San Felipe Shoot Out 5K Race Report, Or, My Slowest 5K Ever

I did not know this would be one of the crazier races I've ever done, but oh, it WAS.

I was excited about this, initially, because I thought it provided a good reason to go camp near home for only one night.  I was even more excited that they had primitive shelters and I was able to reserve one.  I was concerned in the week leading in to the race because of all the rain we had been getting.  I kept checking the website to see if they'd call it.  They never did, so I figured it would be ok.

We got to the park and got all set up and picked up my packet and then it was basically dark.  (This was Friday night).  By the way, the shirt for this race is BAD ASS.

I slept well, yay air mattress!  There was a gentle rain that night, but yay shelter!

The next morning I woke up and spent an epically long time in a bathroom line, then headed to the start.

What struck me at the start was that these people are HARD CORE.  I guess that makes sense.  I mean the concept of the actual "Shootout" race was run a 5K, then a 10K, then a Half all in order.  So yeah, there were some serious serious runners standing around.   There were also jokers in floaties, and I really REALLY didn't get what an omen that was.

They started us off all together and I started near the back, knowing I was seriously outclassed.  This was supposed to be fun for me.  Less than 100 yards into the race there was a looooooong puddle.  Puddle may not be an accurate description.  There was a probably 50ft section of trail under 3 inches of water.  And people were running straight through it.  I was all D'FUQ???  I picked my way on the side, trying to keep my feet dry.

About 50 feet farther on, I got it.  We came up on another long underwater section, and this one went around a bend and there was no telling how long it actually was.  I gave up and went in.  It was COLD!

From there it was more of the same, little mud, long "puddle", little mud, long "puddle".  No rinse.  Lots of repeat.  Then we went down a hill through a creek, but it was still only maybe knee level and very short - maybe 20ft long.  I figured that'd be the worst of it.

Boy was I wrong.

What is important to note about those 2 photos is THERE IS NO END IN SIGHT.  It is also important to note that this is not the deepest we went through.  This is just the only time I felt secure enough to take a picture.  No, I'm not kidding.

There was one section that was literally chest deep on me, and they had two volunteers (heroes) standing on either end of a BRIDGE that was under 4 feet of muddy water, and the first guy said, ok, you're about to step on a bridge that is about 2 ft wide.  You need to walk straight to the other guy to stay on it.  DUUUUUUUUUUDES.

Then after that there was another looooooooooong waist deep river section.  Like 200 yards long.  Then we looped around on the driest part of the course that I saw all day, then did it again.  Then finished.

It. Was. Insane.

So anyways, it took me just under an hour.  I think the final was 59:40.  No joke.  My slowest 5K ever by more than 20 minutes.  Totally justified, though.  Hardest 5K EVAR.  And don't forget craziest.

I think part of what is the craziest about the craziest 5K ever is that it wasn't even meant to be a crazy one.  It was just meant to be a trail run and then we got like a foot of rain in the week ahead and suddenly it was this epic thing.  Don't get me wrong - I would totally do it again.  Because what an experience!

Anyways, I had to shower after to get the mud off.

Then I took pics.

Then we went over to San Felipe de Austin Historic Site and there were bluebonnets!

It came!!!!

Lookie lookie lookie! My very first age group WIN medal!!! Squee!!

Piney Woods TrailFest 5K Race Report

I ran this race 5 years ago, when I was about 4 months postpartum.  I remember liking it, loving running through nature.  This year I sort of defaulted to it - I wanted something in late January, and it was close-ish to home.

I should begin by saying: I have NOT been running.  I mean not at all.  Not since the Santa Stampede 5K back in early December.  So the trail run also appealed to me because I knew it would naturally be slower than a normal 5K, and I'd need to walk around obstacles, etc, so I figured I would both survive and also not get too caught up in time.

The folks that organize this race are super laid back, so I try to go into it with that attitude.  There were conflicting messages about timing, etc - I just went with it.  They are also very reasonable - they ended up doing two starts so no one got screwed by their conflicting messages.  Good people.

Start of the race: indoor restrooms and a swingset for the Z = WINNING.  Packet pick-up was quick and easy once I figured out where to go.  Race briefing held next to the generator without a megaphone = inaudible.  All I got was go right where the 10 milers go left.  Cross my fingers!

And we were off.  Ran just a little bit on the road, over the bridge, and then into the woods.  I started quite near the back and by some miracle, I started just at the appropriate place - very little passing or getting passed.  Once we were in the woods, I was behind two women who were clearly going to chat the whole time.  They were right about the same speed as me, but their chatting was interrupting my silence, and they were choosing to walk in some spots where I still wanted to run, so I made a pass as soon as I could.  That was actually a mistake, since I could hear their chatting even louder from in front of them.  It was frustrating me so badly that I finally pulled over to the side and waited for them to pass me and let them get over a hundred yards ahead of me before I continued on so I wouldn't have to listen to them.  (I figured out after I saw the results that this along with one other thing probably cost me a PR, but whatever, it was worth it.)  Then I was running along in beautiful woods and lovely silence.  I glanced at my watch and realized I had been running for 10 minutes, but I felt no need for a break.  I lightfooted over some roots and some icky ground and felt goooooood.  Very good.  I did have a trip and a gentle twist of my right ankle on a tree root somewhere before I passed the chatters, but it wasn't an issue.

Then I heard the thump of someone falling in front of me and I came back on one of the chatters on the ground.  I slowed, but she was already being helped and insisting that she was fine, so I passed hoping to get far enough ahead to not have to listen to her again.

Eventually in this race you come out onto a dirt/gravel road and run maybe a mile on it.  Everyone was well spread out at this point.  All the turns and trails were well marked, and even though I spent a lot of time running alone I never worried that I was lost.

At the 2 mile aid station, I turned right for the 5K when the 10 milers went left.  I didn't feel the need for water and so ran through the aid station - at this point I hadn't stopped for any walk breaks other than 5-10 steps here and there to get around mud spots.  There weren't too many mud spots this year.  Eventually I turned left off the road and back into the woods.  This was the only turn that was poorly marked - the sign was about 20 feet past the turn, and I was assuming that I'd be turning AT the sign.  One of the volunteers was yelling at me to turn left and I was thinking, "I know, but I'm not there yet" when it turns out I had already passed it.  Anyways, that was quickly fixed and I was back in the woods.

