Roxymama's 5k to Marathon, Time to Collect Another Castle

[roxymama]

29:56!!! I did it!!! Will write more later. Here's some pics!

 

[dancingtodisney]

29:56!!! I did it!!! Will write more later. Here's some pics!

Yah go you!! Well done!!

That's a great time you should be proud! We really are similar, my last 5k I ran it in 29mins!

I've enjoyed reading your journal you are very dedicated to your training! I love the outfit from your 5k did you get the skirt from sparkle skirts?

I love when you get a runners high and everything just seems to be going your way!
I hope you celebrated! Last time was oreo cookie cheesecake right?!

 

[SarahDisney]

29:56!!! I did it!!!

Yay! You did it!
I know this was a big goal for you, and I'm so incredibly proud of you for getting that time down below 30! You really are doing awesome!!!

I can't wait to read all about your amazing race. Keep up the great work!

 

[roxymama]

Labor Day weekend was a blur of tons of fun stuff going on. So now that I'm back to normal week stuff I can recap how everything went.
Thanks for the encouragement everyone...it means a ton!

First to answer @dancingtodisney questions...It's a Sparkle Athletic skirt that I bought for Halloween races but wore it because it matched the race shirt so well and came in the mail the day before. It's not attached to the shorts, so you can wear whatever you want underneath (it's kinda see-through.) I have not ever worn the actual race shirts to the actual race but this one was white and it was going to be HOT and I thought it was cute. So it was a last minute "costume" choice. I paired it with my Chicago flag headband since we were running downtown. Also, no cheesecake this time...instead a giant stack of French Toast was my celebration meal.

And now my recap which is much too long for any recap of a 5k...but I like words and rambling

The Magnificent Mile, Chicago Women's Half Marathon & 5k (I did the 5k)
(I figured out how to use "bold" and "font size" guys...my journal is really coming into the 21st century now.)

My hubby and I went downtown to the race Expo which was a series of tents outside at Pioneer Court on the mag mile (Michigan Ave is called the magnicent mile for all the awesome shopping and high-end stores) and picked up our race packets. After a big lunch outside in the nice weather we dropped off our daughter at Grandma and Grandpa's to spend the night. We literally did not know what to do with ourselves with the free time so we decided to rest our pre-race legs in a movie theatre ("going to the show" as us Chicago-ans would say is not something we get to do very much anymore as our daughter is not yet old enough to sit still for a whole show) and became probably the last disney fans on the planet to finally see Inside Out. Pro-tip: If you have a daughter...you will cry a thousand tears throughout this whole movie. So our legs were rested but we heavily depleted our salt levels out of our eyeballs. There was a FleetFeet sports in the shopping center of the movie theatre so I went looking for some running shorts that are not too short and not capris. I have been getting really hot in my running capris this summer, but because of my "muscular backside" (yeah that's how I'm going to describe it) the short shorts are usually not very modest and would require black-box censors on most tv shows. So I've been looking for a good short/but not too short pair for a little while. And they had a good Nike pair that fit the bill and were a milllllliiiion dollars. Ok, they were $60...which is more than I paid to run the race. And I had no coupons or deals. It was so unlike me, but I splurged.
Since they are literally the same thing as my capris (all Nikes) just shorter and I did some little practice running arounds with them...I decided to wear them for the race...because it was going to be warning level yellow, then red. Meaning 80 degrees into the 90's and humid. I would not reccommend wearing new shorts and shirts for a long race...but this was only 3.1 miles...and both were brands/styles I already wear.

This would be the first race that my husband would be doing. If you follow my journal you've probably seen me mention that he started couch to 5k a couple months ago and he really stuck to it. His goal was to finish in time to run the Ditka Dash with me in early October. When I did my C25k, I definitely took longer than 9 weeks but he ran three times a week like clockwork and found himself needing some motivation to bridge the gap between now and Oct. So he said he wanted to run this race with me basically as his "graduation." He kept asking me if it would be weird since it was a women's race, but we decided to do it anyway and he would just donate his "swag/freebies" to me and his mom. I think there were just under 100 guys who ran and something like 2000+ women. If he were single, he'd have good odds. Good, but sweaty and probably un-interested in anything but beating him odds

