I really hadn't thought about the fact that it was the 4th anniversary of entering my first race until I wrote my last post. I think that little milestone is reason for celebration!
I can't believe I've been living this life for four years. Its an ongoing journey, and its amazing to see how my outlook on life and my belief in myself has changed as a result. It's certainly not over. After all, it's a process. I'm just glad that all of you are joining me for the ride.
So, in honor of 4 years, I'm going to give away a little prize pack of four of my favorite things,
-The gift of music
I love tunes. Music speaks to me, and sometimes the music just clicks with my emotions to make for a stellar day. So we're giving away a $5 Amazon gift card, so you can get a few new tunes.
-The gift of hydration
I can't stand Gatorade. I'm a water girl. But after intense workouts, when I need to replenish my electrolytes (because I sweat A LOT), I love Nuun. All the wonderful electrolytes of a sports drink, without the added sugar. So we're giving away a tube of Strawberry Lemonade, my favorite flavor.
-The gift of nutrition
Sometimes I get so wrapped up in making my family breakfast and lunch, I'm out the door before I realize I forgot to eat. Enter clif bar . . . which has fueled me through many morning workouts, long runs and bike rides. I'm not a fan of sugary gels, so I carry a clif bar in the pocket of my jersey. So we're giving away a couple of our favorite bars.
-The gift of looking and feeling good.
I love my Tough Chik gear, and I think you should get to look good too. So we're giving away a $25 gift certificate to the Tough Chik store.
How to enter:
Become a follower by email or subscribe (links on the right side) – 1 entry
Follow Life Beyond the Chaos on Twitter @LifeBeyondChaos – 1 entry
Share this post on your Facebook page – 3 entries
Share this post on your blog and announce the giveaway to your followers – 4 entries
YOU MUST POST A COMMENT ON THIS POST STATING WHICH ONES YOU HAVE DONE AND HOW MANY ENTRIES YOU HAVE EARNED.
Entries will close FRIDAY at noon, and a winner will be drawn using Random Number Generator.
In closing, no matter where you are in your journey, remember that you are shaping the you of tomorrow. You are changing your life with every choice you make. They may seems small and inconsequential now, but they add up.
Saturday was the annual Hearts and Soles 5K. This is Homestead's ONLY local running event, and also the very first race I ever did, back in its inagural year. Here's a link to my little race report on my personal blog, if you want some perspective. Its pretty darn shocking to see those pictures of myself, by the way. The other crazy/shocking thing is I'm only about 10lbs lighter than I was there. Go figure.
Brad and I at Hearts and Soles 2009 (top) and 2011 (bottom)
(And in case you are wondering, Brad skipped out on me this year because he wanted to go play on the water. Why would you want to go boating instead of running?? Go figure.)
Anyway, I digress. 5Ks are not my favorite distance these days. As a new runner, it is the PERFECT challenge. I remember being scared to death when I did that first one 4 short years ago. Worried I wouldn't finish. Not so these days. I know that if I REALLY worked on my speed I could get a sub 30 5K. I just have no desire to do so now. And since I KNOW I'm not going to break that next milestone (because I haven't worked for it), I just don't love doing them. Plus (with the exception of this race), most 5Ks are PACKED, and its hard to really find your groove. So, if there aren't obstacles involved, I just don't do them. But I try to do this one, because its close, its for a good cause, and it was my first.
This is a SMALL race. No timing chip. In the past, they have at least had a clock showing the gun time, but this year they didn't even have that. You are responsible for your own time. This year the course was literally five minutes away from my house, at the speedway. Yeah, I can't pass up something that it takes less than 5 minutes to get to.
The weather this weekend was night and day compared to last weekend's half. Last weekend we had 40s and 50s and insane wind. It was COLD. This weekend its been 80s and humid, with a hot breeze. My legs were still pretty fatigued from last weekend too. I knew this wasn't going to be a personal record event. But that's not really why I did this one. Besides the fact that is close, I wanted to support some of my local running friends. Both Carmen and Peggy I know from the Y. This was Carmen's (red shirt) first 5K, and she killed it in 25ish minutes. And Peggy, in the green, is 56 and one of the strongest, most amazing people I've had the pleasure of meeting. She was chasing my tail the entire way, and she hasn't even been running regularly lately. Dave, the tall guy making me look like a midget, I know from my produce group. He quit smoking about a year ago and has done a couple of races since.
