Running for a Cause and Celebrating Life

As I mentioned in my last post, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and this past weekend I had the opportunity to run in the Women's 5K Classic, a race that benefits breast and female cancer research and education in the Lehigh Valley, PA.  I ran this race with my sister and met a few of her friends there as well.  [A little history:  This was my sister's very first race last year!  She signed up for a 5K training program last summer and this was the goal race.  As you know, she later went on to run 2 half marathons!]

Jillyruns/IG

 

 

The morning of the race was pretty chilly in PA, but I knew I'd warm up right away so I opted to wear shorts and a tshirt.  Being the usual clueless human being that I am, I didn't even think to bring a PINK tshirt home for this race.  Nearly everyone running this race was wearing pink.  The starting line was literally a sea of pinkness.  And then there's Jilly wearing her drab gray Runner's World Half race shirt from last year.  Oh well.  I think it made it easier for my brother-in-law and nephew to pick me out at the finish line! 

 

 

 

This race did not go as well as I'd hoped.  Truth be told, I haven't been training for speed at all this year, and I've been taking it kind of easy since my half marathon last month, however, I finished at least 30-45 seconds slower than I normally run a 5K.  The course was very hilly (my sister said they changed it and it was hillier than last year's) so that was part of it.  [I've also been on a new migraine medicine the past couple of months which has honestly been wreaking havoc on my body!  It's made my workouts and running seem harder and actually made my headaches worse so needless to say, I will be discontinuing it! Anyone else here deal with migraines on the reg?]

 

I started off fast, probably too fast.  My first mile split was 8:14 which is speedy for me.  I then proceeded to POSITIVE split the crap out of this race! Hahahaha.  2nd mile came in at 8:29 and mile 3 was 8:33.  In other words, how NOT to run a 5K.  There were 5 hills in this 3 mile course.  Trying to run fast while also running up and down constant hills is not fun.  By the last hill, I was so nauseous I was pretty certain I was going to puke.  Well, thankfully that didn't happen, but I was not feeling good.  I got some proofs from the race and it's pretty obvious I'm not feeling like a ball of sunshine and rainbows here:

 

 

 

I crossed the finish line and thought, as I do after every 5k, 'Thank God that's over'!

 

Official time:  26:13.  (146/1984 runners; 12/67 in 35-39 age group) And that my friends, is my slowest 5K ever! Yippee! 

 

However, the point of this race was not the running at all.  I ran this race for a cause far greater than a PR.  There were many breast cancer survivors in attendance who walked, ran or spectated, and there were markers along the course dedicated to women who lost their battles against the disease.  That sobered me up real fast.  I am running for people who can't, and for people who may never be able to run again.  There will always be another 5K.  I will have the chance to run, or improve my times over and over again (God willing) but this race was about raising money and awareness for a disease that has taken the lives of far too many women and I'm glad I could participate in that cause.

 

 

In addition to running that race, I had a lot going on back home this weekend.  I took part in celebrating two family members' birthdays.  One was turning 2, the other 89. 

 

After the 5K on Saturday, I headed to my cousin's house to attend the birthday party of one of my godsons.  Watching a 2 year devour birthday cake is up there on the list of most entertaining things ever.  The kid doesn't know many words, but he definitely knows the word "CAKE".  He was literally shouting it out over and over between bites, which then devolved into hysterical joyous giggle fits.  It was outrageously cute. 

 

 

It should really be socially acceptable for people of all ages, and not just toddlers, to dive head first into our birthday cake and eat it with wild abandon.

 

 

On Sunday, my parents invited everyone over to their house to celebrate my grandfather's 89th birthday.  To tell you the truth, I can never keep track of my grandparent's ages, but I had no idea he was that old!  He is still so spry and youthful.  He exercises, golfs and still volunteers at the local library. 

 





 

 

 

He celebrated with cake and like any good Italian, a shot of Sambuca.  BARF!  My Pop Pop has added a shot of Sambuca to his coffee for as long as I can remember.  At every holiday or family gathering, he offers his cherished drink to everyone at the table, and we all refuse.  Nonetheless, everyone in my family always has a bottle of it in their house, specifically for Pop Pop!  The smell alone of that licorice flavored spirit makes me want to vomit.  After cake, my cousins, aunts and grandparents sat around and engaged in some light dinner convo on the topic of Ebola.  Good times.

 



 

Running the breast cancer 5K and celebrating the birthdays of those I loved this weekend made me a little more grateful for my health and my family, and made me say a little prayer for those who are not so lucky.

 

 

If you haven't checked out my last post yet, you can check out Skechers limited release breast cancer awareness products here.



 

Anyone running in any races to benefit breast cancer initiatives this month?

Tell me about your last 5K race!

Sole of the City 10K Recap

What a FANTASTIC weekend it was here in Baltimore!  It was beautiful, sunny and warm - 70/80 degrees!  It is really amazing how happy warm weather makes me, and probably the rest of humanity. 

