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

This weekend, I ran the Gasparilla 15k.  It was not the best racing experience I have had.

Not all runs and races can be the best.  Sometimes, you have a bad run or a bad race, just like you can have a bad day.  All you can do is shake it off and aim to do better next time.

This blog is about my love/hate relationship with running.  This post is more on the hate side.

If you are a frequent reader of this blog, you know that the majority of my posts and the majority of my race experiences are very positive.

I only aim for honesty about my experiences.

With that being said: On with the post!

This weekend, I ran the Gasparilla 15k.

My newest running buddy joined me. This was her first 15k race.

Ready to Run!

She was nervous and I was anxious to crush my time from this same race last year.

As we waited for the signal to start, I realized how hot and humid it was.

I remembered how hot and humid it was at last year’s race, too.

Then I realized that I have not run in hot and humid conditions in quite a while, as it has been cooler until recently.

As we eased into the first few miles, I started to feel a weird pain in my right leg, which is odd because my left side (leg and knee and foot) seems to be the troublesome side.

I figured it would work itself out and I tried not to think about it too much.

We must have hit every water stop trying to make sure we stayed hydrated.

By mile 5, it was pretty miserable and we still had 4 more to go!

I used my GU packet around this time and tried to use the misting sprayers to cool off a bit.  I even took 2 water cups from that stop and used one to pour over my head.  It was hot.

By mile 7, I lost my friend, but I forged ahead.

When I came around that last curve, I felt like time had stopped.  It seemed to take forever to make it to the finish but I ran it in hard.

I beat my last 15k time by about 2 minutes, so I was happy, even though I didn’t hit the goal I had set for myself.

As soon as I stopped running, the leg pain returned. By the time I got home, it hurt to walk.

Last year, I was upset that we had to walk for so long after crossing the finish line before we could get any water.

This year, it was MUCH worse.

The event staff kept pushing us further and further away from the finish line with promises of water, but it was not to be had for quite a while.  All I wanted was my medal, some water and to sit down.

I finally reached the awaiting water spot, grabbed 2 bottles and waited for my friend to finish so that we could head back to our waiting families together.  It took us a half an hour to get from the “finish” area back to our families.

We were worn out, but not completely exhausted.  In fact, we looked pretty good for just running 9 miles in the heat.

Ready for a nap!

When I got home, I researched my pain and talked with a few people I trust about running injuries.  I also consulted this book that I received for Christmas from my sister, Running Doc’s Guide to Healthy Running.

Awesome book on running injuries

My leg pain is from my IT Band.  It is apparently very tight and so it is painful to walk and it hurts when I bend it.

According to my awesome book and my running coach, I need to rest, ice the offending area, do special stretches and use my Stick™ to help loosen the tightness.

The only issue I have now is if I will be ok to run the Sarasota Half Marathon next weekend.

Coach Brian is not excited about my choice to run next weekend, but I promise to take time off after this next one.  He says to listen to my body, which I do and I will always respect his opinion.

We will see how this week goes.  As of right now, I cannot run.

On the bright side, I always enjoy running with a friend and this new running friend made the difficult journey of this race much more bearable, so thank you, Paige!

As for next year’s race?  I made my husband pinky promise that he would remind me to NOT sign up for the Gasparilla 15k again.

When I received my first finisher’s medal, I was so happy.

I didn’t want to just toss it in a drawer or a box; I wanted to prominently display it to show off my accomplishment.

As I started running more races, I accumulated more finisher medals.

I liked some of the medal hangers I had seen online, but I didn’t want to pay the $50 plus price tag.

One day while browsing in Target, I found a little key hanger with a whiteboard attached and decided that since I only had a few medals, that this would work in the interim.  That was a year ago.  Today, it looks like this:

Where I show off....

As you can see, I have accumulated quite a few finishers’ medals and there are more on the way.  You might also notice my goals listed and upcoming races, as well as my chapstick and my blinking light for running at night.

I decided I wanted to make my own, but I didn’t want it to look like any of the options I had seen online.  For instance, I decided to use drawer pulls instead of hooks so that I could hang multiple medals on one handle.

Drawer pulls with "wings"

So, with my husband’s help, I decided to embark on this crafty journey with the following supplies:

A nice, big piece of wood

Spray paint

Wall paint

Nail polish

Drawer pulls

Paint brushes

Supplies!

First, I had my husband cut the huge piece of wood into a more manageable size.

Next, we spaced out where the drawer pulls were going to go and then I drilled the holes.

I really did it myself!

