Running Your Own Race

COVID has brought a lot of changes to life. I registered for two races last year and both went virtual. I had two races in mind so far for this year, and both got postponed. I felt disappointed, and I was still motivated to train and race. So guess what? I made my own races.

The first race was supposed to be a spring, "Running with the Beards" I did with my husband. We made our training plans and a week or so afterward, it got postponed until the fall. We decided to train and run on the day anyway. I wanted it to feel like a real race, so I ordered things to make up my own swag bag. We took pictures and we went out for breakfast after we ran. All components of a good race day, if you ask me.

The second race was a 10K that also got postponed. A friend and I talked about running a race together, but that got put off due to scheduling issues. I did not want to lose the stamina I had built in base building and training I had put in, so I set out to do it anyway. I picked a time and a place and a pace and set out for it. I did not do as well as I did in my first 10K, but hey, I did it, and I did it alone.

There is a time and a place for racing. Man, I sure do miss it! I think there is a place for running your own race, too. Pick the components of racing that matter to you (time, place, pace, photos, and after party activities for me), and make them happen. (If you don't want to plan, consider enrolling in a virtual activity through a company like I Run for Movement.) You could also do a racing challenge with a long distance friend, like I did for the Avo-Cardio 10K last weekend.

David and Megan Roche write in The Happy Runner about racing as celebration. Celebration is possible without actual races. You just have to do it, make your own race and then run it.

13.1: My First Half-Marathon

I did it. I rain my first half-marathon Saturday. (Okay, Runkeeper officially said 13.02, but I'm counting it.) I've trained for months for this. (I started in August.) I prayed to stay well. By God's grace, I ran. Praise Him!

The Details:

The race: Janis Best

The Course: Peavine + Iron King Trails

My fuel: Clif bar plus banana before, Nuun during, and a Clif shot of energy gel at 6.6 miles (halfway)

My time: I hoped to finish under 2 hours, but I ended with 2:03:37. I got to a 9:30 mile pace, though, and I was happy with that.

How it felt: Good until about mile 10 when my knees starting hurting (Ten miles is the longest I ran on my training plan). I pushed through and my knees hurt afterward until I stretched. Then just the left knee hurt. 

My Conclusions:

Will I run a half marathon again? Maybe. It depends on how this knee soreness goes, to be honest. Otherwise, I'd definitely say yes. Training is hard, but it gives rhythm and routine and structure to my life. And accomplishing this run today proved to me that I can do hard things, and that my entire life is not going to pot (as it has felt at times). God is good. Running is good. I hope God allows me to keep doing it.

10K Number Two (And Why Social Media is a Highlight Reel)

I've been trying to run more and run longer. Trying to stay healthy. Trying to get ready for maybe something bigger. But it's been a fight. This race was a last minute addition to my schedule. "Maybe you should run another 10K before you commit to more," Mom said. So I signed up. But then my husband was sick. I had days on end of late nights due to getting called out for work. I struggled to sleep and eat enough. Friday, multiple parts of my body were sick. I thought about not running. But I knew I'd probably feel better if I did.

I tried to go to bed early Friday night, but I also knew I needed to eat. So I choked down this cinnamon raisin bread bowl:

And then I got hungry, like insanely hungry. So I drank peanut butter hot chocolate and ate some granola and peanuts. That kind of backfired, though, as my stomach got upset in the night and I didn't feel like eating my planned pre-race banana in the morning. Instead, I stuck with sipping on some electrolyte water.

Mom and I met at a shopping center and car pooled to the race. (Read: I am terrible with directions and would have struggled to make it there myself.) The men folk were busy, so it was just Mom and I. Groom Creek is up in the mountains of Prescott, and this race benefit the local firefighter's association, a cause I wholeheartedly support.

After arriving, we took a few photos and watched the half-marathon launch. I started to get hungry and sucked on a gel. (My supervisor at work gave these to me. The verdict is out on efficacy, BUT it didn't make me sick and assuaged my hunger, which was a plus.)

