Day One Training for Half Marathon

     Today began my first day of earnest training for the half marathon coming up in a couple of months. It is my plan to run in the Las Vegas Rock and Roll Series Marathon and Half Marathon. On the first day of my training program I was to run a easy 30 minutes. No problem-right? I have already participated in some 5Ks and a 10K. So naturally a half was the next logical step. Granted it has been 3 months to the day since I laced up my running shoes, but it should still be easy right? BULL!

     For this "easy" run I decided I would have my man drop me off about 3 miles from our farm and while he tended to the critters, I would just jog on there. No problem. Nice winding rurally road. Little traffic with a little bit of scenery along the way. Ideal plan. Ha Ha Ha.

     The first omen that things might not be so smooth was when he decided to drop me off in the local funeral home parking lot. Mind you funeral homes don't spook me in the least, but today the vultures were circling as he drove off. Literally. Big ugly turkey vultures with their big ugly wrinkly naked necks landed near me as I started down the back road. It was as if they sensed a meal in the making.

     As I jogged along at a brisker than normal pace (maybe just to get away from the spooky carnivores), I was soon leaving them behind. About half a mile in is where I started smelling the stench of death. Surely it wasn't me already. Nope-just a dead possum whom had the misfortune of meeting the front bumper of a local citizen. Lordy did it stink.

     As I plodded along, my lungs screamed for air, my pace slowed and I soon started questioning my sanity. But still I continued, stopping ever so often to catch my breath. As I was half way through my "run" I reached an open stretch and kicked it up a notch. I heard the "vehicle" if you want to call it that, before I saw it. As it came around one of the 4 very sharp turns in the road, the yahoo driving it saw me and gunned the engine. I looked around in time to see him accelerating to what seemed like a 100 miles an hour in that short stretch headed straight for me in the opposite lane. I started looking for a spot to jump out of the way, but would have to jump into a drainage ditch to avoid him. Just as I was about to take the dive as he closed in, he veered off-chortling at my panic. He flew on down the road, around the curve and out of sight. Red-Neck Idiot!!

     I composed myself, I continued on, a bit shaken, but determined to get this over with. I was over half way to the farm, about to run out of steam with a pounding headache, and a stitch in my side.

     As I jogged past the country cemetery, I felt a shiver creep up my back even though the temp outside was almost 80. I could have been in one of these if that idiot hadn't  veered off in time. IDIOT!

     Just as I was approaching the final stretch to the farm, my other "worst" fear came dashing out of one the yards. A large mixed breed dog zeroed in on me, nose low to the ground and accelerating towards me. Dang! Just my luck. Armed with only a water bottle. I stopped and demanded that he STOP! Didn't work. Hmmm. It always worked for Caesar when he did it on TV. What the Heck! Well, I knew not to run. I stood my ground and waited. Thankfully all he seemed to want to do is sniff my feet. However, he was getting pushier and I needed to get on. Trying not to let him sense my discomfort, I moved forward, commanding him to go home. Then when I was just about to get a little more panicky at his insistence, I looked up in time to see my man coming to my rescue on his white horse, er.. I mean white truck. He pulled up and I jumped in. "I thought this one might give you some trouble", he said. Ahhh, my prince.....

     So with my head pounding, red faced and slightly nauseated, I had completed my first training run in my quest to run that cursed half marathon. All I can say is they had better have some really awesome goody bags and a super neat t-shirt for this.... 

Laughing at the Speed Bumps

Ok, so by now I should feel like a pro on this 5K stuff right? Saturday I ran my third 5K. I was feeling like I should be ready for this without any problems. After all, I have already run two previous ones. This was at my hometown where I grew up. I knew the roads intimately. This should be a cinch. Wrong!

While my nerves on race morning were a little bit better controlled, I still felt a strong sense of self doubt. Touted as a flat and fast course that would allow you to improve your personal record, I signed up for this one thinking “Alright! I got this!”

However, once I arrived I saw that a smaller field of participants meant that the likelihood of me being at the back of the pack was higher. The majority of these runners looked very seasoned and younger than me. As I see it younger usually means faster. Oh well, nothing ventured nothing gained.

