Blue Moon Wicked 10K

I wish I had posted a goals post about this race so I could say I met them all! Better late than never, these were my goals:

A) Run the whole thing without stopping (I get race anxiety and don't think I can make it without walking, even though I have run longer than this distance several times)
B) PR (sub-1:11.55)
C) Break 1:10

Still waiting for official times to be posted, but my Garmin came in at 1:08.11. A 3 1/2 minute PR! Yeah! The race itself was awesome, it was a huge 10K (about 7500 people) and many dressed up in costume. We saw some crazy costumes, it was awesome. I wish I would have brought my camera so I could take pictures of everyone. It was supposed to be around 44 degrees at the start (surprising since it was 85 earlier this week!) so I was fretting a little about what to wear since I didn't want to be too hot or too cold. I settled on my black capris and new magenta long-sleeve top. I also picked up 2 bondi bands at the expo and wore one of those. I was glad I had not worn a jacket, the last mile and a half was on the boardwalk running straight into the sun basically.

After we crossed the finish line we got our medals (which double as a bottle opener, cool even though I don't drink beer), metal water bottles, and black running cap. I gave that to hubby, I could never wear one with how much hair I have.

It was my friend Mel's first 10K and I was glad I didn't slow her down like I did at the half-marathon. Our average pace was 10:54, which is pretty good for us for that distance. Tonight she and her hubby are having a Halloween party so I am spending most of the rest of the day baking "bat" brownies and getting ready. I am going as a bee, I'll try to post pics of my costume if it's not too inappropriate.

Happy running!

Back in the game

New longest run ever! I went out for a 9-mile run tonight, planning on taking regular walk breaks and going easy. Since I have a 10k next weekend I decided I would run the first 6-6.5 miles straight, then take a break. After about 4 miles I felt really good and the running was coming really easily so I started thinking I could run the whole thing without stopping (my previous long run with no walking was 8 miles). The miles kept ticking by and before I knew it I had hit 6.5. I kept going and was able to run the whole way! I even ran to the car after hitting 9 miles, for a total of 9.1. I had the usual minor aches and pains but overall I felt pretty good afterward. Strangely I did not need to drink or eat anything while running for almost 2 hours.

I am feeling very optimistic about the OBX half marathon. Previously I had been worried due to my lack of miles and long runs lately. I am trying to balance recovery/injury prevention with maintaining distance and cardio endurance but it hasn't been easy. I was also sick with a bad cold for about 2 weeks which has limited my exercising as I got a wheezing cough every time I ran. But now with 3 weeks to go I finally got a good long run under my belt. If it hadn't gotten too dark I would have kept going for another mile or two. Hubby said to write down everything that could have contributed to having such a great run after almost 5 weeks without a long run...

- Had two days of rest with no exercise
- Previous exercise in the week: Sunday - 25 min elliptical and 45 min treadmill walking hills, Monday - 50 min bike, Tuesday - 4 miles speed intervals (6-7mph)
- Ate 2500+ calories the past two days (usually eat around 1500 a day, my BMR is around 2200) including a lot of junk food which I don't normally eat
- Slept 7ish hours the past two nights
- Pre-run snack: Powerbar performance bar
- Food previously eaten in the day: english muffin with peanut butter, cheese manicotti, 100 calorie pringles, sugar free pudding
- Fluid previously ingested in the day: 6 cups H2O, 1 diet coke
- Temperature was around 60 at the start, around 52 at the end
- Wore Reebok running capris and Reebok running tank top

Hopefully I can repeat all this before the OBX half!

Sick sick sick

Boo! I hate being sick. I started getting sneezy and sniffly last Friday and yesterday it turned into a full-blown cold. It got so bad today that I called in sick for the first time in over 4 years. I was able to get a 3-mile run in last night when I was still feeling somewhat ok, but if I feel like this on Saturday I may have to sit out the Race for the Cure. It would be the first race I have missed since I started running. I should be happy though, other bloggers I follow are missing marathons due to long-term injuries so I am lucky my cold will pass and I have other races I can do. For now I am laying on the couch watching daytime tv. Time to catch up on Days of our Lives!

She's as cold as ice

My butt that is. And thigh. And foot. Went for a very successful 6.36 mile run today, but in the process developed pain in my foot (well, that has been there since Friday), ankle, IT band, and piriformis. The pain I'm most concerned about is the ITB. Usually this does not hurt while running, just afterwards. Today it started after about 2.2 miles and persisted the rest of the run. So I have spent the rest of the day icing, elevating, stretching, "Stick"ing, foam rolling, and scaring myself by reading about the dangers of ITBS. I really hope my body can stick it out for just 5 more weeks till I get through OBX. If I go back to running every 3rd day, I would only have 11 runs left till then. After OBX I am fine taking a month off, I just really want to get through the races I have planned first. I'm so bummed because energy-wise I felt like I could have kept running for a couple more miles this morning. The weather was great (55 degrees when I started) and yesterday's diet of Mexican food and chocolate was fueling me like a charm. I guess I will just take it one run at a time now. Sigh.

Back in the saddle

Finally had an ok week running-wise. Sunday 5 miles (11:36 pace), Wednesday 3 miles (10:43 pace), Friday 3 miles (10:41 pace). I felt like I could have gone longer today but I am hoping for 8 on Sunday so I took it easy. If I have any hope of completing OBX I need to get in at least an 8-miler and a 10-miler in the next couple weeks.

I started cross-training last week and I think it's helping. This week in addition to my 3 runs I did a spin class, elliptical session, and treadmill walking hill repeats. It was nice to do something other than run. My goal is to exercise 30-60 minutes, 5 days a week. Secretly, it is just to keep my BMR up so I can eat more :) But supposedly it's good for you too.

I am FINALLY losing my vacation weight from August. 1 lb to go till I'm back to pre-Oregon weight. Thank goodness! It has taken long enough to lose 4 stupid lbs. I still don't think I fit back into my size 4 jeans though. They only fit for about 2 days. Someday I will get back into them!

Three Things Thursday

1. Race for the Cure next weekend! It is the second year I have done the Tidewater RFTC. Last year my friend Mel and I did it but walked it since she was 36 weeks pregnant. We joked about being able to run it next year. And now we are running it! I got my t-shirt in the mail today, I like it a lot better than last year's. After the race we are going to Cheesecake Factory. To make up for the 300 calories we burned. (I'll use any excuse for Cheesecake!)

2. Still having IT band issues. I am keeping my mileage low, as long as I only do about 3 miles it seems to minimize the pain. I did 5 miles on Sunday (walking 1 min per mile) and I was hurtin afterwards. Not sure how the 10k in 3 weeks and 13.1 in 5 weeks are going to go.

3. Running weather is here! It's been in the 60s several days this week and the humidity is basically gone. It definitely makes a difference. I went out for an easy 3 mile run on my lunch break yesterday, not putting in a big effort but running at a natural pace and I averaged 10:43/mile. A good 30-45 seconds/mile faster than an easy run in 80 degrees. And it's only getting cooler!