#2: Father's Day 5K

This morning was my second 5K of the summer, the Father's Day 5K at the Myriad Gardens in OKC.

It did not go as planned, but oh well. The race started at 8am, and it was already hot. The temp was 80F by 8am, the wind was SSW at 15mph, and the humidity was 77%. I managed to turn off my watch as I crossed the start line, and I didn't get it restarted for about 10 seconds. Being me, of course I went out too fast in the first mile. The course was a sunny run through midtown, and I didn't carry my own water, so I got overheated. My first mile was 9:10, and the second was 12:09. I did a lot of walking while my stomach reminded me about how it feels about going out too fast in a summer race. I finally got it under control around halfway through-I even ran through a sprinkler and it felt glorious. The water on my legs was enough to cool me off so I could continue.

When I got to the finish, I got my water and banana and sat down until my brain returned to the building. I saw them posting results, so I went over. It was a computer screen and the bib number was manually entered by some random HS kid. I was super duper excited to see that I had placed second in my age group again! I was quite shocked, actually. I started texting my husband and one of my friends, saying how excited I was. I never place in a city race! I wanted a pic of the screen, so I went over and asked them to look me up again. That's when I noticed that the time they had for me was 22 mins. I've never run a 22 min 5K in my life, and besides, my garmin said 32:52. I let them know that my time was wrong, briefly spoke to a cyclist friend who also ran the race, and headed home feeling a little bit disappointed. I should have known that I didn't actually place, but since this is an inaugural race on Father's Day, I had thought that it was possible.

When I got home and showered, I checked my online results. Finally, the time was right (33:07), but they had me in the Male 30-34 age group, lol. Finally got that straightened out, and here are my stats for this race:

Time: 33:07
 O: 94 of 190
 F: 35 of 91
 F30-34: 7 of 17
Weight: 116lbs

The 3rd 5K of the summer, the Hot 5K, is Friday night at... somewhere. I should look that up, and probably figure out when packet pickup is before Friday gets here, lol. I will definitely carry my water bottle this time. I have been conned into running an obstacle run on Saturday, so hopefully I'll be able to walk on Sunday. I have a history of sprained ankles, but I'm going to proactively KT tape them to prevent that. I'm not incredibly enthused about running this race because I'm not in great shape, but it is what it is. My bootcamp teammates are all going to want to be competitive, and the event is timed, so I'll probably end up running it alone. If I don't blog about it within a week or so, then that means I'm probably still stuck in their tiger pit obstacle. It's supposed to be a 7ft deep pit that you have to climb out of. Being 4'11", I'll be in there for a while, lol.

1st 5K of the summer

I'm trying to do a bunch of 5Ks and speed work this summer in order to drop some weight and increase my speed a little bit. On June 7, I ran my first 5K of the summer: The Scorcher 5K in Stillwater, OK. It was a miserable experience, but I enjoyed it, lol. The humidity was roughly 90%, so that sucked. It was also quite windy. I wanted to race it, rather than run it, so that I can have an accurate starting point to compare to the last 5K of the summer. I would like to see a drop in both weight and time, so we'll see if I can accomplish that.

The race started at 6:45am. There was also a half, and they started at 6:30. I really wanted to run the half, but I can't imagine how much it must have sucked in that humidity. I tried to run the entire 5K, but I wasn't carrying my own water, and so I took walking breaks when my HR got above 190. So there were a few walking breaks in the latter half of the race. Overall, I did as I expected. My time was 32:04. What I did not expect was an age group placing! I will probably never be fast enough to place in the city, but this was the 2nd time I've placed in small 5Ks. It was kind of nice :D I got 2nd in the F30-34 AG.

Here are my overall stats:

Time: 32:04
O: 44 of 109
F: 15 of 58
F30-34: 2 of 7
Weight: 115lbs

This is not how to run a negative split, lol. I always go out too fast on the first mile. I really need to work on that.

My second 5K is tomorrow morning. It's a father's day 5K. I doubt that I'll place in my AG again, but maybe I can go just a teensy bit faster than 32:04. We'll see. This one starts at 8am, which I think is sort of dumb for a 5K in the Oklahoma summer, but whatever. I'll push myself, but not to the point of heat exhaustion.

I have a 3rd 5K next Friday-the Hot 5K. I will be able to run both the Hot and Hottest, but I will be out of state for the Hotter. I'm going to Oregon for an ASL Silent Weekend with some classmates. I'm going to take my running stuff and try to get in a run near the beach. I think that'll be very cool.