(and yes, I have a dorky look on my face in ALL these pictures . . . story of my life!)
Special thanks to Peggy and Brenda for the pictures!
I ran for the first 3/4 mile and then started doing 5 minute on/30 second off intervals, because my legs were still fatigued and it was HOT. I finished in 32:17, which breaks down to a 10:27 pace. Not bad, considering the heat. But it wasn't about that for this race--it was just about hanging out with some local friends and cheering each other on. Part of me can't believe I've been doing this for 4 years now. And part of me can't believe its only been 4 years. It's such a huge part of who I am these days. I still remember when running down the block seemed like an impossible task.
This past weekend the A1A Half Marathon was my first half marathon. Previously I have ran 5k's, 10k's, obsticle runs, and the Ragnar Florida Keys, but no single run was a complete half marathon. My theory had always been "if I wanted to go that far, I'd take the car." I started out running short distances and my main goal was speed for a 1.5 mile run. I also found that I liked running 5k's, mostly because working on the 5k pace also made my 1.5 mile time faster. Then, I started adding distance beyond the 5k to make the 5k time better. As I was focusing on shorter distances Angela kept adding more and more distance, and I started going longer to try to keep up. Before you knew it, I was running Ragnar and planning for a half marathon.
I had big training plans and high hopes post-Ragnar for the A1A, but as the best laid plans often do, mine did not come to fruition. After a little sickness and some other delays, I was rushing to get a 10 mile run in the week of A1A. Not the best way to lead up to your first half. I still wasn't too worried, though. I knew I could finish, I was just bummed that I wouldn't be able to have the kind of time I wanted.
I'm not the fastest runner in the world and had no illusions that I would be placing. I'm just very competitive with myself. I always want to go faster and get a faster time and I set goals to "race" myself. Going in I wanted to finish in less than 2 hours. Unfortunately, considering the less than stellar execution on the training plan, I didn't think that would happen.
Then the day of the race came and the weather was perfect for a race - cool (ok, cold for South Floridians anyway), even if a little windy. I was again thinking about my goal. And when we set off and I broke out of the crowd a little, I started running fast (for me). Much faster than I planned to and much faster than I knew I could keep up. So I slowed down to a comfortable, but still faster pace than I planned.
Angela already posted about how nice of a course it was, but words do not do it justice. Most of the race was running along the Ft. Lauderdale Beach (not my photo), and we started just as the sun was coming up. As if the view wasn't enough, it was one of the most well thought out race courses I have ever ran.
Ultimately my official time was 2:08 for this race. The actual run time was 2:02 (there was a required bathroom break in the middle and there was a line). That was the most frustrating part about the race. My goal was to finish in less than 2 hours, and I ended up 2 minutes over.
Toward the end of the race, I could have pushed myself more, but I "gave up" and slowed down. I know that I could have made up the 2 minutes and came in under my goal, but I chose to take the easy way out.
For me, running isn't about beating anyone else, it's about beating myself and my goals. This time I chose to accept good enough and not push myself to go the extra mile (figuratively). That was the worst part of this whole race - knowing that I could have did better but not doing it.
For my first half marathon, this was a great race and a great experience. I look forward to doing it again, and I look forward to beating the 2 hour mark at the Halloween Half. I
I am by no means a racing expert. I have 2 half marathons, a handful of 5Ks, 5 sprint distance triathlons, and a smattering of other fun things on my resume. So I'm far from a seasoned racer in a blogsphere. This is the first time I'm writing a review of a race I have participated in. But I couldn't resist with this race, because it was SUCH a pleasure to run.
