Only Nineteen Left

As would be the case in a marathon, that phrase is far from encouraging. These posts aren't nearly as painful or sweaty, though. Ooh! Maybe I'll give myself a medal upon completion, too?!

 

a small part of my collection. Definitely needs a Blogging Streak addition.

 

Today's Topic : My Six Worst Running Experiences (in no particular order)

 

•  The final run before my Stress Fracture diagnosis. Read all about it in this post. The worst part? Up until the point where I was fighting back embarassing tears of pain, it was one of the most successful Tempo Runs I'd had in months.

 

soooo not worth it

 

• The attempted Tempo Run just prior to the aforementioned Disaster Jaunt. I have no post to bore you with, as it was prior to my blogging. In retrospect, the looming Stress Fracture might have had almost everything the teensiest bit to do with the failed workout. I warmed up for a mile and could not. complete. a single tempo mile. I was a physical and mental mess. We have all had failed workouts. This one was bad enough to stick in my mind as one of the most demoralizing training runs I've ever had. It was particularly bad because it followed...

• The OTHER attempted Tempo Run just prior to the aforementioned Disaster Jaunt. Yes, it was Summer. Yes, it was disgustingly hot and humid. Yes, I had nagging pain which eventually turned into a full-blown injury. At that time, in my training, though, none of those factors were able to erase the defeat I felt when I was unable to complete this speedwork. They were workouts I'd done before. The pace was slower than my 5k pace, for goodness' sake! Those runs lead me to question everything about my running, for the first time, ever. I know how dramatic that sounds, but I had never before had to wonder "why am I even putting myself through this?" Up 'til that point, running had been fun. Even when it was competetive, it was still fun, for me. Now, with a goal of "Marathon", everything began to unravel. It was a very dark time, indeed.

"ooh, how artistic! See how she uses the photo to simulate the shadow falling on otherwise happy times!"

 

• This 10k was so awful for so many reasons.

ugh

I was so excited about this race. It was the first in a set of races appropriately named Tour De Pain Extreme. The 10k was held in the morning, followed by a 5k the same evening and a half-marathon the following morning.

 

I realize that concept doesn't seem tempting to any most people.

 

I love 10ks, though, I love the idea of running fast after a morning race (the 5k) and would have a perfect excuse for why I sucked it up in the 1/2 the next morning. (uh...I just ran 2 races, yesterday...). In my usual form, I failed to peek at that above course map, prior to the race. Apparently, the "Extreme" portion of the title wasn't a fluke. There were four bridge crossings. In 6.2 miles. It was hot, hideous and such a disappointing start to the fun weekend I'd built up, in my mind. For the first time, ever, I didn't even look at the posted results, after the race. It was that bad.

 

•  This 5k. Other than the quickie Genuine Mile race I'd done, it was my first post-injury race. I was so happy to be in racing shape, again, and had set my expectations way too high. I was simply not as ready as I'd hoped I was. It was so discouraging and, for the first time, made me question if I ever wanted to race a 5k, again. After some time, I was able to shake off the race, but it still haunts me, a bit, when I look at my upcoming race calendar.

somehow, the bands on the course had the oppostite effect of "motivating me"

• And, finally, my first 18-miler. Again, pre-blogging days, so there's no link to an overly-dramatic and blurry photo-filled post. It was supposed to be a "long, slow day". My furthest distance, to date, had been 16 miles, so I thought it would be totally do-able. Five miles in, I had the first inklings of panic, about the heat and the way my body was feeling. When, at seven miles, I realized that I would have to finish out fourteen miles, just to get back to my car, the full-blown nausea and defeat set in. (it was an out & back, paved trail). I remember hating the lucky people on bikes. I shot desperate looks at anyone who passed, hoping they'd offer me some sort of solution to this situation I'd gotten myself into. 

  I stumbled to my car, at mile 14 and ripped off my sweat socked socks & shoes. I literally had to wring them out. A frustrated, whiny phone call to The Husband somehow provided the kick in the butt I needed. I shoved my blistered, wrinkled feet back into my shoes, and set back out to finish out those four miles.

Luckily, the experience provided me with a comprehensive list of "What Not to do on Long Run Days".

