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I met my new running coach, Coach B, last night.  My first impression was that she was wearing “hippie shoes”. (And i don’t really know what i mean by that – it doesn’t mean anything; it’s just the first thing i noticed about her.)  My next impression was that she is very tall.

It turns out that she is also very nice.  Our meeting was to just touch base and get to know each other.  She also wanted to get a background of what types of exercise i’ve been doing as well as how often i run and what pace i am usually at.  She’s going to create a plan for me starting in January, which will incorporate the runs i want to do in the Spring season.

Those races, by the way, are:

• Jan 8 – Run for Young 5K
• Feb ? – Run for the Roses 5K
• Mar 12 – Run for the Oaks 5K
• Mar 20 – American Tobacco Trail Half-Marathon
• Apr 9 – Cary Road Race 10K

There is also a May race (or two) that i might do, but i think the above races are quite enough to look at for now.

My assignment for the month of December is simple: Run more.  Specifically, run 3 times per week.  My schedule the past few months has been basically only running twice a week – Tuesdays at lunch and one weekend run.  So somehow i’ve got to fit in a 3rd run.  Also, i’m supposed to work up to 8 mile runs on the weekends by the end of December.

I can do it, and it will probably be easier since i have an “assignment”.  Podrey was always a straight-A student, and always did her homework.  If my homework is running, then i’ll do it.

That’s part of the attraction of hiring a coach.  It’s not just me anymore – i’ll have someone holding me accountable, and setting up tasks and “homework” that will help me achieve my goals.  I don’t push myself very hard when i’m running on my own.  Having a coach will hopefully help me push past my comfort zone, removing my flimsy excuses that i’ve used on myself in the past.

I’m excited.

Tags: running

What a great race.  I have to say that i’m quite glad to have it behind me, but it was such a fun day.  And a beautiful day for running.  At 6:30 on race morning was a mild 50 degrees, which feels a bit chilly if you’re standing still but quickly feels wonderful once you get warmed up.  I finished in 2:23:03, which is about what i expected.  I’m very pleased overall.

My parents drove to Raleigh Friday afternoon and picked me up after work, and we left Raleigh at 5 pm to get to the Outer Banks around 9:30.  We checked in to our cottage (very cute and right on the beach), then went to the grocery store to get the supplies we wanted for the weekend.   My plan was to go to bed early so i could get up early Saturday, thus being able to go to sleep early Saturday night.  That all worked out as planned.

Saturday was a beautiful day, but very windy.  It was relaxing, just hanging out with my parents.  We had a nice breakfast, then went to the Race Expo to get my race booty.  Afterwards we drove the course and identified the spectator spots as well as scouted the end location, identifying a place to meet up at the end.  We went to a seafood restaurant for lunch, then chilled in and about the cottage.

Race morning, we all got up and ready with no rush.  I remembered to wear my GPS watch (on which i had performed digital CPR so it was now charged and working).  When we stepped outside, i was relieved to see that the wind, which had been angry and vicious the previous two days, had died down to basically nothing.  Mom and Dad drove me to the race site and waited with me for the race to start.

Mile 1: Due to the large number of entrants (near 5000), they started us in corrals according to your pace.  The benefit as i saw it was that i started with people who were about my pace, so i didn’t start off accidentally too fast trying to keep up with the crowd.  I did not warm up before the race, so this was my warm-up mile.  Everyone around me was in good spirits.  10:26

Mile 2: In the second mile, we turned off the main road and into some neighborhoods.  We ran by the sound, with the bridge shimmering in the distant haze.  Someone yelled “There’s our bridge!” to many cheers.  I heard someone mutter “that doesn’t look so bad, i’m just worried about getting from here to there.”  I have to say, i felt similarly.  10:26

Mile 3: There was a water station at the end of Mile 2, which i bypassed, feeling great and not yet in need of replenishment.  At this point i was totally warm and starting to feel good.  We turned back onto the main road.  My “fuzzy brain” had kicked in (i can never think well or do math while running), and i couldn’t remember where the first spectator spot was.  Was it on this mile?  Not sure, but i kept a good eye on the spectators, eagerly looking forward to seeing my fans.  9:58

Mile 4: Everything had been flat so far, and this mile is no exception.  I see the Outer Banks Mall up ahead, and realize that’s where the first spectator spot was.  We passed another water stop, and i grabbed a quick drink, but i really did not want my parents to “catch” me walking on camera so i only took two quick sips of water before rolling along.  Shortly after the water, there they were!  I was so excited to see them.  10:20

