Can Do 5K Recap

I have no idea how I managed to be in the top ten finishing females...I wasn't even really racing!  Plus, getting 2nd in my Age Group was a trip.  Not too shabby.  Now I wonder how well I would've done if I was being competitive???

Went to the race by myself, just like last year.  It was a little lonely!  But, I got recognized by a fellow Dailymiler, which was random but pretty darn cool.  :)  It made my day.

Final Stats:

Mileage - 3.1

Time - 25:33

Overall - 35 out of  662
Division Place - 2 out of 43 (F25-29)
Sex Place - 6 out of 443
Pace - 8:15

Mercer Island Half Recap

I'm blaming the three day delay on the lack of an efficient home computer ($&#@*&% thieves!). 

First off, meet my new Garmin: Gus 2.0, aka Augustus, but "Gus" for short.  Catchy huh?  I definitely see the similarities...

Augustus Caesar, and my Gus.  Yes, the resemblance is astounding!

 Augustus image found here

Let me just say thank goodness Kerrie was kind enough to pick me up and carpool with me to the race.  It was fantastic!  We left my house a little after 7am, and got to Mercer Island fairly quickly.  Not a whole lot of traffic and we parked at a covered lot near a bank.  Score!  We milled about, walked to the porta potties and decided to get warm in the car again.  We had a decent amount of time left and Kerrie forgot something in the car. By the way, butt-warmer seats in the 'Bu are fan-tas-tic. My fave!

We headed back to the race area at around 8:35 for Kerrie to use the potty again (after my horrible Seafair fiasco last August, I never have to use the bathroom before a race--bladder of steel perhaps? hehe).  I shivered under the big tent while Gus II found a satellite and immediately was confused by all of the HR monitors in the area.  Oops.  Then, I got a text from Kerrie and Mel saying that they were all by the porta potties and I should meet up.  THERE THEY ARE. :) 

*By the way, all the pics in this post are courtesy of Kerrie and Amanda!  I didn't take any? What? 

Thanks for sharing, ladies!*

Jill (in the orange dot Bondi Band), Kerrie, Mel and me

I didn't realize this at the time, but Kasey and her man were standing right next to us and I totally didn't introduce myself.  I'm so sorry, Kasey! :(

We heard the three minute warning and rushed to the starting line...which was cramped, narrow and down a barked hill.  How funny would it have been if I completely brody-d in front of a couple thousand people?  Arse splinters!  But, I didn't slip or fall, thus the picture to the left was taken by Ker.  And we're off!

My ultimate goal for this race was to pace Kerrie to a half marathon PR (under 2:25).  So, my plan was to stick to her like Body Glide without giving her a mental headache blister. Trust me, I was planning on being the hill drill sergeant coachy type.  I was planning on making her mad at me to keep running.  I was hoping that she would forgive me at the end!  And hey, it worked!

Honestly, I really can't remember much from the race in terms of detail.  All I know is that I was completely enjoying the sights: the Lake, the gazillion dollar homes, the spectators, the AMAZING volunteers along the course, and the actual runners.  For instance, around mile 4ish I heard a familiar dude's voice just jabbering away behind me...then the dude passes us and OHMYGOSH, it's banana dude from the Million Inch Run!  And...he's wearing the same awful light grey running tights as before.  UGH.  I immediately poked Kerrie and pointed him out.  Definitely could have done without that mental image again, but it made me laugh for a while. 

We found Jill and ran with her for a little while.  She was easy to spot with that cute orange polka dot Bondi Band!  About 7 miles in, I noticed that my left foot was getting that stupid burning sensation that I loathe so much.  And it didn't help when I stepped on a large piece of gravel right on that sweet spot.  Crap.  Kerrie was hurting too, so even though we both weren't feeling 100%, we had come more than halfway...we had to finish.  I kept encouraging her through the hills to stay focused by looking down and using her arms.  Those hills were killer!  Seriously they never ended.  But, once we got to the top, it felt amazing!  I did warn her that I was going to be annoying! :)  She's a tough chick.  

