Burgers & Beer 5K Race Report

What’s the best way to end a Monday?  How about with a 5K race?


To read the rest of this post, come on over to Chicago Now!

Goals Check-In

My main goals for this year were to do something active every day that I can and figure out what to do about this stupid hip.
And how’s that going six months into the year?
Well, I’m definitely doing as much as possible.  Although, this morning when I woke up before my alarm I thought, “If I’m going to keep waking up before I have to, maybe I should start working out before work.”
And then promptly went back to sleep.
Seriously, though, ever since we moved I’ve been waking up way before my alarm.  I wish I could find some morning workout buddies to keep me accountable.  Without them I’m much more inclined to roll over and go back to sleep.
When I do manage to do things, it’s either a strength workout, a bike ride, or a run.  I still haven’t managed to get to the pool.  Still terrified of lane sharing.  I’ve GOT to get over that.  I wish I had some swim buddies, too. 
Anyway, I rode my bike downtown and back on Saturday to visit Kim who was manning the Fake Meats booth at the first ever Chicago Veggie Pride Parade. 

However, my bike now has its first ever flat tire.  Time to put my REI membership to good use and get a discount on a bike tune-up and flat fix.  I’ve read too many horror stories of people trying to change their own bike tubes to try it myself!  I’ll just pay someone to do it for now. 
On Sunday I didn’t get in a workout but I did promote running!  It was a weekend of booths.  Sunday I set-up and staffed the booth for my running club at a village event.

We got some interest but also a lot of people who gave us the side eye and said “I don’t run!” or “I could never run!”  Seriously?  That may be true but don’t you think it’s weird you need to comment?
Monday night I had to take all the stuff pictured above back to our storage area in Oak Park so I took the opportunity to run with the club.  A nice, steady 5.5 miles. Although my hip was a tad sore afterward.
And speaking of my hip, I have a follow-up appointment with the doc who recommended PT on Thursday.  We’ll see what he has to say since PT didn’t seem to be making a HUGE difference. 
In the mean time, I’ve got an ART appointment tonight.  Maybe some strength training or a quick run (it IS National Running Day, after all) afterward.  We’ll see. 

Too Much of a Good Thing

So, I ran on both Saturday and Sunday.  I felt pretty good.

Then came Monday night.  Since I'm moving this Friday I knew it was my last chance to easily get in a run with my running club.  Sure, I'll still be running with them as often as I can but I won't be within quick bike riding or running distance of our meeting place anymore.

And bike ride to the starting spot is what I did on Monday.  I do love my bike and am looking forward to spending more time on it on the lakefront path once I move.  Biking on road with intersections is a pain.

Anyway, the bike ride was one of the better parts of my evening.  So were the post-run margaritas and tacos on the patio of one of my favorite restaurants.  The run itself though?  Blech.

My legs felt like lead.  My usual easy pace felt like death.  "This is the longest 5.5 miles EVER!" I exclaimed to my running buddy. 

Turns out a lot of us felt that way on Monday night.  Maybe it was the slightly warmer weather?  Maybe it was that we wanted to get to the margaritas sooner?  Who knows.  I suppose, though, I should be grateful that my legs were just tired and not in pain. 

Speaking of pain, I have a combo ART & massage appointment scheduled tonight.  I'm interested to see if they can work some more magic on those tight spots surrounding my hip.  In the mean time, I'm taking the rest of this week off to finish packing and give my body a break.  Three days of running in a row is something I haven't done in awhile and now I remember why.  Got to work back up to that! 

Double without Trouble

 

This weekend I did something I hadn’t done in awhile.  Well, technically two things I hadn’t done in a while.

Thing #1 – I ran in the rain.

I went to Waterfall Glen forest preserve with my running club where it proceeded to rain on us for almost the entire run.  When I arrived my fellow club members were huddled together underneath the small overhang of the bathroom roofs.  The rain didn’t seem to be letting up so finally we decided to brave it.

“But I’m not even training for anything!” I whined.  “I don’t HAVE to run!”

Apparently, though, my legs felt differently.  I actually ran on both Monday and Thursday of last week so this was my third run of the week.  Something I haven’t done in months.  You’d think my legs would be dead.  Nope.  After a slower first mile I ended up running negative splits and feeling amazing.  I ran the first 30 minutes with the club and then turned around and ran the second 30 minutes by myself.

I swear, rain makes you run faster.

I always forget how much I love running in the rain.

Thing #2 – I ran two days in a row

After running Monday, Thursday and Saturday my left leg didn’t feel too bad.  I’ve been rolling out my hip using a combination of a tennis ball and a foam roller and it seems to be helping some.  So when Kim suggested a run on Sunday morning I said sure.

She was coming to my house to help me finish packing for my move but first we took advantage of the non-rainy weather with a 5 mile run through my soon-to-be-former town.

I was totally overdressed.  Apparently I’ve forgotten how to dress for running. 

