Race Report: Run the Falls 8K

I’ve done many 5Ks up to this point but this was my first 8K and I was surprisingly relaxed and confident about it. I was familiar with the first and last mile of the course and knew the middle 2.9 miles were rolling hills much like the hills I normally train.

It was a cold 43° and cloudy at the start and I didn’t want to shed my fleece jacket but knew I would overheat if I didn’t so I threw it in the car and lined up with about 3 mins before start time. At 8:00am, we were off.  It took me nearly 1.5 miles to finally warm up but I wish I wore gloves since my fingers were the only thing that stayed cold throughout the entire run. I had no trouble breathing in the cold air (thanks to the high humidity…I’m learning that it’s dry air and not cold air that causes breathing problems) but my nose decided to join the run and that became quite annoying to say the least. The sun would try to break through the thin layer of clouds but never did come out in full force to warm things plus their was a gentle but cold breeze.

The first mile was downhill, then the next 2 miles were a series of up and down hills through the River Falls neighborhood with a long slow uphill to the finish line (the final 1/2 mile is a pretty good climb). And it was that last mile going uphill where I really started to struggled but not with my breathing but with my quads and glutes which were telling me they have had enough. All those hills really took it out of my legs but I am so glad I did hill repeats in training, it really helped me get up most of them without wasting too much energy and it was were I was able to do the most passing, which always feels good.

With about a quarter mile left, my legs were really starting to feel heavy and as soon as I approached the top of that final hill and knew it would be flat for the last 200m, I gave it one last push and to my surprise finished well under my 55 minute goal with a time of 53:56. After reviewing my Garmin data, I quickly realized I ran a faster pace on this race then I did on my fastest 5K race and that was like icing on the cake.

Race Report: Spinx Runfest 5K

This was my biggest race as in number of participants and I knew I would be more nervous than usual. I didn’t sleep well the night before with anticipation for this event. My husband went with me (I always like when he goes although I know it’s probably boring for him) and we got there a little after 8am where I met up with the other iRUNners.

At 8:50am we lined up and there were a lot of runners, around 800 I think. I decided to start near the back for two reasons, so I could avoid getting caught up in running a faster pace than I had planned and second, I figured if I starting passing other runners, it would give me confidence and I was right. I have never had a 10:46 mile that felt so “easy”. I seriously felt like I ran only a half mile. Then the course went downhill where I knew I had to take it easy to prepare me for the uphill climb to the finish. I did walk some although I probably didn’t need to and realized racewalking was actually causing me to waste more energy than it was saving.

By the time I got to 2.5 miles, I started to get super nervous about entering the stadium. My legs began to feel like jello by the time I entered but the moment I did, I felt fine and even got this extra surge to run faster and ended up passing about 5 people in the last tenth mile. Talk about being nervous for nothing, it was the best part of the entire race! Needless to say if I actually gave it 100%, I would of had another PR easy but it doesn’t matter though, I wanted to run this race for fun and enjoy the atmosphere. Even with the cool misty conditions, the weather was actually quite perfect for running and was comfortable in shorts and my iRUN tee.

My gun time was 35:28 (11:25 pace)  and my chip time was 34:49 (11:13 pace), still my 2nd fastest 5K and I’m happy with that considering I didn’t give it everything I had. Next up on my calendar is probably an 8K on November 21. It will be my first 8K. I’m still undecided on whether I will actually run this race. It will depend on how I’m feeling and the weather and will decide 36 hours before the race.

Race Report: iRecycle 5K

I wanted to use this race as a trial for the Spinx 5K since it consisted of both a half marathon and 5K that shared parts of the course just like the Spinx race will. The pre-race ritual for me starts 24 hours prior with no junk food and no sodas and spaghetti for dinner. I woke up at 6:15am the morning of the race and immediately went outside to get an idea of what I should wear. To my surprise, it felt very warm, more like August and not October! It was 68° with 93%  humidity which made it feel more like 74° so I knew it was shorts and a tank top.