Going into the 10K this weekend, I didn't have much of a plan or really know what to expect, because I've never run a 6.2 mi race.  It was such a strange distance to wrap my head around.  Not a little blip of a race like a 5K, and yet only half the distance of a half-marathon.  Although I work out consistently year round, I had mostly been cross training (HIIT, biking, lifting, swimming) for the bulk of 2014 thus far.  I haven't done any speed work this year, and have only been running 1-2 times a week, mostly due to the weather since I'm not a huge treadmill fan.

Goal time:  My 5K times are usually 25 mins and change.  So if you double that, a 10K time would come out around 51 mins.  However, I knew I couldn't realistically sustain 5K pace for that long so I was hoping to come in around 53/54 mins. 

Attire:  The forecast for Saturday morning was high 50's/low 60's (it would reach 75 later in the day) so I went with a short sleeve shirt, shorts, ProCompression socks...and I wore the cat on my head.  HA! Kidding

Jillyruns/Instagram

 

 

Fuel:  I had no idea what to eat for a race of this distance.  Before a half-marathon I usually eat a bagel and drink a bottle of Gatorade so I did the same here.  I kind of think it was too much food, even though I ate 2 1/2 hours before the start, because my stomach felt a bit nauseous at points during the race (could've been the heat too, I dk).

 

Getting there:  I left later than I wanted to (happens every time) and there was SO much traffic once I got down to the race area in Federal Hill.  Under Armour was one of the sponsors of this race, and they graciously offered up the lots on their campus free of charge for runners.  The line coming off the highway and snaking into the Under Armour lots took FOREVER.  Or perhaps it just seemed that way because I had to pee.  So I finally got in and got a spot and then hi-tailed it the 6 or 7 blocks to the starting line just in time to spot 2 girls from my old job who were also running.  It was now 8:50am meaning I had 10 mins to use the port o potty and get back to the start!  I made it with 2 mins to spare.  Giddyup.

 

The race:  I believe the announcer said there were over 3,000 runners.  I'm not sure, but in any case the first two miles were completely PACKED.  I started at the back since I was using the loo, and it was very difficult to maneuver through people for at least the first two miles, maybe more.  Oftentimes, I jumped onto the sidewalk and ran there for awhile just to get out of the crowd.  The first few miles were all downhill which was lovely, but of course I knew this meant the return would be all UPHILL! Ahhhhhhhh  The course itself was beautiful.  We ran right through the Inner Harbor and through most of the picturesque areas of Baltimore.  Its times like these, when I run through these streets that I have known for the past 10 years, that I am reminded how beautiful Baltimore can be.  My memories here are of course mixed now after everything that has happened in my life, in this city, but there are times like this where I move the nostalgia out of my mind and just look at Baltimore with clear and present eyes, and like what I see.  This was one of those days :)

 

We turned around at mile 3 and headed back to Charm City Run, the store where we started.  Note: This was also the last mile marker I saw on the course! I have no idea where miles 4, 5, or 6 were.  Didn't really care because I was wearing my Garmin but I guess my head was in the clouds (per usual).  I was very warm by this point but not really tired.  I had been running a little over 9 min miles so I wasn't sprinting and I think I probably should have started out a little faster.  When I race I'm always afraid of pushing too hard, because I'm afraid I won't have enough left for the end, I'm afraid of being uncomfortable.  Yet I know, getting outside of my comfort zone (in any pursuit) is what will lead to great results.  Just another life lesson smacking me in the face today.  In any case by the time we got back across the harbor (sometimes running across the little tourist footbridges, which were tiny and crammed!) to around mile 5, the hills began!  This is when I started feeling nauseous off and on, and by this time I was just really HOT.  This had been the hottest running weather all year so I guess I just wasn't ready for it. 

 

The last mile was almost ENTIRELY hills!  At one point, a woman next to me turned and said, 'Are they serious with this?'. Hahahaha.  I was like, 'I know, who designed this course?!'.  It was pretty nuts that the hills all came in the second half.  Anyway I was enjoying myself but as I neared the end, I realized I was not going to come in around 53/54 mins, but I sprinted the last few blocks anyway once the finish line was in site!

 

Official time:  56:03.  Oh the perfectionist in me really wishes I would have sprinted for 4 more seconds to come in under 56 mins!  Oh well, room for improvement next time :)  I finished 776 out of 3100.

 

Verdict:  I kind of really liked the 10K distance.  Like a lot.  It's not as vomit-inducing as a 5k, but not as scenic as a half-marathon.  I think I want to do more of these. 

