Hot Chocolate 15k Recap!!

I was slated to run a different race on Dec 6th, but I just couldn't commit in my heart to train for it. I debated for a really long time, and finally made the decision to drop out of it. What's the point of training for and talking about a race that you just can't get excited about? Running should always be "fun". I say it that way cause most of us know, sometimes it's hard, but if it's not fun, we wouldn't keep doing it. At the time, dropping out felt really big. I hate going back on my word, but I just couldn't do it.

A couple weeks afterwards I decided to take a leap and register for the Hot Chocolate 15k! I've had it on my bucket list for a few years, but have been talking about it for at least the past two. I generally don't run on Sundays, but from time to time... and it's one I REALLY wanted to do! And then, running got fun again! I couldn't wait to run it.

Volunteers rock!

The Saturday before, my awesome friend Brecka, picked me up and we headed down to put in some volunteer work at the expo. I had volunteered last year and enjoyed myself, but knew it would be more fun with a friend. Thankfully she entertains some of my hair brained ideas and joined me! Man I love her! We spent 5 hours in the "try on" station. Did you know Hot Chocolate allows you to try on a jacket to be sure you've received the right size, and will swap it out if it doesn't fit, so long as there's one to trade with?! The only key is YOU CAN'T OPEN YOURS FIRST! Once your jacket bag has been opened, they can't be exchanged! What a deal though! Despite not feeling very well, I had a great time hanging out with Brecka there and meeting everyone who came by! I even got to meet one of my favorite ladies from Instagram!!! Hi Carol!!

We are the coolest! Haha

Brecka and I decided we wanted to dress up for this race. Neither of us had done that before, so we were pretty excited about it! We settled on dressing as snowflakes and spent the week leading up to the race preparing our costumes. Because. Priorities. I sewed up a couple of fun skirts and she got a couple of snowflake head bands, we tossed in some blue shirts and blue Procompression socks, and called it good. I think we did a pretty great job!

Flat Runner!

We left pretty early race morning to get there. I had been told on numerous occasions that the traffic is a bear to get through, and neither of us wanted to put up with that. We definitely got there early, but I actually liked the amount of time we had. We were able to walk to the complex for the bathrooms, go back and stay warm in the car until closer to race time, I was able to add an extra strip of KT Tape, all without being rushed. It was great!

As it got closer we headed to the start line for another bathroom stop (there were no shortage of Porta Johns!! I mean really, there were sooo many!!) and to get pictures with our MRTT group! As we walked up, the first person we saw was Carol!! Boy she's a fun lady! Just as sweet in person as she is on Instagram. We snapped some pictures and chatted for a bit before heading off to find MRTT.  I didn't do any gear checks, so I don't know how that worked out for anyone, but it seemed simple enough. You can use the bag your swag came in and check it with your bib number. They put it in a box and have people there to take them from you and give them back as you get ready to leave.

It was so cold! Pic cred: Carol

Shirley, Brecka, Pic cred: Olivia

But for real. We have way to much fun together! Pic cred: Carol

Start line

After getting pictures we finally made our way over to our corral. It was nice to discover we were in a corral without walkers. Mad props to anyone who comes to race. Truly. But it was nice to not have to dodge around anyone. Everyone in our corral pretty much started out at our pace and it made getting out of there so nice! We lined up behind the 9:30 pacer and stayed right with him through the whole race. It started out so cold!! Neither of us could feel our toes! But don't worry, it definitely heated up pretty quickly!

It's still too cold!! And my face??

The announcer sent us on our way, and that's where the trouble started for me! Immediately my left calf/shin seized up and it would not let go! It hurt so badly. For three miles I fought this pain which also turned into numbness. How you have both at the same time, I'm not sure, but it did.

I was so focused on making sure I lifted my foot and set it down right, hoping I didn't roll my ankle or trip on the street, I couldn't really enjoy the first part of the race. I just kept thinking to myself, it's just a training run, it's okay, you can slow down or walk; don't let the 9:30 pacer out of your sight though; don't walk because you might not be able to start again; pick up your foot, set it down; don't trip, don't take out anyone around you; let Brecka know you're hurting, wait, what did she say back to you; pick up your foot, put it back down; point your toe and stretch it; DO NOT ROLL YOUR ANKLE; DO NOT FALL!!