Race signup-itis breakout

So now that school is over, apparently I have nothing better to do with my time than to sign up for races. My plan for the summer is to focus on 5Ks and doing speedwork in order to get some of my speed back. I'm also tracking calories with MFP and trying to watch what I eat so I can either lose 10lbs or at least slim down some. I'm probably going to incorporate some stairs and some swimming too. My first 5K is this Sunday, in Stillwater. Here is my summer race schedule:

June 7: Scorcher 5K
June 21: Father's Day 5K
June 26: Hot 5K
June 27: Conquer the Gauntlet obstacle run
July 12: Du Draper Duathlon
July 25: Duncan Dehydrator
Aug 7: Hottest 5K
Aug 22: Tour de Trykes
Aug 29: Hotter'n Hell Hundred

I am going to weigh myself and maybe measure myself before each 5K, obviously record the time, and then compare them. I hope to see faster times and lower weight as the summer goes on.

My fall schedule is already filling up too:
Oct 4: SoS half
Oct 18: Fall Classic Duathlon (may have a school conflict with this one)
Nov 22: Rt66 Full Marathon (couldn't resist the jacket that they're offering instead of a shirt, and I'm  still a little mad that I couldn't do the full Memorial this year)

I'm only able to do Rt66 because I don't have class on Wednesdays in the fall. I can put my long mid-week run on that day, and work on homework afterwards. Next spring, I will be in practicum in school, so I doubt that I will be able to do the Memorial. The half is a possibility, I guess. That being said, I have been making plans with 2 friends to do the 2017 Redman full distance triathlon. I'm going to start swimming lessons this summer, and hopefully keep up swimming through the winter (either at the Y or at OUHSC's pool). Maybe I could do a couple of short triathlons next spring. If (big if) that goes well, I may try the 2016 half redman. But I'm not going to commit to that just yet either. The goal is 2017. I'm not taking the 2017 half off of the table either. A lot can happen between now and then, and I can't even swim-just doggie paddle. But I'm putting it out there.

My first duathlon-2015 Guthrie Super Sprint

On May 9 I did my first duathlon! It was the Guthrie Super Sprint Du-1.5mi run, 14mi bike, and a 1.5mi run. We had a very busy week in terms of weather, with lots of flooding and tornadoes (the sirens went off 17 times on Wednesday alone. SEVENTEEN.) Luckily today the weather held out. While it didn't rain, the humidity was 92%, and that sucked. The race started at 7:30, but packet pickup opened at 5:30. I didn't want to be late and get stuck in a crowd, so my bff and I left at 5:15 this morning. I packed my car and we were on our way.

We found parking very easily, and I went over to packet pickup. I thought it went really well, but I found out later that it didn't (more on that later, lol). I told them that it was my first time, and the nice lady at the table explained to me how to put the number on my bike. I got body marked (btw, sharpie doesn't come off easily), and went back to the car to get my stuff for the transition.

A man at the transition area helped me set up my bike since it was my first time. The rack spaces were assigned, thankfully. My bike is a 44", so it's pretty much an extra small. Most people hung their bikes by the seat, but the wind moved mine around too much. So we hung it by the shifters (that made me so nervous!). I laid out a towel to make it easy to find my bike. I laid out my shoes and gel flask and helmet. I had planned to set my gloves inside my helmet, but since it was windy, I fasted them onto the helmet straps just to be safe. Here's my transition set up in all of it's newbie glory:

It was sort of cold, so we went back to the car to wait for the race to start. I heard some of the announcements, but mostly it was just the RD yelling at people to re-rack their bikes, so I didn't pay attention. Finally, it was time to go line up.

I wore my triathlon shorts that I bought roughly 2 years ago for spin class and a cannondale tri top that I bought last year. I bought a bib belt and some lock laces so that my shoes would be easier to slip off. I actually really like them, so they may stay on my shoes.

Anyway, the race started. I could totally tell that I'm primarily a runner, because it confused me that there was no starting line timing strip to cross, nor were there pace markers. I lined up with a nice lady who had randomly chatted with me in the transition area, and we were off. The 1.5mi run approached and went around the masonic temple and back to the transition. I was determined not to have to walk in that first leg of the race. Unfortunately, that meant that I ran a 9:15 mile, lol. Add that to 92% humidity, and it was rough. I could not catch my breath! My garmin says that it took me 13:07 to do the first running leg. I got through it, and got into the transition. I made sure to put my helmet on first thing-they will DQ you for not wearing your helmet. I managed to get my garmin started, got my shoes and gloves on, and made it out of transition. You can't mount the bike until you cross a certain line, so I walked out of transition, got on my bike, and off I went.

