River, Roots and Ruts Race Report (LATE)

For some reason the pics won't let me edit....so they're backward (time-wise...end first) !!!!!!

Frank, Kim and Ed

Kim

In case you missed the last pic....Kim again

Scott crossing finish line!!! YAY!!!!!!! 2:09 finish!!!

Scott ans Kim crossing finish line!!!

And he's OFF!!!!! GO SCOTT!!!!!

Frozen fingers chip exchange!!! BRRRRR!!!

I couldn't undo the velcro...haha!!!

Scott waiting patiently and freezing.

Scott at a NOT FUNNY sign..ha!

And we're off and running!!!!

Crazy half naked kids. Where are their mothers????

Scott and Kim at the finish! Did I mention 2:09???

Brrrrrrrrr!!!!!

Getting ready...do I look happy or what?????

Jan 3rd I got an email from Sherry that she was injured and unable to run this relay with her husband. She was looking for a replacement partner for Scott and was anyone interested? !!!!!!! I immediatley wanted to do it, but I saw that this message had gone out to a few people and I was just reading it about 10 hours late. Feeling bummed, I logged off. Thought about it and logged back in. I figured the spot would be covered, but just in case I shot a reply saying I'd love to do it if they still needed a partner. Unbelievably, I got a message from Sherry that the spot was still open and I had it if I wanted it!!!! YAY!!!!

This race is very, very popular and had filled up a while ago. It's a major trail run that I honestly would never have signed up for because of my balance issues and numb feet. Those two troubles equal BADNESS on a trail...LOL...but I've been feeling FABULOUS the last 2 months, balance and leg/feet pain have been much improved so I WAS IN! Sherry and Scott know I've just returned to training and they understood my times might be blah considering I never trail run, but their optamism inspired me. Gave me mucho confidence. Sherry repeatedly told me to run it as a "fun run" and not worry about times. Yeah right...lol...I reminded her we were both cut from the same cloth and I was planning to run my ass off. Especially since I'd be wearing HER NAME!! Extra pressure!!!

We drove together and arrived at the park at about 35 degrees. Yes. 35 freezing degrees. Oh, and it was about 6:30am. Sherry and Scott gave me the first leg which was 6 miles and flatter. (thank you guys again). The track kids were in shirts only and as a mother, I wanted to cover them with blankets. Crazy kids. I saw 2 of my favorite friends!!! Ed and frank were there for the relay too...I was thrilled to see them. We saw a few others that we know, and I met Sondra's brother too.

We all lined up at the start, not minding for once that we were crunched together. Did I mention it was freezing??? I opted to keep my long sleeved t-shirt on over my running top and I'm glad I did. The first 3/4 mile was pretty flat but winding, pace was about 8:30. Then I hit a mountain. I went easy for the first 2 because I have a full mary in 7 weeks (didn't want an injury) but the third mountain looked like I'd need some momentum. I flew up to the top so fast that I found myself in the air looking down the steep decline! It was exhilerating!!!! I almost fell running down that, but I managed to stay on my feet.

The path got very narrow and I found myself stuck behind a woman for awhile. Finally the path widened and I kinda yelled out "passing on your left!" and heard an echo of that about 6 times behind me...lol. She let us go and I let the people behind me pass. I had enough pressure running for Sherry, I didn't need the 6 pairs of feet stomping behind me...lol

I was averaging about a 9 minute pace, but I really started bowing to the steep hills by mile 3 or so. It wouldn't be worth missing my full mary. There were a few very cool turns that actually went around the base of a hill...like running on the inside of a bowl! The woods and path made for a relaxing atmosphere but the cold was, well...cold. At one point I tried to blow on my frozen fingers but the air turned cold before it hit my hands. My right foot was numb and the big toe was KILLING me. I knew it was the cold.

