Tag: races

Week 29/ Rock n Roll San Jose Training Week 1

On By Fallon @ Slacker RunnerIn BibRave, Run!, Training12 Comments

That was a mouthful.  All right, when I said things were getting serious, I wasn’t exaggerating.  So let’s do this-

Upcoming Races-

  • Vintners 5 Mile-7/28
  • SLO ULTRA 5K-9/2
  • Rock n Roll San Jose 13.1 (Thank you BibRave!)-10/8
  • City to the Sea 13.1-10/14
  • Rock n Roll Los Angeles 13.1 (Thank you BibRave!)- 10/29
  • Monterey Bay Half Marathon (Thank you Bibrave!)- 11/12

Still with me? Ok, that tired me out just typing that up.   But I have a game plan.  I really do.

Remember how I mentioned in my San Jose post that I wanted to get as close to a PR as possible?  That is still my hope.  So with that in mind, I know I need to change things up.  Oh, so many things.

The real title of this post should be Shit Just Got Serious.

As my social handle suggests sometimes I lack motivation.  In my “about” section I mention that it was a competition with my mom that got me into the best shape of my life.  Well, outside of high school but we can never go back right? 🤣

So I put my money where my mouth is and joined a challenge group.    Now I have a partner I don’t want to let down as well as getting my jiggly butt back into PR shape. So how did week 1 go?

*If you’re interested, I am using Hal Higdon’s H3 training plan.

Monday-  AM- Liift4/ PM- 3.77 miles
Look who worked out in the morning??? 40 minutes of weights and a little bit of HIIT.   Who am I?

However, I may have hydrated way too much during the after that because I kind of bottomed out right before my run.  That and my run was extremely uncomfortable as I felt like I needed to pee the entire time.  It was supposed to be 4 miles but I could not hold it any longer.  I needed to be done and I needed a bathroom.  Lesson learned- don’t consume almost 200 oz of water in 9 hours.

Tuesday- Liift 4
More weights.  However I woke up with a headache so I snoozed for another hour so this workout was done after work.

Wednesday- 2.5 miles
It was a rest day from Liift4 and even though my next running day wasn’t supposed to be until Thursday but it seemed perfect to move it up so I didn’t have to double up.  I didn’t feel sore and the plan only called for 3 miles so easy peasy right?  Haha!  My legs quickly let me know they were not on board, all the soreness I had been missing suddenly showed up.   I could barely move and was just getting slower and slower.  I figured I wasn’t doing myself any favors and called it at 2ish laps of the lake path.

Thursday- Liift4
I slept right through my alarm- first and second ones- so that meant my workout was pushed until after work.  However, my family ended up texting me asking if I wanted to join them for dinner.  I am never one to turn down free food.  😛  Instead of being my usual Slacker self, that meant I was doing a shoulder workout at 9:30 at night.  But I got it done.

Friday- Liift4
Once again, I hit snooze one too many times plus I had an early morning lab appointment.   So after a long day of work, some slacking in the evening, I was again completing the workout after 10PM.   Part of that was also due to some animal drama outside though.

Saturday- Rest
I thought about getting my long run in.  I thought about going to the fair.  Did I mention the Fair is in town? It’s chaos, just chaos.   In the end, I did neither.  I had the beginnings of a bad headache that I really didn’t want to turn into a migraine.  So got my errands done, hydrated and just tried to rest.

Sunday- 6.2 miles
My fight to stave off the migraine failed.  My alarm went off to get up and run and any movement made me either want to cry or hurl.   I set the alarm for another hour and hoped for the best.  Nope.  Another hour and repeat.  Nope.   Finally I gave up and decided to push my run to the evening hoping the temps would drop enough- we’re under a heat advisory for the next week.

I headed out a little after 5 when the temps dropped to around 90.   I knew I was going to be moving slower than normal and I was ok with that.  That turned out to be true and it was hot but it was actually a decent run.

12.7 miles of the 13 on the plan.  All Liift4 workouts completed.  My training plan starts out on the lower mileage side and I am fine with that as I incorporate cross training in for the first time in years.   Only time will tell if this pans out.

How was your week?

Keeping Track

On By Fallon @ Slacker RunnerIn BibRave, Run!11 Comments

Disclaimer: I am promoting Athlinks as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

We runner love our numbers.  At least I know I do.   😁

When I first started running, I would scrapbook every bib with race dates and finish times.  But let’s be real, I soon ran out of steam with that one and now that scrapbook languishes at the bottom of a hope chest in the closet.

I have pages dedicated to race times and links to recaps on the this blog (look up) but sometimes I fall behind on keeping them up to date.   Then there was the time a couple months back when I accidentally deleted the entire page that listed all my races prior to 2014.   Ack!!! What do I do?!

Tah dah- Athlinks!!

profile

Athlinks works like a database and pulls all your race results together and keeps them in one place for you.   At least that was what it did when I signed up years ago.