Anyway, it was a nice, easy (aka slow) 5 miles and my leg didn’t bother me.  Hurray! 

Was it smart to go from 5-10 miles a week to double that?  Probably not.  But at this point I’m just doing what I want and seeing how my leg responds. 

And after tonight’s run it will probably become a rest week.  If you call getting ready to move “rest”! 

Moti-what?

Some days you're more motivated than others, right?

On Monday night I wasn't feeling all that motivated.  Right now I'm pretty much running once a week since I'm not training for a race and I'm spending more time strength training, packing, and going to various PT appointments.  So I knew if I didn't go out for a run on Monday I might not run at all until this weekend.

Which means that even though I wasn't feeling particularly motivated I went running anyway.  My pace was definitely on the easy side but I was running with someone who was joining the Monday night run for the first time so I didn't want to leave her behind.  That worked out well since I wasn't too motivated to push the pace much harder, anyway.

Tuesday, though, my motivation came back with a vengeance.  After doing part of the strength workout I'd been planning to do on Monday at lunch I decided to finish it up Tuesday after PT.

Some of that motivation might have come from the fact that my left leg, which had been bothering me after Monday night's run, felt MUCH better after PT.  Apparently if I just have my physical therapist use her elbow to loosen up the tight spots twice a week I'm golden.  Skip a week and there's hell to pay.  Not a perfect long term solution, though, so hopefully we can figure out something else.  Do they make compression socks for your hips?  I mean, I know they make them for your legs because Sara is raffling off a pair. 

Anyway!  After Tuesday night's PT appointment I came home and put together three parts of some workouts I pinned on Pinterest to come up with the following:

Abs
Complete 3 circuits – move from one exercise to the next with little to no rest.
Flutter Kicks – 30 reps (15 each side)
Side V-ups – 20 reps (10 each side)
Push Through – 30 reps

Lower Body
Complete 4 circuits
Step-ups – 30 seconds each leg; rest 10 seconds after each leg
Prisoner Squats – 30 seconds; rest 10 seconds
Stiff Legged Deadlifts – 30 seconds; rest 10 seconds
Butt Blaster – 30 seconds; rest 10 seconds
Heel Clappers – 30 seconds; rest 10 seconds
Leg extensions – 30 seconds; rest 10 seconds

Arms
Complete two circuits
Bicep Curls – 20 reps
Rest 20 seconds
Tricep Kickbacks – 20 reps each arm
Rest 20 seconds

Cardio
One set of Tabata intervals

Let me tell you, those Butt Blasters are no joke!   Also, I'm pretty sure that after multiple days in a row of doing strength training my triceps are bigger than they've ever been.

So, yeah, motivation.  It comes and goes.  But, dang, when it comes you know it's going to make you kick butt!

Three Things Thursday

I feel like this week is going by both quickly and slowly.  As in, I keep asking myself "Is it only Thursday?"  and "It's Thursday already??"

This could be because I'm keeping myself pretty busy.

Monday night I ran with my running club and played ambassador to a woman who was running with us for the first time.  We ran an average 9:30 pace for 5.5 miles (positive splits for me again) which she said is faster than she usually runs.  She kept up well, though!  My left leg, however, was a little pissed at me so I was glad for being too busy on Tuesday to get in a workout.  Forced rest for the win!

Actually, Tuesday night was our monthly running club meeting where we had the executive director and the racing coordinator for the Chicago Area Runners Association come speak to us about some of their new initiatives and to get feedback on what we though they could be doing better.  If you're a Chicago area runner and you don't belong to CARA you should know that they do more then get you race discounts and race training!  They also have partnerships with businesses to get CARA members discounts on running apparel, gym memberships, and other running-related goodies.  They also keep a database of volunteer opportunities so if you want to volunteer for a race in the Chicago area you can contact them and they'll let you know when they need volunteers.

Last night I wanted to get in a quick strength workout.  I did two rounds of the Bikini Beach Bum Workout from the Tone It Up training video series.




I followed that up with day 1 of a 7 day arms workout I pinned on Pinterest.

Source: skinnyms.com via Erin on Pinterest

Day 1 is focused on triceps and today my triceps are SORE! Whew. So far it looks like a really good series of quick arms-focused workouts to add to any strength routine. I usually prefer compound moves but every so often I feel like I need a more focused session. This definitely fits the bill!

Which means tonight I plan to do the second day of that series and throw in some Tabata intervals. Good times.

And Well

I'm still here! I'm alive! I've just been busy at work. And at physical therapy. And at the ART office. And running. I did run Monday night. I thought about skipping since my hip was still a little sore but it turns out the run was probably the best thing I did for it! It felt MUCH better after I ran. In fact, I even rode my bike to running group and then ran and the hip held up just fine. I don't really have anything else to add. I thought about strength training after PT on Tuesday but didn't. I'll probably strength train tonight. Why tonight? Because tomorrow I'm thinking I'm actually going to run at lunch! It's been months since I've done that and I miss it. So, I'll keep you updated. Until then, back to work!

