Disco Run 10K - Race Recap

Nursing a strained hamstring and doing virtually zero speed work since March, I wasn't sure what to expect for this race, but I decided to go, have fun, and give it my best shot.

I was happy to meet up with fellow Eagles running for Team RWB. 

And the costumes did not disappoint. Some folks really got into the spirit! 

The race itself was a 5K loop around Fair Park, which I did twice. With all the flooding we've had, I was grateful the course wasn't under water.  We had pretty weather, and I enjoyed disco tunes blasted along the route, as well as stacked in my own playlist. :)

Considering I haven't raced a 10K in 6 months, I did a decent job of pacing myself and ran a negative split. I also accomplished my goal of passing someone every mile. I realized I still have work to do---running with injury has cost me my mental edge, as I've gotten comfortable babying myself and being gentle instead of pressing into pain. But that will come back when I'm healthy. Though I was nearly 3 minutes off my true PR from last fall, I at least set a new race PR, so that's something. 

And I added this to my collection!  Groovy! 

LSD

While in Chicago, I had the opportunity to do a Long Slow Distance run along Lake Shore Drive--LSD on LSD.

Thanks I'm sure to the carb-load at Giordano's Stuffed Pizza (2 pieces and I was stuffed!), I felt strong throughout the run, and I was blessed with perfect cool weather and gorgeous scenery. 

As I ran, I took in the city in a way I never could have imagined when I lived there 20 years ago. Those were the days when I had a note to keep me from running in gym class due to asthma. Despite being valedictorian, I was in danger of not graduating because I was failing gym!   Oh, how things have changed!  The 3-mile run (walk for me) that constituted "Torture Tuesdays" is now the shortest distance I run. If you had told me 20 years ago that I would run 20 miles along Lake Shore Drive, I would have thought you were completely mad. God of the Impossible is amazing like that. ;)

He showed up on this run, too. 

The lake was calm that morning, and I was reminded of the 23rd Psalm: He leads me beside still waters...

And despite running a brand new route with multiple possible deviations going out and back, my run ended here at 20 miles on the dot! Providence!

Heels & Hills - Race Recap

The last time I ran Heels & Hills was 2 years ago. It was a half marathon along the Campion Trail in Las Colinas. There were neither heels nor hills, and I had a great race, setting what was at the time a PR. 

After taking a year off, the race was reintroduced in Keller offering distances of 4 and 8 miles. (What???)  Different for sure but still a celebration of women's fitnes...and that's exactly what this race turned out to be. 

A 4-mile race didn't really fit into this stage of my training for Utah, and with the lingering hamstring issue, truly racing didn't seem like a good idea. (Intensity seems to aggravate it far more than distance.) I had done an 18-mile training run the day before so went in treating it as a recovery run. I ran it with my friend Davette, who had done a mud run the day before, so she was just fine with that. 

We did a little running, a little walking, and a lot of talking!  No rhyme or reason, no race plan or time goal, no pressure. Completely relaxed. Just a couple of friends out having fun with a bunch of other ladies doing the same. We had a blast and got a little bling!

Best part of it being a 4-miler: even though we were slow as Christmas, we both set a PR! 

Finished

Sometimes I have a hard time with the idea of "Good" Friday because it was probably the worst day of Jesus' life.  Sleep deprived. Betrayed and abandoned by friends.  Falsely accused. Whipped. Beaten. Crucified. How is this a good day for Him?

Yet today I find myself reflecting on Jesus' words on the cross: It is finished. 

I think about the combination of exhaustion and exhilaration I experience when I cross a finish line and wonder what He must have felt in that moment--His body completely wrecked, but His heart swelling with the deep satisfaction of having persevered and tasting the joy of what was about to begin. The victory. The celebration. The reunion in heaven. An eternity of being one with His bride. Good Friday indeed. 

A New Perspective on Perseverance

My word for running this year is perseverance. At the outset, I believed it meant persevering through the hard training it would take to qualify for Boston. It may still mean that, but there's definitely been a twist. 

