Actually I only got to enjoy a tiny bit of this beautiful day, because I spent most of today indoors. However, for 36 minutes I got to run as fast as I wanted on two healthy legs, in 70 degree weather. Pretty awesome.
I'm getting sentimental because this may be my last run for a while. I leave for Peru in less than two days and something tells me I'm not going to get much running in there...
Anyway, if you want to read about my trip you can do so here.
If not, peace out until sometime in late July.
Jives
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
I had a Blast™
Ha, ha I love puns.
In case you couldn't tell from the title, I ran the Hyde Park Blast 4-miler this morning. :-) This race is near and dear to me because it was the very first race I ever ran (June 2006). The course has changed, there's less in the swag bags and they don't give out medals to everyone anymore, but I think I will always love this race.
As tradition dictates, I met up with some pals at my friend Anne's house, who lives close enough to walk to the start line. We met about 7:30, only 30 minutes before the race start, so I was pacing around nervously waiting for everyone to get their chips on, etc. I like to get to races absurdly early and I usually freak out before each one, whether it's 2 miles or 26.2 miles.
We finally made it to the corral and I didn't even hear the starting signal (no guns in Hyde Park - I'm sure there is a rule against even having the noise) but everyone started moving so I followed. Mile 1 has a nice hill right away, but then you hit a pretty steep downhill so I was able to make up a bit of time. First split was about an 8:01, which I was happy with because I was hoping to run right around an 8-minute pace.
Mile 2 was a bitch. It is pretty much all uphill (a long steady hill) and it was 90 degrees in the shade + humid. Oy. I did have a mini reunion of sorts with the 9:00-mile Pig training group though. First I saw my friend Robert. Then I saw my Boston-bound friend Tana. Then long-run buddy Joan. All of them passed me. :-) Normally I would be having a competitive complex over this but who am I kidding. These guys have been doing speedwork for a month (and have probably started Fall training) while I have been goofing around, drinking, and running once a week (5K's on flat courses for that matter). It was fun to see everyone but we were all wilting in the heat. My split sucked - 8:36.
I had a bit of redemption in Mile 3, enjoying some flat ground on Erie and Observatory as well as some shade. I actually stopped at a water stop (punk!) but my split still ended up being 8:08. Not too shabby.
Heading into Mile 4 is...Handasyde hill. Bleh. But, going back to the Blast being my first race ever, Handasyde was also my first "real" hill. I kind of like it a little, actually. I was wheezing like a Pug by the time I reached the top, but realized I had some gas left in the tank so I was able to sprint to the finish. My time ended up being 32:55, an 8:14 pace. One second per mile slower than last year...ouch! I hate this but again, what do I expect? You can't show up for a hill race with no training and expect to hit a PR...unless you're me and like to set unreasonable expectations for yourself. :-)
Post race I caught up with my friends who had run it with me as well as some Spot pals (including Running Buddy Tisha) and enjoyed a free donut. We also watched the Elite Race, which was AMAZING. The lead male finished in 18:49! Damn. Are these guys humans or are they runners?
Later we went back to Anne's for a dip in the kiddie pool and some mimosas, another post-race tradition. Think it's about time for a nap now.
In case you couldn't tell from the title, I ran the Hyde Park Blast 4-miler this morning. :-) This race is near and dear to me because it was the very first race I ever ran (June 2006). The course has changed, there's less in the swag bags and they don't give out medals to everyone anymore, but I think I will always love this race.
As tradition dictates, I met up with some pals at my friend Anne's house, who lives close enough to walk to the start line. We met about 7:30, only 30 minutes before the race start, so I was pacing around nervously waiting for everyone to get their chips on, etc. I like to get to races absurdly early and I usually freak out before each one, whether it's 2 miles or 26.2 miles.
We finally made it to the corral and I didn't even hear the starting signal (no guns in Hyde Park - I'm sure there is a rule against even having the noise) but everyone started moving so I followed. Mile 1 has a nice hill right away, but then you hit a pretty steep downhill so I was able to make up a bit of time. First split was about an 8:01, which I was happy with because I was hoping to run right around an 8-minute pace.