With less than a mile left to go the course was a wee bit bottle-necked on this three-person-wide sidewalk for awhile.  Kerrie was in the middle, with me and some other woman on her sides.  Apparently there was a guy that just HAD to be somewhere and rudely came up right behind us and exclaimed (with hands up, by the way) "Oh, come on!!"  Just imagine that whiny annoying tone...it was just that.  Rude dude decides that we are in his way and barges right between Kerrie and the woman on her other side.  WTH?!  Really?  So, being the calm/in control/noncompetitive lady that I am, I wanted to chick this guy so bad.  Even though my plan was to finish with Kerrie, I pleaded "Pleeeeease, can I just get that guy?"  and she said "go for it."  DING!  Off I went.  I had him in my line of sight.  That bright green cotton tee just drenched and that stupid black sweatband around his head.  I came up on him quickly, had to jump out of the way of the crazy hula hoop lady and kept up that little hill with the chutes to the finish.  Zing!  Passed him.  Almost turned around and said "You got chicked by a girl in a skirt!" but decided to just get past the finish line instead. People on the sidelines were yelling "Great kick!" and "Good sprint!" and "Go! Go! Go!"  It was a rush.  The funny thing is, if I do have a picture from that part of the race, I've got the look of determination on my face or, it may just look like I'm constipated...either way, I wasn't up for a Miss Photogenic award. ;)  

Final Stats:

Mileage - 13.21
Time - 2:13:30
Overall - 1688 out of  2141
Division Place - 153 out of 216 (F25-29)
Sex Place - 746 out of 1063
Pace - 10:06

After finishing, Mel found me right away and handed me the most refreshing water bottle ever. Kerrie was right behind me and Jill followed.  We walked up hill to get some grub from the tent (yup, you read that right...UP the hill after running 13.1 miles...ergh), then met up with PR Princess & Birthday Girl Amanda and Brunette on the Run's Sarah (& little bro too!).  Photo ops ensued:

Amanda's friend, Jill, Amanda, Mel, me, Kerrie, Sarah and her little bro Casey

And us, jumping...or trying to. ;)

This is when it started pouring rain.  Kerrie and I half jogged to the car because we were freeeeezing and Red Robin fries awaited us. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent laughing and eating at Red Robin then attending Trav's Uncle's funeral.  It was a busy busy day.  For a better recap of the lovely birthday cake for Amanda and the heavenly hot chocolate, check out the recaps from these ladies:

Amanda
Kerrie
Jill
Mel
However, since my recap is days late...you probably already know what happened. ;)
Thanks for recapping with me!  Bring on the next!

Mercer Half is tomorrow? Oh yeah...

Oh boy.  I can honestly say that I'm a little nervous for this half.  Simply because of everything that has been going on as of late, and the fact that I haven't run a long run in two weeks. :(  Any other week and I would be golden for a half, I mean, it's no big deal.  But still. I'm nervous!  I'll be running it with Kerrie and my goal is to help her PR.  My feet have been ok lately, hip still pops, but I'm still going to take it easy and not race. It's for the best.

In the meantime, I'm off to get a replacement Garmin, computer, camera, vacuum, and printer.

I AM excited to see my girls tomorrow though!  It's been WEEKS since I've seen Mel, Amanda and Kerrie...and I get to meet Jill and Cassidy...AND finally meet up with Sarah at a race. :)  It should be fun.  

What a Week

Where in the world have I been?  Well, not running, that's what.  Quite frankly because I'm super stressed...my house got broken into on Tuesday and a bunch of stuff was taken (and somethings, like ALL of my digital pictures from 2005 til now and my Grandma's jewelry box cannot be replaced).  :(  I'm a sad bunny.  It's so weird.  It's such an awful feeling that a stranger violated your personal space and touched all of your things.  Of course, my constant running companion, Gus, was among the list of stuff M.I.A.

My GUS! :(

Gone.

I'm furious. And of course I'd love to take my frustration out on a run, but we've been nonstop busy since the burglary. ERGH.

All I can say is I'm just glad my Murphy cat didn't run out the open back door or get hurt by the intruders.  I don't even want to go there...

Well, this Sunday is the Mercer Half with some wonderful blogging running buddies!  I'm looking forward to some laughs and fun.  In the meantime, I'll catch up with my blog reading when I can get a chance.

My Dad

I have the tightest hold on my Dad in my life since losing my Mum ten years ago.  Everything scares me and my biggest fear is losing him.  He suffers from diabetes and it's slowly taking over (of course, much to my dismay, this is what both my grandparents suffered from in their last years).  The thing is, my Dad talks about dying.  He has things that he wants us children to do for him at his funeral and he's liberal with discussing it (as in, he gave all of us six kids his will on Christmas day in 2008).  However, my Dad is one of the most generous and upbeat individuals you could ever meet.  He's trusting and extremely loyal and is always there if you need anything.  I mean anything.  He gives the postman and garbage truck driver Holiday gifts each year.  He puts on the most fantastic July 4th fireworks display the Ballard community has ever seen (and he's nearly burnt down our house in the process...funny/scary story actually).  He loves his prized Harley.  Most importantly he loves his family very much.  Money doesn't mean anything to him when it comes to his kids and grandkids.  It's as if it does grow on trees. 

Sometimes, I wish it were true. 