My goal for the day was to first finish the race; second improve my personal record; and third not to come in last. As I relayed those goals to a friend who was running his second 5K, he told me that my goals were way too low. I should strive to WIN! As we lined up at the start line, I hung back. He came back to me and told me that I was taking a defeatist attitude by not lining up on the front; that positive thinking would make me run better and faster. I told him that I was just being a realist and letting the faster runners get a better start.

Then the horn blew and we were off. My friends and daughter rocketed across the start line to set the pace. I ran about a quarter of a mile and had to walk. What the HECK was going on with my body? My legs felt like mush and I couldn’t seem to get my breathing right. I looked around to see that I was at the back of the pack. Only a couple of people were behind me and gaining. I felt defeated already. Crap!

So I took a moment to gather myself and pushed forward. I ran slowly but steadily. Soon I started passing people. Several of those that had passed me had started walking by then and I soon made my way around them. Only a couple caught up to pass me after that point. Little by little I pushed my way through the runners until I had to stop again to walk. At a mile and half in I grabbed a drink of water at the water station. My mouth felt like I had cotton balls inside. As soon as I swished the water I was off again. Once I reached the two mile mark, I saw that I was off my desired pace by over a minute. Kick it girlie!

As I made the first turn past the two mile mark, I encountered the first of four speed bumps. It was comical to see the volunteers holding up signs to warn me that a speed bump was ahead when it was so largely obvious. Maybe it was hysterics or perhaps heat exhaustion, but I got so tickled that I got some funny looks as I trudged by. I was still laughing when I reached the second one at about 100 yards up the road.

Once I reached the two and half mile mark, I had slowed down to a walk again and was right behind a girl half my age walking. She looked dejected. I walked quietly behind her for about fifteen seconds and then took a deep breath. I looked at her and said “OK girlfriend-we’re at the two and a half mile mark. We can do this. Let’s go get ‘em!” She just smiled and shook her head no. I shrugged and took off again. As I neared the next to last turn there was a slight hill. I was all alone, except for the construction workers who just stared as I blasted down the incline as fast as my little short fat legs would go. I was reminded of my daughter jokingly telling me that I look like a hobbit when I run. Well whatever I can do to entertain…

Then I encountered two more speed bumps complete with volunteers holding signs warning of their existence. More laughter ensued in between my loud gasping for breath as I continued to push onward. Come on now! I am wasting valuable resources with this silliness. Get on with it!

At the last turn before the half mile push to the finish line, I was even able to appreciate the attractiveness of the beefy fireman working traffic control. One has to be able to enjoy themselves whenever the opportunity arises- right?

The last quarter of mile was sheer torture. My lungs felt like hot pokers of fire. My legs were screaming. My nausea was dangerously close to some embarrassing attention. I saw the timer at the finish line. I had only a short time to kick it in to beat my previous time. My daughter and her friend appeared out of the crowd running back towards me on the sidewalk.

Please believe me when I say my daughter can rival any track coach when it comes to urging me on in those final yards. She showed no mercy as I sprinted with the very last drop of energy I could muster toward the finish line. It was like I saw it all in slow motion as I raced to beat the clock in my Nike Structure running shoes. Tick Tock. Tick Tock. Gasp Gasp Gasp….

When I passed the finish line, I had shaved only a minute of my previous time off. But a minute was a minute and I’ll take what I can get. It was a hard earned minute and I refuse to diminish how significant it was to me.

Granted I am still as slow as a turtle compared to those in front of me, especially my daughter and friends. But each race is an improvement. There were still quite a few behind me yet to complete the race; the last one crossing a good twenty minutes behind me. As I sat on the sidewalk gasping for air, I knew I had done it! My husband, my daughter, friends and the crowd had all cheered me on to the finish. It was an incredible feeling. 

After the race, the awards ceremony followed. My friend came in first in his age division. My daughter came in third overall female and first in her age group. Her friend came in first in her age group. And low and behold- I came in second in my age group! We all received medals and gift certificates to the local Athletics/ Sporting Goods store. Sweet!

The third race was just as important as the first and second because I learned new things each time. This time I learned that even though it may seem everyone at the first is going to kick my butt, I just need to do my thing and believe in myself. I learned not to give up or give in to insecurity and doubt. I also learned how to reach down deep for that sprint to the finish. These are some lessons that I think would be wise to carry over into everyday life as well. I realize that even if I do finish last, at least I am in the race. I learned to enjoy the ride! Finally I learned its okay to laugh at the speed bumps along the way….

