So I've been totally overwhelmed this month with the new school year for my daughter and myself and training for my first ever half marathon. The recovery after that race was more than I imagined but that is for later. So on top of apologizing for my chaotic life, I am new to this whole blogger thing and I truly want to inspire people by sharing my story. So there is my apology and my pledge to try my best to share more of my life as a mom and runner!
I'm going to start in reverse actually. I'm going to start with The Henry Vilas Zoo Run Run which I ran on Sunday, September 29, 2013. This was a very emotional day for me on so many levels. To begin, this was the 1 year anniversary of my very first 5K race. I ran this course as my very first 5K 1 year ago. I cannot believe that it has been a year since I first decided to race! I've grown so much as a runner in that time period.
This was a gorgeous day for a run! Not only was I running in the 5K race, but my kiddos were running in their very first 1/4 mile Roo Run Run race! They were super excited and it was great to wake them up saying, "It's Race Day!!!" They were super excited to race and asked the entire drive when their race was. I think they drove Daddy, Nana, and Gramma nuts while I was racing with their impatience. Well worth it in the end!
I want to preface my recap by saying that I have every intention of following everything I read in my Runner's World Magazines and running blogs, but once I get started all the good advice I read flies right out of my brain. I told myself the entire drive that I was going to start off slow and take it easy to begin with so I could have more energy for the finish. Plus I knew there were hills on this course and I would have to save my energy to burst up the hills. I totally got swept up in the race and keeping pace with others. The funny thing was I failed to set my iTunes up before the start and was messing with my music and my armband for the first probably 1/2 mile. Once I had that figured out, I was able to keep my pace and push myself through. When my watch beeped that I had hit the 1 mile mark and I looked down to see my time, I was shocked to see that my first mile was 9:07!!! I thought I was running a lot slower than that! My next thought was pure panic. How am I supposed to maintain this pace for 2 more miles with HILLS?????
Surprisingly, I made it through maintaining my pace. Mile 2 was 9:25 with the hills and mile 3 was 9:00. Results of 28:37; 194th overall; 20th (of 108) in my division of Female 30-34; and 80th (of 457) of all women! I was very impressed with my time. I was even more impressed with my stamina and endurance today. Because I had pushed myself so hard in the beginning, I was struggling about halfway through. I was getting side stitches and after bursting up the hills, I was struggling to catch my breath. I just kept telling myself, "You can do this. It's only 3 miles. You are lucky and blessed to just be able to run!" That mantra and knowing that my kids were waiting for me at the finish line pushed me through it. My sides were hurting and I was huffing and puffing when I crossed the finish line, but seeing my time and my kids excited faces, made it all worth it. Both kids asked right away if it was time for them to race, which made this mom on the run super happy. I'm more than excited to know that my kids are beginning to enjoy what I enjoy!
On to the Roo Run Run. My kids were troopers today. We had to wait until the 10K and 5K was finished, plus there were 3 different Roo Runs: 1 mile, 1/2 mile and 1/4 mile. They began with the 1 mile run and my kids had to wait until the 1/4 mile, which was a long wait for these little munchkins. They did a very nice job waiting and when it was their turn to race they were more then excited to say the least. I was able to run with them, so it was even more exciting for me to fully be a part of their first race experience. We stretched together and high-fived for a good race. We counted down and I set my watch! We were off. Maddie was out in front of EJ and I for most of the race, but she kept turning around or stopping to make sure that we were still close to her. They both had such a good time! We finished in 4:04! As the kids were crossing the finish line, they each received a medal! I secretly knew they were going to get these medals just for participating, but I didn't tell the kids so they would be surprised when they finished. They were beyond ecstatic about getting these medals!! The best part for this mom on the run, was seeing the happy faces of my kids as they were running! I could see how happy they were to have mom running with them and I could tell they were even happier when they saw my gigantic smile as we were running. I have to say this was one of my proudest moments as a runner--seeing my kids excited about running with me and being able to share in this moment with them. Best part of the day! I had to fight back tears as I was running, that's how proud I was of them! I think this is the start of something very special that we can share together.
There is something else special that I feel compelled to share about this race. There was a young girl running in the 1/4 mile Roo Run. She had leg braces and crutches to "run" and she walked the entire 1/4 mile without using her wheelchair. I don't know what her specific disability is, but she inspired me today! Live is precious and we should not take anything for granted. What was even better was that even after most of the kids and adults had finished, many of us stayed to cheer her on! I think it was valuable for my kids to see her persevere through something that was tough for her. I think it was awesome how so many other families stayed and cheered for this girl that we didn't even know. I do know that she has inspired me to keep going and to be thankful for everything that I have. I will NOT take any day for granted! I will live each day to the fullest! Because I don't know who she is I only want to share a picture of her from behind to protect her identity. Watching her was the 2nd time I cried today!