Deliciously Sore

One of the things I'm trying to do while running is focus on keeping my chest up and my butt tucked under. This means that I'm using my glutes a lot more when I run than I used to. Combined with the squats and deadlifts I did on Sunday? Let's just say I was definitely feeling it at the end of Monday night's run.

The other thing I was feeling? The pace! I started off running with one of my favorite guys who I almost NEVER run with because he's so much faster than me. But we hung together since he was running easy and I picked up the pace a bit.

In fact, here's how my Monday night runs have gone since I went back to running the usual 5.5 mile route with my running club:

Click to see larger

Smart? Probably not. Fun? Yes. In fact, I lay in bed last night relishing in the fact that my muscles were sore from a workout. Not bad sore. Good sore. Deliciously sore. It's been a long time since I've been sore from a workout like that. I missed it.

Of course, today I've got some familiar pain on the front of my pelvic bone but at least my hip feels okay?

The ART of Running

 

Several things to talk about today.

Let’s start with the fun stuff!

I went for my usual 5.5 mile run with my running group on Monday night.  The goal?  Between a 9:30 and 10:00 minute pace.  The gal I was running with said we managed a 9:24.  My Garmin said 9:33.  Either way, we managed my goal. 

The run on Monday night was also sponsored by Merrell.  The shoe rep brought two kinds of their barefoot shoes  to try out.  I didn’t run in any of them but I tried on the Barefoot Run Dash Glove and really liked them.  Very comfy!  Not sure I’d buy a pair just quite yet, though.

BUT!  The shoe rep did a drawing for a free pair of shoes and I won!  I actually won the trail version of the barefoot shoes: 

I’m excited to try wearing them around and maybe, just maybe, running in them.  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

On Tuesday I went to a new-to-me place in the city called Active Body.  They’re chiropractors who specialize in Active Release Technique (ART).  The gal I ran with on Monday night had recommended them to me and I’d done some previous Googling and liked what they had to say.

I told the doctor I saw all about my hip issue and he said it sounds like, yes, I have a labral tear but that the tight muscles and tendons surrounding it are just pulling the ball of my femur too tight into the hip socket making it feel worse.  ART worked when I was having my shin issues last year.  I’m hoping it might help relieve some of my hip issues as well. 

Because my hip hurt like the dickens after Monday night’s run.  I suppose I pushed the pace a little too fast a little too quickly or something.  I really don’t know.  That’s what so frustrating about this injury.  Some days it feels just fine. Other days I ache after any kind of activity. 

Still, I’m having fun doing what I’m doing and, hey, I got a new pair of shoes!  And, at least for this gal, new shoes make everything better. 

Having Fun

Kim gave me these arm warmers for my birthday.  In January.  Since I didn’t get a chance to wear them this winter I decided I was breaking them out for my Monday night run.  It was a little too warm for them but I didn’t care!  I wanted to have fun!  And what’s more fun while running than doing it in crazy running gear?

I got about 100 comments on them.  People loved them! 

And, hey, sometimes running is all about having fun, right?  It doesn’t always have to be about pace or distance or racing.

Although, I’ll be honest, I thought since most people in my club raced on Sunday they’d be running nice and easy on Monday night.  Not so much.  Thankfully two lovely ladies hung at the back with me and chatted as we ran.

I realized as we were running that each mile was getting progressively faster.  Negative splits!  Fun!  I made it my own little secret goal to do at least the first 5 miles with negative splits once I saw that was the trend.  Success!

So, even when it is a bit about pace there are ways to make it more fun than work.  In fact, if it’s not fun, why are we doing it? 

Which means the next time you need to make your run (or workout) more fun, wear something crazy (like these Bad Ass leggings or some tiger arm warmers), make yourself some fun but attainable goals or workout with someone you don’t normally hang with. 

I promise, it will be fun. 

Monday Two Day

Monday was a day full of workouts! After my weight lifting session on Sunday afternoon my upper body was a little bit sore but I still had a weight class to lead over lunch.

One other coworker and I did what I'm calling the "Top to Bottom Workout" that ended up working some of the same muscles I worked on Sunday. Rookie mistake. Still, it's been awhile since I've been sore from a workout and I kind of missed the feeling.

Bridge w/Dumbbell Press
Pilates Roll-Up
Dumbbell Chest Fly
Shoulder Fly
Reverse Fly
One Legged Dumbbell Deadlift
Side Lying Leg Lifts

Let's just say my rear deltoids and my shoulders were pretty tired by the end!

And then, when I got home, I went running! Yes, running! I did 5.5 miles at a 10 minute per mile pace with my running group. It was also a Mizuno Fun Run night so I tried out a pair of the Mizuno Wave Inspire. They reminded me of my old Brooks Adrenalines. Not something I could wear every day any more but they were a nice change from my usual Asics Gel Foundations. Much lighter, anyway.

