Not Fast But Not Last
My Love/Hate Relationship with Running

I try to run 15-20 miles a week to keep a relatively good running base in between events.

After the Best Damn Race, I found new, weird blisters on the front part of my toes.  I thought it was a one-time fluke, but every run after that seemed to irritate them more.  I had not run more than 4 or 5 miles at a time so I think the toe box was not long enough but I had not noticed it until I began running more than 5 miles at a time.

I decided it was probably time for some new shoes.

The Mizunos I had been wearing were less than a year old, so I was a little disappointed that I might already need new running shoes since my overall mileage has been so much lower than in the past, but the blisters were making it difficult to do other things, besides run, comfortably.

I brought them in to my local Fit2Run and talked with the sales rep.  I showed him the wear on my last 2 pairs of running shoes, told him what I needed and he came back with several options that I tried on. I also tested them on the treadmill at the store.

It is amazing how many types of shoes there are and how they can all fit just slightly differently on everyone’s feet.

I narrowed it down to these 2 options: the Asice Gel Nimbus and the Saucony Cortana 2 – no Nikes in sight, which was surprising for this usually Nike obsessed gal.

It came down to these 2 options

I ended up with the Saucony Cortana 2.  These are the brightest shoes I have ever run in, but I am getting used to seeing the splash of neon when I look down.

My lovely new shoes

I have run about 50 miles so far with them and I am very happy.  No weird blisters and my feet feel good.

New shoes are exciting and motivate me to run more.

I was not planning to run this race after the debacle of last year.

In fact, if you re-read last year’s review, I had asked my husband to pinky promise that I would not sign up for the Gasparilla 15k in 2013.

Guess what?  I signed up anyway…..

I knew so many people who were planning to run it and I wanted to prove to myself that the race wasn’t as bad as I thought it was.

With all the new PRs I have been setting lately, it seemed fitting to see if I could beat my previous year’s time for this race, too.

So a new challenge was on the horizon.

In years past, I have not been able to spend much time at the expo while picking up my packet due to time constraints or work or whatever reason, so this year I decided to take a half day at work and go with a few friends to pick up our packets and enjoy the expo together.

At the expo, Paige and I ended up registering for the Athleta Iron Girl Half Marathon in April!  This was my first half marathon 2 years ago and it will be Paige’s first half ever.  We both saved $10 and they gave us each a shirt and a hat, too.

After we had picked up our packets, bags, shirts and walked all over the expo hall, we decided to go home to prepare for the race.

I had to decide on an outfit, figure out food and coordinate departure times with everyone in our group.

Since I did so well at the Best Damn 10k, I decided to copy my prerace meal from that race.  We went to Goodfella’s and I ordered an eggplant parmesan sandwich and French fries.  It was delicious!

Eggplant Parm sandwich. It was delicious!

The morning of the race, I felt great.  We arrived 15 minutes prior to the start and began walking to the start line.

Pre race pic, before we sprinted to the start line.

Here’s the problem; this year there was a new start area.  I spent hours at the expo and read every single email that they sent out, so how did I miss this key piece of information?  I knew they were going to have a wider start, but nothing about a different start area.  So with less than 5 minutes to the start, Paige and I pretty much sprinted to this new start area.  When we got there, they announced we were 30 seconds away from the start!  We were not ready.  My GPS watch wasn’t synced up, I had not stretched yet and I still had my cell phone in my hand.  Uh-oh!

I usually hand my cell phone to whichever willing member of my support team is close by.  Since Paige and I had left our support team in the dust at the “old start area”, I did not think to hand it off.

As the last 30 seconds ticked down, I prayed my GPS would connect as I crossed the start line and thanked myself for choosing Nike running capris with a large compartment over the butt so I could stow my phone in there!

The reason they moved the start was so that there would not be so much of a traffic jam at the start.  The start of every race is tough to navigate.  People line up near the front when they shouldn’t and then run (or walk!) slowly as the rest of us try to maneuver around them.  It is very frustrating and hard to escape.

