The not-so Polar Dash

The 14mile Polar Dash. 

 

Race Recap.

 

The race was about an hour and a half away from my house and it didn't start until 9am, so that meant that I actually slept in on a race day! Woohoo!

 

When I started out the morning, it was cold. In fact, about 45 minutes into the drive the thermometer on my car read 25 degrees. By the time the race started it was about 38 or so. It was beautiful race weather. However, it ended up being not-so polar!! I think by the time I finished running it was close to 70 degrees. I was burning up in my winter gear!

 

Here we are before the race.

 

Don't you love my skirt! :) I made skirts for me and Courtney. Then Courtney found us winter tshirts (from the children's section...) and fun socks. Yes, we were "adorable."

 

So how was the race? Well, it was hard. I am learning that for every "easy" race, you have a dozen hard ones! I'm still so new at this that I thought every race would get easier and I'd get faster. Not the case. There are so many intangibles that go into racing.

 

Back to the race...

Here we are about a 1/2 mile into the race. There were a LOT of people running. They started the 10k and 14mile people at the same time. On the divided road it was fine. But by mile 2 we were on a sidewalk on a bridge close to a turnaround, so we were all crammed on the same section of side walk! It was very frustrating.

 

 

 

 

The route was a 6 mile loop that covered a number of small ups and downs, a couple of bridges and lots of winding trail.

 

No spectators.

 

I didn't realize how much Cowtown ruined me for other races! I need crowd energy! There were NO spectators on this course. For 14 miles the only cheers you got were the people at the water stations.

 

The volunteers were nice and we got some great comments about our skirts. But running the same section of the route three times was hard. Passing mile marker 4 and seeing the 10 and 13 markers was demoralizing. It was a tough section (at least for me) and knowing that I had to do it two more times, then one more time was hard mentally.

 

I am also learning that I need to plan better for the road conditions. Wearing my older running shoes was probably not the best choice. I was great till mile 5. Then my foot started hurting a little. By mile 7 my hip was hurting. I wore my older shoes because my newer shoes had hurt my foot the week before on a long run.  I think I'm going to have to upgrade to some Hoka's for long concrete races!

 

In the end, I did the 14 miles in 2:31 (that includes a 3 minute stop at mile 8 for pottying and a gel). I had hoped for a better time, but I am reminding myself that I am still learning. I took gels and chews and then only at one gel at mile 8 and bummed a chew off of Courtney at mile 11. That's not enough food. And I totally skipped the water stop at mile 6. One of these days I am going to learn. My best races I eat a jelly bean or a chew at every mile marker. It gives me something to do, and that little calorie jolt is important.  I forget this. Then later when I process the race and wonder why I went from feeling strong and great at mile 9 to hurting and tired at mile 11 I remember the lack of food and water and that at that point I had been running for two hours!

 

But I made it to the end. Here I am coming in to the park.

 

 

 

 

And here we are with our medals!

 

 

 

And because running 14 miles wasn't enough....

 

Yes, this was AFTER the race.
(and it took multiple jumps to get a picture!)

 

And what will I take with me from this race? The knowledge that I am not good at a looped course and that I need spectators.

 

hmm.... this might change up some of my race plans for this year....





The Payoff

There are mornings when I really don't want to get up
before 5 am to run in the dark.

There are evenings when really all I want to do is eat
ice cream and sit on the couch.

But most of the time I am able to overcome those feelings and keep on trucking with my healthy lifestyle.

And I am so glad I am.

Cause running and races have become a normal part of our life, so much so that the girls have started asking for races too!

A couple of weeks ago was the Fuel Up To Play Fun Run.

Lexi and Kylie were so excited to race.

The night before the race, they spent the night with my parents along with their cousin Aspen and stayed up way too late, but Lexi and Aspen were still ready to run. Kylie... not so much.

Doug and I got there right before the race and found out that it was a 2 mile race, not the 1 mile that I thought. Oops! :)

I love this picture of Lexi. She is such a natural runner!

As Kylie came around the bend at about 1/2 mile, she bailed. 

And here are Lexi and Aspen at the end of the race. They did great!

Part of the excitement about the race was that the participants would receive a pedometer. Lexi was pumped. 3528 for 2 miles.. would have thought she'd get credit for more, but she was happy!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and Maddie is running her first 5K! And I'm not going to be there! :( But I am thrilled that she is running it with her cousin! Then on Saturday the little girls are doing another 1 mile race and Doug and I are doing a 5k. It's the same race as one we did last year. Fun... I have a time to beat!

Sometimes ME does benefit WE. The ME Impact.

When I decided to change my lifestyle and take control of my life back in May 2012, I had no idea the impact it would make on my family.  

It's really amazing when you think about it. I lost weight, I got in shape and I started running (a lot). All of those are ME things. I made an investment in MYSELF and my FAMILY is reaping the harvest!