Mile 5: The course turned into more neighborhoods, and again we ran along the sound for a bit, gratifyingly able to see that the bridge was that much closer.  I felt great during this mile.  There were a few minor ups and downs here, and lots of people who either lived there or were renting who had turned up their house stereos and pumped out the music.  9:59

Mile 6: Still in neighborhoods, i really started craving water during this mile, and i lagged a bit.  Also, my lips were chapped.  I saw a medical station and ran to grab a popsicle stick of vaseline that the race folks graciously provide.  Someone passed me and said “don’t eat that”.  Ha.  The water station was immediately after the med station, so i also grabbed a water cup AND a gatorade cup, and walked for about 40 seconds to medicate my lips and enjoy my drinks. 10:59

Mile 7: We turned back onto the main road (no more neighborhoods after this point).  I could see the Outlet Mall sign up ahead, which was where my parents were.  But wait!  There they were standing on the road significantly BEFORE the outlet mall.  I was surprised and gleeful to see them again.  I high-fived Dad and kept going.  At least they hadn’t caught me walking!  As they were driving to the next spot, they passed me and found me in the crowd.  I posted this picture they took from the car in the Sunday Somethings, but i love it so much here it is again.  I still look happy and energetic, don’t i?  10:37

Mile 8: Still feeling pretty good here, but starting to flag.  We made the turn onto the long stretch across the water.  The bridge was still way ahead, but because you can see it, it feels like it should be closer.  I was happy to get water and gatorade again in the middle of this mile, walking only long enough to drink the gatorade without choking, then pouring the water on my face.  It felt good!  10:26

Mile 9: Mom and Dad surprised me here.  We had only planned the first two spectator spots, but it is very easy for spectators to park on one side of the road, get out and wait, then drive just a little further.  They found a public parking place along the sound and caught me right at a water stop.  I was very happy to have another water stop already, and needed it enough that i didn’t care that Mom and Dad got some pictures of me double-fisting some liquid sustenance.  Mayhap some energy gels would have helped my energy levels, but i haven’t experimented with those, and race day isn’t the day to do it.  11:06

Mile 10: The Bridge Mile.  It was beautiful crossing the bridge, truly, and i was able to look around and appreciate it, but i was getting tired.  Mile 10 ends at the apex of the bridge.  No spectators here – too dangerous.  I passed a lot of people who were walking up the incline, but i was determined not to, no matter how slow of a run it was.  Made it.  11:55

Mile 11: Downhill off the bridge, and a lovely water station awaits.  Mom and Dad surprised me again here, getting a couple of shots of the runners coming off the bridge.  I look a lot more tired here, and i was.  11:48

Mile 12: This mile felt really long.  The bridge was done, but the race wasn’t over yet.  The turn to Manteo would signal the end to this mile.  There were highway signs pointing out that the turn to Manteo was just ahead, and if you were in a car, it would be “just ahead” but on foot it took awhile to get to the intersection.  12:02

Mile 13: Finally on the home stretch, into downtown Manteo.  Lots of spectators around, calling out your name, thanks to the race bibs which printed your first name in big letters.  Lots of people saying “you’re almost there!”  It makes a difference, having people say “Come on, Audrey!”  11:52

Final .1: The final short stretch i did pick up the pace and even sprinted at the end to keep someone from passing me.  It felt good.  1:01

Final time 2:23:03.

My parents just missed me at the end, i think.  Traffic was detoured all the way back to the mainland and could only access Manteo by going in “the back way”.  They must have gotten there mere seconds after i crossed, based on the time they saw on the gun clock.  But for me, seeing them all those times along the course, being surprised by them on the side of the road in unexpected places, getting to run alongside the car with them as they were inching along in traffic, was worth it.

I have to give a big thank-you to my parents for chasing me around the race all day, to Mom for making her famous twice-baked spaghetti for me as a special request, and for Dad for driving me home Sunday afternoon.  I loved having you there!

Tags: running

I’m getting excited about this weekend’s race.  About time, too, as i’ve kind of been dreading it for a month or so now.  However, today i ran 5.5 miles at lunch and i felt GREAT.  The weather was perfect for running, i have new shoes which made me feel like i was running on springy foam, and i just FELT good.  And i was in that zone where 5-6 miles doesn’t seem that far or that hard.  I love that feeling.

Weather at the beach this weekend promises to be perfect as well – lows of only 52 and highs of 62.

Plans for the rest of the week in order to be most prepared – a couple of yoga classes, a short run later in the week, forcing myself to go to bed early, and most importantly, eating good foods and staying away from fast food.  I’ve noticed that running in the days after eating crappy foods makes me unenergetic and just bleh.

