What a race weekend....

My groove just might be back. Hooray Hooray Hooray!

On Saturday, February 22nd I completed two 5Ks. Santa Clarita hosted the Mardi Gras Madness 5K race. They offered a competitive race at 8:00am and then a fun run/walk at 9:00am. For just $10 more, you could do both races and get two medals. Heck yeah, sign me up.

I signed up with the Cardiogirls team which is the gym that I belong to. There are a few girls that signed up that are trying to better their lives by being healthy and losing weight. I admire these girls because it takes a lot of strength and will to want to change your life and stick with it. We all ran the competitive 5K at our own paces and then all came together to walk/run the fun/run 5K.

I have only run 5Ks a couple times. In 2007 was my first 5K, the Revlon Run/Walk and I don't even remember my time, or if I ran the entire thing or not. Then last year I ran the Drenched 5K but it wasn't timed and I didn't turn on my GPS since we were supposedly going to get "drenched." So officially I can say this was my first serious 5K. Since I've been in the slumps that last month and only ran 6 or so times in the last 30 days, I wasn't expecting much. I did pretty good though. I came in 6th in my age group (30-39) with a time of 25:18:03 (average pace was 8:08). I really can't complain about that now, can I?

       Post competitive 5K

               Cardiogirls

 
     Cassie, Luma, Joe and Raelyn

               Not quite a 5K....but close enough

On Sunday, February 23rd I drove to Ventura and ran the Seaside Half Marathon.Was I ready? No, not really but I have trained less for a half and still did okay.

I arrived early to pick up my race packet but had a hard time finding parking until after my third loop around I finally found the parking structure they had mentioned online. As I pull up there is a big sign that says "CASH ONLY" and the ticket machine is covered up. Great, I don't have cash and since my debit card was involved with that whole Target scandal, I was issued a new card and don't know the pin. This day is not starting out great. Oh well, I'll figure it out later. (fast forward to end of race....the guy at the booth said I got free parking.)

No matter how many races I do, I still get nervous before a race. But if I were to run a race distance at home for training, I don't get nervous. I don't know if it's the anticipation that I will run my little heart out or if it's just the excitement of the race itself. I just love races. So off to the bathroom I go....

They offered corals at this race and I decided to start in the 8 minute mile coral. Not because I know I can run 8 minute miles...uh, yeah, that's a negative. But because I know I can run faster than a 9 minutes mile. The horn goes off and I take off. I have no expectations for this race. PLEASE, how can I, I haven't even trained for it. My thought was that I could definitely come in before my worst half marathon time which was around 2:33. I start my Pandora and start my Runkeeper app. I put my phone in my run belt and I hear "activity paused." WHAT? NO. I take it out and hit "resume." I hear, "activity resumed." and I put my phone back in my belt.

I'm running along and I feel kind of slow. We hit mile 1 and my Runkeeper says nothing. I have it set for every half miile and I have't head anything. JUST GREAT!! I'm not going to restart it now, what's the point. I continue on without it. No pace, no mileage, just music and the people in my head. 

As I approach mile 2, I hear these two guys talking behind me. One says, "I thought they said this course was flat?" I think in my head, yeah, this course is so not flat. Great, one more thing for the people in my head to talk about. 

The two guys pass me and now I am chasing them. I can't believe how slow I feel I'm running. I try and just keep up with them. All the while in my head, the people are talking.

At mile 4 or so, the guys stop to get some water. I continue on and wonder when they will pass me again. I seem to pass them at each water station but they catch up and pass me every time. This time, I'm still ahead. After the turn around point at about 6.5 miles in, I hear them behind me. Close enough that I turn to them and say, "I was wondering when you were going to catch up."  They laugh and say that clearly I have mastered the art of drinking while running, while they have not. They complimented my pace and said that I was THEIR rabbit! They asked what my pace was and I said since my GPS shut off at the beginning of the race, I had no idea. In my head I was thinking some where around 9:35-9:45. One of the guys said our pace was 8:55. WHAT, are you kidding me? Holy cow. I was way off. 

We chatted for a few miles, which this never happens. It was nice to talk it up so I didn't have hear the crowd in my head. They are so negative, all the time. At mile 9 they took off.  I didn't have the energy to keep up so I let my rabbits go. 

At mile 10 I was hating the run. It felt like it was up hill the entire way. How can that be because clearly it didn't feel down hill the first half. What is going on? I decided I could slow down. I'm not sure I actually did but I wanted to. 

At mile 11, I thought 2 more miles. I found myself in a group of 3 girls that were running my pace. I was ahead and then one or two would pull ahead but we all stayed together. 

Mile 12, one more mile....I believe this time I slowed down. Then I picked up my pace when  we hit the board walk. I know we are close. I just want to see the finish line. I was told in the beginning that we might have to pass the finish line and turn around to come through it. NO, I do not want to pass the finish line. 

Mile 13.... .1 mile to go. I see this older guy wearing a white shirt with a target on his back. I've been behind him since mile 11.  I pick up my pace. I pass him. YES.  I see the finish line. I see the clock 1:58:58. I am sprinting. Well, I feel like I'm sprinting but I'm probably running just faster than a turtle. As I hit the shoot 1:59:25. Are you kidding me, I have to come in under 2:00. Why? I didn't have this goal at all before the race.Now, it's my goal. As I cross the finish line 1:59:58.

