Run Around Sara

Disney Princess Half Marathon 2012 Race Report

2012-02-27T15:58:00.002-05:00

The big day has come. And gone. Uneventfully.

Disney Princess Half Marathon: February 26, 2012, 6:27am

Yesterday was the Disney Princess Half Marathon. Before you I get you invested and excited, I didn’t finish. We got to mile 5 and got swept for being 8 seconds behind the required pace. Let me explain...

I had a toe injury for about 3 weeks before the race. I did some swimming and biking, but no running. On race day, it felt fine. There were no toe issues. But in those 3 weeks, I really lost a lot of conditioning and strength. I could have easily worked back up to where I had been if I had a few more weeks, but I just ran out of time.

My 2-mile run a few days ago left my legs sore for a day or two. I thought I was prepared, but I really should have prepared better.

I think what started my downward spiral, toe injury not included, was participating in the 30for60 challenge in December and January. It was a mental struggle for me, as I was more concerned with getting something in each day, that I didn’t focus fully on each running workout and didn’t give it my full attention. Not to mention, it was around the holidays and I started my own business, which I put 110% into and my workouts slacked because of it.

I’m glad I did the 30for60 challenge, though. I learned a lot about myself and I needed it to push me through the holidays. If I had to do it all over again, I’d probably still do it, I’d just be more structured about it and go into it with a better plan. I just played everything by ear and tried to fit things in wherever I could. I should have been more prepared.

I’m not at all using these things as excuses, just lessons to learn for my future endeavors. I knew there was a 16-minute mile and I knew I probably wouldn’t be able to keep up with that pace. But I tried. The 5 miles that we did seemed to go by pretty fast. It definitely didn’t feel like 5 miles. Maybe more like 3. Of course now, my legs tell me it feels like 10 miles. I had a good time. Good people, great entertainment and a positive atmosphere.

I planned this race early last year with two friends Gabbie and Amanda. They both live in Florida. We kept in touch as we trained throughout the year and were each other’s cheering squad during good times and motivation during hard times. I wish we lived closer because the training runs would have been a lot more fun as a group since we are all about the same pace.

We all went to the expo together on Friday morning and got some fun race stuff and listened to Jeff Galloway speak. I actually asked him during a Q&A how much conditioning one could lose with 3 weeks off. He told me I shouldn't do the half marathon and do the Royal Family 5K instead. Not an option. Then he said I should just walk the half marathon and jog when I saw the sweepers. Ha. I'd have been swept at mile 1! I appreciated his answer though, because he also stressed the run/walk method which is what we planned to follow.

Expo entrance

Jeff Galloway speaking

I finally got the Spibelt I’ve been wanting. As well as a t-shirt that says, “I did it” with the race course on the back. A little premature, yes, but I had high hopes. I plan to get a patch or decal to put over the word “did” that says “tried”, so it reads, “I tried it”. Then I plan to circle mile #5 on the race course picture and add another decal or lettering that says, “There’s always next year”. Or something to that effect. It was the experience that matters most to me, and it certainly was an experience, that’s for sure.

We all met up at my hotel at around 3 in the morning to board the bus over to Epcot.

Excited at 3am, even on little sleep.

When we got to the race area, we checked out the amenities and got the lay of the land. After checking a bag, we started our walk to the start/corral area. My friends were gracious enough to hop back a corral into H with me since they were all in G and I was in H. I appreciate that more than they realize. It wouldn’t have been as much fun by myself and I’m glad they were willing to stick with me, even if it meant that they got swept in the race because of it.

We used the bathroom about 3 times each – I could not stop peeing! The port-o-potties weren’t as bad as I thought they were going to be. We hung out in our corral for about 45 minutes before the race started. As the first corral took off, they counted down and shot off fireworks! Gabbie wasn’t a fan of them and tried to hide under my tutu.

Protecting Gabbie from the fireworks. My tutu was good for lots of things!

As each corral took off, we got to move up closer to the start line. Finally, it was our turn! It was very exciting.

The beginning of the end.

Each mile ticked by really quickly. By mile 2, we saw the lead runner on her way back towards the finish. Wow. She was quick!! I knew my mom was waiting to view us at mile 4.2 so I was constantly texting her letting her know where we were. I also had other friends texting

Hi Mom!!

Right after we passed her we noticed a bathroom with no line. At this point in the race we were one minute ahead of pace and we figured that it would be the best opportunity we’d have to go to the bathroom with little to no line. All of the other port-o-potties that we passed had crazy long lines and I was getting to the point where I couldn’t hold it any longer. So we stopped. By the time we finished, the dreaded balloon ladies marking the back of the pace pack had passed us and we were now a minute behind pace. A 2-minute bathroom break was our downfall.

There were people on bikes riding near us letting us know that we had 5 minutes to get to the next mile marker or we’d be picked up. I appreciated their warnings because I knew how much I needed to pick up the pace to get to where we needed to be. But we just couldn’t do it. We went from one minute behind pace to 8 seconds behind pace by the time we got picked up. If we had just a little bit more distance, we’d have been able to catch up.

We were RIGHT outside the gate entrance to Magic Kingdom, missing our chance to run through the castle by a half mile. Sad. I’m grateful that my mom at least got to see us once on the course. She had originally been planning to wait outside the entrance of Magic Kingdom to see us enter the park, then go back to the finish to wait for us. Instead she decided to go to the spectator view point at mile 4.2, and then walk a 10 min path to see us again at mile 7 near the Polynesian Resort. I’m glad she decided to see us before the park!!

We got onto a bus where they took our names and bib numbers so they could keep track of us and drove us back to the finish area. They gave us our medals and we took a few “non-finisher” pictures.

Nice try.

I didn’t put my medal on. I just carried it around. I don’t feel right wearing it. I may have registered, trained for and started the race, but I didn’t finish it. They gave us finisher medals. I didn’t finish, and I certainly didn’t earn a medal. I’m grateful they still gave us a medal because it’s going on my wall at home as a reminder to keep trying so I can earn that medal another year. It’s hard to see other people walking around the resort wearing their medals, knowing that I got one too, but I can’t wear it because I didn’t finish. Hopefully the disappointment will turn into more motivation for my future races and challenges.

Better luck next time!

Throughout this entire half-marathon experience, I have discovered that I really appreciate the sport of triathlon – sprint triathlon, that is. My sprint triathlon last year was a total of 13.63 miles. Just over the distance of a half marathon, yet there are 3 sports to break it up instead of constant running, which for the record, I still hate. I haven’t yet signed up for the Title 9 Sprint triathlon again for 2012, but I think I will now. I was turned off by all of the horrid hills on the bike ride, but I think if I continue to train and work on more strength training, I can do better than last year!

As far as the Disney Princess Half Marathon. I don’t doubt that I’ll do it again. I didn’t reach my goal – to finish. So I have to keep trying until I finish. I won’t lie; it was disappointing not to finish. I would have loved to cross that finish line. I would have loved to even get to Magic Kingdom and run through Cinderella’s castle. But this time, it just didn’t workout. I don’t know if I’ll do it next year or not, but eventually, I will. I want to make sure I can be under the time limit and know confidently that I will finish the race, not just hope for the best.

Despite the disappointment of being swept on the course, I’m proud of myself. I’m proud of myself for having the guts to try it. I’m proud that I kept up with my training plan the entire time (minus the 3 week injury period), I’m proud of myself for not quitting. I’m proud of myself for thinking those 5 miles that I did complete, were easy. I’m proud of myself for doing my best. And I’m so lucky to have so much support in my friends, family, and those who read my blog. I appreciate each and every one of you and thank you so much for cheering me on throughout my journeys.

13 days

2012-02-13T16:36:00.000-05:00

13 days.

That’s how far away my half marathon is.

Am I ready? Maybe. I’ve been a bit MIA lately. A few people have asked me where I’ve been and how my training has been going. And it’s been going pretty well. It was.

I have been so preoccupied with other things going on in my life that I haven’t kept up with my weekly training updates. But I’ve still been doing it. I completed 30for60, kinda. I missed the last 2 days of it, but considering there were 62 days in December & January combined, I still feel that I completed 60 days. I win.

So I was still on plan with my running schedule. Check dailymile. It’ll vouch for me.

Until 2 weeks ago.

I got a blister on my toe and figured it would go away in a day or two. But it didn’t it turned out to be an abscess with an ingrown toenail sticking into it. Or the other way around. Either way, it hurt. I dug out the nail. It got slightly better, but then started hurting again. I had a podiatrist dig it out for me. I was told there would be numbing involved. There wasn’t. Liars. And they gave me instructions on how to care for it.

I haven’t been able to put a sneaker on at all. That’s a lie. During the 2 day period when it was feeling better, I put a sneaker on to hopefully do elliptical at the gym, but I could barely stand, let alone walk or try to be elliptic. I did the bike instead. It was less painful, but no picnic. The winner in all this has been the pool. I’ve been swimming, though thinking back now, maybe all that chlorine hasn’t been helpful.

