8 happy miles

One month from today starts Fox Valley Marathon 2.0 training with the training plan of the fabulous Coach B. I couldn't be any more excited to start the 14 week plan because I had such great success working with Coach B Last Year.


Fantastic foto from last weeks 5k!

I've backed off of speed work save for last weeks freaking hilly 5k with Kim in favor of getting used to running 40+ miles a week comfortably. My goal for this week of base building is 40 miles.


Wednesday night the CB dog and I ran 8 miles. The weather was crisp and a little cool on the lakefront and we enjoyed every step together. It was a very happy 8 mile run.


Seeing my little man enjoying himself made my heart melt. After we got home, he passed out but had a huge smile on his face. It's these moments that I absolutely treasure, not nailing paces on a speed workout or getting a PR. Those are nice too, but never my sole purpose for lacing up.It's enjoying time with friends, family or having time to myself that gets me out on the path each day. I run because I enjoy it.


Last night, I had one of the "worst" runs ever. I went to Milwaukee for business during the day and had a delicious huge freaking sandwich for lunch. When I got home I decided to ignore my instincts and hit the lakefront for 6 miles. By mile 4, I had to walk because I felt like puking. (I like to run on a near empty stomach). But even with this less than ideal run, I still was so happy to be out on the path amidst all the runners, cyclists and others enjoying another cool evening.


With 4 weeks left of building a good base + impending marathon training, I will continue to go into each run with joy in my heart and also gratitude for being able to simply get out the door healthy.


And as a follow up to one of my Previous Posts I donated $1 for every mile I ran for two weeks to the One Fund.

Happy Weekend!

- xaar

Mother's Day 5K

24:36 (Another Personal Favorite to add to the collection)
4th AG out of 100
31st female of 724
69th finisher of 1006

3 words to describe this race:

Holy fuc$&*%# Hills

Kim and I signed up for this race a few weeks ago because we wanted to punish ourselves run a 5k together and have fun.

I woke up super early, and even convinced L to join me as we drove 45 minutes into the unknown Barrington, IL which is full of super posh houses and hills (which no one told us about)

Smiling because we were completely oblivious to the course profile and because we were cold.

We did a march of death warmup mile and the realization began to set in that this course would be nothing but (up)hills.

We positioned ourselves behind all the pre teens and badass runners and soon we were off, huffing and puffing up one steep hill after another. OMG


If you're wondering by now if we coordinated our outfits the answer is NO. It was just one hell of a coincidence we showed up wearing Exactly the SAME thing.**


So yada yada yada, blah blah blah hills cold and freaking headwinds, one foot in front of the other and all that jazz.(and not enough downhills.)


I even channeled my inner Emmers for some spastic photo pose inspiration.


So happy to be done with that course! But sad that running with Kim was done for the day :(


We got "finisher" roses for completing this beast of a 5k. I will display my rose proudly as a reminder of how this course kicked our asses.(and how I need to practice hills more)

And a HUGE thanks to L for being our official course photographer today. I LOVE you for supporting me with this hobby!

Today was a day to enjoy running and being healthy (and moms too, duh) but also to enjoy family and good friends. Every race need not be a PR attempt- the minute this hobby stops being fun for me is the day I pick up something else to do.

After a nice long brunch with Kim, L and I went to hell IKEA to buy some stuff and also went to Dicks Sporting goods where I got the coolest Capri pants ever. YAY NIKE THANK YOU FOR READING MY MIND ABOUT CRAZY PRINT BOTTOMS!!!

*I got $10 off this entry because of the Chi-Town 10K snafu back in March from All Community Events.
- The race was extremely well organized.
- It incorporated ALL the hills in Barrington, and somehow avoided decent downhills.
-We wore super cool singlets by Hind. ($10 at TJ Maxx i think...)
-Saucony A5 Racing flats.
-Stupid too long of a wait at Wildberry Cafe.. I really wanted to go there for brunch!
-Thank you volunteers!

**And yes, we did coordinate our singlets, shorts, and arm warmers on purpose. :)




- xaar

9th Annual Run to Remember 5k

Stats:

22:13 a PR by 5 seconds!*

2nd AG/ 379**

8th woman overall out of??

107th finisher out of 3230.

Three words to describe this race: cowabunga! Wheeeee! Yippee!

I love this race.

I ran this Race last year and loved every second of it. It was a no brainer for me to sign up again this year because- it is practically in my backyard out by soldier field, is extremely well organized, and also is a fund raiser for the families of fallen police officers- something close to my heart since my cousin was shot in the line of duty last year. (And thankfully is doing well now)


The last tenth of a mile contains the photos of all the Chicago police officers who were killed in the line of duty.


