My First Trail Race

There is a really awesome trail near our house called Turkey Mountain where we hike frequently and sometimes go for runs. Earlier this year I was running a training run there and kept thinking it would be so much fun to run a trail race. I've never run one before so I added it to my 30 for 30 list of things to do during my 30th year. There is a race hosted there every year on Labor Day called Escape From Turkey Mountain. It's the only trail race I know of that is run at that trail so Ty and I decided I should go ahead and sign up. I've run on the trail a decent amount, hiked on it a ton (pregnant and not pregnant), and loved the idea of adding a different challenge to a race. I signed up last minute when they were posting that the race was nearing the cut off so I decided to go ahead with my planned long run on Saturday morning. I ran 12 miles but held back a bit, running around 8:30 pace rather than under 8 minute pace and just held a steady pace rather than picking it up for the last few miles. It was my hope that I would recover a little bit quicker for the race on Monday since I was running slower. I was still fairly sore Saturday evening and Sunday morning so I decided to do a slow 2 mile shake out run on Sunday. Even when I signed up for the race I planned to run it as more of a training run than a race. I knew the hills of the course would be enough to get me so soon after a long run and I didn't want to prolong my recovery and struggle to get my speed work and tempo run in for the week.

The race started at 7:30 so I was able to sleep in until 6:30, quickly get ready and head to the trails which are less than 10 minutes from our house. I knew the race was capped at 350 runners for safety since the trails narrow considerably early on in the race so I figured the main parking lot would be packed. I didn't even try it and just parked at the far parking lot at the top of the hill. I was glad I did as I heard a guy on the phone in the parking lot talking to his friend who was trying to park but said all the spots were full. I ran a warm up down to the start area and saw I still had plenty of time so I went ahead and ran a mile warm up. After using the porta potty and stretching out a bit it was time to head to the starting line of the 5 mile race. I wasn't sure exactly how far back to line up. I knew I was going to run the race more as a training run than a race and definitely didn't want to go out too fast but I also didn't want to start out too far back and get stuck behind slower runners once the trail narrowed. I ended up picking the perfect spot. I wasn't too far back but I wasn't getting passed at all at the start and was able to pass most everyone on the wide section of the trail before it narrowed. I wasn't sure how my legs were going to feel so I took out really conservatively. I was glad I did because the first mile and a half was all uphill going toward the top of Turkey Mountain. I went through the first mile in 9:24, my slowest mile of the race. The course flattened out a little bit after that but was really rocky with lots of tree roots to navigate. I ran most of the race looking down at the ground to prepare for rocks and roots. I was impressed with the difference in atmosphere in the trail race compared to typical road races. Runners I was passing tended to move over to the side to allow me to pass and there was much less of the race attitude than just a finishing mentality. The race thinned out enough that I couldn't really see anyone else for a while until I started to catch some of the runners ahead of me. I went through the 2nd mile in 8:59. Then as I neared 3 miles into the race the course was weaving a lot and it was difficult to make it around the turns and over the rocks safely. At one point I came down on a rock wrong and fell over. I popped right back up and felt okay other than my left hip feeling a bit sore. Despite the fall I went through mile 3 in 9:03.

The race start, I'm over to the right of the picture in red shorts and a gray tank top.

Right after my watched beeped for the 3rd mile split I passed a woman I had been able to see running ahead of me for about a mile. I was shocked when she asked me if I had stayed on the course, implying I had cut the course to pass her. The course was marked really well with pink ribbons tied to all the trees along the course as well as yellow caution tape up preventing you from turning down the wrong trail along with signs stapled to the tree saying "wrong way" if you started to go down the wrong path. I'm not sure if it was because I passed her running so much faster than she was or what, but I thought it was rude of her to imply that I had cheated. I just ran the first half of the race really conservatively and was feeling good enough to pick it up going into the last couple miles. After passing that woman I ran alone for the next mile and hit mile 4 in 8:57. As I entered into the last mile of the race I started to pass runners again. I was surprised to be passing people who were walking up the hills. Maybe they just went out too hard that first mile and were hurting but I was feeling great and really trucking it up the hills. I was having so much fun and was noticing things on the trail I hadn't seen before. The last half mile we turned and were running downhill with lots of rocks and tree roots. I could hear someone running along behind me and then heard her obviously fall. I turned to check on her and see if she needed any help. She was already back up and told me she was fine. I'd say that section of the race was the most dangerous because it was in the last half mile where people were either getting tired or trying to kick it in and it was a pretty steep downhill with tons of rocks and roots. I really picked it up with a half mile to go and then sprinted in to the finish line, coming in just under 45 minutes with an official finishing time of 44:57. I ran my last mile in 8:17. That put me 17th out of 235 total finishers, 2nd out of 94 total females, and 1st out of 10 in my age group. I had estimated to Ty that I would probably finish around 45 minutes because when I run at Turkey Mountain I usually average 9:30 pace or so for my total run because of all the hills and the difficulty of the course. It was such a fun race! Ty asked me if I would do it again and I definitely would! They were grilling hamburgers and hot dogs at the finish line, but I skipped out. I ran a mile cool down and then made the long trek back up the hill to my car parked in the top lot. I didn't stay for the awards ceremony because we were scheduled to host a playdate at our house at 10:00 so I needed to head home. Running a trail race was a nice change of pace for me. I tend to always shoot for certain times and try to hit goal paces or race times. It was nice to go into a race with no goal time or pace to shoot for and just run. I really didn't think a whole lot during the race because I was so focused on not falling down! I also wasn't able to see the people running ahead of me so I had no idea how many women were ahead of me or how I fared place-wise so I just ran and it was glorious!