My point is: I haven’t run in 2 weeks. My race is in 13 days. My longest run was 11 miles on January 15th. My 12-mile run ended at 6 miles a few weeks later. That’s when I noticed the “blister”.

Am I screwed? Or just very, very rested. I guess we will see. I’m not backing out of this. It will get done. Even if I can’t wear sneakers, I’ll figure something out.

I’ll run in flip-flops if I have to. There’s no way I’m missing my vacation in Florida for a toe. Eff toes.

Week Thirteen: Disney Princess Half Marathon Training

2012-01-02T20:37:00.000-05:00

Week Thirteen

Monday – yoga stretching

I got a yoga bolster pillow for Christmas so I used it to do some lower back and leg stretching. It felt great!

30 min

Tuesday – butt workout

After a long day, I had along drive home, so I used the time wisely to do butt clenches in the car on the way home! Multi tasking!

30 mins

Wednesday – walk/jog with the dog

Took the dog for a walk/jog around the neighborhood. It was too cold to run. It was windy, and horrid. My dog was scared of the wind. Every time it blew, he got skittish and tried to burst away from me. Needless to say, it made the jogging part difficult. I also used this as an opportunity to do the crazy walk with him. So not sure how accurate the mileage/gps is. There were lots of twists and turns and circles and stops and sits.

30 mins – 1.42 miles (21:17/mi pace)

Thursday – wii sports

I planned on 30 minutes of wii tennis, but I got bored with it after about 15 minutes so I moved on to baseball and bowling. Both bored me more than the tennis. So I went back to the tennis for the last 10 minutes or so. I need to bust out the other wii workout “games” that we got for Christmas and see how those fare.

30 mins

Friday – run

5 min warm up walk
2.103 in 30 mins running speed intervals - from 4.5 to 6.5 with 3.0 walk intervals (14:15/mi pace)
5 min cool down walk
A few pains in my left hip/knee area. First run in a while where I didn't wear my compression socks and it felt okay. Looking forward to wearing my new Tommie Copper calf sleeves for the rest of the afternoon!!

30 mins

Saturday – arm workout

Arm workout with wood instead of weights. Yes wood. I'm in the back woods of New Hampshire and I used some firewood instead of hand weights to do an arm workout.

30 mins

Sunday – long run – 9.5 miles

I was dreading this one all weekend. The gym was closed for New Years and I knew I was going to have to do it outside. I went out on the Cotton Valley Trail that I usually bike on and as expected, it was covered in ice.

Luckily it wasn’t too much, just sections here and there where I could walk off to the side before I got onto solid ground again. But it was enough to make me cautious and slow down when I needed to.

The trail is about 3 miles long, so I planned to go out 2 or 2.5, come back, refill my water bottle, then go back out for another 2 or 2.5 then head back again. I figured it would break it up nicely. Instead I went out 3 miles, then turned around and only had to go back out for 1.75 miles then back again to finish off the last 3.5 miles. My iPod died at mile 2 so I had a lot of time to think and talk to God and make up my own songs and appreciate the scenery for the last 7.5 miles.

Partially frozen lake

Not gonna lie, I spent a large part of those last 7.5 miles praying. I kept telling myself that if God brought me to it, He’d bring me through it. It made my run a little more peaceful. The last 3.5 miles were tough. I was exhausted and in pain physically and I had to rely on myself mentally to finish it. There was mostly walking, but I did it.

When I got home, I took another ice bath. But I didn’t videotape it this time! You’re welcome.

Total: 9.5 miles – 3:00:40 (19:00/mi pace)

I feel like I’ve fallen off the running wagon so to speak. Through the holidays I found that I lacked motivation to run. I did other things, but running was the toughest. And yes, I completed 9.5 miles this week, but the pace was SO slow! I could never complete the half marathon at that pace without them sweeping me off the course. I’m pretty sure if I had walked the entire thing and not run any of it, I could have had a faster pace. My pace at certain points was a 14 min mile pace and a few times I hit 10 min mile paces – briefly. But the when I started hurting, my walking became so ragged & slow that it pulled my pace way down. It’s discouraging and doesn’t make me like running any more either. I still hold firm to be belief that running isn’t for me. I can do 2-3 miles and survive it and not hate it, but this long distance stuff just isn’t for me. After this half, I’m done.

Dec 26, '11 - Jan 1, '12

55 days until the Disney Princess Half Marathon!

Week Twelve: Disney Princess Half Marathon Training

2011-12-26T19:59:00.000-05:00

Week Twelve

Monday – chair squats

I went to a rally with my new Tupperware team (YES I'm a consultant now!! If you need/want anything...call me!) and we were standing up to clap for people every 10 seconds. I'd say that worked out to at least 30 full minutes of chair squats!

30 min

Tuesday – house cleaning

Vacuuming, rearranging furniture and hosting a Tupperware party for a few hours. Lots of moving around!

30 mins

Wednesday – walking/jogging/chasing kids etc.

Running on 3 days of little sleep, I was exhausted and close to coming down with something. I didn't want to over exert myself so I decided to get my 30 minutes in by walking around the gym in my school during our "outside time" (it was raining). I walked in a oval around the gym for 30 mins, but also jogged, chased kids, ran away from kids, danced to Christmas music, kicked soccer balls, threw basketballs and I'm sure more - all while still walking my loops.

30 mins – 1.5 miles est. (20:00/mi pace)

Thursday – calf raises

I had some work to do at home, so I did seated calf raises while I was sitting at my computer and standing calf raises while taking the dogs out or waiting for something to come out of the printer. If I had to stop for any reason, I'd jog in place. There were also a few trips up and down the stairs. I made sure I was constantly moving for the entire 30 minutes.

30 mins

Friday – walk

Was supposed to run, but I forgot about it because I lost track of time and I was so exhausted from serious lack of sleep this week. I was so busy the entire day, so I didn’t even have time to do this until 11:30pm. Because of that, I walked for 30 mins instead of a run. I walked at a 2.5 speed at 2.0 incline for 5 mins, then upped the incline .5 every minute up to 10, then came back down again until I hit 30 mins. I wasn’t wearing my heart rate monitor, but I checked it a few times with the hand monitors on the treadmill and I’m pretty sure my heart rate was just as high during the incline walking as it is during my runs! Good to know!

30 mins

Saturday – wrapping presents

Man, what an arm workout! The reaching, the pulling, the carrying to the tree, etc. This should be a weekly workout, not a yearly one!

Sunday – long run – 3 miles

After a week of no running and barely getting in my 30 minutes of exercise each day, I finally ran. It wasn't pretty. Thank god I only had to do 3 miles. I was tired, lazy and wiped out from lack of sleep this week! Hopefully next week I can get back on track and kick it up a notch! Only 9 more weeks til my half marathon!

Total: 3 miles – 53:25 (17:46/mi pace)

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!! I had another crazy busy week! I need a nap! I can’t wait for the New Year! This next week is going to be just as busy! I hope things settle down in “the twelve”.

62 days until the Disney Princess Half Marathon!

Week Eleven: Disney Princess Half Marathon Training

2011-12-24T01:19:00.000-05:00

Week Eleven

Monday – stretching, foam rolling, light yoga

After my ultimate leg workout plus run/walk this past weekend, my legs were really sore. I needed to stretch and foam roll things out. I also did a few yoga positions to loosen up my hips.

30 min

Tuesday – run

I decided I needed to amp up the treadmill work since I've been relying on it for easy workouts and not really benefiting from it. Put it up to 2 incline to mimic outside running. I used http://www.hillrunner.com/training/tmillchart.php to see how that measured up.

I did run/walk intervals and realized that this incline stuff isn't fun. My left calf felt so tight, I had to hop off the treadmill several times to try and stretch it out. I started getting chills and decided to end it at 30 mins instead of my usual 40. I need to hydrate better!

30:00 mins – 1.78 miles (16:51/mi)

Wednesday – butt workout

After a long day and night, I was crazy tired and I didn't want to do a strenuous workout that would wake me up and make it tougher for me to get to sleep, so I did butt clenches while checking e-mails. My butt hurt the next day, so it worked!

30 mins

Thursday –run

I didn't want to run. I was too tired. Getting dressed was half the battle, so I got dressed and told myself to at least walk. Then I wrote out my run/walk interval plan. And I ran. I started at a 2% incline, but after the warm up I put it down to 1% since I was planning on doing a speed pyramid. I didn’t even notice the incline! I guess when you bump it down from 2%, 1% doesn’t seem like anything. It really isn’t, but when you add it after months of no incline, you feel it! This was also the first run that I almost threw up. (not counting the 5K I did after being sick all weekend.) I took too much water on a walk interval and had to cut a run interval short. Guess I know how hard I need to push myself in future workouts to kick my own ass!

