Turkey Trot Race Recap

This Thursday, I started my Thanksgiving morning with the 8 mile Capital One Bank Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot. I didn't commit to this race until Tuesday.  I had a number of reasons for my last minute entry.  I was undecided because no one else in my family was going to run it with me.  I hated to inconvenience people on Thanksgiving to go with me to an early morning race all the way in Dallas.  I was worried about the crowds and the parking and had heard some bad reviews from people who have run this trot in the past.  As the date got closer, the weather turned colder.  I asked my brother and boyfriend to come watch me run, but didn't mention the 35 degree weather forecast until after I had convinced them.  After putting all of those excuses aside, I was glad I signed up.

This year, there were two options when signing up - timed or untimed.  Timed runners were eligible to start in a timed runners corral near the starting line. I've heard in the past that serious runners have gotten stuck behind strollers and walkers and been very frustrated.  I opted for the timed option and had to arrive at the race before 8:40 to get in my corral. 

Since I wasn't sure about parking downtown, I insisted we leave the house no later than 7:30.  The race venue was about 30 minutes from home.  We were able to easily find parking, but had to pay $10.  The downtown lots upped the prices since there was an event going on.  I prefer races that offer free parking, but it wasn't a major inconvenience.

After parking, there were lots of volunteers directing runners to the starting line.  Since it was a large race, I expected it to be crowded, but with an hour until the race start, there was plenty of open space.  I was able to snap this picture in front of the starting line.  I bundled up to stay warm before the race started.

Since my brother, sister in law, and boyfriend were all with me, I didn't do a whole lot of exploring.  I did a quick warm-up jog/stretch and then went to take a picture with the inflatable Thanksgiving turkey before taking my place in the corral.

The race started promptly at 9 am.  I felt like I started a little slow.  I was watching my steps since there were a lot of people and scanning the curb for my cheering squad.  After I spotted them, I picked up the speed.  There was a band for entertainment around mile 1.  I didn't hear much of them as I sped past.  Then we made 2 left turns to head down Elm St.  I was surprised at my pace - quicker than expected.  Around mile 2.5, my cheering squad made another appearance.  I was excited my brother brought his DSLR so I could have nice race photos.  I also threw off my gloves to them.  The sun decided to come out and I was getting warm.

I was laughing at #5395 for photo bombing me

At mile 3, the 5k runners took a sharp left turn to their finish line.  From there the race course opened up a bit.  We ran through Dealey Plaza and the Design District.  I was able to see some of the first place runners during a part of the course where the out and back loop was on opposite sides of the median.  I always enjoy seeing the fast runners, it is very inspirational.  At the halfway point, my pace slowed some, but I was okay with that because I started out faster than I expected.  I began getting a little warm.  I was wearing 2 long sleeve shorts, capri length tights and the loose adidas pants.  I made notes for my upcoming half marathon that will likely be similar weather.

The last mile had 2 tough hills - the last one right before the finish line.  I saw my cheering squad for a third time right before the finish line.  I tried to smile but my legs were tired.

I crossed the finish line and my official time was 1:15:46.  I was very happy with my results.  After the finish line, volunteers handed me a water bottle and a banana.  I gobbled down the banana quickly and headed to the meet-up spot that I arranged with my brother and boyfriend.  We snapped a few quick finisher pictures and then headed home for a turkey lunch at my parents' house.

I'm glad I started my Thanksgiving day with a run.  It was the perfect dress rehearsal for my half marathon on December 8th.  Would I do it again?  Maybe.  Definitely if I can find some running buddies to do it with me.  My brother was sad I didn't tell him there was a 5k option.  I told him he has 12 months to train for the 8 mile course.

Anyway, today begins my taper week and then the Dallas Half next Sunday.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Do we have any other trotters out there?

I'm an Elf for Health

After a very lazy weekend with family and a number of weeks without a blog post, I decided to sit down and type up an update.  With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I am finally getting into the holiday mood.  One thing I am determined about is staying healthy through the holidays.  This includes not overeating, not over stressing, and not forgetting to exercise.  I stumbled across a great challenge that is all about staying on track during the holiday season.  And with that I am happy to announce, I am an Elf for Health.

You may have seen the hashtag #elf4health on twitter and been wondering what it is all about.  Well, it is a 4 week challenge hosted by nutritionella and the lean green bean.  These two lovely ladies have put together a list of daily challenges to keep you focused during this extra busy time of year.  They send weekly emails that include that week's challenges as well as tips to be successful.

