2 Weeks and 2 Days Later

Warning: This is a post where I will be down on myself and over analyze.

Life Running is not fair!!! I started running regularly almost a year ago (my runniversary is on Feb 5th). Here are some quick facts by the numbers: It took me 

1. 2 months to run a sub 30 min 5k
2. 4 months to reach my goal of a sub 9:00/mi pace for a 5k
3. 6 months to work up to running 12 miles straight
4. 8 months to run a sub 26 min 5k

So, it seems like a long journey to accomplish some of those feats. After all of that, it took 2 weeks and 2 days to loose it all. My last run (before the hiatus) was a 6 mile run on 12/21/2013. My hubby and me went to Seattle for Christmas to visit his sister and I forgot my running gear. My nephew gave me the gift of his sickness while we were there, so I have been sidelined since we've gotten home. My first run of the year was on January 6th.

Monday - 3 miles easy

Tuesday - 5x400m; 1 mile backwards running; 5x10sec 8.5mph 12% incline

Wednesday - 3 mile easy

The problem with the schedule so far, is those 3 miles "easy", were anything but. Before my short hiatus, running a 9:30/mi was easy and relaxed. However, Monday and Wednesday, it felt like I was running race pace. I was breathing harder than a smoker climbing 100 flights of stairs at 10,000ft elevation.

Yeah, that's about right!

I don't know if I can blame my bronchitis for this, or just the fact that I have lost a lot of my fitness in the last 2 weeks. According to an article by Jeff Gaudette titled "Losing Running Fitness" he says that:

"Research shows you shouldn't be too worried about losing significant fitness if your break from running is less than two weeks. You’ll lose some conditioning in your aerobic system and muscles, but pre-inactivity fitness will return quickly. Again, this assumes that you have built a healthy and consistent base of training of 4-6 months prior to taking time off. "

So, less than 2 weeks, does that mean because I took an additional 2 days off I'm in worse shape. I may be over analyzing, but I sure hope what I have worked so hard for, comes back. With days like today and Monday, I have no idea how I was ever able to run 3 8:07min miles 3 times in a row for a 5k. It seems impossible.

Ok enough of the negative. It's a new year and hopefully a new me. I only have one New Years Resolution this year. I participated in Run Chat this past Sunday and they asked us to finish the line "2014 is going to be:________" I had no idea what to put, but then Cori wrote:

 "2014 is going to be my year, my year to be fearless." 

I could n't said it more perfectly. So my one New Years Resolution, is to be fearless. Last year all I ran all my races with fear. Fear of failing, fear of taking off too fast and then dying in the end, fear of not finishing, etc. This year, I wont sweat the small stuff. I will run for the joy of running, and race for the joy of racing. I am nowhere near an elite runner, so I need to stop expecting to be one, and be happy with my times. I will strive to be my best, but I wont be held back by my fear of failing. Quoting the movie a Cinderella Story, "never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game". Amen to that!

What are your New Years Resolutions?

Have you ever taken time off running?

If so was it hard to get started again?

Lessons in pepper spray!

I learned a valuable lesson this weekend. Pepper spray is no joke, and it should be treated with respect! Also, it doesn't just burn your eyes; it burns the heck out of your lungs. Yes, I now know this from personal experience. But before I get ahead of myself, let me tell you how this all started.

Recently, my husband suggested I start running with pepper spray. I looked into several different types and brands. I feel like choosing a pepper spray is like choosing a star in the sky. There are so many different types, brands, strengths, etc. Some of the ones I found that were pretty cool were:

The pepper spray gun:

Pros: This looks like a small revolver which means you could whip out the pepper spray gun at an assailant and it might scare them off

Cons: It could make them more hostile and pull out a real gun. You have to hold it while you run and hope it doesn’t fall.

The wrist strap pepper spray:

Pros: It straps to you so no holding or fear that it will fall

Cons: you will have to fiddle with it to get it out of the strap, giving your assailant time to attack.

Lipstick pepper spray:

Pros: small and discreet. It can be carried anywhere with you.

Cons: Like the above, you have to pull it out and remove the cap to use, which again, can give you assailant time to attack.