For the most part, my kids only know about me running. They see my running shoes, my medals and they hear me talking about it. I train before they wake up in the morning and they have only gone to a couple of races, and never a "big" race. 

But they love it. And they are have started to consider themselves runners as well!

Since next weekend is going to be all about me and my marathon (well, and Doug and his first 1/2 marathon! Go Doug!!) this weekend I didn't participate in the Lion's Spooktacular Race except to jog the 1 mile fun run with Kylie. Maddie ran the 1 mile (for a personal best time) and Lexi' and her brownie troop participated as well. Doug ran the 5k.

It was hard for me not to race given that it was 1 year ago at this vary race that I ran my first 10k and felt like a REAL RUNNER. I just kept telling myself that this weekend was for the girls!

The sky was overcast and it was cool... great running weather!

Kylie wasn't thrilled about the pictures (when is she ever.ugh.) but she was SO excited to get her bib pinned on. She knows what this means! It's race time!

Here we are before the race. Lexi's troop wore tutu's and their shirts that we screen printed. Maddie is taller than me. I can't believe it.

The 1/2 marathon people had started long before we arrived, the 10k runners started a few minutes later (my running friends... ouch), then the 5k. Doug is the one in the orange shirt taller than everyone else!

Here is Lexi's troop before the race. Aren't they cute. We are missing a few of the kids, given that it looked like it was going to rain at any moment I'm not surprised!

And here we are getting ready to start. I love how serious Maddie is. No surprise.

And we are off.

By this point I had fully embraced my non-racing day and decided to take pictures and cheer on runners. As a runner who LOVES races, I think this was really good for me. It reminded me about the importance of being a great fan.

Isn't she adorable!

And then we turned around and went back to get the finishers.

Love this picture! So typical of Maddie. She finished strong, running past the finish line. That just the way she is. Always. We should all be so determined.

And here is Lexi coming in. It's not a close up, my camera sometimes takes tooo loong processing from one picture to the next. grrr.

And why do I think races are important? Look at these kids faces! They are so PROUD of themselves! There weren't any places to win, it was about finishing!

And then we cheered Doug in!

And a family photo.

Then I sent my family home cause it was wet and COLD at this point and I cheered for my fellow runners as they crossed the finish line. It was lots of fun.

Later we found out that Doug took 3rd place in his age group in the 5k! Cool stuff.

Jogging for Judah: A JOY RUN!

Doug and I ran in another race yesterday. This was near and dear to my heart as my friends and BRF's (best running friends) were putting this race on to support the adoption process of another BRF Kristy! How cool is that!

 

This race was done in our hometown but as luck would have it, I was out of town at my once a year scrapbook retreat. So I got up a little earlier Saturday morning and drove back to town to race.

 

Here is most of our group prior to the race.

Side note: Lesley doesn't run barefoot, but she does wear those rubber individual toe running shoes. Yes, I'm sure they have a real name!

It was great weather for a summer race. It was hot and humid, but we live in Texas and that is to be expected. I was really hoping to push for a PR, but I didn't take into account the toll 2 days of sitting doing nothing but scrapbooking would take on my hip.  I started the race with an achy left hip. Probably not the best conditions for a fast race. I also had had five "spells" or whatever you would call them on Friday where I know my heart did it's weird stop and re-fire thing. It is obvious to me that my constant state of motion is probably a good thing, because after sitting still and doing very little activity for 2 days resulted in my hands being all trembly and my heart hurting by Friday night. Good race conditioning I know! But before you get worried.. remember the cardiologist said my heart was great and was most consistant in beating when I am running. see, I needed to race!

Anyway... the ladies that I run with all the time and I very much enjoy running together. Here are a couple of the proofs from yesterday's race. You can see us in the background laughing and chatting while Doug is running very seriously ahead of us...

 

 

About a mile in, one friend started having asthma issues. We finally got her inhaler to her about mile 4. It was getting a little scary. We've decided that we will all get inhalers too and carry them with us in case she forgets again! Needlesstosay, pushing for a PR wasn't the priority of the day! But you know, that is one of the privileges of running with this group of ladies.. I know that without a doubt, if it had been me, they would have waited and helped me! I am so thankful to have this group of STRONG women to live my life with!

So back to the race, with about a mile left, I saw Doug a couple of blocks up... hmmm. yes I am that competitive. So I told my friends, I am off! And I raced Doug down and beat him by 30 seconds. I know, that's shallow of me. But hey what can I say, I know that in another 6 months Doug will have pushed past my times and will be waiting on me at the finish line. I gotta get the better time (even if it is just 30 seconds) while I can!

Here Doug is with his SECOND place medal!!

 

And here we both are with our medals. I got third in my division. Really I got fourth, but since the overall female winner came from my age group, I got bumped up! Guess I should be thankful that Wendy (another one of my BRF's) is soo stinkin' fast!

 



 

 

And here we are after the race. I must say, our little running community cleaned up on the awards!

