Lots to report

I didn't get my final run in before the 10k.  But, the 10k at SeaWorld San Antonio went great.  It was the first annual "Run for the Fund" and benefits the Busch Gardens and SeaWorld Conservation fund.  I took the bus from downtown to SeaWorld.  That went well, and only cost $2.50 each way.  There was a 20 minute wait at one of the park and rides, but that was ok.  The trip was about an hour.  When we got to SeaWorld, the bus wouldn't actually go up to the park entrance because the gates don't really open until noon.  So, I got out waaaaay down at where the park's street begins.  Right as I got out of the bus, they opened the gates to let a long line of cars in.  I started walking up the drive and noted the cones on the road, meaning I would likely be seeing this road again!  I even had a guy offer to give me a ride up.  But, I declined and we agreed I'd probably beat him, since they hadn't yet actually opened the parking lot.  I arrived at the front gate on foot with the very first car in the parking lot.  Perfect timing!  I think I was the only one without a car.  The run had maybe 200 entries per race.  They capped entries.  There was a 10k, a 5k, and a family walk.  The 10k started first with Shamu (the plush kind with human guts) there. The beginning of the race was in the parking lot with some double-backs to take up length.  Then we went into the back parts of the park.  That was cool because we soon started seeing animals.  We ran by some tanks that people normally don't see.  Also, we ran by the tanks for the belugas I would meet later in the day.  They stationed several animals along the way with their trainers.  That was so fun.  It helped energize me. 

SeaWorld is not flat.  I don't know why I thought it would be, but it wasn't.  It was an interesting run, though and I finished strong.  The clock said 1:03+, but my GPS said that I only ran 6 miles.  So, I might have shaved a minute or so off of my previous 10k time.  At first, I was excited that I took 3 minutes off, but generally the GPS reports more length, not less.  A great run.  Very well managed.  It didn't get overly hot.  Since I didn't have car to go to, I had a mini-backpack that I wore for the race.  I had to pick up the packet that day, so I knew I'd have a shirt and some other stuff to carry with me.  They didn't have any lockers available.  I also wore my iFitness belt.  I took one Gu gel 15 minutes before the race and one at about 45 minutes in.  I had a granola bar on the bus on the way over.  I listed to a 160 bpm podcast which switched to a 162 bpm podcast right at the end.

Afterward, I had fruit and a cookie and got a free massage.  Then, we headed over to Shamu's stadium for the awards.  It was sealed with a performance by the orcas (killer whales) they call the Shamu family.  They are amazing!

The rest of that day, I went around SeaWorld and also participated in their Beluga Interaction Program where I put on a wet suit and hopped in the tank with three belugas.  The trainer showed us lots of hand signals for tricks and we got to touch and feed the belugas quite a bit.  Very awesome.

Later on the trip, I did Spartacus again in a cramped hotel gym.  I also barely managed to snag a treadmill another day for a 3 mile run.

Yesterday, I ran for 30 minutes.  My GPS was complaining because I had moved more than 100 miles since my last usage and I was half a mile in before it realized where it was.

This morning, I made up my own weight lifting program.  I think I'll leave programming to the pros.  I kinda sucked at it, but I got a halfway decent workout in.  This is what I did:

Warm-up -  alternating 1 minute of jump rope with 10 BW lunges each side, 30 KB swings, 20 band walks each side

3 sets of 8 reps, alternating 2 exercises each 
Bench press - 65#, 70#, 75#
Inverted row -  (not full extension due to height of bar)

Hip thrust - 45#, 55#, 65#
Hanging leg raise - shoulders down, trying to keep legs straight, but failing some

Overhead press - 45#, 50#, 55#
Overhead band pulls - hard to find challenging setup

Core work
1x stir the pot for one minute, 1x one minute plank with arms on Swiss ball

Final stretch before the 10k

I had planned 2.5 miles today and 3 on Thursday, but I was feeling so good today, I did the 3 miles today.  I think it might be better to ease up on Thursday, anyway, since my 10k is on Saturday.  Also, the 2.5 miles might be on a treadmill, so I'd rather not go far on that.

It was a beautiful day for a run.  Mid-fifties, medium wind.