The second woody section was harder.  I don't pick up my feet as well towards the end and I was struggling more with my footing.  My quads were starting to feel dead.  At some point I looked at my watch and I had been running more than 30 minutes and I was SO PLEASED that my endurance was so good on zero run specific training.  Shortly after that I tripped and twisted my left ankle HARD.  I ran a few more steps and every heel strike on the left killed me, so I took my first and only real walk break to try to shake it off.  This was factor 2 in my lack of PR, but nothing I would/could have done differently.

I started running again after a minute or two, then got passed by a 20 miler (wow!) on her first loop.  She chatted a bit and then I could see the finish line.  P and Z took my picture as I ran by and then it was over.

Here follows the disappointment: there was supposed to be BBQ at the end, and beer.  None of that was ready.  We hung out about 45 minutes and it STILL wasn't ready and I was starting to get shaky due to hunger, so we left.  That really needs to be better done for next time.  I remember when I finished a few years ago everyone was already eating - what happened???

Anyways, yesterday I checked the results and 38:48 - missed a PR by 34 seconds.  But, BUT I WON MY AGE GROUP!!!!  Ok, now, granted, there were only 4 women in the 30-39 age group.  BUT I WON IT!  And by 4 minutes, too!  I'm totally stunned and I don't care how many qualifiers I attach or how few people were there, this is really cool for me!

Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot: Race Report

I did run the Turkey Trot this year, despite being woefully under-prepared for it.

Actually I ran the Kid K AND the Turkey Trot, so extra pie for me!

We headed up around 7:30, were able to easily pick up the packets, and then tool around for a while.

Kids K had better corralling than last year. Zoe did really well!!  She ran the whole thing with only one short walk break.  It was... muggy.  Which meant I was hot.

The good news was that shortly after that finish it started gently raining and cooled me down nicely.  The bad news was that the whole adult race was in and out of the rain and my glasses drove me NUTS.  Really really need to remember to wear contacts on rainy days.

It was as it always is - Austin is hilly.  Really hilly.  I never ever remember how evil those hills are.  I very very quickly decided to walk up and run the rest, and it worked well for me.  By mile 3 though, I was hurting.  And for some reason in there I had decided that it was a 10k so I suffered some mental anguish for a while before I realized it was only 5 miles and then I was all excited because I was "almost" done.

Final time: 1:05:18.9 at a pace of 13:04 per mile.

I got cold quickly after finishing, so stopped by Starbucks on the way back to the hotel for a nice warm chai.  As always the best way to start off Thanksgiving!  (Oh, also need to remember to take Ibuprofen after Turkey Trot.  I always forget and my legs always HATE me later because I follow the race with hours sitting in a car.)

P.S. P90X3 Day 3: Agility X.  My ass still hurts, and now my shoulder blades hurt.  Seriously.  The getting up this morning was very very difficult.

RUN ONE Race Report

I was SUPER excited when I heard there was a one mile race coming to Houston!

I mean, I wanted to work on speed, perfect.  It is hot as blazes out side and I can't run far without walking, so one mile = perfect.  It had great swag (tech SINGLET, medal, beer) = PERFECT!  I was totally in from the beginning and I even convinced Preston and Grasshopper to run it with me.

I didn't count on it being the Sunday after we got home Thursday from vacation so I hadn't run in 2 weeks, but you can't win them all.

We left our house at 5:45 to swing by Grasshopper's at 6:15.  Parking was easy and we were resting on a park bench by 6:35 for a 7:15 start.  There was a (lack of) toilet paper issue in the portacans, but otherwise the waiting was pleasant.

We lined up at the start and checked the weather.  72 degrees with 85% humidity.  Hot but tolerable.  And off we went.

Preston and I were running next to each other in the beginning and I told him that my goal for the race was to get to just under vomit-level and then hold it, and that is EXACTLY what I did.  He dropped me around a quarter mile in, but I kept sight of him for the whole race.

I loved the quarter mile markers, by the way.  Very helpful for pacing.

First quarter I think I went hard.  Second quarter I was trying to hold it.  Third quarter I started really struggling and at one point thought, ok, slow down a bit or you're going to have to walk or vomit, so I did.  Fourth quarter I knew I was home and I pushed as hard as I could, but I had basically no kick, which for me is good because I left it ALL out on the course. 

Once I was done I grabbed my medal and started walking it off.  I truly did feel like vomiting for at least 15 more minutes.  I headed back a little ways so that I could yell for Grasshopper when she came in.

Final time: 9:14.4.  I will admit - I was really really hoping for sub-9.  BUT I am pleased that I went hard and left it all out there.  You can't really be disappointed when you give it all you have.  This is a good benchmark for where I am as the weather starts turning and I start focusing on speed.  My splits were, shockingly, 4:35.6 and 4:38.7.  I really thought that the second half would have been much slower than my first, so again I'm super pleased with that.  It is fairly even pacing and it shows that I didn't slow as much as I thought I did when I started to struggle.  Also I was 37th overall (of the non-elite wave) out of 104, so that was cool!

I was pretty miffed at Preston's "natural talent" read: long legs.  He ran an 8:33 on absolutely zero training, the punk.

And Grasshopper was thrilled by a sub-13 time and no walking, so everyone came away pleased!

Nice banana, cup of breakfast mash from My Fit Foods, water, and we were off home by 8.  Another excellent benefit of such a short race!  This one's definitely going to go on my annual list!

What New Devilry Is This?

It is possible, just possible, that I might maybe be running in the Ragnar Hill Country Trail Relay in October.  I say possible because I do not yet have a confirmation and I have not yet given anyone any money.

How did this crazy thing occur, you ask?

Weeeeellll.... I saw one of my old HS friends post on Facebook that she was in training for this.  So I clicked on the link and was all insta-jealous.  I've posted on here before about how I'd love to do the TIR, and I still really really want to!  For her to have a team and be DOING a similar relay, wow!  So I posted something to that effect on Facebook and her response was "So join our team."  I waited over night.  I thought on it.  And the next morning, "Can I?" 

