With tomorrow's race looming, I decided to go back to the doctor's today for a follow up appointment. Even though he's my primary care physician, today was actually the first time I met him because I've seen the nurse practitioner at past visits. He was nice, but talked very fast. After prescribing an antibiotic for me, he was almost out the door before I had a chance to get to the real reason I was there... to see if it was okay to run. If left to my own devices, I would have gone ahead with the race tomorrow. But since I do make stupid decisions sometimes in the name of running, I figured I'd better get a professional opinion. I was fully prepared to skip the race if the doctor said no.
Luckily for me he said that as long as I have the energy, it's okay to start running and working out again and it won't adversely affect how quickly I get better. I also asked whether in general it would be better to stick to the treadmill versus running outdoors in the cold when sick. I think he might also be a runner or some type of endurance athlete because when I said I'm training for a 30k, he replied that the treadmill is too boring for that kind of distance without even asking how far 30k is.
So with a race in the morning to get ready for, I better try to rush through the rest of this post...
This is an obvious exaggeration, but sometimes I feel like I spend almost as much time planning for a race as I do actually training. This is mainly because I do quite a few destination races. Even when it's a day trip like when I drove from Baltimore up to Wilmington, Delaware last year for the Caesar Rodney Half Marathon, it still involves some research finding the best local restaurants. For the most part I don't mind the planning because I want to get the best deals and make the most out of every travel experience. But sometimes I think we'd be better off without so much information right at our fingertips. For example the first time I drove across the country, it was a true road trip using physical maps to plan the route and just driving until we were tired and then finding the next highway exit with a hotel. Last summer, some of that spontaneity was lost because I was constantly checking TripAdvisor for reviews, comparing prices, and calculating which city was the best to stop in for the night based on the driving time from Google Maps.
Anyway, with my downtime this week I started finalizing travel plans for May which is good because it's approaching so quickly. Even with the switch over to daylight saving time and more hours of sunshine, it doesn't feel like spring yet because it's so darn cold outside that I'm still wearing my wool pea coat.
The first thing I did was get a hotel reserved for Rock 'n' Roll Portland. I've been debating this for awhile and I finally decided that it wasn't worth paying an extra $100 or so just for the convenience of staying near the race start. Although of course as I type this I'm starting to change my mind again. Do I really want to deal with driving and parking on race morning? Maybe I'll do some more number crunching this weekend.
I also booked my hotel and airfare out to Orlando for the Expedition Everest Challenge. For me it's really a no-brainer to stay on property at WDW. Flights were a bit more challenging because of the distance now that I'm in Washington, but I ended up with flight times that I'm happy with. I didn't set out to do this deliberately, but both flights connect through Denver which means that during the layover I can stop by the Paradise Bakery equivalent and get a yummy turkey cranberry sandwich and some chocolate chip cookies. I'm almost as excited about that as I am about going to WDW. I'll probably do a more in depth post later about WDW trip planning in conjunction with a race.
The last thing I did was register for the Tower of Terror 10 Miler in October (wanted to be sure to get in before the price increase), so that's yet another trip to plan but at least it's still six months away. I've been tracking my "cost of running" this year and the registration fees are really adding up! I'm going to have to do another post about that later too.
If you live in or have visited Portland, please leave some tips on good restaurants and other things to check out while I'm there. Thanks!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
A different kind of training
On Saturday afternoon my throat started to hurt a bit. When I woke up Sunday I could tell that I was definitely sick again. My head felt foggy, it hurt to swallow, and I knew I was in no shape to do any running, even indoors on the treadmill. It was disappointing because I was actually looking forward to my long training run, but I know the best thing to do for now is rest. I saw the doctor yesterday and the good news is that even though I feel crappy, at least I don't have strep throat, probably just a virus. I'm hoping it'll pass by Saturday so that I don't have to miss my first St. Patrick's Day race.
I have to admit that it feels kind of nice to sit at home and not feel guilty that I should be heading to the gym or doing something more active. I've even been productive and finally finished filing my income taxes. It was slightly more complicated this year because I had to figure out the right amount of moving expenses to deduct and also do the part-year resident calculations for Maryland. One of the pluses of being back in Washington is no state income taxes!