I felt that I could not make headway until after mile 4.  That is pretty bad for a 9 mile race.  Usually you find your place within the first mile or two.  Four is a little absurd, in my opinion.  I plugged along, determined to find my way through all the traffic.

This year, I was determined to take a piece of the Krispy Kreme donuts that they always hand out but I always miss out on.  And about mile 6.5, I grabbed one and took one bite and the rest fell on the ground.  I was happy to have had that one bite though and followed it with a GU since a water stop was just ahead.

I crossed the finish line strong at 01:26:16, which is my new PR for a 15k!

My time for 2011 was: 01:34:53

My time for 2012 was: 01:32:33

My time for 2013 was: 01:26:16

We look pretty good for running 9.3 miles, huh?

As my group all finished and reconvened, I was glad I had decided to run this race.  I had a great time, even with all the misinformation and traffic at the beginning.  I finished strong and fast and I was happy.

My newest bling! (and its orange, my favorite color.)

The Best Damn Race is an event that was created for runners, by runners.

These guys set out to hold a race that built on their experiences at previous races and make it better, more fun and different.

I think they succeeded.

They began by making the registration process a tiered system.  So if you were one of the first to sign up, you paid a very minimal  registration fee.  There were hiccups when registration opened, as the response was larger than they anticipated and therefore, the server they were depending on to handle all the registrations crashed.

They made it right, however, and I only paid $7 for this race, which is pretty awesome, considering most 10K race fees are regularly $35 or more.

I signed up for this race back in the summer, so when it snuck up on me last week that it was time to pick up my packet, I was excited.

I had been keeping track of all the updates about the courses and the medals via social media, so I knew they were working hard to make this race great.  I can only imagine what goes into concepting, planning, organizing and holding an event like this.

I picked up my packet on Thursday night at The Sports Authority.  It was very well organized, convenient and the volunteers were helpful and courteous.

As I went through my swag bag, I was impressed.  You never know what you are going to find in your race bag.  Usually, there is maybe one item that catches my eye and maybe a cool flyer, but they really had the best damn swag bag.  There was an Arctic Chill wrap, a mojo bar, several interesting flyers for races I was unaware of, coupons for free food that isn’t garbage and a helpful map for parking.  The race shirt was simple and one I will definitely wear and it fit very nice.  It is rare for all three of those criteria to be met with a race shirt, but they succeeded!

I picked out my outfit the night before the race and had everything ready to go so the morning would be easy.  The 10K started at 6:30 am so I wanted to avoid any hiccups.

I regularly wake up early to work out and run but 6:30 for a race is pretty early.  It was beautiful to watch the sun come up as we were all running by the water, though.

It was chillier than most of us expected it to be this morning, but I had layers on and only took my sweatpants off 5 minutes before the start.  My long sleeve tech hoodie came off somewhere between miles 2 and 3 and luckily my sister happened to be stationed near that point to take it from me so I did not have to run with it too long.  Too bad I had to un-pin my bib, take the hoodie off and then re-pin while still running, though!  It must have been a sight to see, but I do not think it slowed me down much, although mile 2 was my slowest.

My previous 10K times have ranged from 57 minutes to just over an hour, so I was confident that I would have no problem running these 6 miles under an hour.  My husband joked that I would probably complete it under 55 minutes.  I told him he was crazy and he then reminded me how fast I have been lately.  My goal was to have fun on a new course for a new race in the area.

The course was very nice, with a few slight inclines and lots of beautiful water front views. It was dark when the race started and we watched the sun rise as we ran.  It was almost as if we were chasing it into the sky. The colors were amazing to see and helped take your mind off the task at hand.  Crimson & orange as the sun slowly ascended all while thousands of us were silently running in the early morning darkness as it turned to light.  It was surreal.

The water stops were well manned except for the one near mile 5 that had no one standing there, but I didn’t need water, so it was not a problem for me.

