I usually avoid 5K runs like the plague. And no, it's not because I think I'm too cool for school, but because 5K races are hard. I've spent so much time training my body to run like the Energizer bunny that when I ask it to run a sprint race, it laughs at me.
However, a few of my girlfriends were doing the Redlegs Run for Home this weekend and it sound like fun - the finish line was on the Reds field and you got free ice cream afterwards. What's not to like here? Since I have been running pretty slow since the Pig and haven't done ANY speed work in almost two months, I was planning to just run it with my friends and not worry about finish time. Yeah. Right. Once my bib was securely pinned into place, chip fastened, I decided I would run all out to see what would happen. I was hoping for an 8 minute mile pace.
It was a small field, about 3,400, so we were able to start pretty close to the front. I decided to do a quick warmup jog (probably about 1/4 mile), which I think helped a lot. There were a TON of people with strollers (regular ones, not jogging strollers), and the first part of the course had a large median for us to dodge as well as all the Reds characters in the middle of the road. Was kind of entertaining. The course itself was pretty flat and I spent the first mile pushing it hard but still feeling comfortable - first split was sub 8:00. Hmm, not bad. I blew by the first water stop to keep the momentum going thinking I would hit the stop at mile 2.
Mile 2 had a couple of hills so my split was closer to 8:00. By this point, it was really hot and I was panting and drooling like a Great Dane...and there was no water stop. Nice work, Ives. Luckily we hit a downhill and I was able to pump the gas, motivated by the fact that I could see the front of the field (I heart small races). Once we hit the cinder path around stadium, I took off and managed to come in at 24:29 - about a 7:54 clip on average.
I was excited with my finish time, although McMillan thinks I should be closer to a 7:48 pace based on my last marathon time. Perhaps if I actually train I could do this. Ha.
Regardless, it was fun to do a race with my girls and we even saw some of our other co-workers running. Throw in some UDF chocolate ice cream and I was a happy girl. And this whole 30-34 age group thing is working out really well for me, by the way. I rank much better with this crew than the 25-29 year olds. ;-)
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
I have a special purpose!
I have been a mega grumpass for the better part of May - to the point where I'm getting on my own nerves. I've been running just one time per week and haven't been able to do more than 2-3 miles at a time due to my knee and a surly digestive track. However, thanks to new shoes, some serious stretching, and complete abstinence from chocolate yesterday (chocolate = laxative) I was FINALLY able to do six miles this morning. I'm still running slow, but I think maybe I'm bouncing back from the marathon (knock on wood).
I knew I was missing my training schedule but I didn't realize how much not being able to run was affecting me - until today. When I got to Hyde Park Square and my body said I could keep going, I was filled with so much glee that I almost ran straight into a fire truck (how do you miss seeing a parked fire truck???). My delirious delight lasted for most of the run, even though I was struggling not to yak up last night's vodka/rum/whiskey/beer/salami combo. Clearly, running is my special purpose in life.
Happy happy joy joy.
I knew I was missing my training schedule but I didn't realize how much not being able to run was affecting me - until today. When I got to Hyde Park Square and my body said I could keep going, I was filled with so much glee that I almost ran straight into a fire truck (how do you miss seeing a parked fire truck???). My delirious delight lasted for most of the run, even though I was struggling not to yak up last night's vodka/rum/whiskey/beer/salami combo. Clearly, running is my special purpose in life.
Happy happy joy joy.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Brave New World
So, I've needed new shoes for about a month but have been avoiding the purchase for two reasons:
1) I realized two weeks before the marathon that Asics, in their infinite wisdom, upgraded my already-perfect Kayano sneaker. New shoes before race = no.
2) I'm a complete cheap-ass and didn't want to spend the money AFTER the marathon because I lost my training group discount.
However, my post-Pig attempts at running have not gone the way I was hoping and I really want to attribute this to the fact that my kicks are completely shot in a "we're going to run away by ourselves" sort of way. The only reasonable thing to do was to go to the Spot and buy new shoes. Done and done.
I'm not sure how I feel about the new Kayanos. I mean, they fit well (who would spend $140 on shoes that didn't fit?), but aesthetically they are not the most pleasing things I have ever owned. To start, the color of the shoe (at least the part visible from my vantage point) is mostly white. White. Glaring, blinding, look-at-me-I-just-got-new-shoes-white. Eek.