30 min run time: 2.05 miles (14:38/mi pace)

40:00 mins – 2.52 miles (15:53/mi pace)

Friday – wii tennis

I needed to get my 30 minutes in for the day and I started playing wii tennis and I couldn’t stop! I made it to the PRO level!

50 mins

Saturday – walk

I went to the Wrentham outlets with a friend and we went shopping. I tracked the distance with Runkeeper on my cellphone. I paused it every time we went into a store so I’m sure we walked way more than what was tracked, especially since we were out there for about 1.5 hours and we only tracked 32 mins

1.52 miles – 32:02

Sunday – long run – 8 miles

I was doing the Somerville Jingle Bell 5K today and knew I wouldn’t want to do 5 miles after the race, so I decided to do at least 2 before the race. We all met at a friend’s house that was about 1 mile away from the race. I did 6 laps around the block at my friend’s house to get me to 2 miles. Then we walked about a mile to the race. By that time I had already done a 5K. I knew after the race, I’d only need to do 2 more miles! One mile walking back and one more mile around her block. I was set.

3.29 miles – 1:00:06 (18:17/mi pace)

Somerville Jingle Bell 5K – Race report coming soon. I promise. But it was awesome. They did a great job and I will most definitely support their races in the future!

Official time: 50:08

3.18 miles – 50:12* (15:46/mi pace) *(Garmin)

We walked home and I was surprised to find that I was at 7.5 miles and all I needed to do was .5 miles around the block. I had been taking it easy on my legs for the week so I wasn’t so dead on long run day. I started hurting around mile 7, but compared to my last long run, where I was whining and limping at mile 5, I consider this a success!

1.57 miles – 31:27 (20:05/mile pace)

I also learned that although it’s horrendous, an ice bath is actually pretty helpful. My legs didn’t hurt at all the day after my ice bath, but this time, I didn’t partake in cold ice torture, and my legs hurt me for 2 full days.

Total: 8.01 miles – 2:21:51 (17:39/mi pace)

What a week! I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to even post this! I’ve been keeping track of everything on dailymile, so I can go back and fill in the blanks. In just a few days I’ll be posting THIS week’s update!

Dec 12- Dec 18

69 days until the Disney Princess Half Marathon!

(as of Monday, Dec 19th)

Week Ten: Disney Princess Half Marathon Training

2011-12-12T23:02:00.001-05:00

Week Ten

Monday – swim

Went swimming for the first time since September. More specifically the last time I swam was during my triathlon! After a few laps, I took the time to stretch out my hips while I was in the water. I also noticed that the breaststroke worked my hips out in a different way since most of my exercise has come from running and it’s the same motion over and over. Must keep swimming in the mix!

1150 yards – 32:30 min

Tuesday – run

Kept pretty good pace considering I was outside. I've been running slower outside than I do on the treadmill so I was surprised to see this pace.

I had a magical moment: I was powering up a hill, listening to "Friday" by Rebecca Black (don't judge), and I got beeped at by a guy with a Red Sox sticker on his car. I don't know for sure, but I'm going to assume it was a beep of approval. And I approve of his choice of sports team. Call me.

39:01 mins – 2.38 miles (16:22/mi)

Wednesday – Wii tennis & bowling

Why don’t I play this more often? It’s really fun and you can work up a sweat if you really get into and don’t just stand there. Downside. All the work is done with my dominant arm, so that gets worked out, sore & tired while the other gets nothing. I should switch it up sometimes to see if I can play left-handed.

40 mins

Thursday –run clinic & Wii tennis

I attended a run clinic at my gym. There was more talking than there was running. The coach told us a lot of stuff that he learned over the years of being a runner and a coach. Also watched us run short distances and told us how we could improve. I got something out of it and if he created a running club, I’d join so I could get more advice on how to get better at this thing I call running.

Then I came home and played Wii Tennis again.

30 mins

Friday – Mall walking

Yup, that happened. I went to dinner with my mom and a friend and we walked 3 loops around the mall after dinner. Not gonna lie, I might do it again. It’s a fairly good walking workout – better than the treadmill – and I don’t have to be outside in the cold! Too bad I can’t run inside. Although I suppose that’s what the track at my gym is for.

35 mins - 1.3 miles

Saturday – Jonathon’s Fitness workout

I did @jonathonsfitnes's favorite total body workout - 10 min legs, 10 min arms, 10 min abs. The arms one was too easy, I obviously need heavier weights. But I can see this being a staple to my workouts! It made me sweat and I could feel the burn! I loved it!

Sunday – long run – 3 miles

This was a clusterfluff of 3 miles. I did the Winter Classic 5K, my first DNF, and I don’t even want to talk about it anymore. You can read the race report if you haven’t already.

0.85 miles – 12:50 (15:05/mi pace),

Came home from the race and took the dogs for a walk to finish the 3 miles for the day. Jogged a few times when the dogs wanted to go faster, but when they started to get crazy and pull, I walked again.

2.34 miles – 43:50 (18:45/mi pace)

Total: 3.19 miles – 56:40 (17:45/mi pace)

This race was the icing on the cake. This was the 3rd race where I’ve gotten no support on the course as far as directions for which way to go or water stations and one of them was even starting to take down the finish line area as I crossed and there were still people behind me – and that was the race that not only accepted, but welcomed walkers and their dogs. I started a campaign called No Runners Left Behind because races need to be aware that not everyone who registers for a race will finish before 30 minutes or even 45 or even 60 (gasp!). If races have time constraints, they should post them on their registration page and let people decide if they can achieve that time before registering, not after the race when they get lost because all the volunteers have gone home. I'm hoping to get more race directors and organizations on board with this campaign so more people will enjoy races and not feel excluded in something they are doing to make themselves healthier.

Dec 5 - Dec 11

76 days until the Disney Princess Half Marathon!

Winter Classic 5K Race Report - My first DNF

2011-12-11T21:55:00.001-05:00

Back in September I registered for the Winter Classic 5K road race in Cambridge, MA. I was really excited about it because not only did they boast a long sleeve t-shirt, they were also giving away a fleece hat for runners that signed up for the race before a certain deadline. You know me and fun gimmicks like that! Sign me up!

Two previous races in the past 2 months, I had gotten lost on the course due to poor organization on the race’s behalf. There was no support out on the course for runners towards the back of the pack. I asked a few volunteers if they had a race course map. They didn’t know what I was talking about. I asked them if the race director was around so I could ask him what his plans were for support out on the course. They said he was busy somewhere but they didn’t know where he was. I understand that. When I volunteered at the Oktoberfest Cambridge 5K, the race director was being pulled in 10 different directions. He was busy. So I went out there and hoped for the best. I hoped I didn’t get lost.

The MC announced the start of the race and stated, "All runners and walkers please make your way to the start line". I also heard a few people talking about being walkers. I figured everything would work out.

All smiles before the race!

Gathering at the start

I started out and, although I was running, I was slower than most people. I always have been. But I'm a runner nonetheless. As we turned the corner onto Albany Street, the cop car following the race almost hit me as it passed by me to keep up with the other runners. By the time I turned onto Mass Ave, I was alone and there was no more traffic control. I saw one of the cops who was directing traffic get back into his car and drive away. I was still behind him. The course looped around passed the finish area within the first mile. As I got to that area, there were about 5 police officers waiting for the racers to come back into the finish area. As I got to them, I said, "Where did every one go?" He laughed at me. I said "No, really. I'm in the race, which way did they go?" He laughed again and pointed towards the finish and said, "The finish is over there". I said, "I can see that, but which way did the racers GO? What direction?" He pointed over his shoulder and said "Up that way". I asked if he knew which streets or had an idea of the course directions. He was useless.

Since this was the 3rd race in a row where the race didn't leave volunteers or directions out on the course to let runners know where to go I was annoyed at the lack of respect I was getting from this race as well as the others. I paid my money to participate in this race. There was nothing on the website stating that this was for runners only and only runners who can finish faster than the cop car behind them can drive. And I certainly didn't pay money to be laughed at.

I went back to the start and asked for the race director. A volunteer said that she didn't know where he was and asked if I really needed to talk to him. I said yes and she immediately turned to her left and said to the man standing about 10 feet away from her, "She needs to talk to you". Amazing. I told him what had happened and he argued with me saying that the event was only for runners because they had a time constraint. I asked why it wasn't specified on the website and why the MC had welcomed "runners and walkers" to the start not even 15 minutes earlier. He said that they were only allowed 45 minutes for the race. That doesn't explain why a cop car passed me within the first 6 minutes of the race when we had just passed the half-mile mark. I asked about course directions and letting people know where to go for the route. The race director said it was clearly marked. I informed him that it wasn't. He said that he went out that morning and did it. I asked him where or if the volunteers had maybe brought the directions with them as they finished. He told me that it was spray painted on the street. It was nowhere on the street that I saw. He said that I should have been able to just follow the pack of runners for my directions. I tried. I really tried. But I'm not as fast as "the pack".