Dad,
Even though we don't see eye-to-eye all the time, you're still my Dad, and I wouldn't trade you for the world.

You taught me how to smile, old man.

St. Patrick's Day Dash Recap

Woah woah woah.  Where in the world did this race performance come from?  Geez!  I went into today's race just looking to enjoy myself and take it easy.  Well, I did just that...but then...I also PR'd from last year.  WHAT???  I can only imagine how I would've done if I actually raced this thing today!  My time last year (same course, but snowing) was 34:17...this year, a 2 minute PR of 32:06.  EEK!  Then again, today's weather was absolutely cooperating with the race and it was so gorgeous out.  But with my feet/hip being wicked mean to me, I wasn't going in with high expectations.  Turns out, I felt great!  No pain!  In fact, I felt amazing, and I think it was all because I just needed to run in a race (it's been 3 months since my last one!).  Ahhh yes.  It was splendid.

Some nice dude wearing a funny outfit offered to take my photo.  Rockin' the dailymile tech tee!  A woman actually commented to her friend as I walked passed them before the start: "Look! Dailymile!"  It was cute. ;)

Travis and I nearly missed the start of my wave (the first) because the traffic coming off the freeway was horrendous.  He dropped me off a couple blocks away from the start and I jogged my way to the crowd.  It was quite the nice little warm-up too.  Oh, and when I say crowd, it was just that and more...I could barely maneuver to get into the street for the start and kind of mini-panicked with a little claustrophobia induced attack.  Wow.  Not somewhere I wanted to stay.  But when the horn sounded and we crossed the timing mats, it was a free-for-all...but this time, I didn't care.  I wasn't racing.  I wasn't jockeying for the best position or figuring out my next move.  I was just smiling, listening to my tunes and just enjoying the ride. :)  The whole time I was smiling and  saying to myself: THIS is why I run.  I love races. It's so much fun!

Races like this 3.7 miler (or 3.87 per trusty Gus) are even better for people watching.  There were the usual green wigs and socks, but there were also three men wearing just green "tighty whiteys" and Sharpied backs that read "For a good time call 206-XXX-XXXX" and "Gay and proud!" and "I'm easy."  There was also the usual Masters runner who dresses up like the devil--complete with red face paint & pitchfork--and totally kicks ass in the race.  Two super buffed up non-runner looking dudes were wearing these horrible green patterned boxers, bow ties and big hats...nothing else...and the ladies passing on the other side of the out-and-back course were squealing and high fiving them along the way.  I made sure to beat them to the finish.  Mission accomplished.  OOOO!  And there was this KID who looked no older than 10 just keeping up with the elites.  Looked him up, sure enough he IS 10 and he came in 68th overall (7,800 runners!!).  WOW.  That is so awesome. :)

Anyway, I kept a steady pace the first half (all at a steady incline), which meant the second half was downhill...and I couldn't help myself but run fast.  (I know, I know)

My splits are funny:

Mile 1 - 9:10
Mile 2 - 8:39
Mile 3 - 7:46
Mile .87 - 6:31 (7:28 pace) 

To my luck, Travis actually caught me at the finish!  Coordinating my dailymile tee with my Nike Lunars. And of course, I have to wear my hair ribbon. Such a girl...

 

Final Stats:
Mileage - 3.7
Time - 32:06
Overall - 1210 out of  7,823
Division Place - 57 out of 796 (F26-29)
Sex Place - 278 out of 4318
Pace - 8:27

Per Gus: 3.87 miles for an 8:17 pace.  Gus is always right...

Post race happy face!

 Mt. Rainier on the way home...beautiful.

Rainy Run & a Scary Nekkid Semi

Tonight's run went fairly well.  I succeeded in slowing down my pace and my feet were not acting up too much.  Perhaps it's about time to get some more cortisone shots?  We'll see.  It rained the whole time, but I was too busy trying to slow down to notice.  My first official race of the year is Sunday...and unfortunately I'm just going to run it, not race it.  No PR this time around.  It's more important to stay injury-free than throw it all away on a little St. Patty's day dash. I'll still wear my green! :)


Update on the Nekkid Semi spotting challenge:
WOW, you guys.  Only one picture was sent to me, and it's from Neil.  Be careful, this is a SCARY one!

 AAAAAA!  It has a face!!

My hope was to get one from every state in the US...but Neil is from Canada...ah hell, I failed. 