What I loved about this race:
-It is small (~5,000 runners)
Yet even though it is small (I'm comparing it to the Miami ING, which has 24,000+ people every year. I don't like people enough to run with 24,000 people. And its hard to run your own race when you are toe to toe with a bazillion other people.). Yet unlike some of the other smaller half marathons in the area (like the 13.1 Series), it has an expo. Win!
-It has both marathon and half marathon options
Small race but still both distances. Win. On top of that, both races start at the same time. Its pretty awesome. The half course is the first ~8-9 miles and the last ~4.5 miles of the full course. Its just cool (and humbling) to see all those marathoners out there. If I do a full marathon next year (something I toy around with in my head before freaking myself out), it will be this one.
- The Course
Prettiest. Course. EVER. The course begins in Fort Lauderdale, crosses the intercoastal waterway over a small drawbridge (small in the sense that it is not steep and not that long), and then is waterfront for nearly the remainder of the course. There is an amazing loop through scenic Birch State Park which offers some shade (a bonus if its hot out, which it WAS NOT this year) and a nice change in scenery. Plus, since its a loop, you pass by lots of runners heading in the opposite direction. I spent some time looking for my fast hubby instead of thinking about what mile it was. The park included some intercoastal waterfront, which was beautiful. Then it was back on the beach for a ways before hitting a more populated area and turning around. The last 4ish miles were all beach front and beautiful. You literally finish RIGHT next to the beach. Every mile had a marker and a clock, and the markers were DEAD ON. Oh, and if you are running your first half and are concerned because you are a penguin, don't worry because the half marathon course is open as long as the marathon course because it IS the marathon course--course time for both is 6 hours. Because the course is pretty flat, its a perfect PR course, if the finicky South Florida winter weather decides to cooperate.
-The event staff
Unlike many of the other races in the area, this race is put on by a small company, Exclusive Sports Marketing. They only have 2 races and a handful of other events every year, so they put their EVERYTHING into making sure their events are A+. The CEO manages the Facebook page and answers many of the emails. Everything from the water stations to the port-a-pots are meticulously planned out because they care about each and every one of their athletes, and they will be as proud of you as you are of yourself.
The Swag:
I'm not a big swag person but I know a lot of people care about it so here's the DL on the swag. There was a swag bag, which was a nice change from a lot of other bags I've gotten at races because it was a little smaller and had handles as well as the whole draw string thing going on. Its nice to have something smaller. The shirt was cute, but not my favorite material. Unisex sizes only, which was a bummer, but also not a surprise. Something that was REALLY nice was they gave you a full color program, which included all the maps relating to the race. That was super nice for the out of towners. Race bibs could be personalized (although ours were not). My favorite items were the Publix towel (Eat Right, Stay Fit, Have Fun), which is the perfect size for the gym (although not actually included in the swag bag--it was a freebee from Publix's vendor booth) and the medal, which is the absolute CUTEST medal I've ever received. Much nicer than the 13.1 medal I have. This is the first medal I didn't give to my kids when I got home because it was so pretty. This baby is MINE. (Of course, it may be because it has that nice 23 minute PR attached to it . . . ) There were lots of freebees in the bag, but nothing that I'd rant about. Probably because I'm just not a power bar fan. There was a bunch of Kashi cereal--which was awesome because we don't eat cereal much so the kids thought it was the BEST PRESENT EVER when we gave it to them. Sooo . . . Win.
The Downside:
I personally had few complaints about this race. I have been watching the facebook page though, and listened to a lot of what people had to say on race weekend, and here are the two items that I have seen people gripe about.
-The Cost
Standard Registration for this race is $100, whether you do the half or the full marathon. Many people have commented that its unusual to have both be the same price. I am sure it is this way because 1) They start at the same time and 2) because they take up essentially the same course. So whether you run the half or the full, you take up one of the ~5,000 spots for the race, and its pretty much the same effort for them no matter which one you register for. While it is a bit pricier than some of the other halfs, it is a small, well run race with personal attention, and therefore worth EVERY PENNY. Heck, just the course alone makes it worth the money. But right now you can register for $75 on Active.com for either one.