She got me in touch with the team captain and I think I'm in, although like I said, not holding my breath yet.

This would be an unexpected addition to my schedule, but soooooo very exciting!  Crossing my fingers!

Tejas Triathlon Race Report

Yesterday I did my second triathlon in May.

This is a funny one because I was feeling pretty pleased with myself until I looked at my splits this morning!

Let's talk it out.

Left the house at 4:50, transition was closing at 6:45 but the race was about an hour away.  Did a brilliant thing and stopped at a gas station about 5 miles from the race so I could take care of some business without a line and with a real toilet and more calm, given my wardrobe issues at the CB&I.  I should always do this.

Got to the parking lot, and the race packet said it was a .5 mile walk but it must have been at least a mile because it took forEVER to get there.

Got to transition, walked in and almost immediately realized I had forgotten my running shoes in the car.  Sent P back for them but it was going to be a near thing for him to get back before transition closed.

While I waited I set up my transition area, which was complicated because the chick next to me had like 10 people gathered around her talking, so I couldn't get through to my spot, then she had her bike racked in the wrong direction, but I wasn't 100% sure whether it was her or the chick on the other side - just knew someone was wrong, so had to find a ref, blah blah.  Anyways, got my spot all set up other than shoes, then headed for the bathroom (again).  Luckily there was a real one, and I was willing to stand in the line.  Did my business and managed to re-suit myself, then went to grab the camp chairs and pick a nice spot for P.  He made it back with LITERALLY 3 minutes to spare, and I got my shoes onto my towel and got out of transition.

I haven't yet mentioned the mud.  It was soooooo wet and muddy.  Houston has had flooding rains over the past week, and this tri was in a hard hit area.  I was actually checking the website on the morning of to confirm it was still happening, the rains were so severe in that area.

So once again my wave was second to last, so after transition closed, I ate a granola bar, applied sunscreen, got my swim cap on, and generally hung out a bit.  Watched several waves start and begin to finish, then headed over to line up. 

The water temperature was nice.  I was excited about the swim course because it was a long out, then a right turn.  Bouys would be on the right, which is to my advantage.  I lined up right beside the bouys, but about 4 ladies back (which was essentially the back row other than the ladies who decided to stand on the shore til the gun went off).  It was a freaking madhouse this time.  Lots of bodies all in the way.  Lots of contact.  I felt like it took forEVER for me to get some clear water.  I felt pretty good though, like I was holding my own.  I began passing ladies in the previous wave, and when I got near the turn it didn't look like I was too far behind the leaders of my wave.  That was weird because that was also when I got passed by the fasties of the following wave.  But I didn't freak out on that because that was the wave that included relay teams, and the people passing me were men.  I realize now that some of this was misleading because my wave included my age group, plus the 35-39 age group, and apparently they were the ones that I was pacing, now that I look at the very disappointing results.  I have GOT to figure out what is going so wrong on the swims that I am so much slower in open water than in the pool.

Swim: 16:45 for 2:48/100y

Transition, omg transition.  I was actually surprised when I saw this number because I was veeeerry disappointed with this transition.  Ran to area, was happy about all the bikes still there, stood on towel.  Put on run belt, arm sweatband gets stuck going on because of all the wetness, lost seconds here.  Put on sunglasses.  Put on helmet, sunglasses fogged.  Take off sunglasses, wipe with towel, put back on.  Try to dry feet/clean some of the insane amount of grass/mud off them.  Put on socks, put on shoes (I switched to Yankz, good move!).  Sunglasses have filled with water dripping off face, take off, say out loud, "Slowest transition EVER!", clean with towel, put back on again, grab bike, head out.  On the way realize that sunglasses are over helmet straps, take off again, put on correctly.

T1: 1:38  (Seriously, shockingly fast given all that!)

Head to bike mount line, 5 women spread all over road in front, have to wait a bit, but get some clear and get mounted.  Had mud all up in shoes so took a while to get feet positioned comfortably on the pedal grips.

Got going and was really pleased, maintaining a nice 17-18mph speed.  It was an out and back course and when we hit the first few hills I was excited about coming back because I'd get to go down them.  When I hit the turnaround, duuuuuude.  So disappointing.  I realized that I had had BOTH a tailwind AND a downhill false flat for most of the way out.  Speed dropped to a struggling 14mph.  Blarg.  Eventually I hit one of the turns and was able to pick it back up again.  And I must say I LOVE the 12 mile bikes.  Somehow that seems soooo much shorter than a 15!  By the time I was back in transition I was feeling very good about the bike despite my low point on course.

Bike: 43:13 for 16.7mph

Transition was no big deal.  Helmet off, grabbed a quick swig of water.  Struggled to place bike on rack because of how the other ladies had racked theirs, but managed it with a little finagling.

T2: 1:06

Ran out, was pleased to find almost immediate Gatorade.  There were a lot of people around, so even though my normal strategy is to walk to calm my heart rate and breathing before running, I kind of felt like I needed to run.  So I ran past Preston and people, and stopped to walk where it was calmer.  I had grabbed my phone, so started RunKeeper, stowed it in race belt, and adjusted hair.  Then began running with a 4:1 goal, that ended up being closer to a 3.5:1.5, which I was really pretty pleased with.  I'm aware that I need to work on some speed.  I also think maybe getting the old garmin out would help because I feel like some of my issues are mental out on the run.  It just feels like it kind of goes on forever!  With a garmin on I can use the numbers to encourage myself.

Run: 35:59 for 12:00min/mi.

Total: 1:38.42

Post race: I was very very very disappointed with the post race food.  They had run out of pizza completely.  They had raisen and plain bagels.  There were cookies which were quite good.  I also got watermelon (nice),  grapes (sour), and literally the most disgusting banana that I have ever eaten in my entire life.  It was like the starch hadn't turned to sugar.  I actually had to spit it out, it was so sick and wrong.

Then there was the looooong walk back to the car, followed by the quest for food (Taco C and Starbucks, yum!).

