Not your average race recap: Cleveland Half Marathon

So I’ve been going back and forth since Sunday whether or not I wanted to do a recap of this race since as those of us who ran Sunday know, it wasn’t the ideal conditions to run a great race.

My half marathon experience was like running through HELL. The rising temps with the blazing sun shining down on us with little shade to find relief made running a challenge. After I went through the first water stop just around mile 2, I was already pouring water down my back and on my head to cool my body temperature down. By mile 5  I could quickly feel my legs growing heavier and not cooperating. By mile 6, I decided that this was going to be a survival race, and not one to write home about with a fast time.

No breeze and very little shade made it really tough on my body. About a third of the way down Detroit Avenue, I took to running on the sidewalk to escape the sweltering sun and grab some shade. But the further down Detroit I ran I was forced back onto the road because of all the spectators lining the sidewalks. My race became a run/walk to the finish line, with a lot of walking. Too much walking for my liking. But my legs did not seem to want to go for long periods of time. I did have some moments where I pushed through and ran comfortably, but then my mind would get sidetracked and I’d focus on the weather conditions and break my streak and begin to walk again. My mental state during this race was horrible. I tried running with one of my friends when we caught each other, but I lost her at a water stop that again was jammed packed with runners waiting on volunteers to fill cups. Which happened at EVERY water stop I came to. I think it was a combination of inexperienced runners and volunteers not having a good system to keep the supply up with the demand.

But this race only went as well as my training. I admit while I did all my long runs, I slacked a lot in my shorter runs during the week. The only goal I had for this race was to finish faster than my first half. I didn’t do it. A combination of the weather conditions and my slacking in preparation showed through on race day. I also had time to realize that I need to simply get in better shape. I am not the same runner I was a year ago at this time. I am slower and a few pounds heavier. I realized that I need to put getting back into shape first while working on getting my speed back. Thats going to involve keeping my mileage low and ramping up my cardio and strength training to get the results I want. I also think scaling back my running will help me fall back in love with it. Honestly I did not enjoy racing Sunday. I was relieved to finish and did not experience any runner’s high what so ever. That is a true sign that I need to step back and not make it the only thing I do, but one of several things I do.

But I digress since this is suppose to be your not so average race recap.

When I found out that race photos were already available online, I went straight to see how mine turned out. I took Jess’ “The Logo’s” advice about keeping your eyes open for the cameras and I stayed on the outside of the runners to be seen. I saw plenty of photographers in the beginning of the race and tried to made sure I was seen, basically being a camera whore. haha

(Last year I only had finish line photos from the race and they were AWFUL and cluttered with other runners.)

So when I saw THIS photo, I knew I had to do a race recap, letting the photos tell the story of my CLE experience.

I immediately laughed out loud when I saw this photo.

Yes, I look like a dumb ass. But, there is a back story to this photo. Like I said, I saw a bunch of photographers within the first mile of the race. I knew one of my friend’s from the Plain Dealer was covering this race so I kept my eye out for him in the front half of the race. As I am running along the shoreway, I am quickly approaching a photographer that I believe to be my friend.  So I jump out in his line of vision to try and get his attention. As I pass him I notice that it indeed is NOT him, but a brightroom photog.

Giving me exhibit A. The most ridiculous race photo EVER!

You think Cleveland Marathon will make me the new “logo” with this shot?!

Now this photo is just after the mile 11 marker as you make your way down Ontario in front of Tower City. At this point I was walking. But I saw a photographer up ahead so I told myself I will NOT have a photo of me walking. So I picked it up back into a run and gave the best smile and thumbs up that I could.

This is my “I want to quit right now I’m so hot and can barely run” smile. Pretty good, eh?!

These last photos are my finishing photos. As I was running down Saint Clair mid mile 12, I told myself this is it. You are running the rest of the way, no excuses. I was so relieved to charge down E. 9th St and make the final turn to the finish line. I knew the clock time and my chip time were about 9-10 minutes apart, but it still would be my worst half time to date. But I was just glad I finished and didn’t quit like I wanted to after mile 11.

I give major props to all those people who rocked the full marathon under the brutal temps. You guys are true warriors! But I firmly believe all of us, whether we ran the half or full, are part of a special fraternity of runners who conquered the heat, pains, and mental battles to achieve a goal we set out to do.

