Mesa Marathon 2023 10K

Race: Mesa Marathon 10K

Time: 51:06

Pace: 8:14 min/mile

Place overall: 165/1519

Age Division: 7/118 (F 30-34)

What I liked about this race: It is in the streets of my hometown! This year, the race ended in Riverview/Sloan Park, which was nicer than the Mesa Riverview parking lot. Watching the sun rise over the park lakes was truly beautiful!

What I didn't like this year: Packet pick-up was rough! The bibs apparently weren't organized alphabetically in their boxes (though the lines were), and it took a long time for the person to find mine. The person was nice about it, but it really did back up the line. (And in hindsight, we went for bib pick-up fairly early, so maybe they fixed this later in the day?) 

The race requires riding a bus to the start line, which makes the morning REALLY early. The start line park was not well lit. Runners had to use their cell phone lights to use the porta-potties. The porta-potties were also at a slant, which, let's just say, made using them a little interesting. The announcers told runners to wait by the few lights there were until the National Anthem played, and then move to the start line. The National Anthem was apparently late, because when they told runners to move to the starting line, they kept saying to "hustle" so that the race could start on time. Umm...we were following their instructions. The place the race started in the street sloped down to the right. Awkward!

Post-race, my husband had trouble getting to the parking area. It was hard for us to figure out how to connect, and we had to go a long way around to get through the detours and back to our house. Perhaps next year, when the race organizers have had a year to figure out the new race ending, the routing will be better?

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Training: I am to the point that I am making up training plans myself, or at least combining them to fit what I want to do. This is growth for me! This year, I combined Hal Higdon's (n.d.) novice plan  with Jenny Hadfield's Rock that 10-K advanced training plan (Women's Health, 2015). I ran at least one mile a day, added in a shorter run from the Hal Higdon plan, a workout from Jenny Hadfield's plan, and then the long run from Jenny Hadfield's plan. For cross-training, I threw in some Nourish Move Love (n.d.) workouts at the end of shorter runs. I also did a concurrent 30 days of yoga in January. Every day, I tried to do five minutes of stretching, followed by five minutes of foam rolling (How to Run Guide, 2018). I achieved this most days.

Race week: As noted in my taper crazy post, I only did one short workout the Monday of race week, followed by a rest day, and two 30 minute easy runs (Earles, 2023). I did not strength training. I finished my yoga program, so I just did my stretching and foam rolling.

I did make an intentional effort to go to bed earlier every night. I maybe only went to bed an average of 15 minutes or so early, but that added up. I actually got in bed about an hour early the night of the race, which was good given the early wake-up time.

I have read a lot about nutrition this year, and though I knew I did not need to carb load for a 10K, I did intentionally replace some of my normal lunch dairy/protein intake with brown rice to try to increase my glycogen stores. I made more carb heavy meals, and I tried to have a lot of carbs at snack the night before the race (like 5-7 servings of grains!) Yep, I felt a little bloated by week's end, but apparently that is normal if you carb load (Taylor, 2019). It is temporary discomfort to improve performance.

I normally stand on my feet a lot on Fridays, as that is my meal prep day. I intentionally did less of that this time. (Cooking ahead and freezing was a lifesaver.) I tried to stay active, but off my feet where I could.

The race itself: I got up at 3:45 am, eased into the day for a bit, and then did my physical therapy exercises and five stairs. Then out the door! I was an early arrival to the busses, which put me to the park by about 5 am. I did DuoLingo lessons for about half an hour and then I fueled myself with 8 oz of water and a ripe banana. I have realized through trial and error that I need fuel very shortly before I run, lest my body burn it all off and I bonk while racing!

It was COLD to start, okay, at least cold for me. It was in the mid-forties, and once I shed my hoodie in the drop bag, I was chilly, to the point of cramping chilly. I did my 0.5 mile warm-up prior to shedding the hoodie, hoping that would keep me warmer, not really.

The race start was odd, at a slant down to the right. I got off okay, though. I purposely put myself more to the front of the pack, but still had to weave through a few people. My goal was to run a 8:30/mile pace, and then try to pick it up at the end in hopes of a small PR. When I looked down just a bit into the race, it looked like I was running 8:30, and it felt good, so I just kept going.

