Tag: Running

Central Coast Cancer Challenge 5K- Recap

My first time running the Central Coast Cancer Challenge was 3 or 4 years ago. It was an entirely different beast then. It was smaller and 2/3 on trails with no warning about that on the website. Actually, I am not even sure it had a website. I ended up running into a friend on race morning and we ran it together. At the time it was the closest I had ever come to running a sub 30 5K. Well, until we realized the course was short. By a lot- we all registered around 2.6 miles. Turns out some course signage had fallen over and was not corrected prior to the race start. Oops. The past few years it has been part of the RaceSLO group so I had been wanting to check it out. Schedule conflicts prevented that until this year.

The race raises money for cancer research and a local charity. Cancer survivors can race for free and get a special race shirt with “Survivor” on the back. In memory/ In honor of bibs are free and participants can write names on them and wear them while running. I love the shirts for survivors but I think there needs to be another category. There needs to be a “Fighter” category for those who are still fighting their way to be a survivor.

As the race got closer I wondered what the hell I had been thinking. I haven’t raced a 5K in over a year, and my speed work has been more hit than miss and speed held for any length of time is problematic for my stupid stomach. So yeah. I had originally planned on trying to PR (current PR -27:48) this race but the closer race day got, the more I was leaning towards just holding on. If I could even break 30, I was going to throw a party. Then I saw the course and just laughed. The race has moved to the center of SLO over the past years and they shut down multiple busy streets for it. Having run some of these streets during the SLO half, I knew partially what I was in for. The course loops downtown and starts with a little less than half a mile sloped down, then you make a left and it’s pretty much uphill for the next 1.5 miles. It’s the kind of hill that you don’t notice driving but kicks your ass running. Ahh, crap. So new plan was to try pull off the following splits- moderate speed, slower speed, fast finish. Pretty simple right? 😃

Having picked up my race bib the day before may have made me too relaxed. Per usual my mom was along for the ride and we didn’t even get to the start line area until 7:45. I ended up bailing out of the car while she found a parking spot. Then I needed a restroom stop and there was a line. Another woman in line and I joked that at least races never seem to start on time. 😏 Took care of business and headed to the start. I hopped into the starting line chute at 7:54. I figured I could use the 6 minutes left until the 8:00AM start time to move my way forward in the crowd and get my Garmin situated. Maybe stretch a bit. Best laid plans right?The race whistle blew at 7:55.

5 minutes early!?!

Mile 1- 9:00

My Garmin was on but didn’t have a satellite yet. I just pushed start and figured I would deal with it later. I got hung up in a crowd crossing the starting line but managed to break free after a few blocks. A little too fast since my Garmin buzzed that I was running a 7:30 pace. Oops, slow it down there. Then we turned up the next street and that was taken care of for me. 😊 I passed the mile marker and checked my watch. I knew the mileage was going to be off but I wanted an idea of my overall time. Except the display was on some funky screen only showing the time lapsed in run/walk intervals. Ok then, guess I was running blind.

Mile 2- 9:42

This felt like the longest mile ever. I kept wanting to take a walk break but was arguing with myself that it was all in my head. I felt like we were climbing forever and it’s not even that steep! We only gained 133 ft. I felt like everyone and their brother were passing me. A woman came running up behind me pushing a stroller- uphill- looking fresh as a daisy. I instantly felt out of shape. I told myself I could walk at the water stop. But knowing that there was only one on the way up I had brought my own just in case. So I kept running. Seriously I felt like I was almost at the freeway on ramp, where the hell was the turn around? Oh there, thank you lord. My watch buzzed for it’s mile 2 a little before that and said 9:42. Ouch, definitely not PR pace. It was the only mile I had seen so I wasn’t even sure I was going to break 30. Grrr.

