The past couple weeks have been (mostly) amazing! I'm so grateful that I have a husband that helps me achieve my running goals and now I can be thankful that I have a husband that runs too! He did his first 5k with me a few weeks ago and now he's been running a mile every morning. This morning he bumped it up to 1.5 miles. I feel blessed that he has taken it upon himself to get healthy and is using the sport I love to do it!
I am also incredibly grateful to the race director of the Dirt Monster 5 Mile Trail Race for sending me a gift card with a beautiful note. I missed an age group award by one place in her race and I almost cried because I wanted it so bad I could taste it (and got it at my next 5 Mile race!). She must have felt horribly for me because she wrote that I deserved the gift card more than some others for completing her race less than three months after giving birth.
Lastly, I hope I'm going to be thankful for my personal trainer, Ed, at Strength, Fitness, and Speed, Inc. I have my first session in 40 minutes and I'm looking forward to it with some dread and trepidation mixed in!
Dirty Deeds Done Mud Deep
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Always Earned, Never Given!
My running partner and I signed up for the Marshall Mangler 8K, 22.5K, and 50K trail race this past weekend put on by Elite Runner's Trail Runners. I was determined to nab myself an award and set a post-baby PR! My previous 5 mile trail race ended with a disappointing 1:09 finish and missing an award by one place. This time I outsprinted two girls in the pouring rain in the FINISHING SHOOT! Heck yeah! I brought it! Official time was 1:03 and change. Not a bad improvement for one week's time! And the best part....
I earned my first ever award! Sure, I have finisher's medals but this is an AGE GROUP award! It's not a big deal to most runners but it is to me! And the fact that I didn't get it by default (there were more than three people in my age group!) makes me so very happy!
I got myself a $10 gift certificate to the local running store and an engraved medal (yet to be returned from engraving!). I think that's a pretty awesome prize and I'm stoked that I earned it on a difficult 5 mile trail race!
I earned my first ever award! Sure, I have finisher's medals but this is an AGE GROUP award! It's not a big deal to most runners but it is to me! And the fact that I didn't get it by default (there were more than three people in my age group!) makes me so very happy!
I got myself a $10 gift certificate to the local running store and an engraved medal (yet to be returned from engraving!). I think that's a pretty awesome prize and I'm stoked that I earned it on a difficult 5 mile trail race!
My running partner earned himself an award as well. Overall it was a great race and we had a blast! Definitely signing up for the 50K next year!
I just realized I need to take a pic of the awesome shirt I got for this race! It was worth running just for the shirt! Be back with that ASAP! And did I mention I got a ton of compliments on my rockin Dirty Girl Gaiters? Absolutely in love with them! I will have to do a giveaway when I get some followers!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Redemption is Mine!
I decided to go ahead and do another race on Sunday after my disappointing 5 mile trail race. The closest one (with the best cause!) was the Operation Troop Appreciation 5K. I have to say it was a wonderful cause, great set up, well run, hard course, and just a blast to take part in!
There were men in uniform presenting the flag, an old style barbershop quartet singing the National Anthem, runners in their camis (military issue camo uniform, not camisoles!), and many civilians just showing support. The Pittsburgh Penguins mascot and a few members were there and the OTA crew made a video of all the runners, the race, a few interviews, and such to send to the troops over seas. The best part of all, for me, was that my wonderful husband, Shane, decided to run it with me!
He was supposed to pace me to a PR. He kept telling me that a 5K would be SO easy! HAHAHA!
He took off like a shot at the gun (no pun intended!) and I paced myself for a PR. Shane kept stopping or running backwards to wait for me but I didn't want to get off my pace. Then 1.25 miles in we came to one of the biggest road hills I've ever faced! Even the leaders were walking the top of it over a quarter mile ahead of me! As the reached the turn around at the top and came back down I could see they were pouring sweat and they could barely offer words of encouragement as they worked to keep upright on the steep slope. Shane visibly slumped and I could tell he was ready to give up so I charged ahead and walked with him to the top.
We took off running again at the top, leapfrogging eachother as he took walk breaks between sprints while I stayed at a steady pace. After the downhill there was another fairly steep grade but much shorter. We walked it and then I took off my hat and gloves, handed them to Shane, and took off for the finish. I kept up a great pace (for me) until about 2/10th's of a mile from the finish. All the sudden my stomach churned and I knew I'd over done it. I made a B-line for the grass and just made it in time. I whipped off my shirt and wiped my mouth and threw it in the grass before picking up the pace again for the finish. (Can I just brag about how awesome my husband is here? He picked up my nasty shirt and carried it to the finish so I wouldn't have to walk back and pick it up later!)
I rounded the last turn and could see the shoot. I couldn't make a PR but I could make a post-baby PR! I floored it with everything I had left, cleared the finish mat, and promptly puked again. Shane finished about 30 seconds behind me. We were 166th and 172nd respectively! Not too bad for Shane's first race with NO training. My officially time was 31:48 but since there was no starting mat I am going with my Garmin time of 31:42! That's over 4 minutes off of last weeks 5K even with a giant hill that I almost completely walked! I KNOW I could have PR'ed if I had an easy course! (My pre-baby race PR was 29:59 and my training PR was 27:xx.)