Now for my first 1/2 marathon. Boy was this harder than I thought it was going to be. Let me explain more. I used a training program on my iPhone called Gipis. It was very helpful with learning about threshold runs and speed runs to increase my lactate threshold during runs. The one thing lacking in this program is the use of longer runs to build up endurance. I tried to add some of this in on my own, but it was hard to judge what would be enough, etc. However, that being said, I had really no real high expectations for this race except that I would have a PR no matter how fast or slow I ran as this was my first 1/2 marathon EVER!!! Here is my before picture! Cheesy I know, but I have to document this stuff otherwise I'm afraid no one will believe me! LOL
So I started out early in the morning before my family awoke as this was a Virtual Half Marathon through Scrambled Legs Running in support of The Wounded Warrior Project. I fueled with just half of a protein bar as I would normally on a Saturday morning long run (granted I have NEVER run this far before in my life and I would later find out that this was NOT enough fuel). I had planned out my route somewhat so that I knew places to fill up my larger water bottle. I also packed some fruit snacks in the zippered pouch of my water bottle, since I did know from reading Runner's World that I would need to refuel about every 40-45 minutes.
I started out feeling really good. I tried really hard to not start out too fast like I always do on any of my runs. I set the pace of about 11:30 and was feeling pretty good about being able to maintain that pace. I knew walking breaks were going to be essential on this long of a distance, but I wanted to pace them out so that I wasn't overly tired and would end up walking more than I wanted to. Boy do I have high expectations and ambitions for myself.
I made it about 4 miles at this pace and I was feeling totally drained. I think it was partially from not fueling enough beforehand and the fact that the beginning of my route was all in the sun on country roads. It wasn't a terribly hot morning, but it wasn't cold either. I walked more than I wanted to and I tried to refuel as much as possible. I stayed hydrated by making stops to fill my water bottle. Toward the end of my run, I honestly didn't think that I was going to make it. I was walking more than I wanted to because I honestly felt like I was going to die. I know now that I should have fueled better before hand and not worried so much about getting it done before my family woke up (I really didn't want to take away too much of our Saturday Family Time for a virtual race).
The main thing is: I FINISHED!!!! My time was 2:45:44! Regardless of anything I thought or felt during that race, I PR'd! I also know what I need to work on for my next half marathon. I'm hoping to run a "real" half marathon next year.
You can tell I was pretty excited about my bling also!! I'm a little addicted to the race bling now. Moral of the story: I am stronger than I think I am and I can do whatever I put my mind to. I may not know everything and I may make mistakes, but how do you grow unless you try something and learn from it? I'm still learning all the ins and outs of being a marathoner. My next races are 5k's, 10k's and a 12k. I'm excited for these shorter races not only because they are short, but because they are all for good causes and they are fun, dress-up races as well (not all, but some, and I love these)!
So until next month: Keep on keeping on, my fellow runners!! Above all, Thank Jesus for your ability to run and enjoy every moment of these blessed experiences!
I'm going to start in reverse actually. I'm going to start with The Henry Vilas Zoo Run Run which I ran on Sunday, September 29, 2013. This was a very emotional day for me on so many levels. To begin, this was the 1 year anniversary of my very first 5K race. I ran this course as my very first 5K 1 year ago. I cannot believe that it has been a year since I first decided to race! I've grown so much as a runner in that time period.
This was a gorgeous day for a run! Not only was I running in the 5K race, but my kiddos were running in their very first 1/4 mile Roo Run Run race! They were super excited and it was great to wake them up saying, "It's Race Day!!!" They were super excited to race and asked the entire drive when their race was. I think they drove Daddy, Nana, and Gramma nuts while I was racing with their impatience. Well worth it in the end!
I want to preface my recap by saying that I have every intention of following everything I read in my Runner's World Magazines and running blogs, but once I get started all the good advice I read flies right out of my brain. I told myself the entire drive that I was going to start off slow and take it easy to begin with so I could have more energy for the finish. Plus I knew there were hills on this course and I would have to save my energy to burst up the hills. I totally got swept up in the race and keeping pace with others. The funny thing was I failed to set my iTunes up before the start and was messing with my music and my armband for the first probably 1/2 mile. Once I had that figured out, I was able to keep my pace and push myself through. When my watch beeped that I had hit the 1 mile mark and I looked down to see my time, I was shocked to see that my first mile was 9:07!!! I thought I was running a lot slower than that! My next thought was pure panic. How am I supposed to maintain this pace for 2 more miles with HILLS?????
