Training Log 12/31/12-1/6/13 and a Race Report!

Gorgeous mid-day run!!!

The first week of January is done! Woohoo! I hope all of you have had wonderful holidays and the happiest of New Year's! The first week of 2013 started off with (technically) 2 races, some beautiful running days and  the stomach flu. Monday, the last day of 2012, I ran the GNYER and then went to a fun NYE party and celebrated with some great friends. Tuesday was a family day and Wednesday I was back at work - boo!  Wednesday was a trying day and I just felt off.  Thursday I spent the day at work feeling dizzy and weird.  Friday I was able to get in a beautiful run around lunch time that was MUCH better with the aid of my new yaktrax.  As soon as I finished, my stomach hurt.  By the afternoon I was certain that I was getting sick and by 7pm I had a decently high fever and the stomach flu. Saturday I was pretty drained and still not feeling well but determined to do my first official race of 2013.

Post race reward :) 

I woke up this morning feeling pretty good and got everything together and out of the door with time to spare.  Today was the Dirty Snowflake 4M Prediction Race.  That's right, prediction, no watches and you predict your time!  Luckily, the race started on time! :) I started off in the last third of the pack as there weren't a ton of racers and they all looked super fast!  Once we made our way onto the Ledges trail and it became mostly single-track I wished I had toughed it out and tried for middle of the pack.  There were a lot of traffic jams and I had to walk quite a bit in the beginning.  Eventually the route got a bit wider and I was able to move around some.  I underestimated my race by 9 minutes! :( But I had a great time and the course was AWESOME and super beautiful.  I left right after I came in because my stomach started getting all weird and nauseous. Can I just say that the thing I dislike about doing races South of here is that there are hardly any Starbucks?!  I know that sounds ridiculous but there is nothing better after a good run than a hot cup of tea!  So after I found a Starbucks, I headed home to get some yoga, stretching, lunch and a shower. It was a great race and good practice at running without a watch which honestly made me a bit crazy mostly because I didn't know the distance.  I feel like if I hadn't got held up at the beginning I might have gotten closer to my goal.  I also think due to the conditions on the course I probably should have added 5 minutes or so to my time. ;)

Weekly Training 12/31/12-1/6/13

12/31/12 - W9 D3 - 3.15 miles at 12:21 - Great New Year's Eve 5k - road

1/2/13 - 1.73 miles at 20:08 ouch!- NCR snowy trails

1/4/13 - 3.57 miles at 15:32 - not bad for the flu! - NCR snowy trails but with yaktrax! :) 

1/6/13 - 4.13 miles at 14:26 - CVNP Ledges and Pine Grove Trails

Weekly Total: 12.58 miles

December Training Round Up, a Race Report and a New Year!

I meant to post all this last night but the weather was crappy and I got home late from the race and needed to get to a fab NYE party. Sooo first, let's get the training report out of the way!

12/17/12 - W7 D2 - 3.28 miles at 13:25 - trail - NCR

12/19/12 - W7 D3 - 4.77 miles at 13:55 - trail - NCR

12/21/12 - W8 D1 - 2.26 miles at 15:24 - trail - ECP

12/23/12 - W8 D2 - 2.37 miles at 14:53 - trail - Frohring Meadows

12/24/12 - W8 D3 - 5.13 miles at 13:38 - Frosty 5 Miler - road

12/26/12 - W9 D1 - 1.89 miles at 13:14 - trail - ECP

12/28/12 - W9 D2 - 1.65 miles at 16:57 - trail - ECP

12/31/12 - W9 D3 - 3.24 miles at 12:21 - Great New Year's Eve 5k - road

Total Miles: 24.59 miles

Great New Year's Eve Run

I LOVE this race! SARC puts on such great races! They are well supported and always have great giveaways. I was looking for a PR so I knew where I needed to be and was able to stick with my pace for most of the race.  I still started off a bit too fast and was trying hard to slow down.  I managed to stay between 11:30-12:00 for the first mile which felt good at the time but I knew I couldn't maintain.  I just kept pushing so I'd PR.  I got slowed down in the beginning because I couldn't get my garmin to find the satellite but once I got it working everything was fine. Here are my splits: 12:29, 12:38 and 12:46.  I was hoping for 12:30 consistently so I need to make sure for my next race that I don't go out and run 10-11 for the first half mile. Overall, I'm happy with my race! :) 

So it is a new year and I'm so so so excited about all that 2013 has in store for me! I'm going to begin working with my coach for the half this month and I'm still working out my race calendar for next year. I hope all of you had amazing holidays!!! :) 

Frosty 5 Race Report-of sorts

Happy belated Christmastime everyone!  I've been bad at blogging. :( As a result I will post a final training post and race report next Monday after the New Years Eve race!!! Christmas Eve I ran the Frosty 5 in Hudson.  It was a great race and well attended!  Overall I ran a good race. I started off a bit too fast and didn't dress warm enough so I froze through the last two miles but I came in right around where I thought I would and that made me happy! I also wasn't running alone which made me feel good about my pace.  I was always surrounded by a small group of people running around my pace so that was nice.