We had a fairly big lunch so we ate pbjs for dinner and decided both our "nervous tummies" would rather not have to deal with the uncertainty of a heavy dinner. And then we went to bed way earlier than we normally ever would. In the morning we gathered all our stuff and our change of clothes for after and got on the road to get there by 6:30am. The race started at 7am.
I still get very anxious/nervous before races and I don't know why. I know I can finish them...I really don't know what the nerves are about...I think it's just the "am I forgetting anything? am I timing this right? am I going to be able to use the porta potty in time? Did I train right, did I hydrate right, etc etc etc" If Inside Out was real...my head emotions would be running by the little fear character prior to races.
We parked our car and headed to the race sight which was a good 10 minute walk from our car and really the perfect leg warm up distance for me. I of course am a total spaz because I could see a huge group lined up and I hear the announcer saying "ok we have two minutes, please gather..." and I freaked out. Oh no, is this race starting at 6:30? Did I read the website wrong? I started fumbling for my number and safety pins and my husband was like "calm down." Of course as we got closer the crowd was just forming to do a group pre-race stretch in front of a stage that wasn't even remotely near the starting line. So my spaz levels declined and I ended up feeling pretty silly but relieved. Just a note to guys on microphones...maybe don't say "we have two minutes left" a half hour before a race! Weirdly enough this little bout of silliness actually calmed me greatly and my nervous belly went away. Waiting in line for the porta potty normally would have stressed me out (and I can tell you an all women race has ridiculously long porta potty lines) but all of a sudden my head went from "I have 2 minutes" to "I have a thousand million minutes!"

to be continued on my next break...saving this post so I don't lose it.

 

[roxymama]

Ok Where did I leave off...Oh yeah, I had to actually run a race...

