Lite Up the Nite 5k

Last night I ran the Lite Up the Nite 5k with Gina and Julia. Proceeds from the race benefit The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester and the theme was to dress in very bright colors (hence "lite up the nite"). A few weeks ago Gina and I went shopping for race outfits and we were really excited to wear them together.

The race didn't go exactly as planned. Work was really stressful yesterday, and I was happy to leave at 3:45 to run off the tension with a couple of my girlfriends. I plugged in my GPS with Julia's address so we could meet up and change into our ridiculous outfits together. The GPS showed an arrival time of 4:45, so I was actually going to be really early (we planned to meet at 5:30). I drove out of the parking lot at work and proceeded to sit in (what felt like) a parking lot on all of the back roads and highways up to Manchester. For three hours. I was pretty frustrated as I watched the time get closer and closer to 6:15 (race start time) and then pass it. Finally at 6:30 I pulled into the parking lot for the race. I ran over to speak with some people about getting my number, but the race director told me that I was too late. This was the cherry on my bad-day-sundae, but I tried to make the best of it. I was told that I could start the race from where I stood (which I later found out was 1 mile in) so I did - I needed a run more than ever at that point. 

The course was mostly dirt paths winding through the woods, occasional strips of gravel, and fields of grass. It had been pouring all day, so everything was very slick. I charged into the race and quickly came upon very steep hills of dirt and gravel, which slowed me down a bit. After a mile or so I caught up with Gina on another hill. She'd warned me earlier in the day that the course looked tough but I'd ignored her. She was right though, I had a hard time catching my breath. The last 1/4 mile (ish) of the race we zig-zagged across a large grassy field, splashing with each step. Julia cheered me on as I finished and then we ran down to cheer for Gina as she came in.

Me, Julia, Gina

Prizes were given out for the best team outfits. Check out how awesome the winners looked! We're definitely wearing wigs next year!

Though the day was less than perfect and I missed the start of the race, I still ended up where I wanted to be, with Julia and Gina. We had a blast even though it was cold and rainy. We swapped our cold and muddy clothes for clean ones and went out for some cold beers and hot food.

We decided to go to Strange Brew since its a dark bar and we weren't really dressed nicely (or terribly clean). We were pleasantly surprised to find out that the Thursday night specials were $3 pints (any beer) and half off all appetizers! I started with a Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat, Julia got a Sea Dog Blueberry and Gina got a Stella. We ordered a gigantic plate of chicken chili nachos, some chicken tenders, and a basket of fries. Way too much food, but it was nice to be able to sample some of everything (and the nachos there are the best). 

See that guy in the green shirt creeping into the picture? I went to college with him ha - I didn't even know he was sitting there until a little while later!

After a second round of beers we were all exhausted and very full - all I wanted was a hot shower and my bed.  The total bill for six beers and three appetizers was $30! Cheap girls night!

 

I can't wait to do this race again next year...and next time I will not be late!

This weekend I'm going away with my family to one of my favorite places on earth! Stay tuned...

And also a HUGE congratulations to Kathryn, who just (5 minutes ago!) found out that she got the new job she applied for. You're going to be amazing!

Hollis Fast 5k

Last night I ran the Hollis Fast 5k with Gina, Callie and Dan. Its called "fast" because the course drops 224 feet from start to finish - definitely more enjoyable than some of the super hilly races I've ran in the past! Yesterday's weather was all over the place. The morning started out a little cool and overcast, but by noon it was over 95 degrees outside and extremely humid. I'd heard reports of possible thunderstorms that evening/night, but didn't see any signs of them as I drove from Boston to Hollis, New Hampshire for the race. Pat called to inform me that the sky was black and it was pouring rain, and practically begged calmly advised me not to run.

Then Gina called to say that there was lightening everywhere she looked. Still nothing where I was.

A few minutes later, this started.

I looked at the thermometer in my car - it had dropped from 95 degrees to 70 in the past hour. Then the lightening started. I saw what Gina was talking about - it was the type of lightening that looks like its connected to the ground and the sky - it seemed like it was surrounding the highway. Beautiful night for a run!