On Saturday night my boyfriend and I went to see the high school production of West Side Story. Even though it's been 10+ years, the auditorium still felt familiar. It brought back so many memories of the days when I was the one down there in the "pit" playing the piano. On Sunday while I was cooped up at home, I got the urge to sit down at the piano and try playing again. Usually I gravitate straight toward my favorite pieces of music, but this time I decided to take it slow and start with a book of exercises. It's kind of like running. After taking an extended period of time off, you can't just jump right back in with a 20 mile run or pick up at your previous pace. There's part of me that would like to seriously take up the piano again, but I don't think I'm ready to devote that much time to it on top of my running.
When I was starting out as a runner, I had just finished my first 5k and was checking out the table of information about upcoming races. A friendly couple stuck up a conversation with me and encouraged me to register for the local summer series. I wasn't as knowledgeable about running lingo as I am now, and I said something along the lines of "I guess I'll have to keep practicing so I can improve my 5k time." The husband immediately asked if I was a musician and said he knew because of my use of the word "practice" instead of "training". Ooops. Thinking about that story is always a good reminder for me that I was a newbie once too. But to this day, I'm still not sure what the difference is between practice and training, other than the context in which you use it. I suppose I'll have to Google it eventually.
One last random topic... with the release of the The Hunger Games movie, I decided it was time I finally read the book before I accidentally stumbled across a spoiler. I watched the first Harry Potter movie before reading the book and it definitely had an effect on how I visualized the characters in my mind for the rest of the series. The timing was perfect because I received a library notification yesterday morning that the book was ready for pick up. Since I didn't have to head to the gym, I was able to spend the evening reading straight through the book. It really did live up to all the hype. (Uh, oh. Does that mean I'll have to give in and read Twilight now too?) Sure, there were a few predictable points but overall it kept me hooked and wondering what would happen next. Now I'm waiting in line for the second book to become available from the library.
Did you ever play a musical instrument? Have you stuck with it or do you miss it?
Have you read The Hunger Games? Do you plan to see the movie?
I have to admit that it feels kind of nice to sit at home and not feel guilty that I should be heading to the gym or doing something more active. I've even been productive and finally finished filing my income taxes. It was slightly more complicated this year because I had to figure out the right amount of moving expenses to deduct and also do the part-year resident calculations for Maryland. One of the pluses of being back in Washington is no state income taxes!
On Saturday night my boyfriend and I went to see the high school production of West Side Story. Even though it's been 10+ years, the auditorium still felt familiar. It brought back so many memories of the days when I was the one down there in the "pit" playing the piano. On Sunday while I was cooped up at home, I got the urge to sit down at the piano and try playing again. Usually I gravitate straight toward my favorite pieces of music, but this time I decided to take it slow and start with a book of exercises. It's kind of like running. After taking an extended period of time off, you can't just jump right back in with a 20 mile run or pick up at your previous pace. There's part of me that would like to seriously take up the piano again, but I don't think I'm ready to devote that much time to it on top of my running.
When I was starting out as a runner, I had just finished my first 5k and was checking out the table of information about upcoming races. A friendly couple stuck up a conversation with me and encouraged me to register for the local summer series. I wasn't as knowledgeable about running lingo as I am now, and I said something along the lines of "I guess I'll have to keep practicing so I can improve my 5k time." The husband immediately asked if I was a musician and said he knew because of my use of the word "practice" instead of "training". Ooops. Thinking about that story is always a good reminder for me that I was a newbie once too. But to this day, I'm still not sure what the difference is between practice and training, other than the context in which you use it. I suppose I'll have to Google it eventually.
One last random topic... with the release of the The Hunger Games movie, I decided it was time I finally read the book before I accidentally stumbled across a spoiler. I watched the first Harry Potter movie before reading the book and it definitely had an effect on how I visualized the characters in my mind for the rest of the series. The timing was perfect because I received a library notification yesterday morning that the book was ready for pick up. Since I didn't have to head to the gym, I was able to spend the evening reading straight through the book. It really did live up to all the hype. (Uh, oh. Does that mean I'll have to give in and read Twilight now too?) Sure, there were a few predictable points but overall it kept me hooked and wondering what would happen next. Now I'm waiting in line for the second book to become available from the library.