Ok, so the long view.  I had better T1, Bike, and T2.  My run was about the same, meh.  My swim, blarg, so disappointing.  All in all, I was really happy with my time, which is funny.  Based on the differences in distances from the CB&I, I was hoping for a sub-1:40, which I totally accomplished!  I just didn't get the time back where I expected it, which has me shaking my head.

Take-aways:  Still need speed.  SPEEEEEED!  Garmin for the run, RunKeeper isn't good enough because I can't see it easily.

Best Running Pic EVAR!

Channeling my inner Crissie Wellington.

CB&I Triathlon Race Report

I trained for a triathlon after I had the kid, but I got super sick the night before and never ran it.  Then I got distracted by other things - the crazy half marathon (series of) incident(s), the MS150, etc.  This triathlon, ironically, kind of happened on a whim, and because of the MS150.  You see, there is this lady at ex-work who is a great biker.  One day I was chatting with her and I was expressing my worry over completing the MS150 and she was telling me she figured I'd be fine because I'm a triathlete.  (This is a misconception, as we all know.  One kind of athletic fitness does not necessarily translate into another.  PLUS I hadn't done a tri in something like 5 years!)  And then she told me she had signed up for an Ironman.  I used to want to do an Ironman.  I started this blog all those years ago because of all those triathlon, and specifically Ironman training blogs.  I've never done one, obviously, and I'm at the point where I no longer think I will.  But I am so grateful to the community for getting me started on triathlons because I love them!  So I got super excited and asked her a few questions: have you run a marathon?  No.  Can you swim?  No.  WOW.  Ok, well then, might I suggest a little sprint triathlon that I love called the CB&I so you can get your feet wet?  She said she'd do it if I did it.  So I did.

Fast forward to a week ago.  One of the reasons I've always loved the CB&I is they do an open water swim the week before which in hugely valuable to not freaking out on race day.  This year it got cancelled due to weather, so that was a total bummer.

Fast forward to Friday night.  ANOTHER reason I love the CB&I is they let you do a bike drop off the night before, which I love because it makes race morning that much easier.  So Friday night I picked up my packet, got body marked (the nice marker offered to put my number on Z's arm, and what a great idea!  She felt included, she was supporting me, but it also would have been a great tool if she had gotten lost), and played with the ducks a bit.  I had a STELLAR spot in transition, by the way.  Really great!  Then I went to the Astros game (9 game winning streak, y'all, and the tickets were free!!  I couldn't turn it down even though it was the night before my first tri in 5 years and I should have been sleeping.).

Saturday morning we woke up at 5, were in the car by 5:35 and out of Shipleys by 5:45.  This was PERFECT timing, so I want to put it here for posterity.  Freaking perfect.  By the time we got there and got parked and made it to transition, I only had about 15 minutes to set up my gear.  Which I did.  Then I stood in line for the real bathroom, totally worth it.  And omg my new tri suit!  I totally love it but it is a freaking NIGHTMARE in the restroom.  It is sooooo hard to put on without getting the sports bra all twisted.  I messed up bigtime in the bathroom and ended up hiding in the woods with my boobs out trying to fix it, no lie.

Then I sat on the side of the lake for 45 minutes and watched the MILLION waves that were before mine go off.  (Seriously - that is my one complaint this year.  Don't announce the course cut offs a mere week before the race, and if you do, let your slower athletes go first.  Literally, the man who won the race was FINISHING while I was in the water.)

Got in line with my wave, saw the ex-work chick who was freaking out.  It was actually kinda nice - I get way more freaky for triathlons than I do for runs or rides, but I was totally zen in the face of her freak-out.  Got in the 75 degree water (lots of peeps in wetsuits, but I just don't get it for a sprint), lost my breath, lined up to the far outside but in the first row, and off we went!

I always forget how freaky open water feels.  It is weird to say that because I always intellectually remember.  I remember that I will be freaked and that it will be impossible to see and hard to breathe, but even though I remember it, the feeling always shocks me.

I put my face down in the water and started swimming and lost my breath and fought to keep it under control.  Breathing twice as often, self-soothe, try to find a smooth stroke, look up and sight, omg it is cold, arg I'm scared I'm off my line, sight, ack people everywhere, screw it just try to swim straight, keep breathing it will get easier, etc.  Basically all the way to the first turn bouy, where the number of people thinned out and I was freaking out less.  Sighting really jacks with me.  I am swimming the whole time afraid that I'm off course, and the mental questioning takes me away from focusing on the swimming.  It is so weird.  It is so different than normal swimming, which is massively peaceful for me!

Swim time: 13:09 for 2:37/100  (This was disappointing - I was expecting 11ish from my pool swimming.)

Ran in, grabbed water, slowed to a walk, 5 rows to bike, stand on towel, put on shades, helmet, run belt, dry feet, put on shoes, and done.  Loooooong run out of transition to the bike mount. 

T1: 2:50

Saw two people go down trying to mount and was infinitely pleased at how much better I am at biking.  I got on and it felt like an old friend at this point.  Just 15 miles?  Easy, not even a training ride.

BUT, need to make that cutoff.  Checked the time, knew I would make it, but set a goal to hammer anyways.  This is the best trained I've ever been on a bike, let's see how fast I can do a timed trial.

It turns out not that fast.  (I'll come back to this.)  58:53 for 15.3mph

For memory's sake, the course was mostly flat with some very mild uphill in the beginning, mild downhill at the end.  There was a headwind on the way out.  There are several several turns.  If you divided the course into 4 parts, for me it was slow, fast, slow, fast.

T2: 1:15

I'm actually not even sure why this is so long, except the awkward running with bike bit.  Literally all I had to do was rack the thing and take off the helmet and I was done.  I actually stood there stupidly for maybe 5 seconds thinking surely I forgot something because that was too easy.  And then out I ran.

Oooooh, the running.  No bricks yet this year.  No bricks in maybe 4 years?  Almost forgot the crazy noodley feeling in my quads off the bike.  Ran to the water stop, just to try to shake it out.  Then walked up a hill.  Then starting running again with a goal of running 4 minutes, then walking til I felt like I wasn't going to die, and repeating ad infinitum.

