Tag: races

BibRave, Run!

Keeping Track

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

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?

BibRave, Run!, Training

2017- The Shiny and The Dull

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

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.

 

BibRave, Run!

Racing Ahead

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

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?

Run!, Slacker, Stomach, Training

February Recap- Realizations

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

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? 

 

 

Goals, Run!, Slacker

2014 Review- The Shiny and The Dull

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

I have been dragging my heels on this post because the pessimist in me really wants to call 2014 the year of stall.   Then I wrote a great version of this in my head one night trying to fall asleep.  Unfortunately I remembered nothing in the morning.

The Shiny-

So once I momentarily got over my cynical nature I was able to reminisce on all the good things I accomplished this year.  But how did I do on those goals I set for this year?

Run 14 races in 2014-  CHECK!
Run 750 miles- CHECK!

I completed race number 14 in November and also cleared 750 miles at some point in November.   🙂     One of my races was a virtual race and I am on the fence about how much those count.   I received a shirt for it though, so I am counting it!   I had the chance to be an ambassador for the SLO Marathon and it was awesome.  I loved that race, I didn’t do as well as I would have liked but it was a great experience.

woo hoo!
woo hoo!

This year I ran 7 5k’s, 3 10k’s and 4 half marathons.   I ran road races, a trail race or 2 and 2 races on the beach.   I age grouped placed in 3 of those 14 races.  And a benefit of running small, local races- I was first female finisher at my 5k in July.   I set a PR, finished strong even with my stomach and did it all while hearing Miley Cyrus sing Wrecking Ball for 27 minutes.   Stupid iPhone.

5K PR- 27:48 –Wild Run 5k
10K PR- 55:40– Heart & Soles

Best Bling-  IMG_4010It’s a toss-up,  I love the SLO medal because I had been wanting to run the race for the previous 2 years.  Plus running it as an ambassador was pretty sweet!   As for the abalone medal- that thing is huge!  The race was rough, ocean = humidity, but it was on my birthday and I got to run it with a friend.  IMG_5535Strongest race-

Wine Country 13.1–  Before I got sick, only slight asthma issues, finished at 2:07:08 for a 7 minute course record for me.

The Dull-

Goals-
Break 27 in 5K- FAIL
Break 2 hours- 13.1- FAIL

No lies, 95% of my races this year were rough in some form or another.  After years of nothing my asthma reared its ugly head and it took more than a few races for me to figure out that cold and humidity were big triggers for me.   My 10K PR was set under duress of an odd but severe bout of pain in my right Achilles.  I went into 2 half marathons on heavy-duty antibiotics.   My stomach, which had been fairly level for the last year or so, went psycho in June and has yet to level out.   While I was able to maintain my mileage somewhat, I came to the conclusion that a faster pace was not in the cards.  It made me cranky, it pissed me off and I wondered what the point was most of the time.

I went into Ventura, cranky, ill and medicated, knowing I should have deferred.  When it turned from running to walking 6 miles in, I had 7 miles to think and get my head on straight.   The rest of the year was spent backing off a bit and slowing down.  Getting back to basics and loving running again.  I’m not loving the time change but I am loving running.    🙂

Roughest Race (s)-

HOB Fun Run–  the 10K & 5K where people thought I was going to pass out.  Yeah, possibly not my best moments.

IMG_6534So why Shiny vs Dull?   Shiny is fairly obvious, and a Firefly shout out, but dull?  Dull things can be cleaned, buffed, fixed- given a little TLC, a something dull can be made shiny.   And that is part of my focus for 2015 but more on that later.

Thanks for joining me in my drama- issues- silliness- laziness- of 2014, I hope you stick around and see what happens in 2015.   🙂 

What was your shiny/ dull for 2014?