We (my husband went with me) arrived around 7:15am and I had an hour before my race started. I got my bid number and timing chip and went back to the car since it was starting to rain (it stopped 5 mins later). At 7:45am, I started stretching and warming up, at 8:00am, the half marathoners took off and at 8:10am, they had the 5Kers line up. Learning from previous races I decided to start more towards the front this time so I wasn’t zig zagging through slower runners. At 8:15am, we were off. The first mile felt great, my split was 9:46. I started the second mile and that’s when the half marathoners started to join us for about 1/2 mile. I was feeling really good until we approached a somewhat steep hill at 1.6 miles. I tried to keep running up it but as my pace got slower and slower and I just found myself walking up the hill. Once I got to the top, I could feel it in my legs and I found it really hard to start running again. I tried to zone out and think about something other than how I was feeling. I concentrated on my breathing but I was struggling to get it back under control. My goal for mile 3 was to stay under a 12 min pace which is exactly what I did. Once I hit the final stretch and saw the clock at 33:42, I told myself I can do this, I can finish under 34 mins and ran as fast as I possibly could towards the finish line. I wasn’t sure if I made it under 34 but it still felt great to finish around 34 minutes after finishing more than 37 minutes in my previous five 5Ks.

I got home and it wasn’t probably 4 hours later, I got the email with the link to the results. 33:57! I did it, I finished under 34 minutes. I knew I could of done better if it wasn’t so humid. A few times during the race, I felt really hot and started to get dizzy and had to slow down and even walk some to allow my body to cool down. Maybe just maybe the weather will be perfect for the Spinx 5K on October 31. I hope so.

Race Report: Free to Play 5K

My fifth 5K race this year. This race was actually a last minute decision to enter. I had plans on entering then decided not to and then about a week out decided to just do it anyway. It was a cross country double loop course at the North Spartanburg Baseball Complex. To make matters worse it was quite chilly with a light drizzle.

I arrived about 45 mins early like I always do to give myself 20 mins to warm up and 10 mins to stretch after registering.

Mile 1 – Went well, it started with a slight uphill before going downhill then around the baseball fields. At first it didn’t seem so tough to run in wet grass until I hit some really wet spots.

Mile 2- Started struggling really bad with heavy jello leg feelings. It took everything I had to pick them up and take a step forward. At this point, I was questioning myself on why I even was doing this race.

Mile 3 – It took every effort to just keep moving. I almost wanted to give up and just call it quits but I was determined to finish. By far this was the hardest 5K I have ever ran. What was suppose to be a slow easy fun run turned into becoming quite a hard and challenging run.

I finished with a time of 38:15, not bad for me at that course but it was last place which caused a lot of disappointment shortly after the race. The next day, I realized half the pre-registered participants didn’t even show up to run so by just showing up, I felt I already won the race. It’s a reminder to not get caught up in my times and just go out there and run my best each and every time. I’m realizing that everyone is different and for some of us running doesn’t come naturally and we must work harder to become faster and more efficient.
But crossing that finish line is still the best feeling though!

Race Report: Colon Cancer 5K

My 4th 5K Race. Got there 45 mins early, registered and walked around for about 20 mins then did my pre-run stretching.

Mile 1 – Felt great on but of course it was mostly downhill. Relaxed and breathing and heart rate was under control (stayed around 150 bpm).

Mile 2 – Was a bit of a struggle as the course started to go uphill and was forced to take a walk break at 2.5 miles. Overall still felt pretty good but was having trouble keeping my breathing under control (160-170 bpm).

Mile 3 – The last 1/2 mile was uphill and I struggled the last .6 miles of the race. I ended up walking to the mile 3 marker and then sprinting the last .11 miles to the finish line.

I went in with a goal of finishing under 36 mins and I finished in 37:05. It’s still almost 3 minutes better than when I ran this course back in May so I can’t be too disappointed to see that much of an improvement. I need to work on controlling my breathing more, especially during uphill climbs and increase mileage so that I’m not feeling like I hit my reserves at 2.5 miles.

