Tag: Running

2015 HOB Fun Run 10K/ 5K

This was my 9th year participating in the HOB Fun Run. It was my 8th time volunteering and my 6th time running. Breaking it down even further- this would be my 6th time running the 5K and 3rd time running the 10K. Also the 3rd time running both races. As much fun as I have at this race, it’s also one of the most stressful. So many people I know! It kind of freaks me out. Throw in team shirts and you can’t even blend in anymore. 🙂

The Scene-

The race starts and ends downtown. I could walk to the start if I wanted to. I have yet to do that though. The course is a loop around the city park and down the main drag. The 10K is 2 loops and the 5K is one. It’s one of the few races I’ve ever run that is a completely closed course. A kids 1/2 mile race, a 75 yard dash and a diaper dash are also offered. It’s a race known for being flat, fast and still offers prize money. The baby who wins the diaper dash wins a washer and dryer.

The 10K started at 8, so I arrived a little before 7:45. I knew we were attempting a group photo with whoever was there before the 10k. C and C-hub were there- race buddies!!! I haven’t run a race with them since last year’s fun run. I miss my buddies. 😞 There were 6 of us for the first shots. After the standard shot, the race photographer decided he wanted one of the back of our shirts. It was the most awkward picture ever. It’s a total butt shot and I was thankful I was wearing a skirt. 😏 The plan was to race the 10K and just have fun running the 5k. I was still feeling my running funk so I had very basic goals for the 10K-

A- Sub 55- PR- I knew it wasn’t happening but I could dream right?
B- Sub 60
C- Better than last year’s blow up

10K- The one where I was beat by a 30lb dog.

30 seconds to the start I realized I left my water in my bag with my bib change for the 5k. Crap! C rocks, I texted her and she grabbed it and tossed it my way when I ran past. I felt like I started out too fast but I really didn’t. However it was my fastest mile of the race. My stupid headphones refused to play and then wouldn’t stay in my ears so I ran the first loop with them wrapped in my hand. I stayed steady and tried to increase my turn over but it wasn’t happening. I rounded the corner to finish lap 1 and was able to toss my headphones to C-hub. I also saw my time at the 5K mark- 28:something- ouch. Miles 1-3: 9:08, 9:23, 9:23

I tried to pick it up on the second loop but I just couldn’t find another gear. I never felt like I was running hard but I didn’t feel like I could run any faster either. It was odd but I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be a banner day so I was ok with how I was running. Seeing a less than 30lb dog with little legs outrun me was a little disheartening though. 😃 Seriously, the dog ran the entire 10K with his owner and didn’t even seem phased. Miles 3-6: 9:13, 9:40, 9:31

Finish- 58:54

Goal B successfully accomplished. Time for a quick bib change and the main group shot before the 5K.

5K-

C, C-hub and their daughter E were planning on run/ walking the 5K and I was going to join them. C and E bolted from the starting line leaving C-hub and I in the dust. We eventually caught up around .5 mile in when E need a walk break. I could tell C just wanted to bolt so I suggested she and C-hub dash off and E and I would follow along behind. I didn’t have to twist her arm. 😄

It was E’s first race so I let her set the pace. We ran when she wanted to and walked when she needed. There are 3 water stations along the course and you pass 2 of them twice so that means there are 5 water points for a 5K. This was needed as it was very warm morning. I made sure that E got water at each stop. At the second stop, I hung on to my water cup for some reason. That station didn’t have a trash can and I didn’t want to toss onto the clean street so I hung onto it. I’ve never done that before but it turned out to be a good thing. As we were coming up on the third water station I saw that no on was manning it anymore. Where did they go? There were about 100 runners behind us! Once at the table, I realized there were no cups but there was still water in the 5 gallon jugs. Good thing I held onto my cup! I had E hold the cup while I hefted the water. We were able to get water this way here and on the way back. We continued run/ walking until 1 block before the finish and then it was a sprint to the end. E hauled ass and finished strong! Woo hoo!