The Magnificent Mile, Chicago Women's Half Marathon & 5k (I did the 5k) Part 2

We leisurely roamed the pre-race area and made our pit-stops. We didn't have any gear to check because we were storing our clothes in the car. I was not sure how they were going to do the race start since the website listed the half and the 5k to start at the same time. The 5k finishes through the start line again but the half finishes through a seperate finish line down the street behind us. Luckily the race announcer guy listed what was going on very clearly over the loud speaker. They were starting everyone together and due to the heat warning "when we go, we all go" meaning that there would be no corrals held back for staggered starts because they wanted everyone out and finished as soon as possible. (I appreciated that.) They had giant pace signs and groups of pacers and that is how we all lined up. They also announced that due to the heat, anyone who signed up for the half, and didn't feel like they could finish, was welcome to split off with the 5k group at 2.5 mile point and finish. They also announced all the extra "hot weather" additions they made to the course. Sounded like quite a few hoses and misters and cold towels etc for the half folks.
I had asked my husband a couple times leading up to the race if he wanted me to run it alongside him but he kept saying that I should run my own race. I double checked once again when we parked and another annoying time at the corrals. I told him I thought I'd line up at the very front of 10:00 because my real goal is going to be under 10 the whole time. He said that was a little fast for him, but he was going to start with me and I should just go off on my own. We stood in the corral for over 11 minutes because we were going to be standing somewhere, might as well be in the corral. The music was awesome and I had to stop myself from dancing and wasting my energy...but it was very Britney/Kesha/dance party-esque.
I did one dumb thing. I set my Nike app up for 3.11 miles to alert me every .25 mile of my pace (in an effort to stay consistent and get in under 30 if possible.) But I must have accidentally hit start like 10 minutes before we ran because when i went to hit start as we were walking briskly to the start with the group...I realized it thought I had been "running" that whole time and had switched me into some kind of treadmill/unsynced to GPS mode. DOH! Me and apps...why do we get along so well out in the neighborhood but fail so hard during races??? Next time I am not even opening the app up until a min before race time...maybe less. Luckily my music was going. My body knew that I was not moving at my pace so I got to the left and ran past probably over an hundred people...at least it felt like that. I think the giant hoard of everyone starting together is closest to what people have described about Disney races. But there was a good left "lane" for me to just get out in the open. I fell into the best rythym right behind the 2:00 half pace group which my math told me would be close to 9 but still over 9. Hey and I was right...yay math brain. I felt a pang of feeling bad for leaving my hubby in the dust off the bat, but I felt like the "walls were closing in" a little. I told him earlier not to try to stay with me that it would be too fast...and he said he was just going to try to keep his sights on me instead. By this point I had been fiddling with my app while running and got it working but I would forever be .25 miles behind my real distance for the rest of the race. Which about half way through I realized was a bit of a blessing. A) When the lady in my ears said I had a mile to go, I knew I only had .75 of a mile, etc etc. and B) I didn't actually know what my final time would be and so instead of getting discouraged at the end that I may not make my 29:59 goal...because I really was very close...instead I just kept trying to stay on pace instead of fixating on "time."
The first mile was over so fast I could barely believe it. The second mile was split between a nice downhill portion where I really gained some ground and a not fun at all up-hill portion that I know I slowed down for based on my splits. I would say from 1.5 miles to 2.5 miles was all gradual uphill. Which if you have been on Michigan Ave. you know what I am talking about. We ran up to the bridge that goes over the river. I distracted myself during the beginning of this hard part by looking for my hubby's bright orange shorts (there was a turnaround so I knew I would see him...he's much taller than the field of women.) I spotted him and yelled as loud as possible GO CHRIS and he saw and heard me and we gave each other a look of "we got this."
Mile 1 was awesome
Mile 2 was survived but still awesome. I was still going at that 9:16 pace by my group. Also I love pacers.
But then my little group left me as I merged right for the 5k finish. Whoever you were pink tank top women...thank you for the help and hope everyone in the little mound of us that were running together finished under 2:00!
At 2.5 there was yet another hill...why?? My neighborhood is flat, I have no hill training. So I just thumped up that hill the best I could. I walked for about 5 steps towards the top of the hill and got mad at myself and basically yelled expletives in my head and started running again...which was dumb that I even walked a tiny bit because that downhill was glorious.
Turning onto the straightaway to the finish line was both a glorious sight but also the farthest away .5 miles I've ever experienced in my life. My head tuned out any updates my app was giving me. I couldn't hear or focus on anything but the pavement in front of me. I was literally saying GO GO GO GO in my head over and over and over. My speed was fading a little. I was two blocks away and I told myself I could go "slower" for 10 seconds and then I was running as fast as humanely possible. I did that and the clock was showing 30:16 as I was getting up to it. My head started searching for the image of the clock at the start...I was running like lightning while trying to remember what time I crossed the actual start line. I felt good, like I thought I did it. But I really was not too sure. My face in the finish line photos looks like a confused fish...but my body is off the ground...not touching at all and it looks awesome..from the neck down. Someone remind me to smile next time to avoid dead fish face!
I got a giant high five from one of the elite women who had stopped at the finish line and was just generally being awesome and encouraging shouting at everyone about how awesome they were. I believe her name is Lauren Fleishman (Sp?)
I was handed my food stuff and water and a COLD WET TOWEL (aka the love of my life in that moment) and then a little velvet pouch. Post race brain did not even register what I was handed...my focus just turned to finding my hubby.
I walked back to the finish and waited and saw him...bright orange shorts and all. And he was walking. I walked down farther until he spotted me and I yelled and motioned RUN TO ME! And he did. I think the same exact hill hit him like it hit me. He ran the rest of the way and got a nice shout out from the announcer guy and he did a cute fist pump as he crossed.
He was mad at himself for walking. I understood that feeling 100%.
It wasn't until we were eating our apples and drinking our drinks on the curb that I said "what's in this pouch?" and pulled out the most beautiful silver necklace. It had the race name and year on the back. This was our medal...duh! Chris said "wait, I didn't grab one...and went back and got one." He's going to hang it on our eventual medal rack and give it to our daughter when she gets older. Cue my flashback to watching Inside Out...and dust in my eyes.
We got word the our kiddo slept in and so we met them for brunch and she was so excited to see mommy and asked if I won my race. I said "yes, I won my race." Because I did win against my PR goal after-all. While we were waiting for the family to arrive to the restaurant our finish times were posted and I finished at 29:56! All I could think was A) OMG I really did it and B) thank goodness I yelled at myself to stop that few steps of walking nonsense. If I had walked even a little bit more I wouldn't have made it. Hubby is running again this Thursday with his Dad at a Super Bears Shuffle. I will be at home with the kiddo. I don't do weekday city races. I think he has the bug and wants to try again.

Does anyone play with the race results websites to look at all kinds of weird statistics. Like trying to figure out where you placed for people your age exactly?
I finished in 173rd place out of 933 5k finishers.
In the 30-34 I finished 34th of 151.
In just 34 year old's I finished 10th of ???? my eyes starting crossing while trying to count with my finger.

So now I have huge confidence about my Cougar Run at the end of the month. There are NO HILLS! If I keep on track with my training I think I can get myself under 30 again. I'm going to at least try.
And the stress is off for my silly pumpkin run the week before it.