I expected to bonk at about three miles (as that is historically where it gets hard), so I just tried to keep at my 8:30ish pace. Honestly, it felt like I was cruising, and I was so, so happy! I had quite a bit of anxiety race week, and a lot of negative self-talk trying to get in race morning. Every time I looked down at my phone and saw that I was keeping pace while feeling good, I thanked God and thanked my body.

I thought about not picking up pace at all. That would make any PR smaller, but easier to beat. But who knows when I will have this fitness again? Given that thought, I planned to pick up the pace (if I could) at mile four or five. I ended up deciding to try to get a little faster, and a little faster, and then go hard 5.2 miles to the finish. I do have two more races I want to run this spring, so I didn't want to actually toast myself. Looking at my splits, it does appears that I achieved my goal.

I picked off a few people at the end of the race, but not enough of the women to place. While it would have been amazing to place in my age bracket, I don't really care. I was competing with myself, and I am so happy with my results.

Post race: I felt pretty good, other than that my hands cramped. Maybe it was from running with my phone? (Yes,  still run old style, as I do not have a running watch that keeps accurate pace.) Thankfully that eventually wore off.

I saw the male and female half-marathon winners finish! Molly Seidel, the latest US Olympic marathon bronze medalist, stopped right in front of me and I took lots of pictures and fan-girled hard! She was so kind and congratulatory to her teammates, which was awesome to see. I glimpsed marathoner Steph Bruce from Flagstaff, and almost went up to her to ask for a photo, but I wasn't sure it was her, so I didn't. Maybe one day I will be brave enough to ask one of my heroes for a photo with them.

Final thoughts: At this stage of my running journey, I am learning that training and nutrition make a difference. More than that, though, I am learning about mindset. Having success makes me feel more pressure than ever to perform. Trying to change my mindset to focus on giving my all and doing my best on any given day has done wonders for me! Also, I am working on smiling while I run. I get to do this! Smiling also supposedly wards off stress (SCL Health, n.d.). That's good for racing, as the effort itself is stressful. All in all, I am just so grateful and happy. Grateful to God for health and resources to do this. Grateful to my husband, friends, and family for their support. Grateful for my body putting up with my running craziness. And happy. Maybe happy for just a day, but happy, and I plan to ride the wave and savor it for as long as I can.

References:

Earles, S. (2023, February 3). Crazy, or taper crazy? Simple, Sacred, Sweet. https://simplesacredsweet.blogspot.com/2023/02/crazy-or-taper-crazy.html

Higdon, H. (n.d.). 10K training: Novice. Hal Higdon. https://www.halhigdon.com/training-programs/10k-training/novice-10k/

How to Run Guide. (2018, July 22). The complete guide to foam rolling for runners. https://howtorunguide.com/foam-rolling-for-runners/

Nourish Move Love. (n.d.) Videos [YouTube channel]. Retrieved February 4, 2023 from https://www.youtube.com/c/nourishmovelove/videos.

SCL Health. (n.d.) The health benefits of smiling. https://www.sclhealth.org/blog/2019/06/the-real-health-benefits-of-smiling-and-laughing/

Taylor, J. (2019, February 13). 7 things you need to know about carb loading if you're into exercise. Cosmopolitan. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/body/diet-nutrition/a26097531/carb-loading-marathon-running/.

Women's Health. (2015, July 7). The training plan that'll help you run your first--or fastest!--10-K. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a19981641/10-k-training-plan/

Crazy, or Taper Crazy?

I think I first read about "taper crazies" in the Run Fast. Eat Slow. cookbook (Flanagan and Kopecky, 2016). I was training for my first half-marathon at the time and wanted to learn more about nutrition. Somehow, though, I picked up that phrase. I do think I experienced them, at least a little

Fast forward a few years and I think I have the taper crazies again. I am only running a 10K, but I dropped from big miles and big workouts to a mere 30 minute easy run. I am thankful for that run, don't get me wrong, but man, I am antsy! I have twice gone through the freezer to inventory stuff. I find myself frittering away time flitting back and forth between house chores. I act a little scatter-brained. I want to solve a lot of life's problems, even though now is not the time.