As a paying participant, I should have been given the same opportunity to finish the race as everyone else. I may not have been the winner of the race, and I probably never will be, but I paid my $28 just like everyone else. They still got my money and I didn't get to race because there was no support for me and no one directing me where to go like there was for the lead runner or anyone else running. That's not fair to me or anyone else who gets left behind in races.

I sent an email to the e-mail address listed on their registration website explain what happened at the race and I asked for a full refund since I was unable to complete the race. In the e-mail I informed them that I spoke with the race director, and although he avoided answering my request for a refund 3 times, he finally said that if I emailed, they'd give me a refund. I told him I appreciated it and said thank you several times and he said "Yeah, ok" and went back to getting ready for the lead runner to arrive at the finish. Did I feel like he was brushing me off? Yes. Do I think he told me I'd get a refund just to get me away from him? Yes. Do I think I'll ever get my refund? No.

But I'd like to hope that there is someone in that organization that will actually do the right thing. [EDIT - 2 hours after sending an email requesting a refund, I received an email back:

Hi Sara,
We have just processed your refund with the online registration company racewire. They said it takes 2-3 business days to clear on their site. We are sorry you were dissatisfied with your experience at today's event and appreciate the feedback you gave us on race day. It will help us to continuously improve our event.
Thanks!

I'm impressed with their professionalism and I appreciate their prompt response. I apologize to them for being quick to assume that they wouldn't be receptive to my request.]

I came home and started a campaign for No Runners Left Behind to help prevent this from happening again. Please go like the Facebook page and tell everyone you know! It happens all the time and it's a shame that race directors only think about the winners and the records that might be broken during their race. We all pay the same fee for the race. Why don't we all get the same treatment?

Week Nine: Disney Princess Half Marathon Training

2011-12-05T18:06:00.001-05:00

Week Nine

Monday – yoga

I didn't feel comfortable during this class. I just wasn't centered, zoned in, etc. My body was aching and I just couldn't get the stretches comfortably and hold them to actually help me. I felt like I was forcing it each time. Spent a lot of time in downward dog or child's pose to rest. But I still sweat like a crazy person, so I guess I was doing something right.

Tuesday – run

I’m working on doing more running and less walking in my intervals. Also working on picking up the speed. I used to “run” at 4.0, so I think this is an improvement.

5 min warm up at 2.8
3 min run x5 (2 at 4.3, 3 at 4.4) with 2 min walks (at 3.0) in between
5 min run at 4.3
5 min cool down at 3.0

Entire workout 40 mins – 2.42 miles (16:32/mi)

This run pushed me over the 500-mile mark for 2011. 500 miles of running, biking, swimming, elliptical-ing, walking and whatever else I did. Wonder how far I can get by the end of the year!

30 mins – 1.946 miles (15:24/mi)

Wednesday – rest

This was my last rest day for a long time. I joined the 30 For 60 Challenge and decided to fit exercise into my life every day for the months of December and January. No rest days. I love rest days. I’ll miss them. But I’ll do my best to make my “rest days” active and do at least 30 minutes of something active every day to stay on track.

Thursday –run

Speed pyramid workout in which I got up to 6.5mph as my fast peak. That may seem like a walk in the park to most runners, but that’s pretty damn fast for me. It worked out to one of my fastest paces.

Entire workout 40 mins – 2.608 miles (15:20/mi)

30 mins – 2.132 miles (14:04/mi)

Friday – spin

I hadn’t been to a spin class since September and this class most certainly kicked my butt. I guess I need to put it on my schedule more often. Though maybe not in between run days next time - my legs certainly got a beating this week.

Saturday – long run – 7 miles

Reindeer Run 5K – 3.14 miles in 51:44

After the race, my friend and I did another larger loop around the 5K course for almost 4 miles to add up to the 7 miles needed for the long run. There was more walking and less running during this portion of my run for today. The last 2 miles or so were really slow and painful. I have to thank my friend Beth for sticking with me for the last 4 miles. They were pretty unbearable and I was hurting towards the end of it.

In the car ride home, I talked crazy talk about taking an ice bath.

And then I did it.

And there is video proof: First Ice Bath

7.08 miles – 2:07: (16:30/mi pace)

Sunday – house work

I had to get 30 minutes in today and I was exhausted from my 7 miles the day before. So I decided to count my vacuuming, floor scrubbing & laundry as my activity for the day.

house work - 55 min

My legs are still a little sore from Saturday’s long run. I’m a little nervous about the next long run of 8 miles and the 9 mile one after that! Here’s hoping I can survive the next 2 months with no rest days!

Nov 28- Dec 4

84 days until the Disney Princess Half Marathon!

Reindeer Run 5K Race Report

2011-12-04T21:25:00.000-05:00

Back in October I signed up for a slew of 5Ks throughout the fall and winter. And technically, none of them are IN winter. They are all winter themed but they all fall on the weekends before the 22nd of December. I love themed 5Ks and ones that promise a fun t-shirt, so I was psyched for my December races.

It's actually a cute shirt!

This was the first one on the list. It was put on by the Beverly YMCA and they asked people to dress up for the race. I saw lots of Santas, reindeers, elves, candy canes and one guy dressed up as the nutcracker with a huge cylinder around him. He ran the entire race like that. He was faster than me too.

It was a beautiful day for a race. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and although it was a little chilly at 36 degrees, most of the course was in the sun and I warmed up quick.

The start line was in the middle of the street behind the YMCA and I was amused that they just spray-painted it onto the street. It was a good idea though, it let everyone know where to be!

A little ways into the race, there was a man playing Christmas music on his porch for the racers. His wife was hanging Christmas decorations and singing. They weren’t the only ones out in front of their house to support the racers. It was nice to see the community come out to support everyone.

I had checked out the course elevation online before the race, and it looked pretty flat. But it was actually quite hilly. The good thing though was that what goes up, must come down!

During the race, I looked to my side and I saw a familiar face. Carolyn from Today is the Tomorrow was running along side me with her dogs! We hadn’t met before, but we had been talking all summer about how we should meet up and a race or try to do some biking together as she was also training for a triathlon! I recognized her dogs before I recognized her and I said “Are you by any chance Carolyn?” She said, “Yes, are you Sara?” She had seen me walking over to the race packet pick up area, but was in her car and didn’t get a change to say hi before the race. We ran together for a little while before she had to back track and find her husband because she didn’t want him to get lost on the course.

Which brings me to my next point. If a race advertises that both runners and walkers are welcome to participate in the race, then the volunteers and/or race directional should be left out on the course until the FINAL racer – whether he or she is a walker OR runner – has completed the course. When I volunteered at the Cambridge 5K Oktoberfest, we had someone ride behind the final racer on a bike and let volunteers know that the last racer had passed them. Only THEN did we leave our posts. Not when we thought maybe everyone was done. When we were SURE everyone had passed that one point. No racer was left behind.

My only complaint about this race was that racers were left behind.

By the time I got towards the end of the race, I was on my own. I learned my lesson from the last race that this happened to me and I brought the race’s course map with me. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have known which way to go. There was a major intersection where racers were supposed to cross the road and go left. But there was no one in sight. I checked the map and made sure I was going the right way. A little ways up, I saw a volunteer walking back towards the race finish area. Thanks man.

There was a few volunteers standing at a corner further along, and my faith was restored in the volunteers, until I found out later that they were supposedly the water station. They had no water. Planning is everything. If you have 800 racers, have enough water for 800 racers. Just an FYI. I brought my own and rarely take water from water stations, but there were people behind me and they might have needed or wanted water.

As I was nearing the finish line, the map got a little confusing and I had no idea where to go. I actually saw a car filled with volunteers and I motioned to them to ask where I should go. They pointed me in the right direction. Kinda. I saw one of them start to get out of the car to help me before the driver took off with the door partially opened. Way to go, dude. I thank the volunteer that wanted to get out and help me. I ridicule the ass who was driving the car and didn’t care about a lost racer OR a volunteer that could have been injured in that whole process.

Once I finally found the finish line (and I think I still went the wrong way) they asked me if I knew if anyone else was behind me. I told them yes, but they might be a while since there was no one out on the course telling them where to go. I asked them where the race director was so I could let him know about the problem and they didn’t seem to care. So, race director of the Reindeer Run in Beverly, MA: There was a problem.

I gave up at that point and just met up with my friend, Beth.

A few minutes later I saw Carolyn cross the finish and we took a picture as well.

Official time: 3.14 miles - 51:59

Garmin time: 3.14 miles - 51:44

I then continued on for another 3.94 miles to total 7.08 for the day since it was my “long run” day and I needed to do 7 miles. Beth kept me company for the second run and it was nice to chat with someone to help the time pass more quickly. She also motivated me when I started to whine. There was a lot more walking than there was running, but she made sure I kept going. If I had been alone, I might have quit half way through and taken a shorter route back to my car. I told her many times that day, but I’ll say it again here: Thanks for tagging along with me Beth!! Maybe I can convince her to do 8 miles with me in a few weeks!