“We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon.” ~Emil Zatopek

I know we all swear we look horrible in 99.9% of our race photos, but have you ever had one that made you laugh or you looked completely ridiculous?

Shaking things up and trying something new

As the Cleveland (half) marathon approaches and my runs are increasing in mileage, I am trying my best to not skip any runs during the week so my long run on the weekends aren’t hell. Last weekend I ran 8 miles on Sunday only having run 3 miles on Tuesday. I didn’t plan to skip my runs on Wednesday and Thursday, but I was dealing with some personal things that just kept me from wanting to run. Thankfully my friend Jenine ran 6 of the 8 miles with me so it made the miles fly by and also forced me to push through the times when I wanted to stop and walk.

As the Hermes 10-miler sneaks up on me this week, I’ve been doing my best to get runs in no matter what. Tuesday was a fail because of a hand full of things. However, yesterday I made myself get up earlier enough before work to get miles in. Today, I wanted to shake things up. I decided to forgo eating lunch during my 30-minute break at work and hit the pavement to get in a 30-minute run. I have never done this before because my lunch break varies from day to day depending on what my assignment schedule is and sometimes I don’t end up taking a proper break until the last 30 minutes of my day. While it was overcast all day, the rain finally stopped early afternoon which gave to the perfect conditions to get a run in. I ran somewhere I’ve always wanted to run, but have yet to make it a route. It was a nice 3 mile loop that had some nice down hills to work the quads, and some small hills to get those in as well. Not too much flat terrain which made for a nice variety. Since I was on a time crunch, I was really forced to push myself to get the miles in before I had to get back to work. While this isn’t something I can do often, but it was a nice change in my routine. I actually felt refreshed and got an energy recharge. It would be awesome if more employers offered an extended lunch period so their employees can have the opportunity to exercise. I think it would make for a more productive work environment.

Something else new that I am venturing into is participating in two races in one weekend. Crazy, right?! I had signed up for the Hermes 10-miler several months ago as a perfect training run for the CLE half marathon. Most of the Hermes course is part of the half course for CLE so its a nice muscle memory training run. I ran it last year and enjoyed it so I knew it would be a race I wouldn’t miss. Earlier this week I signed up for the Tree Trotter in Wellington. Its a half marathon and 3.5 mile race in the Wellington Reservation. Its an NCN race and I have a free race with them from volunteering at a race last year. I figured signing up for the 3.5 mile race would be a good way to add miles to my week and shake out my legs from the long run the day before. The nice thing about this race is that it will be small and through the metro park on a crushed stone path. Its the first year for this race so we’ll see how the course and race goes.

 

I am really trying not to psych myself out for the 10-miler race on Saturday. Its been 6 months since I’ve ran 10 miles and I’m hoping I can survive without any injury or running out of gas in my tank. I’ve been doing my best to keep hydrated and eat healthy this week in preparation for the race. I know it will be a good bench mark of where I stand for CLE in less than a month. I don’t know what it is, but my heart and dedication to training isn’t in it like it has been in the past. I don’t know if something changed post marathon, but I find it hard to be super strict and dedicated 100% to my training like I was with my first and even second half marathons. I know I can run the distance, but I know my pace and endurance is much different. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I have lost a core group of my training buddies that made training more enjoyable. I know life happens, but I miss the camaraderie I gained through running with friends. I’m hoping this summer the #dirtyrunner Ragnar team can get in weekly runs together. I know it will not only help my running by running with these rockstars, but I know it will strengthen our friendships by spending time together.

 

How do you shake things up in your training to keep things new and interesting? 

Have you ever run more than one race in a weekend? Any advice on recovery post races?

Revealing my “secret”

Okay, so in my last post I said that I had a secret that I wasn’t quite ready to reveal because I didn’t want to jinx it.

Well today I can confidently reveal that I, Anna, gave up junk food for 40 days! Say what?! The girl who has the biggest sweet tooth this side of the Mississippi went without all those tasty treats for 40 wholes days? Without a meltdown?
Why yes ladies and gentleman, I managed to kick my sweet tooth for 40 whole days without caving.

