#10 in 2013 - Turtle Krawl 5K

The Turtle Krawl 5K at Nance Park was my 10th race in 2013.  This is touted as running for the turtles and how fitting since I still run almost at a turtle's pace!  Although I did not PR this year, I shaved off almost 9 minutes from last year's time! That was all I really wanted to achieve on this race and I did.  What made this race even more special was that two of my best friends and a fellow teacher ran the race as their first ever 5K!   It makes me so happy that I have encouraged my friends to try running.  They may not continue on with any more but at least I got them to go out and try!

There was nothing new about the race; same course, same heat, same awesome t-shirt, and the same overall well organized event.  What was different was that there was a record close to 2200 participants this year! The organizers did an excellent job at getting these many runners to the start by providing shuttles so that there was no jockeying for limited parking spaces closer to the venue.  The after race food and refreshments was a aplenty that from the looks of it, no came out hungry or thirsty after.  They even had coconut water!  As for my running what was different was that I didn't feel like I was dying from exhaustion this time around.  I also did more running than walking, thus, the faster finish.  I can attribute this easily to having run at least 9 races since last year and putting more miles on my running shoes in preparation for my first full marathon in December.  This will definitely be an annual race to run for my husband and I in support of the Sea Turtle Preservation Society.

I look forward to running more races with my friends and maybe you may want to run along with us.  I also look forward to completing 3 more races to achieve my 13in2013 goal!

Next race, Disney's Tower of Terror 10 miler on October 5! 

With two of my friends, Nahid and Monica.  This was their first 5K ever!

  

With my fellow teachers, Natalie and Michelle.  This is Michelle's first ever 5K and I am so proud that she came and conquered the race! (Photo courtesy of Natalie Marshall)

A sea of runners, getting ready to run for the turtles! (Photo courtesy of Natalie Marshall)

#8of13 races in 2013 - Run for the Gecko Hawaiian Luau 5K

I have now ran 8 races in 5 months, 7 of them 5Ks and a half marathon. This is well above the pace to reach my goal of running 13 races in 2013.  Today's run was another fun one and the last one in my race calendar until July.  To get in on the Hawaiian luau theme, I donned on a grass skirt, leis and a coconut bra.  I am really getting the hang of wearing a costume to theme races.  It is a lot of fun!  The only downside to today's race was the 5:45 am wake up time to get ready for a 7:15 am start.  I lazily pulled myself out of bed and got ready.  I usually eat an egg, toast and tea before I run a morning race.  However, with a very early wake up time, I didn't feel like cooking eggs much less eating any.  To get some fuel before the run I took 3 bites of cooked instant oatmeal and walked out the door.  I set my Jeff Galloway timer to a 2:00/1:00 run/walk interval (12 min/mi pace).  After a little glitch on the timer (wrong button pushed) I was on my way.  Having lost time reprogramming my timer, I finished at 38:09.  This is 3 minutes over my fastest at 35:43 just last month.  I am still running after a finish of under 30 minutes.  I know I will get there...in time.  For now, I will enjoy the fact that I can run and have been running injury-free.

Next race:  Firecracker 5K, July 4, Melbourne

Before and after the race.  Nice beach towel for all finishers to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Running Zone.

 

Over a thousand runners lined up behind the start line.   (Photo courtesy of Natalie Marshall)

My fellow teachers who have become running buddies!  