By the time I got to Gina's house the rain had mostly passed, and we only saw lightening a handful of times on the drive to the race. They pushed back the start of the race by 15 minutes ("to be sure that the storm has passed") and then we were off. Though advertised as a downhill course (and there were a few noticeable declines) the race felt mostly flat. And even though it was 68 degrees at the start of the race, it was extremely muggy and felt like it was over 90 degrees.

There was a little banquet at the end with pretzels, apples, yogurt and TONS of cookies (most of which were homemade, which was cool). I loved running through Hollis - its the town next to Nashua, but feels like its way out in the country. The roads are very open, houses are spread far apart, and farms sprinkle the neighborhoods. I told Pat if we end up living in New Hampshire I'd want to live here!

I didn't have any pockets for my camera or phone, so this is the only shot I got.

I finished the 5k in 24:24, so a pace of 7:53. I'm not sure what my fastest 5k is, but its not really one of my best races. I tend to prefer distance, since I can steadily run for a longer period of time better than I can sprint. It would be helpful to warm up before shorter races, but I'm usually too lazy to do that!

On a different note, I'd like to apologize for my lack of posts recently. I'd been on a pretty good streak of posting several times throughout the week (weekends are my vacation from computers) but lately I haven't been keeping up. Spring and summer is a busy time - between the high school and college graduations (and parties), bridal and baby showers, bachelorette parties, and weddings, its hard to fit in a full-time job, let alone other activities (like sunbathing, which I am in desperate need of!). I love blogging and following other people's blogs, but its a hobby, not my job. So as much as I'd like to be blogging more, I've been cooking and baking less, and have had less time to write about cooking, baking, running and other random things I like to tell you about. So please bare with me, I'll try to be better about posting more frequently, in between the weddings, showers, and hopefully some trips to the beach!

I've deviated from my usual oatmeal breakfast recently, and the past two mornings I've made myself a"to-go omelette" which have been a delicious change of pace! 

Heat a small skillet on medium. Cover skillet with cooking spray and add 3 egg whites. Once the whites have just started to cook (under a minute) add some thinly chopped bell pepper. 

Top with a couple handfuls of baby spinach, and cover the skillet. Allow eggs to finish cooking and spinach to wilt (3-5 minutes).

Fold in half, remove from pan, and stuff inside half of a pita pocket (or put on a piece of toast). My mom bought me these pitas from a local Armenian grocer and they're super soft and fresh.

To-Go Omelette!

These are perfect to bring with me as I run out the door in the morning!

And I even brought a side dish, tucked neatly into my cup holder.

Frozen watermelon!

My sister was telling me the other day about freezing her cantaloupe, so I tried freezing cantaloupe and watermelon. I love frozen fruit in the summer, my previous favorites have been frozen mango and frozen bananas. In my opinion, the frozen watermelon was better than the cantaloupe (but both are good) - the fruit is watery, so it is very similar to an Italian ice. So refreshing!

Beach Run

Sunday was the Wallis Sands Half Marathon in Rye, NH. Early Sunday morning I got up and went out to my porch to check the weather. It was warm and sunny! Perfect! I threw on shorts and a tank top and made myself some breakfast - two pieces of rye toast with crunchy almond butter, banana slices, honey and cinnamon. This is one of my favorite combos!

I also wore some beach-themed earrings to psych myself up - anchors!

Pat and I set out for the beach - running late, as I always do for races. I got there with just enough time to pick up my bib, eat half of a GU, and wait in the always crazy porta-potty line to pee. It was a lot colder on the beach than it was in Nashua so I threw on a long sleeved shirt I'd packed and then met up with Callie to start the race.

Our "warm-up" shot

At 10am we were off...

A lot of the course (the beginning and ending few miles) are right along the ocean, which made for a gorgeous run. The blue water reflected the shining sun and looked like a sea of sapphire. The wind was blowing hard, but after a couple miles it was warm enough that I took off my long sleeved shirt was able to catch a little sun on my pasty white limbs. This run was mostly flat, which was a welcome change from the extreme hills in Charlottesville. As I ran I just kept thinking how lucky I was to be on such a beautiful course, and how much I wished I had my camera with me so I could take pictures of all of the beautiful landscapes. When I looked through the pictures on my camera after the race I realized that Pat had been doing just that, walking around the beach and taking pictures. Here's some of the ones he took:

The finish line - and the Vita Coco van (one of the race sponsors)