For three long miles this is how it was going! I wanted to cry! I wanted to quit. I was so incredibly frustrated!! How does this happen! I hadn't run in a week due to some other unrelated pain and a cold, but I've never had an effect like this before.

As I was coming into mile 3 I finally told myself, if the pain continued into mile 4, I was going to have to stop. I was going to have to walk. I was going to have to try and stretch it out. It was getting dangerous for me and the racers around me. I was going to do damage to my body, or if I went down, I could hurt another runner! I was going to have to make peace with a possible DNF. I was going to have to send Brecka along her way, who stayed right by my side the entire time. I know she was telling me to keep going, but I don't remember really what she was saying to me, I couldn't focus. I love her guts!! We rounded a corner just before mile 3 and all of a sudden the pain and the numbness was gone. Just like that. Like a snap of my fingers. Gone! I took a huge deep breath and almost cried of joy. I told Brecka the pain was gone, and we surged ahead! We hadn't let the pacer get far ahead of us at all, so we just cruised along right behind him for a bit before we moved passed him.

Mile 3- mile 6 was tons of fun! It was like a Saturday long run! We were laughing and joking and running and waving to our friends as we all passed one another along the course (thanks to some out and backs), thanked all the volunteers, thanked the police and medics, high fived people, thumbs upped people who complimented our awesome costumes... it was a blast!

Thank you Melissa for the capture!

Mile 7 was a different story! The "out" before the "back" had started to get long, and I had exhausted an enormous amount of mental and physical energy during those first three miles, that my tank was nearly empty. I was fading and I knew it. And Brecka knew it. I kept chanting to myself (out loud) that we were almost there, just keep going, you've got this, it's okay, come on come on come on... Brecka was cheering me on by my side. This time I heard her.

Then I focused for a bit on this cutie little girl ahead of us, creaming us, on this course! She was so little, but she was ROCKING it! What an amazing girl, and amazing dad to stay right by her side! (I wished I had asked to take their picture.) Then mile 8 hit and my inhaler had worn off, and we were running into a headwind and breathing was getting really hard. But I had already gone this far and I was NOT giving up without a fight. I knew I had it in me. And Brecka assured me I had it in me. And then we came to the photogs, and you HAVE to smile for them! And it was hard and breathing was hard, but then the finish line came into view and I knew I could finish it strong! We crossed that line together with arms in the air and huge smiles on our faces!!

So so close to the finish!

We made it! Together!

The sun was so bright! And we are wiped!

It was a hard fought for finish and it was an amazing feeling to know I hadn't given up when it got hard. I pushed my body and my mind, but truthfully, if Brecka hadn't been there, I'm not so sure I would've actually finished! She really helped get me through those dark miles. But now I know, I CAN! I can do it! I did it! I spent a lot of time running solo, but since running with a friend, I've been able to push myself more. That woman helped push me forward that day. She assured me what I already knew! I love her more and more each day and I'm so grateful for our friendship. We keep it pretty dang real and I really appreciate the raw authenticity we show one another.

As we came through the finisher chute we hugged tight, misty eyed, out of breath and then we went to party hearty with some amazing chocolate! The finishers mug is kind of awesome, a little rich for me (I struggle to eat much after I run like that), but well worth risking getting sick over it, haha!

Picture snagged from Olivia!

We sat and chatted with other friends as they came by to get their mug, snapped some selfies, I stripped off my skirt to show a friend how it had been made, lol, it was the perfect ending!

Our selfie game is strong, lol!

What a fun morning!! The race may have had some really dark moments, but it was well worth it. I enjoyed every moment, even the hard ones. I LOVE running races with Brecka and I'm pretty certain, we have to do more of that! I also think I've decided that the Hot Chocolate 15k will need to be permanently placed on my "race schedule"! And besides, rocking my hard earned, hard fought for, jacket... that is an amazing feeling!!!

Not too shabby considering what I went through!

I love this jacket!! Hard earned!

Half Marathon Training Week 3

Here we are, 3 weeks into the Run Less Run Faster program. Some of the workouts are about to get a little more interesting, but this week was still pretty basic.

