Run for the Paws 5k

It's been awhile since I've raced a 5k; it's been even longer since I truly trained for one. I signed up for this race months ago when I made the decision to focus on short distances and speed.

I was a little nervous getting ready this morning. Since running 20 last weekend, my left foot has been a nuisance. It doesn't hurt when I stand on it, but lifting it hurts. The pain is on the soft, outside part. Anyway, I didn't run all week, and my foot was feeling mostly better during the day, but every evening after being on my feet all day at work, it would start to ache again.

I decided that if my foot really bothered me during the race, I'd give up on running the full in February so that I could truly rest it.

I originally went in with no goals because of the pain, but was secretly hoping that I'd be able to break 30, which is always my fallback goal.

47 degrees at 7:30. Thank you, Florida. 

Matt and I got to the race about 45 minutes before it began, which was more than enough time to pick up our bibs, use the bathroom, and walk to the start line. I have to say, I'd forgotten how low-stress 5ks are! No fueling to worry about, no need to carry a million things. I knew that even if it hurt, it would be over quickly, and that was a great feeling.

The staging area was packed with dogs; they all got special bandanas to run in. It was very cute!

The race began at 8am, which I originally thought would be too late, but ended up being perfect because we've still got winter weather here! After a pretty unorganized lineup and very little warning for the countdown, we were off!

I took off pretty quickly in the first mile, and .25 in I realized I was pushing a 9:06 pace. I back off marginally; I felt good, but I didn't want to burn out. My foot was uncomfortable but not painful. In a way, it felt like I was stretching the tender spot, which felt nice.

The course was a simple out-and-back around the airport grounds. Around 1.5 miles in, I started to see the leaders coming back. I was impressed to see my pace staying steadily in the 9:30s; I didn't feel like I was really pushing it much, but I didn't know how hard I could really go without burning out, so I stayed there.

My finishing sprint was in the 8:50s.

The 9:30s ended up being comfortable and just challenging enough; I could have probably done the last mile in the low 9s, but because I'm out of practice with 5ks, I didn't want to take the risk. Considering I've been in the 10s and 11s for awhile now, I was really pleased with my performance.

The volunteers were really great. We've had a lot of rain and flooding, and they made sure to point us toward the dry parts of the paths when necessary.

The finish snuck up on me. I finally pushed the pace and passed a girl I'd been watching the entire race with a quarter mile to go, but still didn't really dig in for a sprint until the last tenth or so.

Matt got a couple pictures at the finish.

Matt had finished ahead of me in 25:37 (his chip got messed up and at first clocked him at 30:11, but we got it fixed) and met me at the finish. My time was 29:37. I was really pleased to have felt strong and consistent the entire race and to finish in under 30.

Originally the results said I placed 8th, but Matt's wasn't the only chip to get messed up. These are the official results. It's no top 10, but it's not too shabby!

Because this was a 10-year anniversary race, they had finishers medals! I used to be a little bit of a snob about medals for 5ks, but I've gotten over it; in fact, one reason I chose this race was because of the promise of bling!

My first medal of 2016!

I'm happy I ran it, and I reminded me how much I do love shorter races! I'm excited to do more this year; this one will serve as a baseline for the rest.

Finally, depending on how my foot feels, I'll be continuing a normal taper for A1A (15 miles this Sunday and 8-10 next Sunday). Fingers crossed. I'd like to have the choice - I don't want an injury to make the decision for me.

PS: As of Sunday morning, I've skipped that 15-miler. My foot feels almost normal; I think a couple extra days rest is called for, and then maybe it'll be totally normal this week!

When's the last time you ran a 5k?
Do like races that allow dogs?

ABK

First Watch Sarasota Half Marathon

I had really been looking forward to this race! Last year, when early-bird pricing opened, Sean gave me the heads up and I snapped up my entry without really thinking about it. I knew it was a well-established race with a good reputation and it was local to my parents, which would make travel easy.

I'm glad he convinced me!

Saturday afternoon Matt and I went to packet pickup downtown. I had planned to go earlier but Matt was working on my mom's car. I was lucky to run into Mari because the line curved all the way around the block, and I was able to slip in and wait with her.

