Racing Worries

Running post Half-Marathon

After running my first half marathon I didn't really have any desire to get on a treadmill for a while.  The treadmill had become a regular part of my workout routine, so looking at a treadmill just put dread into a workout if it was running.  I have started enjoying running outside more just to have a change of scenary. 

The first day I ran post half-marathon was the following Wednesday, and it was on the treadmill.  The plan was to run 3 miles just to get back into the swing of running again.  My hips had been hurting post half so I wasn't going to run too hard.  Another reason I jumped on a treadmill was because you can lose running speed if you don't run for 3 days!  So I jumped on the treadmill to run the 3 miles.  About a 1.25 miles into my run I had to hold on to the railing and step off on the sides.  My hip was hurting really bad, especially my left one which is my weaker side.  So I jumped back on the treadmill and ran some more but had to stop a couple more times in the run because of my hip and some other pains I was having. 

The first weekend after the half I volunteered at the Elizabeth 8k and went out to support Anna and the rest of the One2Tri team that was going to be there to help out.  One2Tri is made up of a lot of my coworkers(TJ, Michael, Nicole) which some of the were bike pacers for the race.  Michael's, my boss, fiance was the race director and it was the last year she would be doing it so we went out to support her as well.  Nicole had said that it was good that I was taking off from racing because my body needed to recover after that race.  Anna on the other hand was geared up and ready to go for that one.  Her friend Emily decided to run it with her.  I was Anna's key holder while she was racing.  After the race we hung out for a little while and got snacks, nothing we should actually eat.  And then we both went home.  I know I had something else going on later that day. 

---CPCC Skyline 5k (4-28-12)---

Anna had convinced me to come and race the CPCC Skyline 5k with her that weekend.  She's very good a convincing me to run races and it doesn't take a lot to convince me either because I'm competitive.  Anna hadn't felt well all week so she wasn't sure if she was going to run or not.  Tom came to pace Anna, he was running there(7 miles). This was my first race after my half marathon.

I had been so worried about where my pace would be after my half because I normally run a low 8min/mi and for my half I ran a low 9min/mi.  So my main concern was that my pace for the 5k was going to drop a lot.  I was talking to Tom the day before and he said that I would be fine, to not go to hard up the hills and to use the downhills to pick up some speed.  When talking to Tom he said that I could race it in sub 25 minutes.  I was really shocked and thought Tom was completely crazy.  My thought was, "That will never happen!" With eyebrows raised in shock.

CPCC Skyline 5k is part of the Run for you Life Grand Pre Race Series throughout the year.  We all started lining up to start for the race and Tom told me to get closer to the front so I wouldn't get stuck in the middle of everyone since I'm a faster pace.  They let the baby joggers go first(those racing with baby strollers), about 5 minutes ahead of the other runners.  Then without warning all of the competitve runners started.  I say without warning because we were literally standing around talking and the run went off for us to start the race.  The first part of the race was up hill, basically the first mile.  My thought the first whole mile was that I was pacing at around a 9 min/mi pace so a sub 25 minute 5k was never going to happen!  When I reached the first mile timer it was at 7:53min/mi.  I was racing against some of the clients I train as well.  After seeing my pace for the first mile the course leveled out and it got a little easier to run.  I tried to keep my pace and keep running.  When I was about to reach mile 2 I saw Willow and Sally, they both swim with me on Tuesdays.  Reaching mile 3 I was still under an 8 minute pace and still shocked that I was, it was unbelievable to me.  So I started to pick up my pace just a little bit toward the end since it was mostly flat.  My legs were killing me from running so hard the entire time.  The finish line was getting closer and closer, and luckly the last part of the race was downhill so that helped with my pace.  When I finally turned the last corner before the finishline I looked at the clock and it was way under 25 minutes.  It was getting ready to come up on 24:30, so I started to book it for the finish line.  I came in under 24:30 with a 24:27!  I was completely shocked and got a PR on a 5k since my last 5k in February. I was super excited and Tom was right.  I later saw the official results and I placed 3rd in my age group.  I was on a runner's high for a good week and a half after that!