Everyone seemed to be having a great time and I was flying with every mile being under 9 minutes!  I was surprised but kept going, wondering what my time would be at the end.

I finished this race in 53:41!  I was (and still am) very surprised and happy.

Mile 1: 08:17

Mile 2: 08:54

Mile 3: 08:45

Mile 4: 08:48

Mile 5: 08:35

Mile 6: 08:34

The cross training is definitely paying off and I can’t wait for the next race.

I had the Best Damn Time at The Best Damn Race and I would definitely do it again.

Before the race, right at the end and my Best Damn Medal!

The morning was crisp and dark.  65 degrees with a nice breeze.  Once the sun was up, it stayed masked behind an overcast sky.

It was perfect running weather.

I had decided on my outfit the night before after I picked up my packet and looked through all my swag.

I always set out my gear the night before.

This is the race I signed up for last May in order to motivate myself to train.

This is the race I had been both nervous and excited about.

This is the race I had not trained very well for.

My goal was to finish this race under 02:30:00. That is what I kept telling everyone since I had not trained very much and I was not sure if my body would let me run any faster.  I figured anywhere from 02:15 to 02:30 was do-able and within reach.

Last Sunday, I did a 10 mile training run with Paige.  We started out easy enough and kept a 10 minute mile pace pretty much the whole time.  We finished 10 miles in 01:45 and I was impressed because I thought I could have been a little quicker.

The morning of the race (01/20/13), I ate half of a banana (my usual pre-half tradition) and stretched at the start line.  When the race started and we were all on our way, I settled into a nice groove of footfalls and breathing and taking in the amazing views of St. Pete Beach. I paid little attention to where I was with regards to time, even when the 2 hour pace group passed me.  I did not want to psych myself out or worry too much if I wasn’t doing well.

I made it a point to NOT look down at my gps watch during the race unless it was a quick glance to see my time in that particular mile, since I was trying to stay just under 10 minutes per mile.

My husband and sister were there to support me and were getting text updates with my timing at the 5k, 10k and 15k points.  They knew I was going faster than I planned, but I was focused on my legs and my breathing and not on my timing since I felt so great.

At mile 11, I finally decided it was worth looking at my elapsed time on the course.  Imagine my surprise when I realized I was 2 miles away from the finish and I had only been running for 01:44:00!

I honestly didn’t believe what I was seeing, but was so happy that I picked up my pace.  A new Personal Record, as well a new Course Record for me was within reach.  And I hadn’t been planning to run this race very hard or to PR.

Remember, I was hoping to finish in 02:15 at the earliest or 02:30 at the latest.

With the end in sight, I sprinted my heart out and crossed the finish line at 02:03:22 – my fastest time EVER for a half marathon.  I still could not believe it when my family came over to congratulate me.  I was still not convinced that I ran it that quick, but it is certainly true.

Finishing strong!

I barely trained but did better than ever.  I have a feeling all the cross training helped with building up  my strength and the sprint work we have been doing was noticeable.  The couple of longer runs I did in the month prior to the race certainly helped me build my base back up.

This race came up so quickly and I was so worried, but I listened to my body and did what I thought was right for me.

And it paid off big time!

My medal!

I really enjoy running in different parts of the country.  Florida is hot, flat and boring for runners after a while.  I like the temperature changes and hills when I travel.  It is always nice to try to run in different environments.

Thanksgiving 2011 was spent in Portland, where I participated in the Portland Zoo Turkey Trot.

Thanksgiving 2012 was spent in New Jersey, where I participated in the Morristown Turkey Trot.

The weather was pretty chilly and overcast at 25 degrees, but I was excited to run this 5k.  This was the first sanctioned 5k I was attempting since the dreaded DNF of March, so I was slightly nervous that I would hurt myself again.

Parking was crazy, but we (illegally) snagged a great spot and headed to check in.