Then, I spray painted both sides with 2 coats of the metallic spray paint.

Once the paint dried, I started to work on the lettering and design.

Early on in the design process

Finally, I screwed in the drawer pulls.

Finished product!

I still have to hang it on the wall, but I have hung some medals to show you what it will look like.

Pretty little knots

Another view

One more angle

By the way, this cost less than $25.  So even though it took a lot of work to get it done, I did it myself and have a unique medal holder.

So now tell me: What do you think?

A while back, my husband came across this new item and thought of me.

Look what he found!

It is called the Vitaband.  It is similar to Road ID, only this version comes with the option for a prepaid Visa card so that you can pay for things “on the run”.

After doing my research and writing the company about nonexistent smaller sizes, I decided that I wanted the adult small pink one. (What?  I have small, child sized wrists…)

Pink Vitaband

Once you purchase the band, you have to activate it and then set up your online profile so that in case of an emergency, your information can be accessed easily.

As soon as I purchased mine and got home, I wanted to set it up right away.

I uploaded a photo and filled out as much of my medical history and emergency contact info as possible.  It was fun to fill out the form.  It was very user-friendly.

The band has a toll free number on it and a unique code for you so that when the number is called and my unique code is put in, emergency responders would be able to know about me and my medical conditions and history.

unique code and toll free number

My family likes this because it makes my solo runs a little safer. In the event of an accident, people will be notified and no time has to be wasted on a work up to know about my pre-existing conditions and medications I have taken.

Road ID is similar, but they do not offer a prepaid card option.

Vitaband partnered with Visa to offer a prepaid chip to be placed inside the band that can be used almost anywhere.  As long is there is a “wave & pay” option at the checkout, I can use my bracelet to make purchases.  You never know when you might need a few bucks to get a drink, snack or a cab ride home!

I can add funds to the card online and now I do not have to worry about trying to keep dollar bills dry or my debit card tucked away somewhere.  It’s right on my wrist.

Now, it is easier than ever for me to conveniently and safely go anywhere with confidence.

Even though I ran a PR at the St. Pete Beach Classic Half Marathon in January, I was still pretty nervous for the Rock & Roll Half.  I had high expectations for this race and for myself.

I took it easy between the 2 races and tried not to think about it too much, for fear I would stress myself out.

To calm my nervousness before races, I have some little routines and rituals I like to go through.  Sometimes for luck, sometimes because “it seemed to work last time” and because “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

For example, the night before a race, I like to have a baked potato and some protein.  I have not veered from this since I started doing 10K runs.  It seems to work and I have not ever regretted eating the baked potato.  It just seems to work for me. Similarly, the morning of a race, I like to eat a banana about a half hour prior to race time.  Again, this just seems to work for me. A banana and one Gu packet halfway through the course seem to get me through 13.1 miles without any issues.

I usually have my husband with me right up until the gun goes off and then I see him at the end or if its possible, somewhere on the course.

This race was different……

The night before the race, there was a big birthday dinner for one of my best friends at a family style Italian place.  No baked potatoes in site.  I asked for a bowl of plain pasta to be brought out, as everything on the table had lots of tomato sauce, which is not a good pre-race dinner option, in my opinion.  They obliged and I had a nice little bowl of angel hair pasta tossed with some olive oil and garlic.  It was very tasty.  I also had some bread and some calamari for protein.  I was a little weary of the calamari, but I do not regret it.  I took the risk but it paid off, fortunately.

The morning of the race, it was so much colder than anyone had predicted it might be.  I had already decided on my outfit; a black tank top, black shorts and a bright green bandana.

This was not going to work with the temperature so low and the winds whipping around.  I had to make a decision on whether I wanted to run in “throw away” coverups or something better that I would have to carry and hope to hand off at some point.

I erred on the side of caution (just in case I didn’t see anyone along the way to hand off warmer layers to) and I wore an old hoodie and sweatpants over my fun outfit. I didn’t want extra layers to weigh me down in the event that it warmed up and I would not have thrown away my nicer, more expensive, cold weather running items.

The race was going to be run on some main roads, so there were many road closures near the start.  We couldn’t find a place to park.  With about 20 minutes until race time, I said goodbye to my husband at a stoplight and jumped out of the car with my banana and headed for the start/holding area to meet up with my Bootcamp group.

There was no real plan and I felt a little chaotic at this point.  I couldn’t find my group, it was freezing, the lines for the bathrooms were long and everyone kept asking me where I got my banana from because they wanted one, too.

I finally found my group and we all tried to huddle together for some warmth.