Finish- E-37:37/ Me- 37:39

We got our medals and headed for water. We also met back up with C and C-hub. They finished just over 30 minutes. Awesome! We chatted a bit while waiting for the kids races. Seriously the kids are so stinking cute when they run. Some of them were so enthusiastic they were literally kicking themselves in the butt. The 75 yard dash was broken into 3 heats since there were so many kids. Unfortunately I had to leave before I could see the diaper dash. 😦

Overall, it was a fun morning and a great way to see a bunch of people I don’t see on a regular basis. I miss my running buddies, hopefully it’s not another year until we race together again. 😃 Water station 3 snafu aside, it was a great race, and always runs smoothly. I’m looking forward to next year.

Week 16?- Blah

I really have to go back over these posts, I think I am a week off somewhere. I shouldn’t be on week 16 until next Sunday. Hmmm, maybe I can’t count?

If you read Thursday’s post, you know I got a little emotional last week. I’m still feeling a out of sorts but I’m going to just keep smiling and fake it til I make it. Thank you to everyone who commented. 🙂

Monday- Rest

Harvest Marathon meeting. Where did the time go? Race day is only a month away? Well, crap that’s soon. Unfortunately numbers are down. I’ve noticed that at a lot of races this year. I run a lot of the same races and they all seem smaller this year. Has anyone else noticed that?

Tuesday- 3.8 miles

I really wasn’t feeling a run. I couldn’t really pinpoint why so I made myself change into my running gear. I headed to the river path for an easy run. My mother texted me as I parked and I was hopeful she wanted to meet for dinner and I could ignore the run. I was half right. She did want to meet for dinner but was still at a tennis match. So I went running. Despite my weird funk it was a pretty solid run. It started out slow with a nice progression to a faster finish. I fit in 3.8 miles before I went to meet her.

Wednesday- 11.5 miles bike

Today was rough. I think the bad news about the potential job was the final push and I got a little emotional. At least I made the right choice that night and turned to exercise instead of food. My legs felt a little rubbery when I was done with those miles. 😄

Thursday- 4.77 miles

Once again, I just wasn’t feeling my run. The plan called for speed work but I was having troubles talking myself into even running 2 miles. I headed back to the river path and just figured I would run whatever my head wanted to. I kept it easy and tried to just shut my brain up. I don’t know how well it worked but I feel like it was a solid set of miles. While our temps have been very un-fall like- we have had some amazing sunsets. It’s hard to be mad when you see this-

Friday- Rest

More like chaos. Due to some scheduling issues and a late summer illness, there was only myself and 2 other people at work. Being down 50% of your crew is painful. I knew we could do it, but there were some logistical issues that had me concerned. We did get a some help from other locations for portions of the day and thankfully it was a slightly slower than normal Friday. We got through the day and I have never been so glad to close the doors. 😖 But hey a customer told me I had an amazing attitude so score!

Saturday- Rest

I planned to ride the bike but I was so damn tired I chose a nap instead. Wish it could have been longer. I also worked the registration table for my favorite race of the year. HOB Fun Run! This was the first race I’d ever run. And it turns out it was 5 years ago Saturday and this showed up on my Timehop-
Sunday- 10K and 5K

I love this event but it does stress me out. It’s a race where I am guaranteed to know a ton of people. Performance anxiety!!!! Plus the last two years we’ve had a running team with matching shirts. You can’t hide when you’re wearing matching clothes. 😉 Race recap will be up Wednesday.

Oddly enough, for a week when running was the last thing I felt like doing, I turned in one of my highest mileage weeks in months. Which is partially cool and partially sad because I would love to see a higher number. But it is what it is. Despite my funk, I feel like they were all solid miles and solid miles help build a stronger runner. Right? Can’t complain about solid miles.

Paleo– Oh hell, I don’t even want to grade myself. Lunch and breakfast were still good but other choices were not. Let’s just say donuts and pizza happened. Way more often than they should have. Oddly enough it was my nice healthy salads that made me feel sick. I’ve been experimenting with various types of lettuce and some are not winners. But now I know I can add kale to the list of things I can’t eat. I’d never eaten it before so luckily it’s not something I’ll miss.