Mile 3- 8:17

I had hoped the downhill was going to help my pace but my stomach had started protesting around mile 1.5. I wasn’t sure how that was going to play out. I drew level with another woman and we had a little chat. She was surprised at just how much of a hill that had been. She said she hadn’t known. I said I had known but that didn’t make it any easier. 😖 We separated, I think I pulled ahead but I can’t remember! I picked up the pace and started reeling people in. I didn’t really feel like I was pushing the pace fitness wise but my stomach was telling a different story. I ran as fast as it was letting me and figured that was the best I could do right then. I could finally hear the announcer and people cheering. Yay, I was almost done! I could see the clock but it was far away and I thought it said 29:something. Then I realized it read 26:something. Holy crap- run!

Finish- 27:10 New PR!!!

Hell yeah! How I took 38 seconds off of my previous time, I have no idea. I felt like I was crawling up that hill. Now I am left thinking that if I had pushed a little harder on the hill, I could have been sub 27. Fitness wise, I didn’t feel like I gave it my all. I know part of that was due to some serious cramping in the last half but part of that was also due to my pre-race doubts. Or maybe me deciding to just hang on and not stress about the race was what got me that shiny new PR. Who knows. I do know I was happy about the race. I ran according to my plan and managed to pull off a fast time for myself. Maybe next time I will push a little harder. Now I just need another 5k. 😃

Oh and the women with the stroller was rocking the 10K. So fast!

What’s you favorite distance to race? Least favorite?

Week 13 Recap- Hell Yeah

13 out of 17 done! Hmm, my math seems off, I may have to check race day again. Not that I would complain about an extra week right now, though. 🙂

Monday- 9.35 miles bike

My neck was still feeling sore and stiff from Friday’s run in so I opted to not run that day. Instead I headed home and got on the bike. I’ve been testing out the resistance workouts on the bike and so far I like them. I was also thankful that I bought a recumbent- it made things easier on my neck. 🙂

Tuesday- Rest

My stomach was a total asshat all day so I ended up taking a rest day. The night before I had indulged in some candy and while I knew I was probably going to regret it, I didn’t think it would be that bad. Did you know sour straws were made of wheat? I had no idea! While I don’t necessarily have a wheat sensitivity, my stomach has never been too fond of it. Combine that with sugar and ouch. Don’t think I will crave candy for a while though.Wednesday- 3.2 miles

This run was thisclose to not happening. After a rough run on Sunday and 2 days off, I left work looking forward to running. Somehow, I drove past the lake without realizing it. Oops. Ok, I would head to home town. I stopped at Target along the way to pick up some prescriptions. Since I was getting a later start, I bypassed the river path and figured I would run from my old work spot again. Except there was road construction everywhere. Seriously?! It was almost 7pm and a primarily resident area. I was so close to just bailing but I had said I needed to get out of my own way, right? So I ended up parking at the bottom of my driveway and squeezing in a few miles before dark. I even saw one mile in the 9 min range. Sweet.

Thursday- Rest

Since I had a race on Sunday, I had a crazy idea of getting my long run done today. However, work had other plans. We were 45 minutes late getting out of work. By the time I would have changed and headed back to town, I wouldn’t have enough daylight even for 3 miles. Seriously, when did the days get shorter? I thought about the gym but Thursdays are pretty busy and I didn’t think hogging a treadmill for 2 hours would go over so well. Plus I wasn’t too fond of the idea of 2 hours on a treadmill. 😝

Friday- 10.1 Miles- Hell Yeah!

Confession- I ate a donut. 🍩 And it was awesome. Curious thing- so was my run. I worked the early shift so I was optimistic for a long run after work. Being Friday and a busy day at work though, I was doubtful of my follow through. I didn’t even think about the Labor Day traffic until I was on my way to the river path to run. Crap. I wanted 10 but decided 8 would be fine to if traffic was too crazy.I had woken the night before with a horrible charlie horse and I had felt it all day. I walked the first 3/4 of a mile just to make sure it wasn’t going to be a problem. Things felt good when I started running, better than they have in months. I told myself not to get cocky, I was only in mile 2! My goal was just run a nice comfortable pace and maintain it as long as I could. Which, let’s be honest, these days that is about 3 minutes. However, I just kept running, my legs felt good, my breathing wasn’t labored at all and things felt great! I had a lollipop route planned that I thought would put me around 8 miles when done. My math was so wrong. I figured it out around 4.5 when I hit a point in the route that I thought would have been 6.5. Oops. I had to decide if I wanted to go back up for another loop and hit 10 or head down and circle the river bed trail until I hit 8. I was still feeling good so I headed back up the hill for another loop.