With 5 minutes to go, we all wished each other luck, headed to our respective corrals and did what we could to get ready and stay warm. Over 8,000 runners came out, which is amazing.  There were 12 corrals full of runners.

I was in the third corral and they were releasing us in 30 second waves.  All of a sudden, it was my turn.

The one thing I knew I wanted to do, was to stay at or just under 10 minute miles.  I wanted to finish this race under 02:10:00 – that was my goal.

By mile 2, I was way too hot with my sweatshirt on, so I took it off but tied it around my waist instead of tossing it, as I feared I might have been too premature with the removal of layers.  By mile 4, I had tossed it to the side, along with many other items that had been tossed by the other runners.  As a side note; the city collects these “throw away” items and donates them to local homeless shelters, which I think is pretty cool.

My husband had met up with 2 of our friends near mile 5 and I saw them before they saw me.  I was so excited to see them, standing out in the cold waiting for me to pass.   The excitement of seeing them and hearing them cheer me on distracted me for another mile or 2 as we headed from the downtown area more towards the south side of St. Pete. The roads went from paved to brick, which was a little worrisome for a few moments, but it all worked out.

I had seen and heard a few bands at this point and they were all pretty good – high energy, upbeat songs, fun atmosphere.  One band in particular sticks out in my mind.  They were around mile 5 or 6, I think.  They were covering Whitney Houston songs, as she had just died.  I thought it was interesting.  We were running to an older, low-voiced man covering “The Greatest Love” by Whitney Houston.  More than a few of us, myself included, were singing along.

My cheering squad surprised me again right before I turned onto the Pier.  I love those guys!

As I made my way up and around the Pier, I decided that I was sufficiently warmed up (this was mile 8-ish) and that this was the perfect time to consider tossing my sweatpants.  Now, this was going to be much trickier than tossing my sweatshirt.  I can run and remove an article from the top half without slowing my pace very much.  Pants are an entirely different story.

Had I thought this through, I might have done a quick DIY job in the days before the race and turned that pair of sweatpants into tear aways by cutting them up the side and then using velcro pieces to get them back together for the race.  That would have been a genius idea.  I did not do that.

A decision had to be made to either stop and remove the pants and slow my pace, which was going very well or to continue to run with the sweatpants on, hope I do not get much warmer and hope they don’t slow me down over the next few miles.

I chose to remove them on the far side of the Pier between mile 8 and 9.  As I slowed down, I tried to start removing these darn pants but they were getting stuck on my sneakers and I was getting frustrated because now my time was going to be off.  I finally escaped the sweatpants entanglement and  left them there as I tried to make up for that unfortunate stop.

What made that decision (and time-consuming stop) worse was that about a half mile after I took those pants off, I regretted it!  I was now really cold and running in a tank top and shorts on the water with the wind blowing, which was not helping the situation.

I saw Running Betty around this time, between mile 8 and 9, as she was handing out water for a local Rotary club.  I took water from her and kept on going.  She almost missed me rushing by!

My cheering squad was back to see me at mile 10/11-ish.  They were holding signs and Jen Clanton Photography was taking pictures.  As I ran by them, I said “I am freezing and I really need to pee”.  Nice, I know.

Part of my cheering squad

The last 2 miles of this race, I really had to push through and dig deep to finish strong.

I caught up to one of my running buddies at mile 11 and we tried to help each other through the remaining miles.

As I turned the last corner, I could see the finish line ahead, but we still had at least a half mile to go.

Coming down the finish chute, I saw my husband, who cheered/taunted me to “pass 10 more people” and I saw my support group from Mile 12 of the Disney Half.  I gave it all I had as I crossed that finish line.

I got my medal and an official Rock & Roll foil emergency blanket to try to warm me up, as well as a water and a banana.

As I searched for my husband, I wondered what my official time was, but I was too cold and holding too many items to check my watch.  I figured it was around 02:10:00, but I wasn’t sure how close I was.  Remember, they had a wave start, so  when I crossed the finish line the official clock didn’t represent my actual time.

I found my support team, including my husband, who was a carrying a warm outfit for me.  I had nice, warm sweatpants and a thermal-lined jacket to put on, so I was very happy to see him, for many reasons. The support I received along the way was amazing; my friends are the best!

As we made our way back to the car, I checked my official time, which was 02:07:25!  I was so happy!

Overall, it was a great race, I made good decisions and I had fun.

And I totally rocked my first Rock & Roll Half Marathon.

Prior to Mile 9, as my pants were still on.....

