Tag: Running

Heart & Soles 2014 Race Recap

I was originally planning on running the Buzz 1/2 marathon today but scaled back to a 10K in SLO for a few reasons. Now, I am completely bummed because I just saw that Run Eat Repeat ran it and I could have tried to track her down, except I am slow, hehe.

Anyways, on to the race. After my great run on Wednesday, I was super pumped but I also knew I had pushed harder than planned, so I ended up taking Thursday and Friday as rest days. Friday was also a vacation day for me, so woo hoo! I made sure to spend some time stretching and working with my foam roller yesterday so this morning I felt pretty good and ready to go.

Heart and Soles is a series of races put on by the Cal Poly Triathlon team. It works as a fundraiser for them and the local food bank. The race takes place entirely on the college campus. They offer a 5K, 10K, and 15K and a kids race. I was a little concerned about hills as the campus is pretty much on the side of a big hill, but there weren’t any big ones thankfully. I really wanted to do the 15K but thought the 10K was a smarter choice. 😦 This turned out to be a good choice, because I would not have finished a 15K, at least not running. Maybe crawling.

The race had 9:00 AM start so I didn’t have to leave until after 7:30. My race photographer (thanks mom!) and I headed out. Getting there was easy, finding parking was a little trickier, luckily runners tend to move in herds! Check in was fairly quick, picked up the bib and goody bag and headed back to the car since it was a bit cold. While not required, a Valentine’s themed costume contest was suggested. My mother had fun laughing at some of them, including the pace bikers. The 2 males were dressed in diapers and wings…and that’s it. Just like Cupid. One thing about a college race, I felt old. I won’t deny stalking last years race results to make sure I wasn’t the oldest one. As it was I was running solo in a couples race. Luckily it was mostly other solos as well. 🙂

All 3 races started at the same time so the start line was a little congested. A guy stopped to play with his girlfriends iPod, I went left to avoid them, and 2 people behind me ran into me and I into the first couple. Oops! Maybe that was when the problem started or I just hadn’t noticed because I just started running. A quarter mile into the race, my left lower calf was so damn tight it was painful. I figured I would run it out around mile 1. No such luck. I actually considered turning around at the 5K mark. But I kept going. I was so happy to hit the first 10K turnaround. The course had two out and backs. I kept running but the pain was turning into my couples partner for the race. I told myself if the pain ever got above a 4 to take a walk break. The first came at just shy of 3 miles. Mile 4 was the roughest, not only did I take a walk break, I stopped completely and tried to stretch it out. The end of this out and back had a little loop on a dirt path and my leg felt better there. After that if I could run on dirt by the side of the road I did. While we were in the Ag section this was possible but once we were back in the center of the school, it was all roads and sidewalk. 😦

I felt like mile 6 had the steepest section of road but my Garmin disagrees. It was a little past mile 5.5 that my leg finally loosened up. Seriously? Now? But there was no way I was sprinting to the finish, I was just trying to maintain. I hadn’t really been paying attention to my time because I was more focused on breathing through the pain. All in all, I took 4 walk moments plus that stretch. I was so thankful to see that finish line. I was done. Apparently it showed too, because my mom said I looked gimpy coming up to the line.

Once I caught my breath, I let my mother know how close I was to texting her that I was chucking it and walking the damn thing. Then I checked my Garmin, 55:44. I’m sorry, what?!!? I flippin’ PR’d on what may or may not have been my worst feeling race?! I checked Nike to verify (Yeah I used both), and it agreed. I was a little shocked. Once I processed that, I was super stoked, still hurting but excited!! I was brought a little back down to earth by the first 15K finisher crossing the finish line 4 minutes later.

Other than my stupid leg, it was a good race. With all three races starting at the same time, I was concerned that it might be easy to be confused by the route. But they had people at every corner and turn around who made things very clear. The finish line was clearly marked as well. All in all, I would run it again, maybe the 15 next year?

I stretched as best as I could before leaving the campus. After changing and eating a yummy lunch, we did a little shopping around town. I kept my compression socks on and hoped that the walking would help ease the tightness. It helped a little but most of the evening has been spent RICE’ing. Tomorrow will probably be a day off as well, I have to see how it feels in the morning. I am not sure what set it off, if it was tennis practice yesterday or maybe the fact that I sat cross-legged on the floor for most of last night. I just want it to go away.

And as per usual, I was unable to leave SLO without purchasing some new running gear, now if only my legs weren’t so pale!

How is everyone’s weekend so far?

Who else raced?

~A change in plans~

~A change in plans~

Today is my Friday and that makes me smile 🙂 I have the next 4 days off, woo hoo! The original plan was to run a half marathon on a local army base on Saturday. Packet pick up would have been tomorrow, so I took the day off. They were also giving tours of the course. However, with my ankle a little sore and getting the chance to be an Ambassador for the SLO Marathon, I adjusted my race schedule. My first half of the year will be March 23 and this weekend I will be racing a 10K at a nearby college instead. I will then spend the day enjoying SLO. But I still have tomorrow off. 🙂

Yesterday, I packed everything I needed to hit the gym after work. I was planning on 4 miles with some sort of speed drills thrown in. The weather was amazing throughout the day and I was dreading the treadmill. On a last minute whim, I decided to chance it. I didn’t have my Garmin, I didn’t have my running belt and I only had my Wave Riders. I had never run in them outside only on the treadmill plus one puppy walk. But I was running outside!