Since I didn't take a picture (What was I thinking?!) here's a pic of my husband and I at the Baltimore Running Festival last year:
There were men in uniform presenting the flag, an old style barbershop quartet singing the National Anthem, runners in their camis (military issue camo uniform, not camisoles!), and many civilians just showing support. The Pittsburgh Penguins mascot and a few members were there and the OTA crew made a video of all the runners, the race, a few interviews, and such to send to the troops over seas. The best part of all, for me, was that my wonderful husband, Shane, decided to run it with me!
He was supposed to pace me to a PR. He kept telling me that a 5K would be SO easy! HAHAHA!
He took off like a shot at the gun (no pun intended!) and I paced myself for a PR. Shane kept stopping or running backwards to wait for me but I didn't want to get off my pace. Then 1.25 miles in we came to one of the biggest road hills I've ever faced! Even the leaders were walking the top of it over a quarter mile ahead of me! As the reached the turn around at the top and came back down I could see they were pouring sweat and they could barely offer words of encouragement as they worked to keep upright on the steep slope. Shane visibly slumped and I could tell he was ready to give up so I charged ahead and walked with him to the top.
We took off running again at the top, leapfrogging eachother as he took walk breaks between sprints while I stayed at a steady pace. After the downhill there was another fairly steep grade but much shorter. We walked it and then I took off my hat and gloves, handed them to Shane, and took off for the finish. I kept up a great pace (for me) until about 2/10th's of a mile from the finish. All the sudden my stomach churned and I knew I'd over done it. I made a B-line for the grass and just made it in time. I whipped off my shirt and wiped my mouth and threw it in the grass before picking up the pace again for the finish. (Can I just brag about how awesome my husband is here? He picked up my nasty shirt and carried it to the finish so I wouldn't have to walk back and pick it up later!)
I rounded the last turn and could see the shoot. I couldn't make a PR but I could make a post-baby PR! I floored it with everything I had left, cleared the finish mat, and promptly puked again. Shane finished about 30 seconds behind me. We were 166th and 172nd respectively! Not too bad for Shane's first race with NO training. My officially time was 31:48 but since there was no starting mat I am going with my Garmin time of 31:42! That's over 4 minutes off of last weeks 5K even with a giant hill that I almost completely walked! I KNOW I could have PR'ed if I had an easy course! (My pre-baby race PR was 29:59 and my training PR was 27:xx.)
Since I didn't take a picture (What was I thinking?!) here's a pic of my husband and I at the Baltimore Running Festival last year:
Lastly, let me say thank you to all of the veterans out there! To those who have served, are serving, or will serve please accept my heartfelt gratitude! I hope our race entry fees sent you a well-deserved luxury item or two! Happy Veteran's Day!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Lessons Learned
I took part in a Halloween 5K last weekend, the Zombie 5K. I assured myself that it was okay to be last or whatever because I 'just had a baby'. It was a three loop course and I took it easy on the first two laps. I wasn't used to running on hills and this course was all rolling hills complicated by the fact that the trail was sandy-silty material and very soft. I finished in 35:58 and reassured myself that I was okay with that, especially since I ran in costume and it was my first post-baby race and it wasn't worse than my personal worst and blah, blah, blah. Excuses, excuses, excuses.
This morning my running partner, Tom, dragged my butt to the Dirt Monster 5 Mile trail race. The people who set up the course were telling us how the leaves were dry on top but wet underneath making the trail treacherous. They said the leaves were hiding a lot of rocks and roots and to be really careful not to turn in ankle. At that point I was already doubting my ability to run 5 miles let alone on a trail since my longest run to date was 6 very ssssllllllooooowwww miles with Ash in the BOB. I think I just mentally gave in before I even started. Half a mile in there was a giant hill that just kept going up for over 1/2 a mile so I told myself it was okay to walk it and I did. I kept walking the uphills and I was holding back on the downhills because I was afraid of falling or hurting myself. At the 2 mile marker I let the girl behind me pass thinking I could catch her again. I stuck to her like glue until around the 3.5 - 4 mile mark (I forgot my Garmin). At that point one of the local Hashers started chatting with me and we stopped and walked and chatted and I let my rabbit get away. My goal of a sub-60 minute finish slipped away and I didn't care. I set a new goal of sub-1:10 and just enjoyed my new acquaintance's ramblings. As the final hill came into sight I let it carry me down to the finish shoot. I could see the clock, 1:09:22, and I quickly floored it through, finishing with an official time of 1:09:34. I looked at the RD and said, "How many people in my age group?" She said 4 or 5 and I got really excited thinking I might get an award.
I should have known I couldn't lollygag my way to some hardware. Results were posted and I realized I had come in 4th in my age group (out of 5 or 6). That girl I let get away got my hardware! I am so mad at myself right now! I can't wait for revenge! There is an 8K trail race next weekend and you better bet I will NOT be passed again! Sub-60 minutes (and hopefully hardware!) here I come!
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