Crossing through the gravel parking lot with less than a mile to go.

Starry Night 5k

There's an evening summer race series near my hometown which we love and run each year. The three races are in June, July, and August. This year we will miss the July race, but my mom went ahead and signed us up for all 3 because there was a promo for a light up tutu if you signed up for the whole series. I'll do a virtual run instead of the actual race in July. I was really looking forward to the Stary Night 5k in June because not only would I have the light up shoelaces mom got us for Christmas, I would also have a light up tutu! Plus there's something about running in the dark which is super fun and they have ice cream at the finish. It's good ice cream too, fudgesicles, creamsicles, bomb pops, you get the picture. After the Get Busy Livin 5k I was burned out and felt like I needed a break so I took 2 weeks of just running what I felt like which ended up topping out at 2 miles a day. Then I decided what I needed was to take the summer to just build a good base and pick up training in the fall. I figured I'd just run base miles with a tempo run thrown in every other week as I used the off weeks to build my long run up to 12 miles to prepare for a fall half-marathon. I decided to use the Starry Night 5k as my first tempo run so I went into it without having done any speed work since mid-April. I knew I hadn't lost all of my fitness since I was still running but I knew I had lost quite a bit of speed. I went into the race with no real expectations, but thinking I could probably still run around 7 minute pace. I knew for sure it would be faster than last year's race at under 3 months postpartum as well as last year's July race, the Midsummer's Night 5k.

Group shot in our race shirts. I opted for a tank top and love it!

Showing off my new tutu!

Dad with mom and her new tutu.

I went out for a mile warm up and then decided to run a little extra because I felt good and had time so I ran almost 2 miles as a warm up. Typically if I'm running under 9 minute pace for the warm up, I know it's going to be a good race and I was hitting 8:30 pace. I felt like I could have a strong race but I'm always a bit nervous when I go into a race with no speed work or tempo runs because I typically use my times from those workouts to judge what pace I am capable of. I took off at the start and felt strong. I looked down at my Garmin a few times and then decided not to worry about it and just go with how I felt since I didn't know what pace I was capable of anyway. Pretty much from the start of the race I was in the 3rd overall female position. At the half mile mark I caught up to girl in second and ran with her for a little over half a mile. I went through the first mile in 6:50 and was pleased that I was under 7 minute pace. About a quarter of a mile later the girl I was running with dropped off pace and I knew we were nearing the turn around point of the race. I saw the first female pass me going the other direction and when I turned she was far enough ahead of me, I could hardly see her. I got to run past dad, Ty with Carter and Elise in the double stroller, and mom. It was fun to see them, cheer for them, and have them yell encouragement to me.

Family shot before the race.

Taking off at the start, that's me to the right of the picture in a blue tutu and grey tank top.

Shortly after the turn around I caught up to pass a guy in front of me. We ended up running together for about a mile. It was nice to have someone to run with and to push me in that middle mile which is usually the hardest for me. We were running side by side on the right side of the trail as people were still heading out toward the turn around on the other side of the trail. It was a lot more congested than usual and in some places I didn't have room to run beside him and would have to tuck behind him until we got around the group going out. I went through the second mile in 7:04 which was slower than the first mile, but I was still fine with it. As we crossed a bridge which I knew meant we had about three-quarters of a mile left, the guy I was running with started dropping back. It had been nice to run with him, so I was a little bummed to see him go. But right around that point in the race I had started to close the gap on the first overall female so I could see her in front of me. Since I had lost my running buddy I started focusing on catching her. There were arches along the path that were wrapped in lights so I would watch her cross under one and then count to see how many seconds elapsed before I crossed under the arch. At a half-mile to go I was 15 seconds behind her. I knew it wasn't probable that I could make up 15 seconds in such a short distance, but I told myself it was possible. When we hit a quarter-mile to go I had cut her lead down to 10 seconds. I knew it was pretty much impossible to catch her, but I used her to help me keep pushing as hard as I could. As we turned the corner toward the finishing arch illuminated by lights, I pushed as hard as I could to the finish and then happily grabbed the water they were handing out to finishers. My third mile split was 7:00 which made for a 21:03 on the slightly short course. I was able to finish 7 seconds behind the girl in front of me.