That was actually working pretty well for me.  When I was running I wasn't displeased with my speed.  When I was walking I was focusing on slowing my breathing and heart rate and just making it to the finish.

I started going back and forth with this woman.  She was running slow, so I'd pass her running, then she would pass me walking.  After a few times, she asked if we were going to keep playing tag and I said it looked like it.  So the next time, I asked her her name, told her mine, etc.  The next time I looked at her left calf and OMG y'all, she was 13 years old.  THIRTEEN.  What an AMAZING kid!  I struck up a convo with her and actually chatting with her got me running a bit more than I was planning on.  She does lots of triathlons and is a part of a team and knows kids as young as 10 doing it.  When we rounded the corner on the way back, she saw her people and I told her to go be awesome.  She finished about 100 yards ahead of me and waited for me to cross the line.  It was a total honor to get to run with such a determined young athlete.

35:20 for 11:19mph

I collected my well-earned medal and went in search of food and family.  Frankly, I was wandering around rather aimlessly in transition trying to figure out how to get to the food.  Finally made it and went through the line, getting one of everything, and still had no idea where family was.  I was guessing the playground, and while I didn't see them, I did see the camp chairs (BRILLIANT idea, btw), and collapsed and let them find me.  Sat around for quite a while listening to music and the awards and eating and watching Z play, then headed home.

Takeaways: Bring camp chairs for family, get better at using tri-suit, being well-trained for long distances doesn't make me speedy - time to get shorter and speedier, need hand-held hydration for the run, always get Z body-marked with my number, try a faster tempo with swim stroke, bring the Garmin for the run, I LOVE TRIATHLON!!

Rhythm and Blues 5K Race Report

On Friday I got this email from a friend of mine from work with a last chance to sign up for R&B races.  She had asked me several times if I was going to do this race and I was tempted, but not sure because of MS150 training.  It was on a Sunday, so ideal to not interfere with a ride, but I wasn't sure how my legs were going to take the riding, so I never signed up. 

But as I've mentioned, my legs seem to be adapting very well with minimal soreness the next day.  That has been the most amazing thing when I compare cycling to running - running has 48 hours of soreness for me.  Cycling is only same day then done.  So when I got the email from my friend, I was all what the hell, I'll do it.

She was also nice enough to pick up the packet for me!  And I was able to park at her place which was about 1.5 miles from the start/finish.

The race was well organized.  The tech shirt is very cool with the Houston skyline around the bottom.  There were 3 bands along the 5K course, which were great!  And there was a medal at the end.

The course was Allen Parkway.  Not my favorite, but good hill practice.  My time wasn't stellar... I'm guessing around 32 minutes (the official times aren't up yet), but that isn't a surprise given that I rode 38 miles the day before!  In fact, truly the surprise was that I ran as much as I did.  I made the first mile with no walk breaks, the second mile with 2, and the third mile as needed.

With the exception of the water right at the finish line (THANK YOU for that!), the refreshments at the end were a bit frustrating.  Just two tiny tents and you needed to turn in a ticket for your one time through the line.  So already at the end of the 5K there was a big long line.  And then a grumpy lady yelling that you can only have one of each type of thing.  Not my favorite.  For the price we paid (and I'm assuming the 10k and Half paid even more), I'd prefer that they just get ENOUGH food for everyone, instead of artificially limiting the food.

Then I wandered back to my car and home to EAT ALL THE THINGS for the second day in a row.  That was actually my major overarching feeling Sunday afternoon - hungry and tired.

All in all, a very successful training weekend!  And my body seems to be adapting very well.  I couldn't be more pleased.

Race Planning and the MS150

The truth of the matter, of course, is I have signed up for the MS150 in hopes of curing myself from my bike spazziness.  In an attempt to properly prepare myself, I'm going to ride with Ready 2 Roll to train and prepare me for group riding.  Because even though I've ridden in triathlons, that is very solo, and I'm very aware that this will be very different.

As a part of that, I'm riding Pedal the Prairie and Head for the Hills.  Not sure what distances yet.

I've also gotten my crazy out and gone ahead and signed up for the CB&I Triathlon.  I figure the MS150 is just good training for that, right?  And I have every intention of starting a regular swim program once I get the gym membership at the new job, so I'll be easily ready for that part of it, which really just leaves the run.  And I can run (ok, maybe walk) 5K practically in my sleep, especially if my aerobic engine is prepped with all this other stuff.  So yeah.  Triathlon 2 weeks after MS150.  Eep!

Probably will do the little 5K in conjunction with my annual work conference in April as a tune-up.

Am planning on the Turkey Trot, obviously.

I just realized if I do a run in January, I'll be on track to do one per month through May... hmmm.... don't want to overcommit to a race a month and set myself up for failure, but don't want to rule it out so early in the year either... maybe I'll look for a little January quickie...

Real Life

In the past 8 days since we've spoken, I've biked 4 times and done Booty Barre (still OUCH) another time.  I'm not exactly thrilled and proud of this, BUT I'm not ashamed, either.  It isn't what I want it to be, but it isn't nothing.  It is something, it is a start, and I will continue trying to improve.

This morning was an improvement.  Yesterday morning I was totally knocked out.  Slept in.  Skipped my workout.  This morning I got up and got on the bike.  Baby steps.

Also, I may be CRAZY.  Oh, heck, I know I'm totally cray cray, because I signed up for the Awesome 80's 5K on the 25th.  I haven't run since October.  Oh yeah.  This is gonna hurt!  But it looks like fun and there is a (supposedly DARTH VADER!!!) finisher's medal and I can even go with Z in the stroller and Grasshopper (who is really more like Master now that she's running Halfs (!!So proud!!) and I'm whining about a 5K) is going to be there.  So, yeah.  It's gonna hurt but I'm totally looking forward to it!

I Think I'm Back

Something about the new year always makes me want to blog.  That whole introspective, retrospective thing that I do makes me want to get it all down on paper.