One minor setback. Yesterday I cut my little baby toe just because I was not watching where I was going while wearing flip flops. So I've got a band aid and tape situation happening. I don't think it's going to sideline me but I'll take my first run of the week slow at first to see how it feels.

Thanks for reading to anyone who got through this huge post! I look forward to finally running a race not on the "hottest day of the year" which has been my trend all summer.

 

[LSUlakes]

Ok Where did I leave off...Oh yeah, I had to actually run a race...

The Magnificent Mile, Chicago Women's Half Marathon & 5k (I did the 5k) Part 2

We leisurely roamed the pre-race area and made our pit-stops. We didn't have any gear to check because we were storing our clothes in the car. I was not sure how they were going to do the race start since the website listed the half and the 5k to start at the same time. The 5k finishes through the start line again but the half finishes through a seperate finish line down the street behind us. Luckily the race announcer guy listed what was going on very clearly over the loud speaker. They were starting everyone together and due to the heat warning "when we go, we all go" meaning that there would be no corrals held back for staggered starts because they wanted everyone out and finished as soon as possible. (I appreciated that.) They had giant pace signs and groups of pacers and that is how we all lined up. They also announced that due to the heat, anyone who signed up for the half, and didn't feel like they could finish, was welcome to split off with the 5k group at 2.5 mile point and finish. They also announced all the extra "hot weather" additions they made to the course. Sounded like quite a few hoses and misters and cold towels etc for the half folks.
I had asked my husband a couple times leading up to the race if he wanted me to run it alongside him but he kept saying that I should run my own race. I double checked once again when we parked and another annoying time at the corrals. I told him I thought I'd line up at the very front of 10:00 because my real goal is going to be under 10 the whole time. He said that was a little fast for him, but he was going to start with me and I should just go off on my own. We stood in the corral for over 11 minutes because we were going to be standing somewhere, might as well be in the corral. The music was awesome and I had to stop myself from dancing and wasting my energy...but it was very Britney/Kesha/dance party-esque.
I did one dumb thing. I set my Nike app up for 3.11 miles to alert me every .25 mile of my pace (in an effort to stay consistent and get in under 30 if possible.) But I must have accidentally hit start like 10 minutes before we ran because when i went to hit start as we were walking briskly to the start with the group...I realized it thought I had been "running" that whole time and had switched me into some kind of treadmill/unsynced to GPS mode. DOH! Me and apps...why do we get along so well out in the neighborhood but fail so hard during races??? Next time I am not even opening the app up until a min before race time...maybe less. Luckily my music was going. My body knew that I was not moving at my pace so I got to the left and ran past probably over an hundred people...at least it felt like that. I think the giant hoard of everyone starting together is closest to what people have described about Disney races. But there was a good left "lane" for me to just get out in the open. I fell into the best rythym right behind the 2:00 half pace group which my math told me would be close to 9 but still over 9. Hey and I was right...yay math brain. I felt a pang of feeling bad for leaving my hubby in the dust off the bat, but I felt like the "walls were closing in" a little. I told him earlier not to try to stay with me that it would be too fast...and he said he was just going to try to keep his sights on me instead. By this point I had been fiddling with my app while running and got it working but I would forever be .25 miles behind my real distance for the rest of the race. Which about half way through I realized was a bit of a blessing. A) When the lady in my ears said I had a mile to go, I knew I only had .75 of a mile, etc etc. and B) I didn't actually know what my final time would be and so instead of getting discouraged at the end that I may not make my 29:59 goal...because I really was very close...instead I just kept trying to stay on pace instead of fixating on "time."
The first mile was over so fast I could barely believe it. The second mile was split between a nice downhill portion where I really gained some ground and a not fun at all up-hill portion that I know I slowed down for based on my splits. I would say from 1.5 miles to 2.5 miles was all gradual uphill. Which if you have been on Michigan Ave. you know what I am talking about. We ran up to the bridge that goes over the river. I distracted myself during the beginning of this hard part by looking for my hubby's bright orange shorts (there was a turnaround so I knew I would see him...he's much taller than the field of women.) I spotted him and yelled as loud as possible GO CHRIS and he saw and heard me and we gave each other a look of "we got this."
Mile 1 was awesome
Mile 2 was survived but still awesome. I was still going at that 9:16 pace by my group. Also I love pacers.
But then my little group left me as I merged right for the 5k finish. Whoever you were pink tank top women...thank you for the help and hope everyone in the little mound of us that were running together finished under 2:00!
At 2.5 there was yet another hill...why?? My neighborhood is flat, I have no hill training. So I just thumped up that hill the best I could. I walked for about 5 steps towards the top of the hill and got mad at myself and basically yelled expletives in my head and started running again...which was dumb that I even walked a tiny bit because that downhill was glorious.
Turning onto the straightaway to the finish line was both a glorious sight but also the farthest away .5 miles I've ever experienced in my life. My head tuned out any updates my app was giving me. I couldn't hear or focus on anything but the pavement in front of me. I was literally saying GO GO GO GO in my head over and over and over. My speed was fading a little. I was two blocks away and I told myself I could go "slower" for 10 seconds and then I was running as fast as humanely possible. I did that and the clock was showing 30:16 as I was getting up to it. My head started searching for the image of the clock at the start...I was running like lightning while trying to remember what time I crossed the actual start line. I felt good, like I thought I did it. But I really was not too sure. My face in the finish line photos looks like a confused fish...but my body is off the ground...not touching at all and it looks awesome..from the neck down. Someone remind me to smile next time to avoid dead fish face!
I got a giant high five from one of the elite women who had stopped at the finish line and was just generally being awesome and encouraging shouting at everyone about how awesome they were. I believe her name is Lauren Fleishman (Sp?)
I was handed my food stuff and water and a COLD WET TOWEL (aka the love of my life in that moment) and then a little velvet pouch. Post race brain did not even register what I was handed...my focus just turned to finding my hubby.
I walked back to the finish and waited and saw him...bright orange shorts and all. And he was walking. I walked down farther until he spotted me and I yelled and motioned RUN TO ME! And he did. I think the same exact hill hit him like it hit me. He ran the rest of the way and got a nice shout out from the announcer guy and he did a cute fist pump as he crossed.
He was mad at himself for walking. I understood that feeling 100%.
It wasn't until we were eating our apples and drinking our drinks on the curb that I said "what's in this pouch?" and pulled out the most beautiful silver necklace. It had the race name and year on the back. This was our medal...duh! Chris said "wait, I didn't grab one...and went back and got one." He's going to hang it on our eventual medal rack and give it to our daughter when she gets older. Cue my flashback to watching Inside Out...and dust in my eyes.
We got word the our kiddo slept in and so we met them for brunch and she was so excited to see mommy and asked if I won my race. I said "yes, I won my race." Because I did win against my PR goal after-all. While we were waiting for the family to arrive to the restaurant our finish times were posted and I finished at 29:56! All I could think was A) OMG I really did it and B) thank goodness I yelled at myself to stop that few steps of walking nonsense. If I had walked even a little bit more I wouldn't have made it. Hubby is running again this Thursday with his Dad at a Super Bears Shuffle. I will be at home with the kiddo. I don't do weekday city races. I think he has the bug and wants to try again.

