virtual pr

I ran my first ever virtual 5k today, and isn't it just my luck that I got a PR??  Adam at theboringrunner.com hosted the race. His blog is definitely worth following.

The weather was awesome, 60's, cloudy, had the slightest bit of rain sprinkling on me as I ran... it just felt really great to be out there today!

I had Garmin Electra on solely for documentation purposes.  I decided I was just going to run at whatever pace felt good and not care if I had 12 minute miles.  Remember folks, I'm still in marathon recovery mode.

Color me surprised when I was done and looked at my results! As far as I know, I've never run a sub-30 5k before.  I had a pretty sweet run - negative splits even!  Not sure where it all came from since I'm usually so frickin' slow, but I'll take it.  Yeah, I realize my "fast" is other runners' horrifyingly slow pace.  I can live with that!

Who'da thunk?

Here are my splits:

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	00:29:16	3.10	09:26
1	00:09:43	1.00	09:43
2	00:09:33	1.00	09:33
3	00:09:07	1.00	09:07
4	00:00:52	0.10	08:33

Anywhoo, it was a fun way to do a run.  Virtual cowbell, virtual spectators, I even raised my arms in victory and cheered as I crossed the virtual finish line.  I guess that makes me an actual dork in a virtual race, or maybe just a runner prone to hallucinations.

Whichever, I can live with that, too!

stillwater runs slow but strong

I ran 20 miles yesterday.

Dorks 'R Us.  I lost one of my gels in the mile 6 porta-potty.
I have to say, I looked like an absolute tool with this belt on.
And having my number on the belt was not going to happen.
It would have driven me crazy.  I pinned it to my shirt instead.

I repeat, I RAN 20 miles yesterday.  

I did the Stillwater Marathon 20 miler and it was an amazing day for me.  I was actually quite anxious before the race and wasn't sure I was going to be able to do it.  Remember, I'm the spazz with all the injuries and pains that slow me down.  I'm also not mentally tough when it comes to running. I'm really kind of a wuss.  Plus, 20 miles is a long way to run.

Ladies and Gentlemen - start your Garmins!

My trainer, TenacityChris, had given me strict instructions that I was not, NOT, under any circumstances to run faster than 11:30 minute miles.  Here is the excerpt from my training plan: 

Sunday: 5/29

Stillwater 20 miler:  Nothing faster than 11:30 pace –This is time on your feet running NOT RACING.  You WILL sacrifice Grandma’s if you race this as you’ll need so much recovery time from racing that you’ll not be ready to run Grandma’s!!! Listen to Coach!!!!  Any time you think about speeding up I want Tenacity Chris in your ear saying, NO NO NO !!!  ICE BATH AND CARB REPLACEMENT POST RUN!

Ah yes, she knows me well, Grasshopper.

I tried, I REALLY tried to stay slow.  I would feel myself speeding up and look at Garmin Electra and tell myself to back off, slow down, be smart.....  But I'm pleased to say that it was damn hard to consistently go that slow!!  I'm hoping that is a positive sign for Grandma's and that I'll be able to finish the race strong.

About mile 4. The belt is NOT
flattering. A spray tan before
Grandma's might be a good idea too.

Highlights of my run: 

1. Meeting a fellow runner named Misty who has only been running for 7-8 months.  She was wearing a shirt that said, "100 pounds lost and still losing!" We ran together for a couple of miles - she providing inspiration to me due to her accomplishments, and I'm happy to say that I was able to lift her spirits as we climbed the second largest of one of the MANY hills.  She saw the hill and said, "We have to go up that thing?"  I told her, "You've lost 100 pounds!  Think of that!! That hill is NOTHING compared to that!"  She thanked me for helping me over that hurdle before I moved on.  It felt great to be able to do that!  Like me, she's training for Grandma's so this was also her longest run to date.  It was so awesome to see her head toward the finish line!

2. Seeing many members of my family around mile eleven.  I almost started to cry when I saw them.  I had planned to stop for a photo op but was afraid I'd melt into a weepy puddle so I just kept going.   How wonderful to hear them cheering for me!

3. Right after mile 16 I heard people screaming my name - it was DD and her boyfriend.  "You're the strongest mama, EVER!"  "I love you, Mom!"  More music to my ears!

4. The husband.  Went with me to the start.  Calmed my nerves. Drove to a bunch of different points on the race to take pictures and cheer me on.  Met me at the finish.  He's amazing.  

Finishing strong!  Yay for me!

5.  Wonder of wonders, this was a remarkably easy run.  Keeping the pace slow helped tremendously, and the weather was absolutely PERFECT.  I'm amazed that I was totally comfortable the whole way.  Never felt tired or out of breath.  It was a little Memorial Day Weekend miracle, folks.