-Nutrition
I heard a few people gripe that there wasn't any nutrition on the half marathon course and not enough on the marathon course. I always carry my own, and it seems to me that's the better way to operate, so non-issue for me. I always plan to have my own stuff because I don't like eating things that I don't usually eat on race day.
-Medal issue
I personally loved this medal. We haven't had any issues with ours. But many participants have had the hinge on the small disk that opens on the front break. The silver lining with this is that the wonderful event staff is just as upset about it as some of the participants. But again, a non-issue for me. I don't run for the bling, I don't run for the swag, I run for the run. Still the prettiest medal I own!
So, hopefully that gives you a good feel for the race. I wish I had been able to take pictures on the course, because THAT is really my favorite thing about this race and what sold me on it for years to come. I plan to run this event for every year I am in the area and physically capable. Nearly every part of it was so breathtakingly beautiful that it kept every minute of the 13.1 miles engaging and fun. If you are an out of towner and are thinking about heading to South Florida for a race, this is the one. And if you are a local and haven't tried it yet, you don't know what you are missing!
In casual conversation today, someone said to me, in regard to race pace: "Some people have it, and some people don't."
This is a LIE.
This is why I wrote on my hand this past weekend "I RACE AGAINST MYSELF."
Just because you are not running a 9 minute mile (or a 12 minute mile or a 7 minute mile or a freaking 4 minute mile) does not mean that what you are doing has less merit. Nor does it mean that the person who is faster doesn't work just as hard for what they get.
Do not sell yourself short people. Not in the gym, not at home, not on the road.
There has been a shift in my mindset. After my first half, I felt a little bad when my friend Amanda was bummed she missed her goal, because I felt like I would have KILLED for her time. I didn't understand it so much then. But I do now. You HAVE to look at where you start, where you came from and how far you've come.
It is NOT that some people have it and some people don't. We ALL have it. Every single one of us. Yes, some of us start at a worse place. Some of us start at 220lbs. (Raises a hand). Some of us start heavier. Lighter. Slower. Faster.
Don't let little negative thoughts worm their way into your effort. Think about where you started. Where you are. Where you are going. WHY you are doing what you are doing. Because news flash people: we life in a nation that is in a HEALTH CRISIS. The only way to show people that its possible is to do it. And be open about our journey. Its not an easy road.
So whether its a walk around the block, a healthy food choice, a step in the right direction, or a PR at a race--celebrate it. Remember it. And move continuously forward.
So yeah, this weekend was a big deal for us. I ran my 2nd half marathon, the Fort Lauderdale A1A Half Marathon. It was an EXTRA big deal because it was Brad's first half as well. Yes, my husband, Mr. "If I wanted to go that far I would drive my car" committed to run 13 point frickin' 1 miles. It helped that I drug him up to work packet pickup at the Expo with the awesome folks who run this race. He got to see first hand why I'm always so willing to jump up and volunteer at events. Because the people are AMAZING. Oh, and the promise of a kid free night at a hotel may have helped too.
Of course, Murphys Law. Sickness came to our house. First my son, then my daughter. How can I ask a friend with kids to kid sit my sickie? Commence freakout. Thursday rolled around and the baby was better but, oh joy, Brad was home sick from work. Commence SUPER FREAK OUT, because I had trained my butt off for this thing and was SO ready to run. Didn't even want to think about the hurt feelings involved if I bailed because he wasn't feeling better (which wasn't going to happen) or him being upset if I ran it without him. Thankfully, on Friday everyone was feeling healthy. Breath of fresh air.
Of course, still plenty of time for things to go wrong too. Remember that fun part of the Ragnar story where the battery on my wonderful Yukon died at the first major exchange? The car that I haven't had a SINGLE problem with in the 6ish years I've owned it. Yeah, well, we're starting a disturbing trend for races in 2013 (or maybe just races I do with hubs? Not sure which . . . if its going to be one or the other, it needs to be the later because the next half dozen races on my schedule are without him sooooo, love ya babe but you understand.). Dropped the kids off at my friend (AWESOME friend, by the way, that keeps your kids for 26 hours so you can go play), noticed that Brad's car was smoking a bit from under the hood. Hmmmm. Why no, dear, he told me, I'm sure its nothing. Of course, by the time we had sat in traffic to get to the Expo for packet pickup, it was clear something was wrong with the car--it was overheating. Awesome. AT LEAST the weather was cool, so that delayed the overheating. Parked the car, would deal with it later. As in, when we got home later.