It’s so much cooler now!  Yes, it still tracks all your races and it’s super easy to claim them- well as long you don’t have a common name, which I don’t 😋.     Now you can follow your friends and they can follow you.  Anytime you run a race with them, they become your rivals.   I don’t how much of a rival I am as everyone I follow and vice versa is faster than me but it’s fun!

mission add

Another cool feature is that you can add upcoming races so those friendly rivals 😀 know what your upcoming races are.  Who knows, they might be running the race with you.  And if that race doesn’t immediately pop up, it’s super easy to add it.  For example, my race this Saturday is on the small side and didn’t pop up when I searched.  So I added it. I added all the distances- 13.1, 10 mile, 5k and then I added myself to the starting list for the 10 miler.  It took less than 3 minutes.  Easy, peasy.

PRS
haha, remember the hot mess 25k????

There’s even a Statistics tab that keeps track of all your PR’s for you.   My 10K PR is not accurate since I set it at a super tiny race but it’s close enough and since I’ve slowed down, I can still use it as incentive to make that number drop!  Also, I somehow forgot my marathon finish time.  I thought I was slower than that so seeing it there is kind of awesome… and again, incentive to make that number drop. 😋

Now, I have run some super tiny races (I mean how else did I first OA female one??-tiny) , so not all of my races report times and data so Athlinks doesn’t have those.  Heck, some of those races didn’t even have timing clocks or bibs but the majority of my races are available.  So, I look forward to adding to my stats over time.

You can set your profile to private if you want and still take advantage of all the awesome tracking capabilities that Athlinks has.  Public or private- either way it’s awesome!

Do you use Athlinks?

2017- The Shiny and The Dull

On By Fallon @ Slacker RunnerIn BibRave, Run!, Training6 Comments

It’s that time again- time to recap the Shiny and the Dull of 2017.

Let’s get the Dull out of the way first.

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So yeah, remember that post 12 months ago where I said I hated goals, that I considered them 4 letter words so I wasn’t making any? No? Well, here it is if you’re feeling really bored.   I was going to make 2017 the year of Challenge.  Ha!  More like the year of complacency.

Instead of running all the miles in 2017, I didn’t even clear 650.

Did I find my old pace? Yeah, no.

I was turned down for 2 jobs I applied for.

Should we even mention the weight I put on? I’m less irritated about the number and more irritated about how uncomfortable I feel in my skin.

Had migraine issues, thyroid issues, leg issues, back issues, bed issues.  Maybe I’m the issue?

Ok, enough with the dull.

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Shiny!!!!!!

I ran 10 races, 8 13.1’s, one 5 miler and one 5K.   If I had to pick a top 3, they would be –

  1.  Las Vegas!  I went to Vegas!  I ran a half and a 5K in one weekend.  I finally met Kate in real life! We ran her first half together.  I met Helly! I hung with Mai and other BibRave Pros!   There were lights and miles and good times and it was awesome.  Tiring but awesome.  And I am a bad blogger because I don’t have the pictures.img_5362
  2. Rock N Roll San Diego 13.1– My first Rock n Roll race and it was great one.  I loved the course and the whole experience.  I met Mai and Emily and made the We Run Social photo on race morning.  And I met Chelsea! It was also my fastest race in a few years. Until…
  3. City to Sea– Home town love.  Yeah, I consider the entire county my home town.  5th time running this race and I still love it.  Somehow pulled off my fastest race of the year too.  Still don’t know where that came from.img_4806

Honorable mentions- Salinas Valley Half Marathon, SLO Ultra 5 Miler

I had the opportunity to work with BibRave again in 2017 and it is a great group of people.  Plus I tested some pretty awesome products.   I’d have even fewer miles if BibRave hadn’t pointed me in the direction of my Ultra Boost X’s.  My running store doesn’t sell them so I wouldn’t have found them on my own.  I’m on pair 2 now.

I was also given the chance to be an ambassador for Miles and Pace.  If you’ve been around this blog for the last few years, you may have noticed that I am pretty attached to my Miles and Pace trucker hats so I was stoked.  My current hat count is 4.

As for work, I have a Rock star crew, so can’t complain about that.

So 2017 did not go like I hoped but then again I maybe got a little too comfy in the comfy chair and rationalized my way into being a little too Slacker like.   I mentioned on Twitter the other night that I have a tendency to get in my own way.

As for 2018? Time to Sound the Alarm.

 

Racing Ahead

On By Fallon @ Slacker RunnerIn BibRave, Run!12 Comments

As rough as 2016 has been, I am still in denial that Thanksgiving is this week, more like tomorrow.  How is that possible?  It just can’t be!   That being said, I am looking forward to one part of 2017…

My race plans!!!!

I would say schedule but considering they’ve already hit a drastic snag due to well…life.   I had originally planned on running Surf City again on Super Bowl Sunday.  3rd try’s the charm right?  Plus running it 3 years in a row qualifies you for Legacy status, it’s the little things right?   But like I said 2016 has been rough and I will be attending a family memorial that weekend.

