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

[DopeyBadger]

Those pictures are incredible. It puts into perspective when you think about the WDW 10K which has around 12,000 participants.

I agree about the positive mindset. No matter what happens, nothing negative in the mind. Positive thinking has been shown to have an amazing impact on both perceived effort and actual finishing times. Off the top of my head I think it's like a 4-6% improvement. A 6% improvement is the difference between a 10:30 min/mile and a 9:52 min/mile (or a 52:30 8K and a 49:20 8K). Crazy to think it could just be positive thinking that makes that big of a difference.

FYI, it looks like the forecast is for 26mph winds around 10am in Chicago. So, it's actually a really good thing you've got 30,000 other runners to run with to help block the wind. If you start to notice a headwind just try and tuck in behind someone of a similar pace to help make the effort of the pace easier.

 

[roxymama]

And here's something a little different. Earlier this month it became apparent that I didn't really have a race for March. Last year I tried to do a race a month and 2016 was lining up the same way since I completed races in Jan & Feb. Initially I was going to run a local charity 5k but when plans for a babysitter fell through my husband ended up running it solo while my kiddo and I cheered him on. I had received an email from Sparkle Athletic (yes I am a Team Sparkle girl...I know there are factions of Sparkle Skirt vs Sparkle Athletic...I just happen to like wearing my own shorts/pants under them and also how much cheaper they are. I hope I do not offend anyone with my skirt affiliation "insert sarcasm emoji") They were doing a virtual race to race money for Rhett syndrome. I did not know much about A) virtual races or B) Rhett syndrome. So I poked around the boards about opinions and read up on the charity. It touched me. It affects girls and basically traps them in their own bodies. "Run for those who cannot" touched me, especially since I have a daughter.

So on a day I wasn't especially overly motivated to run I laced on my sneakers and did my tough tempo run and recorded my time. They sent a bib but I just kept it for my bib stack. A gift pack of odds and ends like KT tape, coupons, flower tatoos (my daughter stole those) and a big sparkly medal. I didn't take a picture wearing it, but I did take a pic of it on my medal rack. So technically that was my March race. I'm not seeking out a bunch of virtual races (more power to those who do...I say anything to motivate you), but I just like the company and I liked the charity and it fit my need for something in March. There were also teams of women running in meet ups and posting on instagram but none in my area. So at least we were all doing it "together."

So no big race report but just thought I would share something a little bit different.

 

[ZellyB]

Woohoo race week!!! My only advice is to trust in your training and know that you are going to do great. I can't wait to hear how it goes. The starting pictures are crazy. That looks like it would be so much fun.

Love that team sparkle medal and it does sound like a great cause.

 

[clemsondisneygirl]

I can say that I would have rather ran longer and walked shorter only because I am the world's worst treadmill walker. How I am so much more coordinated while jogging on it? I have no idea what an appropriate walking speed on a treadmill is. I can run up above 5, but a 4 seems so fast to walk. Saturday starts the next level on my C25K plan which is much more jog heavy and I'll be outside too. Looking forward to it.

Just found your journal and reading through, this total hit home with me! I am also an uncoordinated treadmill walker that thinks 4 is too fast for a walking speed! I run at usually 5.4-5.5 but have to walk all the way at like 3.6...which is very difficult in a run/walk/run scenario! Anyways just wanted to say you're not alone!

 

[roxymama]

Just found your journal and reading through, this total hit home with me! I am also an uncoordinated treadmill walker that thinks 4 is too fast for a walking speed! I run at usually 5.4-5.5 but have to walk all the way at like 3.6...which is very difficult in a run/walk/run scenario! Anyways just wanted to say you're not alone!

RIGHT????? RIGHT!!!! I really think my love for running outside started with those early short interval days when I just wore my finger out pushing the speed up and down on that dang treadmill screen. I still like to do some very slow and easy walking at the end of a workout, but I'm just garbage at any "fast" speed walking on the treadmill. I'll take a 13-12 min pace jog over a fast walk any day on that machine! Which is odd because in real life I'm told I walk too fast all the time. And intervals never bothered me outdoors...probably because I could control my own speed.

 

[roxymama]

My first quarter of the year training has come to a conclusion. I got those last 3 miles in on the treadmill last night at 8:30pm. Watched some Shark Tank to pass the time while I ran. Note to self not to over-value my company if I ever have one
Felt good and normal, was a bit muggy in the gym though. Blech.