This week is technically a recovery week for my 5k-to-10k training so I'm going to be able to get some easy runs in this week.  I'm also on vacation from work until after the New Year! We have an impending blizzard and I need to get a run in before yoga so I'm off! Stay warm and enjoy the post holiday happiness everyone!

Lorain Triathlon - 8/24/08 - how NOT to eat shot blocs!

A few months ago I volunteered for a tri in Lorain with NCN racing. I had worked the run aid station and listened to MANY complaints about the course. Either it wasn't marked well enough or it was hard or both. Some complained about the bike as well. So when I cashed my volunteer race voucher in for the tri this past Sunday I knew what I was in for. :)

I had checked out the course maps online on Saturday afternoon to make sure I had some idea where I was going. In all of the races I've done, (all 3 :P ) the first I had a part in T1 so there wasn't anyone to follow out on the bike, the second I took forever to "run" a mile and there wasn't anyone to follow on the bike so this one I was preparing for being alone on the ride.

I got up early after getting in a few hours of sleep the night before. Got all of my stuff together and Steve and I were out the door by 6:25am. I got all the way to Lorain and made my left onto Erie to catch the bridge. But the bridge was closed!!! There wasn't anything on the website indicating that the bridge was closed. :( I saw several others approaching the bridge as I was turning around searching for an alternate path. I finally made it to the race site around 7:30am.
We did the typical unloading and tire checking and then walked up to the transition area and I headed over to the registration table. After getting marked and forgetting to get my chip I headed over to transition where I met up with Sara and later saw JenC. It is always nice to see smiling and familiar faces.

My BS was kind of low when I got up that am (74) so I had wanted to check again before the race. But with only about 20 mins to spare, I figured that I should get things together and head down to the beach to fill up my bucket and get in line for the swim. I almost forgot my goggles!! so I had to turn back for those.

As I was standing with my CTC chicas on the beach I realized that I hadn't had any sport beans. I always down a pack of sport beans pre-race so that by the time I hit the bike they kick in and the extra carbs help push me along. I have to refuel more frequently that others because of how my body works (or doesn't! ;) ) and I haven't mastered taking in fuel on the bike, plus to have fuel for the bike I need to consume it at least 20 minutes before.

I start the swim and it feels like my timing bracelet is falling off of my ankle. So I stop and reattach it and get moving. The swim was good. I felt a little more tired than usual and really pulled with my arms. The waves were a bit bigger than I had expected so I just tried to go with it.

I was trying to make myself do as much freestyle as I could so I was working harder than my last tri swim. But all in all it felt good. I came out of the water and walked up the beach. I was trying to get my heart rate under control and running up the beach and then hill to T1 wasn't going to do that.

S: 15:52.25

T1 is still a struggle for me to get through quickly. I realized at this point that if I didn't eat something I probably wouldn't be able to finish the race. I grabbed a pack of shot blocs and ripped it open. I hate having the shot blocs all over my teeth forever after I eat them so I have begun biting them in half and swallowing the half whole. This day I decided that one really wasn't that big and I could probably swallow it whole. HA!!! BIG MISTAKE. I grab one throw it in my mouth with a big gulp of water and swallow. The sticky bloc quickly gets lodged deep in my throat. I start swallowing hard and realize that it truly is stuck. I don't think I've ever been choking before. In my head I think, "Ok stay calm! keep trying to drink and swallow. they are sugar, eventually it will start to dissolve." I also was reassured because the ambulance wasn't that far from me so I could always get help if I needed it. I started to feel breathing constriction and just kept drinking and swallowing. Finally, it broke free and I could breathe. Success!!!

I took a minute to breathe and relax some and then I threw on my shoes, helmet and sunglasses and started walking over to the exit.

T1: 06:05.45

The bike was decent. I felt tired and I was really struggling for the first 5 miles or so. Once the shot blocs started to kick in I could feel a change in my legs and I felt like I had more energy. There is one really steep hill which unfortunately isn't as steep on the way down. I was also a bit confused because I had remembered that for the sprint course you took all rights, but my first turn was a left so I started to get a bit confused. All in all the bike went well. I wish I had been faster on the first few miles but I was happy with my performance and time for the length of the course (14.3miles).