2nd 5K

Well after the last 5K On New Year’s Eve (see my previous blog) I decided that I would train a little harder and give it another shot. So with sheer determination, I decided that the best course of action was to go to the local wellness center and use the treadmills, run the local outdoor track and run around in my neighborhood. Though I was still self conscious about how I looked, I just pushed forward leaving the negative thoughts to the haters.

I ran at least 3 times a week. Each run was a struggle. First I battled hip flexor soreness so bad I truly thought that I had torn something. This lasted a couple of months. Then one day I noticed it was better. The more I did, the more determined I was to do more. Mistake, mistake, mistake! While I was “overtraining” my poor body, I needed to be cross training in order to get the whole body in shape. But being a person who really doesn’t enjoy exercise, I ignored good sense. I paid for it too. Every morning I woke so stiff and sore, I could barely move. My runs weren’t long ones, but I increased my distance at least once a week. At first I couldn’t run 200 yards without stopping. But this got better and then I could run a quarter of a mile without stopping. Then it was a half mile. I tried to mix up the surfaces that I was running on just to be sure I was covering all the bases.

No matter how hard I try to get there, I still can’t run a 5K without walking some in order to catch my breath. Not long, only about 10- 20 seconds. Getting my breathing rhythm down is very hard for me. I sound like a freight train coming down the track.

Things were progressing well and my daughter and I were going to the park and running with the dogs and were feeling really good about our progress. Then we decided to go hiking up a local mountain trail. The first time we went, we took our Labrador Retriever and had a blast. The trails were steep but passable for the average hiker. The problem began the next weekend when we went back and decided to tackle one of the more adventurous trails. It had some very steep paths with some actual rock climbing to traverse the trail. The descent was a steep incline over slippery rocks as it had rained earlier in the day. Because of the rain, I decided to wear an older pair of tennis shoes. Oh did I pay the price. In addition to the sore screaming muscles, I developed painful shin splints. An excruciating painful condition that sends shooting pain up and down each side of your shin bones every step you take. I am still battling this problem today from that one adventurous day trip. But I have decided to just try and work through it. Then a reoccurring heel spur came back. Ugh! The stars were lining up against me!

After “training” for 3 and ½ months, I prepared to run in my second 5K. It was a good flat course with only one hill at the end. About 400 people signed up for the race and that included those walking as well.

The night before the race I was so nervous I couldn’t sleep. I ended up only getting about 2 hours of sleep total. The morning of the race I felt sluggish. My daughter was running also and she encouraged me to eat a bagel with peanut butter on it for energy. I don’t usually eat peanut butter but I did so anyway. Afterward I felt jittery and like my blood sugar levels were all out of whack. I had a headache and just felt like crap. I tried to convince myself that it was just nerves and I would settle down once I got there. My shin splints still caused me pain every time I walked. As I was warming up by jogging around before the race, I thought I was going to cry from the pain and just feeling crappy and the bad case of nerves.

This race was different from the New Year’s Eve race because this was in my home town running with people I knew; in the daylight no less. Because I had committed to the race I was determined I was going to make the best of it.

I didn’t even hear the starting horn when it began. This time though I made sure I had my watch ready and working; my music was on and I was off. 200 yards in, I had to walk….I couldn’t get my breathing right. I felt claustrophobic with all the people around me. So I walked and talked to myself inside my head. I calmed my nerves and resumed. I ran about another 1/2 mile and had to walk again. Just a few seconds and then I was off again. Breathing loudly, but with some semblance of a rhythm to it, I started passing slower runners in front of me. Because this was a run/walk event, there were plenty of people behind me. This gave me a boost of confidence. Then about one and half mile in I was feeling very hot, thirsty and winded. The water station came up in perfect time and I grabbed a cup of water. It was just what I needed. Picking up my speed, I hit the 2 mile mark running and ran another 1/2 mile before having to slow down to a walk to catch my breath. After about 30 seconds of breathing deep I saw that the woman who I had been passing back and forth was about to catch up again. She looked like she was my age, so I dug in and took off. As I approached the town square we were circling, I saw our local news camera filming the runners as they went by. Oh Lordy! I couldn’t stop now! I keep digging and then at about 2 and 3/4 miles I saw one of my daughter’s friends running ahead of me. She was 20 years my junior. I had to catch her. She was steadily moving along and I was struggling and struggling hard. Almost there-THERE!!! I passed her..hooray!!!