Does anyone play with the race results websites to look at all kinds of weird statistics. Like trying to figure out where you placed for people your age exactly?
I finished in 173rd place out of 933 5k finishers.
In the 30-34 I finished 34th of 151.
In just 34 year old's I finished 10th of ???? my eyes starting crossing while trying to count with my finger.

So now I have huge confidence about my Cougar Run at the end of the month. There are NO HILLS! If I keep on track with my training I think I can get myself under 30 again. I'm going to at least try.
And the stress is off for my silly pumpkin run the week before it.

One minor setback. Yesterday I cut my little baby toe just because I was not watching where I was going while wearing flip flops. So I've got a band aid and tape situation happening. I don't think it's going to sideline me but I'll take my first run of the week slow at first to see how it feels.

Thanks for reading to anyone who got through this huge post! I look forward to finally running a race not on the "hottest day of the year" which has been my trend all summer.

Congrats on the sub 30 5K! Its even nicer that you did it on a hot and hilly course! Going to the movie is a rare event for me as well for the same reason as you. Although, if Frozen was on, DD would do just fine. In the last 2 years we have gone to the movies once. I also enjoy looking at where I rank after races. I think you did well with a top 20% overall! Your next run could be another PR with cooler temps by months end, and a flatter course. Keep up the hard work and you can find yourself with another PR this month! Good luck.

 

[roxymama]

Thanks @LSUlakes it definitely makes it easier to finish in the top 20% when there are fewer speedy guys to contend with. I'm hoping to best my time even if by 1 second. I really should have no excuse to walk even one step for this one at the end of the month. Now we just have to contend with rain or snow...because Chicago is a freak-of-nature when it comes to weather.

