fox trot race report, etc.

My first disappointment regarding races was bound to happen sooner or later. And it did- at my 7th race. I thought 7 was supposed to be a lucky number?

I should start off by saying that I wasn't expecting much from this 5K. After the half mary up in Milwaukee, I had a heck of a time getting back into the swing of things with my running. I guess it took a lot out of me- with the less than ample training, race conditions, etc. I was doubtful that I could come in sub 30:00. But I was hopeful.

The weather was forecasted to be crappy once again. But once Matt and I got to Batavia, dropped off Logan at my friend's house and started walking to the race, it was surprisingly pleasant, but overcast. No rain, no wind...all in all decent conditions!

Things definitely started off on the wrong foot, no pun intended. ;) I had to go to the bathroom as soon as we got to the race, ran to the port-a-potty, and forgot to lock it. DUH. A man barged in on me. How embarrassing. Then I heard over the loudspeaker that the race was starting in 2 minutes. I ran back to the start line, find my husband and friend and then we're off. Ah, I guess I got in some warming up with the walk and mad dash for the bathroom! :)

The race took place along an asphalt trail along the Fox River. Matt immediately took off ahead of us while my friend and I jogged along behind the swarm of people trying to funnel from the street to a footbridge about half the width. That definitely took some wind out of our sails and added some time to the clock. The first mile (9:52 on my watch) was another game of Frogger, but eventually things thinned out and we were able to find our pace. Gorgeous scenery, but I was a little preoccupied with my breathing and keeping pace with my friend. She's quick! Around mile 2 (9:03 on my watch) I motioned for my friend to go ahead and she took off and ended up about 20 seconds ahead of me, and that was after she had to stop to tie her shoe! I finally saw the finish line and the clock and stepped it up to finish strong. I looked at my time as I crossed the finish line and was amazed to see 28:40. My quickest 5K yet! But I forgot to stop my watch right there...I didn't stop it till after we grabbed snacks and water and started back up the street. 29:52. But that's okay- the time at the finish line was the one I'd remember!

I was on cloud nine...until we got home and I saw my time posted. :( 29:45. How could that be? So right there, the race turned into a big disappointment...but in my mind, I still accomplished a PR.

As for the other things going on in my life- it's been busy! Logan is just absolutely amazing me with his abilities. He says SO many things now. Yesterday, he said "Bye-bye, da" so he's starting to string 2 words together. When I count one, two, three- Logan says the two and three right along with me! His new favorite book is Chicka, Chicka ABC and he gets an absolute kick out of the Boom, Boom part. ;) He's having fun with friends and playdates, and I'm getting more involved in a local group here in town so we'll have a summer full of fun, the park, the pool, walks, nature...and hopefully more family time with both mom AND dad. :)

my 2nd half.

South Shore Half Marathon, Milwaukee, WI
April 12, 2008

<---me, trying to keep it together in the last 1/2 mile!

(thanks for the pictures, Missy!)

So my 2nd half marathon has been completed. I was SO nervous about this race. Mostly because my training was really not up to speed to complete a half. But with my consistent running over the past 6 months, I wanted to give it a shot. So I did!

This race was in Milwaukee, WI and I started my journey at 4:55 am on Saturday, April 12. As usual, I set everything out the night before, except for my bib- as I was registering when I got to the race site. I poured myself a big travel mug of coffee, made sure I had an energy bar and a banana and plenty of water and I left. In the rain. It was drizzly/rainy the entire 1 1/2 hour drive up to the race site (I made great time) and I was really dreading the weather. I'd never run in rain before and I wasn't sure how my feet would handle soaking wet socks/shoes...but it turns out that the rain should have been the least of my worries!

I arrived at the race site in plenty of time...and scored a prime parking spot. I brought a lot of gear up but ended up wearing my "uniform": my UA capris, pink NikeFit longsleeve, fleece vest, beanie, gloves and visor (to keep the rain out of my face). I also put on an old windbreaker, but ended up leaving it in the car because it was too bulky. Looking back, I should have worn it. I headed into register and was totally inspired by all the energy of my fellow runners!! I waited for Missy (she'd told me she was shooting to be at the race site by 8:00a), stretched a little, pinned my bib on and just took in my surroundings.

