Just Keep Running (Race Recap)

After the disaster we had trying to run the 10K a couple of weeks ago I was sure to get up in plenty of time for the Presbyterian Home 5K and 1 mile youth run taking place in Lynchburg, VA. We had less than a 10 minute drive to the race start so we thought we would leave about 35 minutes before race time. I had my usual pre-race breakfast of a double fiber honey wheat English muffin with peanut butter and a banana.  I think if you find a combination that works for you-stick with it!

The hubs was coming to cheer me on so we packed up his SUV and headed out. We plugged the start location in the GPS and saw we would get there with 22 minutes to spare which is perfect for me. However, in keeping our 5k curse going we get started on our trip only to find every direction we tried to go in the roads were already blocked. Finally, with 10 minutes until race time we get directions from an officer…wrong directions. So we stop and ask another officer who gives us correct directions. It is now 3 minutes until race time. My husband is zipping along as quickly as he can but we still get to the race about 4 minutes after it has started.

I find someone (fully expecting the same reaction we got in Ronaoke at the AEP run) and was surprised/rattled when they said “go ahead and jump on in there and run it”. I had not stretched or gotten in any kind of good mental state so I stood there for a second. The hubs nudged me on the shoulder and said “Go on. You know you want to run this”. So I took off. I looked back at the clock and saw I was 6:15 seconds late starting the race. I had to remember to subtract that later to get my time.

There was no one around. The families/friends cheered in support as I started which was nice but made me feel like an idiot. I kind of want to fade away at these events. I do them because they push me (and scare me) so being a lone runner down a crowd of people was a huge mental barrier for me but I thought just keep running and you will be out on your own soon.

I was not paying attention to pace so much as I ran up the first hill, down the first hill and down onto some level ground. I was thinking a faster runner would catch up to at least someone but I thought for sure I’d be on my own the whole way. I had not been running long when the “pack leader” came zipping by me in the other direction. I must have looked startled but he was nice and told me I was doing great. I love friendly runners but sometimes I secretly wonder if they are patronizing me.  And yes I know those are my own demons talking.  This race actually did a lot for me mentally but I am getting there.

I turned a corner (still having not walked mind you) and what do I see? I have caught up to the walkers and a couple of interval runners. It was just a few people but I was beaming inside. I had started 6 minutes late and had caught up to the group! (at least the end of it!)

I passed a few walkers at a time and then in front of me I see some of the slower runners (like me). I usually end up somewhere in the middle of the slower runners so I was glad to have caught up to them. I also realize at this point that my legs are on fire (no stretching) and I am feeling a little queasy. I think some of it was heat and some of it was nervous energy. I was praying for a water stop because of course I didn’t take a sip before I took off.

I rounded another corner and took off down the first really long stretch. I knew there were hills coming and I would need to walk some so while on the flat land I thought just keep running and I did. It was not long before I was seeing loads of runners coming up the other side of the stretch. A lot of them called out my number and encouragement. At first I was incredibly embarrassed. Of course I am thinking “Is this encouragement out of pity?” “Do they think I have no business doing this?” “Are they just surprised I haven’t dropped dead in this heat?” As weird as I felt I just kept running.

I started thinking, as running is good for that, about why on earth I was having the thoughts I did.  This time last year I could not run more than 20-30 seconds without stopping (if that). I didn’t watch my diet. I didn’t try to learn how to be better. I spent a lot of energy talking and not a lot doing. Now only a few months later I am running, training for a 1/2 marathon, eating right, 35 (and losing) pounds lighter. Only today I had overcome a 6 minute deficit and was running almost the entire way. So heck yeah go #182. Go me!

Something changed in me immediately. When someone called out something to me I could call back “Hey Thanks!” or  at least a Woohoo!. Running is fun when I do it alone. Why shouldn’t it be fun when I do it with the other people who love to do it (even if they are better than me right now anyway)? So with a new mental outlook I just kept running.

I got to a couple of big hills which are my personal kryptonite. I am going to have to do a lot more hill training before the Disney Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon in October. But even though I did quite a bit of walking on the hills when I could muster up the strength I just kept running.

