big peach 5k race.ARPRIL is gone

I decided at the last minute (on 4.24) that I wanted to run the Big Peach 5k. My reasoning: I could ride the Marta to the start – run 3.1 and then run myself home. I have been needing to get in the miles in preparation for Marine Corp and with Big Peach being about 3 or so miles from my apartment, I said WHY NOT! Plus. it benefited the Leukemia & Lymphoma society and if a race is attached to that organization 9 times out of 10 I am in. I did not know anything about the race so I checked out the course map and realized that it was roads that I run every now and then while taking breaks from work so other than the hill heading up Roxboro I thought it should be a fairly easy race… then this past Monday I ran the course backwards and realized it may be a little bit harder than I initially thought so I kinda went into the race siked out which is never a good thing. Then for the past 3 or so days I have been all out of sorts, body rejecting food, crazy tired, achy legs even though all I do is climb stairs and look for my lost car in the parking garage ….. On top of all that, Erin and I went out for a much needed happy hour/dinner so after margaritas and tacos I was not quite sure if I was even going to make it to the starting line & I thought that even if I skipped it my race entry went to an amazing cause. Before going to bed I checked the weather and there was like a 30% chance of thunderstorms (with lightening) from 6am – 11 am (prime racing hours) so I turned on “Lovely Bones”, set my alarm, and said lets play this by ear…. and if I do not run I WILL get 6 miles in this weekend at some point – whether is was pavement or treadmill.

SO. Race Day: I flaked out and stayed in bed and slept some much needed zzz’s. I took the dog on 2 long walks to make up for it and Sunday I had this great big plan to hit LA Fitness and knock out 6 miles on the treadmill and call it a day. Well, the treadmills decided to be difficult and 2.42 miles later I was calling it a day. Long story short it is common knowledge that I would rather hit the pavement than step onto a treadmill. But with this heat (84 degrees feels like 95) and the humidity, I had to take it inside. Well I was flying high, I got into a groove on the dreadmill, was rocking and rolling and them bam I read “belt stopping” at .83 miles. WTF?! So I started it back up again… same thing but at .26 miles the belt stopped. So, I moved 1 machine over and could not get back in the groove. I was hot, sweaty, annoyed, and then BAM at 1.33 miles – belt stops. I decided to call it quits and just head home. THAT IS WHY I LIKE RUNNING OUTSIDE THERE IS NOTHING TO STOP ME .83 miles in or .26 or 1.33

April is OVER! Thank God. Where in the world is 2010 going?! April was a fairly unproductive month for me in regards to running, work has been so busy and I fear with my new role it is only going to be busier so it will be a true test of learning to balance life.  I even titled this entry “big peach 5k race.march is over” to start with and started this paragraph saying “march is over” – that is how fried my brain is and has been.  I need a vacation. I ran 26.47 miles which is much less than my 50 some last month and my 50+ goal for the month. Why do I always seem to have low miles the month after a BIG race. I did not hit my 50 mile mark, but for me to get as high as I did, I am surprised. I did a 5k (and PR’d). I got a rocking free sample of Body Glide (remember, you can win a free stick). The pollen was (and still is) outrageous and makes it really hard to breathe. For the most part I slaved in the office, spent a lot of quality time with my dog and kyle, and just tried to enjoy life.

Here is hoping April is full of miles and I am really stoked about a friendship that was so unlikely but is becoming awesome with one of my fellow Nike Team in Training Gals. We’re talking about treking to Nashville together in September to run The Women’s Half as training for Marine Corp for me and her first full at the Nike Women’s Marathon! I love friendships that come out of no where!!!

Don’t forget about my FREE Bodyglide giveaway.

bring the spring 5k

This morning I ran my first 5k of 2010. I do not know how I chose this race but I ran the bring the spring 5k which benefited the Embry Hills UMC Youth Fellowship. Once I signed up and checked out the course, I realized it ran through my brother's neighborhood and I though to myself, wow that is going to be a hill race. And yes indeed it was hilly. A little past mile 2 was the worst of it and the pollen count in the thousands did not help much.

I was kinda worried about this race all together. Not only was I super unprepared, the pollen is out of control, but Kyle and I went to Medieval Times last night (yes, it is a real place, not an imaginary "Cable Guy" place) and well Chicken Leg, Pork Rib, and Garlic Bread isn't exactly great pre-race food. We got home super late and I was asleep by like 11:30. Seeing that I had to be up by 6:45 I knew I was going to be exhausted when my alarm went off.

Overall, the race was a good one. It was pretty disorganized which was a little frustrating. We were scheduled to start at 8:00 and were told everything was running just a little behind... which meant we started at 8:30 am. Once I got running everything that irked me was forgotten. The course and the neighborhood we ran through really is pretty, hilly, but pretty. The volunteers on the course were really excited to be there and cheer us on which was nice. As I mentioned, a little after mile 2 there was quite a slope UP and when I saw it I muttered a few words to myself and tried to truck up it only to fail since I could barely breathe (Atlanta is in major need of a good rain to wash this pollen away). Around 30 minutes I thought to myself that I was not going to PR but I was wrong. I ran my fastest 5k to date by 2 minutes and 11 seconds. Go me!

Here are the mile breakdowns:
mile 1: 9:33
mile 2: 11:10
mile 3: 12:33
last .1: .31
finish time: 33:39
average pace: 10:51

Next on schedule: The Brookhaven Bolt 5k - it will be bittersweet since that was my first race ever! ....Now if I can run it in 30 minutes flat, I will be super stoked!