Exhausted, I stop so they girl can remove my timing chip. She is taking forever and my legs are tingling. I just want to walk. Hey, where is my medal? Where are the people giving out medals? Finally, she get's my chip off and I turn around and look for someone, anyone. Ah, finally there is a girl, not very visible with medals on her arm. "Can I have my medal?" She says, "Oh, sorry."

I walk through the crowd trying to find water and food. The lady pouring water into individual cups is taking forever. SERIOUSLY woman, I just want some freakin water. The guy next to me laughs as I'm talking about her under my breath. He grabs the first cup and hands it to me. :) Thank you sir.

I find my rabbits. We give our "good job" greeting and was told that my time had to be around 1:56 because that's when they came in. Oh yeah, duh, I started after the clock and after the first wave. Of course. 

My official time: 1:57:41. My third best time with an average pace of 8:59. I can't believe that I was running that fast. I felt so slow and so sluggish. (83 overall out of 342 females and 26th in my age group out of 114)

Here is what the crowd in my head was talking about the entire time. It's a good thing that I don't listen to them too often. I can laugh about it now.

-Gosh you are running slow

-You might just come in last at this pace

-Another hill

-This sucks without your GPS working

-I can't believe you signed up for this race

-You should just give up running after this race

-I can't believe you want to do another full marathon, that is not going to happen now

-Oh the heat, you plan to run a half marathon every month? How are you going to do it in the HEAT???

-Just slow down

-Maybe you should walk the rest

Before the race

         My rabbits, Josh and Mile from Santa Barbara

                 (I was off on my time...oops. 1:57:41)

Overall, the race was well organized. This is part of the California Race Series. Another good thing about this race (Same company put on the Holly Jolly half marathon) we get FREE race photos. You get a 4x6 and a 5x8 for free. The medals are nice, not too cheap looking and the cost of the race is only $40. I have 3 other races to run to complete the California Race Series. 

Next half marathon....Rock n' Roll Dallas with my sister.

How do I get out of this slump?

I think I'm in a slump because I have no real big goals. I had finished training for my full marathon and I think it took every thing out of me, literally. I have only ran 6 times since January 19th. I love running but even the short runs I  have been going on, I just feel heavy and slow. I'm not sure how to get out of it. I have a half marathon THIS weekend. HOLY COW. I've ran halves before without training so I know I can do it, but I would rather do it with ease than with struggle.

I completed my first VIRTUAL race on February 9th for Relentless for Reagan. Reagan is a little girl fighting for her life with lymphoma. R4R Virtual Race posted on Facebook and I signed up. You can choose which distance you want to run, so I chose to run a 10k. (Race medal will be mailed to me)

Then Dani Holmes-Kirk from Weight Off My Shoulders posted another virtual race (apparently these are the things to do now). She is running the Boston Marathon and has to raise money for Teddy's Team which raises money for stroke victims. Her race was called the Stop Stroke Shuffle and again you could pick your distance. I chose to run a 5K since it was in line with my training (using that word loosely) . (Race medal will be mailed to me)

     

                                                         

I really want to get back into the groove of things. It's not like the weather is bad. This has been the best winter EVER. Sunny, clear skies and in the 70-80s, just amazing. I should be out running every day.

The girls at my gym are running a 5k called the MartiGras 5K in Santa Clarita on Saturday so I signed up for that. I figured a 5K the day before my half marathon won't hurt and maybe it's just what I need to kick start this slump.

I also found out through Facebook that there is a run called Run One for Boston and it is a relay run from Santa Monica all the way to Boston. All the money raised will go towards victims and their families that survived the Boston Marathon bombing. I set a goal to raise $250 and so far I am $30 away from my goal. I signed up to run Stage 5 with another female runner named, Lauren Anderson. I have no idea who she is but there are 30 stages listed for California and I didn't want to potentially be the only one running a stage so I was able to sign up with any stage I wanted. I would have loved to do the kick off run in Santa Monica but it's at  1pm on March 16th and will be in San Diego that morning doing the Puppy Love 5K with Kevin and Gwen and wouldn't be able to make a 1pm start time. So a later stage worked best for me. Our stage is 8 miles from El Monte to Covina Park and then we hand the baton off to a guy named Dominick Santos. Not that many people read this but I am posting the link to my sponsor page. My run is March 16th at 10:10pm.

http://www.onerunforboston.org/u/ordinaryrunner/

My schedule for February and March:

February 22: Marti Gras Madness 5K, Santa Clarita

February 23: Seaside Half Marathon, Ventura

March 16: Puppy Love 5K (walk with the pigs)

March 16: Run One for Boston (8 miles)

March 23: Rock N' Roll Half Marathon, Dallas

Stay tuned.....this girl has got to get her butt in gear.

Sugar crash

The funk…..

I ran my full marathon three weeks ago and I have ran twice and worked out three times in the three weeks that followed. WHAT IS WRONG with me??? I love working out and I love running. I live in California so it certainly isn't the weather getting me down.