I kept pace with most of my fellow slower runners and I knew I was in the final quarter mile. My heart sank a little when I saw what was in between me and the finish line.

Another hill followed by another hill. But I just kept running. While I was on this hill I had a little chat with myself. I prepared myself for what I thought the clock would say and reminded myself I got to subtract 6 minutes and 15 seconds.  It is funny the things that hurt our self esteems. I am not fast, even a little, but by my own standards I want to do well.

When I got to the top of the hill I saw the hubs standing there. He was taking pictures and cheering for me. If I didn’t feel like I was going to throw up after running that hill I would have been beaming. I could not believe what happened next. I glanced up at the clock and even with no subtracting at all I had gotten a PR by 2 full minutes!!  After subtracting that means I beat my best time by 8 minutes and 15 seconds!!!!!!!!

I am not going to diminish my victory by pointing out that I am still one of the slowest runners. Nor will I diminish it by any other negative emotion that likes to creep in. I did good by my own standards and those are the only standards that should really matter. I am feeling so good I will give you my time (with my 6.15 subtracted of course). I finished this 5K in 44 minutes and 31 seconds. This is by no means considered a good thing in the running world but in my world it made me proud.

My next goal is to finish a 5k in 30-something minutes. I don’t care if its 39.59. Just 30-something. I’ll get there. I will just keep running until I make it.

After the race I was shaking. I grabbed a water and shoved an orange slice in my mouth. Oranges are my all time favorite post-race treat. I snacked on oranges as Bry and I walked around and took some snap shots. I will also point out that I lot of people came up to ask me about the blog. Apparently the hubs was pimping out http://www.runninginpinkproject.com while I ran! I also met a really nice girl who is training for the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC with someone I work with. Small World!

Overall, a great run that helped me break through a huge mental roadblock. I feel more ready than ever to keep training, keep running, and keeping moving toward my goals (both fitness and weight loss).

If I could say anything to the readers, who like myself, are trying to lose weight (whether a little or a lot) I would say please don’t let your own hangups hold you back. At the end of the day it’s just you, your life, and the people you love and trust who matter. There is a whole world of things out there you could be doing. Don’t be afraid to do them. Just Keep Living and Just Keep Running.

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AEP Festival In The Park 10K Race Recap (Sort Of)

So this morning Bryan and I were scheduled to run the AEP Festival in The Park race in Roanoke, Va. There was a 10K and 5K option which I always enjoy. As some of my regular visitors may know, I live about an hour from Roanoke (and these races start early) so time is of the essence. I first want to say this is one of the only races I have done with no email reminder the week of the race with essential information. We had an address given to us when we registered for packet pick-up so that is where we headed this morning bright and early. I started the day with my pre-race  breakfast of a whole grain English muffin with organic peanut butter and a V8 fusion. I think this is going to be my default racing breakfast from this point on.

We drove an hour to the location knowing packet pick up was 6:30-7:30 and when we got there we find out that this was only the location for early packet pickup and regular packet pick up is at the race site. This is not terribly uncommon but we realized we had no idea where the race was. We assumed the packet pickup people would tell us. So after getting out the hubs smart phone we look up the race page on facebook which did not have the information we needed. So, we then looked up the page for the Festival In the Park itself and finally found the address. We plug it in the GPS and I see we will arrive at 7:40. Ahem. The race is at 8:00 so I am thinking worse case scenario we are a minute or two late and we run the 5k instead of the 1ok and The End. We park and full on run to the packet pickup. It is now 7:52. We find a volunteer who is really nice and says” hurry up there so you can catch someone. We are about to start.” So we get to the pick up table to find 1 girl, empty tables, and her basically saying “Sorry we closed down at 7:30” Its now 7:55 or so. So the hubs tries to reason with her (we know now the packets are in her car) and she refuses. So the gun goes off, the race starts, and we are numberless and kind of pissed. There were WAY less runners than I anticipated so that was the one thing that kept me from losing my mind on this poor girl right there. We take some responsibility for being late of course but the information was confusing and it was a “fun run” not the Olympics-They should have just let us run. I did manage to snap a couple of pictures for the blog before the bitterness set in.