In addition to these awesome daily challenges, each participant is partnered with an elf buddy to stay accountable and encourage one another.  We just got our elf assignments today.  My buddy's name is Anna and she is also a blogger.  Check out her blog here.

Anyway, I'm super excited to get started tomorrow.  It's not to late to join.  Sign-up here.  You will start receiving the emails and will get assigned an elf for round 2 (weeks 3 & 4).

And because I know I will not blog between now and Thursday, Happy Thanksgiving!!

November Goals

I went to Macy's this Saturday with my mom.  They were already playing Christmas music over the intercom.  Alas, the holiday season is upon us whether we like it or not.

Before I dive in with my new goals for this month (yes, I know I'm 3 days late), let's review October's goals and see how I did.

October Goals

1. Run a long run each week.  Check.  This was an easy one as my half marathon training is in full swing.
2. Drink less soda.  Epic fail.  I think I'm more addicted than when the month began.
3. Stretch after every workout.  Check.  I've been consciously stretching more.  I only had one bad ache/pain last month in the form of splints last week, but it's already gotten better.
4. Workout my core 2x per week.  Check.  I don't have a six pack, obviously, but I'm happy with my efforts.

Overall not that bad of a month.  I bet you can all guess what goal will be at the top of my list for November.  So here we go, shall we?

November Goals

1. Drink less soda.

I think part of my problem is getting enough sleep, so no more late night blog reading.  I'm going to aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night and start my mornings off with green tea if I need an extra boost.  The vending machine and I will be enemies for the next 27 days.

2. Continue smart half marathon training.

My boyfriend pointed out that one week, all of my runs were the same pace.  I need to vary my workouts and take my EZ runs easy and save my speed work for those days.  That way my body can improve.  I read a great blog post this week on how not to race your training run.  Check it out here.

3. Work out my arms at least once a week.

I'm starting small here.  Every time I make a workout schedule for the week, I write down at least one day to focus on arms.  That always ends up being the day I skip my workout because I need to "rest".  Well, it's time to pony up - a few push-ups never killed anyone, so it is time for this girl to get going.

4. Yoga once a week

This goes along with my stretching goal from last month.  Earlier this year, I made a habit of waking up one morning a week and doing a 30 minute yoga flow.  I want to get back to that habit.  One of my favorites is Tara Stiles This is Yoga (4 DVDs).  I also want to check out doyogawithme.  A girl I follow on IG found some great Yoga for Runners videos on the site.

Alright, that's it.  Hopefully I can stay focused this month.  Do you have any good goals for November/pre-holidays?

Trek or Treat 5k Race Recap

Happy Halloween!

Last weekend I ran a Halloween 5k.  It was a local race sponsored by Luke's Locker running store called Trek or Treat.  I signed up for this race for 2 reasons.  #1) It was right in my backyard. And #2) I've never done a Halloween themed race.

The race encouraged costumes and of course I wanted to run in a costume.  This was my first time running in a costume so I started searching amazon.  I wanted to keep it simple.  I settled on a Wonderwoman t-shirt with attached cape.  Here is what I looked like race morning.

When I signed up to do this race, I didn't realize that my biggest fan (aka boyfriend) would be basically immobile post-op.  I was kind of bummed he wouldn't be able to come.  This is the first race he wouldn't be at to race me, pace me, or cheer me on.  I would have invited my parents, but alas they were out of town too.  So off to the race I went solo (this is also my excuse for the lack of photos).

I got there a little early.  The weather was looking yucky and it was threatening to rain, but the temperature was a perfect 53 degrees.  After sitting in my car for a while, I went to warm-up.  I did a half mile warm-up and stretched.  Then I went to find the starting line.  There was a kids 1k race before the 5k.  I watched the little ones line up in their costumes....adorable!

Finally it was time to race.  When I looked back, it only seemed about 300 runners or so.  It was a very small race.  I enjoyed seeing everyone who made costumes.  Even some of the top 5 finishers had some fun Halloween gear on.

The race started on roads around the shopping center but quickly changed to a paved trail.  This was perfect for this size race.  There was one point we were on a sidewalk and I had to run in the grass to pass someone.  Other than that, there was plenty of  room.  The race path also crossed itself in 2 places, but for the size of the race, it was never an issue.

My goal pace was 8:30 and I was happy to see timers at the mile 1 and mile 2 markers. I had my handy Garmin 10 strapped to my arm and was happy to see I was keeping my pace.  As I neared the finish line, people started cheering for "Wonderwoman" which made me smile.

I stopped my Garmin as I crossed the finish line and it read 26:33, a new PR by 1 second.