Race Report: Back to School 5K

This morning, I participated in my third 5K with a goal of 35 minutes or better. I finished in 36:50 (according to my Garmin Forerunner GPS watch) so I didn’t beat my goal. But I did finish 3 minutes faster than my previous 5K on May 9th but it’s hard to compare since they are different courses. I am okay with that time but not excited about it. I know I can do better than that!

I started out way too fast the first mile so of course the last 2 miles, I really struggled. I slowed down and walked at the 1 mile mark but really should of kept on running. I guess mentally, I still have it in my head that I can’t run more than a mile but I was actually feeling fine so I honestly believe it was a mental block not a physical one at that point. After that, it was hard to start running continuously again. By mile 2, I had very little left in my legs plus lost focus on controlling my breathing and heart rate. I did have my iPod and never again will I race with music…it was too distracting when I’m trying to concentrate on my race. When I’m training it’s great but not during a race. Plus they advertised the race as being traffic free but it wasn’t, about 4-5 cars had to maneuvered their way around the crowd of runners.

Even though I didn’t feel like I had a great race, I’m not going to give up and keep up with my training! I have to look at it is I’ve been only running for 5 months and who knows what will happen this fall when the weather cools down.

My next 5K is on August 29 at Duncan Park, the same course as the Run for Scouting 5K I did back in May so it will be a more accurate test to see how much I will have improved in 3.5 months.

Last week of Beginner 5K Training

I’m on the final week of iRUN's 10-week Beginner’s 5K Training Program. It’s similar to the couch to 5K as it has you walking more than running in the first several weeks and slowly decreasing the walking intervals and increasing the running intervals in the latter weeks. I have one more workout remaining and that is Wednesday’s 44 min run (run 8 mins, walk 3 mins, repeat 4x) before Saturday’s Back to School 5K at the Middle Tyger YMCA in Spartanburg, SC which I’m not sure I’ll even enter. It really depends on the weather. I haven’t be doing well on high humidity days at all so if it’s humid, I probably won’t enter. If I don’t, I won’t have to wait long for the next 5K, just 3 weeks later on August 29 is the Colon Cancer Awareness 5K at Duncan Park in Spartanburg, SC, the same course as the Run for Scouting 5K I did back in early May. So it will be a more accurate test to see how much I have progressed in 4 months.

I really have no idea where I am with my training since the weather has played an big factor. I can take the heat but this humidity, not so well. If it’s humid, I get nauseous and dizzy during and after my run regardless of how well I hydrate and whether I drink water or Gatorade. Me and humidity just don’t get along very well. I think the real test will come in September and October and to see how well I do during the cooler months.

Next week I’ll be starting the Intermediate 5K Program which consists of tempo runs, fartleks (that’s speed work for you non-runners), hill work and fun runs. I’m also planning on returning to karate as part of my cross training. I took a 3 month leave from karate to give my hip a rest from all the kicking, I was in so much pain at one point, that it hurt to walk so I probably won’t do much if any kicking in class which means my black belt pretest is pretty much on hold for the time being. But, I’m not going to worry about it too much as my most important thing right now is to stay active and to stay healthy.

After 11 Weeks of Running

Well, I wish I could tell you I was running for 30 minutes continuously but that’s not the case. In fact, I’m not even running more than 8 minutes continuously. I probably only have myself to blame. I didn’t stick with the program, instead I thought I could do it my own way. I was wrong. I can’t do it my own way. I must stick to a proven plan if I am to succeed.

I only made it to week 5 of the Couch to 5K and was doing quite well until I got to the 8 min runs. Not to mention, I was getting really sick of hearing the same podcast over and over so I gave up on it. Plus I was using my Nike+ but when my sensor died and I had to buy a new one, I couldn’t get the new one to work right. Instead of using my current profile, it started a new one and then when I tried to force it to use my current profile, it just started having sync problems. So what did I do? I went out and bought a Garmin 305 GPS trainer and I have to say, I love it! It tracks much more data than my Nike+ and yes, I will admit, I’m a geek. I love gismos and gadgets and this thing is pretty cool…if you like analyzing data and such.