Missy arrived and we chatted until race time. She's a sweetheart! We were off- and about a minute later Missy headed off into the pack...a few minutes later I looked behind me and I was in the very back of the pack. I started to feel a little overwhelmed and my confidence started shaking. Maybe I wasn't ready for a race of this distance!!! But too late- I wasn't turning back now. I drove 110 miles to run and I was going to RUN damn it! ;) That's when the girl running along next to me struck up a conversation about being in the back...she promised I wouldn't be last, and she also told me that the people running this race were pretty hard core seasoned runners...so I felt a little better. I found out my new friend's name was Melissa and she was also a great running buddy- why do the best running buddies have to live in Wisconsin! ;)

The first few miles were a breeze. The scenery was phenomenal. I couldn't believe I was running right next to the lake. Wow. My time was right on par as well. I pin-pointed a pace right around 10:35-10:40/mile and seemed to be hitting it very close to that the first few miles.

Then we entered the trails. And the puddles, or ponds, as Missy calls them. OMG. See, the reason I was so worried about running in the rain was how my feet would handle it. I've never run in all out rain. Drizzle, sure, but rain...nope. I was terrified of chafing, blisters and pain in my feet. Well, as soon as I saw the first lake, panic set in...and I ran around it. I thought it was the lesser of 2 evils, until my feet sank in the surrounding mud. Yuck. So after oh, the 5th puddle, I finally surrendered and ran through it. Soak city. OMG. But after a few minutes of squish, I didn't really notice my wet feet anymore. Mind over matter, I don't know...but I kept going.

Around mile 5, I started lagging a bit. I was still talking/running with Melissa but I had to stop talking once in awhile and concentrate on regulating my breathing. I cramped up a bit, but nothing bad at all...I could work through it. We were about 1/2 way through and were already seeing runners return back- it was an out and back route. I was still going pretty strong, despite a tiny bit of discomfort. Right before the 1/2 way point I saw Missy and we gave each other thumbs up. She makes it look so easy!!

So we finally head out of the trail portion of the race. No More Ponds!! And my feet were not bothering me at all as far as blistering was concerned so that was good news. However I did need to stop to re-tie my shoes. I guess the water loosened the laces which has never happened to me. We stopped at Margaritaville for a quick recharge (one of the aid stations was Jimmy Buffett themed- it was cute!) and then the last 4 miles happened.

All I remember about the last 4 miles of this race was the relentless wind, the frozen numb fingers and the absolute struggle to put one foot in front of the other. And Missy... ;) Melissa surged ahead after a hill so I was on my own. I had vowed to myself that I was NOT walking...under any circumstances...and just kept telling myself 3 more miles, 2 1/2 more miles...I did walk twice. For about 4 footfalls each time. And then I repeated my mantra...I can DO this...and I started running again. At mile 12, my time was only around 2:06...so I knew coming in under goal was possible , but I was really struggling at this point and I was having a hard time keeping it together. But And then in the distance, with about 1/2 mile left to go, there was Missy waving to me. She ran back in those awful conditions, to motivate me to keep going. And my goodness, was she a godsend. :) Finally, the finish line was in view and I crossed it, with a time of 2:19:05 (10:38/mile). I officially shaved 7 minutes, 4 seconds off my previous half. WooHoo!!

After the race I was out of it for a bit. I followed Missy and her husband into the pavilion and tried to thaw out and collect my thoughts before heading home. It was a tough run, but I did it! I don't know what I'd have done if Missy hadn't run me in. I'd probably still be out there. Ha Ha. :) This race taught me a lot. Runners have each other's back! Pay it Forward! I can run in the rain! I can RUN!

i've decided to go for it.

I will be running my 2nd half marathon on Saturday, April 12- this weekend!!!!!

I'm headed up to Milwaukee for this one, but it's going to be a great time all around, I'm sure. The only not-so-great thing about it will be the weather. It's supposed to be cold, rainy and possibly snowy. :(

Stay tuned for results!!!

shamrock shuffle race report- 2008.

My first Shamrock Shuffle has come and gone. I spent the better part of 12 weeks training for it, and my training definitely paid off in a faster time than I thought possible!