Monday I suited up and headed to the pool for an easy kick workout. My shins are awfully sore, but I don't notice it in the pool at all, so I manage through the workout easily. The plan called for 20 lengths of kick and rest 20 sec. I include what I think is a reasonable warm up and cool down. I didn't notice a set one in the book. Maybe I should look closer. I was starting to feel a little bummed about the easiness of the swims, but I glanced ahead at the coming weeks... I'm gonna be pretty busy in the water  starting next week!! Yikes!!

Tuesday was track day of course, but I didn't get to run with Brecka, waaa!! The holiday crazy schedule has started, but hopefully we'll be able to do more runs together than not. I really enjoy them. It took me most of the night, but I finally made my way out for the warm up. My shin was in so much pain, by the time I got to the track and the warm up was finished I needed to go home and put on some Procompression calf sleeves. I needed more support desperately and they always do the trick. I made my way back to the track for Yasso 800's x6!! They needed to be held at 4:05. Due to the pain in my shin and my garmin under measuring a little, the splits were a little more all over the place and not as steady as I normally go for, but they were definitely reasonable. Finished up my cool down on the track, which I don't normally do, but it was dark, so the annoyance of the same sights isn't a problem, haha! Plus it was nice to have the rubber under my feet.

Wednesday has become one of my favorite days. Rest day is something I protect quite seriously. I still walk 10,000 steps as a challenge in one of my local MRTT groups, but it's something I'll probably continue. I like the movement and it helps work out some of the tightness I would otherwise just sit through.

Thursday is tempo day, but since it was Thanksgiving, it was Turkey Trot day!! 6 miles were on the schedule and our little neighborhood trot is a 5k or loop a second time for the 10k. Naturally I ran the 10k. I tried to tape up my shin, but it still hurt pretty badly, so I added some topical creams to help with the pain, took some ibuprofen, iced it and went to bed with hopes that it would be manageable. The plan says 2 easy, 3 @ 8:58, 1 easy, but I decided to go for broke and race that sucker. I wanted a PR if I could get one. And I DID!!! One day I'll have a sub 55:00, but this was not the year for it.

Flat Lovie

Flat Run Like the Winded

My sweet little Lovie has been telling me for the entire year she wanted to do the 5k. I took her out the evening before to walk the course so she knew which turns to make. She said she didn't want me to have to run with her, even though I offered over and over again. She complained of sore aching feet, after glancing down at her shoes, I knew why. We got done and headed to get her new shoes. We even managed to score an early black Friday deal on them. I also hooked her up with her own pair of crops and then Brecka provided us with a replacement top for my handheld water bottle for her. She was set to go! We flat runnered her the night before and off she went to bed.

Cheering in runners!

Just so proud of her. Goof!

Everyone I ran into after the race said she did a great job! They said she looked happy and strong! She finished in 41:10 and I could not be more proud of her. She finished her race and then stood to watch the other racers come in. Her cute little face was the first I noticed as I finished and it made me smile BIG! Boy I love that girl! As we were walking home after, she mentioned that her miles were for Jaylee!! Be still my heart! Later she told me she feels like she accomplished something big in her life...while smiling huge and gesturing big! I believe that was probably the runners high talking, but I'm so happy for her!

Friday is second cross training day, and I was ABSOLUTELY headed to the gym, but woke up with the worst migraine. Seriously! I had hopes, but it just didn't happen.

The resistance was at a 7!

Saturday long run day was to be 10 miles,  easy. If I had run with Brecka I would've done them on the road. Our plans didn't work out to go together, so I opted for the elliptical. My shin really is in an enormous amount of pain and I figured I should maybe reduce the amount of load bearing I put on it. So 10 miles on the elliptical! An hour and forty-two minutes on that thing! You know what isn't very fun? Using the elliptical for that long! Holy heck! I wanted to mimic running as much as I could and figured that was the best way to do it.

I finally got done and decided to pick up the cross training I missed. I really wanted to do it and the plan does say we can double up workouts once in a while, so I did. I decided on the rowing machine and tried to follow that workout. I wasn't clear on what tempo meant entirely, so I just kind of went with it since it was the first time using the rower. That is a tough workout!! My shins were screaming by the time I was done, haha. I wonder if that defeated the purpose of not running. Regardless, I love the rower now and will probably use that as my second cross training workout each week.