I increased my cadence to the next notch and used a 163bpm Podrunner podcast called Tiger by the Tail.  I love when this happens.  As I was starting my last stretch up a long incline, the mood intensified.  It felt like it sped up, but it didn't.  I did, though!

1 bunny

Trying out the backpack

The rain threatened today, but was mostly done by the time I set out.  It was still cold... only 46-48F and moist.  I donned my rain jacket and my little backpack and headed out.  I have a 10k in a couple weeks and I know I will need to take more with me than my iFitness belt will hold, so I'm going to take a little backpack.  I'll look like a total geek, but oh well.  The backpack worked fine.  It wasn't annoying at all. It didn't restrict my movement.  I'm not going to be loading it down, so that's not an issue.  I think the biggest issue will be that my back will be sweaty behind it.

Today's run was 7 miles.  It wasn't the easiest or fastest run ever, but it went fine.  I felt fine and had no issues finishing.  I started out with a 160bpm podcast, but that wasn't long enough, so my mp3 player rolled over the the next one, a 162bpm podcast.  Worked fine!  I think I feel like I'm using my glutes more with this faster cadence.

No bunnies today. Odd.  But, I did see a dead deer.  I'd rather see bunnies than that!  Several runners out this morning.  It's fun to be part of that Sunday long run thing.

My first 10k!

It's hard to believe that a year and a half ago, I felt like dying after running minute-long intervals. Today, I ran 6.2 miles along with 2577 other people !!

It was a beautiful morning. My hubby went with me, which was soooo nice. I'm glad I didn't have to go alone. It was still dark out when we got there and the sun was getting close to coming up when they started the race. The temperature was 53F with only a light breeze. Perfect, really! Since hubby was there, he waited with me until shortly before the start and took my jacket. They did have a bag check there, but it was nicer to have it up until the last. Of course, it didn't take long before I was warmed up enough that it was the perfect temperature.

I, of course, placed myself rather far back, so it took over two minutes to cross the starting line. It was very interesting. Take a few steps, wait a bit, take a few steps, wait, over and over, then finally a clearing and we were off! It took a good mile or two before the crowd got into it's pace. Until then, I had to dodge walkers and, I assume, people who started off too quickly. Also, it was important to look out for potholes and cones (!?!) in the middle of the road. I'm not sure why they put them in the middle of the road at the start. Later on, I think they were there to keep the runners on one side and the cars on the other. But, they could have placed them after everyone started, really. I saw a couple people almost fall.

During the first mile, I did notice I was running a little faster than normal. It wasn't crazy fast, and it felt comfortable, so I let it go at that. In fact, I kept a rather constant pace. After about a mile and a half, my heart rate was up and it stayed between 175bpm and 180bpm for the rest of the race. I see that as a sign that I was pacing myself correctly. That is a range I can hold for a long time without big problems. When I picked up the pace at the end, I did get up to 188bpm briefly.

At around a mile and a half in, we started up a rather steep hill. It was cool, though, because at the top is perched Central High School, and the sight was really pretty. During the whole race, hubby was running around taking pictures of me. It was funny and nice. He got stuck and couldn't make it to the finish, but that is ok. I think he got about as much of a workout as I did!

There were three or four bands spread around the course. (Probably more placed elsewhere for the longer races.) It was fun and made the time pass more quickly. Although, I couldn't hear them play for very long, since I was passing by. The mood was fun and people would talk some to others.

I ate a Gu gel about ten minutes before the race then another around 4.5 miles. It seems to have worked ok, since I didn't get the extreme exhaustion I've gotten before after running these distances. At the end, I got a 1/4 bagel, 1/2 banana, water, a bar of some sort, and a bowl of tortilla soup.

All in all, I felt really good the whole race. At the end, I felt I could go longer. AND I crossed before the 1/2 marathon first place runner, which was cool. There was a policeman on a motorcycle leading the way for him.

My chip time was 1:06:13. I was hoping for better than 1:10, and I got it! There were 2577 people total who finished one of the three distances. 636 people ran the 10k. It was quite a sight to look in front and in back and not see the end of the masses. I ended up 404th over all, 58/91 in my division and 226/405 for females. So, I still had around 1/3 of the runners behind me. That's the glass-half-full way of seeing it! If I did this for winning against others, I wouldn't be doing it long! I did beat the gal with "slow" printed on her shirt. That was taunting me for a while!

So when is the next race??

