Orlando Xtreme Half 2/9/13

This half was definitely extreme for me! It was a completely off road and with gators, buzzards and snakes everywhere. I consider myself a nature outdoor lover but running on this surface was supposed to be easier on the knees, but it seemed a lot harder for me. I know I had a challenging week with work and school and getting my workouts in at 5:30 am with hardly no sleep but I knew I could push through. I've done it many times before. I was pacing well with my runner friend Rosanna. We were averaging an 11:15 pace until mile 5 when out of no where I just fell and slammed down on both knees. My garmin watch is scraped up and my knees were aching when I got back up. A gentleman helped me up and Rosanna too. I was so shocked that I fell. I was getting over my lake Eola trip and fall from 3 weekends earlier still and had my left knee still bandaged up! I don't know why I keep tripping. Maybe I need shoes again. The brooks ghost 4 I run in are pretty big and the bottom are worn. So needless to say, Rosanna stayed back with me and we walked some to get me cleared off and back to ready mode. My left knee in particular was throbbing. I wanted her to go on but she wouldn't leave me. I watched our pace dwindle from 12:14 to 12:20 to then the horrible 12:37 pace. Ugh I hate going backwards but I knew it was best to keep it easy. We both have a race in 3 weeks and no point in killing myself over this one. The remarkable thing about this race was the team spirit and support from all my girls. A few of us had car pooled together but all 7 of them waited at the finish line for me and Rosanna to finish. Just the fact that Rosanna stayed with me until the end was the nicest thing anyone could do. Two of my really good girlfriends came out and had made signs for me and and I saw them before the last mile and it made me feel so confident that I could finish strong even though I felt my limp while running. It was really a beautiful day and the trail course was beautiful around lakes and trees. I didn't care that we finished slower because for Rosanna it was still a PR time and that made me happy and relieved. She's an outstanding woman and forever I will see her as a great friend for staying w me. 5 of the girls in our group placed at this race and I was so happy for them! One just had a baby 7 weeks ago! They continue to inspire me everyday and I feel closer to them with each run we do. Our time ended up being 2:48:23. Not that far off my best of 2:40. But 8 minutes can mean a mile slower to some runners :)

Walt Disney World Half Marathon

Saturday: 1/12/13  - Event Date 

Expo was packed 65,000 runners, so it was expected.  Spent most of the afternoon there on Friday. 

I only got about 3 hours of sleep that night and had to meet the girls at 3:15 a.m. to get to Disney by 4.  I don’t think any of us slept well at all.  I woke up with sore throat and congestion but just sucked it up. 

It was a long slow walk to the corrals.  I think I got into mine at 5:30 a.m.  My group (D) started at 5:55. 

Most of the course was out on the roads, not really within the theme park.  If I recall correctly, it was around 5.5 or 6 that we went through the Magic Kingdom and got to go through the castle.  The spectators and their cheering was the most exciting.  I saw a few characters but the lines were so long to take photos and I just wanted to finish.  A lot of the runners were pushy and elbowed me a few times.  I mean it was super crowded and I stopped following my watch because A: I couldn’t hear it.  B: It was so crowded that when the runners had no choice but to walk I had to walk.  And C:  My watch just stopped working.   It would get crazy during the water stops and I saw people running in the opposite direction to go back to find friends or take pictures.  People were tripping over each other and their costumes and trying to cut across in every direction.  At that point around mile 7 or 8 I just decided.  Time to get this over with.  I was never a huge Disney fan; maybe because I grew up in Orlando?  I just wanted that Gold Donald medal and to say I completed a Disney race.  Had I ran with a group of friends maybe I would’ve enjoyed it more.  But there was nothing I hadn’t seen before and very seldom were we in the parks.  Several times along the course it smelled very foul.  I know now I’m being picky but the smell was very gross.  Maybe horse poop or the portable bathrooms.  