I must say, it's a pretty cool thing to get to run with friends, take home a medal and know that you have helped bring a child to her forever family!



30 seconds shy of a PR, but a 2nd place finish!

On Saturday morning, Doug and I got up and went over to the little town down the highway and joined my running friends for a 10k. It was a beautiful morning.

I was hoping for a PR. But I didn't plan well. At least that is going to be my excuse.  You see, in the week leading up to the race, I worked out 8 times. That is not what you are supposed to do race week. oops. So I went in to Saturday morning's race with tired legs and a sore-ish hip.

Not that I did poorly, I just didn't best my only other 10k time.

And since I'm complaining, I'll also tell you about the bad roads and the zigzag course....

However, yes, I'll run this race next year and hope I do better.

So how did I do? My official time was 1:01:02. That was about 30seconds slower than the October race.

But all that said, I placed 2nd in my age group! And go Doug, he placed 1st in his!!

I love this picture of us! We look so fit!!

It's been quite a year!

It was a year ago that I decided I had to change my life. Don't know why Memorial Day was the day, but it was!  And what a year of change it has been! I didn't change the big things, like husband or family... just the everyday choices that made for an overweight and unhealthy me.

So, let's recap.

My first weigh-in for Weight Watchers had me at 173. ouch. I weighed on the Tuesday after Memorial Day. I did so purposely because I knew that weighing in on Monday mornings would be difficult after the weekend. Loosing the weight was going to be hard enough, I didn't the need emotional ups and downs of a Monday morning ouch!

Here is a picture right before I started on the new me.

 

Looking at that picture makes my heart hurt. I'm so glad I did something. In the the first three weeks I lost 11 pounds.  The below picture is me at the one month mark. I started running and even exercised while at the scrapbook retreat. But oh these pictures are not kind.

 

Sometimes we need to see the brutal reality we have created for ourselves.

 

Over the next couple of months as the weight came off and I exercised more, a new me began to emerge.

 

 

And then in August, I got up the nerve to start running with some ladies. This was huge! The idea that I could run with others.. crazy! This changed my world. I went from running 3 or 4 miles tops to knowing that I could keep a decent pace and run more miles. Awesome!!

So I decided to run a 10k. I hadn't even run a 5k in 15 years, but heck, I've never let things like that get in my way! And I did it and found out through the process that I love running and love races!

From October 20th to this past weekend I ran nine races. Five 5ks, one 10k, two half marathons and one adventure race!

 

 

And there you have it. I met my original Weight Watcher goal in November and got as low as 136 on December 11th. Then the holidays hit and the winter blahs and then the crazy spring..Today I am at 142. I'd really like to get to 135, but I'm not putting much pressure on myself as summer is about here and I get to start water aerobics!!

 

I think what I have been most amazed at over this year is that while I have lost a lot of weight, I have dropped a lot of sizes. I never imagined that I would wear size 6 jeans and small shirts. So yeah, I'd like to loose a few more pounds, but really, that's more about my mental issues with the scale cause I sure am happy with the me that has been uncovered!

 

 

oh and I've started training for a marathon!

Conquering Cancer 5k

Last weekend was a big running weekend in our house. On Saturday we had a Conquering Cancer 5k and Family 1 mile fun run. This was a big deal for us as the two families involved in this race are near and dear to our hearts.

 

Shari, in the below picture with Lexi is fighting breast cancer. She's one of my mom's closest friends, she taught Maddie in Kindergarten and is practically a family member. 

 

The other family is the Esquivel's. Their little baby, Riley was diagnosed with cancer at a month old or so! He's being held by his dad, Maddie's science teacher. Coach Esquivel is also a football coach and a champion of Maddie's.

Needlesstosay, this was not a benefit race that we were going to miss. Maddie wasn't able to go as she had Choir Solo and Ensemble. Bummer.

However, the rest of us participated! This was Lexi's first race!!

Here they are before the race. Kylie wasn't so impressed. She didn't like how the bib felt pinned on.

Lexi and Emma, ready to run!

 

I only signed up for the 1 mile as I was running the 1/2 marathon the next day. Good thing about doing that is that I got to take lots of pictures!

The races started with the 1 mile. Doug decided to run with us and use it as a warm up.

Kylie didn't last very long.

But how cute is that!

And look at this runner! Look at her form!! and if Blogger had allowed me to, I would have made the picture bigger so that you could see the joy on her face!

 

I'm thinking I have a running buddy!

After the fun run, all of the 5kers lined up for the timed run.

And they are off! Of course you don't get faces, they are too busy starting runkeeper!

During the race Kylie ate three blueberry muffins. I guess watching others run and being carried made her hungry!

 

And there is Doug coming in. I think it was his best time yet! Go Doug!!

I love how we were able to support our friends and our community and begin sharing a running bond with our girls. I am so very aware that we live in a very special place and am incredibly thankful that God brought us back to this community to raise our children.