So now reporting on my runs since my race....I've run 1.09 miles. Womp womp!
I was being a scaredy cat with my pinkie toe that I cut on Sunday. It doesn't hurt that much and is healing but I was afraid of worsening it or stopping it from healing by running. Last night I "woman-ed" up and headed out with a waterproof bandaid on my toe and hoped for the best. I set my app to 1 mile and did a lap that ended back at my house. It felt good! It took me a little over 11 minutes to run 1.09 miles at my comfy pace, but fast pace. When I walked was when I started feeling it in my sock and thought maybe doing a second mile wasn't a good idea. I think a night of "airing it out" with no band-aid while sleeping is gonna really get it healed up much more and then I'll go back to my normal runs Friday or this weekend. Sorry for TMI grossness.

My hubby runs tonight at the Super Bear Shuffle with his Dad after work and I'm super excited for him. I couldn't be more proud and him getting out there running is really helping me to keep doing this. I think we are feeding off each other. It may rain tonight so I'm praying it's not too bad while he is out there. Especially since it looks like a really fun course with cool game-day stuff to distract and entertain.
Everyone think happy thoughts for his race tonight!!!

 

[SarahDisney]

(I figured out how to use "bold" and "font size" guys...my journal is really coming into the 21st century now.)

Yay! You're so advanced now!

became probably the last disney fans on the planet to finally see Inside Out.

Well, second to last. I still haven't seen it.

I would not reccommend wearing new shorts and shirts for a long race...but this was only 3.1 miles...and both were brands/styles I already wear.

Totally agree with this. It's best to wear something you've worn and already know is comfortable, but for a 5K, even if it's not comfortable, at least it's only uncomfortable for a few miles.

I still get very anxious/nervous before races and I don't know why. I know I can finish them...I really don't know what the nerves are about...I think it's just the "am I forgetting anything? am I timing this right? am I going to be able to use the porta potty in time? Did I train right, did I hydrate right, etc etc etc" If Inside Out was real...my head emotions would be running by the little fear character prior to races.

I think pre-race nerves are just one of those things that happen. Not much you can do about it, and it's usually fairly harmless.

I spotted him and yelled as loud as possible GO CHRIS and he saw and heard me and we gave each other a look of "we got this."

I love this! It's so great that you were able to see each other and encourage each other!

At 2.5 there was yet another hill...why?? My neighborhood is flat, I have no hill training. So I just thumped up that hill the best I could. I walked for about 5 steps towards the top of the hill and got mad at myself and basically yelled expletives in my head and started running again...which was dumb that I even walked a tiny bit because that downhill was glorious.

Hills can be brutal if you're not used to them. Personally, I often walk a little when I get to the top of a new (to me) hill. But every time you survive a hill it helps you be ready for the next hill, so it is a good thing to make it up that hill, even if you need a few seconds walking afterwards!

Someone remind me to smile next time to avoid dead fish face!

I think that was one of my biggest challenges at my Disney race - remembering to smile every time I saw a camera. Sometimes you don't think about smiling because you're so focused on running - but remember that you want those pictures to look good!

One minor setback. Yesterday I cut my little baby toe just because I was not watching where I was going while wearing flip flops. So I've got a band aid and tape situation happening. I don't think it's going to sideline me but I'll take my first run of the week slow at first to see how it feels.

I hope you're feeling better now!

I look forward to finally running a race not on the "hottest day of the year" which has been my trend all summer.

I think this is one of the reasons I didn't even consider running any races this summer. The heat is just too much sometimes! But hopefully as we get closer to fall the weather will get better!

 

[roxymama]

The toe is feeling good today! Thinking I will be getting some more miles in soon now.

And the hubby had a great time at his race tonight. He said he liked this one more than the last, so I'm thrilled that he took on the challenge and had a good time. I'm jealous of his racebling though, may have to steal it in the middle of the night. It's a giant Bear head!

 

[roxymama]

Toe-pain-fee run yesterday! I think I've survived the world's tiniest injury!

I did 3.11 around the neighborhood after 7 and it got probably too dark around the start of the third mile. Did 33:34 at 10:46 pace. Felt good but in hindsight I should have called it quits due to darkness but I had it in my head I wanted to finish what I set out to do. Running outside I can make the finish line anywhere I want it to be so its so easy for me to mentally just cut off my runs, but at races I can't pull the finish line any closer to me...I still have to get to it. And that's why I'm trying to finish whatever task I set ahead of time.
I think my late night runs are a thing of the past until spring rolls around again. Time to get going in the mornings/on the treadmill or do daytime weekend runs. I really look forward to weekend longer cooler runs though!