I ran a cool down back to Ty and ran the finish with him. Carter wanted to get out to run so he ran the last quarter-mile or so with Ty as I followed along with Elise in the stroller. Then I headed back out to run the rest of my cool down to mom and finished with her. We all enjoyed some ice cream and waited around for dad. He had walked out to run/walk to the finish with mom and missed her go by. So he ended up walking out to the turn around and coming back so he walked a 3 mile cool down! Ty ran a cool down out to find him and then mom and Carter walked out after them. I stayed back with Elise who was walking circles, dancing to the music, and picking trash up off the ground. Everyone else arrived back just in time for awards. I had finished 8th out of 403 overall, 2nd out of 271 women, and 1st out of 62 in my age group. Dad was 27th overall and 3rd out of 17 in his age group finishing in 23:40. Ty was 200th overall and 36th out of 46 in his age group with a time of 34:22 while pushing the double stroller and without having run since the Get Busy Livin 5k in April. Mom ran/walked the race in 41:11 which put her 299th overall and 13th out of 20 in her age group. That evening as I talked to Ty he mentioned there were a lot more runners this year than there had been in the previous years we've run. I looked it up and normally there are around 250 finishers, this year there were 403! It is a fun race so I'm not surprised it is becoming so popular. After having so much fun at this race, I'm really bummed we won't get to run it in July. I decided to sign up for the 10k in August and I'm kind of wishing I could run a 5k on the same course in July to see how much I could improve my time. But at least I still got a light up tutu because that was awesome! Now I'll keep building my base miles for the fall. Our next race will probably be a July 4th race and I have no plans to do speed work between now and then.

Finishing the race.

Carter and Ty finishing.

With my award.

Elise playing with my tutu as I buckled Carter into his car seat.

Get Busy Livin 5k

This year was the 6th annual Get Busy Livin' 5k in my hometown. The 5k supports the Get Busy Livin' Foundation which honors Dylan Meier, a classmate of Jeremy's who died in a hiking accident. Jeremy grew up with Dylan and then graduated high school with him. Being at the race to support the Meier family and to honor Dylan is very important to us. This was the 6th year we ran the race and we hope to be able to make every race in the future as well. We were pleased that Jeremy was not only able to make it for the race festivities, but he was also able to walk the Friendship Mile that is part of the event. Everyone was so excited to see Jeremy and so many of his classmates and friends who have supported him through his Go Fund Me campaign were able to see in person the amazing gains he has made. The overall winner of the 5k went over to Jeremy after he finished and thanked him for not running so he was able to win this year. He hadn't heard about Jeremy's accident and Jeremy was walking so well he had no idea Jeremy actually was not able to run. I was impressed he is walking well enough that his injuries were not obvious to others who don't see him frequently. I can tell he walks differently, but he's walking well enough others don't notice. Dad walked the mile with him along with Carter and Elise. Carter walked the first two laps and then rode on his Opa's shoulders for the last two laps. I was glad to see he was staying with them. He was so excited about the event that he ran all the way from the car to the football field and I was worried he would want to run the mile and would make things difficult for dad. I think it helped that everyone else was walking so he just went with the flow.

All of us in our race shirts after the race.

Jeremy, dad, and the kids walking the mile.

Perfect sign for Jeremy!

Going into the race I had put a lot of pressure on myself to make this race my best of the season. The event means so much to me and I always want to give it my all each year. The problem was that I had been training hard for a long time and I was getting burned out. I ran a 20:29 at the New Year's Eve race and just kept trucking along with speed work in preparation for this late April race, thinking if I kept doing speedwork I could definitely improve my postpartum PR. It was definitely high time for a rest period and I probably would have stopped running speedwork weeks beforehand had this race not been my big goal race. Once we arrived at the race I took off for a mile warm up and was feeling pretty good. I noticed the wind was pretty darn intense and knew running under 20:29 was most likely not a realistic goal. I would need pretty much ideal conditions to improve that time. After my cool down I switched my Garmin over to see what time it was and when I flipped it back over to running mode, it wouldn't pick up satellites. I've never had that happen before. Typically if it picks up satellites, I can switch it back and forth with no problem and it will pick up satellites really quickly when I switch it back to running mode. It made me pretty anxious because they changed the course for this year so without my Garmin I wouldn't know the mile splits or when I was about a half-mile from the finish. At that point I decided to throw out the idea of running a PR and just go for place. My goal was to finish first overall female and I knew if I was under 21 minutes that shouldn't be a problem.

When Thomas came up from getting dressed we realized we were dressed in matching outfits!

We took off and I was still holding onto hope that my Garmin would pick up satellites so I left it on, but when it switched over to power save during the first half-mile or so, I let it turn itself off. The race went out onto a paved running path with poles in the middle where it crossed streets so cars couldn't get on the path. The only trouble I had there was trying to pass someone as we came up to the pole. The race thinned out pretty quickly. I felt like I started out slower than usual, but I have no idea what pace I was running at the start. Thomas was ahead of me and I passed him, I'd guess within the first half-mile. It was funny because when Thomas came upstairs dressed for the race, we realized we had dressed in not just the same shirt but in matching shorts. It was pretty funny! I was passing people for a large portion of the race and then things thinned out. I knew the race started after the original 9:30 start time but I hadn't paid attention to exactly when it started. All I could see on my Garmin was what time it was so I was figuring out how far into the race I might be assuming we started at 9:40. As I passed one guy his Garmin beeped so I asked him if it was the 2 mile mark and he said no, it was his pace indicator but he thought we were close to the 2 mile mark. I started trying to pick it up a bit but wasn't sure how much to pick it up since I wasn't sure how much we had left.