The run felt pretty good. I could tell I'm still not in great shape but the fact that I'm still able to run 5.5 miles is encouraging. And it wasn't too painful afterward. I stretched and today I'm a little sore in the same spot I was sore in on Friday after running but it appears running isn't making anything worse.

I was flying pretty high by the end of the day. I don't think I'll be back up to 20 and 30 mile weeks any time soon, but it's nice to be able to go for a run when I want.

Running Results

Well, I ran on Monday night. And I'm still alive. And my left leg hasn't fallen off. I suppose that's success!

I was honestly debating whether or not to go because mid-afternoon on Monday I started to get a headache and feel a little bit "off". But I've felt that way in the past and a run has made me feel better so off I went.

Actually, first I walked the 1.5 miles to where my running group meets. The sports medicine doctor told I was supposed to do a one mile warm-up walk and I figured this would be more than sufficient. I'm a pretty good power walker thanks to many a time spent power walking with my mom.

Walk to OPRC by snmnstrz21 at Garmin Connect - Details

I did some of my stretches once I arrived at the running store and then set out for an easy three miles. One of the guys from the club I don't usually run with and I did the three miles together and chatted about skiing, both downhill and cross-country. He made me want to try cross-country skiing!

I noticed my hip and leg were a little sore when we would stop for intersections but it was hard to tell if that was because I just hadn't used them this way in a while or if they really weren't ready for prime time. We weren't going fast but I could definitely tell I wasn't in the same shape as I was at the end of 2011. But, hey, I'm still able to run three miles!

After the run my left leg needed a lot of stretching and massaging. However, now, a few days later, it feels fine! Unfortunately, I've been hit with whatever illness is going around and have been alternating hacking up a lung, dealing with throbbing sinus pressure, and monitoring my temperature every 10 minutes. Hence, no more running since Monday night.

But, I pushed my luck and Wednesday night I attended the swim lesson I won from Maggie's giveaway!

Swimming makes you look kind of scary

Coach Judie was amazing! I learned more in the 30 minutes I had with her than I did in the six weeks I took swim lessons a few years ago. I feel much more comfortable in the pool now even though we didn't get through all the fundamentals of the freestyle stroke. I'm looking forward to making time to get the pool and try out the drills she gave me!

For now, though, I'm going to continue hacking up a lung, slamming Dayquil and resting. I think my body might need it.

Weekend Workouts

Since I wasn't able to get in a good sweat-fest on Thursday, I decided I'd get on the bike trainer on Friday evening.

I did my usual 40-some minutes while watching Bones and then headed into Tabata intervals. I was whirring along keeping my speed above 20 MPH and my cadence above 100 when I decided, "Hey, let's see what happens if I make the gears one harder."

Well, uh, this is what happens:

Yeah. I hit almost 35 MPH as my top speed. Granted, that was only for a few seconds, but still. I really should learn how to use the gears on my bike to my advantage.

Saturday I didn't get in a workout but that's because I was out celebrating my running club's achievements from 2011. We participate in the Chicago Area Runners Association Circuit Competition and Saturday was the awards banquet. We had lots of award winners.

I didn't get a fancy plaque, but I did get my participation award. A really nice stainless steel Nathan water bottle that says CARA 2011 Participation Award on it. The best part? It has a clip on it so that I can attach it to my purse. I lost my previous water bottle with a clip on it at Christmas and had been jonesing for a new one! This one is perfect!

I also won a raffle prize. A one-year all-access pass to the Chicago Athletic Clubs. This thing is worth some serious dough I've been told. The downside? None of the clubs are convenient for me!

So, if it's convenient for one of you and you think you'd use it, let me know. Seriously. I hate for this thing to go to waste. Even though Jason and I have talked about moving to the city, there's still no guarantee that I'd be able to use it.

After indulging myself for most of the day on Saturday I was not really in the mood to push myself on Sunday. Still I went to the basement to do Monday's strength class workout and try out a few tweaks. That took me 30 minutes or so. Then I decided to knock out another round of Tabata intervals on the bike. Then, per the usual, once I was on the bike I didn't want to get off after only a few minutes. So I did 30 minutes total.

And then I made myself a peanut butter chocolate smoothie with the PB2 that Kim bought me. Soooo good.

All in all, a pretty good weekend.

Time to Compute

Jason did indeed take my hint and get me a bike computer for my birthday. He hooked it up for me last night and even though my birthday isn't until tomorrow I went ahead and tried it out.

And promptly felt like the slowest cyclist ever.

I tried Tabata intervals for the first time and after the first 20 seconds, while I was on my 10 seconds of rest, Jason (who was on the treadmill next to my bike) looked over and said, "Are you okay?"

"Yep," I panted. "They're supposed to be like this." Then my 10 seconds of rest was over and I was back to pedaling furiously trying to keep my speed above 18 MPH. I didn't always succeed. Thankfully my bike won't blow up if my speed drops.