It's by far my favorite race t-shirt that I have ever gotten! And my favorite race so far this year!

=-=5k Race for Clean Air=-=



 My original plan for this race was to go out and run this race with Anna.  It would be an unofficial race for me.  This race was also on the calendar for work, Charlotte Athletic Club, as support during Membership Appreciation Month.  And since I am trying to get more involved up at work since school is out I figured I would not only go out and help support a cause for work, but also help support Anna.  So Anna and I planned on doing this race together.  We also convinced Nicole to run this race with us.  Nicole owns her own endurance and triathlon training business, and because she's so busy she doesn't usually have time to run any races.  So the 3 of us showed up on Saturday morning to go for a nice run at McAlpine Creek Park.  It was a little unusual since the race start wasn't until 9am which is pretty late for a race start, and the weather had been starting to warm up recently.  There were other CAC members there to help support the cause whether they were running or volunteering. 
So, since I had planned to run with Anna I wasn't going to register for the race.  Nicole had yet to register for the race as well, which it's usually cheaper signing up in person than online because you avoid the processing fee.  So while Nicole signed up for register she asked me if I was registered, my response was, "No."  Next thing I know she tells me to fill out a form because she just registered me to run the race.  So I filled out the form and I was all registered to run the race with no intentions of actually competing.  We all stood around and talked for a little while.  O and I forgot to mention that we ladies seem to go through a lot of shirts at the CAC, so we all coordinated to wear the same CAC shirt to support and represent work.  When getting closer to start time and I mean really close, about 3 minutes before hand, they decided to have pre-race yoga/stretching.  It was already hot outside and we were sweating just standing there and ready to race.  Then another person came on and explained parts of the course to us and the 2 major hills that we would encounter.  At this point we all were getting a little irritated and ready to run.
Finally, we walked to the starting point of the race.  And we're off.  Nicole went out with a friend she had seen and ran the whole thing.  We saw her again around the half way point where she was making her last lap around the pond before the finish.  Anna and I hung back and just kept our own steady pace.  It was nice because a lot of the race was in the shade.  Anna had her strava app so she should keep track of her pace per mile.  We started out on the first mile under a 10 minute pace which is fast for Anna.  She had to stop and walk a couple times after that first mile.  I tried to push her as much as I could but I knew she hadn't been feeling well the previous week and didn't want to push her too hard.  But I did want to push her because I didn't want her to to be disappointed in herself.  I love running with her and being able to encourage her as much as I can.  We hit the first hill less than a mile and half into the course and we walked the hill.  We walked and ran the last part of the race.  Anna told me when we hit the first lap around the lake that I could go on without her, but I told her I had come out to run the race with her and that's what I was going to do.  I will never leave her if I tell her I will run it with her. 
She started to get a stint with less than a mile left to go.  I wanted to push her a little bit to keep her from walking so I told her I didn't care how slow she ran, even if it was grandma pace, I wanted her to run the rest of the way.  We ended up walking one more time and then ran until the finish.  We set a mark point for us to start our sprint for the finish line.  It was great to hear Nicole cheering her one to finish.  She came in a little less than her goal time but either way she finished. 
The true highlight of the race was not only running a race with some awesome friends and coach, but also having fun after and getting some shaved ice!