The line at Fit2Run at Five Points.

Because this was the 10th anniversary race, we received beautiful, lightweight running jackets along with our shirts. I can't wait to wear it this summer when hurricane season hits.

The jacket is a $70 value, which makes the $47 race fee even more worth it.

The race offered XS sizing, which made me very happy, and the shirt is actually cut for women, so I may actually wear this one.

We had sushi for dinner, as is my usual, and I managed to fall asleep at a decent time.

How gorgeous is that?

Sunday morning arrived, and everything was rolling smoothly along. We got to the race site and parked without any trouble. I had my usual breakfast, but my stomach was being a little grumbly so I took half an Immodium. The biggest problem of the morning was the weather; it was already 70 and humid forty minutes before the race began.

I took a picture of our formidable bridge (lit in blue, although we also ran the smaller bridge right after) as I waited to use the bathroom.

The race started about ten minutes late, and by that time I was really itching to get moving. The first mile took a  lot of dodging and weaving, and then we were at the dreaded bridge. The first ascent was fairly easy except for how narrow it was! I was bumping into people all over the place.

I saw Sean and Mari on the descent; both looked strong.

We rounded St. Armand's Circle and came right back to the bridge. The second ascent was much harder, but I told myself I would run a race to be proud of and I didn't let myself walk. I did pause at the top to snap a picture of the sunrise.

As I began the descent, I spotted Matt off to the side and made a beeline toward him. 

Finishing the Ringling Causeway.

There I go, with the bridge behind me and the city before me!

Not long after I had passed Matt, someone drew up alongside me. "Excuse me, have you heard of the Sub-30 Club?" he asked.

I looked up and there was Will, a fellow Subber I'd last seen at Space Coast! He had been taking a walk break when he passed Matt, recognized him, and said hello; Matt told him I had just gone by. We chatted for a bit and then went on with our own paces, but we would be leap-frogging the rest of the race and seeing him on the course really helped me pull through this one.

By this time, it was really warming up. The next few miles (5ish through 8) were along 41, which isn't a very pretty route and was fairly narrow at times. The volunteer support and water stations were great. There were spectators handing out frozen grapes and fresh strawberries, and a few with water guns filled with icy water.

But honestly, this part of the race wasn't fun. Usually, even when I'm dogging it in a race, I'm still enjoying it. This time, I just kept thinking to myself, This is the last half before I can take a break from long races; I just need to finish this one. If that's not a sign that I need a bit of a rest, I don't know what is.

We turned in front of the Ringling Museum and the second half of the race went through a shady neighborhood filled with twisting roads. I began to lose my stamina. I had eaten a Gu at mile 5 but the heat was messing with my stomach and I couldn't fathom eating another, even though I knew I needed it.

The wheels came off at mile 7 and stayed off for the rest of the race.

I began to take walk breaks. (Part of me was disappointed that I was resorting to this because I hadn't planned to walk - I have nothing against those who run/walk, but I'm hard on myself if I take unplanned walk breaks in a race.)

I knew that the weather was a factor and for whatever other reasons this just wasn't going to be my strongest race. Considering my racing season over the last few months, I cut myself some slack.

As I passed Will around mile 12 he shouted, "Go get it, Ali!" and I just dug in and did it.

I saw Matt near the finish twice (he had his skateboard and was able to catch me before the last turn and again right at the end) and was able to pick up my shuffle to a run and finish strong.

I'm honestly not sure why I look so happy...maybe because this was mile 12.9?

I got my medal and chugged a bottle of water. As I squatted off to the side of the finishing chute, I could feel my whole body pulsing.

My actual official time was 2:26:44.

Matt found me and we found Will and took pictures; it was seriously so nice to see him throughout the race! It's amazing what having a buddy on the course can do; I'm sure I would have walked earlier and more often if not for Will's presence.

His journey is amazing and you can follow it here.

We grabbed oranges and met up with Sean, who had been in front of the 1:40 pacer when I saw him, but he said he had had the same problem I did; he hit the wall hard and early. Still, he finished with an awesome sub-2 time.