It definitely wasn't called The Bike That Couldn't Slow Down.*

(*Bonus points if you get the reference)

Anyway, I then rounded out my bike workout by riding until I hit 15 minutes. I was dripping sweat everywhere even though our basement hovers between 58 and 65 degrees (per the thermometer on my bike computer! How nifty is that?)

I laughed at these when I heard about them, but maybe I should invest in a bike thong?

Bike Thong

I mentioned to Jason that riding on the trainer felt really hard and he pointed out that the trainer has adjustable resistance and right now it's set at the hardest setting. Hmmm. Maybe that's why my average speed was 13.75 MPH but it felt like I was trying a lot harder? Or maybe I'm just a slow cyclist.

In addition to those 15 minutes of cycling I did the same weight workout I mentioned here. The only thing I skipped were the bent over barbell rows. See, when I was bringing in the groceries on Sunday one of the bags slipped and did something to my left forearm. Not sure what but it burned like hell at the time and then last night it just felt wrong when I used it to pull up the barbell. Here's hoping I just bruised something and it will be fine in a few days.

And, oh yeah, did I mention I ran 5.5 miles on Monday night? I ran a nice 10 minute pace but still felt kind of sore during and afterward. I've always had a goal in the back of my mind of getting my "easy" pace to be 9:00 minute miles but I don't think that's going to happen any time soon!

2011's Secret Goal

I realized today that I left something out of my year in review post. Not really on purpose, but I guess my hind brain thought it deserved a post all its own.

I had a secret goal in 2011. One that I didn't tell very many people, if any, about.

See, my running club does awards every year. One of those awards is the Most Improved Runner. I've been silently coveting that award since I learned about it three years ago.

The award recipient is chose by the running club Board. Since I'm on the Board I try really hard not to advocate for myself. But this year a few other people did it for me.

I don't know why I blocked out my last name. I'm sure you can all figure it out if you don't know it already

They presented me with this award at the December holiday banquet. I am ridiculously pleased to have won. It means I accomplished my secret 2011 goal of earning the title of most improved runner.

I didn't get to make a speech or anything, but I really couldn't have done this without the encouragement and support of my running club friends, Kim, my husband, my mom, Coach Holly, and everyone who helped me believe in myself.

And now I'm going to Disney World!

No, not really.

Them's the Breaks

Last night I ran for the first time since the Las Vegas Marathon. I did 5.5 miles with my running group. The first mile or two felt pretty good. It felt good to be out there. But I think I was running too fast and I was totally overdressed. Still, I finished 5.5 miles at a 9:30 pace with minimal left leg discomfort. My hip was a little achy for the rest of the evening but it feels better after a night of sleep.

Which leads me to my next though: taking a break. Obviously I've pushed my body hard this year. I've run lots of PRs, two marathons, and 30 races total. I've been dealing with left leg issues since the end of January and while I've been able to run through them I'm pretty sure my body needs some time to heal. Plus, I've got an appointment with a surgeon to talk about my labral tear on December 21st.

So it was rather timely that this month's issue of Runners' World had an article about how to scale back your running during the holiday season. Because that's exactly what I plan to do.

I took 7 full days off running after Las Vegas. I'll probably take another 7 full days off running in the near future. I'll be visiting my mom for the rest of the week and she has an elliptical that I plan to use a few times.

I have a Groupon for a month of unlimited yoga that I plan to use. There are some classes at my gym I want to try. And if I can get up the courage and find a time that works with my schedule, I'm going to try some swimming. Gulp.

I'll probably throw in some light strength training, too, if I can figure out what works for me. I do have another CrossFit coupon that I'd love to use but we'll have to see if it aggravates anything.

Some of this is dependent on what the surgeon says next week but I'm hopeful that I can find something that will keep me fit but let me heal. There might be some trial and error but and I'm a little weirded out to deviate so much from the schedule I've been sticking two for the past year. But I'm also looking forward to trying something a little different. Who knows? Maybe it will be awesome.

Las Vegas Marathon Race Report

So, you all know by now that I ran the Las Vegas Marathon on Sunday. My third marathon ever and my second this year. But did you know I ran it as part of a wedding party?

Yes, two of my friends from my running club were married 10 years ago in Las Vegas after running the Las Vegas Marathon. So for their 10th anniversary they decided to go back and run the race just like the did last time. They invited us all to join them as they ran the race and renewed their vows at the on-course ceremony.

Well, I'm not quite fast enough to have made it to the ceremony, but I heard it was lovely.

I'm getting ahead of myself, though.

Jason and I arrived in Vegas on Friday night and took it easy on Friday and Saturday. I met up with my friend, W, who was also in Vegas as a race spectator. She's cheered for me at my first 5K, my first half marathon, and this year when I broke 2 hours in the half marathon for the first time. But this time she had a special treat for me:

How awesome is that??? Sadly, I didn't get to see her on the course so I'm thankful she took a picture and shared it with me.

On Sunday afternoon, after taking "wedding" pictures our group trooped through the Venetian in search of a shuttle bus to take us to the start line at Mandalay Bay. We finally found one even though I had to sit on Jason's lap the whole way.