On the way home, we discussed ice baths. It was a comical conversation and when I got home, I actually took the plunge, which apparently turned into an even funnier video opportunity.

In case you missed it, you can check out the entire ice bath experience right here: My First Ice Bath

First Ice Bath

2011-12-03T17:55:00.000-05:00

Today after my 5K race I added on 4 more miles that slowly turned into a walk to finish my 7 miles for the day. My legs were killing me and was looking forward to getting into the jacuzzi and relaxing. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered something about getting into a hot tub after running isn’t good and an ice bath is better. After being out in 36-degree weather all morning I wasn’t too keen on a cold bath. I had my friend google “hot tub vs ice bath after a run” and found an article on running.about.com that explained the benefits of an ice bath and why I shouldn’t soak in a hot tub. Ugh. I was still unsure though. But I was already hurting, so I decided to take the plunge.

I could sit here and describe to you how my very first ice bath went, but I really think that the following pictures and video is the best way to show it. Enjoy my pain.

As this video was being shot, I was mad! I didn't want proof of this ridiculous decision I had made. After it was all over and I watched the video, I realized how hilarious it was. I cannot stop laughing at myself!

Delirious!!

November 2011 Recap

2011-12-01T15:32:00.002-05:00

November totals

Bike: 0

Run: 33.19 miles

Walk: 3.22 miles

Yoga workouts: 2

Rest days: 15

Races: 5K4Life in which I was on track to PR and was misguided to the finish line so I fake PRed instead; 5th Annual Gobble Wobble in Southborough – a new Thanksgiving tradition for sure!

5K4Life

Gobble Wobble...hence the turkey on my head.

The good: I ran for a half mile straight several times in a row during my first ever 6 mile run. Longest I’ve been able to run continuously EVER in my life. Also 33.19 miles ran in one month!! Wow. If I had been doing my Marathon Month challenge in November, I’d have kicked it in the pants!

The bad: My fake PR.

Did I meet my November Goals?

I wanted to fix myself. Eh. Well, there will always be aches and pains I guess. On my way home from the Witch City 5K at the end of October, I stopped at PR Running and bought compression socks. I now wear them during every run and I no longer have calf pain while running. I suppose that’s a start right?

I wanted to start kickboxing. I didn’t. Fail. My Groupon expires in January, so it’ll be sooner rather than later!

I wanted to run outside more. I did!! But not as much as I’d like. I did several of my runs on a trail near my house in NH. I also did some on the trail behind my work. And of course my 5Ks were outside. I’ve been doing my best to get at least 1 run outside per week, but I’d like my goal to be 2. The speed workouts (or my attempt to be speedy) I feel more comfortable doing on a treadmill where I can control the pace and make sure I stay at that pace for the entire interval. I can’t control that outside. Same with tempo. Can you? If so, how?

You Searched What??

More crazy searches that lead people to this blog. Funny stuff! Search queries are in bold. My comments are italicized.

0 degree haircut - I don’t know what that means. Maybe I should Google it.

yellow fire hydrant - Someone actually searched for this and found MY blog....??

drunk woman at races – hilarious!

12 days of Christmas workout - I have to admit, I’m curious.

some people go crazy - And I’m one of them!!

famous Christmas songs - I don’t think I’ve even discussed Christmas on my blog. We’ve still got time people!

meatball costume – At first, I was confused. Then I remembered my 5K costume race.

teach my ass – This sounds like a scary boot camp workout. Sign me up!

What are some of your funny search queries?

For December

Races: Reindeer Run Festive 5K; Winter Classic 5K – not only are there T-shirts...there are fleece hats!; Jingle Bell 5K – medals! (I’m up to 3 medals now!)

Goals:

1. Continue to run for longer intervals. For my 6 mile run, I ran .5 miles at a time. For my tempo runs, I run for 10 mins at the end of the run instead of a shorter 3 or 5 min interval. I want to bump that up.

2. PR at one of my 5Ks. Right now my current PR is 49:03. My “official” PR is 47:something, but I don’t count that because I ran the wrong way during the race. Still upset about that. If I could beat that 47: something time, it would take away all the pain!

3. Complete the first half of the 30 for 60 Challenge. NO REST DAYS!!

What are your December goals?

30 for 60 challenge

2011-11-29T21:00:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow will be my last rest day for a while.

Starting December 1st, I’m off and running for 60 days straight. Not literally, don’t be crazy! I have a habit lately of saying “Yeah, sure sign me up” for things that I haven’t discussed with myself yet.

The premise is to exercise or be active for 30 minutes every day for 60 days in a row. This will be hard for me because I’m used to having rest days. Several rest days. But a 30 minute walk can be very calming and will still count towards my daily activity. I have big plans. Yoga, walks with the dogs, stretching, core workouts, Wii tennis!!!! What else can I do??

Do you want to join?? Check out the original post here.

If you join, follow me on twitter @runaroundsara and use the hashtag #30for60 to track your workouts! Let me know what you plan to do to keep active on the days you’d normally rest. If you don’t join, let me know any ideas you have for activities that will keep me busy!!

Week Eight: Disney Princess Half Marathon Training

2011-11-28T16:55:00.000-05:00

Week Eight

Monday – ~~yoga~~ rest

I don’t even remember this day. I know I definitely didn’t go to yoga though. Next week.

Tuesday – run

The confidence boost from last Sunday's run carried over to this run. Being a short work week, I was thinking I was doing a speedwork run. But it was only Tuesday so based on my longer intervals of running on Sunday, my intervals were run 5, walk 2. I sort of did speed work, starting at a faster speed to begin with, then went down slowly until I found a more comfortable pace to finish out the intervals. I probably could have done longer intervals at that comfortable pace, but I had a 5K planned for Thursday and I didn't want to push it too hard. Sometimes confidence is all you need to have a good run.

Entire workout 40 mins – 2.36 miles (16:57/mi)

30 mins – 1.901 miles (15:46/mi)

Wednesday – rest

I think last week passed in a blur. I don’t remember this day either.

Thursday – long run – 3 miles

I did the 5th annual Gobble Wobble 5K road race. I did the walk last year with my mom. This year, I went for the 5K. Of course, I only did it for the pie.

3.11 miles – 51:20 (16:30/mi pace)

Friday – rest

Slept in, recovered from Thanksgiving festivities (i.e. to much wine) and didn't leave the house until the afternoon for a movie. I don't do that Black Friday shopping business.

Saturday – ~~run~~ walk

This was supposed to be my run day. My friend texted me and asked me if I wanted to run the Central Mass Rail Trail with her. I agreed and she said “Bring the dogs!” -- that’s the last time I ever listen to her!!

I have 2 boxers. My girl is 11 years old. My boy is still a puppy at just over one year. My friend took the girl. She’s very flexible wen it comes to following along and not really paying attention to what’s going on around her. Meaning, she’ll run nicely. The boy? Not so much. I had him. He was going crazy and flipping around the second we got out of the car. He’s not a great leash walker, but he’s still learning. Needless to say, I couldn’t run with him. He was way to excited with all the people around and it was easier, and less stressful, for me to just walk with him and do my run later. When there’s no one else around, he’s not too bad running with me. So, we need to work on that obviously. Practice makes perfect!

At least they're cute.

Sunday – run

I need to work longer intervals into my running more consistently. I obviously can do it; I just get lazy. I need to push myself now. I pushed myself for the last 10 minutes and instead of doing the run 3 walk 2 intervals for the last 2 cycles, I ran the entire 10 minutes. I really only started to struggle during the last 2 minutes. And normally I’d have just slowed down a bit, but I decided to push it and keep going at the same speed. Pushing myself felt good. I know I can do it, it’s just a matter of not letting myself give up.

Entire workout 40 mins – 2.42 miles (16:33/mi)

30 mins – 1.97 miles (15:12/mi)

I’ve been itching to get more activities in my schedule in addition to running. Starting December 1st, which is in two days, I will be exercising for 60 days straight in a 30 for 60 challenge. The idea with to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise for 60 days. No rest days. My “rest” days will be spent doing something active, but low impact. I really need to get my cardiovascular endurance back up to where it was when I was training for the triathlon. I’m hoping some elliptical and spin classes and weight training and maybe some swimming will help. Any other suggestions?

Nov 21 - Nov 27

According to dailymile, I am 3 miles away from running, elliptical-ing biking or swimming 500 miles in 2011!!

90 days until the Disney Princess Half Marathon!

5th Annual Gobble Wobble 5K Road Race Report

2011-11-25T17:50:00.001-05:00

I did this race last year with my mom. We did the 2-mile walk instead of the 5K. Looking at the route this year, I realized that we went the wrong way last year and ended up doing 1.77 miles instead of 2. Oh well. It was togetherness!