Of course, that is even easier since I haven't been blogging, I know I'm not re-stating myself. :-P

2013's resolution was to find happiness.  Did I succeed?  No.  No, not really.  I'm still just as confused as I was before.  And I wouldn't say I exist in a state of more happiness.  What I would say is that I tried to live more for myself.  Which is something that can be really difficult for new moms to do.  And I think I succeeded in that.  I also tried to take care of some of the stuff that was definitely making me unhappy, and I think I had some success there too.  So while I might not be seeing rainbows and butterflies everywhere, I do think I'm more... stable?  content?  than I was before.

But I have also let some things slide.  So here is the mega update, and then tomorrow I'll post my goals for the new year.

On working out:
It was a tough year for me.  For the first 4 months of the year, when I was living at AD house, I was afraid to run outside, but I was a good girl and did a lot of P90X, and then when I'd be at home I couldn't run outside because of the Z, so I biked a lot on the trainer.  I did run/walk the Heatherington Fun Run with Grasshopper, and that was one of only two races I completed this year, the other being the Stallion Stampede 5K, which I should really do a report on some time.... I was signed up for the Thundercloud Sub Turkey Trot 5 miler in Austin, but I was sidelined by a really really bad bout of bronchitis in mid October that I am only just now feeling almost completely over (except a pulled muscle from all the coughing that persists in my left side near the bottom of my rib cage).  That did turn into the Kid's first Tot Trot, though!  And she did great!

On home life:
We bought a new house.  It seems kind of crazy based on everything that has been going on, but there is this part of me that thinks it may be just what we need.  It is essentially the same size, but one story, newer, and in much better condition.  It is less than a mile from the old house, and even closer to my parents.  It all happened very quickly - my dad was out for a walk one day and called me thinking we might be interested.  We went and looked and I actually thought P was going to nix it, but he didn't.  So the next weekend we went and looked at a few comps and decided to make an offer!  We've been in it about 5 weeks now, and tomorrow's post I'll outline some to-dos.  (Some = A LOT.)  But I'm proud of us because I feel like we are getting accomplished every single day, and that is muuuuuuch preferable to me than the stagnation I was feeling in the old place.

On the Kid:
She's 3 now.  She started reading (i.e. sounding words out, not just memorizing) just after her 3rd birthday.  She is active and precocious and beautiful and frustrating. :-)  She loves to draw and color and play dress up and sing and dance.  She loves her kitties (of which there are 4 (FOUR!) now).  Her best friend's name is Scarlett.  They were born on the same day, so we did a joint birthday party at the Children's Museum and they had a blast!  She also did swimming lessons this summer and I was so proud of how hard she worked and how quickly she was learning.  Her hair is almost to her waist, still very thin and soft and curly at the ends.  Not as red as mine, but I'm still calling it red.  She is practicing really hard now at hopping on one foot.

On AD house:
We did finally rent it out the second half of the year.  Those tenants are gone (we knew they were short term), but we have a lease signed and ready to go that starts tomorrow!  We managed to get all of the floors redone, 2 new window units in, and today is the last day of work for repainting and sheetrock repair.  We think this new tenant (friend of P's family) will hopefully be a 6 monther, at least.

On books:
My committee is winding down.  This year we had to have all books ready by early December.  So I must say I'm enjoying some VERY light reading of stuff that I want to read for the first time in 2 years!

On work:
This year was the hell that I expected it to be.  We are finally up and running on the new system (since July) but I am still working to convert all of our old processes over.  But I can finally, finally see the silver lining.

By the numbers:
1.5 million records migrated to the new system
411 miles biked
91 miles run
38 books read
8 trips (Salt Lake, Cleveland, Austin, Fredericksburg, Big Bend, Dallas, Ft Worth, Galveston)
5 kittens rescued
3 houses
Still only 1 Kid. :-P

Ok, that's where I've been.  More tomorrow on where I'm trying to go!

Hetherington Fun Run 5ishK Race Report

I ran this race with Grasshopper, who already wrote her report.  There's a pic of her looking super perky and me looking suuuuuuuuper tired, too, for your viewing "pleasure".

This was an interesting experience for me.  Only my second, my SECOND(!!!) run in 2013, I knew I wasn't in for any land-speed records.  I was just hoping to get through unscathed and with no unkind words from my knee.  (Success!)

The race is run every year in conjunction with a professional conference, so I had run it before, and knew to expect that it would be 5kish, that it wouldn't be brilliantly marked, and that I'd see all kinds out there.  True, better than in the past, and true.

I also wasn't sure about running with Grasshopper.  She runs a LOT more than me right now.  She is training for her first 10K!  It turned out to be a day of lessons for me.

We started out too fast.  I was hauling ass next to Grasshopper thinking, "Shiiiiiiiit, I'm not gonna be able to hang!"  But as soon as we crossed the bridge she took her first walk break.  And I realized that she's an adrenaline junkie with a too fast start.  So I told her so.  I talked to her about the importance of slowing down to be able to run longer intervals.  The best example that I still have is from the first time I trained to run 10Ks and ended up with my 5K PR.  Basically, I took all of the energy that I would normally put into a 10K and decided to blow it in half the time, resulting in a 5K PR.  Going out too fast does the opposite of that. Heh.

I quickly noticed that the walk break was a little long.  Like... settling into the joy of walking long.  Uh oh!  Danger!  I talked her into running again.

The next time she walked, I formulated a plan.  I would use my tried and true landmark method.  We'll walk to that tree, and then start running until we get to the light pole past it.  And do you know, in the midst of goading her on, I forgot my own struggle?

Grasshopper has quite the mouth on her.  I talked about running.  I talked about random stuff.  I giggled at the things she was calling me because I knew she didn't mean it.  Because sometimes it hurts to learn.  And sometimes it hurts to run.  And as scared as I was about going out there and disappointing her, I realized she felt the same way about me.

And what do you know?  We got over that bridge on the way back and she left me in her freaking dust.  Turns out I had several somethings to learn!  I said this on Facebook, and I had really never thought of it this way before, but what is the point of running if it isn't to learn?  I've learned so much: about how to run, how to pace, how to push, how to trick my mind and empower my body, how to overcome, and how to be proud.  I never know what I'm going to learn when I set out, but I'm always glad I do.

It is time to start running again.

