Runfessions (July)

I'm trying something new and linking up with Marcia today from Marcia's Healthy Slice. 

Please stop by and join in with your own Runfessions!

I runfess.............

98% of the time, I hit snooze at least 5 times on race morning. My first thought is "I really don't feel like racing today. Just let me sleep in and I'll worry about running  another day..."

With that said, 99.8% of the time that thought is immediately followed by that inner voice that tells me to just "SHUT UP AND RUN!"  Once I get up and moving I start to feel more ready to race- but those first 10 minutes are spent going through the motions of getting dressed, grabbing a light breakfast and trying to get moving.There have been only a few times in my life that I have regretted running a race.

I runfess.....

The only thing getting me out the door to run outside in the southern heat is having a friend to run with me (or running a race).I don't like to slog alone in this weather because......... misery loves company and treadmill runs are boring?

I runfess.....

a lot of my running has been on the treadmill this summer

I runfess......

I don't run fast in the heat, and my past few race times  and even speed work sessions have shaken my confidence in ever seeing the times on the clock I want. I keep telling myself that once the humidity levels go down and temps drop about 50 degrees, then my lungs will feel happy again and my speed will return.

I runfess.......

I wear make-up when I run, except for when I am running on the home TM. I have very splotchy skin pigmentation that has gotten worse over the years. I always wear a hat/visor when I run as well to help protect my face from the sun/elements.

So, what are your runfessions????

How do you handle beating the heat when exercising?

Are you wide eyed and bushy tailed on race morning or do you hit the snooze and try not to think about it?

 

july 18-24th and 5k recap

Last week at a glance:
Monday-rest
Tuesday-5 miles including 12x200's with 100 recovery jog in between
Wednesday- 4 miles plus chest/triceps/core
Thursday- 4 miles including 5k
Friday-rest
Saturday-4 miles plus legs/plyo/core
Sunday- 9 miles

Last week I missed the pub run on Wednesday but was able to sneak in some 200 repeats on Tuesday in order to attempt to get some type of turnover for Thursday nights race.
about that race....
well some runs are just ugly....
Being at the beach for half the day didn't help things either. But beach days with my kids are always fun so I cant complain about the beach at all. We had a blast!

I can complain about how its so not a good idea  to be in the sun all day and then try to run a race during the (almost) dog days of summer.

5k recap:
I arrive, and only get a little under a mile warm up. it was hot and humid with the heat index of around 103 I think...



I knew going in that it was going to be an ugly run just on how I was feeling physically. I was beat down by the sun and had a late lunch so my stomach felt heavy. My goal was just to finish the race without throwing up. I was going to either jog the course or possibly use it as a tempo run. Gun goes off and I immediately feel every bit of the heat and humidity as I make my way through the first mile. I was fully expecting to get past by a group of speedy ladies. 2 gals pass me off the bat, and I let them set the pace for the first mile. I was perfectly OK if I didn't place at this race. it was a slow first mile at 7:15. I didn't get much faster the rest of the course but I was able to pass the two gals ahead of me and ended up winning overall female. Slowest 5k of the year (22:01) but a win is a win no matter how slow or ugly.
As soon as I cross the line I started to feel the effects of heat exhaustion. Running in the heat is no joke!!! I thought I was going to throw up and pass out and my heart rate would not come back down. I tried to eat some sports beans, an orange and half of banana,and I drank water and a diet dr pepper. the good news is that I didn't throw up or pass out, but I sure thought I was! I just felt like I had to keep moving because if I just sat down I would feel worse. I was able to walk things off a bit before awards started and was able to accept the gift basket without falling over,lol!

oh, and remember Adam from the last 5k? He and his family/pit crew was there selling shirts and getting the word out about his cause I GOT LEGS ( click on the link and read about it! Better yet, buy a shirt, they are awesome!!!!) I actually got to chat with him a few minutes before the awards and he is just as cool as the other side of the pillow. He is a really down to earth guy who has such a positive outlook! seriously, check out his page asap  at
http://www.igotlegs.org

After I got the gift basket (which included a gift card to fleet feet, a running hat, water bottle, 2 pairs of running socks, sports beans and Nuun) i made a bee line home. I was feeling pretty terrible.
Friday was spent doing absolutely nothing other than spending time with the kids, getting my car windshield replaced and eating,hydrating and more eating! My youngest woke up with a high fever that day as well so it was fine by me and him to have a lazy day watching cartoons and playing board games. What helped is that the windshield repair guys came to our house and fixed the windshield right in the driveway. Completely awesome especially when you have a sick kid!!!!