And so tonight is EXPO TIME!!!! Looks like there's a good chance I will be going to the race expo tonight for packet pickup. I have two things I'd like to buy.
1) A shamrock sweaty band. It's become race tradition (all two major expos I've attended) to get a sweaty band as my souvenier. I use them for my thin fly-away-prone hair and they are cute.
2) Look for the type of strap that holds your glasses on your face. I used to have one but can't find it anywhere. I'll need it during the sweatier summer months especially if I start switching to sunglasses. Eventually I probably just need to get ones that fit better/for running.
X) Look at, BUT DON'T BUY, new shoes. Just look. I still have more miles to give to the current pair and I'd like to buy from my local store with a coupon. But I'm curious about my current shoe in the next model. Also if a sales person comes near me I will worm away because by Friday my social skills have thoroughly depleted. YAY INTROVERTS!
Y) Hunt down any free snacks (bonus pts for chocolate)
Z) Nose around any booths for future races just to get ideas for Fall as my calendar is pretty light.
P.S. I do not need more leggings...I have so many leggings...summer is coming and so are shorts...no more leggings...I do not need more leggings.

So at least I can get expo out of the way tonight and we will have all Saturday to relax and have family fun before race morning Sunday.

Weather forecast for Sunday:
9am 35 F then goes up to 44 by noon.
Cloudy
Wind changed to 6mph!!! Gonna get really windy +22mph but not until evening now! Let's cross our fingers that sticks.
Looks like a little rain overnight before race but ended around 6am.
Chicago is insane so it could snow or be 90 degrees and everyone will just shrug and go "yep."

Everyone have a good weekend. I'll be taking a whole bunch of Expo selfies for anyone who cares what I look like standing in front of a table full of body-glide or next to an inflatable insurance mascot. Stay tuned for that!

 

[roxymama]

A taste of my expoventure tonight. More to come in my eventual recap

 

[CherieFran]

Sneaking out of lurkdom…good luck on the race tomorrow!

 

[Ariel484]

Go Roxy gooooo!!

So excited to read your race report. Love your expo goodies!

 

[SarahDisney]

Yay! You got your sweatyband!

Good luck tomorrow - enjoy getting a shiny new PR!

 

[roxymama]

Sneaking out of lurkdom…good luck on the race tomorrow!

Thanks for lurking! I love lurking places too

Go Roxy gooooo!!

So excited to read your race report. Love your expo goodies!

There were more goodies purchased...because of course there were...so stay tuned!

Yay! You got your sweatyband!

Good luck tomorrow - enjoy getting a shiny new PR!

I was so glad the sweatyband booth was there. They had a lot to choose from but this one spoke to me.


Thanks for all the encouragement everyone! It snowed off and on all day while being both hot and cold out and windy and sleety and sunny and we are all so confused. Just going to enjoy myself tomorrow. And likely be a nervous wreck at the same time . All my stuff is set out......aaaaaaaaahhhhhh

 

[DopeyBadger]

Good Luck today! Have fun! You're going to do great! That weather yesterday was super bizarre. One minute it would look like a blizzard outside and the next it looked like summer (and literally only 1 minute apart).

 

[roxymama]

I don't know official yet. But here's my Garmin time. Did a bit of weaving and cell signals were bad. But I'm super excited about my effort

PR!!


Edited with official finish of 50:02...I shouldn't have stop for that sip of water, haha! Going to stuff my face with pizza and will recap tonight. Thanks everyone for all the help!!!!

 

[DopeyBadger]

That's incredible! So possibly only 7 seconds off your super secret not telling anyone goal. I'd say you had a good day. Can't wait for a full recap.

 

[CherieFran]

Congrats on a great race time!

 

[Ariel484]

Woohoooo, awesome job!! You earned that pizza! Looking forward to the recap.

 

[ZellyB]

Love your purchases from the expo and WOOHOO!!!! on your race time. Can't wait to hear more about it.

 

[surfde22]

Congrats on your awesome race.

 

[roxymama]

Shamrock Shuffle 8k, Chicago, IL 4/3/16 Race Recap

(note: I'm going to type this up and add pictures from my phone because that's easier for me.)
So I finally (after a full year of focusing solely on 5k races and training) finished a race longer than 3.1 miles. And I both survived it and enjoyed it. Here is my recap of my expo experience, my pre-race prep, and my actual race. Probably too many details about everything and anything. Then some thoughts on what's next.
Highlights: Shoes, Free Parking, Survivor, Giant cows, Men in Kilts, Down-hills, Kilometers, Mini-marathon, Piston-Arms, Bad Gatorade, Smiles, Barbie Weddings, Pizza, Hat-Tricks, Naps & Tacos.

Expo Friday 4/2/16 - McCormick Place
Just as some background as to why I was even remotely excited for a race expo. I kind of over-scheduled our first day at WDW for marathon weekend in Jan. and the one thing that got cut extremely short was our expo time. We grabbed our bibs and shirts at the stadium and never made it even into any of the major buildings to look at booths or merchandise before grabbing an expensive cab back to our hotel so we could attempt seeing a parade/riding some rides/having fun with the family waiting for us. I never made a stink but I was secretly bummed. Because I like any reason to browse and shop. Which I ended up having plenty of opportunity to spend all my money in the 500+ other Disney gift shops, so don't feel too sorry for me.
Ok, so that leads us to expo for this race. We had swim lessons scheduled in the exact opposite direction from downtown on Saturday afternoon so it was my hubbies suggestion that he just pick up the kiddo after work on Friday and I should go "take my time" browsing after work on Friday. God bless him He ended up with treasures from me so it worked out for all of us.
I parked at McCormick Place which is a giant convention center in Chicago. Somehow missed all the traffic closures for a large teacher's union protest going on (yay, for knowing the sneaky back-roads) and must have hit the perfect storm of people not getting there yet/people stuck in traffic because the expo was literally almost empty.