Expo was fun, but busy. Spent a lot of time helping out. Spent a lot of time trying to get food--long lines and crappy food made for a less than ideal lunch situation. When we walked outside at 6:30pm after finishing at the expo, we sat in the parking garage and admired the view for a minute. Beautiful cool South Florida night. But wait, those flags were sure blowing a lot. Hmmmm. Oh well, it wouldn't be too cold in the morning. Its South Florida after the all. Great running weather! Easier to run when it isn't hot and humid! YAY! Ate food (Winn Dixie brought home to our hotel room . . . I much prefer Publix thank you!). Laid out the race outfit. Packed the bags.
Ummm, yeah, no one was going to be seeing my cute outfit race morning. I checked the weather at it was 40s and you could HEAR the wind howling. I'm sorry, 40s?? Are we still even IN south Florida?? We were hoping for 60s for Ragnar and we got 80s. We were planning for 60s at race time and we get 40s? Okay. So I put on the outfit above, the ONLY long sleeve tech shirt I own, and then two sweatshirts. And long pants over my Aspaeris Pivot shorts and under the skirt. Some of those would be shed after working packet pickup. Here's the 3:30am, not really awake, bundled up in too many layers picture.
I had previously had some serious issues with mental blocks on the long runs leading up to race day, so I wrote some stuff on my hands to keep my head where it needed to be.
****
"I race against myself. Against Fear" -- this one was because I always worry about my pace--I have compared my "slow" pace to my faster friends paces forever. No more--this was a race against my old time. And in the past few weeks, I had come to the realization that I have more speed in me than I let myself believe. I have been labeling myself as a "slow runner" for as long as I have been running. Some serious soul searching lately has lead me to believe that it may very well be the last thing I'm holding on to of the old me . . . I can no longer claim to be the fat girl who is stronger than she looks, because I KNOW I am strong and so does pretty much everyone else. I think the slow label is one of those last layers that is holding me back. Anyway, long psychobabble explanation. I digress.
"Its not over when you are tired. Its over when you are done." -- because really. 13.1 miles. I'm gonna get tired.
****
The other thing I did was program my Garmin for 5 minute run intervals with a 1 minute walk interval. I was worried about going out to fast and keeping my head where it needed to be in the later miles. So I left it with a warmup and cooldown option, so I could run for as long as I felt like it before I started intervals. I had a goal in mind. 2:30. But in my head, I was pretty sure I was going to have to be happy with my B goal, which was simply "faster than my last half."
As we helped out with late packet pickup, the wind killed us. It was so chilly. And yes, I realize those of you in the north who deal with snow and sub zero temps are laughing at me. But I've lived in this state for 12+ years and after a while, your blood thins. It was COLD. And then, to top it off, my stomach didn't cooperate. Yeah, those of who are regular distance runners get my drift. The rest of you, move on, you don't need to know. We got busy at packet pickup and then suddenly, BOOM, it was time to go to the corrals. I shed my non-race approved layers and started freezing my legs off. Upper body was fine, but I was worried about my poor legs in shorts. I started freaking out a little so I plopped in my headphones and started listening to my playlist. A new track from Red's new album was my first track--a beautiful song with some great meaning.
As You Go.
At the risk of bringing in more psychobabble. Probably the most spiritual moment I've had in a while. I know we catch a lot of flack from some family members for not attending church, but I always feel closer to God when I face my fears. So I had tears in my eyes and an uplifted heart when I crossed that start line. I already felt like this was going to be amazing.