Race #5 of 13 recap: The anatomy of a run and the elusive negative splits

I ran my fifth race for 2013 and my third 5K on this past Saturday.   I was very tentative in signing up for this one so I didn't feel that excited feeling I usually get before I run a race.  Since I signed up the day before the race, I got a shirt two sizes larger than what I wear.  The forecast for the morning was in the 60s.  This was great. It had been in the 40s, even in the upper 30s, throughout the week.  I set my alarm to 6:00 am and settled in bed.  I had the most restless night and when the alarm sounded off, I begrudgingly hit the snooze button; and kept hitting it two more times.  I got up and dragged myself out of bed to prepare breakfast.  I usually eat a hard boiled egg, toast and hot tea before any morning run.  However, I didn't realize that we had run out of eggs!  So, I settled for just the toast and tea.  I debated whether to take a shower or skip it; I took one.  I felt the house was really cold so I knew it was nowhere near 60 degrees outside.  It was in fact 48 degrees!  Brrr...yes, for me down in Central Florida, this is downright cold!  I decided not to wear long running pants nor wear a long sleeve shirt.  I know that once the sun comes up it will be hot in no time. I was running late and the event was about 20 minutes away so I hurriedly attached my bib number and my shoe tag and left.

The race was a fundraiser for The Haven, a shelter for abused and neglected children.  It was definitely for a good cause and was reflected by the number of runners who were already at the venue.  This race was also different because the men ran at 7:30 am and the women started at 8:15 am.  I thought this was very interesting and a first one for me. When I got there, all the men had already gone through the finish line.  Since I decided to run at the last minute, I didn't go with anyone I knew.  When I got there, I didn't know anyone either.  It seemed that those who were there all knew each other!  I just stood on one side and waited for the lady in the blow horn to signal "GO".   I decided to check out the new headphones that I just unpacked from its case.  Big mistake!  The earplugs didn't fit my ears and it kept falling off!  The price I pay for getting it on clearance and not checking it out before using it in a run!

The temperature had gone up to about 52 degrees by the time we crossed "Start".  I've run in this venue before.  At each of the other runs the route always included a run up the bridge.  This race didn't. Instead it just looped around Downtown Melbourne twice.  Score one for me!  I decided that this will be the race that I will probably break 30 minutes!  So off I went.  A few yards into the run, I realized that I couldn't feel my feet hit the pavement!  I started to feel panicky.  Maybe that's a good thing so I can actually run faster, I thought.  That was the strangest thing ever.  I still don't have an explanation to it but eventually I started feeling them again.

I thought I was doing really well especially when I passed Mile 1 and the clock had my pace at 10:25!  I have never run a mile at this pace.  Momentarily, I thought, this is great!  However, this is where the run unraveled for me.  This happens at every 5k race I have ever run.  You see, my left (or is it the right) brain tells me "keep going" but the other side, and the more forceful side would say "that's a fast pace, you can slow down now"!  And that is exactly the remainder of this story.  A few yards after this mile marker, I decided to stop and walk.  Not because I was out of breath, nor because my legs were tired, but I just decided to stop and walk!  It's like I just hit a wall.  A wall running a 5K?  Really now, seriously? And when I start walking I lose all momentum.  I slow down even more and finishes at a time that I always feel should have been better.  I finished at 35:43.

It is true that running is not just a physical sport, it is mental as well.  When I ran my first 5K last year, I could hardly finish a mile without walking.  I have now surpassed that hurdle and can run 5Ks nonstop during my practice runs.  However, I have not overcome the hold that my brain has over my body's will to keep running in races.  Why is it so difficult to win over this?

Do you have any suggestions on what this runner should do?

Race #3 for 2013 - Berry Patch 5K

For the second year in a row, I ran the Berry Patch 5K.  This year the race fell on my birthday which is also St. Patrick's day!  At race start, the temperature was a cool 52 degrees.  My younger daughter, Megan, Rita Chavez and her boys, Chase and Carson, and Gloria joined me this year.  Since this event coincides with the Annual Strawberry Festival sponsored by the Habitat for Humanity, runners were treated to a plate of strawberry pancakes and sausage after the race with coffee from Dunkin Donuts.

Just like any other 5K that I've run, I go in never thinking that I am running a race.  I'm there just to run. I love the feeling of exhilaration after the run that it doesn't matter what time I finish.  Oh, don't get me wrong.  For a split second I would think that I should run faster to beat my previous 5k finish times but somehow that never works!  I did finish under my time last year by a mere seconds but it is enough for me.  I finished at 37:34, a decent 12:06 pace.