Overall a pretty great week three!! I do believe the shin pain will come to an end. I believe it is shin splints and nothing more, but I am trying to be smart about how to handle it. I am rolling them and my calves with my Worm and my m80roller. I even used my tens machine as well. I have a product called Arnicare that I apply and follow it up with doTERRA's Deep Blue rub. I wear Procompression socks and sleeves to add more support. I need to learn the right application for KT Tape as well. I'm sure that would help a lot if I knew how to do that the right way. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I need to start lifting. I really am anxious about it. I almost did a little on Saturday, but I had already been at the gym forever and needed to get home. Will this be the week that I can talk myself into gingerly adding it in?

A preview of my Hot Chocolate 15K costume!  Hopefully I can turn all that cute fabric into two of these cute skirts! 

Half Marathon Training Starts!!

So, I'm going to try something a little different this training cycle while preparing for the Phoenix Half Marathon. I'm going to try and blog about it! This is only my third year running again, and still my first year racing. I've done two half marathons and a few 5k's, a 12k and a 10k. So I'm still learning about what works for me and what doesn't. For my first half marathon I used the Runkeeper app and a training plan it had. It was A LOT of miles and I wound up grounded for three weeks with horrible IT band pain the month before the race. I still made it to the starting line, but I was still injured.

I had been looking into using a different training plan, but didn't know which one. There are so many out there, each promising to get you right where you wanna be. Then one night my best running friend, Brecka, messaged me and said she was pretty sure she's going to use the Run Less Run Faster program to train, and asked what I was going to use.

Now this is a plan I had looked at, but haven't heard much about. I figured, if I use it, we could train together and maybe it would help keep me on track to have a friend to run with and an accountability partner for completing cross training workouts. So I bought the app for my phone, ordered the book from Amazon, set a finish time, and got excited at the prospect of not having to run as much using this program.

Current read. We affectionately call it the "Running Bible" or the "RB".

I haven't quite finished reading the book, I'm almost done, but I LOVE the way training is set up! 3 running days and 2 cross training days. The running days include a track workout, a tempo workout, and a long run, all paces are worked out for you based on your time from a finished race and desired finish time. The cross training for each week has already been planned as well, all you have to decide is which of the two workouts you want to do. There's a lot of information in the book. If you plan to use the program I suggest buying it. Here at Amazon it's cheaper than in the bookstore.

I'm choosing to not disclose my finish time, simply because everyone has some kind of opinion of how fast someone should be able to run. If you follow the same plan, you may be able to figure that out of course.

I have chosen to use the swim as one of my cross training workouts and will alternate between the bike and rowing for the other one. I will also be adding in some strength training to help build muscle and for overall strength and health, even though the plan doesn't necessarily recommend that.

I've just finished week one. I'm starting off injured, which of course isn't ideal, but I know if I listen closely to my body, I should be okay. Monday and Friday will be cross training days, Tuesday track, Thursday tempo and Saturday long run with Wednesday and Sunday as rest days.

Monday's swim workout was actually quite easy. It involved 20 lengths of the pool only kicking with 30sec rest in between. I was a swimmer in a past life, so it really wasn't difficult and made me want to do more, but I'm going to trust the process and follow the plan as closely as I can. In the book it talks about how swimming can loosen the ankles of a runner and help with lower leg power. I also wear short flippers (Finnis Zoomers) which I've read help force your feet to kick the right way. I always wind up with minor shin splints when I start swimming again, I'm hoping that it's just all of the muscles loosening up and the issue will be a short lived one. I also lifted a small circuit of lighter weights for legs that day. I have a hamstring injury (likely tight muscles) and am trying to help strengthen my legs overall. I really miss lifting and am happy to be back in the gym again.

Tuesday was my first track workout and the first workout I was able to do with Brecka! She'd never done speed work like this before so I was pretty excited for her and for our chance to run together!! The workout called for 12 times 400 lengths at 2:00 each and a 90 sec recovery interval. My legs were pretty sore from the previous day's weight lifting, but I managed to nail each one of them at 1:59. We are also doing the required warm up and cool down, which I've never done before, but we're both pretty serious about not getting more, or re, injured!

Wednesday was a rest day, and thank goodness for that! I'm already tired!!