Taking off at the race start.

Mom starting off walking with Erin and her mom.

I had picked out a guy in front of me and told myself he was running sub-21 minutes so I needed to catch up to him if I wanted to run under 21. When I passed him I asked him if we had hit the 2 mile mark yet and he said, "Oh yeah, we have about a click left." I assumed that meant a kilometer (I'm not up with abbreviations) so I figured that would be a little over half a mile so I took off. It wasn't long until I could see the stadium come into view and I knew once I headed in, it was just across the football field to the finish. As I hit the football field I was really kicking it in and was shocked to see the finishing clock was barely over 20 minutes. I heard dad, Jeremy, and Carter cheering for me as I crossed the finish line in 20:19 and was a bit in disbelief I had run a PR. The race sure didn't feel like a PR, like I was rocking out and kicking butt. I headed over to walk with Jeremy, dad, and the kids and dad told me he was pretty sure the course was short. I asked a few people I knew who had run with their Garmins on and they all said it was a bit short at 3.03 miles or so. I was a bit bummed the course was short and that my Garmin hadn't picked up satellites. I felt like I could've run a lot better had I known my mile splits and had an idea of how far I had left to go. But I also think it was good for me to run without it. It allowed me to run the race off of feel, to go for place rather than time, and to not fret about my miles being slower than what I wanted. Figuring I ran 20:19 for 3-3.03 miles, that would still put me finishing somewhere in the 20:45-20:59 range which I'm fine with. Running under 21 minutes was my goal.

Finishing the race.

Top 3 female finishers, we ended up lined up right to left so the picture shows 3rd, 2nd, 1st.

Elise with Oma and Addison with her grandma.

A picture Erin took of me with my award.

I was the first female finisher and 17th out of 262 total finishers. I enjoyed watching Thomas unleash a crazy kick to finish in 21:16 which put him 21st overall and 7th out of 25 in his age group. After Thomas finished I ran out to run/walk back with mom. She did really well and finished in 44:12, putting her 230th overall and 11th out of 21 in her age group. We stayed around for awards and then hung out, letting Carter and Elise play with the other kids on the football field. It was such a fun event, as it is every year. Afterward we headed to McDonald's for breakfast and it was awesome to see Jeremy still walking really well even after the mile walk!

Thomas finishing strong.

Mom finishing.

Elise playing with my friend's son.

Running 12 Months Postpartum

I wrote this post a little after Elise's birthday and never published it. So here's what running was like a year after Elise's birth:

I wrote a running update at 10 months postpartum with Carter. I haven't updated what running has been like after Elise's birth since 6 months postpartum. I've talked about running a lot and have written race recaps, but haven't talked much about what training has been like or what has been different with my body. I'd like to share where I'm at a year after Elise's birth. I feel like at this point I'm back to my old running form. I'm still nursing Elise but only in the morning and at bedtime. We have more or less dropped the midday feeding. I started giving her a sippy of milk at lunch right around her birthday and she's only wanted to nurse once since then, so I consider that nursing session to be dropped. My body feels back to normal with the addition of a bit of a jiggly belly. It takes time to get my stomach back and I just haven't put the effort in. I'm back down to my pre-pregnancy weight and have been for a while. I fluctuate every now and then, especially during times where lots of sweets are available, as in holidays and birthdays.

Most runs are with the double stroller and the dog. Ty has been great about making sure I'm able to get 1-2 hard workouts in per week without the kids.

My training has been going really well. I've only been averaging around 20 miles per week with weeks anywhere from the 17-23 mile range. I've been extremely pleased with the times I've been able to run in races with such a small weekly mileage load. My runs consist of 2 hard runs a week, typically a speed workout and a tempo run. My speed work started out with just quarter mile repeats. Then I started adding in half mile repeats. I got to where my speed workout was 4x0.25, 4x0.5, and 4x0.25 repeats with 0.1 jog between each repeat. To get some lengthier repeats in for my 10k, I added in three-quarter mile repeats or 0.75 mile repeats. So my longest speed workout lately has been 2x0.25 repeats, 2x0.5 repeats, 2x0.75 repeats, 2x0.5, and ending with 2-3x0.25. I built my tempo run up to 6 miles before the Sweetheart Run 10k and after that stuck with mostly speedwork to prepare for the Get Busy Livin 5k with just one tempo run 5k thrown in the mix to see where I was at. The rest of my runs are easy runs and are usually only 3 miles. Occasionally I run a bit further if the kids are being good in the stroller and we aren't pressed on time, needing to get home to get ready to leave for a playdate in the morning or to make dinner in the evening. Carter has gotten to where he puts up a bit of a fuss when we leave to go run but once he's in the stroller he is content and doesn't fuss at all unless I stop for Harper to poop or something and then he wants out to walk. Elise is typically a happy little girl in the stroller unless it is close to dinner time and then she's hangry and cries so Carter sings to her until we are done.