Thanksgiving 2010

Before the race, both years, a turkey crossed my path on the drive to the location. I don’t know about you, but these turkeys are BRAVE! I mean, showing your face on Thanksgiving when everyone wants to eat you? Tough turkeys, they are!

I met up with some friends for the race and we chatted about how freaking cold it was outside. My car thermometer told me it was 28* on the way over to the race. I had many layers on, but just standing there at the beginning was quite cold.

Luckily, registration was held inside a school that was the start/finish area of the race. So it was a short time of standing around in the cold before the race. They also supplied food & coffee. Bagels, bananas, danishes, munchkins, donuts, coffee from both Dunkins & Starbucks. And PIE. Lots of pie. I have decided that I’m no longer in the 5K business for t-shirts (though, they are pretty cool!) I’m now in it for the pie!

PIE

The race itself was pretty good. The route was hilly, but I managed quite well. I planned to run half miles at a time, and take walk breaks of .1 or .2 miles depending on how I was doing, but I really didn’t follow that. I ran as much as I could and took about 30-45 second walk breaks when I felt tired, or when the hills were too much for me. I made it about half way up the one big hill before I had to walk. But I power walked it and probably went about as fast as I was running. At one point in the beginning of the race, I was running a lot slower than I usually do because I hadn’t really warmed up and I didn’t wanna get cramped up, and people were walking faster than I was running. Most of them were only doing the 2-mile walk so I never got the chance to try and pass them again later. But there were 2 girls who were walking about as fast as I was running, and they did the entire 5K, but I never caught up to them. They were just a head of me the entire race. It was good motivation though, because I kept them in my sights the whole time and I didn’t allow myself to fall back.

A first for this race was that I was about to set someone in my sights and pass him near the end and hold him off and finish before him. He encouraged me to run pretty much the entire last mile of the race. Not with his words, but with my desire to pass someone in a race – while they were still moving and not stopping to tie a shoe (which I had to do at one point in this race).

There is a running joke among family friends that I have short legs. So I’ll use that excuse here. I can’t walk fast. I just can’t. I can run or jog as other people walk at their normal pace. But trying to keep up with someone’s normal walking pace gets me out of breath and it’s easier to break into a jog. So, when I see people passing me walking while I’m running, I curse my short legs. I’ve tried the power walk. It just doesn’t work for me.

The reason for this story? The guy I passed was walking. I saw him up ahead of me around mile 1.3 and thought, I wonder if I can catch him. As the race went on, I saw that I was getting closer and I decided that I would pass him. I finally passed him around 2.8 miles in.

I didn’t finish in record time, but I did better than I have been doing lately with this distance, so I guess that’s progress.

Official time: 51:20 - 3.11 miles

My friends were waiting for me at the finish. We went into the school to grab coffee and stock up on PIE. And I had fun with the turkey hat.

Friends of Southborough Recreation put on a really great race and I have a feeling this will become a Thanksgiving tradition for me!

I thought it was funny that they used last year's banner!

Week Seven: Disney Princess Half Marathon Training

2011-11-21T22:03:00.001-05:00

Week Seven

Monday – yoga

I sweat more in this hour & 30 minutes that I have in my entire life. I swear. I hadn’t done yoga the previous 2 weeks due to being sick. I think my sweat decided to band together and compile 3 weeks worth. I probably lost 10 lbs. in that class alone. In past classes, I’ve wanted to do the half pigeon pose to stretch out my hips, but I felt awkward just hopping into my own pose in the middle of the class.

source: womansday.com

The instructor is really cool and says, “This is your yoga class, you do what you need to do, I’m just here to guide you. If you sit in child’s pose the entire class, you are doing yoga”, so I probably could have busted out the half pigeon and it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but I never did. I did it a few times at home, but figured I’d get a better stretch after an hour of yoga and stretching with a very warm room. And I did! We finally did the half pigeon pose! My left hip is really tight, so I had to use a block to support myself, but overall, it’s a very nice hip stretch!

Tuesday – rest

Wednesday – run

I didn't want to do this one. Spent 10 minutes sitting on my couch whining about doing this. Then finally got up and did it. Intervals of run 3 mins, walk 2 mins.

Entire workout 40 mins – 2.32 miles (17:15/mi)

30 mins – 1.88 miles (15:55/mi)

Thursday – rest

Got out of work early to head up to New Hampshire to catch Straight No Chaser in concert in Manchester. We decided to make a weekend out of it and go up to my house near Lake Winnipesaukee after the show for a long weekend. I was hoping for their Christmas concert since everything seems to be all about Christmas lately

This was taken Sept 10. The day before my triathlon!

But they started out with a few of the same songs from their show I saw in July in Atlantic City. I was disappointed until they started mixing it up and I realized it was going to be a different show. For the second half of the show, they busted out some of their best Christmas songs and I was happy!

I love a cappella. Especially Christmas a cappella. But they didn’t do my all time favorite Christmas song: O Holy Night. I later heard that they sang it at their show the next night in Boston. Booo. Hisss.

Friday – run

Beginning of the trail

I didn’t want to do the track, and I was in NH without a treadmill, so I headed out onto the Cotton Valley Rail Trail. It was so cold & windy. I hated being outside in this. I tried doing speed work, but to me, it's impossible to figure out speed unless I'm on a treadmill. What struck me as odd was that I went out 20 mins, and then came back. On the way out, I ran 1:30, walked 2:30. On the way back I ran 2, walked 2. I ran more on the way back, yet it took me longer to get back than it did to cover the same distance on the way out. I can only hope that this cold & wind are not foreshadowing for the upcoming winter, because I could not stand it. I hated every second of it. If it’s too cold for me out there, I’ll spend the rest of my training inside on a treadmill and just hope for the best.

41 mins – 2.4 miles (17:06/mi)

Saturday – rest

Got lost on the way to a store and ended up in Maine. Twice. Almost got killed on the way home by an ax murder (maybe) and watched movies and drank wine by the fire. Successful rest day.

Sunday – long run - 6 miles

I did NOT want to do this today. I whined about it for a good hour and even complained on twitter. But after some advice and support from Amanda, Sharon, and Stephanie on the Twitter, I got dressed. That was half the battle. I pouted the entire time I drove to the trail. And pouted during my .5 mile warm up. Then I started my usual run 2, walk 2 routine and pouted through the first interval. Then I got mad at myself. It wasn’t windy, it wasn’t cold, and I had no reason to be a complete sourpuss about everything. So I changed my tactic. I told myself to just run. Even if it was slower that someone else’s walking pace, just run. And don’t stop until I couldn’t take it anymore. Push past 2 minutes, after all I’ve run 20 before. I knew I could do it; I just needed to kick myself in the butt and make it happen. I ended up running for .5 mile, then walking for .25. I continued that pattern the entire 6 miles. Never before have I run that long continually throughout a workout. So, even though I might have been slow as heck, I still consider that progress. Now I know what I need to do on all my runs. Maybe I’ll see progress that way. The downfall of this run was, I ran out of fluids (Crystal Light Pure, of course) at mile 4 (I need better planning) and I could feel it. My legs started to hurt at mile 4.5 but I kept going. By the time I was done, I was dead. But I completed it.

6 miles – 1:48:59 (18:08/mi pace) Average run speed = 4.4 mi/hr

Apparently this was the week of “I don’t wanna”. I had a tough time committing and getting it done. I mean I got it all done. But I complained the whole time and I didn’t want to do any of the runs. I think my problem is, I’m getting so bored with just running and I’m not seeing overall improvement. In fact I feel like my endurance/fitness level is deteriorating. I’ve decided it’s because I’ve been doing nothing as far as cross training. When I was training for my triathlon, I was biking, swimming, doing the elliptical and a little core as well as running. Now with just running, I’m falling into a rut, and fast. So now that I know my downfall, I just have to up the ante and get in some other activities so I don’t get completely bored with this and give up!

11/14-11/20

So weird to see 6 miles up there as a RUN, and not a bike ride. God, I hope I can do this!

97 days until the Disney Princess Half Marathon!

We are in the double digits now!!

Week Six: Disney Princess Half Marathon Training

2011-11-14T13:44:00.000-05:00

Week Six

Monday – ~~yoga~~ rest

Still not feeling completely well and still a little congested. Didn’t want to run the risk of not being able to breathe during class and end up having a coughing fit.

Instead, I got a haircut.

Tuesday – run

It was a BEAUTIFUL 65-70 degree day!!! Went on another lunch run. Forgot my Garmin, so I had to use the Runkeeper app on my phone. I set it to give me reminders to run 4, walk 2. I ignored it for most of it, running and walking when I felt like it. A few times it was less than 4 mins running (uphill), a few times it was more than 4 mins running (downhill! ha). Felt calf tightness even though I was wearing compression socks.