The race began and ended at the Van Wezel, that big purple building in the background. Our medals are the size of soup bowls!

After the race, Matt and I went to meet Jenn and her fiance for brunch at Another Broken Egg. I was excited to try their gluten free pancake (it was good) and catch up after not seeing Jenn since our trip to Panama in 2011!

The pancake was good, but the bacon was fantastic.

Before going home, we made one more detour to pick up cupcakes at Gigi's and check out a huge tent sale at Fit2Run. We spent $21 and got multiple Camelbak accessories, light clips for running in the dark, a new Lija skirt (which was originally $80!), a set of three different kinds of resistance bands, and a medicine ball. I can't wait to add some new exercises to my at-home routines!

Yes, that medicine ball is only 4lbs, but it was literally $1 and I couldn't say no. I know it will be good for something!

I came away from this race resolved to never run another half after February. It's just too hot in Florida by March. But I definitely feel like it was a good end to the winter/spring half marathon season. 

The medal is so big and glittery! It's a serious contender for prettiest medal on the rack.

Now I just have shorter races to look forward to, and my legs are definitely thanking me.

ABK

February Races Revised

Somehow in the last few days I've gone from having one upcoming half in February and one in March to two in February on consecutive weekends (plus a 15k).

I just had to add the A1A Half to my plans...It's a birthday gift from my parents, so how could I say no?!

I was originally interested in this race because it's on my birthday. Then Meg took this photo of the A1A medals while at the Key West Half, and that definitely reignited my interest ...And all my friends/family are enablers, apparently!

I haven't had a long run since November. I planned to do nine miles this weekend, but Matt's brother flew in unexpectedly from LA and the only time we had to see him was Saturday night and Sunday morning, so that threw a wrench in my plans.

After breakfast Sunday morning.

Matt and Scott are both spitting images of their dad. The Kearney genes are strong.

(It was totally worth it. We haven't seen Scott since last winter.)

I think maybe I also have a bit of a mental block. I almost feel like I've forgotten how to run long! But I need to just suck it up and get it done...I have four weeks until the A1A half and I'd like to be in good shape for it. I mean, I'd like to run the entire race and half fun doing it!

So this week I'll need to get back on track and find some motivation despite any distractions. I've been consistent with my weekday runs; now it's time to get serious about my weekend runs, too!

How was your weekend?

Leave me a little kick in the pants. I need it!

ABK

Post-Marathon Recovery

It just doesn't seem right that I've been talking about the Space Coast Marathon as an upcoming race and then, boom, suddenly it's in the past and I'm talking recovery! I'm not ready for the fanfare to die down!

The newest additions to our medals shelves!

Luckily for me, recovery is just an extended chance to celebrate my accomplishment. I literally slept until after 12:30 on Monday, and when I finally got out of bed I was walking almost normally.

Still, after going back to work, I could tell my legs were still fatigued. I was only too happy to use that gift card Kristin gave me a few weeks ago!

Besides a big knot in the calf that seized up the most, the masseuse also found a really painful one in my lower back. Guess I need more core work!

I also had the wonderful surprise, upon returning to school, of seeing flowers from an old student of mine! She must have stopped by while I was still out and dropped them off, but the minute I saw the handwriting on the card I knew who they were from. She goes to school out of state, which makes her taking the time to think of me that much more special.

Seriously beyond thoughtful. They immediately made my first day back better!

Besides rolling, planking, and volleyball, I've been resting this week. (I do think "ready position" and volleyball-related squats have been great recovery tools!) My foot is still sore but I know exactly what's wrong with it and I know all it needs is rest, so even though I really want to run again already, I'm going to take at least a full 10 days off.

I went through the video clips Matt took of the race and pulled this adorable screenshot of Kristin and her daughter running a bit with me:

...and then Matt created a little video to commemorate the whole occasion!

Click here for the video! I can't get it to embed.

We've also ordered my new 26.2 car sticker! I didn't want to buy one beforehand and jinx anything, and I'm very picky about how my bumper stickers look so it took me a few days to decide on one. I'll be replacing my original 13.1, too, because I want a sticker for both distances but I want them to match.