After my eleven mile run on Easter, when I completely enjoyed every minute, I wanted more. I set out on this race with one goal - to enjoy myself. I wanted to get that same feeling again, to remember why I loved running so much and how great it makes me feel. And that's what I did. Its amazing how much your mind set impacts your performance and your experience. The miles quickly passed as I focused on the beautiful surroundings and how good my body felt. Usually during training runs and races I'm looking at my Garmin watch constantly to check my pace or mileage. During this race I only looked at it a few times to check my distance, and never looked at my pace. I didn't want to pressure myself to speed up if I saw a number I didn't like. I also had a realization - no one forced me to sign up for this race. Its not something I have to do. I chose to sign up for the race, I wanted to do it. So why do I so often put all of this pressure on myself to run hard and just get through it? Since when did I start looking at running as a chore? I run for fun, I will never be the fastest or the best out there, so there's really no reason for me to do this other than for the joy I find in it. When I realized that, I felt strong and full of energy, and I completely enjoyed this race - more so than I have in a long time. I'll admit, there was a half-mile stretch of road at mile 12 that seemed to go on forever, but other than that I loved this race, loved the course, and loved the fact that I could enjoy it for what it was, without the distraction of just getting it over with. It also reminded me of when I ran the Boston Marathon last year. On the back of my shirt I wrote my last name in capital letters: "BLESSING." Somewhere about halfway through the course a man was running up on my left side and said "Running this is a blessing. You are truly blessed." For a moment I wanted to laugh and say, oh yeah, I'm having the time of my life on these hills - but then I stopped and thought about what he was really saying. There are so many people that would love to be able to run and can't, and the fact that I was there, running Boston, was something I should appreciate and be thankful for. So I'm reminded of that again, and the fact that I shouldn't run because its good exercise or I feel like I have to, I should run for the pure enjoyment, and I should appreciate that part of my life.

Okay - sorry for going on about that, but it really felt like a breakthrough for me and made me love every step of the course. When I finished I felt great - bursting with energy and so happy.

On the home stretch (I'm all the way to the right).

Done!

Callie finished up just a few minutes behind me.

 

I ended up finishing in 1:53:23, for an average pace of 8:39/mile. About the same as my previous two halves, but this time I finished feeling really good, instead of feeling sore and cranky. 

Pat and I sampled some of the food at the after-party, which included melt-in-your-mouth steak tips, pizza from the Upper Crust (one of my favorites) and cookies the size of my head. I also had a mango flavored Vita Coco drink, which I really liked (I tried a plain Vita Coco the other day and didn't care for it).

Portsmouth Brewery and we were excited to finally use it.

For an appetizer we split the beer battered fried chicken tenders and got sides of the BBQ sauce and the hot ale mustard sauce. Both were delicious.

Pat ordered the pulled pork sandwich with fries for his main meal and reported that it was very good.

I went out on a limb and ordered the tempeh wrap and wasn't very impressed. I don't blame it on the restaurant, I just don't think I like tempeh. So note to self - when you're starving, don't order something that you've never tried before and only have a 50/50 chance of liking. I asked the waitress about the tempeh and she said that she's a vegetarian but doesn't really like tempeh - that should have been the red flag to order something else. I went with chips and salsa as my side (I love that this was an option) and those were just perfect!

Since I wasn't able to eat much of my lunch, dessert was a necessity (and would have been regardless if I'd cleaned my plate). We walked around the downtown area a bit, admiring the boats and the water...

...until we came across an ice cream shop.

Annabelle's! This is definitely a place after my own heart because they have every kind of candy topping imaginable (including Haribo gummy frogs!).  This also makes decision time very hard because I wanted about 12 toppings. I decided on the wild berries and cream, which is vanilla yogurt swirled with fresh red raspberry sorbet. I got a cup of Reese's pieces on the side to dip the cone into. Pat got cookies and cream. We both got waffle cones because that's really the best way to eat ice cream, no?

The ice cream made up for my less than appetizing tempeh, and I was a very happy girl. Then we went home and took long couch naps for the rest of the afternoon!

Do you run because you love it, or for some other reason? What mind games do you play with yourself during races?

What is your favorite kind of ice cream and toppings?