Downtown Roanoke

The Race we SHOULD have run. Ahem.

The Park

From what I could tell the event itself was well organized. There were plenty of medical staff, police, etc on hand. The post race food looked good and it would have been a fun area to run in. There is always next year I guess. 🙂 Since I was REALLY upset the hubs suggested we register to run The Uncle Billy’s Day 2 miler in Altavista VA, and The Percivals Island 5 miler here in Lynchburg. I also registered for a 5K on the 19th here in town. My husband won’t be joining me but he will be coming out to show support which is pretty cool too.

End Recap——————————————————————————————————————————–

After leaving the “race” I was feeling down so Bryan suggested stopping in a little town in between Roanoke and home called Bedford for a run. This was a gorgeous park and I will admit it made missing the race a little easier to take.

Bryan has been having some shin issues lately so we decided to do a nice gentle run. Does anyone have any tips for avoiding or nursing shin splints? Even injured the hubs was ready to run with me.

He was even “Running In Pink” (sort of)

Hey pink is pink. It totally counts

After leaving the park we headed home and got showered and changed for an afternoon out. I decided on some black pants, a very Spring-ified ruffly shirt with a cropped cardigan. I of course carried my yellow bag which has been my summer staple. I keep seeing these yellow leather bags popping up everywhere. I choose to ignore the fact that yellow is very in for summer and instead go on under the delusion that it’s all because of this fabulous bag I bought while I was in FL for the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon. I also included this shot because I have not put up a full body progress shot in a while. 🙂

We headed to Depot Grill for lunch. I like the atmosphere of being by the river and the train tracks. It has kind of a cool vibe.

I also love that you can write on the tables and walls with the crayons they leave for you. I of course had to endorse my blog and Bryan decided we needed to make sure our names made it on the wall.

We both chose Smoked turkey wraps with fries for lunch. I have been REALLY craving fries so I had some. Its that simple. Tomorrow I am back to clean eating and the french fry craving is gone.

After lunch the hubs wanted to treat me to a cupcake and who am I to turn down a cupcake? (All things in moderation and I havent had one in weeks. ) Soo we headed over to Tasty Selections where we picked up matching Creme Brulee cupcakes to go.

I spent an afternoon shopping where I (gasp) bought nothing and then ran some errands. Tonight is more errand running and dinner out with my hubs.

I am so so so looking forward to a weird combination of activities tomorrow. First up is an extra fabulous day of brunch, shopping and Sex and the City 2 with a girlfriend followed by urban camping with the hubs pals. It will be interesting for sure.  I cant wait to share it with all of you! Have a Happy and Healthy LONG weekend!

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Susan G Komen- Race for the Cure 5K

Happy Saturday!! Today was the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure 5K in Roanoke VA. This was actually the inaugural Race for the Cure in Roanoke so keep that in mind when I get to some criticisms of the race. I really hate to have any because it’s a wonderful cause and it was a really nice morning but there were a couple things that need some rethinking before next year.

Since I live about an hour away from Roanoke I got up super early, packed a Luna Bar and a V8 fusion and headed over to meet up with my running buddy. I have to say I was pretty chipper for 6:00am. Of course I was wearing pink. I didnt have a “proper” pink running shirt so I picked up this light weight cotton number from Target last night.

We thought we had more than enough time to make it to Roanoke by 8:00 when the packet pick up ended but due to insane amounts of traffic and no police direction there was a HUGE line of cars trying to get through a stop light and we ended up parking at around 8:15. To be fair they had anticipated 1500 runners and I saw at least up to 3012 on the race bibs, plus family members, plus volunteers. It was pretty big for a local 5K.  We made it to packet pick up and we got our numbers and packets. The only thing in said packets was a shirt, a piece of paper asking people to recycle (ironic yes?) and a course map. The pin pictured was handed out at the finish line.