Saturday i was feeling much better and was able to get in a great lower body workout as well as core/hip strengthening. I have been keeping up with my core and hip stuff and i will be able to be more consistent in the gym once school starts back up for the kids.

But for those of you who need a good lower body workout at home this is what ive been doing when i cant get in the gym:
(it helps if you have an exercise ball and dumbells)
4x12
DB squats
Leg curls from exercise ball
Walking DB lunges
Reverse DB lunges
Blurpees with explosive jump tuck
wall squats with DB
stiff legged dead leg lifts with DBs
speed skater lunges
box jumps (i don't have a box so i use my kids 2 step step stool they use to get on the trampoline)
mule kicks
jane fonda style hip abduction and hip adduction
 i added in core work between sets as active rest
Planks
roll outs on exercise ball
weighted Russian twists
crunches
prone alternating arm/leg extensions
dead bug
spider crawl

Sunday was a nice long(ish) run with Amy around downtown. We got in 8 sweaty miles even though we started at 730am.  its so nice to get in the miles with a friend. I know it would have been much harder for me to get these miles in solo!

I ended up doing an extra mile with the dog when i got back home.

Now its off to curl up on the couch with my youngest who is still not feeling well. Poor little guy!

Have any of you ever experienced heat related illness?
Even the most seasoned athletes can experience this!
Here's a quick link that lists signs and symptoms and how to treat them
click HERE to read


I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link. Check it out and read the other posts here.

July 11-17th 5k recap, questions for you

Last week I was feeling a bit rundown but I still managed some decent workouts

Monday-rest
Tuesday-chest/ triceps +  5 miles including 6x400 repeats with 400 recovery jogs in between
Wednesday- 5 miles
Thursday-6 miles including a 5k
Friday-rest
Saturday- 7 mile bridge run
Sunday- rest

Tuesday was a good day in the gym because I worked out with my oldest son. His friends think I look like a sister and not like his mother. I wonder how long I will be able to pull that one off,lol!
Since I had a race on Thursday I did a short speed workout on Tuesday and just ran laps around the track on Wednesday to get in some easy miles. I did do one mile of "ins and outs" where I jogged the turns and ran a faster pace on the straights. It felt good to get in those striders. Its always nice to have others to run with in the sweltering heat,

and even better to have friends who show up and bring the crew popsicles to cool down afterwards--thank you Kerri!!!!!

 Thursdays 5k was the last race of the 5 race series. while this was my second slowest 5k of the year (and slowest race for this course so far this year) I ran just fast enough to get the overall female spot.

brief 5k recap:
Since this was the last race of the series, a lot more people than usual showed up. A pop up thunderstorm blew through the area about 45 minutes before the race,which brought a lot of rain. while it helped to lower the temps slightly, it seemed to add an extra layer of mugginess on the course. My oldest daughter ran this race as well, and I was so happy she was excited to run and follow her plan of action. I was able to warm up for about 1.5 miles before making my way to the start. My friend Becky was there and we agreed to stay together and push eachother along to the finish.
Gun goes off and we stay together during the race. the first mile is my slowest, the second mile is fastest and my 3rd mile is only a couple seconds slower than the second mile and a few seconds faster than the first mile. Since the last mile of this course has a lost of bends and turns in the path, its hard to run this mile faster than first because the first mile is slightly downhill. I managed to stay with Becky until the 3 mile mark and then I started to kick to the finish line. Just like last race, she was on my heels at the line and we finished 1rt and 2nd overall females with a time of 21:27. it was slightly disappointing to not see 20xx on the clock, but I think a majority of the runners were about a minute off their usual paces and were just so over the heat!!!! I wait for Amy to cross and then we go find my daughter and her friend and run with them through the finish. Turns out my daughter followed her plan exactly until mile 2, and then she stopped for water and got a horrible side stitch and had to slow down. Her and her friend also had to deal with "mean  girls" during the race. I'm proud to say she and her friend took the high road and showed good sportsmanship. While she didn't reach her time goal, she did make her goal of placing in her AG. she got second place!!!