So with the need for something to look forward to, I took to the internet.  Man, there are a lot of cool races out there!  However, I am limited to those within driving distance.  😛  So, tentatively, I am looking at an early 2017 that might look something like this-


January-  Carlsbad Half Marathon

This one is coming up fast, I won’t lie.  I’m not registered for it yet.  It won’t be a race race but more of a super awesome long run with thousands of other people along for the ride.  The course looks amazing and I think it would be an awesome start to the year.   I want to see how the first few weeks of December running go first before I register.  I have a discount code for it and I would rather pay a little more than lose it all, you know?

February– Buzz Half Marathon

Keeping it local…and small.  So small, the race doesn’t even have a logo  😛  This race takes place entirely on a nearby army base and it always been in the back of my mind to run but Surf City is usually the week before, so this year is looking good!


March– Wine Country Half … or Livermore

More than likely Wine Country.  It’s small, it’s local and it’s one of my favorite races.  I’ve run it 5 times.  I broke my streak last year, boo, so I am looking forward to getting back out there.     I know this course extremely well and love it.  Even with the hill of death at mile 12.3.


May–  Destination Races Santa Barbara

I get to run this race with BibRave and I am so excited.  I have never heard a bad thing about any of the Destination Races.   Plus running near vineyards is kind of my jam and one of my favorite things to do.  I’ve also wanted to run a race in Santa Barbara but never been able to make it work.   Plus with the start in Santa Ynez and the finish in Solvang, it  makes me feel nostalgic.  My grandparents lived in Santa Ynez when I was growing up and it brings back memories of many family trips.   I am also thinking that May is perfect timing for a challenge race.   That G word is still a 4 letter word in my book but I am liking the idea of a challenge for 2017.  But more on that later.

Now that’s all to say I don’t do something crazy in April.   I won’t lie, I am having crazy thoughts about April but we’re going to let those percolate a little more.  😛

Do you have any plans for 2017 yet?

How far out do you plan races?  Register?

February Recap- Realizations

On By Fallon @ Slacker RunnerIn Run!, Slacker, Stomach, Training22 Comments

Well, that didn’t go according to plan.

 

Miles– 59.8 run
29 Miles Stationary bike

Races– Surf City 13.1- 2:28:24

Originally I was planning to ramp up training for SLO post Surf City.  Speed work was  going to make its first appearance this year and I was going to force myself to be a grown up and go run on the treadmill.   But, my lungs had other plans.  With 5 rest days leading up to Surf City and the 6 days following it, I missed out on a lot of running time.   And bike time, somehow I kind of forgot about the bike.   I see it on a daily basis but I only rode it 3 times.  Umm, oops?

So back to those pesky lungs.  I closed out February with a follow up at my doctor.  My chest x-ray came back clear.  So the current theory is to blame El Nino.   No, seriously.   The El Nino  weather systems have wreaked havoc on those with seasonal allergies.  So we haven’t yet seen the buckets of rain that were promised but hay fever and other assorted issues are in overdrive for everyone.   So, I have a shiny new rescue inhaler and still have to use a heavy duty, daily inhaler twice a day.   My thyroid is also messed up, so I have a new medication there as well.  Seriously, I am beginning to think I need one of those AM/PM pill containers just to keep it all straight.  Stupid stomach, whiny lungs and a lazy thyroid?  Grrr.

I also had some realizations in February.   I don’t remember exactly when I started running but my first race was in September of 2010.  So 5+ years of running and 16 half marathons later and I only just now realized that I suck at long runs.   For once I am not referring to the pace or the number of walk breaks, I mean doing the runs themselves.   If you had asked me I would have sworn up and down that I did a few 10 milers each training cycle and some 11 milers.  Ha!!  Remember in January when I ran what I said was my slowest 10 miler ever?  Something about that statistic on Smash Run made me do some research.     It claimed that it was my slowest 10 miler coming in at #13.  13?  That didn’t seem right.   So after Sunday’s more successful 10 miler I looked into my stats on the Garmin.  Then Nike+.

Holy crap, in 5 years of running I’ve only run 15 10 milers?  2 11 milers and 2 12 mile runs.  And I call myself a runner?  A few years ago I know I used to split my long runs up but I really doubt they would make those numbers look any better.   Well, that was a wake up call.  I didn’t think I was that bad of a Slacker.  #facepalm  Do people still do that?

 

Fave pic of February

So, I am chalking February up as a learning experience.   Or the clearing of the fog of denial I was living in.   Moving into March I would like to work on making the run a consistent occurrence.  Which is necessary as I have a 16 mile run on the training plan for the beginning of April.  I conveniently ignored that box on the plan during last years SLO race prep.   March also brings the start of daylight savings.  Which means the lake path is back in play and speed work may actually happen on a somewhat consistent basis. We’ll see how the lungs hold up.  Fingers crossed!

How was your February?  Any plans for March?

Am I just a huge Slacker?

Ever faced a sad running realization?