A couple times I could have gone off track but thankfully a man in a bright orange t-shirt was ahead of me and I could catch glimpses of him enough to follow. By 5.5 miles in, I could hear people cheering so I knew I was close. I stayed steady watching for a clearing for the chip exchange. As I shot down a hill, I heard my name and was shocked to see Sherry and Scott IN THE WOODS! No clearing...just a wider path for the trade...I almost ran past them but Scott reached out and literally pulled me off the trail....Hhahaha! My hands were so frozen I couldn't undo the velcro fastening for the chip...brrrrrr!!! I made that in about 61 minutes. Not bad!

Scott took off, glad to be running instead of standing in the cold. Sherry had my sweatshirt with her and I happily put that back on! Then we walked to the fnish line to wait for Scott.

Scott had the last leg, which was 7.1 miles and much harder. After about an hour, I left Sherry at the finish line and walked to the 13 mile post so I could run in with Scott. He came flying around the corner and I yelled "How'd it go???" I'm laughing NOW, but he yelled right back..."That SUCKED!!!!""" In that split second I thought 2 things at the same time....1) Poor Scott and 2) Thank God I had the first leg!! Isn't that awful???? But he's a way better athlete so it was kind of even LMAO!!! Just kidding Scottt....heehee!!! (about the fair part, cuz he is a better athlete)

Scott came in at 68 minutes, giving us a 2:09 finish time!!! AWESOME!!! We came in 4th for mixed relay too!! We were very pleased!! I just had the best time running that relay. Great friends, wonderful opportunity and what a cool trail that was. I am now a trail lover! Sherry assures me I did her name proud and for that I'm so happy. I got to keep the finishers medal, it's made from recycled glass! I'll get a pic of it... We hit a stop for hot coffee for the ride home. We sooo needed to defrost! I was sick for 3-4 days with a bad cold after that, but it was worth it.

Thank you Sherry and Scott, for the great time, the opportunity to run a race I never would have signed up for and for our friendship. And guess what? I'm STILL smiling!!

Week 6 Marathon Training!!

I'm so busy with the holiday but I managed to get my long run in. I did 13 miles Saturday in 2:12! Very happy about that. It went well despite not fully preparing myself. Obviously I was too busy to plan for this run!

I used "map my run" for the first time. It took me FOREVER to map out 13 miles. I thought it would be cool to do a big loop through town instead of the boring "out 1/2 way and turn around" routes. 1st mistake. The route was a lot longer than what I mapped out and I had to turn around at a point I knew was 3 miles back to my house. So I lost my traveling water station (husband on his bike) and he got worried when I wasn't where I was supposed to be. (Worked out fine though)

2nd mistake...forgot my GU packs. I was sooooo looking forward to those blueberry/pomegranate GUs too!

3rd mistake...should have given my husband water AND gatorade for hydration and maybe some chews for nutrition. I know better. I'm a little disappointed in myself.

4th mistake...as I came up on mile 3-4, I noticed my left baby toe was starting to hurt. The seam on my sock was rubbing it. I should have stopped to fix it but I did not. Now I have a huge blister on my toe. I whacked it on the corner of a chair and ripped a nice healthy layer of skin off it last night too. Good times...lol.

5th mistake...and this had nothing to do with my run, but I had my work Christmas party last night. Have you tried walking in a pair of heels the day after a half marathon?? Sigh...I should have gone to the party barefoot....lol.

Anyway, after the run Bobby and I were headed to the mall to shop. I didn't feel so good. I was nauseaus and I know it was because I didn't properly hydrate and replace nutrition. Pretty dumb. But that's why we have these trial runs. You can bet I won't ever forget these things again.

In closing, I did run 13 miles with one stop. I stopped at my daughter's work and she ran me out some water since I'd basically ditched Bobby by this point. I was there less than a minute and then finished the last 2 miles back.

That's it for now!!
Happy running!!!!!

Week 5 Of Marathon Training

I'm into my 5th week of training. Last Saturday I was due for a 13 miler but I woke up Friday with a slight flu. Saturday morning was worse so I decided to put off the run until Sunday. I'm sure you can see where this is going. You are CORRECT! No long run for moi. Grrr.