After failing miserably during “no sweets” February, I knew Lent would be the perfect time to redeem myself. And after I saw that Jess said she was embarking on a no junk food challenge during Lent, I put myself up to that challenge.
Basically, the challenge stated no:
-white bread
-potato chips
-peanut butter or similar type spreads
-pastries
-fast food
-chocolate
-candy
-soda pop
-ice cream/froyo
-cake/cupcakes

I modified my list by allowing peanut butter since I use it sparingly in fueling my workouts. I do not eat white bread or drink pop, so these two were easy not to consume. Chocolate, I only like in moderation so going 40 days without it wouldn’t be a problem. The toughest part in my eyes would be eliminating the froyo, cupcakes and sweet, sugary candy I love. But, I started out in the right frame of mind so I knew I could make it through without caving in this time.
My secret was all in the thought process. I would find myself wandering up and down aisles at stores aimlessly just looking at what I couldn’t have and didn’t feel the urge to buy anything and pig out. I knew even though my favorite things taste good, but the ever lasting effects on my body weren’t worth the instant satisfaction.
I was put in several positions where food was available in a social setting or the things I couldn’t have we’re offered to me. I could have easily cheated because no one there knew I’d given junk food up for Lent. But I knew I would feel guilty for giving into temptation. After the first two weeks, I noticed that I wasn’t craving the sugary things I once longed for. My taste for them had disappeared and I was getting my sugary fix through fruits with their natural sugars.

As Easter approached, I did start planning what I was going to indulge in and what Easter candy I was going to buy.

But also as Easter approached, I was very nervous about being “allowed” to have the junk I gave up again. Would I just fall back into old habits and this bit of progress would be for nothing?

But today, I can gladly (and surprisingly) say I didn’t go hog wild like I thought. I can thank that to a grumbly stomach I’ve had all day thanks to consuming 3 bud light platinums last night without having dinner.
My first indulgence was an apple fritter from Kiedrowski’s Bakery. O.M.G! So. Good! I ate it slowly and savored every bite!

After church, we (Aaron and I) had Easter Brunch with Jess and her family. I brought PACZKIS and snoogles from Kiedrowski’s to share. I only had half of a half cut and a view Starburst jelly beans (the best!). I filled up on awesome egg bake, stuffed french toast and fruit.

The amount of available sweets in the house right now is crazy! But I am perfectly confident they will be able to last for a long time because I’m not planning in going on a binge fest.

So where do I go from here?

A couple weeks ago I decided to continue on my no junk food quest indefinitely. With one exception. I will allow myself one day a week ( Sunday) to pick a treat to indulge in. A serving size of something, not the entire amount of something. I know I can easily kill a bag of Twizzlers, Sour patch kids or any other sugary candy, but I’m trying to teach myself portion control. Enjoy a little of something to satisfy without going overboard. This is something I believe I can achieve now that I’ve gone an extended period of time without.

Trying to retrain my brain how to think in certain situations where I would reach for the junk to calm or comfort myself and replace those bad habits with positive, good habits.

Fessing up

Well, hello little blog! Its been a LONG time! I’ve been meaning to write (I really have!), but to be honest I’ve been a little scared.

Say what?

Yeah, I’ve been scared to blog. I’ve been scared to put out there in the inter webs what has been going on with this wannabe runner in the past month or so. Afraid of putting words on a screen for everyone to read about things that have been frustrating me and leaving me feel almost ashamed.

But after my run this evening, I decided it would be best to put things out there and hope maybe it would solve my problems and make things better.

For those of you who stalk me on Twitter, you may have read across my Daily Mile updates about constantly being frustrated with my running/training for CLE. Yes, I have been very frustrated with myself and my progress (or lack ther of) in my half marathon training. I don’t feel like I am getting any faster or that my endurance is coming back. Running one mile straight hasn’t happened in like FOREVER. ONE stinking mile! I can’t run one mile without stopping to walk. Its part physical pain, and part mental. I know I need to overcome my mental obstacles and just believe I can run farther even though it feels uncomfortable. If I don’t challenge myself on my runs to push beyond the comfort box, I’ll never improve. I know this. I can see small glimpses of my old self when I can run a pace sub-10-min, but I can’t hold that pace for very long. I am constantly beating myself up during my runs and get frustrated. Two Sundays ago on my long run (5 miles) I contemplated dropping back to running the 10k at CLE or even dropping out all together. <—- That thought was probably my lowest point in self doubt. I tried to bounce back the next week and felt I did with some better runs. But then once I had sub-par run, I began doubting myself and capabilities. I thought, “My Ragnar team mates are gonna hate me come October when I slow down our overall times down with my turtle-like pace.”