Did you ever play a musical instrument? Have you stuck with it or do you miss it?
Have you read The Hunger Games? Do you plan to see the movie?
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Shamrock Shuffle 5k (aka the Girl Scout cookie run)
Another Saturday morning, another race. Well, actually this one was a fun run. The Shamrock Shuffle 5k Fun Run/Walk to be exact. Only $5 for early registration and proceeds to benefit the Lynden Girl Scouts.
It was a nice flat course, well marked with either signs or volunteers to direct traffic. I started off a bit fast at the beginning trying to break away from the pack. This time my Garmin was fully charged and when I looked at my wrist and saw that my pace started with a 6, I knew I had to pull back a little.
At fun runs it's hard to predict who will show up. Sometimes there are some really speedy runners and other times it's mostly families with strollers. After the first mile, I found myself in fourth place and first female. I couldn't hear anyone close behind me, but that didn't mean they weren't there.
I focused on trying to maintain my pace. I knew I couldn't catch up with the three guys in front of me, but I could at least try not to fall further behind. I did a pretty good job staying with them until the end when they ran an all out sprint to the finish.
Splits from my Garmin:
- Mile 1 - 7:28
- Mile 2 - 7:35
- Mile 3 - 7:35
- Last .14 miles - 0:56 (6:36 pace)
Although the run wasn't officially timed, there was someone stationed at the finish line shouting times as each person crossed. My time was 23:32, which matches right up with my Garmin's 23:34 time.
Not my fastest 5k time, but I'm happy with it all things considered. Right now I just want to stay under an 8 minute pace during these 10k and shorter races. I think I need to lose a few pounds and be in better health before I can attempt a new 5k PR.
The tough thing about 5ks is that it hurts so much in the moment, but it's a quick recovery afterwards. I had a couple cups of water, a few orange wedges, and I felt like I was ready to run again. Not necessarily at 5k pace, but I think I could have knocked out my long run today if I really wanted to. The quick recovery makes me question whether I really gave it my all out there on the course. Like maybe I could have gotten my pace down to 7:30 if I tried a little harder. I don't know.
I had no expectation going in that there would be awards, but I was still a little bummed not to get any recognition. Oh, well. If it hadn't been a fun run I'm sure I would have faced more competition anyway.
I was quite impressed with the raffle prizes being given away. Is there a Girl Scout badge for fundraising or soliciting donations? Unfortunately I didn't win anything from the raffle, so I ended up treating myself by buying a couple boxes of Thin Mints to add to my stash.
I was quite impressed with the raffle prizes being given away. Is there a Girl Scout badge for fundraising or soliciting donations? Unfortunately I didn't win anything from the raffle, so I ended up treating myself by buying a couple boxes of Thin Mints to add to my stash.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Mail and trails
As I've mentioned a few times on the blog, I took on a challenge earlier this year to run at least 1.5 miles a day for 30 days. The challenge was organized/sponsored by a local store called Fairhaven Runners. I was very excited a couple weeks ago to get an envelope from Fairhaven Runners in the mail. Inside was the Bellingham trails map awarded to all challenge finishers, plus I won a random prize of a free pair of socks.
Of course I can always use an extra pair of running socks so that's a nice bonus, but the map was my whole reason for sticking with the challenge. It's an awesome full color map of the Bellingham area that shows all the trails (and other notable running locations) in the area.
On the back of the map are the description, distance, and directions for each trail/location. They range from tracks and stairs to flat rail trails and steep mountain climbs.
I love having all this information in one place and being able to see how the trails can connect to form longer running routes. Once the weather gets better, I can't wait to make use of this map. (I'm kind of a neat freak and don't like getting my shoes wet and muddy unless it's during a race when I have no other option.) It'll be fun to check out some new places to run and to get more into trail running.
How do you find new running routes?
Of course I can always use an extra pair of running socks so that's a nice bonus, but the map was my whole reason for sticking with the challenge. It's an awesome full color map of the Bellingham area that shows all the trails (and other notable running locations) in the area.