Granted, probably more than a reduction in running miles is contributing to my condition. I finished 30 days of yoga right as my running volume dropped. The pros say people shouldn't strength train the week of a race, so I dropped that. I got botox in my arm, which mean I could not do any physical therapy exercises or crochet for a few days. I had purposely prepped food so I could cook less the Friday before the race. But now I am stir-crazy!

I heard Steph Bruce talk about wanting to rearrange her house either during the taper, or right after a marathon (both times she needed to rest). I have not quite had that inclination, but I can understand it. I just have restless energy and want to do something with it!

On the flip side, though, I also feel unrested. I cannot seem to get enough sleep. Despite lowering my mileage, I am still pretty hungry. I feel little aches and pains and worry about getting sick. It's crazy, really!

Thankfully, I am not the only one. Other runners experience this, too (eg Wuestenfeld, 2018). So here's to one more day of the crazies, and then, Lord willing, race day!

References:

Flanagan, S., & Kopecky, E. (2016). Run fast. Eat slow. Rodale books.

Wuestenfeld, K. (2018). The taper crazies. Chasing unicorns LLC. https://chasingunicorns262.com/2018/09/05/the-taper-crazies/.

All the New Year's Challenges

New year, and all the new year's challenges. Some are designed to get people "in shape." Others are designed to help people make and keep resolutions. Challenges aren't for everyone, and it kind of annoys me that so many fall at the beginning of the year. Still, I am a sucker for them, all of them. I like challenges, because they are well, a challenge. They also add adventure and variety to my life. I might have taken on a few too many this January, though.

It started with the Yoga with Adriene challenge, a 30 day challenge I knew was coming, because I have done it every year since 2017. (Well, I guess I skipped 2019.) I thought about not doing it, but then I decided to go for it, along with the race training I was already doing. Then I added Strong in 20 from Nourish Move Love for my strength training challenge. And then I saw the Good Mood Challenge from Blogilates and thought, why not? Yeah, it was a lot. Twenty minutes of yoga daily, plus 20-30 minutes of strength training (just for two weeks, though), plus whatever was on the day from the Good Mood Challenge. I quickly realized that all of it was not going to happen, at least as written. I considered giving up, but that didn't settle, so I modified.

I did the Yoga with Adriene challenge, but sometimes I stretched during the breathing portions (not the best, but I needed the stretching if I ran). I split up the practices as I needed to. And sometimes I did other things like reading or DuoLingo while holding long poses (not ideal or recommended, but it's what I did). I did manage to make it through Strong in 20, but again, sometimes I subbed other stretches while they stretched, and/or stretched during rest periods. Sometimes I went easier on the weights since I was also doing other training. In turn, I also cut out some of my running workout (eg speed) days because I was tired. And the Good Mood Challenge? I realized it would be really stressful to do every challenge on the day (like trying to make a smoothie while traveling), so I switched it up. The goal was to promote better holistic health, right? Stressing about how to make a smoothie on the go seemed to negate the goal of a good mood?

Am I glad I did all the New Year's Challenges? In the end, yes. They forced me to be flexible. They forced me to decide what I really wanted. Should I do so many challenges again in the future? Probably not. For this year, though, all these challenges stretched me. I learned. I grew. Wasn't that the point? 

Everything I Read in January

I am not reading like I read last year, not even close. But I am reading, and to eliminate having to comb through a long list of books to create a "best" list at the end of the year, I thought I just might publish I list of everything I read at the end of each month. Please let me know if you like this format!

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Books I read in January 2023:

1. 100 Ways to Love Your Husband by Lisa Jacobson—This is a really excellent book. Simple, yet profound, and with a few anecdotes along the way, this book challenges wives to love their husbands—well—and to keep on growing in that love. With practical, as well as theological implications, this book is a must read for Christian wives, more than once, if possible!

2. The Journey of Desire: Searching for the Life We've Only Dreamed Of by John Eldredge —I felt a little afraid to read this book. I worried that it would be some kind of call to hedonism. It was, and it wasn't. In the book, Eldredge chronicles his own struggles with desires, some of which died with the untimely passing of his best friend. Eldredge asserts that desire is not evil, but that it can rule a person if not submitted to Christ. This is a very Ecclesiastical book, encouraging readers to embrace desire, see what it tells them, and recognize that desire is only fully satisfied in eternity. I hoped that this book would help me reconcile my own desires with the kingdom, but really, it focused on the kingdom, which is where, I suppose, is the place the search for desire and dreams should truly lead.