And literally, it was absolutely amazing. Start to finish. I have never, EVER, run a race in such an amazing mental state as I had for this race. Granted, this was only my 2nd half, and I have maybe a dozen other races under my belt. But it was INCREDIBLE. Start to finish. I went out too fast, and knew it, and I just went with it. I had to adjust some of my layers as I went. But I saw some friends. Mile 1 was out of the way, and I tried not to freak out a little when I saw the time clock there at 15 something. Yeah, I knew we were at least 4 minutes into the race when I passed the start line. I passed a bunch of people on the tiny little bridge (thank you Rickenbacker repeats for making that little drawbridge look just that--LITTLE), and then boom, bring on the waterfront views. Sunrise over the ocean. I wish I had a smartphone, because I would have stopped for a picture.
Lots of beach front property and one adorable intercoastal park later, I was six miles into this thing and feeling AMAZING. I started intervals around mile 4. Walked through the water stations. But I really didn't start feeling fatigued until we got back on A1A and we had to face the full force of the wind again--head on. But there were so many great people out there. I made sure to copiously thank the volunteers that handed me water. Have you ever worked a water station? You get wet. And wet + the temps we had meant a cold, miserable job. I had a little hiccup where my GPS got turned off--it had to have been for only .25 miles or so. I knew that IF I could hold where I was I would come close to making my A goal. And then suddenly, we were turning. And then we were at mile 9.
Right about then, this song came on. Another Red favorite from their new album.
At that point, I knew that all I had to do was hold on. I had a beautiful ocean view to my left. I knew Brad was waiting for me at the finish. The wind was finally at my back and I shed everything down to my Team Tough Chik top. And I knew . . . I was was going to crush it. I was tired, but still absolutely in the best mental place. Looking back, I can't say there was a minute where I was ready to be done. The absolute BEST thing I did was make sure I couldn't see my pace on my GPS--I couldn't obsess over it and I didn't look at my watch as much. That will be something I am doing on race day from now on.
At some point, I realized my hands were numb. And looked like sausages. Hmm, noted, but its not like I haven't had edema before on a long run and it WAS cold. Then suddenly there was a mile left. That was probably the hardest mile. But I finished strong. I passed a couple people. I looked at the time clock and KNEW it was good, because the course clock (that started with the gun) showed just over 2:30.
I found Brad. He had finished in 2:07, which included a potty stop. (And even though my tummy didn't cooperate before the start, it did during the race, so SCORE!). And even though we had JUST finished, I couldn't help but ask him if he would do it again. And he said yes. :-)
It was COLD after the finish. Turns out the temperature was dropping. We grabbed some grub, hung out for a while and checked the times. And before you read them, understand my fastest 5K on record is in the 30:03. My only half marathon was 2:49:59. (I thought it was 2:42, but I went back and checked . . . yeah, I was off).
Stats:
10K Split: 1:03:21 (Definitely a 10K PR for me)
13.1: 2:26:07 11:06 min/mile pace
When I had looked at the pace necessary to make it in under 2:30, I remember thinking "no way am I averaging under 11:30 over 13 miles."
I shared this on my facebook page 10 days ago. And I said that I felt like I was at the edge of something. Fear has been holding me back from going for more. That if I could get the courage to JUMP, there would be something amazing waiting on the other side. A long time ago, Amanda (yes, Miss TooTall again!) told me that speed comes with miles. This go round I trusted in that process and did JUST that for this race. I put in the miles. I did a little bit of speed work, a little bit of hills, but mostly I just put in the miles.
So I hope no one thinks I'm bragging this week when they ask me how I've
been and I tell them I crushed my half marathon record by 23 freaking
minutes. And next week I'm going to start following an actual training plan. Because I know now I'm really not slow. I'm not "fast" in the traditional sense of the word. But I'm only slow if I let myself believe it. And pardon me if I continue to say how running can change your life. Because it certainly has changed mine. Kissing another layer of the old me goodbye.
"I said I'm not afraid, That I am brave enough.
I will not give up until I see the sun.
Hold me now. 'Till the fear is leaving. I am barely breathing . . . "
~Red
(Review of A1A is coming next, this was long enough, but suffice to say it was amazing. Be sure to check out their Registration Blitz here, starting at 7am 2/19 for amazing discounts.
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