I still haven't mastered shifting. I set my bike up on my trainer today and watched the gears move as I shifted. I thought that if I pushed my shifter in all the way once my rear deraileur would move all the way to the top. Silly me! I didn't realize that I had to push three times. Yesterday, I was getting super frustrated because all the gears I could find were either too easy or too hard. Because I was only shifting between 5 gears, not ten. So next race hopefully I will figure this out! :)

B: 1:02:50.25

As I returned to transition I saw Steve standing on the side of the road and he started clapping. I got back to transition and walked over to my spot. He eventually made his way over and asked if I was going to run or walk the run. I was beat and the humidity was taking its toll. I knew that running would kick my heart rate up higher and probably not get me to the end any quicker than walking.

T2: 03:41.75

So I set out on the run in a light jog and then Steve met up with me near the car and we started walking. I was walking pretty fast so he was lagging back a bit because he hadn't had any breakfast and was super hot and thirsty. He stuck to the outside of the course and we chatted back and forth a bit.

It was mostly all in the sun and the humidity was really getting to me. I just kept a steady pace, determined to finish. I will say that this was probably the hardest run for me so far. When I woke up that morning, I had no desire to do the race. Everything kept going wrong and then the bridge incident plus waking up on the wrong side of the bed, I wasn't even confident that I would finish honestly. I went into the race thinking, just go and enjoy it and when it starts to really really suck you can stop if you want.

R: 55:13.40

total: 2:23:43.10

Having Steve shadowing me and chatting really helped get me to the end. I'm glad that I finished but I don't think I will do this one again. I hate being critical of RDs or races, especially when it was free for me, but I just didn't feel like things were very organized. The only support for directions on the bike course was the Lorain PD. They were awesome and cheering for people but I was surprised there weren't any volunteers on the course. Also, the only time you saw a sign on the course was at the actual turn. I often was slowing up at intersections to read the small street signs to see if this was one of the streets I was supposed to turn at. I was kind of annoyed that no mention of the bridge being closed was on the website or that an email wasn't sent out. Apparently, the bridge reconstruction was in the PD but I don't often read that paper so I had no idea until I got there. The fact that I saw 5 other cars on the way to the race going the wrong way means that I'm not the only one who didn't know.

Great job to all the CTCers that were there!!!! We had a great showing of participants and volunteers!!!

GCT 2008 Part 3: My T1 PR!

I started the 'swim/run' at the back of the pack. I had no real expectations that I was going to run very fast (or very much! :P). So I hung back and walked most of it.

I got into T1 and thought of everyone who had reminded me to PR in T1 today. :) I grabbed some water (cuz I still haven't mastered DWC [drinking while cycling] ) and changed my shoes. Like Jack, I was having some clip issues but finally got going.

The bike was challenging for sure. Once I got out of the park, I saw my crazy ladies, Beth, Melissa and Elizabeth jumping up and down and yelling like crazy! I couldn't help but laugh, shake my head and smile! :) Because there were 4 distances, I had all different levels of athletes on the course with me. Everyone was really nice and encouraging as they passed. Just before the first big hill, Amie came around me and we exchanged hellos.

I was really unsure of this ride. I had wanted to ride the course once before the race and didn't have a chance. I'm kind of glad I didn't because I don't know if I would have had the guts to follow through with the race. The course overall was challenging; the hills were steep in some spots and the concrete was not kind to my lady parts AT ALL! I in fact thought that when I got off my bike that my vag was going to fall off, seriously!

I only had a few run ins with unkind cars; one that honked at myself and four other cyclists while trying to run us off the road. I did have some weird run ins with other participants. Knowing that I'm a slower cyclist, I stuck as close to the cones as I could so I wasn't int he way. On my way back down Heisley, I heard this woman yell, "On your right! Right, right!" And I started moving right because we are supposed to pass on the left. Then I realized what I was doing and quickly veered left to get out of her way. No sooner was I left and instantly, I heard, "On your left!!!" I was being passed by a pack of 5 riders and instead of them all passing on the left they split around me sending two of the cyclists off the course and into the road and the other three passing on my left in a group. The guys on my left were two abreast with one following them. It was very weird and disorienting.

I was feeling pretty good throughout the ride until I got to the aide station on my way back into the park. I hardly coasted on this course because there was very few areas that were flat for a long period of time. Once I got back on Heisley the wind was really getting stronger and I kept as low as I could (wishing I had aerobars most of the time). On the straight aways I could coast for a bit and when I do, it is just my nature to extend my right leg. As I passed the aide station, I started feeling this knot growing just behind my knee at the top of my calf. I kept extending my left leg, pushing my heel down as far as I could but I couldn't get it to loosen up.

I made my way back into the park and saw my mom and my crazy cheering squad! Those girls are seriously the best and the nuttiest! :)

I got off my bike and the minute my left foot touched the ground, I felt a pain that started at my heel and traveled all the way up to my hip. I walked into T2 changed my shoes, put on my visor and grabbed my water bottle. As I racked my bike, I got my rear derailuer stuck in the front tire of the bike next to mine. So that took some time to maneuver before I could leave.