But THANKS NEIL! :)

I'm Broken

I've been completely sidetracked/stressed lately and it's because I'm in the process of switching jobs/companies...and it's insane.  And of course, with this stress comes my stupid injuries.  Not only have my feet been acting up again but my hip is popping and causing me grief. Boo.  I'm just falling apart. Again.  Sometimes I think that my body is just not meant for long distances like a marathon. :(

But anyway, enough of the rants.  I'm just trying to take my running easy and slowing my pace down a little because it helps ease the pain.  I'm still running!  (for now) Thankful for that.

So how was everyone's weekend?  I can't wait to hear about everyone's races...Princess Half!!  :)

I Challenge YOU

...to spot nekkid semi trucks on your runs, snap a pic and send those babies to me!

I'm completely serious. :)  By poking fun of this little fear I have, the easier it is to get over...and it sure helps to call them nekkid semis.  Be creative and have fun with it!

Send 'em my way: zoe @ runzoerun .com

Of Running Buddies, Bugs and...Balls

Wow, it's Tuesday evening already?  And I've been a lame-o running blogger. :-/  Let me recap my weekend running--better late than never!

Saturday was an early meet-up with Kerrie at my go-to local paved trail.  She wanted to meet at 7am to get the run done and was planning on 9 miles.  Sounds good to me!  However, when I arrived at the trailhead the stupid gate was closed to the parking lot.  Really?  It's completely light outside and the park's closed?  Kerrie was right behind me in her 'Bu, so we both tried opening the gate ourselves.  Yeah, we must've looked a little silly.  Picture two grown women decked out in running skirts, hats, & Garmins, trying desperately to bend steel like superheroes.  Alas, the gate wouldn't budge, so we parked on a side street. 

Imagine the gate being closed. This was taken after the run. Blogger FAIL.

The goal was to stay at around 10:30 pace as best as possible, and Kerrie rocked it, of course!  The beginning mile has the infamous "Hell Hill" in reverse (aka downhill), and it's a little intimidating thinking that that is what is in store for the last mile of the run.  We just kept running, waving at other trail-goers and chatting about random things.  Of course I had to run into bugs and even got one caught in my "grill" (yup, that's right, my teef).  Ew. There was some spitting and even a quick "is it still in my teeth?" check courtesy of Kerrie.  What can I say?  The buggies love my mouth, or my eyes, or getting caught in my hair. *sigh*  It will never end.

We took a quick breather at the halfway point and Kerrie ate her extra-smooshed PB&J.  I think she may be onto something with the little sandwich balls.  PB & J Balls?  PB&J B's?  Ah heck, it's fun to call the little sandwich lumps BALLS. ;)  Photo op as well, because Mt. Rainier was peeking out over some clouds and the sun was shining in the foggy value.  It was a perfect backdrop for a super cheesy/sappy movie, or a great run with a friend. :)

It was GORGEOUS outside!

The rest of the run was all good...until Hell Hill was looming.  Actually, I now refer to it as "Hell-Yes Hill" because it feels freaking fantastic after kicking its arse.  Booya!  When it was about time for that incline, I told Kerrie to get mad at it.  As we crested the top I yelled HELL YES while Kerrie squeaked out a HELL YES.  She's a freaking rockstar!!  :)  So proud of her for tackling this tough hill. She's ready for Mercer.

Then it was picture time!

 

  

Thanks for the amazing run, Kerrie!!

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I got another lovely shirt in the mail the other day!  This time it was the dailymile tech tee I ordered a while back.  Unfortunately they were out of the pink, so I got green instead.  It matches my Lunars!!  Oh, and Murphy wanted to participate in the photoshoot.  He's a wannabe runner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lastly, I did a helluva sprint workout on the treadmill tonight.  Three 10 minute sets of running with 6 x 30 second sprints at 9.1mph.  My legs are now officially jell-o and my throat is on fire from coughing after this little run.  GAH!  But it feels amazing to go fast and see what my body can handle. :)

Now, off to bed.  G'night peeps!

The Lost Race Pics

Since I've been M.I.A. for a couple days due to some non-running related circumstances, I thought I'd do a quick post with some old race photos. I plan on a big post this evening, but in the meantime, ENJOY! :)

Beat the Bridge 2008 -- i.e. the race that got me back into running!

Trav & I after the race

Right after the finish (an 8K).  My pace was in the 11's.

Seafair Torchlight 8K (Aug. 2009) - My least favorite race of 2009

My fave race: Iron Girl 5K (Sept. 2009) --The announcer said my name as I came into the finish with a 5K PR

I look like a goober.

Dawg Dash 5K, Oct. 2009

Winter Pineapple Classic relay...can you spot the Team Quick Pickles?

(Hint: Gonzaga, blue sleeves, purple hat, blue hat)

(Luke and I waiting to jump over the wall, lower right corner)

Christmas Rush 10K -- went to the race by myself. It was freeeeezing. Dec. 2009