Megan, Chase and Carson earned medals in their respective age groups!  Rita and Gloria also finished with good time finishes!  I appreciate their running with me to celebrate my birthday.  Till next year, ladies, I hope.

Looking forward to Race #4; the ReRun 5K on Saturday!

My daughter, Megan, and me before the race.  

And we're off!  (Photo courtesy of Reuben Chavez)

Between miles 1 and 2 (Photo courtesy of Reuben Chave

At the finish! (Photo courtesy of Reuben Chavez)

Chase, Carson, and Megan with their medals (Photo courtesy of Reuben Chavez) 

Rita and Gloria came to celebrate my birthday run with me (Photo courtesy of Gloria Abad Suan)

Photo courtesy of John Redrup (Habitat 5K)

Princess Half-Marathon training update

33 days till the big day!

February 24 is slowly but surely creeping up!  Training is back in full swing after a slight set back due to lack of motivation after my husband left overseas before the holidays.  Yes, my husband is in the Philippines to complete six months of teaching service at a local university.  He was my running buddy, and quite honestly, the one who would make me go out and run.  After he left early in December, I suffered from post-departure running "depression" so I did not run.  After a couple of weeks, I decided I have to shake the monkey off my back.  I laced my running shoes, put on running shorts and a shirt, plugged my earphones in my ears, set my ipod to Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger", stepped out the door, hit start on my phone app and ran!

At this first run, I ran a 5K along our usual route at 38:35.  A week later, I ran a PR of 35:14!  At my first ever 5K some ten months prior, I ran a 42:17!  Seven minutes off my first 5K, woohoo! This is such an accomplishment for one couch potato who was averse to running!  The only explanation I have for having run this fast is that I ran fast and almost nonstop.  I usually stop after having run, oh, maybe 500 yards.  Today, I kept running and before I knew it, I had gone a mile without stopping!  I also attribute this speed to wanting to get home before it got dark!  I could see headlights on cars as I took my turn to head back.  I believe the fear of running in the dark, alone, is why I ran fast that day!

I have since gone back to the Jeff Galloway training, albeit modified, and happy to report that I have not missed a scheduled run yet!  I run Tuesdays and Thursdays for 30-45 minutes.  This is how long it usually takes me to run between 2.5-3.5 miles at every run.   On alternating Saturdays, I do a long run.

On January 12, I ran 6.12 miles at 1:22!  This was my first long run since I ran for 7.28 mi on November 22!  I started later in the morning than I planned so when I finished it was almost noon and the heat was unrelenting.  I made it home sans injuries but an hour later, I could feel my muscles tense up and I was slow to get up and walk.  I slept through the afternoon and went for a massage to soothe my tired muscles later in the day.

This week, I did my regular 3-mile runs as my training continues.  With barely 4 more weeks before the race, I hope to do two more long runs of 8 and 10 miles in two weekends.  If I had stayed with the 22-week Galloway training schedule, I would have run 12.4 miles on January 26 and 14 miles on February 9 followed by short runs until race day.  I hope that running at least 10 miles before race day will get me through to the finish line.

I am equally excited and nervous as the big race day approaches. I do have a renewed resolve to keep training after seeing some of my friends finish the recently concluded Disney Goofy Half- and Full-marathons!  I am looking forward to crossing the finish line at the Disney Half, just as they did!

Turtle Krawl 5K

     After a long hiatus from running, my husband and I ran the Turtle Krawl 5K in Indialantic on September 15.  There were close to 2000 runners and the course was great.  What I was not prepared for was the heat, and oh, running for 5K!  Not training before running is not a good idea.  Halfway through the course, I could feel my thighs starting to tighten and feel heavy. Nevertheless, buoyed by the excitement and the similar look of exhaustion from my fellow runners, I pushed on and finished the course in 45:34 minutes.  As one of my friends said, it's not how fast or slow you run, but that you do!

These are my running essentials:

1. My running shoes with #465 D-tag.

2.  #465 - My runner number.