 

After the race, I met up with my friends and got all the latest gossip from my old job.  Funny how far removed I feel from that world now.  It was nice to see them though.  We got food/water/beer.  It was so warm, much warmer than it has been all year, and I didn't realize how much I had sweated, but after the race, there was salt everywhere on my body.  This happens to me in the summer, but I wasn't expecting it this early in year.  I was disappointed there was no sports drinks available, but I did eat a bag of really salty pretzels to make up for it.  We hung around for awhile sitting in the sun and listening to the live music and some of the awards.  At one point I heard them say the top female finisher in the 50-59 age group finished in 49 mins, and it was at this point I felt like the slowest person on earth.  Wah wahhhh

 

Jillyruns/Instagram



 

 

Hope you all had a great weekend too!

 

 

 

Any races this weekend?

 

Do you like 10Ks?

How was your weather this weekend?

The Race of Life...and my Weekend Race Recap

It's been awhile since I ran a 5K race.  The only other one I did this year was the Baltimore Women's Classic in June (recap here), since it was the culmination of the training program in which I was a coach.  5K's are fun because they're so short, but this also makes them painful!  I somehow forget this every time I sign up. 

 

Jillyruns on Pinterest

 

I innately love to run.  I just do, and this is why I do it.  But I wouldn't say I'm a racer.  I don't run to race. I run just to RUN!  If that makes any sense.  I think I shared previously that I was briefly on the track team in high school.  I credit that experience to introducing me to the sport and sparking a love for running that I never knew existed inside me.  But I quickly burnt out from track because of the racing aspect.  It took much of the joy I experienced from simply running and turned it into a lot of pressure (internal and external).  So although I admit to racing against myself many times, hoping for a new PR, I don't set out to be competitive amongst others.  I'm simply not that fast! HA 

Jillyruns on Pinterest

So back to the race....I signed up for this local 5K a few weeks ago on a whim.  Since this is my off season, I didn't want November/December to be filled with any kind of training schedule or race goals when it came to my running.  I am doing a lot more cross training now and just running whatever mileage feels good to me that day/week.  However, I remembered that even though the BWC 5K kind of hurt in June, that I really had fun doing it.  Someone told me about the race this weekend and it was right in my backyard so I thought why not?! 

It was chilly yesterday morning - mid 40's - and I wasn't sure how to dress.  It was the same temperature a few weeks ago when I ran the Runner's World Half, and I ran that in a t shirt and shorts, but dressing for a half marathon vs. a 5K is a whole different beast.  Just when I'm starting to get warmed up 3 miles in, the 5K is over!  You see what I mean about torture here?!  There is no room for easing into your race in a 5K, you have to go off like a bat out of heck from the start.  In any case, I decided to go with capri tights and a long sleeve tech t shirt (and my compression socks).  I was definitely cold in the beginning, but warmed up slightly by mile 3, or in other words, by the finish line!  Because I don't race 5K's regularly, I have no strategy for them, other than to run faster than I normally would.  So I set my Garmin at the start and this is how my splits fared:

Mile 1:  8:24
Mile 2:  8:22
Mile 3:  7:52

Negative splitting at it's finest!

In fact, according to my Garmin I had my fastest mile split ever in yesterday's race! I know sub 8:00 is not fast for most people, but for me it is!

 

 

My official chip time was 25:21 which was fast enough for me to place 1st in my age group (I was also 5th female overall)!  Yeehaw!  Oh the joys of being in the over 30 running crowd :)  So I got this nice little ribbon at the awards ceremony after the race:   

 

 





I felt good throughout the whole race.  No pain in my legs or knees anywhere, no cramping, and my breathing was easy.  And even though I ran faster than I normally do, I still feel like I held back a bit.  Like I always do in every race.  I'm always afraid to push myself a little bit more, because I never want to get to a point where I feel like I'm going to die, or not have enough at the end of the race.

And honestly, I think this is how I go through life a lot.  I feel like I'm often holding back a little bit, not giving something my all, because I'm afraid I'll fail.  I'm afraid I won't be good enough to make it to the end, to reach my goal, whatever it is at the time.  Even though time and time again, I literally see how strong I am - I accomplish new goals, things I never thought possible - when I begin again on something new, I have these thoughts of failure.  It's just not logical!  I am in fact, my own worst critic.  I am sure many of us are the same way.  I remember reading somewhere that you should try to see yourself through the eyes of someone who loves you.  Whether that be a partner, parent, sister, friend.  They see only the best in you, they believe in you, they think you are the best thing since sliced bread - so why don't you?! 

However, I have seen some shifts in my attitude and perceptions of life recently, and I have started to give more, to fight through my fear in different situations and to go all out.  Perhaps it's because I'm getting older, but I'm starting to realize this is the only life I get.  Just this.  To do everything and anything I've ever dreamed of.  I'm starting to care more about regretting not trying something, than trying and failing at something.  This race was just another metaphor for my life in that I don't want to leave anything in the tank.  In the end - I want to be able to say this:

Jillyruns on Pinterest

 

 

 

How about you?

 

Do you give your all to everything you do?  Or do you hold back sometimes?

 

Any races this weekend?