Seeing that Epcot ball and going around through mile 11 to the turn made my day.  I knew I was almost done! I tried picking up the pace because I had no idea where I was at, but who cares? It was Disney.  No one should try to PR at Disney.  I saw Becky towards the finish cheering on! I was happy to wave hi to her and tell her she’s the first spectator I saw of the many people I knew were there.  I finished strong; felt good.  The volunteers were so great and encouraging.  I took my picture and was really surprised at my finishing time.  Just a minute, almost 2 off my PR time.  I literally felt like I walked more than I needed to and stopped to deal with people crossing over me or let someone speedy through.  Below are my split times: 

5K        37:37    12:06 pace

10K       1:16:35 12:19 pace
15K       1:56:00 12:27 pace

Finish    2:41:55  12:21 pace

Overall, I enjoyed Disney but I know It may be a first and last for me.  I think the start time is just not for me.  I’m normally a morning person when I sleep 7 hours and get up no earlier than 6 a.m.  But getting up at 2 a.m. just threw me off maybe and I needed a serious attitude adjustment.  I was glad to see familiar faces before and after the race and snap some pictures.  I don’t entirely regret not getting any pictures on the course because I only really missed the castle and some of Epcot and I am prepared to steal someone else’s picture of it.  I really know that now, I appreciate and like small local races and I would still prefer a Rock n Roll race over any for a bigger event.  They are so well organized and I’ve never had a bad experience at one and I love music.  I think it’s also because RnR was my first half and I’ve only done 3 of their races but had so much fun.  Not a huge Disney fan and this race didn’t make me one.  Much props to the Track Shack and their awesome organization of this event.  

And yes, my favorite Disney character if I had to pick one is Pooh.  

Ready for 2013!

I am so excited to get the new year going! I really did over-eat too much during the holidays but continued to work out.  I know I'll shed the few pounds in no time!

2012 was an amazing year for me.  I feel like in 2011 I became a runner when I trained and completed my first half marathon, but in 2012 I really acknowledged that I was a runner! I accomplished 4 more half marathons and joined Central Florida Women's Runners.  They've helped me get stronger as a runner and building new friendships has helped me through a lot this year.  Today my wall shines with 13 medals of accomplishments ranging from 5k, 10k, 15k and half marathon distances. 

My goal for 2013 is obviously to continue to lose more weight.  I finally got into a size 10 jeans recently! I also want to continue to cut my half marathon time down.  I haven't cut it down that much, but I'm happy with baby steps.  I think once I get my half mary time down to 2:30 I'll feel better about convincing myself to do a full marathon.  I'm not rushing though.  I really enjoy 13 miles.  It feels just right.  10 miles is perfect for me.  It's comfortable, even miles and I don't feel dead.  Anything over 13 may feel like killer at first but I know once I'm done with school it'll come easier with more time on my hands.  Right now at my slow 11:40 pace, anything over 13 miles is looking kind of long.  Next year I will finally graduate from UCF! My favorite goal!!! And I plan on taking a vacation, a running one, to somewhere-  maybe Dominican Republic.  I can visit my family while there too. 

So, those are my goals! Graduate, cut half mary time down and lose more weight.  That's easy.  I'll start thinking about a Masters degree and a full marathon towards the end of next year.  I am really super excited.  I love my life now more than anything.  Being a runner is like I'm part of a whole new world.  Nothing hurts me as much anymore.  People don't bother me as much, unless they're affecting my work out time.  Family and their comments don't hit home so much because I know what I'm capable of.  Last night before going to my family Christmas Eve dinner, I was feeling weird about what I was wearing and told my husband I was worried my mom or sister might notice the extra 5 lbs of holiday weight I put on in my dress.  And Brett replied "You run half marathons, what have they done?"  I instantly felt great in my dress.  This year I went to school full time, ran over a dozen races, continued to work full time and maintained friendships and a marriage.  I'm pretty amazing. 

Holiday halfathon

Great weekend road trip to Madiera beach with Ann and Holly! Reached my new goal of 2:40:55!! Took 4 min off my last half in Miami. Next goal 2:38....baby steps I know. I had so much fun with the girls though besides the race. We checked out local bars, beach, shops and laughed a lot! Can't wait for the next road trip.

Latin Music Miami Half Marathon

Last Sunday, 11/19 Lisa and I took on the Miami Latin Music Half marathon.  I thought this was going to be the half  I never did since Wednesday before the half I was diagnosed with strep by my doctor.  My fever was 102.5 and I hit the bed and thought I'd never get back up.  I was so scared and upset that all my running and training was going to be undone with my new found sickness.  My sister Lisa from CA arrived Thursday afternoon and I had already started my prescription Wed. so was actually feeling better since my fever broke.  Thursday night I actually drank a Hot toddie  and that made me feel a lot better.  I kept gargling salt water and hydrogen peroxide and mouthwash, drinking  orange juice and taking tylenol every few hours.  Friday I actually felt much better, still weak, but went back to work and pushed out a whole day of a lot of reports and work.