Secondly, they have changed the toe box to be asymmetrical:
Ok, the picture doesn't really do the ugly justice of these things. However, when I was telling my dad what I bought he said "Ew, I didn't like the looks of those this time and steered clear." This coming from a man who will go to the mall in a ripped flannel shirt with sawdust in his hair (I really do mean this with affection). If he thinks the shoes are ugly, well, that's just no bueno.
So why would I purchase something I want to hide under my running pants? Well, supposedly the new design is more in line with the way people's feet are actually designed. Since I usually lose a few toenails each season, the Running Spot salesperson and I thought this might be a good shoe to experiment with. I also bought the shoe in a half size larger than usual. We'll see what happens...
In other news, I'm still hobbling through three mile runs at a snail's pace. My left calf/achilles/something is all jacked up, which makes my knee hurt when I run. When I stop, the pain stops. Again, I'm really hoping that stretching and new shoes will help solve this problem. Meanwhile, I'm climbing the walls and taking up all sorts of odd pastimes because I don't know what to do with myself. :-)
1) I realized two weeks before the marathon that Asics, in their infinite wisdom, upgraded my already-perfect Kayano sneaker. New shoes before race = no.
2) I'm a complete cheap-ass and didn't want to spend the money AFTER the marathon because I lost my training group discount.
However, my post-Pig attempts at running have not gone the way I was hoping and I really want to attribute this to the fact that my kicks are completely shot in a "we're going to run away by ourselves" sort of way. The only reasonable thing to do was to go to the Spot and buy new shoes. Done and done.
I'm not sure how I feel about the new Kayanos. I mean, they fit well (who would spend $140 on shoes that didn't fit?), but aesthetically they are not the most pleasing things I have ever owned. To start, the color of the shoe (at least the part visible from my vantage point) is mostly white. White. Glaring, blinding, look-at-me-I-just-got-new-shoes-white. Eek.
Secondly, they have changed the toe box to be asymmetrical:
Ok, the picture doesn't really do the ugly justice of these things. However, when I was telling my dad what I bought he said "Ew, I didn't like the looks of those this time and steered clear." This coming from a man who will go to the mall in a ripped flannel shirt with sawdust in his hair (I really do mean this with affection). If he thinks the shoes are ugly, well, that's just no bueno.
So why would I purchase something I want to hide under my running pants? Well, supposedly the new design is more in line with the way people's feet are actually designed. Since I usually lose a few toenails each season, the Running Spot salesperson and I thought this might be a good shoe to experiment with. I also bought the shoe in a half size larger than usual. We'll see what happens...
In other news, I'm still hobbling through three mile runs at a snail's pace. My left calf/achilles/something is all jacked up, which makes my knee hurt when I run. When I stop, the pain stops. Again, I'm really hoping that stretching and new shoes will help solve this problem. Meanwhile, I'm climbing the walls and taking up all sorts of odd pastimes because I don't know what to do with myself. :-)
Monday, May 4, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
This one's leaking oil...
So, news just in, but the Flying Pig is way, WAY harder than Columbus. Parts of the race were really fun and parts of it were, well, hellish. :-) This is how today's marathon went down, at least for me...
Corral + Miles 1-2
In hopes of reaching my double-secret goal time (3:56), I have seeded myself in front of the 4-hour pace group and behind my Running Spot group. The gun goes off, and BOTH groups take off like bats out of hell. I decide I don't care and hang back, running a comfortable 9:24ish pace. Why does standing in the corral always make me have to pee???
Miles 3-4
I can't see my Running Spot teammates or the 4 hour group. I'm worrying about getting a sub four or even a four, so I pick it up to a 9 minute mile...feels ok.
Mile 5
Yay! I see my stepmom and a few friends and feel like a rockstar. The question then becomes, do I Gu early in anticipation of Gilbert or can I hold out till mile 6? I scrap all learnings from Columbus and down a Just Plain, hoping like hell it will give me a boost of energy. Some guy yells at me "You love hills!" which makes me laugh. :-)
Miles 6-8
Ah, here come the hills. While I definitely don't love them, I don't feel too bad today. Maybe because I ran them 100 times in training? We split from the half marathoners at mile 8.5 and I realize, there is no turning back now.
Mile 9
Oranges! I don't usually like ingesting solids on a run but I'm STARVING so I gobble one like a monkey. My face is a sticky mess from Gatorade, Gu, and now, citrus fruits. I am a sexy thang.
Miles 10-11
Welcome to Hyde Park. The crowd support here is AMAZING and I see three of my co-workers. Two of them are sober and one of them looks ready to pass out from drinking too much alcohol. Ha ha, it is 8:15 in the morning. Awesome.