On the back of the map are the description, distance, and directions for each trail/location. They range from tracks and stairs to flat rail trails and steep mountain climbs.
I love having all this information in one place and being able to see how the trails can connect to form longer running routes. Once the weather gets better, I can't wait to make use of this map. (I'm kind of a neat freak and don't like getting my shoes wet and muddy unless it's during a race when I have no other option.) It'll be fun to check out some new places to run and to get more into trail running.
How do you find new running routes?
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Honeywagon Runs Half Marathon - Race Report
The Details
My Thoughts
I had a hard time finding the right pace at the start and kept leap frogging with other runners. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as large races, but the course felt a little congested until the 2 mile mark when the 4 mile and half marathon races split. From there it was a little easier to run my own race, although I still had some worry about whether I had started out too fast. Around the halfway point I was passed by a couple women and didn't know whether I was slowing down or they were speeding up.
To reach the finish line, the course sort of took a U-turn behind a building where we finally had some protection from the wind. I was able to give a strong finishing kick and passed one guy right at the end. With the chip timing, the results were posted pretty quickly and I was very happy with my time... much better than I expected!
- Date: Saturday, March 3, 2012
- Location: Everson, WA
- Price: free for Greater Bellingham Running Club members, $8 (4 miler) or $10 (half marathon) for non-members
- Course: primarily flat with a few insignificant changes in elevation, not closed to traffic
- Weather: upper 40s and windy
- Other: chip timing, ribbons for all finishers, raffle prizes
My Thoughts
This race was intended to serve as a long training run but I forgot to charge my Garmin after last weekend's race so I ended up running "naked". Even if I had my Garmin I don't know that I would have been content to run at a slower pace when I was feeling good enough to go faster. I guess rather than being a long, slow training run, it was a race pace training run. Which actually kind of makes sense since I'm training for a 30k (18.6 mile) race.
 |
| Start of the Honeywagon Runs. I'm on the right in the purple and blue with the white hat. |
I had a hard time finding the right pace at the start and kept leap frogging with other runners. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as large races, but the course felt a little congested until the 2 mile mark when the 4 mile and half marathon races split. From there it was a little easier to run my own race, although I still had some worry about whether I had started out too fast. Around the halfway point I was passed by a couple women and didn't know whether I was slowing down or they were speeding up.
I had some GU chomps that I planned to take at mile 7, but I felt like I needed the caffeine boost earlier so I had two chomps at mile 5 and two at mile 7.
Since the course wasn't closed, we were told before the race to stay to the left of the road and run facing traffic. There were a few points on the course where this meant running to the outside of the curve. I'm so used to running the tangents during a race that I actually did cross the road (after checking for cars of course) to minimize the distance, but I noticed that the other runners around me didn't. It made me wonder whether I was shorting the course because I don't know if the course is measured based on use of the entire road or based on sticking to just the left shoulder.
It was very windy the entire run. There were times I had to fight to keep myself from being blown sideways. Like last week, it seemed that the worst wind hit towards the end of the race. I was watching the guy in front of me and he looked like he was running in slow motion. There was nothing to do but keep trying to move forward, one step at a time.
 |
| About half a mile from the finish. |
To reach the finish line, the course sort of took a U-turn behind a building where we finally had some protection from the wind. I was able to give a strong finishing kick and passed one guy right at the end. With the chip timing, the results were posted pretty quickly and I was very happy with my time... much better than I expected!
- Time - 1:45:19 (8:03 pace)
- 38 out of 179 overall
- 6th female finisher
- 2 out of 21 in the female 19-29 age group
I guess this is just further proof that I don't need my Garmin to run a strong race, but I wish I could see my splits and distance ran. I'm curious how much my pace varied throughout the race.
I stuck around for the raffle because I'm always a sucker for the possibility of free stuff. This time my patience paid off and I walked away with a $35 gift certificate to the Pepper Sisters restaurant in Bellingham. That means my $20 GBRC membership has now more than paid for itself... and there are still several more free races that I'm planning to run later this year.
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