Bottom line :

To acheive runs that leave you feeling like this:

 

 

 

...sometimes you have to go through ones that make you look like this:

 

 

In lieu of Today's link sharing, you get the above picture.

 

You're welcome! 



 

 





 

 



A Mile-Long Recap

No, Wait! Don't go! It won't really be long. It's just a recap of a Mile Race...and I was trying to be clever. (fail)

If you read yesterday's post you saw I would be easing back into racing with a nice, short event. Holy geez, this was a fun night!

spoiler!

My in-laws were kind enough to join us, and corral the boys, so The (non-runner) Husband and I could both race. (thanks Grampa & Nana!) My dad and sister were running, too, so my mom, niece, nephew and brother-in-law were also spectating.

Running events + My family = awesome.

Fueling for a night race can be a bit tricky. Luckily, though, I didn't have too many concerns as we'd only be racing for a mile. So, I ate pretty much like I always do, throughout the day. Yes, this means I had my sundae. I wasn't starving before we left the house so I just had some water and a mini Clif bar. (white chocolate macadamia nut. yum)

My dad's been struggling with injuries for an insanely long period of time so he was dropped off at the start line. The Husband, sister and I ran from the finish line, to the start for our warm-up. It was actually a rare, cool, breezy Florida evening. My dumb ankle was a bit achy, but I'd also ran 18 miles over the past two days.

I still had absolutely no idea what to expect for my finishing time. I've just recently been addiing a bit of distance back into my training, but have not taken a single, speedy step in months. I thought The Husband would finish under 7 minutes (I don't know that he even really believed his prediction of 7:50) so I hoped to have a sub-7 finish, as well.

The race was broken down into 10-minute waves. Men's Open division would start, meaning I didn't actually get to race with The Husband. The Women's Open was 10 minutes later...Men's Masters...you get the idea.

There was a lot of excitement, nerves and jokes at the start. All the spectators were lined up along the route or at the finish, so it wasn't a huge group.

Due to the 09/11 date, my friend/race director  had brought a giant flag and promptly designated me "special flag-holder". I agreed to do it, on the condition that I wouldn't have to also sing the National Anthem. As my dumb luck fate would have it, her sound system died and she ended up roping me into singing "The Star Spangled Banner" with her. It was an interesting blend of horrific, moving, sweet and relaxing.

how to take people's focus off the rat's nest on the back of your head :butcher the Natl Anthem!

 

The speedy men took off and the 10 minutes 'til our start time flew by. I was so happy to be at a start line, again, and even happier to have my sissy beside me. Between her pregnancy and my injury, our 'gether runs have been limited, lately. We treasure the times we do get to sweat with one another, now.

 

 



we photograph extremely well, together

 

There wasn't a timing mat, at the start, so I stayed close to the front. I knew at least two of the girls were faster than me, pre-injury, so I didn't have any chance of beating them. When we took off, I stuck with my plan of : control breathing, manage footing and speed up whenever possible.

 

The course was perfect. It was straight and slightly downhill. We were running into the wind, but it wasn't overpowering.

 

I was way more calm than I thought I would be. As per usual, once I increased my speed, my ankle didn't hurt a bit. (more on my theory regarding that in a different post)

 

I got stuck behind a couple ladies but was okay with it as I was unsure of how long I'd be able to maintain my pace, anyway. The first 1/4 mile marker came up and I glanced at my watch for the one and only time during the race. It showed a 6:10 average pace and I was surprised at how easy that was feeling.

 

A local track coach was just ahead of me. Some kids from her team were taking turns running with and cheering for her, so I totally used them as my pacers. Thanks, guys!

 

At the half-mile point, I could already see the finish line. My breathing was the only thing giving me trouble. Definitely need to get my cardio back up to speed. (haha. speed. get it? like in a race?)

 

The clock went from 6:39 to 6:40 as I crossed the finish. I stopped my Garmin, immediately & it also read 6:40. That's pretty rare for the times to match up that well! The results, oddly, show me at 6:48, but everyone I talked to had the same issue. Must've been a glitch.

 

I was instantly annoyed when I realized how good I felt. That means I could've gone faster, dangit!

