Creaky Bones 5k

Before I can can talk about the race I should explain the events leading up to the race. First of all last week I taught bodyflex 5 times! Including an 8am class yesterday before the race. Right after bodyflex I had to run all my saturday errands and then race home to get the family up to Drew's last soccer game. After the game was their pizza party. Note to self: Don't eat pizza and then run! We raced home from the little party to meet my friend Angel at my house and load up for the ride down to Sarasota. Angel being the smart cookie that she is bought all the kids new toys for the ride so it was pretty peaceful.
Once we arrived Angel and I raced over to get our packets leaving matt to navigate with all the kids. The kids then got their packets and we were all set. The race started 10 mins later. Nothing like making it at the last minute. Unfortunately the kids runs were at the same time as ours so I missed watching them. They both did really good and had a blast! Ash ran a 400 and Drew ran a 200. They got awesome t-shirts and treats and can't wait to go again next year!
Angel and I had a good race but not a great one. First of all, the slow people and WALKERS!!! lined up in the front forcing us to be in the rear. This part was not very organized and people were pissed. When we first started one lady yelled out " I can walk faster than this!" Very true. My first thought was well, there goes any chance of a good time. It took us atleast 5 MINS to navigate through the slow people. Probably a little longer. The first part of the race was very narrow and people were running down the middle of the sidewalk instead of staying to the left like they were told. There were a lot of people that ran the first mile and walked the rest. Why they didn't just sign up for the 1mi fun run? I have now clue. We used a ton of energy sprinting around the slow people, trying not to go into the road and saying"excuse me, coming up on your right/left". We were thinking "move your ass!" We finally had a good pace going and the views were beautiful. Most of the course was right on the water and it was cool and overcast, aka no sun. Unfortunately, at mile 2 I got a terrible side stitch (pizza induced) and had to walk for a little bit. Not too long. We finished the run and had an overall good experience. Our final time was 32 mins, which at first I was mad about but then we remembered that if it weren't for navigating through the slow people we would of come in under 30 mins. Overall this was a really fun race for everyone.

Side stitches!!

My newest running related issue is side stitches!! What a horrible feeling. I can accept the fact that when I get a cramp in the area of my injury I have to take it easy. But, when I'm feeling good and all of a sudden get a terrible stabbing pain on the opposite side I'm dumb founded. To back track...A few months ago I was doing back handsprings in my yard with the kids and pulled my right transverse abdominal, yes the whole damn thing. I had an ultrasound and basically they said it didn't tear but was a giant mass and I had to work through the pain to help release it. Ice and Ben Gay. Thanks a lot doc. Oh, and it may never be 100% again. Man, getting older stinks! It is getting much better and usually only flared up after teaching a lot of pilates. Running actually seemed to help!

I've come to the decision that my stitches are coming from what I eat. Crap! So now I'm on a health food kick. I'm trying to write down everything and the nights I have good runs I try to eat the same things the next time I run. If it weren't for my love of cheetos this would be a perfect plan. My friend barb gave me a book and I'm researching all my options to improve in the area of my poor diet. Unfortunately cheetos aren't considered a necessary food. Says who???

I hate mornings!

I think you are either born a morning person or not. I don't think it's all in my head, due to the environment, or laziness. It is not in my DNA to get up early and hit the pavement. At 4 am when Tyler wakes me to play musical beds it begins. I stare at the clock making deals with the devil to avoid my run. Either it's my long week of work outs, a sewing project to finish, a sick kid, something to avoid the run. Once I'm asleep I usually have a running related dream. Such as, not being able to find my running shorts or only having one shoe or sock. However, I am not a quitter so I get my butt out of bed and leave my excuses to sleep a few more hours.

I started off strong with the mindset that the quicker I run the sooner it'll be over. I actually wore my watch this morning and between the watch and the ipod I was busy the whole time. My first mile and a half I completed in 13min, which is pretty good considering the time of day.( I'm much faster at night) When it came time to turn around and head home I decided to do sprints since I missed my interval day this week. Bad choice. By my fifth sprint I was ready to puke. I managed to work it out and jog home at an easy pace.

I don't know why these morning runs are so difficult to me. I hope that I can train myself to adapt and embrace the am runs but I have my doubts. Every time it feels like my first day running. This is very frustrating but I'm bound and determined to figure it out and get over it!!

Thurday Night Run

Tonight was a beautiful night for running. It was a little warm but there was just enough of a breeze to keep you comfortable. Not having the hot FL sun beaming down on you is wonderful. My favorite"member" Angel was able to join Barb and I for our run. She wants to come running with us more often. The more the merrier! I love having people to run with. Ecspecially those that challenge me. We went a little over 4mi at a pretty good pace. Once again, no one was wearing a watch!

Tuesday

I did a light leg work out today before my powerkids class at the gym. After soccer practice, homework, making dinner, cleaning up the spaghetti mess and bathing everone, I didn't feel much like running. Yet, I still called Barb and commited to getting my butt out there at 8:30 and getting a few miles in. Once we were out and running I was so glad I went. However, I think I'll try NOT to eat a spaghetti dinner with salad, bread, etc. 30 mins before running. We went a little over two miles at a pretty good pace but I couldn't of gone much farther. So much for letting myself digest. I hope I learned that lesson!!

Sunday

Well, I made it out for my Sunday 6:30 am run. It wasn't great but I was there. If you know me you know that I am NOT a morning person. I am also not a big fan of walking through the woods in the dark. LOL You had to be there. I need to work on getting my butt out of bed for those early runs. Barb and I did 4 miles. The first two miles we did with Katharine and Jenny at 10:30 pace. I know we were slower on the return two miles. Barb and I both had runny noses and I had a side stitch. Still, we didn't stop. I suppose that's all that matters. 4 miles done.

upper body

Today I went up to the gym to do some upper body before Drew's soccer game. I did a lot on the Bosu, which I love. I'm still not dead lifting until my back feels 100% and since I plan on running tomorrow morning. I didn't want to risk it. Tomorrow morning at 6:30 I'm going to try to meet up with the girls at Starkey. I hope I can get my butt out of bed!!

Tonight was one of those nights I could of ran forever. I like to run with Barb because she's fast and she challenges me. She's also great to talk to which makes the time fly by. This morning she and I swam laps. Those were a little rough for me because of my cold. Along with the fact that I taught a bunch of classes this week and took Boot camp last night after teaching bodyflex for an hour. However, running seems to releive me of my cold symptoms. I'm not sure why but I'm not complaining. I'm not sure of our pace or even our time since we both forgot our watches. We were moving pretty good and Barb guessed we were around a ten min pace. That's fine for me. We ran a little over 5mi. I really enjoyed the run and the company. Hopefully I can get up and do my run on sunday!

I started this blog to motivate me in my running. My newest quest. I'm not happy unless I have a million things going on or some type of project to wrap myself up in completely. Between my job, my three kids and my traveling husband there isn't a whole lot of ME time. I'm hoping to find that in my running. As much as I want my running to become part of my lifestyle I have a hard time staying motivated. Ecspecially when those early sunday morning runs come along each week!