3. Things I Never Told You By Beth K. Vogt—Okay, this was good book, following Payton Thatcher, the twin sister that survived a horrific accident during her teenage years. She has tumultuous relationships with her older sisters Johanna and Jillian. She is in a business relationship that works, but is not her passion. She has regular nightmares that she tries to escape. Eventually, she realizes that she needs to tell the truth, the whole truth about what happened the day of the accidents, so that she can move on. The story intrigues and wraps readers in. There are redemptive elements and loose ends that readers want tied up. The book totally ends on a cliffhanger, which is frustrating, but maybe the point. Payton had things she never told her family. Readers what to be told what happens next!

4. Moments We Forget by Beth K. Vogt—Switching to the viewpoint of sister Jillian, this book chronicles recovery from cancer, chemo brain, and finding out that others in her life are forgetful, purposely so. This book has a few unexpected twists and turns, as well as a deeper dive in to several of the sister's search for God. God's love is made known, but there is no mention of Jesus or the Holy Spirit, things believers need (and don't want to forget!). A sweet and touching story, it drove me to quickly read part three!

5. The Best We’ve Been by Beth K. Vogt—This third installment of the Thatcher sisters series follows the oldest sister Johanna, a career-minded pharmacist who faces more than one major life change. It also shows how sisters Jillian and Payton fight for their faith, and how family secrets can rock the lives of family. It emphasizes forgiveness, resilience, and choosing to be family—whether that be a nuclear family, a single-parent family, a newly married family, or a reuniting family. Though this book does not tie up all the loose ends, it does the best job of all the books, leaving the Thatcher sisters the best they've been since the series started.

6. Love Works: Seven Timeless Principles for Effective Leaders by Joel Manby—From the CEO of Herschend Entertainment, aka the company that runs Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri (along with other attractions), this is an application of First Corinthians 13 to the workplace. Manby shares his own struggles with love and leadership, as well as stories of people that have inspired him to lead with love. Though not earth-shattering in its concepts, this is an encouragement to focus on what matters and trust God to take care of the rest!

7. Another Chance to Love You by Robin Lee Hatcher—This was a redemptive love story, about Monica, a woman who came to know the Lord recently and is trying to live and act in accordance with the Truth. Daniel Rourke, meanwhile, is a big-shot journalist, burned out, and trying to figure out what really matters in life. The two have a history, more than they realize. This is a beautiful story about second chances, forgiveness, and trusting the Lord. Salvation through Jesus, adoption, and pro-life messages come through clearly.  Salvation of a main character and the ending seem a little abrupt, but overall, this was an enjoyable, edifying, read that I would recommend taking a chance to read.

8. Finding the Road Home by Tina Radcliffe—After raising his siblings, Police Chief Mitch Rainbolt has never left his hometown of Rebel, Oklahoma. Daisy Anderson, meanwhile, moves to Rebel from Colorado for the small town life. She buys a fixer upper, even while trying to fix up the town with enough civic engagement enough to keep her job funded. Along the way, she receives needed, but unwanted help from the people of the town. She considers living out her dream of owning a bakery, but denies it for quite some time. The chief and her paths keep crossing, and in the end, both are forced to face their pasts and consider where they want home to be. This is a touching story that includes adoption, love, forgiveness, and making peace with the past. It is about finding the road home, not just being home.

9. Looking Into You by Chris Fabry (1/27/23)—Professor Paige Redwine is stuck, stuck in her career as a professor, stuck as a professor, stuck in a trauma from the past that she cannot seem to shake. Treha Langsam, on the other hand, is trying to outgrow her past, trying to move past her trauma and start life on her own at a new university. When she attends Professor Redwine's class, they find that their lives connect on a very intimate level. Their connection causes both of them to run, and then unify. This is a beautiful work of fiction, from which I wrote down far more true-to-life quotes than anything else I have read recently. Still, the story was somehow hard for me to read. I am not sure if it was the content matter, the writing style, or both. I am torn about reading more from this new-to-me author, but I am intrigued enough by this story that I just might look into it!