Once we had our packets and got settled we walked around a bit. There were several booths set up with various community vendors. There were 3 races going on The competitive run 5k, the noncompetitive run 5k and the 1 mile fun run/walk. We opted for the Noncompetitive run 5k which I feel like was a good choice.  We had a chance to stretch, talk, get our timing chips attached to our shoes and watch the competitive run.

The competitive run took no time at all and it was our turn to line up. There were a few staff members leading stretches which was nice except that one of them was going down into a stretch that is dangerous for people who arent super warmed up. So I thought that was weird. But there were oodles of people in this noncompetitive run which made it really fun. Plus today was just a beautiful day here in VA. Check out that second pic- So nice out!!

After my disaster last week my running buddy was determined not to let me freak out again. My confidence was pretty shaken so we decided to stick to 1 minute of running followed by 1 minute of brisk walking. This might not seem like much to someone who has been running a long time but it was just what I needed for today. One issue we had is that strollers were allowed (both running and non-running). This is fine, but I feel strongly if you arent using a running stroller you should start in the back. There were huge groups of strollers making it really hard for the runners to get around. Also, there was no chip activation at the start. So we lost 3-5 minutes at the beginning because we were near the back. I really didn’t like that.

The first mile was fine until we saw a sign that said “2 way traffic”. It turns out the fun run was joining our course but in the opposite direction. That was not well thought out at all. You had runners trying to get their stride and avoid these stroller barricades and then we had to also smoosh together to avoid the fun run walkers coming in the other direction.

The second mile was a lot better with the exception of a confusing “turn around” at the halfway mark.  I will say that this mile was prettier than the first with a creek/river to watch and a bridge and the mountains. After the 2 mile mark there were cones that said 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 etc and it was driving me a little batty but the volunteers were super nice and there were tons of people out showing support.  The last quarter mile was fun because there were tons of people cheering at the end and I do love the part where they say my name!

I managed to keep the decided pace through the entire race and even though I didn’t set the course on fire with my speed, I felt great about what I did today. We estimate that we shaved several minutes off last weeks time which made me feel even better! We decided we needed water ASAP and we could not find it. Finally, we asked someone who pointed us to a tent that was on the other side of the finish-line so we had to cross back over. We grabbed bottles of water but passed on the bagels and bananas which were the only 2 options. I LOVE to have an orange after a race so I was a little bummed.

At this point I remember that I wanted a picture of me at the finish so we head back over to take that. That was not my time in the background. I just wanted to throw that out there.

So here is my pro and con list in regards to the event itself:

Pros:

• This was the inaugural race in Roanoke for a great cause.
• The turn out was awesome
• The volunteers were nice
• The runners/crowd were supportive
• Parts of the course were beautiful

Cons:

• Getting people into the event was disorganized
• The course was strange in regard to the “two way traffic” issue
• The stroller barricades making it  hard for people to get around
• The after snacks were very limited. If you didnt like 1 of 2 items you went snackless
• It was hard to find the snacks/water and there was no direction with where to go.
• The timing chip issue.

I feel that the turnout may have been bigger than what was planned for which is great. I just hope they will make the needed changes next year to make it even better. Overall, it was a really fun morning. After the race we headed over to Wildflour Bakery and Market for lunch. I had a fabulous grilled turkey sandwich with balsamic onions, tomatoes, pesto,  and lettuce with a small side of Greek pasta salad. YUM!

We were stuffed but I can never resist a trip to BubbleCake for treats so we headed over to get some cupcakes to go. Nothing is quite as fabulous as a cupcake!

Mmmm cupcakes!

YAY!

I got a Tiffanys cupcake (so cute) and a black and white cupcake and a toffee crunch cupcake for Bryan. I will be sure to post pictures before I cut them into 3 servings each as per my diet. 😉 Hey a cupcake is still fabulous even in thirds!

We finished the day with some shopping. Macys had some cute summer shirts and lots of yellow accessories-YAY! Overall a wonderful day and maybe the coolest thing was Everyone was Running In Pink!!!!! 🙂

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