The shuttle bus dropped us off on what felt like the opposite side of the world from where we needed to be so we navigated our way through the hotel and finally found gear check. I left my stuff with Jason, though, so I wouldn't have to deal with the lines.

Oh yeah, did I mention that this race had 44,000 people signed up if you add the full and the half marathon together? That's as many as Chicago in a much smaller space.

Maribeth and I were planning to run together and she'd made some last minute adjustments to our starting corral. Suddenly we were standing in Corral 2. As in, up with the super fast people within spitting distance of the start line. Kind of freaky but exciting! We almost got interviewed by a local news channel since were standing with our "bride and groom" but it didn't work out. Sad.

The race started a few minutes late with an underwhelming starting pistol. Come on! It's Vegas! You couldn't get a lion out there to roar or something?

Anyway, Maribeth and I turned a corner almost immediately and there was Jason!

I hadn't seen him at the start of either of my other two marathons and Maribeth said it was a good omen that I saw him at the start of this one.

The sun was slowly setting as we started on our first 13 miles. My left hip was kind of achy and I wasn't feeling too great but we were going at a pretty quick clip. I tried to slow down some but my legs just wanted to go. We twisted and turned through warehouses and business parks (and the Hustler store). Every so often we'd turn toward Mandalay Bay and you could see the setting sun turning it into a gold monolith. Pretty. It was probably a good thing, though, that this race was at night because this part of the course UGLY. The most memorably thing (other than the Hustler store) was the massive hill just after mile 7.

I only walked for about 30 seconds just after the 10K mark and I worried that not taking my walk breaks might be a mistake. But, I felt pretty good all things considered.

I was having some mild intestinal distress and I debated stopping to use a port-a-potty. When I only saw one at mile 12, though, I figured I'd wait until we got back to the Strip. My pace was good, my hip was hurting less, and I didn't have to use one that bad.

We turned onto the Strip and started merging with the half marathoners. We knew we weren't going to make it to the on-course ceremony at mile 15 since we only had 10 minutes to spare and 2 miles until we got there. Also, when I saw the lines at the next port-a-potty near mile 14 I realized I didn't have to use one anymore. Score!

By this time it was dark and I wasn't sure how Jason was going to see me. Sure, I had on a blinking LED ring but otherwise he was just going to have to rely on the lights of the Strip. I knew he'd be somewhere between mile 14 and 16 and then suddenly there he was!

I was still feeling super strong at this point. When Maribeth stopped to find some on-course fuel near mile 16 I kept going. The aid stations on the course were total chaos with marathoners and half marathoners all trying to get to them at once on one side of the street.

At this point the course was getting more and more crowded. I was dodging people all over the place as people on bikes rode down the center of the lanes yelling "Half marathoners to the right, marathoners to the left!" I had to cut a few corners because the crowd was so thick around the turns there was no option but to hop up on the sidewalk. I figured all the dodging I was doing would more than make up for the little bit of corner cutting.

I still hadn't walked other than at the 10K mark and once for a few seconds while Maribeth got water earlier on. I was drinking water from my fuel belt and occasionally trying to grab one at an aid station. I'd taken a few Shot Bloks (with caffeine) but I didn't really feel like I needed them. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that I had two meals in my system already. The benefit of an evening race, at least for me.

Around mile 19, though, I started to get a killer headache. My irritation at all the people surrounding me began to rise and I just wanted to scream "GET THE EFF OUT OF MY WAY!" I promised myself that if I made it to mile 20 I could run-walk my way to the finish. Which is what I did. When I reached the mile 20 sign I pulled over to the side and walked for a few seconds. I looked over at another guy who did the same thing and said, "I promised myself I could walk if I made it to 20." He laughed and said, "So did I".

The course at this point wasn't particularly nice. We'd left the fun lights of the Strip but weren't quite in the historic downtown area of Vegas. Row after row of sketchy furniture stores, houses with bars on the windows and barking dogs in the front yards, and bail bond shops lined the route. Even the darkness couldn't hide the ugliness.

But I only had 6 more miles. I decided I'd run until I saw the next mile marker and then walk for a few seconds. I still couldn't find my groove because of all the people and at one point I almost got clotheslined by a woman reaching across the course to high five a spectator. Gah!!!

Somewhere near mile 21 I heard someone behind me. "Pace group coming through! Make a hole!" I turned on a guy running next to me. "What pace group is that?"

"4:15," he said.

Are you serious? Did I really stay ahead of the 4:15 pace group until mile 21? I had a fleeting image of sticking with them for the last 5 miles but knew it wasn't going to happen as they pulled away from me.

Around mile 23 I looked up and realized that my some of my "bridal party" was right in front of me taking a walk break. I never in a million trillion years thought I would catch up to them. They're sub-4:00 marathoners! But they were taking this one easy. "Go on!" they shouted. "You look great!!"