Saturday morning I woke up amazed at how great I felt just 3 days after getting strep.  The last time I had run was Tuesday so I wasn't expecting anything amazing to happen Sunday.  We drove to South Florida Saturday morning and had a great time in Fort Lauderdale beach, at the Expo and on South Beach.  We tried to get to bed by 10 p.m. but the hotel we were at was loud and a lot of party people were apparently staying there.  I woke up at 3:30 a.m. and just decided to get ready.  It was a bad night.  I was still taking my antibiotics so I know that didn't help with the grogginess. 

We got to race  site on Lummus Park around 6:15 a.m. and race was at 6:45.  Then we had to wait in line for the porto potty and that took forever.  We heard them sing the National Anthem and begin the corrals and we were still in line.  So, instead of starting in Corral 9 we were like in 12 but that was okay.  We were excited, had our water ready to go and a lot of the photographers were already taking pics of us so that made us laugh because we felt like a hot mess already. 

The course was pretty intense, definitely a fun one.  We went up a lot of bridges, taking on the 95, A1A, US1.  So, our plan quickly changed from doing 3/1 intervals to just walking up the bridges and  running down them.  I was concerned about Lisa because she had mostly trained on the treadmill and was having knee pain so we took it easy.  I felt pretty good, was breathing great and felt like I never had Strep just 3 days before.  I remember looking down at my watch around mile 5.5 and feeling like I was just getting started.  We had already gone up two inclines and were keeping a pace of 12:02 which was my goal.  Lisa started fading around mile 8-9.  It was getting really hot, the temperature must have been up to 77 already and although the reflection of the water all around us was beautiful it was causing some heat! She also didn't want to take any Gu or electrolytes and she hates gatorade.  Doing this race just with water was not a good idea.  I kept eating my Gu and drinking water, then gatorade.  Around mile 11 we found ourselves going up again and Lisa got calf cramps and her knees were hurting so we stopped at the beginning of thee highway to stretch and catch our breath and take a picture.  It was just absolutely beautiful and I felt better than ever.  I saw our pace getting slower but I was okay with that.  I was happy to be there and with my sister running in Miami Beach!  I then noticed the 2:45 pacer guy pass us and I was not happy about that. I didn't want to do worse than my last half marathon time in St. Petersburg.  I tried to get Lisa to do intervals with me as quickly as we could but she was just not having it and told me to go ahead.  I was so worried but I knew we only had about a mile left.  So, I ran on and caught up with him and ran together.  I kept looking back and knew that I'd really have to start running my own race someday to be able to see what I'm capable of.  Either way I know I'm comfortable between 12:15 - 12:30 so I wasn't going to do anything remarkable.  I know had we not stopped so many times we could have kept up with our 12:05 pace, but I was just happy to finish and Lisa finished soon after me.  Another great memory and good workout with my sister that I will never forget. 

I finished in 2:44:41 according to the chip time. 
My watch displayed the following:

Time:	2:44:46
Moving Time:	2:38:39
Elapsed Time:	2:44:46

Avg Pace:	12:30 min/mi
Avg Moving Pace:	12:03 min/mi
Best Pace:	5:10 min/mi

My St. Pete Half time in Feb. was 2:46:28 so not to much of a difference.  I had run the St. Pete with Cristy. 

My next race is 12/8 and I'm going to see what I'm capable of on my own.