Charlottesville Half Marathon

So I think the last time we spoke I was packing up my car and my ice bath and heading down to Charlottesville. I was nervous about the half marathon because I picked the week before the race to become obsessed with Bikram and skipped several of my last training runs, opting for yoga instead. If you've ever read any articles or books about running, or spoken with a trainer or fellow runner, you know that you're never supposed to try something new right before the race. Eat the same foods you always eat, wear clothes that you know you can run long distances in, stick to your tried and true routine. So I was pretty nervous about all of the soreness in my body from the yoga and worried that I wouldn't be able to finish the race, let alone get the time I hoped for. On Tuesday night I started to feel a soreness in my neck, and over the next few days it got worse, also causing a headache  and earache on the left side of my head. I spoke to my mom about it and she said that it sounded like I pulled something (probably in yoga) and suggested I take Aleve and try putting a warm compress on it.

On Thursday I went for my last run before the race, just a 3.25 mile run down and around the UVA campus. My legs still felt heavy and sore. On my drive down I'd listened to Born to Run, which contained a lot of history about running and information about some of the fastest and fittest running cultures. The author went into a fair amount of detail about the chia seeds that the Tarahumara Indians use to fuel for runs and repair their bodies. I'd heard about the health benefits of chia seeds before (full of antioxidants, omega 3s, high in fiber and protein, boosts energy, etc) but after hearing so much about them in this book I was convinced to try them. 

I bought some chia seeds at a health food store in Charlottesville, and on Thursday I got to work incorporating chia in my meals until my race. I added them to oatmeal, yogurt, salads, and made "chia gel." To make chia gel just combine 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3-4 ounces of water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes and it becomes a thick gel.

Doesn't look terribly appetizing, but chia seeds are pretty much tasteless and I actually liked the gel.

In addition to all of the chia seeds, I also tried to get some extra sleep, and I said my prayers. A lot. On Saturday morning I got up at 5am (the race started at 6:30 - the earliest race I've ever done) got dressed, ate, and Laura drove me to the starting point. It was much colder on Saturday than it had been the past couple days, and it didn't really help that it was still dark out when we started to run. I hadn't looked at the course map for the race, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I spoke to a few runners in the starting corral, and one of them told me that the last time she ran this course she saw a woman crying as she tried to run up the largest hill. I tried to put that out of my mind and hoped it wouldn't be all that bad.

And then we were off - the first few miles were rolling hills, a lot of up and down. We started in the downtown area of Charlottesville, ran past campus, and then out to country roads that were spotted with beautiful mansions and a golf course. I'm not really a fan of a "there-and-back" race (I prefer a loop) but at least we did run through some very nice areas. I was feeling pretty good, lots of energy and minimal leg soreness, until the extremely steep ascent between miles 5 and 6. The first half of it was alright, but as I continued up and up I became genuinely concerned that I was going to throw up. I just kept pushing on and luckily the top of the hill was close enough that I didn't have to stop and didn't have to puke. I've never thrown up in a race, but I can imagine it wouldn't be much fun. Soon after the killer hill was the turn around point, and then I repeated the same course back to the finish. The rolling hills seemed harder on the way back, and when I looked at my Garmin watch around mile 10 I saw that I wouldn't be able to make the 1:50 finishing time I'd hoped for. I kept going and ran the rest of the race as fast as I could. Even if I didn't make my goal, I still wanted to put all of my effort in. I crossed the finish line with a final time of 1:53:07, which was a pace of 8:37/mile. I'm a little disappointed that I missed the 1:50, but more disappointed with the pace - I ran a couple of my long training runs faster than that, and if I can maintain a pace by myself I think I should always be able to do it faster in a race. But it was done, and it was time for some food!

Laura and me

At the expo I collected food from the vendors and quickly ate it - I was starving. I had a banana, a protein drink, a slice of pizza, and a piece of Great Harvest cinnamon chip bread. I was so excited to see Kath slicing bread for all of the runners! I told her that I was a KERF reader and a big fan. Afterwards I wished I'd gotten a picture with her, but at the time I was too tired and hungry to think straight. 

After refueling I went back to Laura and Todd's apartment for the dreaded ice bath. It was so cold and rainy outside, and I was already shivering in my sweaty running clothes - getting into an ice bath was really the last thing I wanted to do. I stood there whining as Todd emptied 30 pounds of ice into my tub and filled it with water.