I'm happy to say that my right ankle was not a HUGE issue, however, it was definitely an issue so it will need some sorting out before Grandma's.  It got pretty painful and then the left ankle started bitching too, so I'm guessing it's my faulty anatomy.  Shoe inserts, maybe?  

Here are my splits.  (My official time was 3:45:24.  Garmin Electra time is faster because apparently, unlike Garmin Electra, the "official" clock doesn't get paused when you use the porta-potty.)  Had to stop and stretch the old hip a couple of times during mile 18.  Please note that my last mile (which I have obnoxiously highlighted) was my fastest.  Yeah, baby!!!

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	03:44:19	20.00	11:12
1	00:11:21	1.00	11:21
2	00:11:24	1.00	11:24
3	00:11:11	1.00	11:11
4	00:11:34	1.00	11:34
5	00:11:15	1.00	11:15
6	00:11:05	1.00	11:05
7	00:10:57	1.00	10:57
8	00:11:34	1.00	11:34
9	00:11:00	1.00	11:00
10	00:10:36	1.00	10:36
11	00:11:16	1.00	11:16
12	00:10:48	1.00	10:48
13	00:11:24	1.00	11:24
14	00:11:11	1.00	11:11
15	00:10:53	1.00	10:53
16	00:11:11	1.00	11:11
17	00:11:33	1.00	11:33
18	00:11:52	1.00	11:52
19	00:11:31	1.00	11:31
20	00:10:32	1.00	10:32
21	00:00:02	0.00	10:00

the king and I

So, remember my Get in Gear race where it poured rain and I decided I needed a new jacket?  Well, last night I bought one for today's race out of desperation because I KNEW it was going to rain.  Or at least, that's what the Weather Channel told me and I always believe the Weather Channel.  

Anywhoo, I found a red jacket at the running store when I went in to get my race packet.  The jacket looked just fine in the store, the price was right (sale!) and the sleeves were long enough for my orangutan arms.  So I bought it.  

I tried it on again at home and thought, "Holy crap, I'm channeling Michael Jackson."  

I wore it anyway.  

We already share a birthday, so why not ride his coat tails (so to speak) to snazzy fashion history?

The King 'o Pop (LA Times)

My new jacket is a Thriller!

I should totally get some matching red pants too.  That would soooo complete the ensemble!!

Here's something that's funny: when I was driving to the race this morning, "Thriller" came on SiriusXM.  I can't even remember the last time I heard that song but there it was.  I took it as some sort of sign but still haven't figured out what the heck said sign was supposed to indicate.

So.  The race.

Northern Lakes 30k.  That's 18.64 miles, people.  

It went well!  I ran with the 11:00 mile pace group and ended with an "official" pace of 11:10 over all.  My first time running with a pacer and it was great.  Super nice guy, he even took pictures of us!  (When I get my photo, I'll add it to the blog.  Unless it's hideous, of course.) Official time was 3:27:57, but I was a little faster than that - there was no starting mat so that's gun time and of course, we slowpokes started at the very end of the line.  My not-so-trusty Garmin Electra let me down today.  It quit - shut off COMPLETELY - right after mile 16.  I had 'er plugged in overnight and this morning before we left the house, that lying tart told me she was 100% charged up and ready to go.  My pace up through the end of mile 16 was 10:59 min/miles, with a time of 2:55:33.  My pace remained pretty consistent so I think I ended up with about 11:03 min/miles. 

So why do you think she just shut down completely at the end of 16 miles?  I have to figure that out before my next long run (20 miles!!!!) in two weeks. 

Anywhoo, I had looked at the finish times for the last couple of years and was pretty concerned I would be dead last.  The field is small (about 120) and based on past race history, pretty much everyone is way faster than me.  My hip has been bugging me, my knees seem to both have Baker's cysts now,  I've had to NOT do kettlebell while my muscle tear heals, and I am getting concerned that maybe my body just doesn't have the cojones to run 26.2 miles.  

But, I decided that finishing last was something with which I could deal.  Better to finish last than not at all.

As promised - photo from pacer Matt.  I think
it was somewhere around mile 15.
Thanks Matt!

The good news is that the hip pain wasn't nearly as awful as last weekend.  I didn't have to walk (other than the water stops) and I just really concentrated on my form and not getting sloppy when I get tired.  It wasn't a walk in the park, but it also wasn't as hard as last weekend's 18 miler.  Yay for that!!

It was a crappy, crappy day, weather-wise.  Cold. Rain. Wind. My hat almost blew off a couple of times.  So my Thriller jacket was a good call.  And I totally rocked it!