Matt and I prepared for the race the night before. We laid out all our gear: I wore my blue NikeFit long sleeve layered under my sleeveless black fleece vest, black UA capris, black UA skull cap with a headband beneath and black UA gloves. Matt had on his grey NikeFit long sleeve layered under a green cotton t-shirt and a black jacket, black NikeFit pants and black UA skull cap. I laced our chips onto our shoes. The plan was to wake up Logan, load him in the car still in PJs and be off by 6:45. Well, that didn't happen. We left about 7:00a to drop Logan off at Matt's parents' house. They were watching Logan, feeding him breakfast, and taking him to church!

We dropped Logan off at about 7:30, stopped at Dunkin Donuts for coffee and headed down to the city. I was nervous the entire drive...but I always get super nervous before a race, regardless of the distance. We made it to the race area in record time and parked in the Grant Park garage...and still had an hour to kill before race time. So we were able to take our time getting ready. The weather was cold and windy with a slight drizzle. Thank goodness the rain held off. We walked over to Grant Park and just had a nice time enjoying each other and people watching! There was a small group of people stretching...reminded me of a Richard Simmons workout...it was so funny. Right before we lined up, it started drizzling and I made a comment and a girl asked me if I wanted her extra poncho. No thank you. I'm soaked enough by the end of a race... a layer of plastic would have made it so much worse! Matt had made the decision to run with me. He doesn't run a 8K distance all that often, and since I'm a slower runner than he is, but more accomplished at the 8K distance, he thought it would be a good idea if I set the pace for us. Matt and I were in the open corral, behind the 11 minute pace marker and this was a mistake I made...more on that later.

So we're lined up. 10 minutes to race time...4 minutes to race time...Race time!!! And we're still not moving. It took about 25 minutes AFTER the race had started to move up to the start line. I guess that's the delay in such a huge race! The anticipation of it was crazy...and of course made me even more nervous! But the crowd finally started breaking up, I could see the start line...and we were off!!!

Mile 1- 10:22
The first mile was a TOTAL blur. It went by so fast...all of a sudden, we're turning left off of Columbus and there's the marker for mile 1! Matt spent the entire race at my side or behind me.

Mile 2- 9:39
Shaved almost a minute off that first mile and this is where my mistake of where we lined up became evident. My strategy for a race is that I start off slower and that way I can build my endurance to go faster as I progress through. Hence my decision to start at a pace of 11 minutes/mile. Well...I guess that should be my strategy for a longer distance...because people on the course REALLY started slowing me down. I came up to LOTS of walkers and runners who were going much slower than myself. I felt like I was playing a game of Frogger- weaving in and out of the pack, hopping up the curb to run on the sidewalk...poor Matt. He was having a super hard time keeping up with me...but he did it. He told me people were getting really ticked at me. And I knew it...but lesson learned. I will not start that far back next time!!

Mile 3- 9:14
Still felt fantastic. I could tell I was cruising for the most part, because I kept passing people up. My adrenaline must have been in high gear because I was feeling so great and not winded at all!

Mile 4 to finish- 17:29 (8:52 average)
I missed the mile 4 marker so I didn't press the lap button. Oops. The last mile was rough. I had to go to the bathroom. Bad. TMI- by the time we reached Roosevelt Rd. coming into the last blocks of the race, I'd lost a bit of bladder control. But that was minor compared to the fact that the finish line was visible! That gave me a blast of momentum and Matt and I crossed the finish line together!!! In the excitement of everything, I forgot to press the stop button on my watch, so we looked at Matt's- 46:42!!!! Not official...but a good idea of our finish time...which was well below my goal of 50 minutes! Not bad for my first 8K distance race!

My official results: 46:44
Overall finish: 10131/22575
Sex Place: 3896/12178
Division Place: 779/2442

Matt's official results: 46:44
Overall finish: 10133/22575
Sex Place: 6237/10397
Division Place: 1327/2190

Also, according to the Shamrock Shuffle website, we *may* have qualified for a corral start next year since our time was sub-9:30/mile!! Woo Hoo!

After the race, we stopped for a yummy big breakfast at a cafe in Matt's old neighborhood. THE.BEST.COFFEE.EVER. So good! We picked up Logan and relaxed the rest of the day.
What an awesome experience...till next year!