I need to tackle my mental obstacles first. As far as physical, I think I made a poor choice when buying new shoes back in January by switching brands. I never had the knee pains I experience now when I ran in Mizunos. It sucks because I’ve only had these shoes 3 months and don’t really want to drop another $100 on shoes.

 

So…there is also another little secret I’ve been keeping from this blog. I’m afraid to make it known to all in this blogsphere because I’m two weeks shy of making my goal and don’t want to jinx it and screw it up like I did the last time I attempted it. So, for now I’m going to keep it a secret until I succeed in my goal.

 

I’m currently in week 6 of half marathon training! I FINALLY printed out my training schedule that I’ve been basically going on by memory. After working with the calendar, I had two add two more weeks at the end of the training schedule to keep it in line with CLE since its a week later this year. Which is going to be a plus for me because it will give me a 12 mile long run two weeks out from the race, which I will need desperately.

One thing I’ve realized as I’m training more is that I miss, miss, miss running with other people. I did it alot last spring when several of my friends were training for the same race. This year, a different group of friends is training for the race. Unfortunately, geography and mismatched schedules has prevented me from meeting up with them to run on the weekends. As we move into April and closer to the race, I’d definitely love to run with one or more persons at least once on the weekends. I think it will help me overall in my running to get closer to where I want to be for the race.

As I put the finishing touches on my training plan, I wrote down two goals. Goal A: Finish faster than CLE 2011 time. I finished in 2:16. Which at the pace I’m running now seems like a large goal. Goal B: Finish faster than my first half marathon time-2:28. The second goal seems a lot more obtainable than the first. Originally I wanted to finish CLE this year in 2:10, but since my speed and endurance is not what it used to be, I don’t think that goal is possible for this race.

As this day comes to a close, its now 59 days and counting until 13.1 in CLE.

 

 

Splash Zone Indoor Triathlon/Duathlon for LLS recap

 

Yesterday I participated in my first duathlon. It was an indoor event that was a fundraiser for LLS that my friend Stori hosted at the Splash Zone in Oberlin. She has hosted this event before, but this is only the second year the event consisted of a duathlon. SInce I’m not a very confident swimmer I knew the duathlon would be a perfect event for me to combine biking and running. Plus, it would be a nice way to get my miles in for my long run. 

There were three heats set up. I was in heat two. Those people who were participating in the tri hit the pool for as many laps as they could do in 30 minutes while I headed to the track to run for 30 minutes. This was a non-competitive event so no one was officially counting laps/miles, unless you wanted them to. I kept track of my laps since I knew I needed to get four miles in for my long run. 8 laps on the indoor track in the outside lane is one mile, so in 30 minutes I ran 19 laps. After the first run portion, it was time to transition to the spin room and hop on a bike. Us runners met up with those people who swam and rode spin bikes for 30 minutes. I thought we’d just ride at our own pace, no leader on the spin bike. But Zach, one of the spinning instructors at SZ and my heat leader, led an impromptu spin class with easy sequences to just help the time pass. It was nice to get up out of the saddle instead of just sit on my butt for the entire 30 minutes.

Just like that 30 minutes flew by and it was time to run again!

Happy to go run for another 30 minutes!

In the transition back to the track, I could definitely feel my muscles in my quads. But as I started running again, I felt good and like I had a burst of energy. Last spring/summer I would go to spin class and then run three-five miles with some spin people. I loved doing that brick workout because it was awesome cross-training and helped build my endurance. Alas, life has happened since then and those people aren’t around as much anymore. Plus, with my SZ membership set to expire and the cost of spin class on top of membership fees is just too much for me right now. Gah! I wish it wasn’t all so gosh darn expensive! But I digress….

The second 30 minute run portion I wanted to run more laps than I did the first time. I had 22 laps in my head that would be a good goal to reach. I was able to pound out 23 laps for a total of 42 laps equally about 5.25 miles. Not too shabby for a long run day and pumping out my longest run of 2012 so far. My quads were super sore the rest of Sunday and I was tired. But I told myself to get used to this feeling as the mileage starts to increase over the next two and a half months as CLE half marathon creeps closer. 