I’ve also been motivated lately by hearing about several friends who ran the half or full marathon this past Saturday in Raleigh.  I love hearing about people’s new PRs.

I also want to give a shout out and wish good luck to $Bill, who will be competing in his first full Iron Man triathlon this weekend in Wilmington.  That’s a 2.4 mile swim followed by a 112 mile bike, and then tack on a full marathon run (26.2 miles) at the end.  You continue to inspire me.

Tags: running

I ran this race last year, and knew it was a scenic, flat course that fit very well with my training plan.  This was to be my longest run before the OBX Half in three more weeks.  I’ve been looking forward to it.

It was a beautiful day, if a bit chillier than last year.  I wore two short-sleeve tops and long running pants.  I threw on my favorite pink sweatshirt on too, hoping i wouldn’t need it once i got to the parking area.  The parking was a couple of miles away, and we would need to catch a shuttle bus.  I had a banana and a glass of water, but this time i didn’t drink any water on the way there.  I remembered having to pee too much last year, and wanted to minimize that discomfort.  My GPS watch is on the fritz, so i grabbed my regular watch.  It has a timer, so i could roughly keep track of my time, even if i wouldn’t know my pace from moment to moment.

I arrived at the parking area at 8 am, and there was a line for the shuttles.  It was definitely too cold to be standing out there waiting without my sweatshirt, although i saw some shivering souls without such protection.  I resigned to wearing it around my waist when it got too warm.  We waited 20 minutes for the shuttle.

Once arrived, i joined the throng getting the timing chips, then followed said throng to the line for the port-a-johns.  Upon reflection, i should have done those in reverse order.  The bathroom line was long, and there were repeated announcements that the people in line should move along to the start (which was a quarter of a mile away).  Everyone ignored them.  The men at least stepped aside to let the women go first, since our race started 10 minutes before theirs.

The race started only 5 minutes late.  At the last minute, i saw a bunch of people leaving sweatshirts on the side of the road.  I made a snap decision to do the same.  And then we were off!

The race overall is basically flat.  However, i maintain the first 3 miles were ever so slightly uphill.  I finished the first mile in 9:30 and the second mile in 9:30.  Note: this is way too fast for me, and it quickly caught up with me.  My third mile was much slower.  I don’t know how much slower, because the timer on my watch gave up after 20 minutes.  Lame!

For the first mile i was cold, but by the end of the second i didn’t even remember what it was like to be cold.  I was glad i had left my sweatshirt at the start.

I should have written this the day of the race, so i would remember more details.  But without my GPS watch to help me remember which miles were slow and which were easy, all i can really recall are my impressions.  The leaves had not changed much yet, but it was so nice to be running in the woods instead of on the street.  There were lots of people on the trail that were not a part of the race, and they were often encouraging.

As we got into the middle miles, i started recognizing people around me.  I remember feeling camaraderie with them as we all ran through the woods with the common goal of running for the sake of running.  Mile 6, right after the turnaround, was pretty slow for me, i think.  But mile 7 i found some energy somewhere, and passed a few people who had passed me in the previous mile.  I ran mile 8 with a mom of two who just started running a few month ago, this being her longest race yet.  She was hoping to finish in 2 hours, and was thrilled when i told her she was on pace to finish 15 minutes faster than that.

Miles 9 and 10 were really hard for me.  This was a combination of things, i’m sure.  Not the least of which is that the longest i had run before this day was 8 miles the week before.  Psychologically i blamed my too-fast first two miles.  I also blamed my shoes.  I’ve been meaning to get new running shoes for the last 3 months, but now i think i have to.

Still, i ran.  I had taken 20-30 second walk breaks at each water stop, and i walked for another 45 seconds at mile 9.  But i ran the rest of it, despite being mad at my feet and at my first two miles.  I even tried to sprint at the finish, though it was a rather pathetic sprint.  1:51:21.  A good five minutes slower than last year’s time, but then again last year i felt like i had a really great race.  This one was an “OK” race for me.

The worst part was walking from the finish back to the start (.2 miles) and then back to the race headquarters (.25) to catch the shuttle back to my car.  My feet hurt so much.  Half a mile to walk isn’t really far, but it seemed longer.  But i had to get my favorite sweatshirt!

The fun part was the dried salt on my face.  You sweat, but since it was so cool outside, it dried pretty quick during the long sweatshirt walk.  That left gritty salt residue on my face.  I just think that is so cool, like from a biological standpoint, or something.

There were Chic-Fil-A sandwiches waiting at the race celebration, which were tasty.  Despite being mad at my feet this time, i really like this race and i think it is well-run.  Next year i’ll have new shoes!

