A new PR....and why I'm not that excited about it...

Some of the Trinity running crew

    Saturday I ran the Rebuilding Together 5k  It was a small local race put on by a friend of mine.  Which meant that I knew over half of the people who were running...no pressure.;)

My goal time: 23:30 for a new PR.  I was pretty confident it would happen.  I had put in the training including the dreaded speed work and it was a flat, fast course.  I was familiar with the course and have run part of it several times on training runs.  So I knew what to expect as far as the course was concerned. The weather was set to be cool, crisp, and sunny.  Perfect for running.
Saturday morning I woke up with a little chest congestion...I NEVER get sick.  I thought about taking something, but my body doesn't really "do" medication very well.  Plus, I figured it would clear up once I got up and moving.
I ran the race okay.  I never really felt like I was in the groove.  I could not get my breathing under control and by mile 2 my lungs were on fire!  I slowed my pace for about a 1/2 mile and then picked it back up. I figured I was going to feel crappy either way so I might as well put it all in!
I finished with a new PR of 24:10.  First in AG and 14th over all out of 114.  Not bad.  A year ago I would have been turning flips from excitement, but I know what I'm capable of now.
     Hubby said I shouldn't have even run with chest congestion.  I have no idea..I have never had chest congestion since I've been a runner so I'll have to look into it. 
Sunday I had a 12 miler on my training plan.  Woke up to run at 5am feeling worse.  I'm thankful I serve a God who heals.~1 Peter 2:24"... by His wounds you have been healed."  I took a few minutes before I got out of bed to pray and thank God.
As I was putting my running shoes on and wishing I was still in bed, I had to tell myself.."I'm a runner, this is what we do."
Needless to say, it was a loooooong 12 miles I finished in 1:59 and was ready to crash.  I rested pretty well the rest of the day.  We have church in the morning and the evening, so I got a nice long nap in between services.

Today is I have an easy 5 miles on the training schedule.  Still have a little chest congestion but it actually feels a lot better today. The weather has finally cooled off enough for me to resume my lunch runs, which means, I can sleep an extra 2hrs in the morning!!

Hope you get a chance to get out and enjoy the beautiful Fall weather!!

What is on your exercise agenda today?

Grace and peace,

Running to Win

"You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race.  Everyone runs; one wins.  Run to win.  All good athletes train hard.  They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades.  You're after one that's gold eternally.  I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line.  I'm giving it everything I've got.  No sloppy living for me!  I'm staying alert and in top condition.  I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself." -1 Corinthians 9:24-27(Message)

this was printed on the award certificates they handed out at the race

Saturday morning at 6am the little princes and I loaded into my friend Angie's suburban and headed out to the "On Your Mark 5k".  I was anxious. I haven't felt that jittery in a while before a race.  Not even the big races.  I even had a dream the night before that I had to pee right before the race started and when I went to the bathroom they started the race without me.  I'm not sure what it was about this race. I knew I wanted to PR, but that is my goal at every race.  I like to push myself.  Maybe it's that fact that this was the first race of the season. Who knows.  My friend Angie seemed pretty cool and collected and this was her first race ever!
By the time I got to the starting line I felt better.
The first mile I felt pretty good and was surprised when I got to the first mile mark and my time was 7:53.(my fastest mile ever)  When I got to the second mile mark the guy hollered out that I was in the 4th place position for women overall. WHAT!?! That kicked me into full on competition mode.  The fact that I had a chance to place in top 3 overall was crazy to me!  I could see the #3 girl about 20yards in front of me.  I try as I might, I could not close that gap.  The last leg of the race was up hill which increased that gap by about another 20 yards.  All I could think was....how much I hate hills and that #3 probably trains on hills....I should do hills...I hate hills....
I did finish strong though, my time was 24:44! I shaved almost a full minute off of my previous 5k PR. I was very happy with my run and placed 1st in my age group and 4th overall.  The girl that finished #3 was 22yrs old...that kind of made me feel better. ;)

My friend Angie finished in 27:58! Amazing for her first race! I am so proud of her! Little speedy!
The boys ran the 1mile fun run and both boys beat their last time.  Little Prince #2 placed 2nd in his age, and Little Prince #1 shaved a minute off of his time.

We all had a great race day and it was a fantastic way to kick off the race season!

Next race, Rocket Run 10 Miler on March 20th!!

If your new to my blog, welcome! If your not new, thanks for stopping by!
I love reading your comments and feedback!
Grace and peace,

RACE REPORT-P.F. Changs Arizona R 'n' R Half Marathon

I am back in Alabama and easing back into my work load that has piled up nicely from my last two days off.  I arrived back on southern ground last night at around 10pm and  was greeted by hubby and three very excited boys! It is always so good to get away, but it is always so much sweeter to come home.