As I went out the course I saw Rob Reddy and Pam which is always nice to see smiling faces. I did a pretty good walk/run combo for the first mile. My left leg was killing me so I kept stopping at all of the fence posts to stretch. I got to the turn around and made my way back in. I attempted to the the walk/run but spent most of my time walking. As I made my way back into the park, there was this loud cheering and clapping. You guessed it! There were my ladies running towards me! They asked how I was doing and gave some great advice and encouragement. I saw Paul and Aimee near the end of my run and both looked great!

Mom met me just near the shoot and I ran (running limp) into the finish. I was greeted by Cat and chatted with her for a bit.

After I changed and grabbed some gatorade, I got to chat with Jen and Matt C, JT, Nancy, Paul, Charlie and so many others! It was such a great race and Mickey and Pam along with all of the volunteers worked so hard to make it great! Congrats to all the CTCers that were out there this weekend and many thanks to all who helped out!!!

R(S): 16:46
T1: 4:52
B: 58:59
T2: 3:36
R: 56:04

total: 2:20.17

max speed: 20.6
avg speed: 12.5
5k pace: 18:02 (my slowest ever! :( )

GCT 2008 Part 2: My 1st Duathlon

"The swim's been canceled!"

After all the talk on the forum lately (as a result of Steelhead's swim cancellation), I thought he was joking at first. Maybe I just hoped he was joking.

I said, "You're kidding right!?"

"Nope. Coast Guard canceled the swim."

MAJOR BUMMER!!!!

The decision was the right one, just not in my favor or the one that I wanted. I grew up on Lake Erie. My grandfather always had boats and as a result I spent my summers out on Lake Erie. I have seen a great day go to hell in a few minutes. Lake Erie has power that many overlook and on a day like yesterday, even the strongest swimmers would have struggled. I knew if I had been out there I would have spent more time trying to swim back to my line than actually swimming forward on the course. The under tow was strong, the waves were at least 3-5 and the caps were plentiful.

For anyone new to my blog or who doesn't know me, running is my least favorite thing to do. As result, it is the thing I 'practice' the least. In fact, until yesterday, I haven't been running in at least two weeks. And believe me it shows. However, I love the swim and the bike and am much better at those as a result. Plus, nothing warms up my muscles and joints better than a great swim.

Since I was already feeling tight and twingy in my back, I knew that the 1 mile run wasn't going to do much to help me today.

I unpacked my transition bag and grabbed all my swim related things and threw them on the backseat. I checked my tires and headed off for body marking.

Because the swim was canceled, the sprint would do a 1 mile run, 12 mile bike and 5 k run. Unfortunately, we didn't start til 8:30am. I got to chat with friends (Melissa, Beth, Amie, Janet, Brandon, Paul, Julia, Nancy and others) and hug JenC before it all began! Then I sat on the ground and stretched and cheered for everyone as they left.

Everyone looked great on his/her way out! Janet, as always looked strong and ready to tackle the bike and JenC's new ride is waaaaay hotter in person!

Jack ran into some trouble with his cleats which delayed his bike for some time. Finally, he got things under control and was off. He still did a great job in spite of the snafu!

At 8:15am they called everyone over to begin the run!

GCT 2008 Part 1: Weekend begins with tummy troubles and cold weather

Yesterday was the GCT! This weekend was sooooo much fun; exhausting but fun. Saturday morning I woke up around 4:30am and had a quick breakfast, jumped in the shower and started to get ready to head over to the GCT Youth Tri. I was good till about 5:15am. Then I got super super sick and thought I was NEVER going to make it to the Youth Tri! :( Finally, around 7:00am my stomach started to settle down and I threw on some clothes, stopped for gas and made my way over to Mentor.

The Youth Tri was awesome and soo much fun to watch! All of the kids did great and worked so hard!

After the Youth Tri, I stuck around and helped with packet pick up. That was super fun, because I got to see lots of people I haven't seen in a while.

Saturday night, I didn't get much sleep. I had only had about 4 hours the night before so I took a nap around 4:30pm for an hour and 15mins. Then I got up and started getting my stuff together for the next day. Did some laundry, watched the olympics for a bit, the weather (I knew the cold front was going to have some major effects on race day, but still was hoping for the best!) and finally got in bed around 12:30am. Around 1am I woke up feeling tight through my hamstring. I knew wearing my dumb crocs wasn't the best idea with a race the next day, but I didn't think that standing around for 6 hours would really be an issue. I would have worn my running shoes, but I didn't want to get them FULL of sand the day before a race!