My race started at 9 am. A previous runner told me this race was easier than Whiskey Row. I disagree. This race was anything but easy. I mean, look at these ups and downs: 

The race also started at a significantly higher altitude. I started off slow, which seems to be the name of my game. But I got faster as I went.

I was really trying to 1) beat my previous pace, 2) keep up with a runner near me, and 3) catch speed on the downhills. [The splits show where those were.]

The result: 55:09 and 3rd place in my division. Praise the Lord.

But here's where social media is a highlight reel. (I said this when I posted on Instagram.) I was out of breath when I finished. I felt like I was getting, but dodged, a bloody nose. I didn't feel like eating afterward and had to force down food again. I had to run like five errands after the race. I didn't see my husband basically all day because he was preparing to be in a wedding. My mom was sick the night before the race, which she told me after we arrived.

Did I enjoy running? Yes. Should I have run? Maybe, maybe not. In the end, I'm glad I did. I'm thankful for the opportunity and the health to do so. But...I don't want to glamorize my life or make it look like things come easily. Life (and running) is work. Sometimes you get out what you put in. Sometimes you don't. Sometimes you need to press through the wall and sometimes you need to rest. Wisdom is rightly assessing all the information and making the best decision for yourself, and for others. That's hard to do. And social media can in no way fully represent that struggle.

Ten kilometers two is a wrap. We'll see what happens from here. Check social media for highlights, but always know there is more to the story.

Patriot Run 3.0

I've been trying to train for a longer race. If I get there, I'll let you know. But on the training schedule, I was supposed to run a 5K. This one fell at just about the right time. I've run the Patriot Run before, but each time I run it, it feels special.

Since I am trying to train for a longer race and also live close to the race location, I walked to the start line this time. That made a for a good warm-up and greeting to the day. (Bonus: I did not have to fight potential crowds to find a parking spot.)

I sipped some water, since I've been trying to proactively hydrate, and took some photos with Mom and Dad. (My husband was at a church conference.)

The 10K started at 7 am, and 15 minutes later, we were off running the 5K. People started fast. I was running with my phone and tried to pace myself and tell myself I could catch them later. The first mile or so felt hard, though, and I wondered how I would ever finish in the time I wanted, let alone catch the people in front of me. And let's be honest, I was feeling competitive because this race is small, and I thought I had a chance of placing. Slowly, but surely, I found a stride, and my splits got faster.

I didn't catch all of the people. (The top guy finished in 21:00 flat. Craziness!) I did manage to catch the other ladies, though, and finished with a time of 26:07. That isn't my fastest, but it's my fastest at this elevation, and I was very thankful!

I ended up placing ninth overall and first for my age division. And they actually pronounced my last name correctly when I went on stage, which is a first for me. (It's also the first time I've run under my married name.) Happy girl!

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In foodie news, my parents and I tried out a new bakery for breakfast. Mom and I split the early bird breakfast of a basted egg, sausage, and sourdough toast.

That left me ravenous, so I went for splitting a honey pecan roll with Mom for breakfast: round two.

Ooey, gooey, delicious! (And way better than Dad's cinnamon roll. Sorry, Dad!)

I had a bottle of water with electrolytes when I got home, and a health(ier) salad for lunch, but then pizza for dinner, and a big nighttime snack.

I might should have eaten a greater quality of food after running so hard, as my stomach feels a bit off today, but live and learn. At least I had a good quantity of food for refueling.

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On to the week, and, Lord willing, more training, but praise the Lord for a fun weekend!

How (Not) To Train for a Terrain Race

My husband signed up for another 5K right after we ran The Butterfly Run. I initially passed, one because I'm a fair weather runner, meaning I like running, and not obstacles; and two because I wasn't sure where our relationship was going and didn't want to sign up for something over six months away. (Read, I was afraid).