So yes, last week was rough but I am going to try to look on the bright side. I got all my miles in plus a solid cross training workout. I had a fun (busy) weekend and got to see a bunch of people. Oh and I dyed my hair again. 😏 My boss is back this week- woo hoo!- and I am looking forward to a weekend of nothing. And then taper! Or am I in taper now? How did I mess up my damn race plan so much?

How was your weekend?

What’s your favorite race?

Is taper the week before race week of the week of the race for a half? My brain has turned off.

State of My Head

I feel all over the place this week. Truthfully probably for longer than that. * I started this yesterday but zoned out in front of a Law and Order episode. I don’t even like Law and Order.

I feel like I am falling short pretty much everywhere. I feel like I am over promising and under delivering on a daily basis. I feel inadequate.

Work-I’ve been telling myself that I’m not stressed but that’s denial talking. I can’t even remember to call the doctor on my lunch. I’ve had to make an appointment with my dermatologist for the last 4 months yet I never seem to remember to do that on lunch. I fall asleep instead. I stumble over my words on a daily basis, my hand writing looks like crap. Well, it always did but now it’s worse. 🙂 Don’t get me wrong, I really like my job, I’m just a little fried. I fell like I am short changing the new hires. There is so much I want to show them I just can’t figure out how to.

A few weeks ago I applied for an open internal position. It was different from what I am doing now- more research less people interaction. Something I never thought I’d want but it sounded it so awesome that I couldn’t pass it up. So I applied and then interviewed. Then lived on tenterhooks for 3 weeks. I don’t think I realized how much I wanted the position until I didn’t get it. I started crying on my way home last night. Ugh. I really wanted to shove a pizza in my face. Instead I rode 11.5 miles on the bike and ate some gluten free granola. Then zoned out in front of the computer and ending up eating tortilla chips later.

Running– I haven’t felt like running this week. Like at all. Normally I look forward to my runs. Yes, sometimes as the day wears on I can lose some of that energy but I always start the day looking forward to a run. This week not so much. I have had zero desire to run. Yet, I’ve changed my clothes and gone running just like my plan says. Tuesday evening’s run was pretty good but I just wasn’t feeling it. I was that horrible cranky faced runner who didn’t smile at anyone I passed. And the path was full of people! It wasn’t that I wasn’t trying to smile, it’s that the smile looked more like a growl. That doesn’t bode well for a race weekend.

Let’s be Real– Speaking of races, I feel like I am woefully under trained and not ready for what’s coming. This weekend is one of my favorite races of the year but I can’t forget how badly last year went. When my mother was so pissed that I completed the 5K she walked home. On the upshot- race morning is predicted to be in the 80’s so the chance of heavy fog seems low. I’ll deal with the warmth… hopefully.

Oh and my goal race- let’s be real here. I am not breaking 2. My speed work was hit and miss and running and goal half marathon pace never really happened. Was I stoked about the paces I hit in my intervals? Yes. But hitting a pace for 3-6 minutes followed by a walk break does not bode well for a consistent 9:00 pace for 13 miles. That will be a dream to hang on to for another day.

Ok, enough dreary, I need to dig my way out of the hole I am burrowing into. I need to find my shiny. So here we go-

Work– I have a great crew. Working with them makes the day a little better.

Running– I know that I can. I know that I will. It will just take longer. And that sunset up there? I never used to notice those. Oddly enough, running has brought back the photographer in me. I’ve just moved on from wedding pictures and almond blossoms to shoe selfies and sunsets.

Falling short– Yeah, this one’s a little harder. This may take some time. One foot in front of the other right?

Thanks for listening to ~~me whine~~ the state of my head. If you made it this far. 🙂

How do you deal with stress? Any tips?

What’s an odd benefit you’ve gained from running?

Happy Friday!

Week 15 Recap- Extremes

Week 15?! My race is almost here? How did that happen? I haven’t even registered for it yet! Well, crap, I better get on that. Right after this damn heat wave leaves.