I still felt pretty great and that adrenaline boost was awesome. In fact, the adrenaline of the whole race was probably the only thing that kept my mind off the fact that my under arms and under my fuel belt were chafing all to hell even with the Vaseline I tried to slather on somewhere around mile 20 or 21. My speed burst lasted until mile 24 when I took a fairly extended walk break to drink two cups of water. I wanted to give those last few miles my all. Plus, most of the water stations looked abandoned and bombed out so I had to walk almost the full length of one to find someone who actually had water.

The Mandalay Bay loomed in the night sky and it felt like it was never going to get closer. Finally, we turned a corner and followed a driveway to the convention center area behind the hotel. I saw the finish line lit up and I pushed up a small hill. I could see the clock said 4:26:something and I threw my arms in the air.

I'd done it. I'd broken 4:30 in a marathon. I was ecstatic. My legs, however, were pretty much done. I started to stumble and a lovely medical tent volunteer grabbed me right up. She gave me water and a salt packet and I started to feel a little better. I got my medal and found my friends who'd finished a few minutes behind me.

Then the real "fun" began. We got our Mylar blankets and tried to find our way to the indoor gear check. The crowd was ridiculous. Hoards of people mobbing the food and water tables. The wind picked up and chilled us to the bone. There was a bottleneck at the post-race photo station that we managed to skirt around and then it was like a herd of cattle trying to move our way to the exit gate. Finally we made it inside where we found the rest of our party and tried to recover.

I felt pretty "off". A little nauseous, very headachy, stiff, and cold. Jason played his spectator role flawlessly and made sure I got whatever I needed. After about an hour of recovering we ventured back outside with our Eagle Scout "groom" leading the way to the shuttle buses.

Apparently if you read a lot of other race reports you'll see that the inside of the Mandalay Bay became standing room only with people passing out, puking, and a general scene of chaos. We missed all of that. We walked right outside, crossed the half marathon route, and got on a shuttle bus that took us back to the Venetian all in less than 30 minutes.

This race definitely had some logistical problems that put a big black mark on a lot of people's experiences. I'm one of the few who managed to PR in that sea of runners and one of the few who apparently missed the chaos of exiting Mandalay Bay and finding a shuttle. The course, other than the Strip, isn't particularly scenic and even on the Strip you sometimes feel like you're running through a drunken frat party.

All in all, though, it was a great weekend for me. Sure, I didn't have a typical Vegas experience as our post-race party involved sitting around with my friends in our comfy clothes drinking leftover champagne in a hotel suite but, to be honest, that was the perfect ending to the day. I ran this race to be with my friends and that's what I got.

Well, that and a medal. And that medal? Yeah, it glows in the dark.

Las Vegas Marathon by snmnstrz21 at Garmin Connect - Details

Kneed

I'm beginning to think maybe my body doesn't want to run any more this year. That I should have just been happy with my performance at the Milwaukee Marathon and gone on my way.

But, no, I decided I needed to run Las Vegas. So I didn't take very long of a break and got right back into training. I have that 4:30 course limit to contend with, you see.

Last night I decided to run to the start of our running group run and then do the long route for a total of just over 9 miles. The day after running 20 miles.

Yeah, not my smartest idea ever.

The first 5.5 miles went fine. No problems. But when we stopped at our regular regrouping point and I went to start back up again my left IT band attachment point started SCREAMING at me. The outside of my left knee felt worse than my right knee ever did last year.

It's not a joint thing and for that I'm grateful. But ITB Syndrome is nothing to sneeze at. I cut my run short and finished up with 7.25 miles at my long run pace.

I then proceeded to limp around to dinner and then collapse on the couch once I got home. I iced. I foam rolled, I stretched, I applied BioFreeze. I'm wearing my knee brace. However, the outside of my left knee is slightly swollen and painful to the touch. Perfect ITBS symptoms.

I've got a massage scheduled for this evening and I've been icing and keeping my leg as elevated as possible while sitting at my desk at work. I'll be taking the week off and seeing how I feel this weekend. I'm wearing my knee brace and taking Advil and Omega-3.

In short, I'm doing everything I should be doing to try and get this to go away.

Doesn't mean I'm not bummed, though.

OPRC Monday Night Short Route Plus by snmnstrz21 at Garmin Connect - Details

Trick or Treat

Two years ago Jason and I were invited to a Halloween party and put our outfits together at the last minute. I bought a "sexy" race car driver outfit and we got him some coveralls so he could be my pit crew.

Last year I don't even remember what we did but I'm pretty sure we didn't dress up. So my costume from 2009 sat in a drawer. Until this year, that is.

A few weeks ago it was decided that since our running group's regular Monday night fun run fell on Halloween that people should dress up if they wanted to. I sent out the email and put it on Facebook but didn't think I'd be dressing up personally. But then I remembered my costume stuffed in the drawer. Hmmm, I thought, I wonder if I could run in that.

Turns out, I can! I added capris, arm warmers, and a sports bra but that was it. Perfect!