Thursday had me a little worried. The first two miles were to be spent warming up and working your way to your tempo pace. I had not run at any of those paces in a really long time and was anxious at the prospect of having to do so now. What if I bombed it?!! After a quick pep text from Brecka I finally made my way out there to tackle it. Not even a mile in, my Garmin died. That can't be a good sign right? I walked myself home and charged it up just enough to finish the workout. To my surprise, I completely nailed every pace and held the tempos 100% steady! That is a good feeling!
 

Friday was meant to be a cross training day, and I was looking forward to it, but I was having some serious pain in my lower back. I had inadvertently bruised some muscles while trying to roll out my upper back where there's another injury (super tight lats and traps). I decided to rest so I would be ready for the long run on Saturday. It was a good choice. I'll get the second cross training workout this week.

Saturday's run was pretty much perfect! It was amazing weather, a little cold, but not so bad it was uncomfortable, sunny (eventually, we started in the dark) and gorgeous! Brecka and I nailed paces, though a little scattered, and came in under the recommended pace time by 5 sec. Not something we should necessarily do, but GPS is a little wonky on the canal, so we'll make do.

Overall this week's training was pretty much perfect! I loved every minute of it. The sore muscles (not the painful ones), the nerves, the success, the friend! It was great. Some things I still need to work on... adding in upper body lifting. I'm recovering from too tight muscles in my left traps and lats and have been given permission from the chiropractor to start lifting light weights, but to be careful. I will hopefully have another appt this weekend to help work out the knots. I also need to start eating way better. I am not currently eating to perform, and that is not okay. The demands of training means I've got to fuel right. I'm learning, and I'll get there.

If you're still here reading, congrats! That was a lot to go through, haha! Thanks for sticking around and following my journey thus far! I am excited for this training cycle and where I could be in the next 16 weeks! Maybe a PR!

  

Also, are you wondering about the wraps I'm wearing with the positive mantras on them?  Let me tell you about them quickly.  I'll do a separate post about them in further detail, later.  The company is called Momentum Jewelry and the wraps I'm wearing are Motivate Wraps.  I've recently become an ambassador for them, and I couldn't be more excited!!  Right now if you sign up at their website to receive their newsletter (don't worry, they won't spam you), you will receive a 20% coupon code to order from them!!  Sounds like a good deal to me!!  I LOVE my wraps and recently made a huge order.  I've already got in mind the next ones I want for my next order!!  Head over now and get signed up!!

Who or What Inspires You?

Where do you get your inspiration from? I read this article and it really resonated with me, so let me introduce you to someone who inspired me. I have this super awesome friend. Her name is Michelle. One day I noticed she was posting a workout here or there with her husband on Facebook. She'd post a picture of her husband and herself at the gym, she was posting what she was eating and doing on My Fitness Pal. I'm not sure what prompted her to start sharing things, but I'm glad she did. She was diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis and she wasn't letting that get her down. She was working. Hard. And I thought, if this amazing girl can do it, then I can too. I haven't looked back since. She was such an inspiration to me. She would start up a live run with runtastic and I'd be able to click in and cheer for her! I loved it! Every time she'd run I'd think, I totally gotta get out there and do it too. 

I'm grateful for the days when my awesome friend started posting what she was doing on social media. It helped inspire me to start moving and doing the same things. I'm even more grateful that she is the one I ran into at the finish line of our first half marathon at the Phoenix marathon. We didn't run it together....but we ran it together. It was not lost on me that she was the one friend I was able to hug on that line. She was my first inspiration. The one who was strong enough to start sharing her journey. The one who decided if her husband could do it, so could she. The one who showed me, that if she could do it, so could I.

So I will continue to post my runs, my workouts, the goofy games that cycle through on instagram. It's a way for me to stay motivated, to connect to others doing the same things as me, to be accountable to myself. I'll do it, because I like to remind myself, that I'm capable of doing great things, hard things, fun things. I love the "likes" and comments that sometimes helps propel me to my next workout. I do my best to interact with others in the same ways. Because in the end, even though we're all on our own journey, we're really all in this together.

Thank you Michelle for sharing that part of yourself with us! I think you're amazing! And I'm so glad I get to call you friend.

Pictures borrowed with permission from Michelle. Wishing like crazy we had gotten one together, but we'll always remember 😊.