At this point my fastest post-Elise 5k is a 20:29 from the Race Into the New Year 5k, a 42:30 10k from the Aquarium Run 10k, and a 1:35:43 half marathon from the Route 66 Half Marathon. I know if I built my mileage up to 30-40 mile weeks I could really chip away at those times but for now I'm pleased with where I am. It's hard to get the kids out after naps and our mornings are so busy with playdates and outings that we often times can't get out for a run in the morning. I've gotten up and headed out for runs before Ty needs to leave for work, but it has been hard with it being really cold and dark that early. He's been leaving for work anywhere from 6-6:30 in the morning which means I need to be finished with my run by then if I want to get out in the morning. I think that will be more doable now that Elise is back to sleeping through the night and even more doable once summer hits and it gets light out earlier as well as gets blazing hot during the day! Right now I'm content with running my 20 mile weeks and staying where I am pace-wise for races. When I start getting the urge to run faster and drop my times, I'll start adding in more weekly mileage. My goal for now is to slowly shorten my easy recovery days between hard workouts. I typically leave 2 easy days between hard runs and would like to shorten that to one day between hard runs so I can add in a 3rd hard run, either a long run or a tempo with 2 speed workouts. That will most likely occur this summer as my goal race for this season is the Get Busy Livin 5k on April 30th and I'll take a couple of easy weeks of running after that to give my body a break before gearing back up for summer and fall race training.

Reading Carter a book in my Route 66 finisher's jacket the evening after the race.

With our medals and my overall female winnings at the Race Into the New Year.

Finishing the Aquarium Run 10k.

My Shoe Saga

My freshman year in college as mileage ramped up and running got serious for me, my relationship with blisters began. After the third race in a row that ended with a blood blister covering the entire arch of my foot I was fitted for shoes and discovered I had a narrow foot. Since then with appropriate fitting shoes and lotioning my feet consistently I have avoided blisters for the most part. Outside of mistakes where I decided to try out a different kind of shoe which resulted in the loss of a toenail due to a too narrow toe box and bruising on the inside of my calf due to too wide of a sole, I have been able to avoid shoe related issues. I have worn the same pair of tried and true shoes for the past 12 years. They have seen me through four years of college cross country, 60-80 mile weeks, 3 marathons, countless half marathons, running through 2 pregnancies, and the list goes on. I love these shoes. They have been tried and true for me and each model is just as good as the last.

Running a marathon in my Asics.

After running a half marathon at 32 weeks pregnant with Carter.

Finishing a 5k at 24 weeks pregnant with Elise.

With my love for these shoes, they are the last thing I would think might be the culprit when an issue arises. Back in October when I ran the Prairie Fire Half Marathon, you may remember me mentioning a blister that formed about halfway through the race which caused a great deal of pain not just where it was, but also in my ankle from my body compensating for the pain. That blister became a recurring problem, popping up after multiple races and then eventually occurring after each race. Carter would point out my "ouchie" and checked on it frequently. It turned into a callous which would blister underneath. Each time it was a blood blister and it was becoming increasingly more difficult to drain with the callous on top of it.

A picture my mom took after the Prairie Fire race. I hadn't looked at this until just now. It got progressively worse as time went on. Now I look at this blister and think it's so small, haha!

Rule of thumb with running shoes is to replace them every 6 months or around 500 miles. I tend to get shin splints when my shoes are ready to be replaced. Typically I just ride my shoes out until I start getting shin splints in an effort to save money. This time around that never happened. I was approaching an entire year in this pair of shoes and had logged over 800 miles in them. I knew I was long overdue for a new pair but also hated to spend the money. At the Run Tulsa Pink 5k there was a group of physical therapists there to discuss injuries. Before the race Ty decided to talk to them about elbow pain he had been having and was diagnosed with tennis elbow. He was given information on exercises to do as well as referred to one of their clinics for physical therapy. During the race I felt the blister popping up within the first half of the race and had to focus on landing correctly on my foot so as not to cause ankle pain. After the race when Ty went over to get a card from the physical therapy table, I thought, what the heck I'll ask about my recurring blister. The physical therapist took a look, examined my feet, and suggested I needed a wider toe box on my shoes. I was shocked. It hadn't occurred to me that these shoes I had run in for 12 years and had been magical for me could be causing the problem.

My Asics pictured in a college team picture. I'm second from the left.

College cross country team. I'm all the way to the left in the back row.