Now here's the sad and pathetic part. The first half mile of the bike ride was fine. I think I was going on adrenaline at that point. But then I started feeling the effects of the heat and going out too hard in that first run. My stomach started cramping so badly that I didn't know if I could continue. It hurt to pedal. This lasted for about the first 4 miles. I managed to realize what was happening, and got some gatorade and hammer gel into me, but it took a while to work. At one point, I was going 9mph on a flat road with a 13mph tailwind. It doesn't get much more pathetic than that. I'm glad that I didn't see an official at this point, because I would have asked them to pull me. Finally, though, I started feeling better, and was able to speed up and get going. I even managed to pass 2 people on the way back! The bike route was an out-and-back, so that means that the tail wind was a headwind on the second portion. The USATF has very strict rules about drafting, and I was really worried that I would draft by accident. Luckily I didn't. I called out to the 2 cyclists as I passed them, and they both kind of looked at me funny, so I guess it's not normal to do call-outs. But I wanted them to know that I was passing them, because you have to slow down when someone overtakes you. But whatever. I finished the bike ride; I got all excited one block too soon because the intersection was closed and I thought that that was the finish. Nope, I had another block to go, lol. I got off my bike before I reached that magical pink line, and walked into the transition. I had some trouble getting my running shoes back on, but I managed to get going. Garmin says that the bike portion took me 1:01:14 (14.1mph ave).

The second run was a slow shuffle with a lot of walking. My legs were jello, and my stomach still hurt a bit from the cramps on the bike. I made it through it, though, as icky as it was. Garmin says that this one took me 16:11, which is an 11:15/mile pace. I'm surprised that it was that fast, lol.

I managed to finish, and the girl at the finish line asked for my timing chip. I didn't have one, and said as much, but I didn't think about it much because I was focused on the food at the finish line. I took the happy face pic to show how happy I was to be done, and the sad face pic because that bike part sucked. I got some food, loaded up my stuff, and went home.

Now, the sad (and somewhat embarrassing) part. When I got home and got cleaned up, I went online to check the race results. I couldn't find my name! I messaged a guy that I sort of know on fb and who was at the race, and asked if I had missed something. Since it was my first duathlon, I thought that maybe I had forgotten to check in at some mandatory after-race meeting or something. After a chat with him and with the race director, I realized that I did not pick up my timing chip with my bib and bike number. I sort of assumed that it was on my bib. The RD said that they made several announcements about it, but since we sat in the car, I had a hard time hearing the announcements. The ones I did hear were all about re-racking bikes anyway. If I had heard it, I think that it is likely that I would have thought that I was fine because I had my bib and bike number. So I didn't get an official time for my efforts today. Luckily, I have my garmin data, so I can estimate times, but as far as athlinks is concerned, I didn't do the race. I got a finisher's medal though, and the t-shirt fits, so that's good. These are my estimated times and placings, assuming that I was the only person who forgot to get their chip.

1st run: 7:29am, 13:07, ~7:42am
~T1: ~2 min
Bike: 7:44am, 1:01:14, 8:45am
~T2: ~2min
2nd run: 8:47am, 16:11, 9:03am

Approx total time: 1:34
5 people finished after me (yay for not being last!)
69/74 Overall
28/32 Females
6/6 F30-34

2015 Memorial Half Marathon Recap

This is super late, but here's my brief recap of the half on April 26. It was the 20th anniversary of the bombing. I didn't live in OKC, and I was only in 5th grade, but I remember what I was doing when they told us. I was in detention, of all places, for not doing my math homework lol. The teachers didn't tell us until lunchtime, even though the bombing occurred at 9:02am. The bombing is a sensitive memory for many Oklahomans. The moment of silence by the survivor tree was poignant and emotional.

 

I decided to wear my calf sleeves to fend off any lingering shin problems from changing shoes. They worked alright. I felt very color-coordinated, lol. Mike dropped me off near the start line around 5:15am. The survivor tree service started at 5:30, I think. The race started at 6:30.

 

The race went as expected-I was slow. My garmin said that I averaged a 11:28min/mile, which isn't too shabby, but I've done better. My time goal was not a PR, but to just finish in less than 2:30. I was struggling, but still managed to continue on, and I was on pace to finish in time. Then, around mile 11 or so, my left big toe completely curled up, and I couldn't uncurl it. It didn't hurt at all, which was weird, but I couldn't continue running. I ended up sitting on someone's lawn so I could take my shoe off and massage my toe until it straightened out. It took about 3 mins, and of course, my finish time was 2:33. Once the toe was straightened out, the end of the race was fine. I even tried to race some dude at the end, but he refused. Weirdo.

I got my shiny medal, and a finisher's shirt that actually fits (woot!), and went home and slept for several hours.