Monday- Rest

Lugging one less bag to work on Mondays is kind of nice. Think I’ll stick with this Monday rest thing. I was going to come home and ride the back but I decided to dye my hair instead. #byebyeblonde

Tuesday- 4.51 Miles

Holy speed, Batman, I ran a 7:49 mile?!?!? Awesome! I’m still kind of stoked about that. If you missed me shouting it from the rooftops, you can read about it here. 😃😄

Wednesday-Rest

Day from hell. For reasons I can’t say, the day went south real fast in the afternoon. If there was ever a day to drink, it was this day. But the only alcohol in my house is Patron and I wasn’t feeling shots. 😏 So I ate pizza instead.

Thursday- 4 Miles

It was in the low 80’s when I started my run and it was so nice. There was a nice breeze too. It later turned into a pretty strong headwind but that’s not the point. The cooler temps were amazing, this run actually felt comfortable. I wanted to keep running for a few more miles. But the downside to the cooler temps is the quicker setting sun. And the river bed is not really the place for a post twilight run. But it was a 4 solid miles. ✅

Friday- Rest

Day 10 of 11 in a row working. Stick a fork in me, I’m done. I really did think about getting on the bike when I got home but just couldn’t make myself do it. Plus the heat had come back and my house wasn’t much cooler than outside.

Saturday- 7.5 miles bike

Day 11! With a projected high of 100 I knew I wasn’t running after work. Unfortunately I am just not fast enough to pull off a long run before work on Saturday’s. Even with it being a later start, I still have to be on the road before 8. So errands, laundry and biking was it for the day.

Sunday- 6 Miles AM, 3.2 Miles PM

Shot myself in the foot on this one. I needed to a run a 12 miler. Needed it for this training cycle and mentally because I have as serious mental block with a 12 mile training run. It was also predicted to be 101. My alarm was set for an early morning run, I even managed to go to bed around the 11:30 on Saturday. I was going to do this. Then my alarm went off.

So, the average hours I sleep every night run around 6. And those aren’t a good 6. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in so long I can’t even remember. Until Saturday night. When that alarm went off, I didn’t even think about it, I turned it off. I was in such a good spot sleeping, I wasn’t wasting it. I had a back up alarm an hour later anyways. Except it was turned off in the same way. The sleep was seriously awesome. I did eventually make myself get up and got ready to run. I was out the door by 9:15. It was already warm so I knew I wasn’t finishing 12. So I planned to get in as many as I could before I felt too hot and then do the remainder at the gym a little later. Not ideal but better than nothing.

I pulled off a slow, hot 6 miles before calling it. After a few more errands I was on my way to the gym. I was taking my mom to the movies later so I wasn’t sure I had the time for 6 anymore. Thanks to some stupid shorts and some horrible stomach cramps I only pulled off 3 miles. I started to feel better around 2.5 miles but the first part took so long I wasn’t getting much farther. So I called it and went home to shower for the movies. 9 miles for the day- not what I wanted but not too bad either. I don’t regret the extra sleep at all. I needed that. 😏

The movie- The Scorch Trials– was awesome and the popcorn was a yummy consolation prize. Oh and that temp? We broke records and hit 105*.

Paleo- C

Honestly, this might be a B. I was pretty behaved last week even with all the stress. I didn’t binge on chips or cookies and after Wednesday, I could have rationalized it. But I didn’t. However, I did eat pizza twice and had the popcorn and some candy at the movies. So I am sticking with the C.

Considering the chaos of last week, I am actually content with the training I got in. They were all solid miles that will only help me grow as a runner. I am thinking more long term than short term here and that’s what counts- running for a long time to come. Not just for my upcoming races. 😊 And there was that fast mile! Yeah, I’m going to hang on to that for a while.

Now this week- My boss is on vacation still so one more week with little breaks is on tap. That’s ok, I can do it. Then this weekend is my favorite race of the year! Woo hoo! I will be racing a 10K on Sunday and running a 5K right after. 😜 Oh and volunteering the day before. Love it.

How was your weekend?

Tell me all about your fall weather- I need to live vicariously right now.

Ever run double races?

Fall Teaser

Seriously, how is September half over?!! Actually, I might be ok with that if it wasn’t for the heat.