After 6 months of dealing with this blister and pain during every race I was so done. The very next day mom came over to watch the kids during naptime so I could go to a local running store and get fitted for new shoes. I even had a gift card from winning the Race Into the New Year 5k that I could use. When it comes to gift cards I tend to hoard them until I need something rather than go buy myself a treat and that really paid off for me! The shoe expert I met with was awesome! I wore my running shoes in and he looked down and immediately noticed my feet were spilling out of the toe box, as he described it. I told him my issues and shared that I have 2 kids and have run through both pregnancies. I've always heard a myth that your feet get bigger during pregnancy and don't go back to their normal size. I kind of assumed it was a myth, but totally not the case. It turns out I have not only gone from a narrow foot to regular width, but I have gone up half a shoe size! So thanks to Carter and Elise I can now buy my running shoes in store rather than ordering them online. I can also get the pretty models as oftentimes I could only find narrows in the not as cute colors! The shoe expert was also kind enough to comment on the complete wear down of my shoes and said I had obviously needed new shoes for a seriously long time as there was not much left. I didn't realize how true it was until he brought a pair of shoes out for me to try on and it felt like I was walking on clouds. As I slipped the shoes on I noticed how good they felt and realized I was used to my pinky toe feeling squished. How I didn't realize the issue on my own is beyond me. I kept thinking the issue was that my shoes were old and had become loose which caused my narrow feet to slide around. That is hilarious to me now that I know what the real issue was! I left the store giddy with excitement that we had found a solution to my problem and that I got to stick with my tried and true shoes, just wider and longer! Now that I've run in them for about a week, I am thrilled that my blister has not resurfaced and my callous is looking better. Thank goodness for Ty talking to the physical therapists at the race! I never would have thought to do it on my own and I never would have thought the issue stemmed from my shoes, oddly enough, since all my other issues have been related to ill fitting shoes. You live and you learn and hopefully I won't make the same mistake again!

Thanks to my little cuties I won't have to order narrow shoes anymore!

 

Nursing Elise after finishing a half marathon.

Aquarium Run 10k

After running the Sweetheart Run 10k I really wanted to run another 10k to break 43 minutes. My goal race for the spring has been a 5k we run in honor of one of Jeremy's high school classmates who died in a hiking accident. The race is very near and dear to our hearts and when I'm not pregnant or just coming back from having a baby I plan my spring around running my fastest at that race. I decided to run a 10k at the Aquarium Run a few weeks before the Get Busy Livin 5k and shoot for a sub-43 performance. I kept most my speed workouts geared more toward a 5k and my training has been for the 5k, but I knew all of that would also transfer over to a faster 10k. I just haven't been running long runs with my longest run topping out at 6 miles. The Friday before the race I started looking at past years' results to get an idea of how many people I would be running with. I was shocked to see that my 43:11 from the Sweetheart run would have put my in the top 5 overall (meaning male and female combined) all of the previous years and would leave me running pretty much alone. I'm glad I looked at results and was prepared for that mentally. I made sure to really look at the course map to ensure I knew where I was going. I ran the 10k in 2013 and remembered it was not marked particularly well and there weren't very many people out on the course directing us where to go. I wasn't worried about the way out because we would have half-marathoners running with us and I knew there would be sub-1:30 half-marathoners to run with. It was the return trip I was worried about because the course was not an out and back. Friday night Jeremy and my parents came over for dinner and I was telling them my concerns about getting lost on the course. When I laid Carter down for bed he asked me if we were going to a race in the morning. When I told him we were, he said, "Don't worry mommy, you will be okay. I'll be there and I'll cheer for you." It melted my heart. He is the sweetest!

Elise and Carter ready to spectate the race.

We arrived at the aquarium a little later than we had planned and I needed to use the restroom again so my warm up got cut short. I ran a 0.6 mile warm up rather than my typical mile warm up. It turned out I could've done a full mile because the race started about 5 minutes late. We took off and I was feeling pretty good, cruising along. My plan was to go out around 6:50-6:55 pace for the first half of the race and attempt to negative split. The course is extremely flat with the only downside being it is typically very windy which slows down the times. We lucked out with very mild wind the day of the race. I went through the first mile in 6:45 which was a touch faster than I was hoping for so I decided to dial it down during the second mile and immediately slowed my pace. Apparently I slowed down too much because I went through mile 2 in 6:59. Then I freaked out a little bit that mile 2 was so slow and I was going to have a tough time coming back from it like my 5th mile during the Sweetheart Run. At this point in the race I had caught up to a guy ahead of me and we were running side by side. We had a great pace going and were running along stride for stride. We crossed a bridge to the other side of the river and were running down a street that is also part of the Route 66 Marathon course and I had a flashback to my first marathon. I told myself no matter how much the last 3 miles of the race hurt, it would never compare to the last 3 miles of a marathon. I started to gain my confidence back and knew no matter what I could rock that last 5k. I went through mile 3 in 6:47. I was pleased with where my overall pace was at this point and I was also happy to be half-way done.

The race start of the 10k/half-marathon taken from the aquarium website, you can't see me but I like the picture.