End of the World Half Race Report and My First DNF

This was the first of my back-to-back Halfs that I targeted as my A races for the winter season.

I was excited, but nervous.  I knew I had the Half in me, but 2 in two days!??  So the goal for this one was to go out and leave reserve in the tank for the next day.  Basic plan was 9/1s for the first loop, then 4/1s after that.  But I knew I'd be running with Billy, so I wanted to stay flexible.

There was a little fiasco getting to the start.  My GPS app wasn't working properly.  I drove around for like 30 minutes and had a complete freak out.  Had to call P who did "Find My iPhone" to locate me and lead me there.  And this was on Waze, not on me, damnit.

Got there, funny location - this apartment complex that was never finished and all rotting - truly looked like the end of the world, picked-up packet (awesome, AWESOME swag: duffel bags, hat, tech-T, the works!), found Billy who was brilliantly standing in a totally visible location.

Was cold, cold, cold.  Ditched my sweatshirt about 5 minutes before the start, but such a small, cool race that it was still there when we finished. :-)

So this was a trail race.  I know it was KIND OF on the website, but I was expecting it to be like the Texas Marathon, on sidewalk trails, not TRAILS.  So dude.  Wow.  Wasn't really trained for trails.

Started running with Billy.  And talking.  Spilled my guts to him about EVERYTHING that has been going on.  And I do mean everything.  But he is totally awesome and a trooper and had all my problems solved by mile 11. :-)

He is also definitely still faster than me, but was using me to prevent himself from going out too fast so he'd be fresh on day 2.  Ha!

So everything was going great, nice scenery, good company, but around 11 my right knee started hurting basically where it did the last time I was injured.  On the outside.  We started walking way more than running, and I got way more upset than I normally would when the course was almost a mile long, because I knew I needed to get off that knee asap if I was going to have any hope of running the next day.

Well, we finally finished, and THE MEDALS!!!

I immediately pounded ibuprofen and headed home to rest, eat, and try to get myself in order for the next day.

The short story is that my knee didn't hurt to walk, so the next day, I showed up and tried, but the very first running step I took I knew I was screwed.  I told Billy I'd try for a mile.  Then he talked me into 2.  And then it seemed like it made sense to just try to make it through the first loop.  We were almost entirely walking and it took us almost 2 hours, but I did make it.  I wrestled so much with the idea of DNF'ing.  I've never done that before.  I felt the shame of starting something and not finishing it.  But at the same time, I knew I was hurt and if I didn't stop I was risking a long layoff from running that might not be completely necessary if I just listened to my body NOW and stopped torturing it.  And so, when we came to the end of that first loop, I DNF'd.  And it SUCKED.  Powerfully.  But there was also this strange undercurrent of pride that I had because, for once, I tried to listen to my body and do the right thing.

So there it is. I didn't make my 12 races in 2012 goal by about half a race.  But I went down fighting, and think, hope, I grew from the experience.  And I am proud of that.

Wordless Wednesday: In Which Once Again I Buy Race Photos!

From the Turkey Trot. :-)

La Porte By the Bay Half Marathon Race Report

I signed up for this race as a long supported training run, really.  And it was to be my longest run since February 14, 2010.  Wow!

So I really had no idea what to expect.  Scratch that.  I was hard core nervous!  My longest run this training cycle was the 10 for Texas back in early October, eek!  And I just ran the 8 mile Turkey Trot, but that was a little rough, in all honesty.  So my confidence was a little low.  I was trying to console myself with the idea that I knew I could do 8, I could probably do 10, and after that if I had to walk home, I could.  But even that sounded pretty rough!

View near the start.

But then something kind of wonderful happened.  I was telling a friend about my nerves, and was warned about the cheese that was about to get laid on me, but was then advised to go into my belly with the butterflies, become one, mentally, then fly away with them.  And I did, and it WORKED.  I felt so... connected with the world in that moment.  Then they started playing the national anthem and the lady next to me was signing it for her companion and it was beautiful, I was captivated, it looked like a dance with her hands.  And then we were running and it was quiet except the pounding of a thousand feet with a single purpose.  And I was reminded about *why* I do this.  Why it is special.  Why it is wonderful.

The plan was to start out at 9/1's plus water stops, and switch to 4/1's when I needed to.  In the beginning, I was trying to tuck in behind people who I felt were going a little slow so that I didn't go out too fast, as I can on long runs.  But I'd look down at my watch and be pushing 9's!  I don't know if it was my spiritual moment or what, but that is crazy fast for me right now for distance running.  But I couldn't seem to slow it down, even when I was really trying, so I decided to go with it and hope the walk breaks kept me out of trouble.  And honestly, I was completely floored by how well it was going.

Looming.

After about 4 miles, we took a turn and the bridge positively LOOMED in front of us.  I didn't want to blow out on it, so no being a hero and running up the whole thing for me.  I was just going to stick with my plan and 9/1.  That resulted in only one walk break on the upside, and one near the bottom on the downside.  We hit the mile 5 marker on the upside, and that's where the race leaders passed me at their 10 mile marker, almost home, wow!

Long way up.

I love downhill running, and got a good chant going:
Lift through core, relax, swing free,
Minimize contact with the ground, don't brake, gravity.

There were times where I was so in the zone that my eyes were just barely open.

After we got down the other side of the bridge we did this out and back, and this was the view from the turnaround.  Look how tiny the bridge looks!!  I just came from there and I'm going back there, wowzers!

I was just there!

Oh, and I distinctly remember that when I flipped over 8 miles, I had done it FASTER than the Turkey Trot last week!  In a longer race!

At 90 minutes in, I switched to 4/1's.  I didn't need to yet, but I did it pre-emptively, hoping to stave off the crash I knew was coming.

Heading back up the other side.

Oh, I should mention that I had a gel at 2 and 6, and gatorade at every other stop, and water to pour all over me because it was over 70 degrees.  On DECEMBER 2nd!!!!!  Insane!

Anyways, I was on 4/1's, made it up the bridge again, and then I was going so well on the way down I decided to skip the walk break!  Unheard of!

View near the top.