I got up and went in the living room to stretch and use the foam roller on my back, hamstring and IT. 20 minutes later I was back in bed. I woke up around 4:45am and totally didn't want to get out of bed. I had everything ready to go but was a bit nervous. In the short time that I did sleep I had a dream that I got all the way to the race and when I got to transition realized that I had forgotten my bike at home! :( So needless to say, I was double checking EVERYTHING to make sure I didn't forget a thing! ;)

Mom and I made our way to Mentor and found a place to park. I started unloading my stuff from the car: transition bag, bucket, bike pump, bike. There was a buzz in air; I could tell that while everyone was groggy people were still pumped!

I saw Ben Miralia walking down our aisle and heard the words that I had been dreading since seeing the lake the day before.......

Fairport Harbor Race Report

aka TRANSITION IS NOT A PARTY

or

aka DON'T DICK AROUND IN TRANSITION

or

aka PRETTY MUCH BEST DAY EVER

__________________________________________________________________

I apologize ahead of time for the length of this post! I had too much fun today not to write about all of it!!!

Last night I spent several hours preparing my bag for the following day's festivities. I'm one of those people that likes to be prepared. Whenever I go on a trip, I bring two pairs of underwear for each day and then throw in four more. I'm just always worried that I will need something and not have it. Soooo, I packed all sorts of stuff that I might want or need just in case.

I got up early enough and then of course had a few delays that were annoying so I don't need to go into the details, plus I'm over them now! As a result, I was running late (I know, SHOCKER!). I got there just in time!!! 7:55am to be exact.

As I was heading towards the water I saw JenC and her friend Hallie. She asked me to keep an eye on her at the start so we waded in the water and I chatted her up a bit. Then we ran into Beth and the three of us chatted till it was time to begin.

the SWIM
Things went better than I expected. (sshhhh, I haven't been swimming - pool or OW - for over two weeks!) As I was getting out of the water my watch said around 20 mins so I was pleasantly surprised! I'm not sure I would say it was harder than I expected, more like around what I thought it would be like. I had to rest more than I'd care to admit and doing a modified backstroke saved me ALOT of time for sure. I had a boat ask if I was ok and I instantly thought of Matt C's quote: "I'm not drowning, that's just my backstroke." I couldn't help but smile! :)

T1
Here is where things get a little well, totally weird and totally me. I was so excited that I was doing my first tri and that I had made it in time and that the swim wasn't nearly as bad as what I had prepared myself for so I kind of lost track of time. I went to the bathroom because I had to pee SOOOO bad!!! Sat down and chatted with my 'fan club' aka mom and gram, had some sport beans and a ton of water and then all of a sudden I realized that there weren't any bikes left in the transition area!!! WHAT!?!

the BIKE
My last encounter with the hill at High Street had me slipping, falling and landing on the ground. I totally did NOT want a repeat with all the crowd support. So I walked from the transition area up the hill. When I got to the top I waited for a few cyclists to come in and then the woman looked at me and said, "Wait are you in the race!?" I just laughed and got on my bike.

I couldn't believe how great I felt! I was trying to remind myself not to start off too fast, which I ALWAYS have a tendency to do regardless of event. I got to see some of my gals coming in off the bike which was great. I felt awesome the ENTIRE ride. I was shocked and surprised and thrilled. :) The bike was about 50 mins total (including walking up hill). My avg speed was 13mph and my max was 20.6mph, my best speeds EVER! I caught up with 3 or 4 people and passed them. One of the guys I passed I saw just before the turn around. He had already gone through the turn around and I passed him on my into the turn around. As I caught up with him, I said hi and great job and passed. I was about 5 bike lengths ahead and I heard him exclaim, "C'mon, you've got be kidding me!!"

T2
I came in off the bike feeling strong but tight through my hamstring. I grabbed one of my water bottles and changed my socks, threw on my shoes and went. I was at 1:39 when I left.

the RUN
I walked up the hill and my legs were feeling tight. I figured that if I did run, I probably wouldn't be any faster than if I walked. So I just walked at a good pace and enjoyed the day. This young kid I passed that was struggling with his mountain bike caught up with me about 15 mins into the run(walk) then the man that I passed caught me around 25 mins in. I just kept up the walking and tried to stretch out some.

I seriously had such a GREAT day. Things went better than I expected. I learned alot and enjoyed every minutes of my day. I was able to check my HRM and BS, although I would have liked to check in each transition, and tried to make sure I was keeping things in check.

Here is the breakdown:
SWIM: 20:00
T1: 27:30
BIKE: 50:00
T2: 1:30
RUN: 55:00
total: 2:34.51

BS prerace: 97
BS postrace: 98

HR avg: 163
HR max: 180
cal: 3691

bike avg: 13.0mph
bike max: 20.6mph

GREAT JOB TO ALL THE CTCERs THAT WERE OUT THERE TODAY (JenC, Beth, Adam, MattC, JT, etc.)