I never really looked at my pace on my Garmin, I only recall seeing it once during mile 5 and it showing my ave pace in the 9’s. Slow down! Things were going well, I didn’t want to mess things up! 10 miles completed just as the sun was fading. 10 awesome miles. I ran the whole damn thing not counting the warm up and it felt awesome! I only started to feel sore for miles 9 and 10. Which was to be expected as this was my longest run in over a month but I still managed to pick up the pace a bit there too. In full disclosure- I admit that while I never walked or intentionally took a break, I did hit 5 or 6 stop lights. I was so freakin’ excited by this run. I was still smiling about it on Saturday. That one run will get me through another 2-3 months of crap runs. 😃😃

Saturday- 6 miles bike

I didn’t want to run since I had a race the next morning so I hopped on the bike. I kept things easy as I was a little sore from the previous day’s run. I also headed down to SLO to pick up my race packet so I would have one less thing to worry about on race morning. I missed the shirt deadline so this was a very small packet. I was kind of really worried about this race. I haven’t raced a 5K since July 2014 and I wasn’t sure I was even in 5K shape.Sunday- Central Coast Cancer Challenge 5K

Argh, nerves. After all you can’t have 2 good runs in a week right? Recap in next post. Spoilers on Instagram. 😃Overall, this was the best training week I’ve had in a long time. Like since April. While my mileage didn’t increase I finally feel like I put in 3 quality work outs, oh wait, I cross trained too- 5 work outs! Woo hoo!!! I also followed through with a plan and pulled off my long run before the weekend. Which for September I may have to do more often. Unfortunately, Fridays won’t be an option going forward. With my boss gone, I will be working open to close, so that will fill up most of Friday. So time to do some thinking!

Paleo- B

Overall I made better choices last week, candy and doughnut aside. I have zero guilt about that doughnut though, I give it partial credit for my run on Friday. 😊 My weakness right now is these chips-

Since I won’t be able to leave the building while my boss is gone I am hoping to use that time as a way to make me stop eating them. I still need healthier dinners though. I did enjoy my pizza cheat on Wednesday and it was awesome. 😉

This week will be tight, with work and the Avocado Margarita Festival but I am hoping to get a solid week of work outs in. The heat wave coming in is concerning. Triple digits are predicted for all week. Last week’s cooler weather was just a tease. I may have to be a little Thomas this week- ” I think I can, I think I can”.

How was your week? Is the weather cooling down in your neck of the woods?

How was your Labor Day? Anyone else race?

Do you have a snack food you just can’t stop eating?

Adios August

Goodbye August, don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Well, actually, on second thought…😝😃

I started August with such high hopes but unfortunately it seemed like life had other plans. Between work stress, getting sick, crazy heat and humidity, headaches, crazy drivers and car accidents, I was so happy to see August end. To add insult to injury I have some crazy, creepy bug bite. I felt something sting after my good interval workout last week. It just felt like I scratched myself so I ignored it. Come to find a huge red lump below my ear on Friday. It was so creepy that my coworkers are helping me keep an eye on it. I can’t see it really well and cannot seem to get a picture of it either, so they and my mom have been super helpful. It’s still a lump today. So long August!