Last run before the 10k!!

I REALLY didn't want to go out to run today. I mean REAAAALLLLLY! I almost talked myself out of it twice. I had a headache from this darn cold and it doesn't take much before 5am to entice me back into my warm, comfy bed. But, I remembered that I had entered a speech competition and I wanted to give my speech about running. (It's a humorous speech competition!) So, I did get out. And of course my headache went away. And of course I feel a lot better now. And of course I'm glad I did it.

In my thirty minutes, I covered 2.59 miles. It was a nice, easy run.

Lately, my left calf has felt tight, particularly after running. I hope that doesn't give me problems. I'll have to massage it more.

Now, a bit of a running break until Sunday's 10k!! I'm getting excited!!

5 gooey miles

Today was my long run for my 10k training. I did 5 miles, as a "taper" since the 10k is a week away. It's funny to think of 5 miles as a lesser distance!

I tried the PowerBar Gel packets today. I used one a few minutes before the start of the run with a drink of water. Then, at about mile 3, I used another one. I can definitely see why you want water after one. I didn't have water, although I did time the packet to be near a source of water if I really needed it. I think on the 10k, I will plan to use it at a time right before a water stop so I can wash it down. The two packets should be plenty.

All in all a wonderful run. I wasn't all that excited about it beforehand. During the first mile, I kept having negative thoughts. After that my head cleared and I just enjoyed it. I could have easily run farther, but held myself to the plan!

Bunny count: only 4!

7 miles!!!

Another person best distance for me! I wasn't sure if I was going to go for 6.5 miles or 7 miles this morning. But, since I was going to get to the coffee house at about 6.75 miles, I decided I might as well make it an even 7.0! The last quarter mile or so I felt a few twinges in my back hip, so I'm glad I wasn't going any farther. I think I'll cut back the distance slightly for next week's long run, in preparation for the 10k in two weeks.

Today, I ran some on our local university's cross country field. It was a nice and low-impact surface. My feet did get a little wet from the dew, but the grass had been mowed, so it wasn't too bad. The part of the field that I was running in has alfalfa fields in the middle. That's a strange experience because alfalfa is rather fragrant. It's has an almost sickeningly sweet smell.

I didn't take a bunny count, but I wish I had. In the first mile and a quarter I saw around 30 of them!! The rest of the run, I saw maybe 2! Very strange.

It was a nice day for a run. It was about 54-56F with no wind. There were some foggy patches, which are so pretty. Once the sun came up, those cleared out.

10k!!!!!

Despite not being able to get my 30 minute interval run in on Wednesday due to rain, I went out for my long run today. I was aiming for 6 miles.

It was a sunny, 48F morning. Rather chilly for shorts, but perfect for a run. I warmed up rather quickly and really enjoyed the run. I tried a different path today. I noticed I reached the track at almost exactly one mile. That was helpful for the end of my run. At the track, I ran a few laps, synching my Garmin's laps. It was right on. 0.25 miles per lap. As I was running the loops, I was reminded of PE class in high school. My first teacher wanted us to run 1.5 miles around our track. I decided that was something I didn't want to do... COULDN'T do. I certainly couldn't at that moment, but I thought I just couldn't. I wasn't made to run and no matter how hard I tried I wouldn't be able to do it. So, I switched PE teachers! Looking back, that was probably a bad idea. It would have been great if I could have challenged myself and worked up to the 1.5 miles. There were two problems: 1) I was self conscious about how I looked when I ran, so I didn't want t try and 2) the teacher didn't want us to take any walking breaks. How could I have worked up to 1.5 miles without using walking breaks or starting at a shorter distance? Anyway, I completed my 1.5 miles (6 laps) this time and continued on!

On part of the run, I ran in the grass. In the morning, grass is WET. So, now my feet are, too. I find that unless the grass is freshly cut, it tends to be too long for me to run in. I have to pick up my feet so high, especially due to the dew. Also, the ground is very uneven in places and I have to watch out. My ankles are pretty weak and I'm afraid of injuring them. Some of the grass had tracks worn in, though, which kept the grass short and the ground more or less level. That was nice. I chose that over the asphalt when possible.