I had sweatpants on to keep my legs warm and I had intended to take them off before the race started, but I kept them on the whole time!  I decided after mile 2 that I could be running faster without them, but I didn’t want to throw them away, so I continued with them on.

I had a lot of energy and felt great, even with the cold weather and hills.

I ran the race in 28:49:11.  Any 5k I complete under a half hour is a success, so I was thrilled with that number, especially considering the weather.

I was so happy to be back in running shape and to have finished under 30 minutes.

At the finish, chilly & happy!

I always get asked if I am training for something or what my next race is, so here you go:

St. Pete Beach Classic (01/20/13) – I ran the inaugural half last year and I am wondering how I will do this year, as I am not planning to race it. I have barely trained, so this will just be a fun run for me. I love the course so at least I know I will have a good time.  I signed up for this race back in May 2012 when I thought I was going to have all the time in the world to train.  I did not plan on having a recurring injury, but I’m confident that I will be able to finish under 02:30:00.

Best Damn Race (02/02/13)– I registered for the 10k when registration opened and I only had to pay $7! This race was designed for runner, by runners, so I think it will be a lot of fun. I like trying new events and 6 miles is a good distance 2 weeks after a half.  If I can run it under 1 hour, I will be very happy.  It is a new race, so I have no idea what to expect, except that I want to have fun.

Gasparilla 15k (02/23/13) – every year I say I am NOT going to run this race again and every year I end up doing it. Why? Because I know so many people who are also running it and I like to run with people I know. I’m going into it with a positive attitude and hoping to have a great time. The last 2 years it was really hot and I just did not do well, so maybe this year the tide will turn and it will be reasonably warm with little room for complaints.  I can hope!

I do not have anything else on my calendar right now, but I’m always open to suggestions!

I am a little sad I won’t be participating in the Rock & Roll half this year, but I would like to train for that and break 2 hours.  Maybe next year.

What races are you signed up for?

I will leave you with some motivational pics:

I think I am the lion!

I truly believe this

A few friends and I ran The Color Run in St. Pete in December 2012.

This race is touted as “The Happiest 5k on the Planet”.

You run through “color stations” throughout the course where you are doused with colored cornstarch.  Oh, and you wear all white.

Anna and I decided to form a team way back in August for this December race.  We recruited Paige, who recruited her husband and another friend.

Our team name was The Color Bandits. (Get it?  Because we were going to be collecting color…?)

The day before the race, we went to pick up our packets at Sports Authority.  It was very organized and easy to sign in, grab your swag bag and go.  It was evident that the store was very happy to have the event, as well.

Our swag bags contained a shirt, a bib, a wristband, a color packet, a headband and a temporary tattoo.

The morning of the race, we all arrived together and got ready to be “colored”.

There were over 10,000 runners, so they were letting groups of 1,000 go every 15 minutes.  We were in the second or third grouping, luckily.

This was behind us at the start line

As we ran the course and got our color on, we had a lot of fun.  We got very “colorful”, as well.  We ran into multiple people we know and we were excited at each color station to collect another color, as each station had a different color to throw at you.

Once you cross the finish line, there is a “Color Party” every 15 minutes where you release your own personal “Color Packet” so it forms a huge color cloud and you get one more dose of color.

Color Cloud!

Our team had a blast and as you can see, we got colorful!

Our team, before & after

The only downside is that the run isn’t timed and didn’t seem to be a full 5k, but we had a great time, got messy and laughed a lot.

It was definitely the happiest 5k on the planet and I would certainly do it again!

My official Color Run headband after the race

Yes, I am!

Christmas Day I decided to get up and go for a run.  I had a goal in mind, but I pretty much just got up and went for it.  I had a few 5ks under my belt and decided to try to see if I could get a 6 mile run in.

This is so true and one of the reasons I love running

Before my injuries started, I loved running 6-8 miles; that was my favorite distance, so I was excited to get back to it.

At the 3 mile turn around point, I snapped this photo:

Such a pretty sight!