Tags: running

I just submitted my registration to the Outer Banks Half Marathon in November.  This is the same race i ran last year, and as of today i am officially doing it again.  The race is 12 weeks away, and i have dusted off my training plan and i even ran twice in the last week.  I’m ready to go!

Along the way, there will be other races, including the American Tobacco Trail 10-miler that i did last year as well.  There are always a bunch of 5K races in the fall, and i imagine i will participate in a few of those as well as a way to get in some weekend runs.

I don’t have much of a time goal.  I guess it would be nice to try and beat last year’s time.  After taking the summer off, i’m not in great running shape, but i plan to stick to my training plan, and i know it will pay off if i do.

Anyway – just wanted to share – i pulled the trigger on the registration.  Woot!

Tags: running

Wednesday evening, i got my hair cut and got some reddish-violet highlights in my hair.  Hurray for new hair!

Thursday at lunch, i went for a run.  As i was changing, i realized i had forgotten my running socks.  Crap.  Well, i couldn’t run without socks, so i just used the ones i was wearing during the day – they were black with pink flowers.  OK, so my feet might stink later, but it was too nice outside to skip the run.  I put my new pink hair up in a ponytail and off i went.

About a mile in, i passed a fellow i know coming the other way.  He said hi and issued a quick warning, “There is a bee’s nest ahead on  your right near the lake.”  Taking his warning to heart, i hugged the left side of the path.

I quickly approached the lake and heard the buzzing of bees.  I increased my pace to get past them, but i caught the attention of a few of them.  A couple of them dive-bombed my hair – I think they thought i was a flower!  One seemed to get stuck in my hair and i smacked myself in the head to get rid of it.  Ouch.  Another couple of bees were buzzing around my flowery socks!  Help!

By this time i’m going up The Big Unending Hill, which i’m usually tempted to walk part of, but not this time.  I’m running too fast and breathing too hard and a bee hits me in the cheek.  I’m not usually terrified of bees, but i was sort of in a panic.  How do you convince bees that you’re not a flower?

At least one bee followed me for about half a mile.  I kept hearing it swoosh by my head, and i was mad, and a little scared, and flailing my arms around like a crazy person, trying to whack him.  I guess half a mile was too far from the nest, because he eventually left me alone and i was able to stop and catch my breath and continue on in peace.

Tags: running

This was my 2nd ever 10K race, the first one being this same race last year.  My unofficial time in that race was 1:04:43 (chip time 1:04:59, but that’s the clock time, and doesn’t account for the time it takes you to actually get from the back of the pack to the starting line).  Last year’s race resulted in a really excellent time (for me), and i wanted to beat it, but i was hesitant to actually say that was my goal.  I haven’t felt too great about my runs lately.

I got up at 7, had a banana and a little water.  I decided not to bring any gadgets, such as my GPS watch.  It doesn’t rest easy on my wrist, and i figured i’d just try to enjoy the race.  It was chilly – in the 40s i would guess.  I wore two shirts (and looong shorts, to avoid the inner-thighs-on-fire issue i had last year).

Got to the site with plenty of time to jog in, get my loot, jog back to the car, jog to the bathroom and then walk around in the sun a bit trying to warm up.  I started near the back of the pack, and probably crossed the start line about 20 seconds after the gun.

Mile 1: I felt fine.  I just went with a pace that was comfortable for me.  The beginning is always a bit of a jostle as people are weaving around you and you’re trying to weave around others and get with a group that’s going your pace.  The second half of this mile is a pretty steep hill – i heard someone say it was a 5% incline.  I just pushed through it.  I was running next to a mom and kid team – he was about 9 and pretty chatty.  We’re in the middle of the hill and he says “i’m tired!”  I just chuckled and thought, “we’ve got a long way to go, kid.”   I somehow missed the mile marker and time-caller.

Mile 2: Saw my buddy Frank (who is on my Leanest Loser exercise team at work) after he turned around but i was still going up, and waved.  After i turned around, there was a water station, but i didn’t want to interrupt my rhythm and passed it by.  Of course we got to run down the big hill now.  Last year i felt great and pushed it on the downhill, but i’ve heard my more experienced running pals talk about how they use the downhills to conserve energy for the tough parts ahead, so i stayed steady.  Gravity pulled me a bit faster, i suppose, but i was just concentrating on regulating my breathing.  At the turnoff around the lake, the 9 year-old caught me – he had sprinted downhill and left his mom in the dust.  He saw the fast people completing their loop across the lake and said “hey, we’re almost done!”  I reminded him we’d have to do it all a second time.  He told me his record was 1:06 and he wanted to beat that.  I told him i did, too.  We heard 20:30 as we passed the mile marker.