I seriously got our packets and shirts in maybe 4 minutes tops. The volunteers all greeted me enthusiastically and called me by name and double checked all the contents in front of me which I appreciated. So I didn't have to go digging to make sure I had the right shirt size/safety pins/right bib, etc. I also really like that they put the bibs in a large envelope with instructions printed on the outside and our name and bib#. It made it so easy not to crumple them and to keep our bags straight. The professionalism was on par with the Rock N Roll race I did last year for sure. This was ran by the Chicago marathon group which I've heard does an amazing job, but I was just surprised how nice everything was for an 8k. Things I learned: this is the 37th annual Shamrock Shuffle; it is the official beginning of the Chicago race season, and there were at least 28,000 bib numbers if I based it off of the packet signs. (Spoiler alert...only 23.5k+ finished but I have a feeling the temperature and snow resulted in some "did not starts" but still a huge event)
After getting my packets/shirts I had sudden "oh no, there's no one here I am going to get attacked by over-eager booth people" so I did the world's dumbest "fast walk by" of all the booths to scan which places I wanted to stop at. I'm glad I did that because it stopped me from buying ALL THE THINGS...as I made a mental list of booths I'd like to make purchases at. I'm an odd-duck, what can I say?
I was super excited that Sweatybands was at this race as I just wasn't sure if they would be. Picked a nice shamrock band and wore it for my race. Was good and did not buy a thousand of them. At $15 a pop they aren't super cheap for what they are. They had a bunch of brands similar but I just tend to stick with what I know works for my hair. The inside is almost velvet feeling and really grips my hair without it feeling like it's going to pull it out...and they don't leave funky hairband marks either. Your mileage may vary

I did not see any glasses accesories but that was ok. I had a solution to that on race morning.
But I did find glasses...like actual glasses to drink beer out of. And so picked up some for my hubs since they were pretty cool looking. They were $10 and had the race logos on them.


I also found the cutest and most expensive shamrock leggings..AND I DIDN'T BUY THEM. I didn't even take a picture of them. And although the leggings booth saw my instagram tag on my expo picture and liked it while I was there...I ignored it with all my willpower. That may have been as hard as the final hill in my race. (just kidding....erm)
Also found a local running store's shoe clearance area and saw my current shoes, Brooks Ghost 7, for $60 something...but not in my size. Dug around and found the next model Ghost 8's in one size too big...drat, but also more expensive, not really a big bargain. But I loved the look of them and the color scheme. So I have a shoe I'm lemming for now. Anyone wear Ghosts? My foot is totally neutral.

They did have other brands in my size but I was not mentally prepared to shoe shop blindly like that. I would have gotten those Ghost 7's if they had my size for sure though.
Nike was a sponsor of the official merchandise and OMG the awesome shirts! But so expensive! I love Chicago stuff and I love Irish stuff and so this wasn't even fair to my wallet. But I stayed strong. Here are some pics. This one with the Lions ended up in my husbands closet. I really love the one with the Chicago "cold" quote. Luckily the actual race shirt was the one I liked the best and so that saved me some money.
I like getting race pins there were volunteers with baskets handing free ones out, so that was a nice score. It was such a ghost town that the girl was like "take more, take a bunch" but I just got two for me and the hubs.

I also stopped to snoop a line of manequins wearing race medals for upcoming Chicago races. I should have snapped pics but I forgot to. Most of them were for half marathons or triathlons which are not yet on my radar, but I reported back to my hubby about the triathlon ones. I saw the hot chocolate race booth and said an internal "hello, 15k swag, see you in the fall."
The longest lines were for free snacks... and yes I got a chocolate bar...I had to...it was dark chocolate...and I ate it like a fiend in my car on the way home. Only lasted two blocks. I felt shame. I'd burn it off at my race anyways.


Speaking of cars...on the way out I suddenly remembered I needed to validate my parking, so walked back. The parking validation woman said "you weren't here an hour so your parking is free" SCORE! And shows you how easy the expo was with literally no one there. Maybe I should have bought those leggings....


Ok, that was a too long write up for an expo. So I will continue with actual race recap in the next post...

 

[ZellyB]

Excellent beginning to the race recap! I love expos and empty ones like that are the best.

Well done on resisting the siren call of the leggings.