Sunday, May 23, 2010

Sea Dog 5K Run/Walk - Race Report

I decided to run the 5K this morning despite not having any running buddies or a cheering section, despite the gloom and despite the few sprinkles that fell on my head before the race started. Here's my report:


The horn sounds, it's the start of the race! I positioned myself in the middle of the pack, hoping to plant myself around the 9 or 10 minute per mile runners. And we're off!


Mile 1:
(Two minutes in...) Wow, I'm really out of breath. What is going on?? Maybe I need to slow down a bit. Wow, a lot of people are passing me now. This is what I get for not running for a month. I'm running so slowly, I'm probably going about 11 minutes per mile now. More people are passing me. This is great. I knew I should have stayed home. We're going downhill, and I still can't pick up more speed. Oh look -- that lady is walking now... and so is that man... maybe I should just call it a day and walk the rest. I'm still so out of breath. This doesn't feel comfortable at all. The last race, mile 1 was a breeze. I'm so upset with myself. There's the mile marker!! There's a guy with a stop watch shouting numbers... Did he just say 8??? Okay, he just shouted 8:40 at me! That's why I feel like crap, I've never run this fast before! Time to slow down...


Mile 2:
Okay, if I don't slow down, I probably won't be able to finish. Steady wins the race. Just try to stay with the folks in front of you, Ty. Okay, they're leaving you in the dust. That's fine. Just keep moving. Breathe. Breathe. Why haven't I caught my breath yet? Thank God my legs aren't tired though. Slowing down more... Where is that second mile marker?? More people are walking -- man, I'm so jealous. What I would give to just walk right now. Ok, there it is! Another guy in neon green shouting numbers... 17:47. So my second mile was 9:07, I can live with that. I've finally caught my breath. But, I don't think I can go faster than this. I'm gonna have to stay at this pace.


Mile 3 and 3.1:
Just take nice, long strides. Breathe. Stay with that guy in the grey shirt. Doh! The gap between us is widening. More people are passing me. Geez, how slowly am I running NOW? That old guy behind me is moaning with every breath, HUSH! He sounds like he's gonna pass out, but you know what? He's been on my tail the whole race, so maybe I should hush. His AHHHRGHHs must be working for him. It's 25 minutes according to my watch, time to kick it for the last 4 or 5 minutes. Oh no! Another uphill? Kicking it will have to wait until the top of this hill. People are cheering, "You're almost there!" Am I really? We're back on the main road now, the finish line has to be close. I think we're there, time to speed up. I'm starting to pass someone (for the first time today). Wait, where's the finish line? Did she just say, "Turn the corner, you're almost there!"? There's more? Ugh. Not again! I made this mistake last race. It's on a slight incline too? Push. Push. Finish line! The clock reads 28:24 as I run through. That means mile 3 and 3.1 was 10:37 (9:36/mile). Not as good as I started out with, but I still beat last race's time by 12 seconds.
Okay, why is there a line to get away from the finish line? I need to walk people, my heart is pounding out of my chest! Oh, we have to hand in the little strips on the bottom of our race bibs. Fine. I don't think I can walk anyway. Oh look -- a nice grassy hill. Looks like the perfect place to lay on my back... and just rest a while. :-)


F 20-29, 17 out of 34
Overall: 217 out of 519 (some of those were walkers)




Yes, they listed me as a male (a common mistake with the first name, TYEESE). I placed better as a guy than in my own category. I should be #17 among the females 20-29, but apparently with my gender change, I placed 9.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

I think I'm convinced...

I've spent most of today either crying over recent events, packing the house to move, or catching up on my blogger pals' posts.

I think I've decided to run tomorrow's 5K even though I will have to register on-site. I'll make a game time call tomorrow morning when I get up.

In the meantime, I'm gonna keep packing, and start hydrating. After how slow I ran yesterday, I'm not sure I can even beat my last 5K time (9:13/mile pace). But, I can try.

I also checked out the McMillan calculator, and based on that time, I should expect to run my 10K in 59:25. But it also says my 4-mile the other day should have been 37:25, almost 6 minutes faster than I actually ran.

I have work to do.

Friday, May 21, 2010

4-miler: the good, the bad, and the ugly


I broke away from the treadmill today, and ran outside.

After spending an unusual day at work in the operating room all day, I pulled off onto a side road in New Haven, changed into my running gear in the car (yes, in broad daylight -- I have skills!), and proceeded to run a 2-mile route out and back in 43:03. Slow, I know.

The GOOD
- I finished the 4 miles alive.
- I got a second wind during the last 2 miles that made the run feel easy.
- Funny comment from random guy: "I can do that!" Me: "Well, come on then!" Random guy stayed put and laughed.
- Smiling at fellow runners along the same street, especially when running on the treadmill gets so lonely.
- 4.07 miles is the farthest I've ever run. Today's run beat out my previous one-and-only 4-miler.