I checked the sunset time and knew I could get in 3 miles. Maybe 3.5 if I pushed it. I had an armband, so I shoved my phone in it and was off. Seriously, I have never changed that fast and I was walking up the block before everyone else was in their cars. I had a 3 mile route planned, out and back. The first 1.5 miles are slightly downhill so in this route I am usually quicker going out than coming back. The first mile felt a little rough, I was breathing heavier than usual. I took that as a sign that 3.5 would not be happening. That is until Nike chimed in at mile 1- 9:00. Holy crap, that’s race pace not training!

Change in plans, now I wanted to run 4 and hold that pace. Mile 2 came in at 8:57, then the turn around. Here I did stop for a few pics, also to lose the sweatshirt I had started out in. I ran past so many photo opportunities but I wanted to hold pace and beat the setting sun. Then it was back the way I came, uphill. I always walk a part of mile 3 as the road in the state park gets super narrow. The return route has a blind corner on a downhill for cars, so I slow down to pay more attention to the cars. I figure it’s easier to jump out of the way when I am not huffing and puffing. 🙂

The sun set just past mile 3. The last bit of uphill was hard and I knew I was slowing. I hit my car and was only at 3.8 so I ran around the block again. Luckily I hit 4 and stopped Nike before walking a cool down. Which was cool because I was not running around the block and the police station again. Figured that would look a little odd. 🙂

I was so pumped after this run. I had no idea I could do that in a training run. I think racing the sun was a huge part of that. That pace would not have happened at the gym. Nor would it have been so pretty. Plus I could smell the ocean and the eucalyptus while running. I may have to try that again next week.

On an annoying note, today my favorite boots decided to lose a bottom. I almost took a header while walking across the tile floor. Now I am trying to decide if they are worth repairing or if they should be retired like a pair of running shoes. They probably have a similar amount of miles on them. 🙂

Now I just need to decide how to spend my four days off. Is it bad that I kind of want to have an Austen marathon? Jane Austen, that is. Or maybe I can get my friend to actually go to the movies. Hmmmm. And somehow, I agreed to help my mother with tennis practice tomorrow. One thing I know, I will be sleeping later tomorrow morning. 🙂

Anyone have big plans for Valentine’s day?

Who’s racing this weekend?

I’m an Ambassador!!!!!!

Last week, I promised big news and now for the follow through. I’m the type of person who likes to check and then double-check and the check again before announcing something. I want to make sure I read something right or that it wasn’t a mistake or that they won’t change their mind, etc. Anyways, on to the news!!!!

In my goals post I mentioned that I would love to race the SLO Marathon in April. I have wanted to run the half for the past 2 years but was never able to make it work. Either illness or finances would get in the way and I would spend part of race weekend mildly pouting. So this year I was making it a priority, I was going to run it. So when it popped up in my Facebook feed that they were looking for Ambassadors for the 2014 race, I about jumped out of my chair.

I love SLO, seriously if I could live there I would. The weather is usually amazing which is good because many of my races have been run in SLO. I spend many a weekend there shopping and eating- and running. I always come home with a little less money and a full stomach. Now being that I am a steak and potatoes kind of girl I admit that I don’t branch out often, but have enjoyed some of the best hamburgers and BBQ there. I consider it a reward for a good race– or a rough week. 🙂

Healthy all week until post race reward right?

I stared at the post for a bit and then texted a friend (I needed a little encouragement) before putting together an email and submitting it. I then proceeded to stalk my own email for a week or two. I was super excited but nervous as well. Even after a few years of running I still doubt myself sometimes. But I got an email back!!!!

They asked for a bio and a picture which I promptly sent back. I then still waited a little more before posting this (I also replied from the wrong email and had a temporary panic attack). I am so excited!!!!! I now have a new focus for training and a new goal race in April. 🙂 You’ll be hearing more about the race from me in future, hopefully I can convince you to come join us on race weekend!

Oh, did I mention that Dean Karnazes ran it?

January Recap

Yesterday was a glorious rest day. It was a longer than usual work day, so that plus my tiredness from Monday and Tuesday turned into a rest day. I won’t lie, it was pretty nice. I still played nice with my foam roller but other than that no running or running shoes. I did end up going up and down a ladder a ridiculous number of times at work. We finally took down the last of the Christmas decorations; the garland strung around the exposed beams in the ceiling. That turned out to be more of a workout than I had planned. 🙂

My plan called for 6 miles yesterday but just like the 8 on Tuesday, I made adjustments. I swapped yesterday’s run and today’s rest day. I was still not feeling it this evening so I ran 5 and called it done. I think that a plan needs to be adaptable to the runner. I could have forced myself to run the last 3 on Tuesday and the last 1 today but they would have been crappy miles. I would rather have quality over quantity. Which is kind of contradictory as I am trying to up my mileage, but I want to do it smartly.