Mile 2 was a bitch. It is pretty much all uphill (a long steady hill) and it was 90 degrees in the shade + humid. Oy. I did have a mini reunion of sorts with the 9:00-mile Pig training group though. First I saw my friend Robert. Then I saw my Boston-bound friend Tana. Then long-run buddy Joan. All of them passed me. :-) Normally I would be having a competitive complex over this but who am I kidding. These guys have been doing speedwork for a month (and have probably started Fall training) while I have been goofing around, drinking, and running once a week (5K's on flat courses for that matter). It was fun to see everyone but we were all wilting in the heat. My split sucked - 8:36.
I had a bit of redemption in Mile 3, enjoying some flat ground on Erie and Observatory as well as some shade. I actually stopped at a water stop (punk!) but my split still ended up being 8:08. Not too shabby.
Heading into Mile 4 is...Handasyde hill. Bleh. But, going back to the Blast being my first race ever, Handasyde was also my first "real" hill. I kind of like it a little, actually. I was wheezing like a Pug by the time I reached the top, but realized I had some gas left in the tank so I was able to sprint to the finish. My time ended up being 32:55, an 8:14 pace. One second per mile slower than last year...ouch! I hate this but again, what do I expect? You can't show up for a hill race with no training and expect to hit a PR...unless you're me and like to set unreasonable expectations for yourself. :-)
Post race I caught up with my friends who had run it with me as well as some Spot pals (including Running Buddy Tisha) and enjoyed a free donut. We also watched the Elite Race, which was AMAZING. The lead male finished in 18:49! Damn. Are these guys humans or are they runners?
Later we went back to Anne's for a dip in the kiddie pool and some mimosas, another post-race tradition. Think it's about time for a nap now.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Jives in maintenance
My off season has dragged on longer than I anticipated, for a number of reasons such as 60-hour work weeks, lingering pain from the Pig, and general lack of motivation. At any rate, I had been telling people I wasn't sure what I wanted to train for this Fall (half or full), but secretly thinking I would definitely do a full. Guess what kiddies? Ain't gonna happen.
I've known all along that I have a trip planned for 17 days in July, which will probably not allow me to run (I'll be hanging in the mountains of Peru building stuff). I figured I could just pick up training when I'm stateside again July 19, until I looked at the latest issue of Runner's World.
See, my dad and I are going to Portland, ME for our Fall race, and the event is on 10/5ish. According to Bart Yasso, I should have started training on 6/15 and need to be getting into some high-mileage weeks by 7/19. It's just not possible, and jumping into high mileage after my lengthy sabbatical sounds like a good way to get injured. Even I'm not that masochistic. ;-)
However, I really want to do a half in every state and this will (knock on wood) take care of Maine. Yay! I'm bummed that I don't get to do a full, but honestly, I wasn't mentally prepared to start marathon training in mid-June. So half marathon training seems like the right thing, and will give me more free time to do something equally fun in August, like learn to play the banjo. (cue Deliverance music)
I've known all along that I have a trip planned for 17 days in July, which will probably not allow me to run (I'll be hanging in the mountains of Peru building stuff). I figured I could just pick up training when I'm stateside again July 19, until I looked at the latest issue of Runner's World.
See, my dad and I are going to Portland, ME for our Fall race, and the event is on 10/5ish. According to Bart Yasso, I should have started training on 6/15 and need to be getting into some high-mileage weeks by 7/19. It's just not possible, and jumping into high mileage after my lengthy sabbatical sounds like a good way to get injured. Even I'm not that masochistic. ;-)
However, I really want to do a half in every state and this will (knock on wood) take care of Maine. Yay! I'm bummed that I don't get to do a full, but honestly, I wasn't mentally prepared to start marathon training in mid-June. So half marathon training seems like the right thing, and will give me more free time to do something equally fun in August, like learn to play the banjo. (cue Deliverance music)
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Oops I did it again: OTR 5k
Perhaps you've noticed that my blog postings are a bit sporadic lately. This is because I'm not really running these days. However, I am drinking plenty of beer. So when my friends told me they were doing a run that had free beer at the finish, I was immediately interested - more so in the beer than in the run but whatever. It was for a good cause - the OTR neighborhood - and it was only 3.1 miles.