Two more weekday runs and then my silly pumpkin run. I've been reading race TRs while my kiddo naps this weekend and it's fun to read them now as a runner instead of a lurker!

 

[roxymama]

Last night I took one look outside and knew that my Tuesday night run definitely was going to change to a Tuesday morning run. I'm not very used to running in the morning, I've done it only once.
So I set my alarm for 5:30am. Of course when I woke up at 5:30 it was pitch black out. D'oh...I had not thought that through. My husband suggested I run in the middle of the roads where it is brightest but I'm still skittish about the traffic. So I kind of waited a while knowing that I had to get out there by 6am or there was no way I could run and get ready for work.
I love my hubby for prodding me while I am procrastinating. I know that he knows that I'm trying to talk myself out of things. He told me at about 5:55.."you better decide what you are gonna do quickly."
So on went the running clothes. I set my App for a 20 minute run instead of a mileage and I headed out. I ended up doing little zig zag fartleks around the closest blocks to my house. Did I mention I was carrying my water this time to emulate a pumpkin. Yes, I even had it in the palm of my hand instead of gripping it like a normal human. I must have looked silly. Oh well.
I can honestly say my brain and body was a lot slower than normal. I took three little walk breaks in between some of my fartlek-y speed runs and my walking speed was the slowest I've ever seen it. I felt better while running than walking (weird huh?)
I managed 1.62 miles in 20.01 minutes.
Then I got ready and took my baby to school and drove immediately to Dunkin Donuts for a coffee and croissant.

It feels good to get that out of the way for the day. But my brain is tired. I think if I go out at 5:50 next time it will be better. And I think I honestly was awake with my eyes closed since around 4-something. I suffer from insomnia-ish tendencies when I know I have to be awake for something. I'm thinking I will just eventually get used to this.

And I like running with the sun coming up vs setting better it turns out

Weird question: Does anyone get itchy legs when they are hot after runs? I get weird itchiness behind my knees and sometimes on my thighs that only lasts a little bit. Is this weird? Am I weird? At least it goes away quickly.

 

[roxymama]

Now unrelated to running, but maybe kinda related...

Does anyone get annoyed with how quick things sell out? I read about some Sephora Disney compact mirrors that were going to launch today about a month ago. I thought, oh maybe if they look nice I will check them out at the mall sometime. I found out this morning that they all sold out in the middle of the night. I'm not heart-broken...not even sure I was going to get one.
It reminded me immediately of reading the expo recaps from the DL half about waiting in line for run merchandise at the expo that sold out quicky.
Do I want this mirror more now because I can't have it? Probably.
Oh well...I just saved myself $32 that I can use toward some other Disney thing I will see and get

 

[roxymama]

Slight change in 2015 run schedule that actually benefits me, but I had to take one run off the board.

The "I Run Evergreen Park" challenge used to be 4 runs of 7 to earn a medal, award certificate AND a Jimmy John's gift card! I had completed two and then had two more on my to-do list. Well looks like they cancelled two of the remaining runs and now you only need 3 of 5 possible runs. Lucky for me I'm registered and ready to finish my final run in two weeks and it's still on the list! It is kind of sad for anyone that got on board with the challenge late since there are only two races left for the year total...the most recent one I ran in June.
I know one was removed because a school is doing a giant BBQ instead of the run this year...not sure why they cancelled the other one.
So I removed my 10/25 Freedom run from my 5k list today.

Thinking I will probably just leave October alone with just the 10/3 Ditka Dash. I will have run 3 in September so I'll take a little race break.
Until I see another awesome medal to lure me.

Now the big decision is hot chocolate in November or some kind of Turkey trot.

 

[LSUlakes]

Toe-pain-fee run yesterday! I think I've survived the world's tiniest injury!

I did 3.11 around the neighborhood after 7 and it got probably too dark around the start of the third mile. Did 33:34 at 10:46 pace. Felt good but in hindsight I should have called it quits due to darkness but I had it in my head I wanted to finish what I set out to do. Running outside I can make the finish line anywhere I want it to be so its so easy for me to mentally just cut off my runs, but at races I can't pull the finish line any closer to me...I still have to get to it. And that's why I'm trying to finish whatever task I set ahead of time.
I think my late night runs are a thing of the past until spring rolls around again. Time to get going in the mornings/on the treadmill or do daytime weekend runs. I really look forward to weekend longer cooler runs though!