But let’s get to the numbers-Not what I was hoping for but at least I am going back up in miles. Even if it’s a tiny bump (half a mile), it’s still up. I deliberately took the month off from racing as I was feeling achy and tired. I was having some leg/foot/shoe problems that I needed to figure out as well. Which led to buying new shoes. So far I am really liking the Pure Flows. My only concern right now is I am wondering how long they will last. I am afraid that what makes them so comfortable will not last long. Only time will tell. 😃

This look back made me notice some things. While my running was pretty consistent at 3x a week, my actual workouts were hit and miss. I thought I had done better than that. I never ran farther than 7.3 miles. Which if this was a non training period would be fine. However, I am training for a goal half marathon, followed a month later by another half and a week later by a 25K. This was not the month I needed. I have been doing some serious thinking about that goal half but have yet to come to a conclusion. Between the heat this month and my stupid stomach, I try to not even look at my splits. Looking for a positive spin, maybe I am base building for 2016?

So hello September. As much as I am looking forward to September, I have some serious scheduling issues. Every single weekend is booked. Between a work weekend, race weekends and Avocado Margarita Festival ~~conscription~~ volunteering, I have no idea how I will get my long runs. Well I do. Get out of my own way and get up early. But can this Slacker do that? Combine those weekends with my boss going on vacation for 2.5 weeks, which means I can’t even leave the building, and September will be busy. Can someone set up a Diet Coke delivery? 😄 My planner looks a little scary. I am trying to only look at 2 days at a time, 2 days is manageable and lets me breath. All that chaos aside, I am still looking forward to September. In denial that the year is 2/3 over but still looking forward to September.

Starting with this weekend- first booked weekend- 5k! But I have Monday and Tuesday off!!! Monday is Labor Day and I told my boss I needed a mental health day before she left so I asked for Tuesday off. 😉 I also haven’t raced a 5K since July 2014 so this could be a train wreck, we shall see.

How does your September look?

Any plans this weekend? Anyone racing?

Should #getoutofmyownway be my new motto?

Week 12 Recap- Crash

Last week I jokingly said that the week felt like a truck had hit me. Be careful what you say- this week a truck literally did hit me. But more on that fun morning a little bit later. So let’s get to it! I started the week with a fun doctor’s appointment where I got to swallow what looked like plastic toys and get x-rays taken. I would return later in the week for more x-rays.

Monday- 3.5 miles

Slog fest. After having a few days with no running I was really looking forward to this run. I had a seminar on Tuesday evening so I had to push the run up a day. Monday was the start of a heat wave but it was only in the low 90’s when I got to the lake after work so I thought it would be fine. I don’t know if it was the heat or if I was still feeling poorly but this run was rough. I felt like I never even got started. I wanted 4 miles but the idea of running past my car only to turn around was not appealing. I called it when I hit my car.

Tuesday- Rest

So yeah, that run was apparently too hot. I felt a heat headache coming on Monday night and tried to head it off by sleeping with an ice pack. No such luck. By the time I got off work Tuesday-late- I felt like my head was going to crack open. I had no idea how I was going to handle a seminar. Thankfully my mother wasn’t feeling well either. Since I was getting into the seminar with her when she decided to not go I was thankful. We went to pizza instead. Comfort food for the win. #paleofail

Wednesday- Rest

The week’s speed work was on tap. However the events of the drive home changed that. I was just a little too shaky after. So comfort food again- a yummy quesadilla. #paleofailagain

Thursday- 6.61 miles -Intervals 😃😄🎆

Predicted temps were 105* so I knew I was headed to the gym. I knew I was going to have to make some adjustments to the workout due to my stomach but I was hoping to get as close to the plan as possible. I took my warm up super easy. Partly because it takes me forever to find my groove on the treadmill and partly because I was trying to ignore the fact that nature was calling. I have to drink less after 4 pm, seriously. Finally I just got over myself and used the restrooms before starting the intervals. Might as well take advantage of the gym right? The plan called for 3 minute intervals at 10K pace. I have no idea what my 10K pace should be- my PR is over a year old. So I figured I’d wing it. I set the treadmill to 7 which computed out to 8:57 a mile. Ok not bad, I figured I would see how I did. The first 3 intervals went well so I stepped the next 3 up to 7.1. Which according to the treadmill is an 8:37 pace. My math doesn’t agree with that but oh well. The 3 intervals were going well but I could tell I was tiring by the 6th one. So I did one last interval at 7.2. Boom. Just kidding, couldn’t help myself. 😃 I only managed a 13 minute cool down as my stomach cramped pretty badly. But it let me complete the majority of the work out so I’m still calling it a win. This was pretty awesome run. I felt strong for the first time in months. Now if only that feeling could stick around.