 A majority of the CRC also placed in their AG and won the series award for their AG, We won wooden swords and a nice fluffly beach towel with "series award winner" embroidered on the front.

 But I do think THE highlight of the night was cheering in the last runner of the night. His name is Adam and he walked the entire course in his exoskeleton. This is the same man who also completed the Cooper River Bridge Run earlier this year. It was so amazing watching his determination to finish and how everyone formed a sword bridge for him to walk through. The race directors even kept the finishers arch up as well as the time clock and music, even though a majority of race participants had already left. To me, that speaks volumes as to how special and caring these race directors are!!! One of the many reasons why RTL series is so awesome!!!

 If the video doesn't work more information can be found here

I started to feel really run down after the race so I rested on Friday and thought I was recovered enough to run the bridge on Saturday with Amy. Well, lets just say I finished the run but it was WAY harder than what our pace indicated. I knew it was going to be a sucky run after the first mile, which was our slowest one. I felt like I was moving in molasses and that my lungs just couldn't get enough air. I felt tired, heavy and run down the rest of the weekend. Heres hoping for a better week ahead! Another 5k coming up this week.....

Questions for you:
If you knew that tween girls were trash talking your tween daughter and friend during a 5k, would you say anything?
Also, if you knew these same "mean girls" had cut corners on the course (ie did not run the entire course due to taking short cuts along the way) would you say anything to the race director?
What would you do???

I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link. Check it out and read the other posts here.




Off topic but:
Prayers to France and for police officers and their families and loved ones.
If you haven't done so already, please find an opportunity to show appreciation for your local law enforcement. While it may be hard to believe here recently given the horrible events that have transpired across the nation (in this month alone!) part of me thinks the good still outweighs the bad, so every good and thoughtful thing we do for others still matters!!

hug an officer,
find a small way to help Nice,France
be kinder than necessary!!!!

July 4th-10th and a 4 mile race recap

Another week of summer running down in the books
Monday- 5.5 miles including a 4 mile race
Tuesday- travel day
Wednesday-3.5 TM miles easy
Thursday- leg day + 5 miles including 6x500 repeats on the TM
Friday- rest
Saturday- 5 miles TM
Sunday- 8 miles

4mile race recap:
I ran this race back home in TN. It was a race that benefited children of fallen soldiers. I must say that for such a small race (around 350runners) they had a lot of venders set up, FREE chic filet sandwiches, FREE drinks, FREE popcorn, FREE hotdogs, FREE pulled BBQ sandwiches (originally they were $2 each but a kind person made a very large donation so that all runners could get one for free if they showed their race bib). There were several bouncy houses for the children, face painting, FREE cupcakes and FREE cotton candy. I was pretty impressed with this set up!
Me and my oldest daughter get to the course and meet my sister and her family. I warm up for a little over a mile. It was HOT. at 730AM it was already 83 degrees with a "feels like" temp of 91. By the time the race started (at 8) it was 86 with a "feel like" temp of 94 with humidity at around 80%.
My legs were feeling the hilly 5k from the day before so I had it set in my mind to use this race as a good tempo run. However, if I was put in a good position to race for a top 3 overall spot, I would race.
I make my way up front.The gun goes off and I'm up front with the boys, half expected to have a handful of speedy ladies join me.
I forgot my ipod, and I was wearing 2 watches because my fitbit was about to die (I forgot the charger) so I had a cheap backup. turns out both watches weren't working/functioning correctly at all and I only have 3 miles of data, which I have no idea if it is accurate. (i  end up tossing the cheap watch before the 2nd mile)
I start off pretty slow during the first mile-I believe about a 7:30 pace. I kept hearing a female behind me just chit chatting away to everybody she sees and I can hear her thanking all the volunteers. That's the positive side to not listening to music I guess. Being able to hear who is around you.I didn't want to lose the overall female spot so I pick up my pace to create a gap between me and any other females.
Miles 2 and 3:
I *think* I had about a 6:55 pace, which was fast enough to pass about 5 guys,and fast enough to gain a good lead between me and any other female. There is NO shade whatsoever on the course and thankfully only a few rolling hills to run. They were speed bumps compared to the previous race I ran,lol! the last mile I am pretty much in no mans land except for a guy about 10-15 seconds ahead of me. my goal was to keep him in my sights so I wouldn't get lost. I slow down the last mile and I *think* it is around a 7:10-7:15 pace.
By that time, I had lost motivation to be competitive and I just wanted to be done. The good thing about the last mile is that there were several spectators and volunteers cheering as loudly as they could for everyone-that really helped me out!
And then there was the finish line. Something pretty cool happened.
This is the very first race that I have ever received a police escort to the finish! (well, almost to the finish) when I was coming up a hill and about to make the final turn into the last stretch, a police motorcycle came up beside me,flipped his lights on and gave a few blips of the siren, he stayed with me until after I made the turn and was about 50 yards from the line. It was a nice to hear the cheering crowd and hear my name called out as I finished the race.I could also hear my daughter, sister and her family above all the others. Totally made my heart smile!!!!