I have been eating like crap. And when I say crap…I mean, brownies, candy, cookies, more cookies, more brownies, M&M's and the list goes on but it's making me sick just typing this up. SUGAR. I believe that SUGAR has been my downfall. I normally eat sugar, sure. I don't diet. I don't really watch what I eat, but generally, I eat pretty healthy. I don't keep baked goods or candy in my house because to be honest, I just don't have any self control when it comes to that.

For example. I was at a week long training session last week and that is where I ate most of the junk food. They had it sitting out on tables, just calling me name. The best part, or maybe now, I 'm thinking the worst part, was that it was free. If it cost money, there is no way I would have eaten any of it. So the week ended and I was thankful to be away from that sugar rush.

This week, I decided to make cookies. WHY? I don't need them and when I make them, I pretty much eat them or breakfast, lunch and dinner. Well, that is exactly what is happening. I decided to get out of my funk and go to the gym today and run since the last time I ran and went to the gym was Monday. I had two cookies for breakfast and a small bowl of granola cereal. I can't believe I did that. Well, maybe I can. I know me. I know my habits. I'm shaking my head right now.

I went to my gym class and was tired and out of breath and just felt crappy.  After class I went for a 3 mile run and just felt slow and sluggish. During my run is when I realized, it's probably all the sugar I have been eating. My slower than normal minute per mile was a huge reminder to never make cookies again. 

Tomorrow I will hit the gym again and I have a 4 mile run. No more cookies for me. I threw the bag in the trash. Hopefully they get out of my system soon so I can get back to running my normal speed.

HipsSister running belt review: (as promised)

Decided to wear tight fitting capri, cotton/spandex pants for running today since it was cooler outside. I put it on, this time over my tank top. I placed my car key in the pocket and put my phone in the zippered pocket that rests on my lower back. I took off and immediately noticed that it wasn't going to go anywhere today. It stayed put. I was so happy. I think the problem on Monday was that my shorts were a slippery material and not tight fitting so they moved, which caused the belt to move. It also may have helped that I put it over my tank top (which was tight fitting too). The only thing I wish that were different is that they should have a longer zipper for one pocket for those that have longer phones than the iPhone. My phone fits but I have to put it in at an angle and then push it down. I have to be careful not to detach my headphones when putting it in the pocket. Overall, I think this is a great product at a great price. (Reading their website says the unzipped pouch is for the phone. But I like to keep my zipped up.)

RATING: 4 out of 5

For $26 you get a comfy running belt to hold, keys, Gu, snacks, phone/ipod, whatever your heart desired. There are two zippered pockets and one small pouch. There are an assortment of colors and a few new patterns to choose from. They have four sizes to choose from. I am 5'7, 132 pounds and ordered the size A.

The one I bought can be seen here:

https://squareup.com/market/traveling-light-and-comfortable/left-coast-carbon#

Getting it started

And this week is the start…..

I ran my full marathon two weeks ago. My plan was to take one week off and then start back up on my training for the future half marathons. WELL…work and lack of motivation got in the way. I had training all week for work and the drive was horrendous which made me want to sit on the couch and veg all week…which is exactly what I did.

TODAY is a new week and it's time to get running. I received my new running shoes in the mail last week so I was excited to have them hit the pavement. My training plan has me running Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. I know today is Monday and that's how motivated I felt this morning…AFTER Superbowl…might I add.

I woke up and went to my Cardiogirl fitness class. Today was "arm day" so it makes for a good day to start running again because tomorrow is "leg day." Oh I can't tell you how horrible it is to run after "leg day."

I set out for my 3 mile run and I decided to make it a jog rather than a run. After all, it was MONDAY, not TUESDAY. Took it slow….really slow…at a 9.45 min/mile pace on average but it felt good. Not great. My body felt tired but that's probably from all the crap food I ate this weekend and not drinking enough water. Tomorrow will be better.

New Asics running shoes

My measly 3 mile run   

I also tried on a new running belt this morning which I purchased from Traveling Light and Comfortable. The running belt is called, "HipS-sisters".  It's a stretchy material that you can step into or pull over your head. It sits on your hips. There are two zippered pockets and a small unzipped pocket/pouch that I slid my car key into for the run. I'll post a picture tomorrow. I forgot to take one today. 

REVIEW: When I first started running, it kept sliding up and then I thought, well this is comfortable as it slid around my abdomen and sat there. I have a slim waist and bigger rear end, so I thought maybe this is why it kept sliding up. But after I adjusted it two times, early on in the run, it stayed put on my hips. By the end of the run, it was a little scrunched but at least it stayed on my hips. During the last adjustment, I moved the pocket that held my phone to the middle of the lower back and maybe that made the difference since I had originally started out with it on the side of my hip. While running, I also thought  this might be good to wear when I go wine tasting so that I don't have to find a place to hook my purse while tasting at the counter :). DUAL purpose…I like that. I'll wear it tomorrow during my run and give my final, thumbs up, thumbs middle or thumbs down.

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TLCHipBand

Website: http://www.tlchipbands.com