Mile 3: The lake doesn’t look that big, but it seems to get bigger as you keep going around it.  Little dude’s mom caught up to him, and he asked her “Mom, are you sure we have to go up that hill again?”  They stopped to walk.  I hit mile 3 at 30:30.

Mile 4: There was a water stop at the starting line, and i stopped briefly to grab a drink and throw water on my face.  Then, onward.  And upward.  I resisted the urge to walk up the big hill, instead pushing through.  One thing i have learned is that you can run slower and while it’s not as much of a recovery as walking, it works well enough.  I was hating the hill, but once past it, i caught my breath and kept on going.  The timer called out 42-something.

Mile 5: Grabbed a quick sip of water after the turnaround, but didn’t slow down at all.  Again did not push it on the downhill.  I looked for the little dude and his mom, but oddly never saw them again.  52:10

Mile 6: Around the lake.  The first half is all in the shade, which was great for cooling off.  The temperature was probably getting into the mid-to-upper 50s by this point in the day.  Everyone was pretty spaced out, and by now i recognized quite a few of the people around me as people who had been near me the whole race.  We started passing a few people who were running out of gas, which certainly helps with the motivation towards the end of a race.  The second half of the lake was all in sun, but i felt strong.  There was a pack of about 4-5 people just behind me, and i don’t know if they were pacing off of me, or if them being behind me pushed me to keep going, but it worked.  At the point we turned back onto the road, i passed a girl i had been trailing the whole race, who had always been just ahead.  The final .2 was long, but i tried my best to find the reserves that i didn’t use on the downhill.  I knew i was going to beat last year’s time.

My official clock time was about 1:04:15, which puts me ab about 1:03:55 from when i crossed the start line, by my guess.  How awesome is that?

This is a really great race – i like knowing what’s coming during the second half.  It’s well-run, and the venue is great – the lake is very pretty.  I would prefer that they had mats at the starting line so we could get an official time from the start line to the finish line.  But i won’t hold that against them – this is a race i’m going to try to run every year.

Tags: running

Last year’s race was cold and rainy and miserable.  This year it was perfect.

I stayed up late the night before, cheering on the Wolfpack, and didn’t get to bed until 12:30.  When i woke up Saturday morning, i didn’t feel too much the worse for wear.  I ate a banana and some water and was on my way downtown.

I knew quite a few others that were running this race, and i kept my eye out for them before the race.  I went through the motions of getting my chip, jogging a little to warm up, hitting the port-a-john, etc.  I only saw two people i knew before it was time to line up for the start.

For some inexplicable reason, i started near the front of the group.  I think i wanted to start fast, but it wasn’t long before my body let me know how dumb that idea was.  Plus, the start is on an uphill.  Not my favorite (is uphill anyone’s favorite?)  I was glad i had warmed up, though, because i felt pretty good.  I was disappointed that there were no volunteers calling out the times at the mile markers, as i neglected to bring my watch with me.  Oh well.

The course was a nice out-and-back course, with lots of long, rolling hills.  I walked for about 10 steps at the water stop, and once more for 15 more steps in the middle of a long uphill in the 2nd half.  I’m not sure where, because i missed the Mile 2 marker.  I am sure i didn’t need to stop either time, but psychologically i was having trouble believing that i could do it.  Plus, i was running a little faster than i normally do.

I saw two disturbing things during the run:
1) a guy in a truck arguing with a police officer about why he couldn’t turn on the road where the runners were running
2) a mother-daughter pair where the daughter was upset and crying and wanted to walk but the mother was being hard on her and telling her to run.

Cool things i saw:
1) a different mother-daughter pair where the mother was being encouraging.
2) a woman with one leg running with a prosthetic
3) a kid who couldn’t have been older than 7, running/walking in short spurts, getting encouragement from people who didn’t know him

As i approached the final stretch, i experienced a wave of happiness because i was closer to the end than i thought.  I was still looking for that second mile marker, and to realize i was near the end was a relief!  I finished strongly, but there was no sprinting – i just didn’t have enough gas.  I finished in under 31 minutes, which is quite a solid finish for me, particularly since i haven’t been running consistently.  Last year my time in this race was over 35 minutes.

I definitely feel that a sub-30 minute 5K is attainable.  This year.  Just the fact that my time started with three-zero is awesome to me.

The next race i have registered for is the Cary Road race 10K.  I guess it’s time to start training for real, if i’m going to be running longer races and participating in the Inside-Out Half Marathon.  I haven’t signed up yet, but i’m starting to feel like it’s a foregone conclusion.

Whenever the results are posted, i’ll post a link.

Tags: running