I finally catch up with the four hour kids and although they are like a brick wall, I manage to get around them. I check my latest split and see that I have run an 8-minute mile. Crap, crap, crap. I'll pay for that later...
Mile 12
Now that I've caught the pace team, it's time to go to the bathroom. I score a Port a Potty with no wait! In fact, the guy coming out holds the door for me. And I thought chivalry was dead.
Mile 13-14
Sweet, sweet downhill then flat. Thank goodness. I peek at my half marathon time and I'm sitting at 1:58...I'm on pace for a sub four...
Miles 15-16
Hello Madisonville and Mariemont! I'm thrilled to be here, as these are my old stomping grounds - the place where I re-debuted as an outdoor runner just three years ago. I run past my friend BG's house and he's sitting on his porch, so I call out to him. He yells back "Are you running this thing?" I respond - "No". I guess that was kind of mean but really? What does it look like I'm doing? :-)
Next, I see my mom, who is beaming with pride and relief. She tells me later that she was expecting me to be in awful shape. Ha.
Mile 17
I'm fading. Fast. I hit the Wall like a Mack truck and pull a Hail Mary. Literally. I start to say the rosary in my head because I need something to take my mind off the damn race, at least until the next water stop.
But then the guy next to me burps so loud that, without thinking, I turn to him and say "8.8". We both start snickering and I feel a little better.
Mile 18
Onto Columbia Parkway. NOT terribly scenic but I get to take another Gu and remind myself that my dad is waiting for me at mile 21. Woot.
Miles 19-21
I see Coach Steve and my friend Megan up ahead, which motivates me to run faster. I catch up to them, excited, until Steve tells me they're shooting for a 4-hour finish. I sigh dejectedly and press on.
I pass the Fleet Feet booth (my dad's running team) and shit! No Dad. I feel like crying, even though I realize I'm acting like a 5-year old.
Mile 22
My friend Robert, who is running people in for the Spot, finds me and jumps in to help. I mention that I must look a mess, because people have been yelling my name + words of encouragement a heck of a lot more than they were in the previous miles. Robert replies "Yeah, you're a little red...". Doh.
Mile 23
Robert takes off (each coach has a specified area they have to stay in) but Coach Christine picks me up right away. She tells me I need to focus on my breathing then offers to get my water for me so I don't have to stop. Nice! We see Coach Ryan on the sidelines and Christine goes over to confer with him. They're coming to the end of "their" mile, but luckily, Coach Frankie is coming towards us. Ryan drops me with her and says quietly "This one's leaking oil". Oh boy.
Mile 24
I run with Frankie for a few minutes and she leaves me with words of encouragement - "You're almost there." I usually hate this phrase but today, I desperately want it to be true.
Mile 25
The crowd picks up again, hooray! I see a bunch of friends who ran the half marathon and am excited to hear them cheering. Ok, ok. I think I have one more mile left in me.
Mile 26
The finish line is just ahead and I discover that the faster I run, the faster I'll be done (duh). Go, baby, go!
The announcer calls my name and I smile because it means I'm finally FINISHED. My friend Jule and her dad are waiting for me after the timing mat and I hug them, forgetting that I must smell like Body Glide and other nastyness. We try to have a conversation but I'm not making any sense and also, I want to vomit, so I wander into the finishers' area to collect my medal and some fluids.
After the Gatorade, I make my way to the Running Spot tent and find Anne, Laura, Maren, Chris, and Virginia waiting for me. They help me onto Serpentine Wall and eventually, my mom and dad find us. I am a happy camper. :-)
Official finish time? 3:56:48, roughly a 9:03 pace. Not sure how, but I beat my Columbus time! Cheers to that.
Corral + Miles 1-2
In hopes of reaching my double-secret goal time (3:56), I have seeded myself in front of the 4-hour pace group and behind my Running Spot group. The gun goes off, and BOTH groups take off like bats out of hell. I decide I don't care and hang back, running a comfortable 9:24ish pace. Why does standing in the corral always make me have to pee???
Miles 3-4
I can't see my Running Spot teammates or the 4 hour group. I'm worrying about getting a sub four or even a four, so I pick it up to a 9 minute mile...feels ok.
