Dash for Life 2012

Last week I ran my favorite 5K around here! It used to be the Railroad Days race and it is known for being a fast race. I have PRed there every year and always walk away my best time for the summer. It was a good race as usual and everyone did great. My time was alright at 23:16 which is maybe my 2nd fastest official 5K time. However, I ran a 22:55 there last year and was hoping to PR. BUT I knew going in that it was a long shot. On top of that my breathing has been a problem for a few weeks and I spent the first 1.25 miles little gasping and sucking in for every breath. That seems to be getting better with my runs this week so I am not sure what my deal was. 

Still a great race for a great cause! Lots of people had great races. Including my usual running partner who walked away with a time of around 22:15!! Lots of us medaled and I was able to get 2nd in the 30-34 age group. 

This will probably be my last 5K for a long time in case I randomly decided to sign up for one. Most weekends will be full of long runs except for the two weekends I have Bourbon Chase and Tough Mudder. Funny thing is that I am running 14 and 16 mile long runs with plans to run 18 and 20 mile long runs with no plans of running a marathon.... I mean I have two races that I am thinking about running but I have yet to actually sign up for something. Guess I need to get on that! 

The Difference a Year Makes

August 2011 1st day of Preschool Year 1 

August 2012 1st day of Preschool Year 2

A lot of us are getting ready to run our races we have prepared for all summer. We are going to compare ourself to last year and be upset if we do not set a new PR. I know there is a huge possibility I will not PR my favorite race this coming Saturday. Not because I have not worked hard for the past year or that I haven't tried. Simply because we are working adults with families, children and jobs. One thing I know for sure is my handsome son has most definitely grown in the past year. Not only is he physically taller than he was a year ago but his imagination has grown by leaps and bounds! He is more mature than he was this time last year. His favorite phrase right now is "I don't need you anymore" :( 

I hope we all remember to appreciate the growth in the other areas in our life. Our running may be in the same place it was last year but we are still running and should be grateful to have two healthy legs and one healthy body that can endure those runs. No matter how fast or how slow. Maybe we should slow down a little each day since the two pictures above show that life can pass us by before we know it. 

Run With ALL Your Hart

(The glasses were free and needed because the sun was bright; I do not think I am a movie star)

What can I say?!? I try to have fun while suffering thru racing! It is a love/hate relationship for sure. I love how pumped up you feel when you start and I love setting big goals and going for them. I do not like how hard it is to maintain the type of pace it takes to run short distances fast. I went into this 4 mile race with an "A" goal: Run 32 mins or less with all miles being 8:00 min pace or better. 

I have done this a couple times on a treadmill and once last week so I knew it was possible but was unsure of what the course was going to be like plus there were 2,500+ runners to get around. First, I want to say that every part of the race was perfect! Hundreds of volunteers, well organized, lots of goodies, plenty of post race food, cold towels at the finish, music every quarter mile, crowd support everywhere, neighbors in their yard and plenty more! It was the perfect race! Hard to believe it was the first year and all put together in around 6 weeks. 

Mile 1 7:43: I was right up front so there were few crowd issues. It was flat in the beginning and then had a steep downhill. I was running way too fast but knew a hill was coming at the end of mile 1. That hill was a slow, long climb that lasted from about . 8 to 1.2. We made a left hand turn and had a nice down hill but there was another hill out in front of us. I had caught glimpses of my pace and knew I should be below 8:00

Mile 2: 8:10 This mile started rough because of the hill. I was getting a side cramp from the extra effort of two hills back to back. Then my quads and butt started getting sore. The compression socks helped a lot with feeling warmed up quicker. But I think I got too warm with them on. I kept pouring water on the back of my neck to help. I never saw my pace in the 8:00s but obviously at some point it was. 

Mile 3: 7:58 Not much to remember about this mile. I did noticed that at halfway I was around 15:30 so I was on track to make less than 32 minutes. I had taken my ear buds out awhile back and was enjoying the music and crowd support. I made sure to wave and smile at as many people as I could so they knew I was running with all my heart and living in the moment for Sarah.  Each mile marker had a picture of one of her child. I saw her daughter's picture at mile 3 and that was very moving. 

Mile 4: 7:13. I am not sure how I busted that out but I was determined to make my goal. There was no way I was going to barely miss it. The finish was flat and slightly down hill so that helped a lot. We had to weave our way thru the runners but I was able to get around them easily. I was so happy to see that 31:03 when I crossed the finish! I also could have kissed the person that handed me an ice cold towel. That was awesome! Then I had a gatorade, banana, and HOMEmade carrot cake muffin! Great finish to the race. 

Time: 31:03 (chip time)

Pace: 7:46

Place: 114/1228

2nd Place in Age Group 

Great Race!!! 

Lots of runners from Danville made the drive to Russell Springs along with 2,500+ people from all over the state. Plus there were virtual runners in all 50 states and 6 countries! 

I have been so busy....

 Swimming in our little pool! 

Digging up dinosaurs at the Children's Museum. 

Driving hot rods. 

Riding rides at Holiday World. 

Being silly. 

Starring at this cute little face. 

Working on our bike riding. 

Sorry to rub in all the benefits of being a teacher but my summer has been wonderful! I have been to Chicago, Tybee Island, Great Wolf, Holiday World, Splashin' Safari, Indianapolis Children's Museum, a Legends baseball game, many pools and parks! Where do I stand in terms of working out and running?

Do not worry! I am hitting in harder than ever. Most weeks have been made up for 3 days of spinning, 2 medium runs, 1 long runs and some shorter runs mixed in there as well.  After spinning and some running I have been lifting weights and working on my arms. I started using Fitness Pal to make sure I was not over eating and over snacking. Which has resulted in loosing 2 pounds! WOO HOO! 

Now I must go back to work : ( Which means making a new workout schedule that will be less desirable. Early morning runs or after school gym workouts. Both of which are going to be hard since I will be tired from actually working all day. But I am going out with a bang this week. Not missing any workouts and 3 pool days!!