Chili Bowl

Well my friends, today was my first race since my hip decided to get involved in my running, and not in a good way. I was advised by my doc that I could run as long as I wasn't out to break any records and I stopped at the FIRST sign of discomfort. Hayley, my PT, however had a different opinion. I'm sure when I see her on Tuesday she will voice it again! ;)

Anyhow, I was running late this morning after not sleeping so well last night. Thankfully, Charlie is super chill and didn't mind my tardiness. Then I proceeded to drive around to figure out where to park. lol. It was nice because there were so many CTCers there today. So we all chatted a bit while stretching. It seemed that the overall feel today was that no one was particularly excited or well rested or felt very good. So we all kind of commiserated about our unhappiness. :)

I started off feeling great! It felt awesome to be outside and running. I haven't done any running since I-day, two weeks is a long time!!! I loved running through Ohio City. The course was well supported with cops so I would cheerfully say hello to each one. I was doing ok until about a mile and a half in. I wasn't shooting for any great numbers. I told Charlie and Monica not to even look for me till 45 minutes after the start.

So I'm running along and taking frequent walk breaks and I felt good. Maybe even a little better than good. Then my hip started to feel twingy, I thought it might be fatigue. So I walked for a solid 10 minutes. Now you see why I was able to converse with all the cops! ;) I did ALOT of walking today. By the time I got to mile 2 running was uncomfortable so I walked the rest of the way. Well I 'jogged' through a few intersections so the traffic wouldn't have to wait as long for my short legs to get out of their way. ;)

I was almost to the top of the hill on the bridge and looked at my watch, it said 36 minutes. Then I saw Beth running towards me yelling my name. :) So she walked back with me and kept me company. I'm not sure what my final time was because they only have the AG top threes up right now. (Gosh Hermes, get with it!!!) But I know it was somewhere around 48 minutes. I know forever! But it was good to get back out there and I'm just glad that I did it. It was a gorgeous morning!!!

A big congrats to all of the CTCers; we had several people finish in the top 3 of his/her respective AG.

When I got home I did some housework and then I laid down with a heating pad. It helped a little but I still feel pretty stiff. I'm sure after a couple of days things will be better though.

I wanted to leave you guys with this fwd I got the other day from my cousin Kristin. It made me laugh so hopefully you haven't seen it before!



Well ladies and gents, I'm off to make myself pretty for the party tonight! Have a great weekend everyone!!!

My first 10K and........

my first DNF. :(

*sigh*

It was very icy this morning in case any of you readers were in hibernation. I almost killed myself just on the way to my car from the house. So we got to the race via Janet's caravan of racers and all was well. It was a bit cold and windy but hey it is February after all. The parking lot was a sheet of ice so when they said go I started running cautiously and didn't fall or slip at all. I was trying really hard to pace myself but I must say that I did my best running so far at this race. :)

I really liked the route and it was super peaceful. I know I've said this before but I really like not being with the pack, it is so much quieter (more quiet??) and I can definitely think more. The course was definitely challenging and thanks to gortex wrapped all comfy around my feet, my tootsies were never wet or cold. My calves are quite another story. There were several streams and really big puddles and a bridge. It was really great, I kept wishing I had brought a camera with me.

So just before the halfway point, my right hip started bothering me, which was disappointing because for as challenging as the course was I was making really good time. The last few weeks I have been working with my PT, Hayley, to figure out what the cause was of this sore right leg. The pain or sometimes just discomfort would move around a bit making it difficult to really determine the cause. We are still trying to figure it out but today might have been the best indicator.

Ok anyway back to the story. I suddenly start to feel muscle fatigue in my right leg then all of sudden a shooting pain in my hip. It felt like someone was pushing a needle into the socket. Now for those of you who don't know me very well, I have a very high tolerance for pain. So much so that I have had what to me feel like 'nagging' discomfort for weeks and they turn out to be serious illnesses or injuries. This pain was very sharp but fleeting. So I did what I have never done before while racing. I stopped. I stood there for minute and thought, "What are you doing?!?! Keep going, keep going." As soon as the voice got louder and more stern in my head I started to move and the pain returned with a vengeance, I could feel my pulse quicken and my breathing getting labored and then my eyes started to fill with water. I kept running and kept saying, "You will not cry. If you cry, you won't be able to breathe and then you won't be able to run. STOP CRYING NOW!" So I stopped the tears as quickly as they had started and tried to run through the pain.

At some point your body just says, "I. HAVE. TO. STOP." And mine had begun that. When I got out to the part of the course that ran next to the highway I had to walk. I tried a few times to start running but the more I tried to pick up my leg the more the more it hurt. There was some tall grass that had fallen over and frozen in big heaps on the ground so I had to lift my legs higher than I wanted to as I walked.