The Innaugural  Rock & Roll St. Pete Half Marathon is next Sunday.

It is time to taper, get motivated, get enough sleep and eat the right foods for optimal race day performance.

I have already decided on my race day attire and it will definitely be Rock & Roll.  You know I will have to be color coordinated  and comfortable.  Since so many of my Bootcamp friends are running this one, our instructor designed shirts for all of us and they have a neon green guitar on them!

It will be nice to be running with so many people I know.  Everyone has been talking about this race and training hard.  Race day will definitely be a day to remember.

Not only will I be sharing this race with so many of my friends, but the course goes all over downtown St. Pete.  I run Downtown St. Pete every Saturday, so this race should be fun since I am familiar with parts of the course.

This is where I am going to invite anyone that would like to cheer me and the other runners on, to make a sign and pick a mile marker to support us at (course map below).  I have said before that I love seeing all the signs and hearing the cheers of encouragement and since this race is in my area, I would like to see some of your smiling faces to motivate me to a PR.

The last mile will be dedicated to a special someone who had to give up her registration due to an injury.  She should be running this with us and I will miss her company on the course.

The race starts at 7AM and I am hoping to finish in about 2 hours, 10 minutes…or less.  My goal is to beat my time from the St. Pete Beach Half Marathon last month, which was 02:10:59.

I am excited about all the live bands that will be throughout the course.

I am excited about the course.

I am excited about the medal I will have hanging from my neck afterward.

How cool is this medal?

I am excited to Rock & Roll!

Please let me know if you plan to Rock Out for me on race day so I know who to look for when I feel like slowing down.

The first 10k I ever did was the St. Pete Beach Classic last January.

This year, they added a Half Marathon option.

I was interested in running it, but after talking to Coach Brian about it, I wasn’t sure I could take it slow, so I decided not to do it.  That was months ago.

Last Wednesday, I decided that I wanted to do it.

I told myself that it would be practice to see where I was at in my training for the Rock n Roll Half in February.

My mission was to keep it slow and steady.  I wasn’t worried about a PR, I wasn’t worried about anything.  I just wanted to see if I could handle the race atmosphere with my goal in mind so that I don’t make the same mistakes from Disney again.

It was in the 40′s, so I was wearing a thin hoodie at the start.  I had pinned my bib to the hoodie because you never know where those cameras will be and I wasn’t sure if I was going to remove the hoodie at all.

About to start

About 2 miles in, the hoodie had to be removed. I had to strategically un-pin my bib, take off my hoodie, re-pin my bib on my shirt and not stop running.  It was a sight to see, I am sure.

I have become pretty adept at removing layers while running, but this was a little different with the bib needing to be re-pinned while running.

As I was laughing at myself, I looked around and saw someone glance in my direction.  I mentioned that it was a bad idea to pin my bib on my sweatshirt.  Friendly Runner Guy responded that he always pins his bibs to his shorts.

And this is how I made a new friend.

Within 6 miles, I knew some stuff about my new friend:

He has been married for 22 years

He has 2 daughters, 16 and 19.  The younger one is dating the captain of the swim team and the older one is lacking direction and is about to join the Navy.

I told him about my training, about Coach Brian’s unheeded advice at Disney and about my support team.  I told him I was not going for a PR today, that I just wanted to stay slow and steady for practice in anticipation of the Rock n Roll half coming up.

We talked about different races we have run and those we wanted to do.

The fastest half he completed was done in 01:37, but a recurring calf injury was preventing him from going faster today.  Some accident with a tree in his younger years left his calf muscle defective and it sometimes did not let him give it his all.

Also, he was taking it easy because he is competing in the Warrior Dash next weekend.

By mile 7, he pointed out that I could PR if I kept the pace we were both effortlessly keeping.

It took us 8 miles to officially swap names.  Turned out, his name was Jeff.

At mile 10, Jeff told me to go ahead, as his calf had become too sore to continue at my pace.  I told Jeff I would wait for him at the finish line.

At mile 11, I noticed that I was going to PR.  I was 01:51 into the run and all I had to do was keep my 10 minute pace to beat my previous time.

I crossed the finish line in 02:10:59 and I was so excited that I forgot to get my medal! The volunteers reminded me and handed me what I had worked hard for – an awesome pink medal from the Inaugural St. Pete Beach Classic Half Marathon.

Race medal

I waited at the finish for Jeff.  When he came through, he was in pain.  He knew I was going to PR.  He said this was his worst run.  I told him I would blog about him and I thanked him for the support, motivation and the friendship while on the run.  He felt the same.

