That's what I get...

Last night was my first run since Gasparilla which was over a week ago.  Things just didn't seem to go my way last week and I only got a workout in the Monday after the race.  It was a great upper body workout but certainly not enough to make up for the lack-luster week that followed.  I ate all kinds of bad things and not nearly enough of the good stuff.  So needless to say, the tough run last night was exactly what I deserved.

 

I knew I was in trouble when it ended up being just Barb, Angel and I last night because they are FAST!  And true to form, they hauled ass.  The first mile was a rough start for me as usual but then I settled into my stride.  I'm actually pretty pleased with myself because I was anticipating a miserable run but it wasn't that bad.  There were moments that I was really regretting my sedentary week but I never felt like I needed to stop.  We kept a VERY fast pace of 8:40 and I feel great today.  Of course, my legs are a little sore but no aches or pains.

Miles - 5

Time - 45:24 (including the crosswalk, a brief stops for gear adjustments)

Pace - 8:40

I'm excited to run tomorrow and hopefully keep up the quick pace again.  

GASPARILLA WAS AWESOME!

I am totally hooked on races!  The Gasparilla 15K was an incredible experience and I wish I could do it every Saturday!  The day was perfect and I can't wait to do it again next year!

I started the day at 4:30 with some oatmeal and raisins for breakfast.  That was definitely a great choice but next time I'm going to add a banana.   I was worried about having too much to eat but with the start 3 hours later I could have used just a little extra food.  My biggest concern was parking but we got there at 6:30 which was plenty of time.  

The race itself was inspiring!  I want to run more now than ever!   We decided on an easy 10 minute pace since we've never run that far that early in the morning.  The first 3 miles were a little tough to keep pace - with all the excitement and the rush of people passing us by we kept speeding up.  At times I felt like we were standing still!  Miles 3 - 6 were great.  As usual, at mile 6 my knees started to ache but I was feeling great and energized otherwise.  I believe it was about that time bystanders were handing out Krispy Kreme Donuts - not nice, people!  Of course, I didn't stop. In fact, I never stopped for water until mile 7 when they had Gatorade - and I agree with Shannon that it was the best damn Gatorade ever!  Once we got to mile 7, I was ready to pick up the pace to 9.  I felt awesome and was ready to finish strong.   The finish itself was beyond cool!  I didn't know they announced our names so that was a special moment.  I have to admit that I had a brief moment when there was a lump in my throat.   With the finish line just a few yards away, I thought back at how hard it was when I first started running and I became overwhelmed with a sense of accomplishment and pride.  It was a very special day for me and I'm looking forward to many more races.

Thank you Jenny and Kathryn for the tip on getting our packets early - that made ALL the difference!  Race day would have been crazy otherwise. Seriously, thank you, thank you, thank you!

UGH!

This week is going to be an easy week because of the race on Saturday.  Last night we opted to do 5 miles and I think I was a little too sure of myself going in to it.  I ended up eating too much, too close to our run time and it was a BIG mistake.  I think I figured it was just an easy run so I didn't need to pay attention to the pre-run details.  Not good!  I felt like I was carrying an extra 100 pounds.   It didn't help that most of the girls were running at close to a 8:30 mile!  Thank goodness Shannon kept a slower pace with me because there is no way I would have made it the full 5 at that pace.  The good news is we got through it and now I know better.

Miles - 5

Pace - 9:33

Time - 47:36

Next up is a truly easy 3 miles on Thursday followed by the big day on Saturday!

I'm so excited!

G, G, G, G-UNIT!

I just wanted to dedicate a post to my awesome Garmin.  For those of you that know me in all my anal retentive glory, you can attest to my love of details and organization.   My immediate family is aware (painfully so) of my OCD tendencies and the Garmin has become my new obsession :o)  I have only had it for a month but it has provided me with all the details my little heart can stand - starting time, pace, distance, splits, overall time, calories and even steps!  I love seeing the numbers and knowing EXACTLY what I have done and how I've improved.  

So in honor of my loyal little running partner...

I have affectionately named it "G-Unit"

yes, it's a little bit ghetto and a little bit juvenile but it's also a whole lot of funny :o)

Another great run...

The week did not pan out the way I had hoped.  

Sunday - 2.5 mile early run

Monday - 3 mile hill run @ 10:00 pace

mile 1 @ 3% incline

mile 2 @ 4% incline

mile 3 @ 3% incline

Tuesday - missed my run due to schedule conflict

Wednesday  - 30 minute elliptical and core work.

Which brings me to last night's run...  

Miles - 8.22

Time - 1 hr 21 minutes

Pace - 9:50

I was SO happy to finally have a decent run this week.    I enjoyed the hill on Monday and will definitely try to incorporate one a week after the race but I needed that long run.  It was actually pretty easy, I didn't feel like I had to push through the last mile. In fact, we picked up our speed in the last mile.  I checked our pace 3 times and at first we sped up to 9:40, the next block we were at 9:20 and the last time I checked we were at 8:40!  I wasn't aching and exhausted when we finished and today is the best I've felt after a long run. YAY!  I did have blisters again and they were BAD last night.  Once I took my shoes off, I really started to feel the pain.  I definitely had the wrong socks on but if that's my only issue I'm happy with that.  

After last nights run, I'm feeling pretty confident about the race.  I'm getting excited and looking forward to the whole experience.

I'm also looking forward to it being over so I can get back to a regular weight training schedule.  I've made running the priority because of this race so I've backed off the leg workouts.  But I really need to get into high gear - I'm getting a little discouraged with my lack of results and I need to start seeing some changes in my body.  Next week will be another light work out AND easy run week since the race is Saturday but after that it's back to real workouts.