Fast & Furriest 10K & My Birthday!

In my quest to continue my marathon training and also participate in local runs, I decided I would do the Fast & Furriest 10K today, which is also my birthday! What a great way to start a day of celebration! :) I almost didn't make it to the run b/c it was pouring (and I mean torrential downpouring) at my house. I don't mind running in the rain, but not a major thunder & lightening storm!! Anyway, I decided to head downtown to the run in the off chance that the rain subsides........and it did!! Yay......and then it got muggy and sticky and just icky outside! Anyway, the air was heavy, but it was not too bad. The course was great, loved it, fairly flat and I met some people who run at my pace. I'm used to being at the back & I'm proud of my back of the pack runner status, but I've never actually had the cop on the motorcycle riding behind me! I guess there are always first's because that cop rode behind me (& my new friend) the entire final 2 miles. It was kind of funny b/c we weren't the last people, there were a bunch behind us still, but I think we were the last of the actual runners, the rest were walking. Either way, I had a nice chat with the cop and begged him to let me hop on the back of the bike! He was very supportive and cheered me on as I approached the finish line. It was also my best 10K time by about 18 seconds! It was a great way to start off my birthday and welcome in my 33rd year!

Now, next race is the Fleet Feet Firecracker 5 miler and then the Boilermaker!! Whoo Hoo!! And of course my weekly training.........

Harborfest 10K

Last year was the inaugural Harborfest 10K in conjunction with the Harbor & Canal Festival at Charlotte Beach. My running buddy from last summer (Sue) & I decided to run it and had a great time. So, this year I decided to go back for the second round and convinced my friend Derek it would be a great idea for him as well! It is really a challenging course even though it's all on bike paths. There is one hill in particular that is literally a 90 degree climb! Insane! I was doing well up until this hill which was located just over 2 mi into the 6 mile run. Yep, totally lost steam from that point on (I know the same thing happened last year)! I was still feeling OK up until about mile 5 and then the heat and the sun finally hit me and I started feeling dizzy. Awesome!! There was a bike patrol a bit behind me, so I knew someone would be there if I keeled over before the finish. I stopped to walk very briefly and realized the dizziness got worse if I stopped, so I started up again and made it to the finish. Unfortunately, the minute I crossed the finish line and stopped to allow them to take my timing chip off, everything started spinning and I lost my balance. Sweet. Boots from Fleet Feet (they timed the run) grabbed me and guided me over to the water/oranges table so I could get some nutrients back into me and re-hydrate. My friends Derek & Adam found me and took over the duty of making sure I didn't pass out! After a few oranges, a banana, lots of water and ice, and about 15 min in the shade, I was feeling much better! I definitely had not drank enough water the day before the run, which I'm usually pretty good about. Oh well, lesson learned, take it easy and DRINK LOTS OF WATER!! One more 10K next Saturday (which is also my birthday!) and then the Boilermaker! Whoo Hoo! :)

First Team In Training Run

Well, today was the first TNT run at Mendon Ponds park. It was great to meet the rest of the team members and run with the coaches. We started promptly at 7am, leaving from the Beach Parking Lot. Wow, I have never run in the park, but I've heard others talking about how hilly it is. I should have taken them more seriously!! It is very hilly! We did 4 mi and I found another team member, Patricia, who runs at my pace, so we ran together the whole way. The coach, David, ran with us for most of the run which really helped because he was giving us pointers on form and breathing. I have to say, training in Mendon Ponds for the next 18 weeks will definitely prepare me for whatever the Marine Corps Marathon can throw at me!

We also talked about different fundraising ideas, and Patricia and I have decided to get together and do some joint fundraising. She is actually running the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco a week before the Marine Corps, so we won't be traveling together unfortunately.

Anyway, I felt great at the end of the run and we ran about a 10:30ish pace for the duration of the 4 mi. Not to shabby!

Temple Beth El 5K

OK, so I was totally looking forward to this run, not because of the actual run, but because of the absolutely most delicious pancake breakfast after the run!! I'm so motivated by good food!! Anyway, I wasn't feeling up to par that morning, but whatever, I'm not competitive, I just run for the hell of it and because I can. Well, I got through the run after a rough 1st mile and then picking up speed and passing a ton of people in the last mile. I felt pretty good at the end, although I was off my best time by nearly 40 seconds. Whatever, I was still over 2 min better than last year when I did this run. Anyway, I'm off eating pancakes and yakin it up with friends, when I hear my name called......I started looking around and asking people why the heck they said my name?? Did I win a door prize?? What the heck?? Then someone told me they think I placed 3rd in my age group! Seriously, you have got to be kidding me. Who's trying to pull a fast one on me? So I go up and ask the guy if I was correct in hearing my name and sure enough, lowly little back of the pack runner me placed 3rd in my age group! I got a wonderful Medved waterbottle (to add to my collection) and some sample packets of recovery stuff and was on my way. On a normal day, my age group is incredibly competitive and I regularly rank about 18 or so in my group, so you can see how this was quite a shock! Anyway, I was just cracking up about this and then when I checked the times, realized if I had a good running day and any sense that there was no one in my age group running, I could have come in 2nd b/c I missed second by under a minute! It was a really slow day for the 30-34 age group! So now I will run every race as if I have a shot at getting something because obviously, you never know who is running from your age group! Lesson learned!!