I could see the casino in the distance and knew our turn around was right before we reached the casino. My watch beeped for mile 4 which I had run in 6:51. As I approached the turn around I was hoping to see the pack of runners ahead of me turn around for the 10k, but none of them did. Then as I started to turn off for the 10k, the guy I was running with said, "Have a good race!" and continued on with the half-marathon. I was on the return trip with just 2 miles to go but I couldn't see anyone even in the far distance. I really strained my eyes looking ahead of me and there was no one to be seen. Unless someone passed me from behind it was looking to be a lonely trek those last couple miles when it would have been nice to have someone to chase after. I kept repeating 43 over and over in my head and pushing as hard as I could, knowing I was on pace to break 43 and I wanted to keep with it. I was tired and starting to hurt but I wasn't giving up. I hit mile 5 right before I turned back onto the bridge to head to the aquarium. I had kept mile 5 steady at 6:52. As I was crossing the bridge I was wondering where I would head once I got across the bridge and didn't see anyone at the end of the bridge directing runners which way to go. As I got close to the end of the bridge I could see the 10k runners ahead of me heading back on the road toward the aquarium so I knew that's where I would go. As I turned onto the road back to the aquarium I was having to weave in and out of 5k runners and 1 mile fun run participants who were finishing their races. It was a bit of a jumbled mess and made it hard to kick as much as I would have liked for the last mile, but I still ran my last mile as one of my fastest in 6:46 and ran the last 0.24 miles in 6:15 pace! As I neared the finish line I saw they had a bubble machine at the finish so bubbles were blowing across the finish line which was fun and helped me push just a bit harder. Then I heard my dad cheering for me and when I glanced at the finishing clock, I saw the time was just ticking over to 42:30. I had crushed my goal of breaking 43 minutes and was pumped!

A picture of me finishing that dad took.

I found my dad who was spectating this race with the kids due to a sinus infection and possibly a cold on top of that and Thomas was with him. Thomas had annihilated his time from the St. Patrick's Day 5k less than a month ago, running 21:49. With the 5k starting 20 minutes after the 10k and half marathon, I was excited at the thought that if Thomas ran just under 23 minutes, we could finish at the same time. But he ran quite a bit faster than that! He placed 11th out of 387 overall and 2nd out of 17 in his age group. We got to watch Ty finish in 27:56 which put him 5th out of 17 in his age group and 59th overall. My time of 42:30 put me 7th out of 195 overall, 2nd out of 126 women, and 1st out of 30 in my age group. When I looked at the results, it turned out the person closest in front of me beat me by almost 3 minutes and the person closest behind me ran almost 3 minutes slower than me. I was even farther spaced out than I had imagined during the race! I ran a mile cool down and got such a bad side stitch at one point that I got light headed and had to walk to catch my breath. I thought, that's how you know you ran really hard, you can barely run a cool down! Once I returned I found everyone else inside eating the finisher's food and Ty got in line to pick mine up for me so I could change out of my sweaty clothes. Dad took Carter into the aquarium while I helped Ty load the stroller and Elise up so he could take her home for a nap and get started on our bathroom remodel. Then I went into the aquarium with Thomas to meet dad and we walked around a bit before picking up Thomas' and my awards and then heading home. Although the race is a bit on the smaller side, I have always really enjoyed it. It's a bit surprising to me that it isn't more popular considering the great post-race food (breakfast burritos from a local Mexican restaurant) and free entry into the aquarium after the race.

A picture of Ty finishing that my dad took.

Thomas with the kids after his race.

Carter walking through the aquarium after the race.

I was once again so glad Jeremy got me to push out of my 5k/half marathon comfort zone and try out a 10k. I love the challenge of the 10k. It is such a different beast than my normal races. You have more pacing involved than in a 5k where I basically go out hard, run the middle hard, and finish hard. It's also faster than a half marathon where you can go out slow the first couple miles and have plenty of miles to make up the time. With a 10k being 6 miles you have to pace yourself from starting out too fast and burning up, but you also go long enough that those last couple miles are hard and your legs burn. I'd have to say I'm a bit hooked on the distance right now. I also love that I can train for and run a decent 10k without actually doing any long runs which is great with trying to time runs around the kids' schedules! During my cool down I was already thinking about running the 10k this summer at the summer race series we normally run and I usually run the 5k. My first 3 miles in this race added up to 20:31 and miles 4-6 were 20:29. I was pleased with myself that even though my mile splits were a bit up and down, my overall pacing was pretty even and I ran a negative split which was awesome! I looked back at the Sweetheart run and I had also run my first 3 miles in 20:31 but miles 4-6 were a crap shoot with that super slow 5th mile. I'd like to keep chipping away at my 10k time and really enjoy the chance to run PRs that are now so difficult to hit in the 5k!

St. Patrick's Day 5k

I still have a few posts related to Elise's birthday that I'd like to get up, sharing her birthday party details and how we celebrated on her birthday, but I thought I'd take a break from all the birthday posts to get caught up on our St. Patrick's Day fun. So on to a post about the St. Patrick's Day 5k...