The BAD
- I had to pee from the start of the run.
- I don't know where my ipod is, so I ran to the sounds of nature.
- I didn't warmup beforehand.
- I haven't trained on hills yet, and there were a few mini-hills along this road.
- My right knee started to ache during the last mile.

The UGLY
- When I finished, my elbow creases were pale from being moist and bent the whole run.
- I started out way too fast and by 1/10th of a mile, I was already winded.
- The first 2 miles I really didn't think I was going to make it between feeling winded and having to pee. Not to mention, my limbs felt like they were moving in slow-mo (at a 10:30/minute pace, they were!)

Now it's time for a nice long soak.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Taking time out from Grey's to talk about running

I'm on a commercial break from a nail-biting Grey's Anatomy season finale... so this will be quick.

I made it to the gym today in time for my Group Power class. I was also supposed to run 2 miles according to my 10K plan.

I ran the first mile at 6.4 mph (9:22/mile) but was pretty out of breath. So, I postponed the second mile until after the Group Power class. I did the first 2 minutes at 6.4 mph, but I didn't feel like I could last the whole mile, so I turned it down to 6.2 mph.

Tomorrow, a 4-mile run is on the agenda, but I have to admit, I'm a little nervous. I haven't run that long in many weeks. I'm unsure if I can run that long. I doubt I will be able to do it on the treadmill (out of boredom), but I haven't really found a good outside route yet. Not to mention, I work tomorrow from 7:30am until 5-ish mostly standing up in the operating room. I can easily see myself losing motivation. We'll see...

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Baila con Zumba!

Another gloomy day, another day of feeling no-so-hot, but I dragged myself to the gym anyway.

I did an hour of only Zumba tonight - no running, no lifting, and it was nice. It reminded me how much I miss dancing (I danced from age 7 until I got pregnant with my son 6 years ago). It also allowed me to move my hips a lot, be feminine and almost flirty.

I spent the first half of the class moving to the music, but still mulling over life's problems in my head. By the end, I was just dancing and focusing on how I looked in the mirror - my form, the definition in my arms that I'm proud of, and really noticing the difference between how I look today and how I looked when I started this journey on January 4th.

Between my month-long hiatus from working out and eating terribly at the same time, I surprisingly only put on about 4 pounds (I'm sure I lost muscle though). From last week to this week, I lost 2 pounds. That puts back to 135, only 5-10 pounds away from my original goal and 17 pounds down from January.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Back on the Treadmill (again)

I ran today... Despite the gloomy rain.

According to my 10K training schedule, I was due to run 2.5 miles. Since I already know I can run the distance, I've been working on speed, so I upped it to 6.2mph (or 9:40/mile). It was okay until the last 5 minutes, where all of a sudden sweat started pouring down and I was huffing and counting down the seconds I had left... 32... (breathe) 31... (breathe) 30... (breathe)...

My next days to run are Thursday (2 miles and a Group Power class) and Friday (4 miles). The 5K that I may or may not run is on Sunday. I'm considering going to Zumba tomorrow night just to spice up this routine a bit. As much as I hate to say it, running is starting to feel more like a chore than fun these days.

However, I'm preparing to move in less than a month, which may help because the new neighborhood is a lot more conducive to running and is close to a park with nice trails. So there's hope for me yet.

Monday, May 17, 2010

No, I haven't been abducted by aliens...

Yes, I've been M.I.A.
Yes, I've been a bum.
But, I'm back now.
Be easy on me.

Running
I ran on April 14th, and didn't run again until this past Thursday, the 13th of May. Gosh, it hurts just to see that in writing. I ran/walked 2.5 miles just before my Group Power class.

My plan is to run again on Tuesday, Thursday and maybe Friday. There's a 5K on my schedule for Sunday, but I haven't decided if I'm ready to run it yet. I'd like to keep beating my 5K times, and I'm not sure I'm in any shape to beat 28:36.

Life
Life has been interesting. I've been in and out of a funk lately... forced to learn a lot about myself in a short period of time. It's amazing to look back at your life through the awakened eyes of a mature almost-30 woman, to learn from your mistakes and to truly consider what type of person you want to be.

Not just a person who reacts to her surroundings, her routine or what's expected of her, but a person who decides who she wants to be and is just that. I know what that looked like 7 years ago, but what does it mean now - after a degree, a child, a marriage come and gone, years of varying emotions, and many, many changes?

After all of that thinking, and terrible 12-hour days at the hospital, I haven't had energy for running or much else.

Turning 30
I've spent most of this blog talking about running and ignoring the other part of the blog: turning 30. It's coming. Today starts the 70-day countdown. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I have such high hopes for my 30s... I hope I can do right by them.

I've decided to forego a big party and have an intimate dinner with some close friends in NYC on the big day. Until then, much work to do -- getting to know myself, bettering myself, and taking chances one day at a time.

What about you? Are you who you want to be?