Then I heard someone behind me. The 'sweeper'. He started talking to me, trying to keep me moving. I barely made it over the last stream because it was much wider than my stride and after jumping the last one, I thought it better to suck it up and just walk through. He asked me how I was and I told him that I had to finish even if I walked to the rest. That started to get uncomfortable and all the pressure I putting on my hip with my fist wasn't alleviating the pain.

I had never had such a feeling before. Not since a tennis injury to my wrist when I was in high school which severely affected my ability to grip my racket. I was only able to hide that from my coach for a week and a half. I got caught because I tried to return and my racket fell out of my hand as my I felt my wrist pop. I was benched for two weeks because I didn't report the injury when it first happened.

I was overcome with emotion. I'm not a quitter. For better or worse, I don't give in. Yes it has caused me pain before, emotional mostly, but I just can't give in until I know that I have done all possible to succeed. Until I know that I have exhausted all of my options and tried my best.

As I made my way into the church parking lot, he asked me if I wanted to go on and said that I was only a little over halfway. Just then a gold SUV pulled up and he said, "He can take you back if you don't want to go on. It's ok you know, if it hurts you should stop." I had been in such denial that it was that bad. I was pretending that I hadn't been limping since the first sign of pain, clearly favoring my right leg. I stood there and I didn't know what to do.

I sighed and said I was done and got in the car. The whole way back he kept reassuring me that it wasn't a big deal and that I could do it next year. I was trying so hard not to cry.

I know it sounds silly to be so emotional, but it was very disappointing for me. I always set high expectations for myself and if I feel like I'm not accomplishing things I get very frustrated. All I can do is rest my stupid hip and hope that things clear up soon. I have swimming tomorrow and I'm going to go and see how much I can do. I'm not so worried about the swimming but the getting in and out of the pool. Ha! I can drive with two feet so that will help. Right now it is still really tender and it is uncomfortable to put pressure on it so I have to take one step at a time.

Janet and Elizabeth did really well!!! Way to go ladies! :)

I hope that you all are having great weekends!!!! Enjoy the big game tomorrow! :)

The Great New Year's Eve Run

I did my last race of 2007 yesterday in Stow. It was a great course, challenging for me since I haven't done any hill work. I was hoping for a PR but I was 30 seconds over my last time. Considering the last 5K was the Reindeer Run in Lakewood on basically a pretty flat course, I'm pretty happy with my time. I ran more this time and for longer periods which was good. I will say I definitely felt like it was longer than 2.8 miles, lol. The final hill was pretty steep, which for some reason I didn't remember being there.

It came into view and the teenager next to me looked at me and said "ugh." I'm like "oh, shit." So I walked it and pushed myself up the hill. At mile 2 my time was around 32mins. So I thought I could make it. As I came into the gate, I could make out the time clock and was hoping to make it under 43. It read 42:44 and I broke into a crazy (foolish, desperate) sprint running as fast as I could to try to make in time. I was too far out for my sprint and even if I had kept it up, I would still not have made it in time to PR. I looked at my HRM and it read 189 so I slowed down and jogged slowly to the end. Overall, I think I did well. I maintained a avg HR of 173 and the end there was my max at 189.

I had two cheerleaders at the end, my mom and fellow CTCer Brandon, so that helped. Initially, I was disappointed and I remember thinking on the big hill that I hadn't run enough this month. After I had an apple I started to feel a bit better about it all and I woke up this morning feeling my calves and knew I had worked hard and I was pretty satisfied as I stretched in bed this morning.

There were quite a few CTCers there; Brandon and Craig did well with their times. We stayed for most of the awards and then I drove the route so my mom could see the hill. She wanted to see how steep it really was. :)

Overall it was a good time and next year will be even better!

Reindeer Run and sniffles, sneezy and coughy

No, I'm not talking about the seven dwarves, just little old me. :(

Yesterday, I did the Reindeer Run in Lakewood. It was a really awesome day for a race. It was sunny and crisp, not too windy. I rode over with Monica and my brother Steve came along. My cousin Alison met us there and then we all met up with Sara, Debbie and Abby. Everyone did great. Monica and Abby broke their PRs and my cousin finished with Monica. Sara and Debbie did really well too!

I just started doing 5Ks this year. In September actually. I have never been a runner. I played tennis through high school and you run alot but not without some breaks. ;) So when I started working out with Alexis, we talked about running. I was like, "not really too interested." But then in July I started running. A little here and there. Then I joined the CTC and when I emailed Jen C about the club and joining I mentioned my lack of running ability. She was super encouraging and helpful and said to be patient. And surprisingly, for the first time in my life, I'm being patient. Sure I get frustrated with the fact that I still am running intervals and never do more than 5 miles at a time but I'm still RUNNING. :) And that is worth something.