Tonight started out a little stiff but just over a mile in, it finally eased up. I wanted to keep it easy tonight but my feet must have disagreed- I kept punching the treadmill! 😦 Oops. I made sure to keep my breathing even and if I felt like I was getting huffy, I would slow down. I took advantage of those moments to drink water without spilling it all over myself. 🙂 NikeC showed up at some point and texted me that I had outrun everyone around me. When I showed up, the treadmills were mostly full but I found one near the door surrounded by people who were just arriving and jumped on. 2 miles in they were all gone. Did I smell or something?

I finished out my 5 and walked a cool down. I then stretched before cleaning my machine. Yes, I stretch on the treadmill; those bars sure are handy. 🙂 I chatted a bit with NikeC before heading out. She’s running Surf City this weekend, woo hoo!!! She’s gonna rock it, I know. I then headed home for a nice warm shower and my roller. I was also able to catch up on Supernatural while working on this post. I was only distracted a few times. 🙂

Back to upping my miles, I decided to try doing a monthly recap. That way I can see and share what I’ve done- what worked and what didn’t. Tonight was my last run for January, so here goes-

77 miles?! Sweet, especially considering I took 8 consecutive days off when I was sick. Looking at those numbers makes me proud but it also shows me why I am tired. I went from a 30 mile month (granted it was December) to just shy of 80. I would like to stay around this number of monthly miles but I am rethinking some things, got to work out the kinks. I think I had a few good ideas while running tonight but any great epiphany had while running should always be slept on first. Right?

Tomorrow is Friday, woo hoo!!!! How was everyone’s weeks?

How did your resolutions/ goals go for January?

Who are you rooting for on Sunday?

Tired miles and a foam roller

I am so thankful that tomorrow is Wednesday. Tomorrow will be a longer day at work, so I will be taking a rest day. Woo hoo! I love running but I am kind of sore and achy. Sundays long run took a little more out of me than I thought. I have been very close to my foam roller these past few days. 🙂

Yesterday’s run was scheduled to be 5 miles. I woke up tired, and it took hours to perk up. Ok, I admit, a second soda did wonders for my perkiness. My left calf felt extremely tight all day. I wore my lowest heels hoping it would help. When work was done for the day, I changed into my gear and headed for the gym.

The gym was super busy when I got there but I found a treadmill and after a small warm-up and some earphone troubles, started running. Oh the tight calf was not my friend, not by a long shot. I kept trekking along, after a little over a mile, it loosened up a bit. I told myself I could stop at 3. At 3,I felt ok so I pushed on for another mile. I finished mile 4 and walked a cool down and stretched some before leaving. I was heading to a cold smoothie, a hot shower and my foam roller. I just had a little issue to fix first.

On the seriously irritating side, when I was getting out of my car before the gym, I noticed my left, front tire was flat. What?!! I was just at the tire place on Friday and they said they fixed it. Maybe that irritation helped get me to mile 4. What’s a girl to do when the same tire goes flat twice in 2 weeks? I won’t lie, I called my pops. I can change a tire but I have problems with the jack placement. Plus he has all the fancy tools. My dad changed it and using a flash light, we found the nail and drew a circle around it for the tire shop. 🙂 Then I threw it in the trunk and today was spent driving around on the donut. Not cool. I was driving a little slower than usual but still at the speed limit but so many people passed me. Slow down, people!

After how stiff I was yesterday, I was thinking of taking today off. I was able to make another tire appointment for 4:30 so I could get my tire fixed and firmly express my irritation that it wasn’t done the first time. The tire shop is just a 5 minute drive from the gym. I figured I was already going to be there so why waste the opportunity? So I changed into my running gear before leaving work. At the tire shop, they apologized numerous times and promised that it was fixed now. So I headed to the gym.

The schedule today had called for an 8 mile progression run but that was not going to happen. My initial plan was for a minimum of 3 miles and see how I felt after that. 3 turned into nice steady 5 miler. When I was running I thought I was doing a 5 mile progression. A 1 mile warm up, 3 miles at increasing pace and a 1 mile cool down. While I was running, I felt like I was doing that, however my splits told me differently. Oops! Steady but not faster, oh well, I’ll take it! Obviously, I’m still a little tired, but it felt like a better run. Afterwards was another date with my foam roller. And maybe some pizza. 🙂

Sadly, the ear buds I have been using for the last few years died. They were just the ones that came with my iPhone 4 a few years ago but I liked them the best. Even over the ridiculously expensive Yurbuds I purchased but rarely ever wear. My new iPhone came with ear buds but they are different and I haven’t tried them out yet. Guess I will be now!

On the upshot, I am really loving my daily lunches! Not as pretty as Pinterest but seriously who has the money and space for all those plastic containers?

We’re almost halfway through the week, how is everyone doing?

Any calf massage ideas?