Right Moves for Youth Twilight 5k





This race is also part of the Run for Your Life Grand Pre Series.  And my goal is to run all the races in the series even though I'm not signed up for the complete series to win any of the big prizes.  The race was a little differen from all the others because it was ran at night and not in the morning like most races are.  This was also the first race that I would be doing without Anna running or be there for support!  I had talked to Tom earlier in the week and he said that he would pace me during the race because I wanted to beat my last PR time from the CPCC Skyline 5k(24:27).
UltraSwim was going on that weekend and Tom had planned to meet me at the athletic club and we were going to run to the race start as a warm up.  The club got shut down early because of some plumbing issues so I ended up meeting him across the street from the aquatic center.  We walked to the start of the race since the walk was all uphill it wouldn't have been the best way to warm up.  We talked about a lot of stuff like race strategy and how we would run the race.  We had previously talked about day of nutrition, which by the way I am horrible at!  I tried to get as well as possible but the Mexican fiesta senior luncheon was no help at all.  We talked about warming up for the race and I never warm-up for races, I just go at them cold and as a trainer I know this is never a good idea.  So Tom said he would warm up before the race if I didn't mind him leaving me to go out and run a mile.  When we first got there he helped me find the right line to pick up my timing chip and I got that all strapped on.  The race was all set up and there was even a clock counting down until start time.
The Warm up
So I told Tom that I would go out and warm-up with him, even though I was secretly worried that warming up would wear out my legs and they would be extra tired before the race and wouldn't be able to perform as well as I could.  We ran about a mile out talking about all kinds of things, mostly CrossFit.  We talked about what skills we could and could not do and along the way Tom saw plenty of people that he knew.  He would ask me to check my heart rate on occassion just to see where I was at, I guess more or less effort wise but a heart condition makes it higher than it needs to be.  We did two 10 second pick-ups on the way back and stopped to talk to a couple of people.  Tom also saw a friend that gave him a heads up about the course.  The told us that the first 2 miles were basically an easy run with a little bit of down hills and flats, but between miles 2 and 3 it was rolling hills and boy they weren't kidding.  So this helped give us an idea on the effort that I needed to put out.



!Pre Race Jitters and Go Time!

Because I was trying to set a new PR for myself I was completely nervous about this race.  I was standing behind the starting line and my heart rate was at 110-120 range which is where I would be if I was walking around or doing some light exercise.  The baby joggers again went off first and us 5 minutes after that.  The start gun went off and there we went.  Tom told me to just stay in behind him and he would check on me to see how I felt.  I felt like I was starting out slow the first mile as I had the Skyline race.   It was nice to hear people on top of a restaurant cheering for us.  When Tom and I hit the 1 mile clock it was at a 7:33 pace which was amazing in my head but I wondered if I would be able to hold that pace.  I keep my pace as best as I could but my right leg started to get sore.  I am right side dominant so a lot of my power and force comes from my right leg.  I over compensate a lot for my left leg without even realizing it.  Mile 2 wasn't too bad except for my right leg.  I had a little trouble breathing because I felt like there was mucus stuck in my throat.  But that wasn't going to stop me and I was going to push it as hard as I could.  When they said mile 2-3 was rolling hills they weren't hiding.  As soon as Tom and I hit the Mile 2 time clock the it was a gradual hill followed by a flat for a few steps then another gradual hill.  My legs (and of course my right) were starting to really hurt then, and I started to wonder if they were going to be able to push through the hurt that they were enduring.  We were about 1/2 mile away from the finish when Tom and I spotted Daniel and Chad out walkin their dog.  Tom yelled at them and Daniel cheered for me which is awesome to hear someone cheer out specifically for me!  Tom prepared me to use the any downhills I was given in the race to pick up some speed.  Then we hit the last quarter mile and half of that was up hill.  Tom's exact words, "This isn't a hill!"  I told Tom that it was, small or not it was a hill and I dispise hills.  It was get to the top of that hill round the corner and sprint to the finish line.  Once I turned the corner I sprinted as fast as my tired and hurting legs could carry me to the finish line.  I felt like I was working harder and not really going any where but I was going to give it my all.  I crossed the finish line in under 25 minutes, but not setting a new PR for myself.  Tom had prepared me for that fact since the course was harder than Skyline.  My original goal for the race was to beat my old PR time and get a new PR around 24:15, after hearing that the course was harder I reset my goal to complete it in under 25 minutes and I accomplished that goal.

We crossed the finish line and Tom immediately went to get me a gatorade.  I got my timing chip cut off and a finisher medal.  We ran into a lot of One2Tri racers and some of my clients and we wished each other congratulations and talked about the upcoming triathlon the next day(Jetton Park).  We hung out and talked for a little bit, took pictures and then headed out!