I was even fortunate to have my boys cheering for me. This was Churro Bear's first time spectating, and he did a wonderful job- although I had a feeling he would have rather been running.


I did this race "old school" with my 2008 timex. I would have used my antique one from 15 years ago, but the battery was dead. (I also had my Garmin but didn't look at it more than 3 times). It is truly psychologically defeating to rely on the garmin so much. I felt liberated by wearing the Timex and not knowing my exact pace to the second.

Before the start, an officer sang the national anthem, and the police chaplain said a prayer. There was also a bagpipe band playing as we started/finished the race.


Screen grab from L's video

Soon we were off and I settled into a comfy hard pace. I really wish I could say something brilliant about the whole 3.1 miles, but I just did exactly what I set out to do which was keep pushing and not give into my mind saying I was tired. The race went by quickly.

My splits were 7:00, 7:17, 7:12, and 42 seconds.

I really enjoyed the massive CPD helicopter flying low with its sirens wailing along the lakefront while we were running.

I grabbed some water around the halfway mark, and remembered why I usually bring my own- it's hard to drink out of paper cups without inhaling the water up your nose and I get thirsty & hate my throat being dry.


L took this photo of me up off of Solidarity road near the aquarium.

I really tried to kick it in after this point because I knew it was less than half a mile to the finish. My body just wouldn't go much faster. Soon, I ran up the tiny hill and kicked it in to the finish and nearly collapsed.


I'm freaking happy.

*My previous 5k PR (22:18) was from November 2011. How long are PR's good for anyways?

All last year I couldn't beat 23:30, due to injury, and training for the Fox Valley marathon. 5ks have never really been a priority in my life. It felt fantastic to take 1:20 off of my time from last year in this race.


And why I'm bummed. A little...

**We waited around for the awards to start but ended up leaving after an hour. I really didnt think I'd place in a race this size, especially since there are so many fast ladies running in the Chicago area. A 22 minute 5k is not very fast in the grand scheme of things when there's a lot of ladies in the area capable of running sub 20. But... You never know who will show up or not.

Turns out I was wrong. I saw the results an hour after we got home and was surprised at 8th woman, 2nd AG. Bummer!!


CB and I with Olmec head #6 by the field museum.

It was a great day for running- perfect weather and a great time to celebrate being healthy. I struggle with injuries a lot and this race, while slightly slower than what I had wanted put a huge smile on my face.

What's next?

Another 5k, Soldier Field 10 miler and the Chicago Women's Half marathon.

I'm really excited to keep building a good strong base for Fox Valley Marathon version 2.0 this year.

- xaar

I'm too comfortable

How much of running is mental vs physical?

I've thought a lot about the mental aspect of running since The Shamrock Shuffle a month ago. While I ran a 3 minute PR that day, I knew I could have pushed a bit harder overall. The pace I ran felt too *comfortable* for a "lung burner" of a shorter race.

This year I've got a good handle on staying healthy* and really want to see what I'm capable of with some consistent training. Physically, I'm prepared- but mentally I'm a freaking wuss!

I'm also foam rolling, stregth training, using the stick & TP Kit like my life depends on it so that I remain injury free. It's absolutely working.

*Shin pain post 10 miler last week which scared me given my history with stress fractures in that same location. The stationary bike & I had a reunion and all is good again.



I need to channel my inner 15 year old badass self who wasn't afraid of pushing the pace.

I've got a 5k this weekend and I want to fly.

Historically I generally don't train for 5ks because I favor the longer distances a lot more, But this year I really wanted to give a good effort at some shorter distances before starting marathon training.

For 2012, I was pretty damn consistent at the 5k distance:

11/24/11 22:18 PR

1/1/12 23:37*
*Day after 20 miler. Definitely not on fresh legs

5/5/12 23:34*
*Following 4+months of non running due to the hip flexor injury of 2012

6/9/12 23:41*
*Hotter than &@$! Still injured

Mental Game Plan?

Did a hard 6x 400 workout yesterday to see how the shin was & felt freaking fantastic. Started at 6:37 pace and each 400 got a little faster so my 6th & final 400 was at 6:18 pace. I then entered that grey area of "will I barf or not" for 10 minutes. Must have been a hell of a workout!

I wish there was a way to "predict" my 5k time based off a workout (so I know what pace to go for), but since I've been underperforming at races, the pace calcs are of no use to me. I've got a number in my head that I'll be loosely shooting for but am more concerned with running by effort as opposed to being glued to the Garmin.


Inspiration. My Daad running his fastest 5k "old man PR" in 2011. He still holds all the current distance records between us. (Not to forget about his 16 minute 5k, 30 year old PR...)

Some things for me to remember for this weekend:

•You're so much stronger than 2012, and that 22:18 from 2011.