I felt great.  The day was just beginning, it was only in the low 60’s and it was beautiful.  My mind was clear and it was a truly great run.

I finished this 6 mile run in 01:01:06

Mile 1: 10:03

Mile 2: 10:57

Mile 3: 10:12

Mile 4: 10:35

Mile 5: 09:52

Mile 6: 09:19

When I realized I could not and should not be running in March of 2012, I kind of fell into a funk.  If I couldn’t run, what was I going to do?

I let myself go for a few months until I had had enough.

My body and I had been at war for a few years.  It was discovered in late 2010 that I was battling a thyroid issue.  Although I started taking medication, the weight was not coming off.  This is one of the main reasons I started running again.  I was seeing doctors and specialists about my condition to see what else I could do.

In May 2012, I was unhappy, injured and at my heaviest weight.

A few of my friends recommended I try out Fit for Fashion, a locally owned studio with a certified trainer who had a reputation for not giving up on people and helping them break through plateaus.

I decided to go in and talk to the owner, Rebekah Reidy, about my goals, needs, injuries and to see if she could really help me.

She told me about this 45 day challenge she was starting that day, oddly enough, and recommended I go for it.  She let me try the classes free for a week and then we assessed my fitness and set some goals.

Let me tell you: that first week was tough and intimidating.  I thought I was going to throw up after the first few classes; they were so intense!  We were doing sprint drills, flipping tires, using sledgehammers and kettle bells and never stopping. I hated burpees.  If you do not know what a burpee is, let me show you:

They may look easy, but try doing 50….

I quickly became addicted to this high intensity form of working out.  I was enjoying the challenge, making new friends and building my confidence.  Every class was different and I never knew what was coming next, which I really enjoyed.  It never got boring or predictable.

At the end of the 45 day challenge, I was down 7 pounds and 3% body fat!  My doctor was so astounded he asked to make a copy of my before and after measurements.

I stopped going to the classes in August and September, as I had moved and wasn’t sure if I wanted to make the longer drive to the studio.  That was a huge mistake. Although I had started running again, I missed the studio.

By October, I was back at it full force and have not quit since;  my running has improved, my strength has improved and my confidence has improved.

Rebekah takes my measurements every month and doesn’t let me slack.  We continue to see improvements every month.  To see where I started and where I am today, visit my Stats page.  Please understand that I have never felt comfortable sharing my weight and body fat before now.  I am putting this usually private info on my blog in the hopes of encouraging others to not give up. My goal is to get down to 130 pounds and keep losing body fat and inches.

Cross training has really changed my life.  I look forward to my workouts.  I like flipping the 300 pound tire, increasing my weights and yes, even doing burpees.  And I LOVE seeing the results each month. When I leave these classes, I am sweaty, tired, dirty and happy.

Thank you, Fit for Fashion, for making me stronger, happier and ready to achieve my goals in 2013.

Flipping the 300 pound tire

It is hard to get up at 4:45 am to workout, but I do it!

Flipping tires is dirty work, but strong is the new sexy, right?

It has been a while since I have posted anything, so this is a catch up post.

Since we have entered a new year and I have plenty that I have been meaning to write about, I am going to just start back up with the posts.

It is hard to write about running when you aren’t running.  And I wasn’t running for quite a while through most of 2012.  I kept trying to add mileage slowly and I seemed to keep re-injuring myself, which I definitely did not want to blog about. I felt defeated for many months.

One of the main things that has changed for me is that running is no longer my main focus.  I still love to run, but when I had to put it on the back burner, I found a new love for cross training.

I was afraid to write about this new-found love on my running blog, but I recently realized that this is MY blog and there are no real “rules”, so I am going to start posting more about my fitness and fitness goals, not just running related posts.

I am back to running again without pain and I have cross training to thank for that.  I am so much stronger now, which will only benefit my running. I have goals to achieve and a new and improved attitude.

I am back, so get ready for more posts in 2013!