My race weekend recap
I arrived in Phoenix, Thurs night around 11pm. I stayed with my Andrew(13months older than me) and his family.  It had been over a year since I saw them last so it was wonderful to catch up and spend time with the kids.  I talked my brother into running the half with me about 6 months prior to the race.  He is a hockey player and so he figured he really didn't need to train.  We both tend to be a little overconfident in our abilities! :)  So three weeks before the race he started running. THREE WEEKS!! His first race ever and he didn't train! I told him he was crazy, and his wife was almost begging for him to not run for fear of him getting hurt.  My brother is a very determined man. We all knew that he would finish, injured or not. He committed to do it and he did.
The Friday before the race we headed to the Expo......WOW!! It was amazing! We got there early before most of the crowds so we were really able to experience everything.  I was like a kid in a candy store. I felt like I had ADD! I was bouncing from table to table like a crazy woman. My favorite purchase was the ifitness belt. I had been looking for a running belt for a while and got to try them on to see how they felt. I was sold immediately. It is very comfortable.  I also got my brother a pair of Mizuno Wave Nirvana running shoes(my faves) as a little gift for running with me.  He says they are the most comfy shoes he has ever worn. Seriously he won't take them off. He wore them to a business meeting with his shirt and tie!! I wish I had taken a pick of that!
Anyway, we enjoyed the Expo and walked away with a great goody bag, tons of loot, and a much lighter wallet.

IFitness Belt...So cute!

We pretty much relaxed the rest of the day in the hot tub and playing UNO with his kids.

 

My brother Andrew and I the night before the race...felt like the night before Christmas!!

     Saturday I did some light carbo loading and ran a quick 2 mile to loosen everything up from traveling.  Saturday night I felt great, I had everything laid out and ready to go, it was so much fun to see my brother getting ready for his first race. He was so nervous! We both planned on getting to be around 9pm but it ended up being more like 10:30pm.  I slept really well but woke up at 4am, and hour before my alarm would go off.  I was wide awake and finally starting to feel those excitement jitters.  I ate breakfast, oats and a banana with a cup of coffee to get "everything" moving.  My brother was up by 5am and we were dressed and ready to go by 5:55am.

Quick pic before head out!

Love the bondi-band but my brother say's I looked like Mrs. Potato head...where are my ears?!?LOL!

It was really chilly and I wasn't prepared for that. The only thing I brought that was warm was my running jacket and I really didn't want to throw it away during the race(I can't run with it tied around my waist).  I was praying that by the time we got there and parked it would be a little warmer so I could leave my jacket in the car.  It wasn't. It was 40 degrees to be exact.  So I sucked it up and brought my jacket. :(  It's not the fact that it was an expensive jacket, because it wasn't.  It was like $20, so buying a new one wasn't a huge deal, but I have been running in that jacket for over a year....I get very attached and a little neurotic when it comes to what I wear when I run.

Before the race....My last picture with my favorite jacket.:(

We parked by the finish line and took the 40min shuttle ride to the start.  I was overwhelmed at the amount of people. Of course I had to pee as soon as we stepped off the shuttles so we got in line for the porta johns...YUCKY!!  I hate porta johns!  #1 it is always too dark in there and #2 they are ALWAYS out of toilet paper! Plus, I think there should be separate porta johns for people who have to go #1 and people who have to go #2....just sayin'!  I almost threw up in my mouth twice!

We watched the Marathoners take off...beautiful!

We had over and hour for the race to start so we walked around a little, talked to some other runners, took some pics and then headed to our corrals.  I was in corral number 4 and my brother was in number 15.  My heart was pounding! They sang the national anthem, and off the first corral went!  My goal was to finish under 2hrs, but I was pretty sure I could pull off 1:50.  I found the official 1:52 pacer and stood behind him and his pack of runners.

RUNNERS TAKE YOUR MARK!We started moving and I started my Garmin.  A little too soon...oh well.  By the time I crossed the start line I was moving at a 6:28mile pace!! Crazy fast! I immediately started to doubt if I would even be able to keep up with the pacers if they were going to be moving that fast! I decided to ditch the pacers and stick to my original plan.  I settled into a nice pace between 8-8:30 min mile.  I ditched my beloved jacket at the 5k marker and almost shed a tear. Races bring out crazy emotions!
Mile 4 and 5 were a little tough. My legs felt heavy and I was having a hard time getting my breathing under control.  Usually by mile five I'm in the groove but I started to have crazy thoughts that I wouldn't finish sub 2hrs. I just could NOT find my peace.  During my training runs it's so easy for me to find my peace. I focus on Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."   Here there were a lot of distractions, the cheer leading teams, bands, and thousands of spectators that lined the streets almost the entire race.  Normally I love being cheered on, but I couldn't shake the funk. My pace stayed pretty consistent and by mile 6 I got it! That runner's high. My body felt great, my breathing calmed down, and my pace even picked up a bit.  Miles 6-10 flew by, I slowed twice for cytomax and GU, but was right on track for an awesome PR!