Then I met the hateful ole hill on the last stretch to the finish line. About that time a friend came back to run me in. He’d finished his first 5K at a very respectable 28 minutes. God Bless Him. He wanted to share his feelings of happiness and cheer me on. He was trying to carry on a conversation with me. I could barely breathe-much less talk….

Just then the girl I had passed came whizzing by me. I faltered and had to walk to catch my breath again! Crap! She patted me on the back as she went by…..so sweet….Then I saw the woman my age coming in from behind…Oh Hell NO! I kicked in the last bit of resolve I had left in me and sprinted to the finish line. Exhausted, exhilarated, and barely breathing with legs of jello I had made it-just beating her! HooRA!!!

While a finish of 36 minutes isn’t exactly earth shattering land records, it was a triumph for me. I didn’t win any awards-not by a long shot-but I did accomplish another goal that I had set for myself. I had shaved off 3 minutes from my previous time coming in 23rd out of 73 in my age group. And after resting for about 10 minutes, I felt remarkably well.

The lesson learned here was simply that I could dig deeper than I ever dreamed possible when motivated….now whether that motivation was proper or not I’m not sure, but it got me there…;)

Tomorrow I run in my 3^rd 5K in the hometown where I grew up…Don’t mind saying I’m a little nervous about doing well. I will have family and friends there watching and cheering us on. I just hope I don’t screw up…..

First 5K at 50

On this past New Years Eve I ran in my first 5K. Just a week shy of my fiftieth birthday, eighty pounds overweight and very much out of shape, I let my daughter convince me to run in this crazy race. Perhaps it was some mid life crisis I was feeling over the reality of turning 50 or just pure denial at the sad state I had allowed my body to reach that caused me to agree to this insanity.

Whatever the reason, I made the commitment. I filled in the registration form, circled my shirt size, sent in my check and made my plan. From the moment I watched the mailman take away my envelope, the anxiety started setting in. What had I just done???

In the weeks leading up to the event, my anxiety rose to near panic. I asked myself a thousand questions: “What if I couldn’t finish the race?” “What would I wear?” “What could I wear?” “Will my fat jiggle everywhere?” “Will people laugh at me?” “What if I make a fool out of myself?” “What if I had a heart attack?” Good grief that would be embarrassing (not to mention inconvenient) “Dang-what was I thinking?” I wasn’t a runner. I was barely a walker!!

One thing I found out at the beginning of this little endeavor was that most fitness stores do not carry large women size clothing. And don’t even think about the clothing stores for larger women carrying anything remotely “work-out-ish”. They don’t want you to even think about losing weight! However, after searching high and low, I was able to find a runners skirt, some tights and a nice shirt to wear. A good sports bra is a MUST! I went to a specialty store and was fitted with the proper running shoe; bought some good cushiony socks, a Nike cap and I was set. Clothing wise anyways; my fitness level was another whole subject.

Then it was New Years Eve. While most normal people were getting ready for their night out, I was in absolute panic mode readying myself for a night of what was sure to be hell. Worrying about all the possibilities, I felt that if I just finished that would be enough of an accomplishment for now.

My daughter kept reassuring me that I was going to be fine. I had been running at the local track with her for the past month and a half. I wasn’t able to run the whole three miles, but I could do the walk/run enough to finish. Always well winded and struggling but I was able to complete the 3.1 miles.

So when the evening hour approached and the weather started to turn bad, I knew this might be an omen. First the temps dropped into the 30’s. Then the rain and sleet started to fall intermittently. The wind was cold enough to feel like a knife was slicing through to your bones. Lycra and spandex do not keep you very warm. Add a bad case of nerves and what a mess I was. To add insult to injury, I had to drive 45 minutes to the event; stopping for gas because someone in my family had used my car without refueling it!