That turned me over 10 miles, and from there it started to get a little rough.  Just kept focusing on moving forward.  At just over 11 miles, a 9 year old and her Dad blazed past me, him encouraging her all the way, her looking really pretty great.  Inspiring.  At 12 miles, I was running in lock step with a man who was on the opposite side of the road and just behind me.  I was in the zone, eyes almost closed, just motoring through it.  He really pushed me until my next walk break, just hovering behind me like a metronome.

Shortly after that, we turned onto the home stretch and one of the leaders came by and told us we were almost there, the finish was at the flashing lights.  Everyone at that point kind of started talking to each other and supporting each other, really pretty cool.

And I crossed the line in 2:26:21.  Only 12 minutes off my PR and my 3rd best half mary time ever.  Considering that I wasn't sure I could finish: SOLD!!!!

Also got 2, count them 2, medals at the finish line.  One for the race, and one for completing the Texas Bridge Series, which I'd highly recommend to anyone.  Great hill training, great swag, cleanest porta-pots EVER, well run, good stuff!

2 medals, baby!

And finally feeling confident heading into my A raceS: The End of the World Half and the Day After the End of the World Half. :-)

YMCA Turkey Trot Race Report

I was reminded by Chunky Wonder Woman's race report that I hadn't done mine yet!

Thanksgiving morning I ran in Dallas' YMCA Turkey Trot 8 miler.

We stayed in the host hotel, but I was unable to pick up my packet ahead of time, so I left at 7am for a 9am start, thinking if I got extra time I could always come back.  But the walk was kind of long, so even though packet pick-up was easy, we decided to just hang out at the start.

Which was awesome, btw.  They had bounce houses and a freaking petting zoo for the kid.

Petting zoo complete with pony rides!

Eventually, just after 8, I decided to get in line for the porto-cans, and P and Z headed back to the hotel to tool around.

At 9 we were off!  Errr.... not really.  It took me 12 minutes(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) to get across the start line.  And I was ONLY maybe halfway back.

At the start line with 30k of my closest friends.

Arg, I had forgotten what a total clusterfuck this race is!

Immediately I'm dodging walkers who lined up too close to the front, and I don't just mean walkers.  I mean old people in jeans and holding hands walkers.  And I have nothing against those people.  I am pleased that they have a healthy tradition on Thanksgiving morning, and I'm proud to share the road with them.  I just wish they'd start at the back.

So it took an expectations-adjustment because I was running around people, hopping curbs, bumping, weaving, and generally wearing the shit out of myself for the first almost-3 miles.  Ironically (NOT) right up to where the 3 milers turned off.

After that it was glorious.  A little warm, sunny, still crowded, but in a moveable way.  Definitely ready to be done by the end, though.

Where I was headed.

Chip time: 1:29:20
Gun time: 1:40:42 (!!!)

Oh yeah.  And I was banging out a sub-9 in the finishing straight, so I left too much in the tank.  But given the insanity of this race, I'm cool with that.

Afterwards, I was really frustrated with my complete inability to find food.  I had forgotten a Honey Stinger, which is BAD for me on runs over an hour.  I was really feeling depleted, woozy, even, at the finish.  I started wandering around asking people where they found their food and get sent all over creation.  One nice man took pity on me and gave me one of his bottles of Gatorade, and I almost immediately perked up.  (I was thankful for him!)  Soon after I located yogurt, which I ate on the way back to the hotel, and which continued to help.

So, note to self: for traveling races, don't forget the food!!  Also, the Dallas Turkey Trot is not, nor ever will be, a PR race.  It is about the experience of going out and being thankful for being alive and being a runner with 30,000+ of your closest race-day friends.  And I was and am thankful. :-)

HHM Photos!

For once, I actually bought race photos!


This: (feet off the ground and smiling on the home stretch!)

 And this!

Houston Half Relay Race Report

Sunday morning was the Houston Half Relay, my second race of the weekend, and my ex (only because he left me) gay work boyfriend B's VERY FIRST RACE!!!  6.6 miles.  Dude is ballsy.  Hell, I was scared for my first race and it was less than half of that. ;-)

Hit the road early that morning, parked in the Theater District parking, which was totally convenient and under-utilized (note for next year).  Walked over to the start where they had the speakers turned the wrong direction, boo.  B was running late, so I left his packet with P and lined up.  Oh, also it was cold as all get-out, this weekend was actually the first fall weather sort of weekend in H-town.  It was about 40, so I wore my capri running pants and a long sleeved top.  While I waited for the start I topped that with a running jacket and sweatshirt which I removed and tossed to P right before I ran off.  We brought blankets for him and Z and bundled her as best we could, but I know they were cold, my amazing sherpas.

The first 3 miles looped through downtown, and when I ran back by P and Z there was also a B there. :-)  I high fived the boys and gave my baby a kiss, then ran off.

I think relays are interesting because up until the turn-off, I was running with a huge crowd, but after the turn-off, I was on the "bleeding edge" of the race.  I was actually passed by the top 3 finishers for the full half as I was on the lonely road in.  And I know for B the experience was exactly the opposite - he was lonely for his first half, but finished with everyone else.

And oh, Allen Parkway, how I HATE running on you.  Seriously, the camber of the road is hell on my knees.  I hate that the HHM has medals and great singlets, otherwise I'd never run a race on AP again.  Ever.  I'm literally taking injury into my hands every time I do it.

Though all the famous AP hills, I did 9/1s, and was really proud of myself.  My hill race/training has really come in handy this year.  I do not mentally feel scared of hills, and really am able to hold my own.

Finally I saw the relay hand-off.  I came in at 1:12:33.  This is slower than I wanted, but honestly pretty good since I ran 5.5 the day before then walked goodness-know-how-much at Ren Fest that afternoon.  I saw a chick from work, said hi, then grabbed B's jacket and sent him off, then got my medal from chick-from-work's hubby.

Then I grabbed P and Z and loaded up on goodies and beer and found a nice wall on which to sit and eat the spoils, with a baby in my lap and a blanket around us.  Life is good.

Oh, and B is FAST.  He CLAIMS he hasn't been training, but he ran sub-60!  Punk. :-)