red tests her legs in two short races

I am now officially a 1 Miler and 5K-er. :-) I ran both of these races today for the first time. I realized quite quickly that I like distance better! haha!

Short races are tough! Have to run FAST, FAST, FAST the whole time! And then they went and threw some hills in that there 5K. That just wasn't nice. Someone even had the gall to spray paint a yellow smiley face half way up the side of one hill that was nearly a 45 degree angle. Actually, that made me laugh out loud. It was hilarious. It was an evil hill and needed some softening. The whole course was rough. About half of it was on the high school's cross country course. The rest was on a mixture of terrains such as concrete sidewalk, asphalt, wooded trail, track surface and even a small part on a corner of freshly plowed farm field - swear to god!! Someone had way too much fun designing that course. Ended up with a 21:55 which I thought was pretty darned good considering. Got 1st in my age group, 5th woman overall. Not a bad start to my 5K career. :-)

The 1 Mile race was more tame. It had several sharp turns, however, which slowed me down slightly, but NO GRASS like the 5K! I hate grass. It is the worst surface to run on! Finished in 6:12. Very happy with this! 1st in age group again and 2nd woman overall.

I talked to a gal after the race and she told me about a 5K in Flint this October that I so wish I could do! However, it is the day before the Brooksie Way Half Marathon, so it is a no-go. :-( Anyway, this race is called the UofM/MSU Tailgate Challenge. It is a 5K that takes place right before the Michigan/Michigan State football game - huge rivalry in this state, as you can imagine. Here's an excerpt from the race website:

"Don’t miss this opportunity to run for your favorite school before the big game. U of M supporters will run or walk counter-clockwise and MSU supporters will run or walk clockwise on the two loop course. There will be lots of opportunity to “razz” the other side. Great shirt with your school logo and awards in your school colors!"

Now that sounds like a COOL race! GO BLUE!!!!!!!!

What really cracked me up was the following, also from the race website:

"If you do not have a school preference, please indicate on entry and begin race with MSU supporters."

Whatsamatter, MSU, can't get enough people on your own? Gotta let the neutrals swell your ranks? hahahaha!!!!!!

Almost Registered

Mom came to my rescue and pointed out that the Linden Summer Happenings website has been updated and now I have the info I need on the 1 Mile and 5K races next weekend. Registration form is printed, check is made out, everything is in the envelope and ready to be mailed!

Thanks, Mom!

Speed and Heat Don't Mix

Oh, boy! What was I thinking!

On Saturday morning I had to work until about 1:30 pm. I still had to fit in a 4 miler for my marathon training plan which just started (YAY!). Running before work is just not going to happen. I have to be there at 7:30 am and it takes 30 minutes to get there. That would require running at ridiculously early hours. I'm just not that obsessed. Or maybe I just enjoy my sleep and well-being as much as I enjoy running?

Anyway, I ended up doing my 4 miles when I got home. I only worked a half day, so running afterwards seemed like a good idea. However, it was in the upper 70s with high humidity. It was like running through a curtain of water the entire time. A very HOT curtain of water. Thank god it was only 4 easy miles.

While I was running I realized my fatal error in my marathon training plan. On Tuesdays I work the same shift as Saturdays, that is 7:30 - 1ish. I stupidly scheduled speedwork for my post-work runs every Tuesday. Did I seriously think I'd be able to do speedwork during the hottest part of the day during a summer training session!? Dumb, dumb redhead!! Ack!!

When I designed the plan, I was following the same outline I used during my first marathon training, but that marathon was in the spring and most of the training was in the winter. In that season, I need to wait until the warmest part of the day to run, but it is just the opposite in the summer.

The solution, of course, was very simple. I don't work Wednesday mornings, so I simply swapped my Wed easy runs for my Tuesday speed sessions. No problem. Now I can do my speedwork early in the morning when it is MUCH cooler.

Today was my first "long" run on my plan, though it was only a 12-miler. I ran on a "new" route today and thoroughly enjoyed it. I say "new" because it is a route I drive literally everyday. I simply never ran it before. I have always been a little road-shy and there are no sidewalks on this road, but it has very wide, soft shoulders, so I summoned up my courage and did it! It is a two-lane, paved, semi-rural road. Sunday mornings see light - moderate traffic. It has lots of hills, beautiful homes and greenery everywhere. It shows off some of the best that Michigan back roads have to offer. I certainly can't complain about my commute to work along this road.

The run out gave my knees and quads a workout as it was mostly downhill. The run back had some awesome uphills. This is going to be a great route once Boston training starts!

Oh, and my shin is feeling great lately! I'm hesitant to say it is almost healed. Hate to jinx it, ya know. If it still feels this awesome after a few weeks, I'll be more optimistic. Not to say I'm not optimistic now. I suppose I should say I'm hesitantly optimistic?

Overall, I'm feeling great about my upcoming training and race schedule. I'm going to see if I can find a way to post my schedule on my Blogger website. I'm currently most excited about my first 1 mile and 5K races coming up. That's right, my FIRST. I started at 10K races and just moved up from there. Next weekend there is a small community festival that is hosting a 1 mile and 5K. I'm having trouble finding info on it, it is that small! If I am successful in finding that info, I'll be there. I'll of course let everyone know how it went!

I blame my legs.

Now that I have a new running watch (YAYAYAY!!!) that actually will record splits, I now have PROOF that my legs have a "negative split mentality". I'm one of those silly runners who has a hard time with easy runs. I can't seem to run slowly. It takes a lot of FOCUS to run slowly, and even then, I usually end up getting too speedy for my own good (and the good of my shins, achilles, etc.). If my mind wanders at all, then I'm screwed. My little legs see their chance and take off! Traitors.

So here is that proof I mentioned. It was supposed to be an easy six. After all, I'm coming back from a mini-hiatus due to a sore shin and also trying to build back up slowly after my marathon three weeks ago.

The splits were:

1. 8:26
2. 8:05
3. 8:00
4. 7:50
5. 7:45
6. 7:30

I swear I was trying (at times) to slow myself down! I thought the heat today would even help. Today was my first run of the season with temps over 70 degrees. In fact, today it was 76! No such luck. The heat didn't affect me. I guess I just keep trying. :-)

Shin update: Felt pretty good after the run today. I'm headed downstairs momentarily to get some ibuprofen and ice, just as a precaution. I will keep doing this until I am sure it is okay.