 

CLE half marathon training stats for week 1 (officially)

Total Distance (mi) 21.07

Total Calories 2273

Total Time 04:20

Day 1 of CLE half marathon training

Even though Mondays on my training schedule are reserved for cross training, I couldn’t pass up this AMAZINGLY beautiful February day so I sneaked in a short run. A 2-mile run outisde, which was my first run outside in probably a month. I need to get my body reacquainted with running outside again since its that time to start training for the Cleveland (half) Marathon. I can’t believe I’m training for my fourth half marathon! I really enjoye this race last year and can’t wait to run through Cleveland’s west side again and (hopefully) score a PR! It felt nice to run outside again and feel one with the road.

Excited to run outside again!

yummy post run snack

I definitely need to map out some routes around Aaron’s house so I don’t get bored running the same routes during the week. Weekend runs are easier to spice up and change locations since I have a little bit more time.

As for my cross training today, its off to bootcamp tonight as I enter my third of four weeks bootcamp session. I really like bootcamp because its a challenging workout and is different every time I go. I really would like to keep up with this bootcamp because it focuses on plyometrics.

As I start training again, I hope it will help me to slim down in some areas that I am currently not happy with. Yeah, I’m looking at you thunder thighs and mid-section!  Aside from toning up and slimming down, I’m looking forward to getting the opportunity to meet up with running friends and running in groups and not solo. So if you live on the WAY west side and interested in trying to meet up for a run, either during the week or weekend, let me know and we can try to make that happen.

 

So, I proclaimed last week that I was giving up the sweets for February in hopes to kick my sweet tooth. Well, now on day seven, I am happy to report that I am still going strong on my goal. The second and third days were kind of tough, but with some support and drinking TONS of water, I was able to stay strong. Saturday for work I had to photograph people and tasty treats at a local chocolate festival. To my surprise, I did not feel the urge to sample any of the treats! Yes, they did look tasty, but I wasn’t anxious or antsy dying to cheat. Superbowl Sunday was definitely challenging. Aaron and I went to a friend’s party and of course there was a TON of food! And with that there were a TON of tasty desserts and treats! I was sad the only fruit there was strawberries filled with whipped cream. :-\ The berries looked tasty, but since they were filled with a “sweet” I had to pass. Aaron even offered to suck out the whipped cream so I could have the strawberry. As sweet as his suggestion was, I told him no thanks. I made sure to fill up on green and red peppers on the veggie tray to curb my want for something sweet.  (Confession: I told Aaron that when we go to the Paczki ball, I will allow myself ONE Paczki because its right before the start of Lent and Paczkis only come once a year.;-))

23 more days left of the challenge. I don’t think I will never eat a sweet again, but I think since I won’t have a taste for the sweets or the need to run to it in a moment of stress, anxiety or comfort I will be able to occasionally enjoy something sweet without feeling guilty.

 

Here’s to a great first week of official half marathon training and another successful week of all sweat and no sweets!

 

All sweat, no sweets Feb

After reading Jodi’s recent blog post about her Feb challenge of going 30 days without sweets, I was game to put myself up to the same challenge.

Most of you may know that I have a pretty wicked sweet tooth. And as I’ve started to eat more clean (or make the best attempt possible), I’ve noticed the one thing holding me back is my sweet tooth. Some days my love for anything sweet takes over and it pretty much spoils a good day of good choices.

So, I am saying goodbye to those sweet treats I love for February and saying hello to more sweat in hopes to crush my sweet tooth.

Goodbye ice cream, candy (waves bye to sour patch kids, Twizzlers, Swedish fish), chocolate, sweet and tasty coffee-like beverages and cupcakes (it’s been real LaBella’s!)

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Valentine's Day and the Panckzi Ball are gonna be challenging but I told Aaron he can get my fresh strawberries sans chocolate for V-Day, though he jokingly said he'd get me carrot sticks. Silly boy.

They say it takes 21 days to my something a habit. My goal for this 30-day challenge is to reduce my constant craving for sweets in hopes to help shrink my mid-section. I was able to quit soda ( I think I can count on one hand the number of times I have pop a year) almost 6 years now, so I think I can do this. Just need to have willpower and lots of it.

The 30 days starts today and goes through Feb 29 (since there are only 29 days in Feb, figured it be better to start the last day of January. I’m gonna need all the support I can get from everyone, so if I seem moody or grouchy, it’s probably because I’m going through sugar withdrawal.

Okay sweet tooth, I WILL conquer you! Be prepared to be squashed!

Anyone ever attempt to give up sweets/junk food? How did you battle your cravings without caving?