The best part of my week was this picture:

myself vs. myself

I think it personifies me perfectly. Looking at me, and hearing my story, I look and sound like a runner out for a lunchtime run. In the background you can see my shadow – my true self – the fat girl about to scarf down an ice cream sandwich. This picture is just perfectly awesome. Who I am vs. who I want to be.

30 mins – 1.76 miles (17:18/mi)

Wednesday – rest

Thursday – run

Did speedwork on the treadmill. I did the pyramid intervals again going from 4.0 up to 6.0 with 3.0 walk breaks in between. I find when I’m doing these, I can’t go more than 1 min if I’m above 5.0, yet when I’m slower than 5.0 it hurts more when I run. It’s so weird.

30 mins – 2.01 miles (14:55/mi) *Entire workout 40 mins – 2.4 miles (16:42/mi)*

Friday – rest

Got out of work early and headed up to NH for a relaxing weekend with my favorite people.

Saturday – rest

Sunday – long run - 5 miles

Since I only did 3 miles last week when I was supposed to do 5, I decided to do the 5 this week instead of the 3 on the schedule, even though there are 6 on the schedule for next week. With my mid week runs of about 2-2.5 miles, I should be okay with 6 next weekend instead of 3. This training plan alternates between adding a mile on for a long run until I get up to the half marathon distance and doing a 3 miler. No biggie if I switch weekends right? At least not now when it’s still close enough to 3. Or something like that.

This was my longest run thus far. It was all mental for me. I just told myself I had to get 2.5 miles, then I could be done and turn around and go home. The "go home" was another 2.5 miles, since I did an out and back, but mentally, it helped me to think of the run as being over after the first half and I only had to get back to my car. Did a combo of run 2 walk 2 for the whole time, with .25 mile warm up and cool down.

Plus with views like this, it made it hurt a little less.

Right as I was leaving, I was told it's hunting season.
Then I ran through this. So pretty though!

5 miles – 1:27:52 (17:33/mi pace)

I really can't believe that I'm six weeks into this training cycle and I'm actually keeping up with it. Minus being sick last week, I've held on pretty good. I mean, let's talk again when the plan asks for 10 miles. Then we'll re-think this! But hey, I might actually be able to ~~run~~ complete a half marathon in February after all!

11/07-11/13

104 days until the Disney Princess Half Marathon!

5K4Life Race Report

2011-11-10T21:39:00.000-05:00

I wasn’t sure I was going to actually do this 5K. I was sick all week and after walking for just 30 minutes, 2 days before the race, I was lightheaded. I started feeling better on the day before the race and I actually left the house for the first time in 5 days.

According to my training schedule, I was supposed to run 5 miles. I planned to see how I was feeling after the 5K then tack on 2 more miles.

It was chilly that morning and I was worried about how my chest would feel with all that cold air getting into my lungs, so I bundled up and ended up looking like a bandit!

I wore my friend, Alyson's shirt supporting
Leukemia & Lymphoma because the race name
was 5K4Life. What better way to celebrate a life??

I hadn’t seen some of my 5K running buddies since the triathlon, so I was excited to see everyone again. We have a lot of 5Ks planned for the upcoming months, so I’ll get to see more of them!! Yay!

Kathy, Me, Elisa, Xan, Karen, Beth, Crista

So technically, according to the official results, I PRed by a little over a minute and a half. But, they pulled their volunteers holding signs telling the runners which way to go before everyone finished. So, instead of turning left onto Galileo Galilei Way and looping back around to where we started (which was the correct course) I passed that turn and continued to the next road where I saw the finish. Except when I went into the finish, I was going in backwards.

Green is where I should have gone. Red is where I did go.

So instead of doing 3.1 miles, I ended up doing just 3. Technically not a 5K, and not a PR anymore. But I calculated it and at my pace, if I had gone the right way, I'd have finished in 49:01, which is a 2 second PR. I'd have loved that. Especially since this was a medal race and I told myself in every race that there are medals, I want to PR. Because it's fun. By taking away the turn markers in the race, this 5K took that away from me, and it's frustrating.

But I got a medal, hung out with some great friends, got some great pictures and a pretty cool bag of goodies.

They had tons of food spread out at the end of the race. There were sandwiches longer then I am. Many of them. They had a clam chowder truck, coconut water, 5 hour energy and I’m sure more good stuff that I didn’t see.

I don’t know if it was the course, the fact that I wore my compression socks during a race, I wore my new running shoes outside for the first time, or I had my buddy Kathy as a pacer for me, but this was a great race for me. I was faster, I felt good, my legs never really hurt, the breathing was great and I ran for longer periods that I have been doing lately. I was really happy with my performance, which is why it was so upsetting to see that I had run the end of the course wrong. If it had been my fault, I would have sucked it up and dealt with it, but it wasn’t.

The race stated that runners (and walkers) needed to complete the course in one hour. Given that logic, they should have planned for volunteers to be out on the course for that entire time, or until the last racer (runner OR walker) completed the course so people didn’t stray from the course. And for the record, I wasn’t the only one. I saw another person take the wrong route too, and some people I was with earlier were doubtful of which way to go at one point. A lady had a map of the course with her, but right after she checked the map and headed us all in the right direction, I pulled ahead of them and that’s when I went the wrong way.

They stated there would be traffic control provided by the City Police. There sure was, but he made a group of us, STOP AND WAIT FOR TRAFFIC TO PASS. I don’t know about you, but that’s backwards. When I stated, “Hey, we’re in a race here, can we cross?” The cop said, “There was a gap in the race, I had to let traffic go”. Yeah, I get that, but the gap between the tail end of the faster runners and us was maybe about a minute. So he let traffic go by for that minute. I can understand that...it makes sense. But then when we come up, please stop traffic and let US go by. Just because I’m slow, doesn’t mean I’m not still a part of the race.

They stated there would be mile markers. There weren’t any.

They stated there would be water stations. Plural. There was one. Thankfully, it was still manned and had water when we passed! And those volunteers at the water station were awesome. Thanks guys!

Although there were many great things about the race, and the reason we were racing was pretty great too, there were also just as many disappointments. I know I’m not a fast runner. I’m not even a fast jogger. My “running” pace is just about as fast as some people’s walking pace. But I paid for this race too, just like the rest of the people and I deserve to be treated the same as the rest of the racers.

My friends were pretty awesome though. Like I’ve said before, I love 5Ks for the social aspect and the sponsors, Prize4Life, did a great job with the social part of the event. And of course surrounding myself with some pretty great people didn’t hurt either.

Oh yeah, and there were medals!

WINNING!

Official Results: 47:28 (15:19/mi Pace) To me, this isn't a real PR.
(And if I had run the right course, I'd have finished in 49:01 - a 2 second PR. It would have happened)

I didn’t end up adding 2 miles because I was annoyed after the race, and I wanted to hang out with my friends. I decided to hop on the treadmill when I got home, but by the time I got home, the ball of my foot was hurting. It felt like I had a bruise, but I didn’t see anything. So 3 miles was all she wrote.

Week Five: Disney Princess Half Marathon Training

2011-11-07T22:54:00.000-05:00

Week Five

I was sick pretty much all week, so not much got done. bleh.

Monday – ~~yoga~~ sick

Tuesday – ~~rest~~ sick

Wednesday – ~~run~~ sick

Thursday – ~~rest~~ sick

Friday – ~~run~~ walk

I finally was able to move around. I had been laying around all week (for good reason) but I felt like I was falling behind, and I was stiff, so I wanted to at least walk and loosen up the joints. Afterwards, I felt dizzy and lightheaded. Obviously not a good choice.

30 mins – 1.22 miles

Saturday – rest

Left the house for the first time all week. Finally started to feel more human.

Sunday – long run: ~~5 miles~~ 3 miles

Did the 5K4Life in Cambridge, MA (race report coming soon). I had planned to tack on 2 more miles after the 5K, depending on how was feeling, but I was aggravated with how the 5K ended (I only did 3 miles instead of 3.1 due to poor race directions and PRed, but not correctly. I was on track to actually PR and it bothers me that the lack of race preparation took that away from me.) so I didn’t. Then I figured I’d just hop on the treadmill when I got home for the last 2 miles. However, when I got home, the ball of my foot on my left foot felt like it was bruised and I couldn’t walk without limping, so I scrapped the last 2 miles.

There were medals!!

3 miles – 47:28 (15:49/mi pace)

Hopefully next week will be better....

10/31-11/6

111 days until the Disney Princess Half Marathon!

Crystal Light Pure giveaway WINNER!!

2011-11-05T22:14:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all who entered my Crystal Light Pure giveaway! I used random.org's random generator to choose a winner.

Congrats to MARLENE!!

Please email me at runaroundsara (at) gmail (dot) com with your full name & mailing address and I'll have those out to you on Monday!

Too much rest?