My left leg/foot/etc. has been bugging me since the last 5k, so I REALLY planned on taking this race easy. Seriously. I was going to run a nice 10-minute mile with my friends and enjoy my beer at the finish. The race was scheduled to start at 10 am (stupid in June) and it was 85 degrees with a good dose of humidity. Perfect weather for taking it slow.
As with most small races, things were a bit disorganized - they were still registering people at 9:55, the start line was marked with a big red balloon and a bullhorn, etc. The field looked to be about 600 or so. I kept eyeing the elites, who were right next to us (and mostly shirtless), and thinking "this is a flat course. i bet the finish times are going to be kick @ss." The airhorn (no gun) went off and common sense went out the window. I helplessly took off like a bat out of hell, driven by some primal need to run really, really fast (or maybe I have an overwhelming ego problem. don't judge). My friends shook their heads and yelled good luck. One of them later told me that she could see my internal battle over pace just by looking at my eyes. Guess I wear my heart on my sleeve, news just in. :-)
The first mile wasn't bad, even though the heat was coming off the pavement in waves. We were running through OTR, which is normally sort of rough, so it was cool to get to see the houses up close. Just as I was beginning to wonder if they hadn't marked the miles off, we hit the first split. My pace? 7:45. GREAT idea for someone who hasn't run in over a week, doesn't train anymore, and is bordering on an injury.
Mile 2 was...balls. It was so HOT, there was no shade, and we had to run up a small hill. After praying unsuccessfully for death, I stopped and walked for 30 seconds. I couldn't help it. My lungs were thanking me but my legs were cursing me...so hard to get going again after a stop. I have only walked in one other race, a 5k in August 2006 through Eden Park, for this very reason.
I felt a little better after the walk, especially when I heard that my time was 16:17 at the 2-mile mark. Not bad for a walk, plus I made a friend - a dude whose wife had smoked him in the first quarter mile and he decided to tail me since my pace was more manageable. Ha.
Mile 3 was mostly about trying not to vomit. I started walking again but my new friend yelled at me, so we picked up the pace and after what seemed like an eternity, crossed the finish line. One of the race coordinators hollered out "#9!" when I went through the chute. I was thinking there must be a lot of 30-year old women running the race and that I was #9 in my age group.
No.
I was the 9th woman to finish. Yes, there were a lot of walkers in that race and yes, the field was only about 600 people, but still...the ol' giant ego was pretty pleased with finishing in the top 10 women. My time was 24:30, which is only 1 second off of my Redlegs Run PR. God bless the flat ground that is downtown Cincinnati.
Sadly, with the heat being what it was and my lingering urge to yak, I didn't even want beer afterwards. Lucky for me a pal that lives in OTR cooked us breakfast with eggs, goetta, and mimosas, so I ended up getting a free drink anyway. Salud, my friends.
My left leg/foot/etc. has been bugging me since the last 5k, so I REALLY planned on taking this race easy. Seriously. I was going to run a nice 10-minute mile with my friends and enjoy my beer at the finish. The race was scheduled to start at 10 am (stupid in June) and it was 85 degrees with a good dose of humidity. Perfect weather for taking it slow.
As with most small races, things were a bit disorganized - they were still registering people at 9:55, the start line was marked with a big red balloon and a bullhorn, etc. The field looked to be about 600 or so. I kept eyeing the elites, who were right next to us (and mostly shirtless), and thinking "this is a flat course. i bet the finish times are going to be kick @ss." The airhorn (no gun) went off and common sense went out the window. I helplessly took off like a bat out of hell, driven by some primal need to run really, really fast (or maybe I have an overwhelming ego problem. don't judge). My friends shook their heads and yelled good luck. One of them later told me that she could see my internal battle over pace just by looking at my eyes. Guess I wear my heart on my sleeve, news just in. :-)
The first mile wasn't bad, even though the heat was coming off the pavement in waves. We were running through OTR, which is normally sort of rough, so it was cool to get to see the houses up close. Just as I was beginning to wonder if they hadn't marked the miles off, we hit the first split. My pace? 7:45. GREAT idea for someone who hasn't run in over a week, doesn't train anymore, and is bordering on an injury.