Yesterday I tried a 2 miler. It was pretty warm and I had trouble breathing. I also don't like the feel of boogies running down my face. SEXY!!!! I grew concerned that a modeling agency might drive by and want me for the cover of some magazine, so I did the 2 miles in under 18 minutes and went home. I may have saved the career of a struggling model. =P

Last night I stumbled on HULU. It's a video/movie site where you can watch movies for free. I searched "Spirit Of The Marathon" and guess what??? YES!!!! They have it!!! I watched it. I saw it last year at the cinema but it was before I ran one. Watching it last night was wonderful because I could fully understand how everyone was feeling this time. Their hopes, dreams and of course...fears. I just love this movie!! It got me totally fired up!

So this morning I was dead set on doing my 13 miler. You may be thinking to yourself...."Aren't you sick, Kim??" Well, technically, yeah. But mentally...NO WAY! I just watched SPIRIT!! I am WOMAN!!! (Didja hear me roar?????) I headed out with high hopes. That were slowly slipping away as I went along my somewhat merry way. My pace was oh-so-slowwwwww...but I was actually ok with that for once. I just wanted to get the miles in today. But by mile 3 I could barely breathe and my nose was making me crazy. I turned around at 3.5 and trudged back. And I do mean trudged. It took me over an hour to run 6 miles. Surprisingly I am SO okay with that. I think I've matured as a runner. Being unable to run for almost a year taught me a few lessons. One of which is ya can't give up just because you have a couple of tough runs! I can chalk up today's run to a toughie and move on. It's a done deal. Plus...I still ran while sick. This means I have me some endurance...YES!

I have made the decision to just relax and get over this virus. I'll pop out for a few slowbie shorties this week...hopefully do some 800's before Saturday. I'll do the 13 miler this Saturday instead of the 8 that my training plan is calling for. I'll skip the 8 and do the 15 miler the following Saturday to get back on track. (no pun intended) Any advice on this plan will be greatly appreciated my fellow runners!!!!!!

Marathon Training Is ON!!!

I'm training for The Gasparilla Full Marathon on February 28, 2010. Sarasota Grouper Full has been discontinued and this is the last year for Gasparilla to host a full, so I'm happy to get to run it. It's a beautiful course, cool and flat. A perfect run for you-know-what.

I am into my 3rd week of training and feel so good! By slowing down my long run pace, I can go on FOREVER without any walk breaks. Eating better (oatmeal), potassium and B-12s have made a big difference. A month ago I had trouble with 5 miles, having to walk and feeling weak. Last weekend was my longest run since almost a year ago and here are the details...

Friday afternoon my husband and I headed out for our bi-yearly kid-free weekend away. We just drove up to Siesta Key and stayed until Sunday. We talked about my 11 miler and decided Saturday morning would be perfect. Bobby had his bike and would be my traveling water station. But we woke up to rain and cold weather. We went to breakfast, hit the mall for some Christmas shopping and had some lunch. By 1pm it had cleared up and was looking better.

We went back to the resort for a nap about 2pm. I woke up at 3pm and literally threw my running clothes on and was out the door before I could change my mind. It was about 68 degrees and I know you northerners are thinking PERFECT weather, but this Florida chick was C-O-L-D. And I hate being cold.

I had on my new NB running skirt (which kept falling down until I finally had some sweat to keep it up) my new NB visor and a sleeveless running top. I knew I'd be fine by my 2nd mile. My training guide called for 11 miles with a 10:40-11:20 pace. This is the endurance phase for a 4 hour marathon. It's all about getting the miles down, not speed. But you know me. I always go out too fast.

First 2 miles were 9:21 and 9:34. And that's with trying to go slow. Trying to tame the horses...arghhhhh!!!!

Mile 3...9:56
4...10:01 (this is the pace I wanted to hold
5...9:03 (WHAT??? I was warmed up!!!)
6...11:04 (slowed for a water stop w/hubby AND ran headfirst into the wind)
7...10:26 (making my way back to a 10)
8...9:52 (feeling very good)
9...10:14
10...10:04
11...9:32 (gotta love me a neg split!!!!)