Two more weekday runs and then my silly pumpkin run. I've been reading race TRs while my kiddo naps this weekend and it's fun to read them now as a runner instead of a lurker!

May I ask, what is it that concerns you about running at night (late afternoon/early morning)?

 

[roxymama]

May I ask, what is it that concerns you about running at night (late afternoon/early morning)?

Yes, I don't mind the question.
I live on the southside of Chicago.
A) It is very very very heavily traffickey surrounding the entirety of my area. It's hairy sometimes even during the day. I don't like that I cannot see into the cars at night so I can't tell if they are waving me to go or if I should go. Chicago is on a grid, so I'm coming across a 4-way or 2-way stop about every minute.
B) And although it is an okay neighborhood it is not the suburbs and I don't completely trust being out as a woman in the dark...even with reflective gear. I'm probably being overly cautious..but's it's still basically an urban setting. I would not let my daughter out at night...so why should I let myself? My giant husband though I do not worry as much about...except for see the above A)
C) Insane sidewalks of doom and cracks and pot holes VS streets filled with cars parked all along the side. I'd need to run with a head-lamp for the sidewalk option and that would take my focus off of keeping myself safe (see option B)

So I've basically outed myself as hyper paranoid. But cities equals muggings and worse unfortunately.

Ideally I would find a gym with a track...but I'm still looking for a close option.

Oh, I should add...late afternoons are out because I pick my daughter up from daycare at 5:30 (I work until 5), cook dinner and watch her until my husband comes homes from work. So I cannot leave her alone. She's almost three.
I wake up for work at 5:45am generally.
A pickle!

 

[roxymama]

Do I sound crazy? Y'all can be honest. It took forever to convince me I even had time to start running in the first place.

 

[LSUlakes]

Do I sound crazy? Y'all can be honest. It took forever to convince me I even had time to start running in the first place.

nothing you said sounds crazy at all. In current times your fears are understandable and it sucks that is where we are these days. I have a similar schedule as you, on days my wife works she won't get home till 7:30 or later. I play with DD fix dinner and do as much as I can around home. When DW gets home I go for my run. Not bad when it's 3-5 miles, but the midweek miles are starting to pick up. A normal training week will have two midweek runs @ 8 miles or more plus the weekend long run. Running from 8-9 or later isn't ideal but I got to get the miles in. I live on the outskirts of Baton Rouge and our neighborhood has enough street lights to keep the road in view. I couldn't imagine what it takes to run in a big city. I would guess a gym is your best bet, but running on the TM is not fun. I'm running 10 miles on one tomorrow though, just because it makes life a little easier since it's still warm. Good luck and stay safe!

 

[roxymama]

Midweek long runs seem out of reach right now. So I'm really trying to maximize my weekends since I can run with a lot more flexibility.
My neighborhood is odd that it's urban but not super well lit. I love people with house lights or garage lights though.

I've got some 8k, 10k, etcetera goals for next year (I think I could do ones now...just slowly). So I'll appreciate the longer daylight hours coming back.

 

[roxymama]

I would guess a gym is your best bet, but running on the TM is not fun. I'm running 10 miles on one tomorrow though, just because it makes life a little easier since it's still warm. Good luck and stay safe!

Question: do you find it takes you longer to run a mile on the TM than outside? I tend to be more conservative with my speed on the TM (generally not going above 6.5 mph.). I think it's something to do with using my momentum and whole body more outside vs trying not to slip up on the TM. Maybe I need to trust myself more at higher speeds???

 

[LSUlakes]

Question: do you find it takes you longer to run a mile on the TM than outside? I tend to be more conservative with my speed on the TM (generally not going above 6.5 mph.). I think it's something to do with using my momentum and whole body more outside vs trying not to slip up on the TM. Maybe I need to trust myself more at higher speeds???

In theory it should be the same thing. I find that running on the TM is a little easier to achieve the same pace, but mentally its more difficult. The TM forces you to run the same speed for a entire mile, but when running outside its more likely that your pace varies during each mile. I find it easier to run a 8:15 mile outdoors than the TM because of the speed adjustment. My main reason for the few TM runs I do is because of heat. In a controlled environment I lose less water, which will shorten recovery periods and make the next run a little easier. Once we have cold weather I will only use the TM in extreme situations.