This isn't my car, but those will be my stickers!

Over all, recovery is going much more smoothly than I expected. I'm so relieved that I still want to run, because I was really worried that I'd face burnout post-race, or at least the blues...but I haven't really dealt with either! (But maybe that's just because I still can't believe I ran a marathon! When will it sink in already?!)

What's your favorite method for recovery after a big race?

Do you get post-race burnout or blues?

Can you believe I ran a freaking marathon?! I can't!

ABK

Rosh Hashanah & House Stuff

Our living room is coming along. Matt has been diligently sawing, sanding, and painting shelves...and now they're finally hung!

Sometimes his perfectionism frustrates me, but I was definitely grateful for it when I saw the finished product!

Matt hung the shelves for our baseball collection first.

Then we hung our race bibs and medals!

The view from our couch.

I love that the living room now showcases the hobbies we care about most: SUP, running, and baseball. Clearly there's still more to do, but I know seeing these hanging everyday will make my motivation skyrocket!

We had Thursday off this week for Rosh Hashanah. Matt and I attended temple Wednesday night...it was the first time we'd gone in the nine years we've been together. I didn't realize how much I missed being part of a congregation until we went. The old prayers, the music...just knowing you can look at the strangers around you and feel so connected...it's priceless.

 The rabbi spoke about inscribing ourselves in the Book of Life, but also about making sure others are inscribed as well...in the sense that we need to remind people that we love them and that they're important. That they belong here and deserve to be here. It was actually a pretty heavy message, but also uplifting.

Thursday, we went for ice cream with Elizabeth and Roniel. I wanted to run after, but I knew cross-training was the order of the day. I did a deck-of-cards workout while watching Seinfeld. (My thighs are killing me today...hope they're feeling a bit less sore Saturday morning!)

Vanilla froyo with crushed M&Ms (they just taste better crushed when in ice cream!), hot fudge, and whipped cream. Tummy ache in a cup!

I used a deck from my bat mitzvah - the theme was Casino Night!

I focused on core work.

You know all that rain we've been getting? The other night I looked out our back window and this is what I saw:

Seriously...could that be any more perfect?!

My long run is on the schedule for tomorrow...I'm seriously pumped!

How has your week been?

Does your school district/work give you Jewish holidays off?

Do you attend church or temple or anything similar?

ABK

Crafts Day!

For the longest time, I have been coveting these race bib and medal holders from Running On the Wall on Etsy:

Adorable!

I mean, it's definitely better than my current "storage" place, which consists mostly of tossing my bibs in a pile on my bedside table and hanging my medals in my classroom. This weekend I realized the pile was getting cumbersome, so I decided to try my hand at making one myself.

I consider myself a relatively crafty person when I want to be. Matt and I went to buy supplies last night. We got a free piece of "scrap" wood, a half-used paint sample in white (for lettering), and some hooks. We already had black spray paint, brushes, a drill, and sanding equipment at home.

Supplies ready to go.

We sanded the edges of the wood last night. This morning, I spray-painted the wood and let it dry completely. Then, we measured the two basic bib sizes to figure out hook-placement.

This is the first time I realized that safety-pin holes in race bibs aren't spaced in a uniformed manner. Annoying.

Archie helped me drill the holes. (I promise, this is safer than it looks. No need to send the animals rights police after me.)

Hooks in, I put a couple bibs on to figure out spacing for the lettering. I didn't bother getting stencils or stickers; the result is a more "rustic" final product:

Now I just need to find time to remove old safety pins and put about 3 dozen bibs on this thing.

I'm going to take this to school, add the medals, and hang it there for the rest of the year. I haven't added the hanging wire to the back yet, but that won't take long. I'm very happy with this final result! It cost us about $12, plus I get to take pride in my questionable craftsmanship.

If you're not crafty, though, I'd highly recommend the Etsy shop. There are tons of designs to choose from, and the rack is sure to look professional.

On the schedule for the rest of the day: errands, grading tons of papers, and maybe a nap.

What's your plan for the weekend?

Do you display your bibs/medals?

ABK