given day you can have a completely crap or completely wonderful run. I just REALLY WANT that speedier time SO BADLY and I need to have confidence in myself. I’m pretty darn sure my legs are capable of more than I give them credit for on any given day and I know my breath control is my downfall. Cue up PACING FAIL from Friday…

I had Friday “off” from work (and by “off” I mean, working from home for 4 hours but still having to take a vacation day since I was out of the office doing this work…) so I decided to go ahead and do my 8 miles in the afternoon so that Saturday I could be free to enjoy the beautiful weather and hang out with Matt/do yard work/or whatever. Having not yet ordered my Garmin, I am so not confident with my pace or the distance around my HILLY neighborhood but I couldn’t imagine doing a full 8 on the ‘mill. My plan: 1 mile at Star Lake in neighborhood (2.5 laps = 1 mile), hop in the car and do 6 on the 'mill at the gym (which is super close but also off extremely busy road so not safe to run there), 1 on track at gym.
Head off to Star Lake and walk ½ lap to warm up. Realize I left iPod in car (ALWAYS run with iPod). No big deal, just 1 mile. Start running. Feeling a little speedy, but good. Make it around 1 full lap, look at watch: 2:57. Ummm that puts me on track for 7:30 mile. I DO NOT run 7:30 miles. Not because I don’t aspire to but b/c I am just not there yet. (I run my fast 400s at 9:04-9:13 pace) Tell myself to ease up. Lap 2. Very aware of my breath. Look down and I am 6:04. DYING. Finish next half lap at 8:04. Can you say PACING FAIL???

Amazingly, the rest of the 7 miles clicked by quickly and easily once I got going. (Cardio room a heat box and empty, couldn’t find switch for ceiling fan. Reconciled with the fact I would be running in the inferno. Everybody’s favorite gym buddy, Stan, gets there at mile 1.25 and I am able to ask where the switch is. He directs me to a closet. SUCCESS!!) The next 4.75 are spent watching March Madness and Jeopardy. Track mile feels speedy as well.

So, does this 8:04 mile mean that I am capable of WAY more than I give myself credit for? Was it a fluke? I think this is where part of the anxiety is coming from. Am I going to go out on race day feeling speedy/blissfully unaware of the crash and burn I am certain to experience by starting out too fast? I need a strategy. Conventional wisdom might say to start “slower” and pick it up but I know my self and am pretty sure that I would be better off giving it my all to begin with and adjusting as necessary. I do 3 mile interval workouts so I know I can handle the distance under stress. There has to be a happy medium that will still allow me to achieve my goal. Aughhh!!!