I was given a dog tag as a finishers medal and I gave a sweaty embrace to the officer at the line.My

sister immediately greets me at the line with hugs and squeals. A photographer for the local paper of course snaps a dozen pictures of this and we made the TN paper,lol!

We wait around for awards and this was the first race I have ever ran that did not recognize overall winners. We were grouped in with age group awards so at least I got a 1rst in my AG medal!

Given the fact  that most of the race proceeds went to our fallen soldiers children, I don't mind if there is less swag.(Heck, that police escort totally made my day!) All in all,The race was very well put together, and a lot of thought was put in for the soldiers children. Many of the children were spotlighted at the event and all the July birthday kids received heaps of birthday presents from the organization. The shin dig was just getting started but I had to make a beeline to my parents house so I could get ready for the busy busy day ahead!

Once I got back home in SC it was back to the swing of things.

Wednesdays track workout got cancelled due to a strong pop up thunderstorm. The rain, lighting, thunder and winds just came out of nowhere! when I got home I was planning to do the workout on my home TM, but just did 3.5 easy miles instead and saved the repeats for the next day.

Saturday I was planning to do an early morning run but I let the heat scare me so i opted for  miles on the TM.

Sunday was a nice easy 8 miler with Amy. Even though it was hot out, it wasn't miserable like i thought it would be,and i really enjoyed having company. I would much rather do 8 miles with a friend than spend 8 miles on a TM any day!

After the run, i went back home and got the kids ready to go to the pool before it got too hot. I was even able to get in about 25 minutes of swimming in (not just playing around with the kiddos but true laps)

it felt amazing! My IT band has been acting up since the hilly 5k and being in the water helped some.

I haven't swam in a couple years. I can tell I'm rusty, but i haven't lost the skill set entirely.

I spent Monday in the pool as well, and again, it felt amazing on my joints!!!

Ive got a few more 5ks coming up this week and next, so it will be more about survival mode in the heat as opposed to seeing any fast times

Here's hoping for a good week and that the IT niggle gets worked out and goes away!!!!

I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link. Check it out and read the other posts here.

June 27-july 3rd

I'm a few days late for the weekly wrap but I just got back in town from a much needed trip backhome in TN...
 Heres the run down:
Monday- 35 minutes elliptical
Tuesday- 3.5 miles
Wednesday- track night- 5.5 miles
Thursday -travel day
Friday- 3 miles
Saturday- 5 miles including a 5k
Sunday- active rest (walking half the day at a zoo counts,right?)

Wednesdays track was quite a good workout
we did 3x 800, 400, 200,200
I was very thankful to have someone help pace me on these, and he helped me see some pretty speedy times given the heat and humidity.
Thursday was spent in the car traveling with 4 kids. surprisingly the trip only took 8.5 hours and not the usual 10-12. we made minimal stops along the way and managed to avoid peak heavy traffic.
it also helps that my younger kids have gotten better about bladder control,lol!
Friday I was able to sneak in a hilly run on some rural back roads by my MILs 1800's farm house.