Normally, I run on the much loved dreadmill. In 30 mins I get 2.5-3miles in. But when I did my first 5K I wasn't really running that much. My brother just found out he had mono like two weeks before the race AND there were so many people there it was hard to actually run. So we finished that one in a little under 50mins. Then I did the Pigskin Classic. Since I usually get 2.5-3miles in on the treadmill in 30mins, I figured that shooting for 45mins for the race would be doable. I didn't reach my goal but I did help someone else finish and that was enough. So I finished that one in like 48mins. So when I went on Saturday, I was still shooting for my 45mins. I finished somewhere around 43mins. So I was happy with that. I know that is hardly impressive, especially to all my CTC buddies who make fab times! ;) But all that really matters is that I went and I finished. :) I think it is decent for just starting to run a few months ago.

I was nice Steve and Monica were there at the end cheering me on. I did better with pacing myself this time around. I started out too strong at the Classic and suddenly realized I had ran for over 5mins straight and then needed to rest a bit longer. The intervals have been helping me build up my endurance so I try hard to stick with 1-1:30mins running and :45-1:00 walking. So I managed to stick pretty closely with that; I still ran too long at first, but only for 2:30mins this time. ;) It was pretty funny. Near then end, most everyone had finished and I was running back in and saw an intersection and got all excited. I thought "wow, I'm almost done." I thought that was the intersection at Lakewood Park. So I started running a bit harder and as I got to the intersection I realized that I was still a couple blocks away from the park. :) So I was like, "shit!" I just slowed up and walked for a couple of minutes, enjoyed the quite looked over at the lake and just relaxed.

I ran sans ipod. I must say, I really liked not having it. I was surprised that I didn't miss it. I almost felt like my hearing was heightened. (Maybe because of the cold medicine and stuffy head. Who knows. ;) ) But it was nice to hear the shoes hitting the pavement and when it got closer to the end and most people were finished, the quiet was so relaxing.

After the race, I came home and did some laundry then went over to Monica's. We swam for a bit and did an hour - hour and a half of yoga at the JCC. Then I went out to celebrate my friend Allison's bday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLISON!!!! :)

We went to Winking Lizard in Bedford. It was a great time!

Then I came home and crashed and slept and slept. Slept through my alarm until 10am actually. Yes, I missed swimming yet again! I feel like such a swimming loser. :( Not much I can do about this now. So to all my fellow RR swimmers, see you next time.

Steve slept over last night so we went to breakfast at Tommy's around 11:30am. We had a good time but I just felt so crummy I couldn't enjoy it too much. Then I laid around and did some things for work and rested. Which is super boring btw. My mom is here now, fixing my soup. Aren't moms great!?!

Pigskin Classic and more! :)

Yesterday, I did the Pigskin Classic 5K with Monica, Abbie and Sara. It was a blast, a cool blast that is! As I feared, the marginal provided all the cool wind it could. I had a really great time though! I did a walk/run combo and just after the water break one of the other participants jogged up next to me and started chatting. Seems she had an injury and was struggling to finish near the end. We walked together for a good portion and then ran in the last block or so. I wasn't concerned about finishing in any certain time so I figured her and I could chat away and if that helped get her to the finish in spite of her ankle so be it. I briefly saw Brandon, Craig and Rob who all did really well! Congrats guys!!!

My philosophy about racing is just to enjoy it and finish when I finish. I'm not too concerned about times just yet, as a newbie. ;) I'm sure next year I will be more competitive, but as of right now, I'm just enjoying myself and running, which I never thought I would say in a million years!!!

I did some yoga last night and then another hour this morning. I didn't make it to swimming though. :( My hips have been weird! I definitely need some PT! I'm calling CVWC tomorrow to see if Dennis has any time to see me.

Today is the celebration of the November birthdays. My dad, gram and Aunt T all have bdays pretty close together so my mom has everyone for dinner. Should be good, she is making her famous lasagna. The only downfall about having a mother who is Italian is that you can't really ever eat at Italian restaurants.

I made up my race calendar for next year. I'm really trying to do the The Beast; we'll see if I can get it or not. I read Brandon's recap of the Flannel Shirt Metric Century and checked out the pics on the Lorain Wheelmen's website and between the two I was like, "I totally have to do this!!!" Then I checked out the Great Lakes Escape website and it looks totally cool too! So I'm hoping to do that one too. I'm also really wanting to do the Bike Authority Cyclocross, that looks like alot of fun. So many races, so little time!

So I'm officially addicted to athletic wear. I have been for a long time and I'm finally admitting it to world! So, I've been drooling over so many things on the Nike website. I'm not a fan of Nike shoes, but I've always liked their sports bras and athletic attire. There is a Nike outlet at Aurora Farms and Monica and I have talked about going. That could be dangerous!!!! Two women who are addicted to sportswear!!!!