 

I made my way over to our cheering section to hear The Husband's good news. He, the non-runner, had a finishing time of 6:52. "I told you so!" was said aloud, but, "nanny boo-boo, stick your head in doo-doo" was not. (see, I have some restraint)

 

My sister finished her fastest mile, (Woo hoo!) and we waited to cheer on my generally-hobbling, injured RunnerDad. It was not even a little bit of a surprise when he sped over the line at around 7:10. (Woo hoo!)

 

Awards-wise, it was good news for me, bad for my sis. All those fast ladies in front of me? They were in her age group. :(

 

The kids' race followed. My boys insisted I stay far away from them. However, it was dark by that point and I was nervous about them veering out of the closed lane and into traffic. I, and a couple other parents, ran along the side to be Human Shields. When I saw The Littlest starting to fade, I scooched closer to help him along. He zoomed off, in the other direction, and told me to leave him alone. So I did. (I should've totally gotten a medal for restraint, this night)

 

The Middlest ended up winning, for his first time. He was over-the-moon excited and not even slightly humble. All the kids received cool Fireman's helmets and a medal. It was definitely worth staying up past bedtime. My mom offered to take the boys home while The Husband, my dad and I stayed for awards. (thanks, Mom!)

 

sorry, sissy. No medal, no photo op. (jk, she had already gone home)

 

I lost count of all the PRs I saw from my running buddies. It was such a fun and rewarding race and I can't wait 'til next year's!

 

Ever done a one mile race?

 

What's your favorite distance? 







How Bad Can it Be?

I love racing.

I love failing at studying course maps, laying out my Race Day outfit, packing the Bag O'Fun and Distractions for my boys, checking out the other racers in the parking lot, talking goals with my husband and kicking trees when I fail to reach them. I love the nerves, the warmup, the 6th (7th & 8th) trip to the port-a-potty, and the combined nervous, excited energy that envelopes me when I toe a line.

Our 2011 Fall, Winter and 2012 Spring family schedule was packed with races. I didn't get burned out, per se, but I knew we all needed a planned, long break. This race, the first Saturday of May, was kind of a last-minute decision,  but I knew the organizers and loved the cause. The humid, hot miles reaffirmed my decision to take the Summer off of racing.

A few friends and I had also registered for a Disney 5k, which was the same night as the 4-mile race I just mentioned.  The Expedition Everest Challenge was the epitome of Hot Mess. I will provide an extremely ugly recap, someday. Luckily, for us, it was more of a fun run and an interesting way to end the racing season.

our "before" pic

No one should ever see the looks on our faces during or after that nightmare.

 

I really enjoyed just running for the rest of Spring and into the early part of the Summer. Our weekends were freed up for other fun activities and my credit card got to enjoy a vacation from race registration sites. "No racing 'til September", became my mantra.

 

Mid-July, was about the time I started drooling over upcoming Summer races. As "luck" would have it, though, I was able to stick with my previous commitment...

 

insert annoyed eyeroll, here

 

I cautiously registered for my original Return to Racing 5k, once I had completed a few, pain-free runs. We've run this race before and really liked it. My (annoyingly, naturally fast) brother-in-law, his wife, (who started my racing obsession), husband and boys will all be there so it'll be a great time.

 

However, another cool event came up and we felt compelled to be a part of it, too. The Genuine Mile (in case you're too lazy busy to click the link) will be a  local, evening, quick race. A portion of the proceeds will be donated towards our local Fire Departments. (hence the 9/11 date) I'm a sucker for a good cause and this falls under that category.

 

Unfortunately, I haven't attempted any sort of speed for over two months.

 

While I realize this gives me an excellent excuse, in regards to my finishing time, I'm nervous as heck. I want to be carefree and unconcerned about it...just focus on having a good time with my family and friends. That type of attitude doesn't come easily to me in regards to racing, though.

 

To compromise, I have set some goals. They're my attempt at loose and fun goals, but goals, nonetheless :

 

A Goal : Have a faster finishing time than my (annoyingly, naturally fast) "non-runner" of a husband. There, Art. I said it. I want you to be fast,  but I want to be faster. (xoxoxo)

 

B Goal: Finish in under 9:11:00

A free beer will be awarded to anyone who does this

 

C Goal: Complete a mile-long race without injuring myself

Fingers, toes and (tender) ankles crossed

 

New Racing Season, here we come...

 

Are you doing anything to commemorate this date?

 

Care to predict my husband's finishing time?