2011-11-03T17:54:00.000-04:00

Is it possible to have too much rest during a training cycle? Or does your body create it’s own rest periods, by making you sick and requiring rest, when you won’t slow down? Does too much rest set you back in your training? Can you get back on track easily? Should you skip the weekly training you missed or get back on track and be behind a week when race day comes?

All of these questions are running through my mind today. I’ve been feeling under the weather since last Sunday and I’ve been out sick from work since Tuesday. I made the decision on Monday to forgo my Yoga Monday this week because I wasn’t feeling well. On top of that, we didn’t have power because of the Nor’easter we got right before Halloween. It was cold in my house and we had to huddle in the community center in my complex for heat (and a two-channel TV!). I went to bed early Monday night, and then was sent home from work on Tuesday. Since then I’ve been either in bed or on the couch trying recuperate from not feeling well. (We got our power back mid-day Tuesday.)

In the process I’ve not only missed my yoga class, but a scheduled run. Do I skip it, or try to make it up by running back to back days? I mean, it’s not as bad as missing an entire week. I still have tomorrow’s run and a 5 miler scheduled for the weekend. But on top of being sick this week, I had back and hip problems last week, which have gotten a lot of rest this week with my non-movement. That could be good or bad. Plus, even though I’m feeling better and I plan on going into work tomorrow, should I even push my body and do the run?

I’m just so doubtful. This is all new to me; I have no idea if I’m doing it right, or if there’s even a “right” way to do this.

I’d like to move forward in this process, not back. Any advice??

October 2011 Recap

2011-11-01T20:23:00.002-04:00

Octobertotals

Bike: 9.44 miles

Run: 25.92 miles (highest ever! Whoop!)

Walk: 3.47 miles

Yoga workouts: 3

Rest days: 15

Races: Cambridge5K Oktoberfest (As a volunteer because there was an issue with myregistration); Witch City 5K through the streets of historic Salem, MA

And although it wasn't a race, I attended the Light the Night Walk in Boston Common to support a close friend of mine. It was a great night

The good: I startedyoga and it’s been a great tool for getting me back on the path to stretching.Also, even though I had some trouble with the foam roller, I’ve embraced it forsome areas and I started using The Stick for other areas.

The bad: Ridiculouship/back pain. Still searching for a new chiropractor in my area that mightactually help. Or a massage therapist. There are several that work with runnersand do massages specifically to help running issues. Maybe that’s all I need.

Did I meetmy October Goals?

I wantedto create a workout routine and I did. I’m following Jeff Galloway’s half-marathon training plan for beginners. I haven’t added in muchas far as cross training except yoga and a rouge bike ride. I’m working on it.

I wantedto start yoga. I did and I love it! My Groupon is going to run out soonand I need to figure out another payment plan. Boo.

I wantedto start kickboxing. I still haven’t. Maybe next month. Or at least beforethe Groupon expires!

I wantedto meet more fitness minded people. I have! I went to a Boston Blogger meetup! The ladies I had dinner with were a lot of fun! We have plans to meetup again soon.

And in the next few months, I’ll be seeing a lot of my tri-trainingbuddies because we are all doing some 5Ks together!

YouSearched What??

More crazy searches that lead people to this blog. Funny stuff!Search queries are in bold. My comments are italicized.

grosshotel – I can only imagine thatthis is because of this post.

shirtlessjogger - I can promise you, I will never. Never.

cambridge5k yulefest - I’m so sad that I probably won’t be able to dothis one.

stressedout my ass – at first, Ithought this said ‘stretched out my ass’ and I was concerned.

doublecrossed legs - I can barely cross my legs once...how the helldo you do it twice?

peeingwomen – most women do, but Isure don’t blog about it.

pizzasprint – I would sprint forpizza, yes.

creepyville – I’m not the only one!!!

5k t-shirts – it’s all I want out of all this

big butt – yes, I know. Thank you.

Whatare some of your funny search queries?

ForNovember

Races: 5K4Lifeon November 6th – a race the I chose because it’s on National Running Day and medals to all finishers!! They also raise money for ALS research; 5th Annual Gobble Wobble on November 24th – They have a 5K and a 2-mile walk. Last year I did the2-mile walk with my mom. This year I’m doing the 5K and my mom is doing the2-mile walk again.

Mom & I at Gobble Wobble 2010

Reviews:

This is a new thing. I've been contacted by companies to try out samples of certain products and you know me, I love free stuff! So I agreed. I also randomly review things I love. Your welcome.

Crystal Light Pure: Are you Pure? Crystal Light Pure review and GIVEAWAY!

Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS): If you don't love EMS, you should.

Goals:

1. Fixing myself. Figuring out a way to run and not hurt or limpmy way through the runs. I need to get stronger in running, not hurt myselfeven more.

2. Kickboxing, maybe.

3. Run outside more. It’s hard because it’s cold and it’s wayeasier to run on the treadmill, but none of my races will be on the treadmill!

Whatare your November goals?

Week Four: Disney Princess Half Marathon Training

2011-10-31T14:43:00.000-04:00

Week Four

Monday – yoga

Unlike Shakira, my hips do lie. They like to pretend they are okay and don’t hurt, until move from sitting to standing, or standing to sitting, or any combination of moving. My hips were really tight so I asked the yoga instructor for poses that might help stretch out my hips and lessen the tension. She showed me a few moves, but they didn’t really help. Throughout the whole class, I felt uncomfortable, like I couldn’t settle into the pose because I was too tense and concentrating on the fact that I was in pain. I did benefit from the hamstring stretching and some lower back twisting, but I didn’t feel like I got the best workout from this class. Just lots of frustration. Hopefully next week will be better.

Tuesday – rest

Wednesday – run

My first time running at lunch. I ran on the trail behind my work.

It's a very pretty trail

I started feeling pain in my left hip/lower back in my right calf. I think my hip/back pain issues are making me over compensate and causing my right calf pain. I find myself limping and I seem to drag my right leg a little. I need to get it looked at by a different chiropractor because after a year and a half, mine obviously hasn’t helped me.

30 mins - 1.78 miles (16:49/mi)

Thursday – rest

I took a bicycle maintenance class at EMS in Northborough. It was worth driving through the snow and sleet to get there. (Yes, I know it’s still October.)

Friday – run

Horrible, horrible run. Or lack thereof I should say. My co-worker brought a treadmill into work, which is awesome, because now I don't have to run in the cold on my lunch, OR wait til night time when I'd rather relax.

But for some reason this was just a horrible run. Halfway through, I realized that the treadmill was on an incline. I'm sure that this is better for me when I run, but adding that to my current hip/lower back pain, it hurt. I tried fixing the incline so was that zero, just so I could run. But it would not go down. I put the incline up; it went up. I tried to put the incline down again; it stayed up. There was no winning this battle so I just slowed down and took more walk breaks. It was kind of defeating but at the same time it will make me appreciate the good runs when I have them. Or so they say. Whoever “they” is, I'd like to meet them and push them in the snow.

30 mins - 1.56 miles (19:13/mi)

Saturday – ~~hike~~ rest

Speaking of snow, I was supposed to go hiking with a group of friends, but Mother Nature decided that she had other plans for us. She dumped 6 inches of snow half way up the mountain, with more presumed at the summit, before Saturday. Then she dumped more on Saturday afternoon. Needless to say we did not hike. Instead I went shopping and then came home to snuggle up under blankets and comforters and relax. That didn’t last long. We lost power at 6:50PM and I took the opportunity to catch up on some blog ideas I’ve had. I seem to sit down to write them, and get distracted by other people’s blogs!

Sunday – long run

This was the run the almost didn’t happen.

I got up early (not because I wanted to, but because the damn plows woke me at 1am, 4am and 7am) and decided that since I didn’t have power, I’d head over to the gym, do my 2 miles, shower, then hit up Panera or Starbucks for breakfast and free Wi-Fi. That plan didn’t work out so well.

I had to turn around and go a different way. Then, I had to cut through a shopping plaza because yet another road was closed. Finally, I got to the gym.

No Power

Instead I went to Panera and used their Wi-Fi for blogging purposes. Next thing I knew it was lunchtime. I grabbed lunch, and then headed home. I was thinking about trying to run outside, even though there were tree limbs and power lines down everywhere, but most of the snow had melted in my complex area, and the roads were clear and free of debris and danger. The only thing stopping me was lack of shower. But I was reminded that since our water is hooked up to gas and not electric, the gas heats the water as well and our water stays hot even with the power out! HOT SHOWERS!!! Score! So I decided to suck it up and deal with running in the cold. And I bundled up for a short run.

I can only imagine how much more I’ll be bundled on longer runs. Hell. It was Hell.

This was a “rest week” long run. Thank God. My body needed a break. My back, hip, and calves have been hurting a lot all week. Not the entire time, just whenever I run. Today was no different.

2 miles – 36:11 (18:07/mi pace)

10/24-10/30

118 days until the Disney Princess Half Marathon!