I was a big baby and complained a lot...but then got in.

Todd told Laura to stop taking pictures because I was shaking so much and in a lot of pain. The ice bath didn't last long - I'd say probably only 4 or 5 minutes until I'd had enough. Then I took a very hot shower and napped for a few hours. Aside from my persistent neck pain and some left knee pain, I felt pretty good. 

I left early on Sunday morning to drive back to New Hampshire. The trip seemed like it went by really fast; it was great to spend time with Laura, see her apartment and explore Charlottesville. I need to get down there again for another visit, but until then, sleeping in my own bed last night felt pretty amazing. I got up this morning a went to a Bikram class before work. I'm hoping to find a good Bikram/running balance that I'm happy with, since I love both. My next half marathon is on May 1st in Rye, NH - the run is along the beach and the course is flat, the way I like it!

Blood. Sweat. Tears.

Okay, okay. That might be a little bit dramatic. There was, after all, no blood. How about this:

Snow. Wind. Sweat. Tears. Blisters. Blinding stomach pain.

Let me back up. On Saturday Pat and I drove down to Hyannis. We went to the race expo, and I got to meet Jack Fultz, who won the Boston Marathon in 1976 and placed a couple other times.

We also came across some North Face jackets and I found a red one for Pat that matches my yellow one! I insisted that he get it so that we can be huge dorks and wear them together. I love it!

Pat wanted to take me to a nice dinner, but all I wanted was some pasta, and its hard to enjoy a nice meal out when you're trying to mentally prepare for a race the next morning. So instead we were lazy and ordered in (I'd packed some pasta and tofu just in case) and watched movies and ate candy all night. I was actually good and only had 2 Reese's cups and some mango sorbet - eating too much candy the night before a race is never a good idea.

On Sunday morning I woke up with terrible stomach cramps. I don't know what was wrong but it felt like I was being stabbed by several knives. Not how you want to feel when you're about to set out for a 13.1 mile run. But I pulled myself together, had some tea and a banana, and went to the starting corral. It was snowing like mad, but as usual I'd overdressed, so the snow was actually refreshing (until the wind kicked in). Luckily I felt a little bit better when I started running and my stomach pain eased up. I was still uncomfortable, but at least I could move. I've never not finished a race, and the thought of a big fat DNF was totally unappealing. I'm a pretty stubborn person, so I think that helped me get through it. I just kept thinking:

Pain is only temporary.

Pain is weakness leaving the body. 

This isn't supposed to be easy. If it was easy, everyone would do it.

Over and over and over. I walked for one minute at mile 8, and again at mile 11. I told myself that walking is not for wimps, but I also didn't want to stop, I just wanted to run it and be done.

At mile 13 I saw Pat waving and cheering for me. As I sprinted up to finish, he was sprinting to meet me there. It was such a good feeling to be done and know that I'd pushed through, when all I'd wanted to do was curl up in a ball. I'm so happy that I did it because I know I would have regretted it if I hadn't. If I'd had an injury, I certainly wouldn't have run, but I knew that I could make it through this and I'm glad I did.

My Garmin watch gave me a finishing time of 1:54:47. My official nettime was 1:54:35, with an average pace of 8:45/minute. This was right in the middle of the finishing times I had for the two half marathons I ran in November, so I was happy with this time.

Pat and me after I finished:

Pat asked me to pose. This was about the nicest pose I could muster:

After downing a mango protein drink, half a bagel with peanut butter and banana, and a small cup of minestrone soup, Pat and I went back to the hotel. They gave late check-out to everyone who ran the race, which was so nice. I took my first ice bath ever - ice baths are good for reducing muscle pain and soreness after intense training sessions and may help you recover faster.

Do I really want to get in there!?

This is not fun...

 

Maybe if I pout you'll feel sorry for me?

It was really cold but I had a large 50/50 (half black coffee/half hot chocolate) to warm me up a bit.

Finally we got on the road to go home, and after a quick stop at Trader Joe's (essentials!) we were back. I was so tired and sore that I could barely even think straight. I made myself a random picnic of food (mashed potatoes, squash soup, cashews and lemonade - followed up by some peanut butter m&ms) and stretched my exhausted body out on the couch to watch the Oscars. Relaxing ending to the weekend!