Saturday I was up at dawn for very hilly 5k.

I knew going in the course would be a challenge,and wow. It was!!!!

Brief 5k recap:

My husband and I arrive about 10 minutes before the start. I didn't have time to warm up. There were no portopotties but the church and funeral home were open and we could use their public restrooms.

I was able to find a secret private restroom by following 2 gals who didn't wait in line at the public restroom. We were able to chit chat before the race and they told me what to expect about the course but that really didn't prepare me. I seem to have forgotten that the town I live in is pancake flat and inclines are considered hills. In TN, inclines are nothing and hills are legitimate hills.

I get to the line and notice a few gals I had to keep my eye on. this race brings out some speedy runners even though its a small race held outa small town in the middle of nowhere. Gun goes off and me and 2 other gals are up front with the boys. about a quarter mile in the course reaches a steep downhill. at first I was like wheeeeeeeeee! down hill! but then I realized that the UP hills were about to start.....

the rest of mile 1 was spent going up hill, both gradual uphills and out right uphills. I see mile 1 at 6:50. slower than what I wanted but I was happy to see under 7 since I have no hill training on these legs whatsoever. at this point I have pulled ahead to 2nd place overall female. the lead gal is a few strides ahead of me and I planned to keep it that way until I could find a good opportunity to pass her.

mile 2 was pretty much downhill and flat. this was my fastest mile clocking in at 6:35. the lead gal is still right in front of me but has pulled ahead slightly. mile 3 starts the climb again. more hills just like the first mile. the course is marked very well and has signs every 1/2 mile. at the 2.5 mile marker the lead gal looks behind her and then throws the hammer down. she picks up her pace and climbs the hills like a damn billy goat. I do my best to follow her but she gets a good 30 second lead.

6:51 for the last mile and see a 6:03 pace for the last .12

20:55 gun time.

did I mention there was an uphill finish? yeah. that totally sucked. even though the morning temps were a cool 70 degrees, the humidity was 98%. Gotta love summer running!!!!

I did manage 2nd overall female and won some fireworks.

the best part about this race was talking to the lead gal. after the race I went to congratulate her and we found out that we actually raced against eachother in college. while she went to a D2 school, we still raced against them during invitationals and indoor track. we new we recognized each other from somewhere!!! Small world!


(I'm wearing batman shirt, see the nice incline at the start?)

that night was spent at a cook out at my brother in laws new farm. he had literally just moved in and my husband and I along with friends and family spent hours getting their things moved in. loading and unloading  their barns from the old place to the new. we manage to get things ready to have a very large cookout/house warming party/family reunion by the 5 oclock hour. all the older kids pitched in for fireworks so we had about $2k of fireworks to blow up. we contributed to 1/4 of it

as soon as it was dark, the firework show began!

we had a good 40 minutes worth of seeing spectacular fireworks out in the middle of an open hayfield. since the land is snuggled between 2 mountains, the noise and echo and the fireworks was so loud! but wow it was awesome. I really enjoyed being back home-the fresh air, the country side, the peacefulness of it all.

the next day was spent at the Nashville zoo with my sister and husbands children in addition to my kids. While the zoo isn't huge, it is big enough to feel like you've seen a lot and small enough that small children can navigate it without it feeling overwhelming. the rest of the day was spent with my grandparents. Much needed time to sit, relax and catch up on everything

The 4th of july was a busy busy day. I woke up early to run a 4 miler race (spoiler alert-i won overall female!)

 and from there it was visiting family all day followed by a small town firework show.

And now I am finally back to our house in SC. while it feels great to be back in my own bed and take a long shower,and be back in our house, my home will always be in TN.

You can take the girl out of the country but cant take the country out of the girl,right?

And now its time to resume life here by the coast. more summer races coming up and then 1/2 marathon training to start soon.

Heres to a good week ahead and surviving the summer heat and humidity!!!!

I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link. Check it out and read the other posts here.