Chili Chase 4m run

Sunday was my first race of the season! Very excited about that.

It was cold but the sun was shining. But because it was cold, it was also very confusing as to how much to wear out on the course. I was going to wear my winter UnderArmor leggings and then my jogging pants over that. I did eventually take the pants off. Then I was just going to wear my winter UnderArmor shirt and a jacket. But once I saw Brent take off his fleece pullover, I was thinking of not wearing my jacket. In the hour of waiting around, I did realise that I was cold and Brent likes the cold so I'm gonna keep my jacket on. We did see guys in shorts & short sleeve shirts. CRAZY!!

Before the race, a guy asked us if we saw the course yet. He said the first quarter mile is all downhill and ice so we should walk it. We find out where the course is at and go check it out. Yep, ice. But we manage to find a bit of snow on the side that will help grip it. Then we realise that the finish is at top of the same hill which means we have to run back UP it at the end.

While waiting for Brent to come back from a bathroom break, a saw a girl a bit younger than me wearing a NIU sweatshirt so of course I said, Go Huskies! And then the mother in front of her turned around and I saw that she too was wearing a Huskie sweatshirt. So we were talking about the event and that we were heading back tonight to go to the Memorial Service at 7pm.

At the start, it's in the shade and I was cold with my jacket on so I don't know how Brent was managing. Then the race started, it was a lot of short steps to make sure that our legs weren't going to slip out from under us. Brent was behind me most of the time going down just because it was single file alongside the road. At the bottom of the hill, it got to be drier and sure enough my iPod said it was .25 into the race. That's when Brent caught up with me and we ran side by side for a little while. I took a few pictures of him. Then I sped up a bit and took pics of him over my head. That was cool.

At one point in the 1st or 2nd mile when Brent was behind me, I patted my butt trying to indicate come and get this! Those miles were mostly clear as they were roads in a subdivision.

At the start of the 3rd mile, I was going to leave him behind and start doing my own speed but I just kept checking over my left shoulder to see if he was still behind me or if he fell down. I couldn't just leave him then. There was a small turnaround and I thought maybe then I could go. But by that time we were back on ice and snow on the bike path. But again, I didn't. I did speed up a little bit, told my body to kick in a little bit. By that time I was getting a little warm but still happy that I had on my jacket and hat. I took off my gloves around mile 2 or 2.5.

Then once the start of the 4 mile began, I decided now was the time to heave-ho. So I got my burn on but it wasn't much of a burn by that time since I spent a lot of energy dodging the puddles, stepping gingerly over the ice. But I did manage to really kick it in the last half mile.

I saw Huskie girl in front of me then but I didn't think that I would be able to catch her but at the bottom of the hill that we began running on, I managed to catch her and then pass her! I thought about saying "Go Huskies!" but I didn't want to egg her on and have her pass me. I also managed to pass another older lady on the hill but man, was it hard to run up it, not the hill part but the snow & ice part. I managed to get to a dry place and then all the snow fell off my shoe but then I ran into slush & snow again and the tread would just get snowpacked again.

I didn't look behind me once I started running up the hill but knew that Brent was not that far behind me. So once I got to the finish corral, I got out the camera again, took a picture of my time, tore off my running tag and then turned to get his picture, after he crossed the line. I hugged him immediately. I was so proud of him that he came in that close behind me!

We stayed for the post race just in case, I was in the top 35. But they started at #35 and when they got to the 20's something they had said a time of 34 minutes so I knew I wasn't in the contention. But the results were posted today. I was number 37!! Just 30 seconds in front of me! Boo to that! Oh well, it was just a travel coffee cup and I have plenty of them and don't drink coffee anyway.

So anyway, there's the race. First of the season and first for Brent ever! Yay for a boyfriend to want to do something with me that I enjoy!

Categories: Brent, Chili Chase 4 mile

First race of the season

So this whole giving up all beverages but water is turning out to be a lot harder than I imagined. Especially when I think about running and my precious Gatorade Rain Berry or Ice flavour. How I miss thee so.

This Sunday I have a race. First one of the season! A 4 mile one in Davenport, IA. It's going to have chili afterwards. But of course, no vegetarian options. Stupid meat-eaters. And my boyfriend will be joining me. I told him that I will run my own pace, finish and then run back to him to cross the finish line with him. So very proud and excited no matter what the outcome! I'm hoping for a 35 minute finish. That's just under 9 minutes a mile.