The flare-up of my tendon toward the end of last year cost me significant speed, and the hamstring injury that plagued me in my last race continues to linger. Not bad enough to keep me from running....but enough to hold me back and make me cautious about doing any kind of speed work that might only further delay returning to 100%. 

How am I supposed to get faster if I can't really train???

I was all psyched up to work hard and really push myself this year. Now it feels like I can't do that. I'm frustrated about the injuries setting me back, but I believe God is faithful and that all things work together for good. 

Perhaps developing the perseverance to keep training--doing what I can, even when I can't do what I want--is more important than developing speed.  (God seems to have a tendency of prioritizing the internal and eternal over the external, physical things!)  So I won't quit. 

I have no idea what this means for Utah Valley in June. 

But that race is in the mountains. God has a history of doing miraculous things on mountains and tells us we can move them with faith of a mustard seed. So we'll see. :)

 

 

Rhythm & Blues Half - Race Recap

Today's race was relatively uneventful and is best summarized by the random thoughts that went through my head:

Wet. 

Hamstring. 

This feels too easy. 

Good girl. 

I get to come down this hill later. 

HR too high. 

Ride this train as long as you can. 

Hamstring. 

You've done this before. 

My friends are at church now. 

Halfway!

Lactate threshold. 

There's my friend Brian!  

Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. 

Check HR at the end of each song. If > 190, walk it down to 185. 

Puddle.

Team RWB!  Eagles up!

Hamstring. 

Encourage other runners. 

Hill.

I could be at church now. 

Pain. 

Light, easy steps. 

Cold. Wind. Rain. 

Hamstring. 

Last hill. 

Feeling a little sick. Just run happy. 

The faster you run, the sooner you're done. 

Why do I do this?

Rejoice in your sufferings. 

Chocolate milk ahead. 

2 more miles. 

Just. Keep. Running. 

Hamstring. 

Finish strong. 

Kick it! 

The best part of today's race was not my race. :)

It was watching my mom finish her first 5K....

...and my friend Brian gut out the half, battling illness and injury.  

I got emotional watching the runners who finished behind me, slogging through the cold and pouring rain. I know how hard that is...and in their own way, these runners show a determination and fortitude that is equally or more impressive as those who have the drive to win.  I am inspired by their perseverance and will take the thought of these runners giving their all forward with me as I strive to find my own personal best. 

Hot Chocolate 15K - Race Recap

Quite unintentionally, I sat down the night before the race to devise my race plan over a warm beverage...

In light of recent struggles, I decided to forego a time goal.  My goal was simply:

Run smart. Run fast. Run happy.

My plan was to run by feel.  I knew I wanted to run the majority of the race comfortably hard (yellow zone) and finish at least the last mile uncomfortably hard (orange).  

To keep me out of my head, I put a smiley sticker on my watch, reminding me to run happy--and yellow zone--most of the way. 

My friend was doing the 5K, so we arrived at Fair Park plenty early and saw this guy with his freaky muscle tights on our way to the chocolate-themed start line. 

The race itself was relatively uneventful, though hillier than I expected. I paced myself well and ran without stopping for chocolate--or whiskey.  (Wish I'd had time to snap a pic of the unsanctioned aid station set up by some spectators passing out shots!). 

At the finish line, there was good news and bad news. 

The good news was that I squeaked in under 90 minutes!  The bad news is that my pace was quite a bit slower than the half marathon three months ago, so I still have a lot of work to do just to get back to there, much less beyond. 

BUT today's effort was a step toward doing that. And there was more good news: 

- I ran close to an even split (which is more meaningful when you consider the monster hill in mile 6).

- The last mile was the fastest. 

- I kept my HR in the yellow zone and finished orange. 

- I finished breathless but not wrecked. 

- I ran pain-free the whole way. (Thank You, God!) 

- I beat the 15K time predicted by my 2 most recent sets of mile repeats--even on a hilly course and windy day. 

All of the above are indicators that I succeeded in running smart, (relatively) fast, and happy, so for where I am right now, I chalked this one up as a win as I enjoyed what was waiting for me at the finish line.