This race will always be a special one for me because it was Ty's first ever 5k. We ran it together 5 years ago and on that day it was the longest he had ever run without walking. He finished the race in 33:13, surprising me by not only running the entire race but by running a faster pace than he had ever run for even one mile on our training runs. I ran the race with him, getting ahead of him and stopping to the side to take pictures. It was one of the proudest moments I've felt watching him accomplish something. He ran the race 5 years later pushing the double stroller with Carter and Elise and still finished 4 minutes faster than he had in his first race. It has been amazing to watch him progress as a runner. He has been dropping minutes off his 5k times and pounds off his weight. It has been an amazing journey to watch and one that I am still so pleased and proud to be a part of! I love that he keeps pushing and working and striving to become better. I also love that he steps in and offers to run with the kids so I can run a fast time, knowing I've been training hard and want to go for a good time.

Going into the race I was nervous. I ultimately would have loved to beat my postpartum PR of 20:29 from the Race Into the New Year, but I felt like that was a lofty goal. Something had been off with my training for the last couple weeks and my legs just weren't recovering from hard workouts like they normally do. I had been struggling through my speed workouts and tempo runs and hadn't gotten as many hard runs in before the race as I would have liked due to traveling. The Monday before the race I ran a 5k tempo to get an idea of what I was capable of. It wasn't the best indicator as the winds were gusting up to 30 mph and I had to run into the wind on the way back. I finished in 20:55. That made me feel confident that I should be able to break 21 minutes for sure so I set that as my goal. There was an inflatable for kids to play on by the finish area and we let Carter play on it before the race. Jeremy came to watch and I was quite excited to see him. With all the pre-race fun we ended up heading over to the starting line too late and couldn't get close enough to the race start to be with people more our pace. It took me around 15 seconds to get to the start line and then once I did I spent the entire first mile weaving around people and ended up making my way to the left side of the course and passing that way. The race is an out and back course with a slight but long incline heading up to the turn around. With all the congestion and weaving my first mile was a bit slower than I would have liked in 6:42. It also felt a bit rough which was disconcerting considering how much off my pace from the Race into the New Year it was, but I chalked some of that up to the hill.

Jeremy heading to the race start to cheer everyone on!

Heading toward the turn around I counted women as they went past me going the other direction toward the finish and I knew there were over 10 women ahead of me. I figured I must really be off pace because typically at this race 20:30ish would put me in the top 5 women. Heading back downhill was nice but we were also running into the wind on the way back. Thankfully the wind was nothing compared to what it has been lately! I was working really hard and my legs just weren't there. I was trying to pick up the pace and I just wasn't feeling it. I went through mile 2 in 6:38 which I was glad was faster than my first mile but I was a bit disappointed it wasn't faster with how much effort I was putting in. I started picking it up for the last mile and told myself I would really kick it in when I hit the final half mile. I passed a few runners and there was a pretty decent gap between me and the person closest ahead of me. I could see a couple of women and focused on closing the gap even though I knew I didn't have enough time left to catch them. I was gunning for sub-21 and knew I was going to be under for sure so I kept pushing to get as much under 21 minutes as I could. I hit mile 3 in 6:30 and really took off for the last tenth of a mile. As I approached the finish line I heard mom cheering for me. I stopped my watch and was shocked to see I had finished in 20:34! With how off my body felt and how hard I was working I really didn't expect to be under 20:45, let alone 20:40! I was quite pleased with my finishing time. My average pace for the race was 6:36.

My mom got a picture of me after I finished.

I grabbed some water which was in the tiniest little paper cups I've ever seen at a race. I ended up looping back by and drinking a total of 6 cups. They were the size of cups my grandparents used to keep in their bathroom for after you brushed your teeth. Not really sure what the point was in that, but it seemed quite wasteful! Then I walked out to watch everyone else finish. Thomas and dad both finished in under 24 minutes and looked great. I was impressed dad ran so well just a couple months after his surgery. After they finished I jogged out to run to the finish with Ty. Carter was stoked to see me and I enjoyed running back with Ty to tell him about my race. I finished out a mile cool down and then headed back with everyone else to drink some chocolate milk that was being passed out and to chat. The awards were beer steins and Thomas told me I better have won one so I went to check results and saw I had placed 2nd in my age group so we stuck around for awards. I was 58th out of 1,629 overall, 10th out of 912 females, and 2nd out of 109 in my age group with a time of 20:34. Thomas finished in 23:17 which put him 142nd overall and 11th out of 66 in his age group. Dad was close behind him in 23:31, placing 151st overall and 10th out of 61 in his age group. Ty rocked it out with the double stroller, finishing in 28:51 which put him 486th overall and 31st out of 66 in his age group. When I picked up my award I saw that the woman who was closest in front of me was the one who won our age group. She finished in 20:22. Right after the awards ceremony we headed out so I could put Elise down for a nap and everyone else headed out for breakfast at our favorite breakfast place. It was a fun race yet again and was so exciting to have Jeremy there with us! It won't be long before he's able to walk and then run races too!