I had some blueberry-pomagranate chews and 2 gel packs, same flavor. PURE yumminess!!! It was all I could do to eat them one at a time every 2 miles (or sooner). Oh delish!!!! I'm going to hang a gel pack off the front of my visor like the bunny at the horse races! Yummmmmmmm. My husband rode up beside me and handed me an open bottle of h2o so I didn't have to slow down at all after that 6 mile point. I'm going to string some chews on a nylon thread as a bracelet on my next long run. Bite em off as I go, like a candy jewelry thing. Maybe the cooler weather will keep them from getting messy. I'll let ya know how that goes.

At the end of the 11 miles, I honestly could have kept on running. What an awesome feeling it was stopping at mile 11 and knowing I could have kept going. Bobby was putting his bike in the van as I came down the street and I ran to him, crying. What a baby, huh? It was a pivital moment though. A couple months ago the doctor told me I would not run another marathon. After that 11 miles I know he's wrong. I CAN do it. I am so happy!

I have a friend on my FaceBook that I have known since 4th grade. Ray is a runner who has 8 marathons under his belt and is running Boston for the 4th time! I told him my splits and explained my training guide and asked him if he thought I could do a 3:50:59 instead of a 4:00. He says YES! He advised me to add some weekly mileage and to do some 800s instead of the 400's. That's all I needed to give me a bolt of hope to BQ. I want it. I need it. I will have it.

Regina talked about fear in her last post. I soooo truly understand what she's saying. Fear will hold me back if I allow it. Fear will keep me from my goal if I let it take hold. Fear has icy fingers that will grip the hopes and dreams I have for myself if given half the chance.

Not this time buddy. This girl is going to run Boston WITHOUT fear.

Getting Stronger!

This week has been pretty hectic...the holidays always are! I did get MOST of my training runs/exercises in...

I am extremely bummed that the Sarasota Grouper Full Marathon has been called off. The PR guys decided to work on the half marathon because of lack of registrants. There are usually about 3,000 runners but only about 450 run the full. Total bummer. I'm glad I had the chance to have run it once though!

I have chosen the Gasparilla Full on Feb 28, 2010 instead. This will be the last full for Gasparilla too. Gives me even more incentive to run it. My friend Bill Bonetz is running it also!!! MORE incentive! Bill is running Space Coast tomorrow. His wife Mary is doing the half. I'll be tracking their progress!!!

Turkey Trot 5K was awesome. I was hoping for a 25:55 but I did 26:31. Missed a PR by 2 seconds...lol. BUT...I beat my friend Josephine. (With love and respect..haha!) I felt great after that race. Very minimal cramping/pain for the first time in over a year. Very pleased.

I did my 8 mile training run Saturday. It was SO COLD...I had to wait until after 1pm for the sun to warm up. About 1/2 a mile out my boyfriend, Garmy, kicked. Guess he can't keep up with this ole girl...haha! I did my regular 3 mile loop back to my house...ran in and changed his batteries and ran right back out. I ran the 3 miles in just under 28 minutes, a faster pace than I wanted for a long run but I think it helped tame the wild horse inside me because I held a steady 10:10 for the next five miles. Heather was so right about slowing down. I ran the 5 without stopping and I ran an 8:40 on the last half mile. LOVE the strong finishes.

Today I feel fabulous! Changing my nutritional habits, the B-12 and potassium seem to be making a huge difference. I also have embraced the dreaded OATMEAL. UGH. Could there be anything more gross?????? Heather swears by it, so I gave it a shot. I'm sure she doesn't put 3 tablespoons of butter and a half a cup of brown sugar on hers though. The whole time I was eating it, I willed the stuff into my muscles. Instead of wanted to spit it out, I actually got it all down. Feeling so good after the longest run I've had since last March will keep me on track. I'm FIRED UP!

I am going back to the gym next week. I dropped out while I fixed myself. All the exercise classes combined with running was too much. I'm going to work it all back in slowly, starting with spin and yoga. I soooo miss yoga! My husband and I are waiting for the P90X too. That will work in very well with marathon training. It'll get Bobby back in shape after the back and neck surgeries too.

Now I will go check out Celmore...see if he's still on track too! I'm sure he is!!!!