The main thing I was worried about was having to fiddle with the pepper spray in anyway. I’m clumsy and I need one that is fail and idiot proof. If possible I also didn’t want to have to hold on to it while running in fear that I might drop it. While searching online, I came across (what I believe to be the greatest pepper spray invention, since…well…I don’t know) Runsafety Pepper Spray. This pepper spray straps onto your wrist and sits on top of your hand. When you want to use the pepper spray, you push a finger into your palm and BAM, pepper spray comes out. In short this pepper spray

ü  Is ready to use without taking off any caps

ü  Is always facing the correct direction for spraying

ü  Sprays up to 8 feet away

ü  Makes you feel like you have awesome spidey powers when you pull the trigger.

The pink thing on her hand is the
pepper spray.

Here it is in action.

I just received the pepper spray this weekend (in black) and I was excited to test it out (not on a person, I just wanted to make sure I knew how to use it). Remember how above I said I was clumsy? I thought it'd be a good idea to wear googles while pulling out the canister. My husband suggested I spray a little into the sink (I was thinking outside, but I thought hey I'm wearing googles, it will be fine). NOT FINE, I sprayed it really close to the wall of the sink and some of the spray came back at me. I had the craziest coughing fit I have ever had in my life. I was coughing so much it was hard to sneak in breaths of air. I ran out of the kitchen, but the coughing continued. It got so bad, I started dry heaving and I could even taste a little blood in my mouth. It lasted for about 15 minutes. That's the last time I take my husbands advice. Best part of it all, was he worried about me? Nope he was laughing his butt off at me.

Take home lesson for everyone, the Runsafety Pepper Spray is awesome, and pepper spray works!

How do you stay safe while running?

Have you ever used pepper spray, if so, what kind?

Turkey Trot Race Recap and Lessons on "Running"

I love automatic PRs!!! This Thanksgiving I completed my first 10k. I have been looking forward to this race for sometime as it is another runners rite-of-passage here in Reno. It has only been going on for about 15 years, but it is probably one of the most popular races in the Reno-Sparks area. there were 1200 people alone running the 10k. There were hundreds more running the 2 mile. I am actually surprised that a race on a holiday is so popular.

Anyway, like most races I was worried about how I would run. I was fughting a cold and I had some crazy bumps on the bottom of my foot that felt like rocks in my shoe whenever I put pressure on it. In addition to that, I always put a lot of pressure on myself, even though I know I shouldn't. Even though this was my first 10k, I already had a time I would like to come in at in my head. My goal was 55:00 minutes. That would put me in just under 9:00/mi which according to the writers over at Livestrong:

 "completing a mile in nine minutes or less is running" 

and I'd like to consider myself a runner, so running was what I was going to do. I arrived at the race about 45 minutes prior to the start. I was excited that my hubby came with me to cheer me on (and also get some race pics of me).

Pre-race pic

It was super chilly (32 degrees). I was a little bummed to find out that they were not doing a chip start time, only a chip finish. Which means when the clock starts, it starts for everyone no matter when you cross that start line. I didn't want to line up in the front because I knew I would end up in some insanely fast persons path and probably be trampled annoy the crap out of them. So I lined up in the middle near the frontish. One of the girls I run with on my Tuesday and Saturday run group, Amy, was running the race (this was also her 1st 10k) and said her goal was to keep up with me. (I'm not sure where she got it in her head that I was even remotely worthy of a goal of hers). She lined up with me before the start and we took off together. There was only about a 10 second delay from when the gun went off to when I actually started running. It was a good and wide course, so I didn't feel like I was trapped behind a lot of people. I got out the crowd pretty quickly. About a mile into the race, she slowly started to get faster and before I knew it she was ahead of me. I really wanted to speed up too, but I was trying to stay modest and not burnout later.

What seemed like an hour later, we passed the 2 mile mark. I felt like I was going to loose it there. That was the longest 2 miles of my life. I was already exhausted feeling, and somehow really cold and hot at the same time. I actually thought about giving up right then and there. I knew I'd regret it later if I quit, so I kept on keepin. After mile 3, things feel into place. I actually forgot I was running and allowed my mind to wander. I was feeling relaxed and good. The race did a few out and back turns so I was basically able to see everyone in the race. It was nice to see a lot of familiar faces along the way. Before I knew it, I was at mile 5, my watch said I was at 4.82. I picked up the pace a little bit and was able to hold on until mile 6 again 5.82 according to my watch. Here I was at mile 6 thinking I only had .2 miles to go. So I gunned it as fast as my legs could carry me. I was flying by other runners.