I'm buying new shoes soon. Mine are too small, both my running & everyday shoes. On the 17th, I spent all day trying to find shoes. Famous Footwear, Payless, Wal-Mart, MC Sports, Kohl's. Hardly any of them carried size 11 shoes.

MC Sports had the best deal. Their shoes were on sale and then second pair 1/2 off. So I found a pair of running shoes I wanted and normal everyday shoes. I ask for size 11 in the running shoes. Nope, only size 10. So I try them on. Too small, my toes will hit the front wall. So then I ask for size 11 in the everyday shoe. Nope, only size 10 in those too. I ask if I can buy those online through the website. Sure enough, I can, I was told.

I went home, looking through MCSports.com and the shoes are NOT on sale. And they also don't have the second pair half off discount. But they do have size 11.

So I wrote to them. They can't do anything to help me out but it just sucks that they do this to people. And it's too late to go up to Dick's in Rockford. Stupid big feet of mine.

I really want the Asics GT-2130. I have 2110 and they were awesome. I just picked them cause they were blue, not knowing then about the whole arch issue. Then I switched models and went with the Nimbus 9. Boy was that ever a mistake. In the last weeks of training for my half marathon, my knees gave out. I'm blaming my shoes. But now I know that the 2100-series is the best for my foot.

Anyway, here's to the first race with many more this year!

Categories: Brent, races, shoes

Runner's High

I totally bypassed 5 miles.

Last week I ran 4 for the first time this year. Tonight I ran 6.5.

Back in August, when I was training for my HM, I was supposed to run 6 miles on a Saturday and I just couldn't do it, I waited too long in the morning and it got too warm. I was so dissappointed. Then on the following Monday, I had leftover red beans & rice for lunch and that evening in the cool weather and a slight mist, I ran 8 miles. I just kept going. I knew when each mile was but at 4 I decided I better turn around now.

Tonight was the same way. I had the red beans & rice for lunch but this time it was on the treadmill so I could only go for 60 minutes. And that was fine with me because while I could have kept on running, I also didn't want to push it too far too soon. Instead, I pushed the speed tonight!

I started out at 6.2. But even before mile 1 completed, I upped it to 6.8 when two certain songs came on my iPod. Then I brought it back down to 6.4 for a little while. Then when I realised how much fun I was having I upped it to 6.5. Then again to 6.7 and 6.8 and the last minute was 6.9. The last 10 seconds of my 60 minutes of running, I ran at 7.5 which is an 8min/mi (and 800 calories per hour).

I don't know what it is about red beans & rice but they are magical for me. Twice now, when I eat them for lunch, I manage to have the willpower and energy to keep going throughout a run and keep going past my endurance. I'm not sore at all as of this writing. It was the most awesome feeling.

I even managed to play around with my Nike+ a little bit. As I kept upping my treadmill speed of course my feet were slowing down as I getting tired. So my Nike+ was thinking that I wasn't going as far. Towards the end of the run, Nike- had me at .2 miles behind my treadmill distance. That's bullshit. So around the 2.88 mark I think, I changed my form and started pumping my legs really really fast. I held the Nike- in my hand so I could see the changes and sure enough, it registered me at running an 8:04 pace at that time but it only caught me up by .02 miles. Then of cousre since I was turning my legs at a faster rate, that got me tired more so when I stopped doing it, it thought I was slowing way down and that is how I managed to get .2 miles behind the treadmill. Stupid Nike-. I wonder if I should re-calibrate it again.

At any rate, I had the runner's high again tonight and I loved it.

Total distance: 7.6
Total calories: 753

Categories: nike+

starting all over

I'm up to 4 miles now. I was supposed to run 8 today but I am definitely not up to 8 continuous miles. The past 2 times I ran, I did the 4 miles. But I did them at a slow pace, 10 min/mi. I figured that training at a faster speed last year may have been the reason for my sore knees. So I'm going to slow it down. Maybe I can run 8 miles at that pace but I don't know. Then once I get outside, I won't have a choice but to go normal pace. I cannot for the life of me go slow outside, I can't control my own speed too well.

There's this online store called OneMoreMile.net and they had a slogan contest. It's where I got my shirt that says "13.1 miles. Been there, done that." and undies that say "Sorry, I have to go running." I submitted the slogan "Running is my boyfriend." I want a shirt that says that!!

I'm not doing the indoor triathlon after all. I waited until pay day to sign up but I forgot to that last Friday and the deadline was Superbowl Sunday and I was in Chicago all weekend. But Brent's doing it so I'll be there to support him and then to revive him.

I get to go to Iowa in two weeks! Yay for racing season!

Categories: Brent, running is my boyfriend