I do not know Jeff’s last name and although we will probably both be at Gasparilla, the chance of us running together again are probably pretty slim.

So, look out, runners! I may just talk your ear off and we may become friends for a few miles.

I cannot believe that I beat my Disney time by 5 minutes!

I think I am ready to Rock and Roll now!

Done!

I am no longer a “beginning” runner, however, I am not yet an “advanced” runner, either.

I am somewhere in the middle. Not a newbie, not elite.

There was a time where I had a short distance race scheduled every other weekend. 5Ks and 10Ks are fun and inexpensive, but at some point, you graduate to longer distances and stop paying for racing smaller distances.

Once you get into the longer distances, you want the medals, the swag, the glory, the notch on your race belt, if you will.

Half Marathons are certainly not easy and they are certainly not inexpensive. Finding a half for under $100 is considered a bargain, whereas you never pay more than $25-$35 for a 5K or 10K – that is a pretty significant difference.

With my training plan and my personal schedule, I run my longer distances on the weekends. Weekends are also when races are going on.

Running with a small group of friends is enjoyable, but there is nothing like the adrenaline rush when the gun goes off and you are on the run with thousands of other people, with cheers from the crowd that has gathered for one particular runner, but all of us at the same time benefit from the energy.

It is nice to have someone hand you water every few miles and be able to grab it, swallow some and throw that cup down to keep up your pace.

And there is certainly nothing better than crossing that finish line and seeing your time, especially if you happened to do better than you expected. You are always happy to cross that finish line. Hand me a banana and a coconut water – I’m done!

The after parties are always fun, whether it is just bagels and bananas or a more bountiful spread.

I love seeing my friends and family and knowing how proud they are.

I love wearing the medal I just earned.

I love races, but it seems silly to run 5Ks and 10Ks at this point. I rarely run anything less than 6 miles on a daily basis anymore.

Here’s the real dilemma:

5Ks and 10Ks are no longer a real endurance “challenge”. Half Marathons are. There are very few races with a distance in between these options. So what is an “In Between” runner to do?

The annual Gasparilla race has a 15K option and I will probably participate in that one. But that’s only one!

I know there will come a day when a half marathon seems easy to me and I was certainly not this confident a year ago that I could even complete a half marathon, so I know where there’s a will, there’s a way.

It’s just inconvenient that there is nothing in the middle, race or cost wise. My choices are simple or difficult. Cheap or expensive. Easy or hard.

I am one month out from the Rock n Roll half marathon. I am anxious, nervous and ready all at the same time.

Until half marathons become cheaper or easier, I am stuck in the middle!

As 2011 came to a close, I felt it necessary to see the progress I had made.

From January – December 2011, I ran 625.5 miles overall!

As New Year’s Eve approached, I decided that I wanted this year (2012) to be better than last, especially where my running is concerned.

I am happy to report that I received my Nike+ GPS Sportwatch for Christmas from my husband.  I was so excited to get it set up, even though I was still sidelined and couldn’t use it for another few days.  I would’ve used it that day if I had been allowed to!

I made sure to set it up with my preferences and input all the data and link it to my existing Nike+ account.

It has been used for 4 different runs now and the only complaint I have is that it takes several, long minutes to link up with the satellite before I can start to run, but I have been using the linking time  to stretch and map out my route in my head.

This thing is awesome.  I can see all the stats I want with the press of a button and I have it set to beep at every mile, so I know how far I am without looking down.  I am more impressed than I thought I would be and I can’t wait to take it on a longer run.

The shape makes it easier for my little wrist to handle than other GPS watches.  It isn’t too bulky and it feels light during a run.

It is amazing.

I can’t help but love everything Nike does for the sport of running.

Well, I had to say Bye, Bye Brooks……

After taking a week off from running, I did a light 3 mile run this morning. There was calf pain afterwards. Ugh!

I have some heavy mileage coming up and I didn’t want to risk it.

I decided to return the Brooks Glycerin and swap out for my tried and true Nike Air Zoom Vomeros.

Since I am a club member at Fit2Run, I was within my 30 days to exchange the shoes and I did not have to pay any extra.

I am hoping that the calf pain was shoe related and that the Brooks just weren’t a good fit for me. I liked them, but I don’t think my body did.

They only had one color in the Vomeros for my size, so it was fate that I now have gray and purple shoes.

Nike Air Zoom Vomeros

Let’s hope this ends the pain in my calf.

So, back to Nike – I just did it.