I love heat, I really do. I mean I use a space heater every day at work- every day. My favorite part of winter is bundling up in cozy sweats with a big fluffy blanket. But I am done. The heat kicked my ass this year. I never adjusted to it like I used to. It never felt comfortable. Normally I love 100* temps. Grrrr. Maybe it’s because I work in a town that rarely gets above 70. Or maybe because home town can have a 30-50 degree change throughout the day? Maybe I am getting old? Who knows. Monday it rained and it was awesome. When I started Tuesday’s run I was actually cold! It was awesome! I thought the temps were finally changing. I was starting to look forward to the 12 miler I need to run this weekend. Then came the news. The temps this weekend are projected to be a cool 100*. Waah.

Ok, deep breath, moving on. 😃

I like starting the week with my easy run, so that was the plan for Tuesday. I headed to the river path for an easy 4. The cooler air must have confused my Garmin because it said I had an elevation gain of over 550 feet for a 4 mile run. Yeah, um no. It’s more like 150. Luckily everything else seemed normal, I run this route often enough to know each mile point. Which is good since this turned out to be a run to remember. 😁

I started out with my usual walking warm up, but started running earlier. It was breezy and I was kind of chilled but it felt awesome. I laughed to myself that running more hadn’t really helped my first mile split but I was feeling good so who cared. I just kept trucking along and feeling good. No need for any walk breaks. Somehow my phone ended up on random and the song choices were amusing me. A song came on that I’d never heard before, I’m not even sure how it ended up on my phone. It was a little melancholy but I really liked it. I’ve been super stressed lately (and not hiding it well here on the blog) and something about it calmed me down and kept me running.

I did have to stop for a moment around 2.5 miles in. My stomach cramped pretty badly which wasn’t surprising considering I’d been eating Starbursts and cinnamon bears for 2 days. An older woman with a huge dog was heading my way and with my track record with dogs, I just decided to stay put until they passed by. No need to anger the dog right? Instead I scared the crap out of it. The dog jumped about a foot in the air when it saw me standing on the side of the path. What would it have done if I had run by?

That pause combined with the eerily timed song earlier had made me think. My fastest mile had been completed on this route in August 2014. I clocked in at 8:05. I suddenly wanted to beat that. Why? I don’t know, but I wanted to try. So I did. As soon as my watch buzzed for mile 3, I opened it up.

I knew I had a busy intersection in the middle of the mile so I my initial pace registered in the 8:20’s. It was feeling pretty good though. My goal was to pick it up just after the intersection. There was a line of cars so I skidded to a stop and paused my watch. The first car actually saw me so I was actually still sliding when they waved me on. In like a second I had slid, paused, un-paused and ran on. Half a mile left, time to fly. Except halfway down the path a dad was walking up with his toddler and a stroller. Between all of them they took up the whole path. I debated blasting through but the toddler was wobbling all over the path. Mowing down a toddler was not on the agenda. Another sudden stop and a pause to the Garmin. Didn’t people know I was attempting something here?!

Un-pause and run on. It was hard getting back into gear. My legs and lungs were protesting now. I ignored them and pushed on. I hit the end of the concrete path and headed for the dirt river trail. I almost ate rocks for dinner as I lost traction rounding the corner of the trail head. I got my act together and pushed on; I knew I was close. That was the longest 3/10 of a mile ever. But I did it!

7:48:9?! Holy crap! Would I have done better or worse if I hadn’t had to pause twice? I don’t know but it’s still awesome. 😃 I slowed to a walk but I didn’t feel like I needed to stop. I was breathing super loudly and probably sounded creepy since I was kind of hidden in the bushes on the trail. I walked for 1/10 of a mile before running it out for a total of 4.5 miles. I felt pretty good.

kind of a smile! not quite dead but kind of a ginger, too. ha!

So, while I may never ever do it again, I can say I got pretty damn close to my fastest mile ever back in high school. I really only had PE my freshman year of school but I was always stuck doing that Presidential Fitness test. I was so horrible at those. 😉 I’ve been thinking a lot about speed and my next half marathon so it was kind of cool to pull this off. I also think the cooler weather helped. The news just announced the predicted for Sunday has risen to 102 so hopefully the high from this run will get me out of bed early enough to avoid the heat.

Are you enjoying fall yet? Or still dealing with summer temps?’

Favorite part of fall?

Does pausing count?