Mile 2 was...balls. It was so HOT, there was no shade, and we had to run up a small hill. After praying unsuccessfully for death, I stopped and walked for 30 seconds. I couldn't help it. My lungs were thanking me but my legs were cursing me...so hard to get going again after a stop. I have only walked in one other race, a 5k in August 2006 through Eden Park, for this very reason.
I felt a little better after the walk, especially when I heard that my time was 16:17 at the 2-mile mark. Not bad for a walk, plus I made a friend - a dude whose wife had smoked him in the first quarter mile and he decided to tail me since my pace was more manageable. Ha.
Mile 3 was mostly about trying not to vomit. I started walking again but my new friend yelled at me, so we picked up the pace and after what seemed like an eternity, crossed the finish line. One of the race coordinators hollered out "#9!" when I went through the chute. I was thinking there must be a lot of 30-year old women running the race and that I was #9 in my age group.
No.
I was the 9th woman to finish. Yes, there were a lot of walkers in that race and yes, the field was only about 600 people, but still...the ol' giant ego was pretty pleased with finishing in the top 10 women. My time was 24:30, which is only 1 second off of my Redlegs Run PR. God bless the flat ground that is downtown Cincinnati.
Sadly, with the heat being what it was and my lingering urge to yak, I didn't even want beer afterwards. Lucky for me a pal that lives in OTR cooked us breakfast with eggs, goetta, and mimosas, so I ended up getting a free drink anyway. Salud, my friends.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Sharon Woods Run
So, I met a really cool girl last month blazing mountain bike trails with Give Back Cincinnati, and she also happens to be a runner. We've been trying to get together for, well, a month and tonight we were finally able to hit the Sharon Woods running path. Thanks to my crazy job, I was flying out the door at the last minute, sports bra on inside out, water bottle only half full because I didn't have time to wait for the faucet, etc. Sigh.
Anyway, we had a great run! My stupid achilles is bugging me again but the Sharon Woods path was PERFECT - not too many hills (I gotta stop running Torrence), she ran my pace, and the trail is only three miles long. It was so nice to run in a park and not have to worry about cars, Hyde Park yuppies taking up the whole sidewalk, etc. and I enjoyed having a running buddy. (I haven't run with anyone since the Pig) We chatted the whole time we ran, then hung out in the parking lot gabbing until the sun went down, everyone else had left the park, and I accidentally digested the gum I was chewing.
The best part is that my leg didn't hurt so bad, which I really do attribute to running on flatter ground. I guess this means I have a lot of runs at Lunken in my future. Bleh, but at least I can still run. Cheers to that.
Anyway, we had a great run! My stupid achilles is bugging me again but the Sharon Woods path was PERFECT - not too many hills (I gotta stop running Torrence), she ran my pace, and the trail is only three miles long. It was so nice to run in a park and not have to worry about cars, Hyde Park yuppies taking up the whole sidewalk, etc. and I enjoyed having a running buddy. (I haven't run with anyone since the Pig) We chatted the whole time we ran, then hung out in the parking lot gabbing until the sun went down, everyone else had left the park, and I accidentally digested the gum I was chewing.
The best part is that my leg didn't hurt so bad, which I really do attribute to running on flatter ground. I guess this means I have a lot of runs at Lunken in my future. Bleh, but at least I can still run. Cheers to that.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
National Running Day?
Who knew? Apparently everyone except me. :-) I did manage to make it out for a run today, but this is more because I was feeling tired and lethargic (I have been to four states over the course of the last 18 hours). My inadvertent "National Running Day" workout was only about 5 miles...I was hoping for 6 but my legs are grumpy with me from the 5K last weekend, or maybe it's because I spent this morning trolling around my client's campus in 3-inch heels. Hiss, growl.
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