3.  My shirt. 

4. ipod - loaded with running music including my power song, Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger".

Miscellaneous perks from organizers or vendors

Canvas goody bag filled with advertising supplement for future runs, a granola bar, a shirt and a D-tag

Another bag from Absolutely Natural

Drinks from Starbucks and Nathan's

Carb reload courtesy of Publix and other vendors. Running almost becomes worth it with all of these freebies at the end of the run.

Was able to snag this most plump chocolate chip cupcake.  Everybody was eyeing it as I walked to the car!

The results - 45:54 at a pace of 14:47 per mile.

My running hubby, I mean buddy.

5 K

If you know me well enough, you probably would put a question mark after my name when I say 5K! As one would have it, Ralph and I have taken up a sport that is the farthest from what anybody we know would have thought we would ever do.  But, run, we have!  We ran our first ever 5K at the Melbourne Music Marathon in Downtown Melbourne this past February.  It was equally exhilarating as it was physically draining.  We had about two weeks to train - well, it was more like walk/run just enough to have endurance to cross the finish line!  I was both excited and scared on race day, maybe more scared than excited, really.  Surprisingly, I not only finished the race but actually finished in a little over 40 minutes!

My next run was the Melbourne Strawberry Festival a couple of weeks later . This was actually how I celebrated my birthday!  Ralph didn't run with me today, so I went with a little apprehension about my will to finish.  You see, Ralph was my cheerleader and the one who kept pace with me so I would keep running till the finish at the first 5K.  Thankfully, I had several friends who celebrated my birthday and ran with me.  Not only did I finish the race, I actually improved on my time by about 2 minutes.  The ultimate prize was a super delicious strawberry pancake breakfast prepared festival volunteers! 

On March 31, Ralph, Megan, and I ran the Game Day 5K at the Viera Stadium.  The best part of the run was coming into the stadium behind center field and running to the plate to finish the race!  My goal coming into the race was to improve on my last run's time.  However, it wasn't meant to be this time.  For the first time since I started running, I had side stitches.  It came on after I drank water at the water stop and then running on a down slope.  It cut my time for the race because I had to walk for about a mile of the 3.1 mi!  Nevertheless, it was still a fun run especially that Megan ran with us.

Happy smiles after the run!

To end our season of running, Ralph and I ran at the Melbourne Art Festival 5K in Downtown Melbourne at the end of April.  There were several hundred runners who ran that day and the food at the end of the run was awesome!  We even had mango smoothies!  The course was a beast!  We ran up and back of the Melbourne Causeway -twice!  I tell you, I was cursing as I was running on the second uphill run on the back stretch!  I have never trained for uphill running and boy did I wish I did. I thought I would lose a lot of time today yet I actually improved from the last time I ran at a similar (minus the second run up the Causeway) course in February.  I finished at 39:22 which was about a minute under my first run here! 

I have no plans of running again until the fall.  It is just so hot out there.  We still do run along Lake Washington Rd. every now and again just so we would be prepared when the running season (cooler weather) starts up again.

Running is a sport that was the farthest from our minds to get started.  In fact, I have always wondered how runners can just keep on running for miles!  After getting started with it, now I understand how and why runners do it.  It is grueling, don't get me wrong, but the endorphins that rushes in after the run is so great that it energizes you.  After the 3rd race, I actually felt more active after the run!  I don't know how long Ralph and I can keep running since we are both up there in age and the knees do get a beating, but for as long as they don't totally give in, we will keep running!  Why don't you come and join us in one of these runs sometime?

Future 5K runs that we are considering on running this year:

Turtle Krawl 5K Run/Walk - Indialantic, September 15
Ghostly Geckos 5 K - Eau Gallie Civic Center, October 20
Pumpkins in the Park 5K - Cocoa Village, October 26
Ascension Eagle Pride 5k/1K - TBD, November 10
Disney Family Fun Run 5K - January 11, 2013

Bucket List Runs

Disney Princess Half Marathon - February 24, 2013