Surprisingly, I made it through maintaining my pace. Mile 2 was 9:25 with the hills and mile 3 was 9:00. Results of 28:37; 194th overall; 20th (of 108) in my division of Female 30-34; and 80th (of 457) of all women! I was very impressed with my time. I was even more impressed with my stamina and endurance today. Because I had pushed myself so hard in the beginning, I was struggling about halfway through. I was getting side stitches and after bursting up the hills, I was struggling to catch my breath. I just kept telling myself, "You can do this. It's only 3 miles. You are lucky and blessed to just be able to run!" That mantra and knowing that my kids were waiting for me at the finish line pushed me through it. My sides were hurting and I was huffing and puffing when I crossed the finish line, but seeing my time and my kids excited faces, made it all worth it. Both kids asked right away if it was time for them to race, which made this mom on the run super happy. I'm more than excited to know that my kids are beginning to enjoy what I enjoy!
On to the Roo Run Run. My kids were troopers today. We had to wait until the 10K and 5K was finished, plus there were 3 different Roo Runs: 1 mile, 1/2 mile and 1/4 mile. They began with the 1 mile run and my kids had to wait until the 1/4 mile, which was a long wait for these little munchkins. They did a very nice job waiting and when it was their turn to race they were more then excited to say the least. I was able to run with them, so it was even more exciting for me to fully be a part of their first race experience. We stretched together and high-fived for a good race. We counted down and I set my watch! We were off. Maddie was out in front of EJ and I for most of the race, but she kept turning around or stopping to make sure that we were still close to her. They both had such a good time! We finished in 4:04! As the kids were crossing the finish line, they each received a medal! I secretly knew they were going to get these medals just for participating, but I didn't tell the kids so they would be surprised when they finished. They were beyond ecstatic about getting these medals!! The best part for this mom on the run, was seeing the happy faces of my kids as they were running! I could see how happy they were to have mom running with them and I could tell they were even happier when they saw my gigantic smile as we were running. I have to say this was one of my proudest moments as a runner--seeing my kids excited about running with me and being able to share in this moment with them. Best part of the day! I had to fight back tears as I was running, that's how proud I was of them! I think this is the start of something very special that we can share together.
There is something else special that I feel compelled to share about this race. There was a young girl running in the 1/4 mile Roo Run. She had leg braces and crutches to "run" and she walked the entire 1/4 mile without using her wheelchair. I don't know what her specific disability is, but she inspired me today! Live is precious and we should not take anything for granted. What was even better was that even after most of the kids and adults had finished, many of us stayed to cheer her on! I think it was valuable for my kids to see her persevere through something that was tough for her. I think it was awesome how so many other families stayed and cheered for this girl that we didn't even know. I do know that she has inspired me to keep going and to be thankful for everything that I have. I will NOT take any day for granted! I will live each day to the fullest! Because I don't know who she is I only want to share a picture of her from behind to protect her identity. Watching her was the 2nd time I cried today!
Now for my first 1/2 marathon. Boy was this harder than I thought it was going to be. Let me explain more. I used a training program on my iPhone called Gipis. It was very helpful with learning about threshold runs and speed runs to increase my lactate threshold during runs. The one thing lacking in this program is the use of longer runs to build up endurance. I tried to add some of this in on my own, but it was hard to judge what would be enough, etc. However, that being said, I had really no real high expectations for this race except that I would have a PR no matter how fast or slow I ran as this was my first 1/2 marathon EVER!!! Here is my before picture! Cheesy I know, but I have to document this stuff otherwise I'm afraid no one will believe me! LOL
I started out feeling really good. I tried really hard to not start out too fast like I always do on any of my runs. I set the pace of about 11:30 and was feeling pretty good about being able to maintain that pace. I knew walking breaks were going to be essential on this long of a distance, but I wanted to pace them out so that I wasn't overly tired and would end up walking more than I wanted to. Boy do I have high expectations and ambitions for myself.
I made it about 4 miles at this pace and I was feeling totally drained. I think it was partially from not fueling enough beforehand and the fact that the beginning of my route was all in the sun on country roads. It wasn't a terribly hot morning, but it wasn't cold either. I walked more than I wanted to and I tried to refuel as much as possible. I stayed hydrated by making stops to fill my water bottle. Toward the end of my run, I honestly didn't think that I was going to make it. I was walking more than I wanted to because I honestly felt like I was going to die. I know now that I should have fueled better before hand and not worried so much about getting it done before my family woke up (I really didn't want to take away too much of our Saturday Family Time for a virtual race).
The main thing is: I FINISHED!!!! My time was 2:45:44! Regardless of anything I thought or felt during that race, I PR'd! I also know what I need to work on for my next half marathon. I'm hoping to run a "real" half marathon next year.
So until next month: Keep on keeping on, my fellow runners!! Above all, Thank Jesus for your ability to run and enjoy every moment of these blessed experiences!
Comments
Post a Comment