But when January came around and registration was "free," and he and I were getting more serious about our relationship, I signed up for the Terrain Race. (Registration isn't really free because you have to pay for "insurance" and make a required donation and a few other things. So it evens out to the $25-$35 cost of most other runs I've done.)

I trained for Pat's Run. I trained for the 10K. I kind of intended to train for this race (e.g. do more strength), but I didn't. And then I got sick. I walked Sunday, and Monday, didn't even work a full day Tuesday and only walked for work and went for a two miles snail's pace stroll Thursday and Friday. So I wasn't ready.

I made a list of things that needed to happen for me to run.

Thankfully, most of these did, and we went.

The race was in Flagstaff, Arizona at about 7,000 feet. We weren't really sure what to expect, so we overly prepared with sunscreen and throw away shoes and towels and new sets of clothes. But when we saw people coming out of the race (since heats were already running before we got there), we thought we wouldn't need all that. So we sunscreened, emptied a backpack of all but our phones, keys, and water, checked the bag, and got ready to run.

The race was supposed to be 5K, but we got an e-mail Friday saying they had to extend the course. I wondered if I'd make it, but prayed about it and said I'd try.

The first part of the course was uphill. And the first part of the course was long, with few obstacles other than carrying a sandbag around a small circle.

But then the course got a little rocky and hilly. There were some beautiful views, but 1) I didn't have my phone to take pictures, and 2) I really didn't get to enjoy them because I had to carefully watch my feet.

(Parking lot view)

Most of the obstacles came about 1/2 to 3/4 through the course. There was the log pulling, the tire pulling and dragging, the tire flipping, log jumps, and then the culvert crawl. That's what got me muddy! You had to wade into muddy water about waist deep and crawl through a plastic culvert about 1/4 full of water. I managed to crouch through it since I decided to wear my watch and didn't want to get it wet.

(Our friends had their phones and took this picture.)

There were then more log jumps and crawling under a rope net. (Thankfully people held it up over me and I didn't get too scraped up. This is also when I realized there was a reason people pinned their race bibs to their backs. I lost a safety pin on mine and had to repin it with another that tried to come off.) There were more log jumps, some six foot walls to climb over (thankfully there were steps to help boost oneself over), carrying a weighted bucket around a little moat with water in it, and at least three upper body strength exercises (monkey bars, a trapeze like thing, a rope climb, and a Tarzan rope swing). I touched all of these, but then passed by (one, because I have very little upper body strength, and two, because my grip strength is shot due to my focal dystonia and I don't want to do any further harm to my hand or arm).

The last part of the race was supposed to be a tenth of a mile. I'm sure it wasn't. There weren't any obstacles there, but then we came to this:

It was probably a 16 foot plus canvas net to crawl over. (The finish line was on the other side.) It was a bit shaky, but I actually liked this kind of obstacle. I might have been afraid, but there was a terrified kid at the top, so I gave him a hand so he could get down to his mom, and after that, I wasn't afraid. The finish line was right on the other side. (My stopwatch said my time was 1:05. People running with me said they clocked the course at 5.3 miles. No 5K for us!)

We I got separated, so I guzzled some water while I waited for him. Then we went and tried to wash the mud off our hands and got our bag. We ran into some friends and took some photos and chatted with them. And then we headed home.

The drive back on I-17 is really gorgeous. I haven't been to Flagstaff in awhile and really enjoyed the scenery. (He drove so I could take pictures.)

We got back at 2 pm and I sat down and had some food and a lot of water (one 16 oz glass and another 16 oz bottle with a Nuun electrolyte tablet). 

I thought I had plenty of energy, but then I kind of crashed. So I showered and laid down for a power nap. 

(I really had to scrub to get all the mud off so I could be clean to take a nap.)

Moral to the story: I didn't really train for this race. I didn't fully do it since I couldn't complete some obstacles. But I'm thankful, and grateful, and honestly praying I stay well after all the energy I exerted.

To God be the glory!