Friday- Rest

I had my last set of x-rays that morning so I was taking care of that before work. Apparently life decided I hadn’t had enough excitement during the week and I was in an accident getting off the freeway. I stopped at the red light at the end of the off ramp and the truck behind me didn’t. 😂 Seriously?! I was in disbelief for a moment- did that really just happen? It did- we pulled off the road and did the exchange of information bit. He was super apologetic but I was kind of still in disbelief. The irony of the timing of my previous post going up was not lost on me. His all metal truck was fine and my car was drivable so we went our separate ways.

I headed to the doctor for my x-rays. I also called work and let them I was going to be later then planned. I then took my car to my dad to have him check it out before I headed to work. I know he couldn’t see everything but as a former mechanic I knew he would know if there were any trouble spots. My bumper is pushed forward, as well as a hole in it and my trunk is jacked up. Other things sound odd but I am thinking optimistically. I then started a claim with my insurance just in case before I finally headed to work. I’m not sure how much use I was though. 😐

Saturday- 5.5 miles bike

I spent most of the night before sick due to too many comfort food meals (pizza again Friday) and I woke up super sore. I had really wanted to do my long run that morning but there was no way. I tried to ride out some of the stiffness on the bike but no luck. My stomach didn’t appreciate it either so I just decided on a rest day.Sunday- 7.1 miles

I slept like crap again, so I was late getting out the door. I was still sore but thought I could run it out. Ha! Plus while the temp started in the 60’s it jumped drastically by the halfway point. Like 20 degrees. Really, I would call this more of a walk. I averaged a 13:00 minute pace. I was thisclose to calling my mom to come give me a ride. Since I say a long run is anything over 7 it’s not a complete fail but I am not sure if it was helpful. Slow mile better than no mile right?

Overall, this week had its high points and its low. Way more drama than I would have liked. I need a vacation. The last few weeks have been hit and miss with running. If I hit a speed work out I miss the long run and vice versa. I really wanted to hit both this week. I didn’t say it in my last recap but that was a huge goal for me this week. I feel liked I missed it again. Yes, there were extenuating circumstances but I feel like I fall back on that excuse a lot. I need to get out of my own way, but more on that in another post. Now I have to figure how to structure this week as I have a 5K on Sunday. That is freaking me out a bit.

Paleo- C-

That may be aiming high considering how much “comfort food” I ate this week. My stomach did not appreciate it by week’s end either. I know what I did wrong though so it’s fixable. Lunch and breakfast is still on track.

How was your week?

Ever been rear ended? Should I just stay off the roads?

Anyone racing soon?

Week 11 Recap- Wait, what?

This was the kind of week that ran over me with a truck, backed up for more, then sped off into the night. Workout wise, the week actually started off pretty good, it was work life that was kicking me around. The I got sick and spent a lot of time sleeping. How come that is never as exciting as it sounds?

Monday- 4.3 miles

I was debating where to run when traffic made the choice for me. A fire started on the Cuesta grade Sunday and by Monday it had grown exponentially. It was heavily stressed that people find alternate routes home which sent them my way. I couldn’t even get on to the off ramp to change highways so I just took the back roads home. This was repeated for most of the week.

I was feeling nostalgic apparently and headed to my former work location and ran from there. Which is really just my home route backwards but it feels different for some reason. 😀 My calves were super tight for the first few miles of the run. I ended up stopping every so often to try and stretch them out. I hit a hill at the halfway point and alternated walking forwards and backwards up it. I wonder what the home owners thought when they looked out the window. 😋 Things finally felt like they popped into place a mile later. By then I was almost done. Soreness aside, my splits were good for an easy run and I felt good after the run too.