Mile 5
Yay! I see my stepmom and a few friends and feel like a rockstar. The question then becomes, do I Gu early in anticipation of Gilbert or can I hold out till mile 6? I scrap all learnings from Columbus and down a Just Plain, hoping like hell it will give me a boost of energy. Some guy yells at me "You love hills!" which makes me laugh. :-)
Miles 6-8
Ah, here come the hills. While I definitely don't love them, I don't feel too bad today. Maybe because I ran them 100 times in training? We split from the half marathoners at mile 8.5 and I realize, there is no turning back now.
Mile 9
Oranges! I don't usually like ingesting solids on a run but I'm STARVING so I gobble one like a monkey. My face is a sticky mess from Gatorade, Gu, and now, citrus fruits. I am a sexy thang.
Miles 10-11
Welcome to Hyde Park. The crowd support here is AMAZING and I see three of my co-workers. Two of them are sober and one of them looks ready to pass out from drinking too much alcohol. Ha ha, it is 8:15 in the morning. Awesome.
I finally catch up with the four hour kids and although they are like a brick wall, I manage to get around them. I check my latest split and see that I have run an 8-minute mile. Crap, crap, crap. I'll pay for that later...
Mile 12
Now that I've caught the pace team, it's time to go to the bathroom. I score a Port a Potty with no wait! In fact, the guy coming out holds the door for me. And I thought chivalry was dead.
Mile 13-14
Sweet, sweet downhill then flat. Thank goodness. I peek at my half marathon time and I'm sitting at 1:58...I'm on pace for a sub four...
Miles 15-16
Hello Madisonville and Mariemont! I'm thrilled to be here, as these are my old stomping grounds - the place where I re-debuted as an outdoor runner just three years ago. I run past my friend BG's house and he's sitting on his porch, so I call out to him. He yells back "Are you running this thing?" I respond - "No". I guess that was kind of mean but really? What does it look like I'm doing? :-)
Next, I see my mom, who is beaming with pride and relief. She tells me later that she was expecting me to be in awful shape. Ha.
Mile 17
I'm fading. Fast. I hit the Wall like a Mack truck and pull a Hail Mary. Literally. I start to say the rosary in my head because I need something to take my mind off the damn race, at least until the next water stop.
But then the guy next to me burps so loud that, without thinking, I turn to him and say "8.8". We both start snickering and I feel a little better.
Mile 18
Onto Columbia Parkway. NOT terribly scenic but I get to take another Gu and remind myself that my dad is waiting for me at mile 21. Woot.
Miles 19-21
I see Coach Steve and my friend Megan up ahead, which motivates me to run faster. I catch up to them, excited, until Steve tells me they're shooting for a 4-hour finish. I sigh dejectedly and press on.
I pass the Fleet Feet booth (my dad's running team) and shit! No Dad. I feel like crying, even though I realize I'm acting like a 5-year old.
Mile 22
My friend Robert, who is running people in for the Spot, finds me and jumps in to help. I mention that I must look a mess, because people have been yelling my name + words of encouragement a heck of a lot more than they were in the previous miles. Robert replies "Yeah, you're a little red...". Doh.
Mile 23
Robert takes off (each coach has a specified area they have to stay in) but Coach Christine picks me up right away. She tells me I need to focus on my breathing then offers to get my water for me so I don't have to stop. Nice! We see Coach Ryan on the sidelines and Christine goes over to confer with him. They're coming to the end of "their" mile, but luckily, Coach Frankie is coming towards us. Ryan drops me with her and says quietly "This one's leaking oil". Oh boy.
Mile 24
I run with Frankie for a few minutes and she leaves me with words of encouragement - "You're almost there." I usually hate this phrase but today, I desperately want it to be true.
Mile 25
The crowd picks up again, hooray! I see a bunch of friends who ran the half marathon and am excited to hear them cheering. Ok, ok. I think I have one more mile left in me.
Mile 26
The finish line is just ahead and I discover that the faster I run, the faster I'll be done (duh). Go, baby, go!
The announcer calls my name and I smile because it means I'm finally FINISHED. My friend Jule and her dad are waiting for me after the timing mat and I hug them, forgetting that I must smell like Body Glide and other nastyness. We try to have a conversation but I'm not making any sense and also, I want to vomit, so I wander into the finishers' area to collect my medal and some fluids.
After the Gatorade, I make my way to the Running Spot tent and find Anne, Laura, Maren, Chris, and Virginia waiting for me. They help me onto Serpentine Wall and eventually, my mom and dad find us. I am a happy camper. :-)
Official finish time? 3:56:48, roughly a 9:03 pace. Not sure how, but I beat my Columbus time! Cheers to that.
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