The streets were crazy busy with all the trick or treaters and their parents out and about. It amazes me that on every other Monday night these people are no where to be seen. But last night they were out in force. I fell to the back of the pack quickly and felt kind of stupid running alone in my costume, but, hey, it was dark. I just pretended I was running from Halloween zombies or something. I knew better than to push myself too hard.

When I finally caught up with the group at the 4 mile mark I was all set to do the short route and finish up with just another 1.5 miles. But then Maribeth talked me into doing the full 7.75 mile route with her. We ran a nice, sedate pace and chatted the entire time. Those 3.75 miles just flew by! We're hoping to run the Las Vegas marathon together so this was good practice.

And with that, my Halloween run was over. Til next time, costume.

Frank Lloyd Wright 10K Race Report

Several years ago I attended a scrapbook convention where I purchased a set of letter and number stickers in the style associated with Frank Lloyd Wright. Why? Because I knew the Frank Lloyd Wright 5K and 10K existed and I knew I wanted to run them some day.

Last year I didn't run it because I thought it would be too soon after the Chicago Marathon and I didn't have any idea how I'd feel. Turns out I was physically able to run but by the time I decided to sign up the races were sold out.

The year before I believe I was out of town a conference.

But this year the stars finally aligned and I was able to sign up and run the Frank Lloyd Wright 10K on Sunday.

The start of the race is just a hair over two miles from my house. Since the race didn't start until 8:45 AM and I needed to get in a long run this weekend (you know, with that pesky Las Vegas marathon hanging over my head) I decided to run to the race as my warm-up and to get some extra miles in. After the race I made plans with Maribeth to run a few more to get us up to 12 miles.

The first part of my warm-up miles was rough. My legs felt like concrete and I felt a little woozy. Not a good sign, I thought. I guess I pushed it too hard on Friday? Too much walking around a jewelry and accessory expo the day before? Who knows. Thankfully I started to feel a little better during the second mile.

I wore my OPRC tank top, my arm warmers and shorts. To keep warm during my warm-up I threw on the tech shirt I got from that 5K last weekend. I was drenched in sweat by the time I got to the race so I shoved the t-shirt in the goody bag and tossed it into gear check.

Because there was no need to carpool to a race in our own town, the OPRC group didn't really seem to meet up like usual. But I ran into a few people and chatted before the race. After a few half-hearted stretches and one last bathroom break I headed over to the start line. While I was cold standing there in just my tank and arm warmers I knew I'd be warm enough in a mile or two.

Jason cheered for me as the horn sounded and we were off. Based on Friday's run at lunch I knew I could hold an 8:30 pace for almost 5 miles. I figured why not go for that?

The first mile felt okay.

I passed the clock right at the 8:30 mark. Perfect. I skipped the water station at 1.5 even though I was starting to get warm and I could feel the salt starting to build up on my face. Not a good sign.

The arm warmers became mostly forearm warmers at that point and I just focused on making it to the next water station near mile 3. When we got there I stopped and grabbed some water and walked for a few seconds. Hey, I figured it worked at the Chicago Half Marathon, why not here? Miles two and three were sub-8:30 so I knew I had some time in the bank.

Near mile four we apparently went up what passes for a hill around here and at the time I saw Jason again. He and Coach Holly's husband were cheering for us. "It's downhill from here!" they shouted. I gave them a small wave but basically felt like death. My legs felt like they were coated in wet cement.

I stopped for water at the next aid station and willed myself to keep going. Mile 4 felt like the longest mile of my life. I can't believe I still kept up my close-to-8:30 pace!

When we FINALLY reached the mile 5 marker I kept telling myself we only had a mile left. My legs weren't having any of it, though. That last full mile was really rough and when I passed Jason close to the finish line I couldn't even manage a thumbs up.

I could see the finish line, though, and knew I only had .2 left. That's less than once around a track. I pushed myself as hard as I could and, of course, Coach Holly screaming at me that I'm a sprinter gave me a little extra oomph at the end.

I really couldn't believe my eyes at the finish line clock, though. My previous PR from last year's Lincolnwood Turkey Trot was 54:08. I had a feeling I could beat that since I'd already run longer distances at a pace faster than that one. But I had no idea I'd finish in 52:41 for an 8:29 pace!

I'm a little irritated that I couldn't keep that last mile closer to 8:30 (it was 8:45), but in the grand scheme of things, I managed to hit my overall goal pace right on the nose!

And then went on to run another almost 4 miles as a cool-down. I had Jason come pick me up in the car, though. I didn't feel up to running home.

The only downside to this race is that my left knee stiffened up immediately after crossing the finish line and took almost two miles of our cool down to loosen up again. Guess I'll need to wear my knee brace more often.

But with this race I've now PR'ed in every distance so far this year and I think I'm running some really smart races. Fun, fast, and educational. Yeah, I think that sums up a good race.

Frank Lloyd Wright 10K by snmnstrz21 at Garmin Connect - Details