As I was nearing the track again, I decided to run a lap or two until I was at 5 miles, so the mile home would put me at 6 miles. As I rounded one end into the sun, I looked up and about 30 yards in front of me were three deer grazing and watching me. Wonderful!! As I looped around a second time, they were still there. I must not be too scary.

Right as I got home, I hit 6.2 miles and came to a stop. It took about 1:12! Well under my goal of 1:30. A very satisfying run!

I had been worried that my knee would give me problems. It has been feeling slightly funny for the past several days. But, no problems at all. My joints and muscles weren't as sore this time compared to last week's long run.

Just under a month until the 10k race!! I definitely know I can run the distance if I don't go too fast!

Back to the streets

I had a week off while at a sailing regatta then I lazed around a week without much movement. So, this morning, my brain was trying hard to get me to sleep in. Luckily, I didn't let it. Although, it did manage to delay my run a little.

All I did was run slowly for 30 minutes. In fact, I ran at what is now for me a slow pace of 11:53 minutes/mile. So, in 30 minutes, I only went 2.53 miles. Ack! Oh, well. My goal was to break my two week hiatus, and I did. The temperature was a beautiful 65F with a very slight breeze.

During the run, I kept thinking about the 10k I signed up for. At first, I was kind of scaring myself. There are also a marathon and a half-marathon being run at the same time, so I will be running with around 3,000 of my closest friends. A friend who used to run in lots of races was mentioning how pushy and crowded these runs can be. I don't like huge crowds. I have somewhat of a phobia of being trampled!

So, I started thinking about how I was going to keep from falling during the race. I'm sure it's mostly at the start that I have to worry about really tight crowds. Hopefully, they will have pace designations, so I can correctly group myself and not be behind too many slower people or in front of too many faster people. My guess is the former is more likely. Not because I'm fast, more because I underestimate myself.

It's kind of bad that I had that 2 week break right now. This Saturday is a 5k race. In fact, it's the one that I ran as my first 5k last year. It would be cook to run it again, but I'm not really prepared. We'll see how I feel when Saturday rolls around. Maybe I'll sign up on site if I feel up to it.

Bunny count: somewhere around 12

Long run!

So, even though we haven't formally signed up for the 10k at the end of September, I'm training for it just so I have some goal. I decided to train as follows. I'm going to run three times a week. Two days will be 30 minutes. At least one of those will have intervals, maybe both. One day will be a long run, with a distance goal that increases every week by 0.5 miles.

So, I started the long run today with a goal of 4 miles. However, I found myself farther away from home at 4 miles than I wanted to be, so I just finished the run by running home. It ends up that I ran for 5.2 miles!! I ran for 1:02, which puts the run at about 12:00 min/mile. That isn't too crazy. That would put me finishing the 10k in an hour and 14 minutes. I certainly wouldn't be the last one across the finish line! I'd even beat the marathoners!

I think I set a pretty good pace for myself. Most of the run showed a heart rate of 170-175 bpm. That seems like a good endurance-type heart rate for me. Toward the end, my ankles were feeling a bit worn out, so it is good I didn't have farther to go.


I think this is the farthest I've ever run! There might have been one other run on a treadmill during the winter that was about the same, but this is pretty good for me! Woo hoo!
Update: That hour run was actually only 4.75 miles. So, here's a new PR!

It was an absolutely beautiful day. The slightest of breezes, 57F-62F and partly cloudy skies. Nice.

I ran to a 149bpm Podrunner mix called Runnerfunker. This might have been the first time I used the whole podcast then started with the next one!! Haa haa... So, I did listen to a few minutes of a 150bpm podcast called Square One.

A "wow" day!

My last run wasn't a "wow" day, but today was!
I set my speed at 5.4 mph and took off! In a little under an hour I ran 5.15 miles!! I felt like I could run even more, but then the treadmill started telling me to quit. (It only lets you run for an hour and I had walked 0.15 miles to warm up.)

I was wondering if I would be able to work up to a 10k (6.2 miles) next year and I think the answer is an unequivocal "yes!" It still probably won't be a fast 10k, but that's ok! I bet my 5k time will be a lot better in the spring, too.

Last 4th of July at the 4 on the 4th race, the thought of running 4 miles sounded crazy to me. Now I realize it would be no problem at all! Wow!

I followed that with a thorough stretch and a round of weights. I skipped the lunges today. I think I beat my legs and knees up enough for one night.