Tuesday- Rest

I didn’t get home until 8ish. I looked at the bike but nah.

Wednesday- 6 miles -intervals

I haven’t done speed work in a few weeks and I was feeling nervous. Since I couldn’t get to the lake path due to traffic, I headed to the gym. I figured the treadmill would help me maintain pace better anyways. Turns out I haven’t been to the gym in 182 days. 😁!!!!! They have a new system that tells you things like that now. Ouch.

The plan called for a warm up followed by 10 min @ HMP, 1 min recovery x3 then cool down. I knew I didn’t have that in me so I went back to a speed workout I skipped 2 weeks ago. Similar except only 8 min HMP x3. But yeah, that’s not what happened. What I did pull off was 6 min @ 9:13 pace, 2 min recovery x4 with warm up and cool down. Time wise, I hit the 24 minutes but my pace should have been 9:08. Still for my first attempt in 2+ weeks, I am calling it a win. It was also my longest run in my Pure Flow’s so far. Other than the general first mile achiness, they felt great. I always feel like it takes longer for me to find my stride on a treadmill. Anyone else have that issue?

Thursday- 7 miles stationary bike

I was feeling pretty good after Wednesday’s speed work but planned for a rest day. I was hoping I could maybe get my long run in on Friday so I wanted to stay off my feet. I started off the day feeling pretty good but things went south early in the morning. I started to feel light headed and nauseous and just exhausted. It only got worse as the day went on. I was supposed to attend a business mixer but just wasn’t feeling up to mingling. I was hoping I could sweat it out on the bike. I also figured if it made me worse, it was easy to quit since I owned the bike. 😃 I didn’t feel worse so that’s a plus right?

Friday- Rest

Or not. I still felt crappy on Friday. A coworker was feeling poorly too so we thought we were fighting a bug of some sort. I was drinking Airborne and Vitamin C but no luck. I didn’t even make it through the day at work. It takes a lot for me to leave but I just couldn’t do it. I went home and crashed, taking a 4 hour nap. Is it still a nap if it’s dark when you wake up?

Saturday- Rest

I had some errands to do in SLO and those hurt. I was so tired and just beat. Running was not happening. The furniture did finally get rearranged. Now, there should be no way I can run into the bike in the dark. I’m sure I’ll find a way though. 😃

Sunday- 5.5 miles Stationary bike

Grrr. I had a company picnic for most of the day so I needed to run in the morning. Yeah, no. The alarm went off, I checked the temp and saw 90% humidity. My lungs were having none of that. When did I become such a baby? I headed south for the company picnic. Hours of sun and sand later, and I was again exhausted. I didn’t even do anything! Watching the executives hula hoop was amusing though. It was around 100 when I got home and there was still Sunday dinner. Plus my gym closes early on the weekend so I figured a little time on the bike was better than nothing at all.

Overall, the week started pretty good and hit some speed bumps at the end. That said, it could have been worse, I still got in 4 workouts. Much better than it would have been without the bike. It seems like lately I have only been able to accomplish a long run or a speed workout during the week. One but not both, I really need to work on that.

Paleo- B-

I actually did really well until I got sick. I admit that something I always crave when sick is french fries. It’s my comfort food, something about the grease and salt make me feel better. Burger King happened on Thursday and In N Out on Friday. I do have to say that they didn’t taste as good as I remember. But that should help fight future cravings right? I got things back under control by Sunday. Tri tip and salad at the BBQ, I passed on the bread. I also really like subbing broccoli in for pasta when Sunday dinner involves pasta. Plus it’s super easy to steam and clean up so no extra work on my mom’s part since she’s in charge of Sunday dinner. 😉

This week has more testing for my current GI issues but it doesn’t seem very invasive so I am hoping to hit all my workouts. Fingers crossed! Plus I am attending an injury prevention seminar so that should be interesting. Now if people could just stop yelling at me, that would be awesome.

How was your week?

Does your company do annual BBQ’s or parties? Year’s ago we did formal ones, I kind of miss them.

Anyone else have some weird summer sickness?