So where I’m at now with my running? Well, it depends. On a good day, I can run/walk 3 miles and on a bad day, I’m cramping up and ready to stop after a 1.5 miles of running/walking. I’m stuck in a rut. I would love to blame it on the weather…after all, it’s been so freakin’ hot here lately. It’s been in the 90s and the humidity…well I live in the southeast…do I need to say more? So maybe that’s it. Maybe it’s the weather. Maybe when the weather gets cooler, I will run better.

Anyway, I’m planning to participate in my third 5K on Saturday, June 27. This one is the Main Squeeze 5K at the Pine Street YMCA in Spartanburg. My goal is to beat my current PR time of 37:23, if I finish under 36 minutes, I will be happy and under 34 minutes, I will be ecstatic.

Update: My dog, Kato got really sick the last day at the beach, June 24. He has an auto immune disorder that came on all of a sudden. He stopped eating and became very tired and week and had to take him to the emergency vet as soon as we got back home. He had to stay in there for 3 days and I have to admit for a week there, he had us all scared and worried if he would pull through but he did and I’m happy to report that he is doing great. So I didn’t get to do the 5K on June 27

Race Report: Run for Scouting 5K

I participated in my second 5K, the Run for Scouting 5K at Duncan Park in Spartanburg, SC. I arrived early since I didn’t pre-register for this event but too my surprise at 7:15 for an 8:00 start, not too many people were there. I got my bid number, timing chip (high tech for Spartanburg so I hear) and started my pre-run warmups. At 8:00 we were off and I was able to keep a nice 10 min/mile pace the first mile. Once I hit the first mile marker, I decided to walk for 3 minutes then run as long as possible then walk for 3 mins and continue with that until the finish line. At the two mile mark, my split was 24:25. I felt I was doing great as I kept talking to myself the entire time, focusing on controlling my breathing, staying relaxed and running my own race while others would pass me by. Mile 3 was mostly at a slight uphill making it really hard for me to run continuous for more than 2 minutes. I looked at my watch and noticed it was at 36 mins and I probably had another quarter mile to go (it was hard to tell). I just knew I had to pick up the pace if I was going to meet my goal of under 40 mins and that’s exactly what I did. Once I had the mile 3 marker in my sight, I cranked it up digging deeper than I ever dug before. Ignoring the signals my brain was telling me to slow down, I continued to run, pushing myself further than I ever have. When I reached the top of the hill and made the slight turn, I saw the finish line clock at 38:14 and cranked it up a notch determined I was going to beat it before it reached 40 minutes! I crossed the finish line in 39:50 and was so stoked that I finished under my goal of 40 minutes!
The next 5K I will probably participate is the Main Squeeze 5K at the Pine Street YMCA on June 27. By this time, I will be finishing up my 10th week of running  and should be running 20  minutes continuous by then…so we’ll see. The thought of running 3.1 miles without having to walk still seems like a long way from now. Probably because I’m training in my neighborhood with some very steep hills!

First 5K Race!

Today was my very first 5K race and I had a blast. I didn’t even finished with a great time (47:28 unofficial) but I finished! With just 3 weeks into my Couch to 5K (running/walking program) and never having ran 3.1 miles ever, I think I did great! I did get a bit nervous before I left the house but once I got there, I was fine. I got there early and had about an hour before the race started. They had everyone line up stagger start with the faster runners up front and the walkers in the back of the line. I decided to start in front of the walkers knowing that I was going to start out strong and then slow down to a walk which is exactly what happened. I was able to stay with the group and run continuously for nearly a mile! Running that long was a first for me and I was ecstatic! But after that first mile, it got hard! Moderate hills are fine but that dang steep hill (it’s down then up) got the best of me. It’s long and it’s steeper than it looks when you’re in a car! I did my best just to walk up them as my heart felt like it was going to beat out my chest. When I got to the top, it continued to go slightly upward and finally leveled out. I tried to start running again but my legs just felt like they would move but I pushed myself to run to the half way point which was the turn around point to come back to where we started. So once again, that dang steep hill again which was harder going back because there is a second smaller up hill right after it. By the time I got to the top of that second hill, my legs felt like jello and I ended up walking the entire last mile. I have no idea where I finished overall but at least I wasn’t last!