When I looked on the results table, the time said 26:32, but when it was posted online, it said 26:37.  I'm going to go with my Garmin time on this race.  I'm happy with my performance because it gives me confidence that my last race wasn't a fluke and that I really can run that fast (of course both courses were very flat).  I stuck around for the awards after everyone finished.  I'm happy to announce that I got first in my age group (8th female overall).

Adorable Gold Medal

Overall I really enjoyed this race.  I like smaller races as long as they are done professionally.  I know when Luke's Locker sponsors a race it will be done right.  There was even a lot of post-race food: bottled water, apples, oranges, and bananas.  Plus at least 6 sponsor tents that were handing out candy and popcorn for the kids and pamphlets for the adults (plus a little candy).  Brooks sponsored the t-shirts.  They were awesome.

Have you ever run a Halloween race?  Did you wear a costume?  And one last Halloween picture, my pumpkin (the one on the right).

Chronic Compartment Syndrome

My favorite running buddy and loving boyfriend is voluntarily going under the knife tomorrow.  About a year ago, he began experiencing extreme calf pain after any races or speed work.  The pain would linger for days, worse than normal soreness.  He stopped racing and began running my pace.  This was very frustrating for someone who was used to running a 20 minute 5k.

Right before the Rave Run - one of his last pain-free races

He began reading books (like this one) and researching on the internet.  He came across a number of stories of athletes (runners and bikers mostly) experiencing the same symptoms.  It turns out there is a condition called Chronic Compartment Syndrome that can affect athletes that participate in repetitive impact sports (ie. running).

Chronic Compartment Syndrome occurs when a muscle expands or swells at a greater rate than allowed by the fascia (sheath of tissue) that surrounds the muscle.  For athletes, this is induced by extreme exercise.  I believe it is most common in the lower leg.  Of course pain in the legs can be caused by a number of things, but for him, this was it.

A few months ago, he had some tests done.  First they took an MRI of his legs.  Then they took pressure measurements of his calves before and after exercise.  This is an invasive test that involves large needles being shoved into your muscles.  He is a brave guy, and I'm glad I wasn't in his shoes.  His pressure measurements were high enough for the doctor to feel with confident that the diagnosis of Compartment Syndrome was correct.

Compartment Syndrome is not something you have to treat.  It is not life threatening and if you change your exercise routine to contain more cross training and less strenuous workouts, the pain will likely fade.  The most successful treatment is surgery.  Incisions are made in the fascia surrounding the compartment to allow the muscles to expand fully.

My boyfriend spent a lot of time discerning whether to do the surgery, but he finally decided that he wants to get back to racing.  That means that early tomorrow I will be taking him to a surgery center to do surgery on his first leg.  Please say some prayers and send some happy thoughts that his surgery goes well tomorrow.

If anyone knows anything about Compartment Syndrome and would like to share, I'm grateful for your comments.  I think a disclaimer goes without saying, I am not a medical professional and probably have a few of the facts wrong.  Please, no criticisms.

And one more picture - the first race he paced me.

Baylor Homecoming

I was going to write a post about running buddies, and that may still happen next week.  Unfortunately I've been distracted all day with my excitement for Baylor Homecoming which is this weekend.  Baylor does it big for homecoming.  There's a bonfire, parade, tailgates, and of course, the main attraction, the football game.  This year Baylor plays Iowa State at 6 pm Thursday.  You should all cheer for Baylor.  Sic 'em!

2007 - Freshman Year Bonfire

2008 - Sophmore Year with my BFF at the Bonfire

2010 - Catholic Student Association Float

2011 - First Homecoming as an alum with my Brother and Sister in Law

I hope you enjoyed a look back.  Now off to Waco.

Training Plan for the Dallas Half

It's official.  I put the finishing touches on my training plan last night.  I unofficially started training for the MetroPCS Dallas (Half) Marathon two weeks ago.  It's about time I wrote down my goals and plans.  My last half was in April and my time was 2:11:23.  I'm hoping to improve my PR by at least 5 minutes, which means my goal pace is going to be 9:40.

Now, for the plan you've all been waiting for.  Drumroll please....ta da!

It is not set in stone.  I almost never stick to a training plan 100% and almost always have a week when I get sick (knock on wood...not this time).  Also I'm a little nervous about doing the 8 mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving so close to my half, so that may turn into a training run or a different 10k.

My focus will be to run 4 times a week and slowly increase my weekly mileage.  I added a tempo run each week so I don't get too comfortable at a 10 minute pace like I tend to do.  Lately my runs have been really fast (for me) and I've felt really good about it.  I am definitely looking forward to this round of training.