Great Floridian 15k

Change of events usually don't end up good for me, but today it was totally in my favor.  I had seen this Dr. that had told me I was a LASIK eye candidate about a month ago.  We scheduled a follow up 2 weeks ago and I was told my eyes were too dry and to wait 2 more week for the surgery.  I went back last Thursday pending surgery Friday and Doc says I'm not a Lasik candidate, that instead he can do PRK on me.  I said NO THANKS! The recovery would take 6-8 weeks and it's more painful because instead of just opening up your cornea flap like LASIK, he would make an incision from my cornea through to my retina.  I wasn't ready for that, especially Friday.  Plus I wouldn't be able to run for a few weeks and that would just mess with my half marathon training.  So, needless to say I was super bummed! I had already taken a few sick hours at work to cover these 3 appointments and have been out of my contacts for a month dealing with my ugly glasses.  But I'm glad the Doc didn't proceed with LASIK and make me blind.  So, to feel better I woke up this morning and met up with my runner friend Shannon and headed to Clermont for the Floridian 15k and Triathlon events.  I paid the $45 and signed up around 8:45 a.m for the 15k.  I was able to see Kitzzy, former FL runner friend now living in CA.  She ran the 15k as well and her boyfriend was doing the Tri.  Amazing athletes both of them.  3 of my girls from CFWR were also there for the 15k.  Deb, Kristen S., and Emily.  We had such a good time pre and post race.  I never thought I'd find such great people in my adult life.  Everyone says it's difficult to meet good friends, but with this group it's been so easy.  I guess because we're all obsessed with the same thing and our social life is running.  I think this 15k had like 40 participants and the course had been changed last minute.  Us city girl runners were laughing.  No one new where the starting line was and could direct us. This was Clermont and everyone was interested in the Tri going on.  I started the 15k on my own and ended up running at least 6.5 miles of it with Deb.  Her husband Pual had gone on ahead of us and the speedsters Kristen and Emily went way ahead! During the first mile I saw a lady cramp up bad and looked like she was having a panic attack.  She was a little heavy set like me and I stopped briefly but the medics were running with us and took her back.  Deb gave her one of her water bottles which was so nice.  We kept going.  Then it got good.  The hills were pretty serious, at least 3 of them were worthy of making my butt go numb.  But I loved flying down the hills.  Deb was staying with me and we were working 2:1 intervals pretty well.  I had to stop at every water and gatorade station because my mouth was so dry.  The headwind when the course turned around was ridiculous.  I just kept laughing and listening to music.  I felt really good around mile 7 and new we only had 2 miles left.  I wanted to push on and Deb wasn't feeling too great. She's had problems with her achilles and put in a lot of running miles already this week.  She told me to go ahead but I stayed with her and broke away after meeting a nice dirt trail we had to go on around mile 7.5.  I was like "what else?" I knew when I looked at my watch I would be doing better than Miracle Miles race and was happy with that thought especially because MM was a flat course and no wind or hills.  I really enjoyed the dirt trail and the hills during this race and the fact that I had my ipod working properly and Deb to chat with most of the way made a huge difference.  She's very positive and motivating.  when I saw the finish line I was so happy.  The girls were waiting and Shannon with her pro camera and I saw Kitzzy waiting for her medal.  I couldn't have been happier.  What a great race. You just have those days when your legs just go for you and your mind is convinced you're going to end up great.  My finishing time was 1:51:58 so I kept a 12:01 pace!!! I'd love to keep that pace for a half mary.  My MM pace was 12:37 so I was happy to scratch that race!  My friend Kristen won 3rd place for overall female.  So we all were just sitting around camp ground style eating snacks and celebrating what a wonderful day it was.  We got luck for a late race (started at 10:30 a.m.) we had some cooler weather.  Around 75 when we started I believe.  I got to see Kitzy's boyfriend Jason fly by on his bike during his 100 mile bike ride portion and snapped a pic.  It's so nice to watch all these great athletes, very motivating indeed.  So, best last minute $45 shopping binge ever! 

Here we are! I'm in the bright greeen! 

 

Here's the ridiculous bling I love!

UCF (U Can Finish) Distance Dare

I met up with my running group for a quick group pic and well wishes and then went on to do the 5 miles with my friend Cristy. Let me just say that this girl is remarkable! Had knee surgery not even 3 months ago and did the 2:1 intervals like a champ! I felt very comfortable and easy running this pace and was so worried about her but she kept saying she felt great! The course through the campus was nice. Not much entertainment or crowds cheering but I had my iPod working properly this time and a good conversation going with Cris. We finished the 5 mile with a 12:23 pace and chip time of 1:01:57. Way better than I thought. We had stopped to say hi to her husband and kids along the course and take a pic. So when I checked my watch I was sure I'd see 1:15 on there lol The 2 mile distance dare we walked a lot of it...part of it with our friend Kristian and Cristy's husband and two kids. We finished the 2 miles in 31:50. Had a blast watching the kids race and afterwards we went to Keke's. I really love my best friends Cristy and Kristian. I don't think I could ever laugh harder or have a better time with anyone else.