2015 Redbud Classic 10K

I'm a little bit behind on the blog. This semester was the hardest one I've had in the interpreter training program, and I got fairly overwhelmed. I'm not the best blogger in the world on a good day, but add in all of that stress, and I'm now 3 races behind in recaps. So I'm writing them all at once, and setting them to post in the future so that I don't have to make one big massive post.

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I ran the 2015 Redbud Classic 10K on Sunday, April 12. This was my first race way back when, so I wanted to do it again. Achilles issues forced me to drop from the Memorial full to the half (if shoes feel funky the first time you wear them, return them rather than hope that they'll feel normal eventually). I ended up taking 3 weeks off with an unhappy achilles, as I said in the last post. But anyway, I ran the Redbud this year. It was ROUGH. The weather was 79F with a 20mph wind.

We had a tailwind for the first half of the race, but a tailwind provides little relief from the heat. I seriously thought that I was going to have heat stroke. I wanted this race to be a dress rehearsal for the memorial, so I had my 2-bottle fuel belt on. I was wearing calf sleeves, and they always make me feel hotter. I'm pretty sure I was pouring water on my head by the 2nd mile. Once we got out of the tailwind, it became a headwind. Headwinds are great for cooling you down, but you get to work harder just to go forward. The redbud course is pretty hilly. I was sore for 4 days after this race. My left quad and IT band were not very happy with me. Since this training plan didn't go as well as I'd wanted, I finished about where I expected to, with a course PR but not an overall PR. My results were:

Time: 1:11:24
Overall: 774 of 1,151 (top 67.2%)
Females: 341 of 609 (top 56%)
F30-34: 68 of 113 (top 60.2%)

So, not my finest work, but it is what it is. I was so spent after the race that I was really stupid. My quest to find my car was pretty entertaining. Luckily they had a shuttle that ran from the finish back to the start. When I parked, I thought that the start and finish were in the same place, but they were not. I eventually found my car though (I had parked at the mall). It would have been incredibly easy for someone to kidnap me, if they had wanted to, lol.

I finally started riding my bike outside again. I'm a wimp who doesn't like to be cold. I've started riding most of the spring training rides, and they've been enjoyable. At least I don't have to learn how to ride a bike this year, lol. There's a Clydesdale barn on the Lake Overholser route, and I had no idea that it is open to the public. So I took a pic with a horse! On another day, I did a sunrise ride with a classmate and 2 of my cycling friends. It was really early, but made for some nice pics. I very nearly dropped my car key into Lake O, and that would have been awful.

busy busy

So obviously I haven't updated in a while. I got into a bit of a funk after HHH. I ran the SoS Half in October (my 3rd time), but I was really undertrained. My goal for that race was to just finish under 2:30, and I barely did so: my chip time was 2:29:21. I only ran an 8 and 10 mile long runs in the weeks leading up to the half. I'm not sure that I even printed out my training schedule, which was pretty much my downfall. I need to be able to highlight things and see progress. School has been ridiculously crazy, so that cuts down on my time and motivation too.

Fast forward to now. I decided to run the full Memorial Marathon, and I started training for that in December. Things were going great, until I needed new shoes. I transitioned to minimalist running shoes in the summer of 2013. I wore pureflow 2s, because my glycerins were giving me shin splints. The next Feb, the pureflow 3s came out, so all of the 2s were discounted. So I bought 3 pairs, and I'm just now running out of shoes. My LRS didn't have any pureflow 4s in my size, so I looked online for clearanced 3s. I found some, and tried them out. I ran twice in them before running a long run in the new shoes. Long story short, I ran 12 miles in them and my left achilles protested. I ended up having to take 3 weeks off for that. I bought new shoes again, and this time I'm in Ghost 7s because they won't stretch my achilles as much as a minimalist shoe would. I'm wearing calf sleeves to fight off shin splints. I've taken too much time off though, so I registered for the half instead of the full. I'm pretty disappointed abut it, but it is what it is. It's possible that I can get a PR in the half, because the Memorial doesn't have very many hills.

I went on a race registration spree today, lol. While I should have been doing homework, instead I registered for:

OKC Memorial Half Marathon (4/26)
HHH 100mi bike ride (8/29)
Redbud Classic 33mi bike ride and 10K race (4/11 & 4/12)
Guthrie Super Sprint Duathlon (5/9)

I closed the window on the RT66 full marathon when I was at the checkout page. I can't be trusted online with a bank card today, it would appear. I got my biked tuned up this week, so it's ready to go when I can ride outside again. I think that I'll do a ride on the 28th. I'm out of town this weekend for my annual knitting weekend in Denton with 2 of my best friends.