•Don't sell yourself short. You've put in many quality workouts.

•Let loose and FLY down that course.

•Physically, you've got this. Keep going when your mind says NO!

•This is your last chance before marathon training begins. Make it count!

•It's only 22 minutes. After that you can catch your breath.

•HTFU, and mind STFU.

•Have fun and smile!



- xaar

Throwback Thursday: HS XC

I haven't been able to shake the thoughts from what happened last Monday at the Boston marathon. It was and still Is something that shook me to my core.

As I mentioned a few times I feel the bombings weren't an attack on runners, but an attack on innocent people. it could have (unfortunately) happened anywhere at any event.

Bunker Hill monument and I circa early 1990's

I've got a lot of memories in Boston because my Daad is from there, and because L also has ties to the area. Boston is a wicked awesome city.


Running the 2011 Boston Marathon with Daad & Tribu, and spending 4th of July 2010 with L in Boston.

What I'm doing to help...


I wanted to do something to aid the survivors of the tragedy, I have decided to donate one dollar for every mile I run for 2 weeks to The One Fund.

On a lighter note...

My Daad sent me some old photos recently which put a huge smile on my face.

Can you spot me in this photo?


1998 HS Cross Country Team


Powering through a drainage ditch. Belch.

I ran XC 2 years (sophomore & junior) in HS, was plagued with injuries and eventually quit to focus on music my senior year.


I improved a lot over the 2 years- my very first race in 1997 I ran 30:00 for 3 miles, and then was Injured the entire year. I was an expert at strength training & pool running and came back the last race of that season with a 24:00.

I still run like that...

The 1998 season afforded me more races & slightly less time being injured. I dropped my time to 20:59 for 3 miles. (I wish I kept better records of my times!) I was nowhere near the fastest runner on our team. I sometimes helped our team out being the 4th or 5th finishing runner on varsity.


I'm thinking this year I might finally run faster than 7 minutes a mile in a 5k & beat my 15 year old PR.


My Daad also sent me an old photo from a 10k he did in 1983, where he ran a 37:xx. I thought we look a lot alike in these photos :)

I wonder if any of my old teammates are still running races.



Running with a big goofy smile since the beginning.

I think "quitting" running for a while helped me physically. I'm sure my best days of running are still ahead of me if I stay injury free.


Did you run cross country or track in high school?

-I wish I had stuck with track in middle school. But all I did was 2 seasons of XC in HS.




- xaar

Grateful

A rainy run on Monday night with friends.


Those eyes.


Knowing all my friends and family in Boston are safe & Showing support by wearing a race shirt today for the people affected.


A run with my furry BFF tonight.


The smile on his face.

- xaar

Synchronized Running

As I took a look at my photos from Sunday's Shamrock Shuffle, I noticed this gem. The lady in red, guy in white and I are all in sync with our stride, arms and facial expression. (The guy in orange might also be in sync with us too!) Kim suggested that we create a new sport of "synchronized running." I think it could be fun while running a race with friends to have pre determined poses to do for the camera- which would make for some great photos which I think I would want to buy (as opposed to the lackluster photos of just running, weird facial expression, eyes closed whatever).

Do you think you could have ran a race faster if you paced yourself better?

While I feel I gave a great effort Sunday, I think I felt too "good." This race should have been a lung burner, but it felt comfortably hard for me. Yes, I negative splitted the race.




But maybe I could have been a little more aggressive in the earlier miles? It is difficult to figure out a good pace without a proper warmup- especially for a short race like Shamrock, but I almost feel I could have pushed just a little more into the uncomfortable zone throughout the whole thing. I'm going to conclude that running outside more for speed work, and recognizing paces without the aid of a GPS watch would help significantly. Back in HS cross country we used to run 400's without a watch (before GPS watches existed) to get a feel for our race pace. This could be a useful tool for other fast short races. I am also scared of going out too quickly & fizzling out after mile 1. I need to find balance. Consistent racing of shorter distances would probably hone these skills also.



I was thinking about the pacing issue because last night I did a speed workout and almost ran the same time I got in Shamrock and felt fantastic.

Workout: 800 @ 7:24 (pace), 800 @ 7:18, 1200 @ 7:18, 1200 @ 6:58, 800 @ 6:45 with active 400's between each interval for a total of 5 miles in 38:30. (About 1:30 slower than Shamrock) the paces felt easier than expected so I kept making each interval faster. I also wore my Pure Cadence 2's for the first time in a few weeks and they made me feel springy and fast!

Post workout I was showered with puppy kisses :)

I wonder if I don't HTFU enough for races?

How do you pace yourself for shorter distances?

What features do you look for in running shoes? Weight, Color, fit, etx

- xaar