Thinking I'm almost done.

After a time, I realized I still did not see the finish line. I looked down at my watch and I was at 6 miles. Now according to their mile markers I should be finishing. But nope, the course was actually a little over a 10k (6.28mi to be exact) and they were just horrible at placing the markers. I still had .28 miles to go, and I was out of gas. So...as you can probably guess, everyone I passed during my preemptive sprint to the finish, passed my up while they were sprinting to the true finish.

No biggie though, I still finished. Not with as much finesse as I hopped, but I finished nonetheless. And the best part is, I hit my goal! I finished in 54:38. Amy (you know the one whose goal it was to stay with me) finished in 53:34. All in all, I thought it was a good race. I think I could have gone slightly faster throughout the entire race, but I think it went well my for first. I even got to take some post race pictures with a giant turkey!

Amy and I with the Trotting Turkey!

Splits: 8:39 / 8:48 / 8:55 / 9:01 / 8:58 / 8:35 / 9:01 (the final .28)

Overall time: 54:38 

357/1223

Blogging is not a Talent of Mine

Okay, so I am probably the worst blogger in the history of blogging. I have noticed I have really only been posting when I have a race recap, or once a month, whichever comes first. I started writing this blog so I could keep track of my training and I don’t know, maybe look back down the road in a few years and reflect on how my running obsession began. But, according the frequency of my entries, it doesn't look like I’ll have much to reflect on. I did the same thing when I tried to keep a journal when I was younger. I wrote in it about once a year and it was always about some new boy I had a crush on. I digress. I think one of my New Year’s Resolutions this coming year will be to blog weekly. Anyway, a lot has been going on in my little world of running. I scored another 5k PR in the Trick-or-Treat 5k on October 29^th. It was a little short of a full 5k (I think it was 3 miles on the dot), but I will take a PR anyway I can get it. So…my new PR is 25:19 (8:07/mi)! I can almost take the sub 25 minute 5k! I wont get a chance to try out another 5k for some time because 5k season in our area is definitely over.

I am only signed up for one more race this year, the Turkey Trot. It's one of the bigger races here in Reno with over 1,000 participants. It will be my first 10k ever and my longest race to date. Because it's my first 10k, I'm not taking it too seriously. I just want to get a feel for the race distance. Best part about this race, is I get a free sweatshirt, rather than a t-shirt, AND it was only $25 to sign up!!! This could potentially be my last race for a while. My hubby and I are looking to start a family pretty soon. I really hope to keep running throughout pregnancy, but I think racing will be out.

How many times can I change subjects in one post? Three. I'm changing subjects again (but that's what happens when I have a lot to say and don't post enough). I have started running with a new group last week. Northern Sierra Endurance Training, they are a free running/training group here. I love free! They typically meet on Tuesdays, Wednesday, and Saturdays and have 3 different distances you can run depending on what you're training for. I met up with them last Tuesday and Saturday. I ran with this group once before a few months ago and I was scared to go back. The group took off at a pace faster than I could keep up with. One of the guys in that group didn't want to leave me behind, so he ran with me the entire time. I felt bad because I knew I was holding him back. This time however, there were 2 newbies to the group who were running the same distance I was, so we agreed to stick together. They were a perfect pace for me! I decided to make Saturdays my long run day rather than Sunday, so I chose the 8mi distance. There was one other guy who was running that distance and he didn't want to run by himself, so he said he'd run at whatever pace I wanted to. He forgot his glasses, so I was appointed navigator. Bad idea!!! I have never ran a new course without getting lost! And true to form, I got us both lost. I missed a turn somewhere (there were over 16 turns to make total) and we had to backtrack. So our 8 mile run, turned into 9.25mi. Oh, well. He had good spirits about it. I felt good about this run because the last time I ran more than 6mi was over 3 months ago. We averaged 10:07/mi while talking, with hills. I know that may not be a fast pace for some, but it was a fast training pace for me to be able to talk all the way through.

All right, enough of the chatter.

Do you still have any races you are signed up for the rest of the year?