At the start of Mile 11, I felt a twinge of pain on the outside of my left knee.

I adjusted my step and my stride a little and it felt a little better.  About two minutes later a bolt of pain shot from my hip through my knee and down into my calf. I have never had that kind of pain. It took my breath away and I came to a dead stop.  I moved over to the side and massaged my leg for about 30 secs and tried to keep going.  I hobbled about 50 feet and had to stop again.  Thankfully I have a medical massage background.  I knew right away it was my IT Band.  I didn't know though if it was torn or just strained.  I spent literally 5 mins massaging and stretching it.  As I watched runners pass me by I felt the waves of disappointment over come me. I started walking and made it to a slow jog. Mile 11 took me almost 15mins to complete! By mile 12 my leg was numb and felt like dead weight but I was able to run with most of my weight shifted to my right leg.  I knew if I could run the last two miles at 8 min pace(normally no problem), I would still finish under 2hr. 1:59 to be exact!! I pushed as hard as I could.....I could not get my body to go faster than a 9 min mile.  I finished in 2:01:44... I have gone over the whole race in my head step by step over and over and over. I could have done so many things different.  I went to the race website and watched myself cross the finish line...not pretty.  I'm disappointed that my body failed me or maybe I failed my body.

I should have gone to medical and put ice on my leg right away but I didn't.  I waited at the finish line for my brother to finish. He finished strong at 2:23:48! I am so proud of him!

Finishers!

I think I have earned the right to have a little pity party....and I did.  Everyone keeps saying "you should just be happy you finished."  I am happy I finished. I am not happy that I finished in 2:01:44.  I'm not saying it is a bad time. It's great! It's a PR. I beat my last time by 10 minutes. I know what I am capable of. I set a goal of sub 2hrs and not only did in not meet that goal, I injured myself.  I allowed myself 2 solid days of pity party. Did it help..no, did it accomplish anything...no, do I feel better? A little.

I think it's okay to address the disappointment we runners feel after a bad race.  There are a lot of negative emotions that come along with not racing well.  For a few moments, I questioned my ability, desire, training, and dedication.  Sometimes we have a bad race and it's out of our control. Other times it's a result of something we could have done differently, and then it's a lesson learned.  I am dedicated to running.  I have the ability and the desire to be and do my best(Phil 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me...").  I could have stepped up my training and I will next time. Lesson learned.  Next time I won't go out so fast. Lesson learned.

My sister-in-law and good friend Amy met us after the race and I felt like such a wet blanket.  Everyone was so excited and I didn't want to ruin it for my brother. He was so proud! So I put on a happy face...

Just the girls

my neice Eleksi and nephews Dawson and Braydon

The pain in my leg and knee didn't really come to a head until about 4 hours after the race. JIMINY!! I sat in the hot tub and iced it down all day Monday.  It helped.  I was pretty sure it was just a strain because by Tuesday it was a little better.  Today I went to my Dr. and he confirmed it is an IT Band strain. Much to my surprise he said I only have to take one week off of running and then ease into it slowly.  He showed me some exercises and stretches to do and gave me the green light to run in another half next month.

 BOUNCING BACK

      So, I haven't talked to hubby yet, but if all goes as planned I will be running the Mercedes Half Marathon in Birmingham, February 14 for redemption!  Of course I would NEVER push myself...I promised to take it easy for a week. I have been reading a lot of horror stories about IT Band injuries and I do want to make sure mine heals properly.  Amanda from Run to The Finish had an excellent post 7 Tips for IT Band Recovery she posted it yesterday! Just the info I needed!

ON A POSITIVE NOTE

 I'm grateful for the bonding experience I had with my brother and the precious time I had with his family.  I really enjoyed the whole Rock 'n' Roll Race atmosphere and plan on making it an annual event with my brother.  His wife was encouraged and says she might start running so she can run next year too!  I also learned that I need to listen a little closer to my body and not take it for granted.  Hubby and the boys greeted me with a $200.00 spa gift certificate, so I am going to pamper this body! My first massage is schedule for Friday!

So I had a bad race. Not the end of the world. This will help me better appreciate my great races.

Have you had a bad race experience?  How did you bounce back?

Grace and peace,