We arrived at the race sight, went in to the registration table and that is where I saw the sign that stated that the race officials had placed a cut off time on the race of 45 minutes. My heart sank because that was close to the time I had been running in my training. Yes I know that is slow, but I was a beginner and I was trying. I began to work myself up big time after seeing that stupid sign. As if I wasn’t nervous enough, now I had a time constraint to work with. My daughter tried to reassure me but wasn’t being very successful. She later told me I sounded like our dog when he gets worked up and starts whining until he is howling in uncontrollable panic.

The course was a hilly road that would begin at the top of a hill, race down to a school parking lot, then back up the hills toward the start point and further towards more hills, circle a large shopping center, then back out towards the starting point, traversing more hills and ending in a church parking lot. Not the best course for a first-timer.

So in the biting cold, we lined up; about 100 racers in the dark. I moved to the back of the pack, my daughter was at the front. I didn’t know any of the other racers. They ranged from seasoned pros to what looked liked semi pros to me. Then the sound of the fog horn was blown and we were off. I pushed the button on my watch and away I went.

Right off the bat, I was elbowed, jostled and passed. I was able to keep up fairly well until about a ½ mile in. Then I just couldn’t keep the pace with those around me and started falling back. I slowed down to a walk long enough to catch my breath and faced my first hill. I chugged up the hill and then down it. I made the first curve and up the next hill. Slowly but still going. Through a school parking lot and back out the way I had just come. Back up the hills I had just trudged up and down. I checked my watch. Suffering Succotash!!!-the stupid thing wasn’t working! Curses!! I not only didn’t know my pace but I didn’t even know how far I’d come or had to go.

I saw officials, but no one was calling out my split times. No mile markers were to be found. It was dark and I was all alone in the cold except for a large man chugging along behind me looking every bit as miserable as I was. As we approached the starting point where a small crowd had gathered to cheer us on, the man passed me. Then the man veered off into the parking lot, went straight to his car, got in and drove off. What the Heck! Now that was definitely not encouraging. Barely half way in and mutinies were happening. I decided right then and there I was not quitting-no matter what!

Just a little past the start point, I met the front runner coming up the hill as he is returning to the finish line. Great! I am just barely halfway and he is finishing! Then as I go down the hill-still in the dark all by myself- I start meeting other runners as they come up the hill. At the bottom of the hill I meet my daughter as she is heading towards the finish line. I yell out to her that I realized that I wasn’t going to make the cut off time, but I was just going to finish it anyways; that I would see her at the finish line. She looks like she might be struggling a bit herself. As I start into the shopping center where there is a little more light, I see all the runners in front of me have already gone around the shopping center and have headed out. I don’t see anyone behind me. I trudge on. The officials are there calling out encouraging words spurring me on, but no one is calling out times or mileages. Lord will this ever be over!!

As I finally make it around the back of the shopping center and head back out to go up the last big hill, I start to see the other runners behind me. These runners have yet to even get into the shopping center. I am not the last runner!!! There are a dozen or so still behind me!! So I won’t be the only disqualified runner. Hoorah!

As I approach the top of the hill I run out of steam and walk yet again. I just want to finish this. I see my daughter appear out of the darkness. “What are you doing walking?” she yells. “Move it!” I tell her I know that I have missed the cutoff time. She yells back, “Mom it is only 36 minutes in. You have plenty of time! So MOVE IT! You’ve got this!!” I tell her I know she is lying to me just to get me moving. She yells back “NO I’M NOT! Let’s go!!” So I go!-Up the rest of the hill to the finish line. Coming in at 39 minutes; exhausted but within the cut-off time. My husband, other daughter and the crowd cheered me on. What a feeling that was to reach that finish line! I was slow as a turtle, but I did it! If my daughter hadn’t come back to urge me on, I may not have made the cut-off time. When the awards were given out later I was stunned to receive a second place trophy for finishing in the top three of my age division. That was hilarious! Granted there were only 6 in my age division, still a trophy is a trophy.

Wow what a night! I learned so many things that night. Such as to never give up. That my family has my back. How to reach down deep. To buy a better watch. To control those nerves better. That no matter what I may have looked like out there running, those people on the sidelines weren’t judging me. Even if they were it doesn’t matter because I was doing something. They were on the sidelines watching-not participating.

I have also found that runners are some of the best people you will ever meet. They are encouraging and very supportive of each other. I have attended dozens of meets and have seen every type of individual participating or attending. It is truly a sport for all. I love the motto: JUST DO IT!