10. Happily Ever After: Six Secrets to a Successful Marriage by Gary Chapman (1/29/23)—Gary Chapman once again provides practical advice in this guide on almost everything marriage (from money to sex to in-laws, and even being an in-law). He does repeat some concepts (eg love languages) and stories, but overall, what he writes is helpful. Each chapter includes a “putting the principles into practice section” to help couples apply what they are learning. I might suggest using this book as a reference for help dealing with specific struggles, rather than reading it straight through as I did. Having successfully read it all, though, now I know what is in it and can refer back and apply as needed.

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As you can tell, I read a lot more fiction than non-fiction this month. Honestly, it has been an escape. Some weeks, it has also kept me from doom-scrolling social media, though, which I see as a plus. I did intentionally try to read all Christian literature (which admittedly can be of lower quality, unfortunately) as I know my tendency to have a weaker filter when reading mostly for pleasure. Maybe I will return to secular fiction and nonfiction next month. Maybe I won't. We will see.

Afghan 75

Afghan 75 is in the books! This was a fairly easy one, made with half double crochet stitches and color changes every 10 rows. The afghan did turn out square, which was a bit different.

My friend requested "no pink" but "girly blue" for her new little one. Hopefully fits the bill!

Hook: size J Boye ergonomic crochet hook

Yarn: 

Caron simply soft yarn in pagoda

Impeccable solid yarn by Loops & Threads in skylight

Mainstays white

Pattern: Berries and cream baby blanket by Cute and Cozy Crochet

Finished size: 36 inches by 36 inches (one of the rare times a blanket actually turns out like the pattern says!)

The Bewitching Hours

I woke up and had to go the bathroom. Sneaking a look at the clock, I saw the early hour of 12:39 AM glare back at me. I laid back down and tried to sleep. I couldn't. My mind started racing. Very quickly, it went to the worst. I thought terrible things about my marriage. I contemplated what would happen if my greatest fears in life materialized, how I would cope, if I would cope. And on and on and on. These dark thoughts weren't unfamiliar. They didn't come often, but when I wake up at an early am hour, I knew to expect them. One of my pastor called these early hours of worry the "bewitching hours," and oh, they really are.

Half asleep, my mind lacks strong executive function. Half asleep, I am prey to the enemy. Wanting sleep, the last thing I want is to worry, but that is where my mind automatically goes. So I have a plan. I have a strategy. When I wake up during the bewitching hours, I try to pray. If the enemy intends this time for evil, by the power of God's Spirit, I shall use it for good! If I can't pray, I will recite memorized Bible verses. And if I can't stay awake enough to do that, I will get my phone and read the Psalms, or if alone, turn on a small light and read. These may be the bewitching hours, but I shall not be bewitched.

Plenty of things happen automatically, like the dark thoughts that come to me middle of the night. While I cannot stop the thoughts, I can come at them with a plan. My plan is a Be-With-God plan. It doesn't always work (because I am a fallen human), and it doesn't always work right away. Sometimes, I even wonder if God is waking me up because he wants me to pray. Regardless, I plan to not be had. I plan to be with God, all the time, regardless of the hour. Bewitched, I will be not. Being WITH God, yes, this I shall be.

The Bible is True.

People throw a lot of shade on the Bible, saying it's outdated, too black-and-white, too-legalistic, etc. Respectfully, the more I read, and the more I learn via my chosen profession, the more I see that the Bible is true, and that God's way is the best way.

For, example, take the Bible's recommendation to remain abstinent before marriage. Some people think that's God hurting their fun. Well, studies show that abstinence before marriage increases marital satisfaction (Stanley, Rhoades, & Markman, 2006). Want a good marriage? Wait for sex. Your marriage will be better. 

The Bible is old. It was true when it was written, and now scientific findings back it up. God commands against sin, not just because it hurts His relationship to people, but also because it hurts people. That thing about sins passing on to the third and fourth generation (New International Version, Exodus 20:5)? Epigenetics show that this is, in fact, the case (Curry, 2019). Epigenetics also show that it takes up to three generations to ameliorate the effects of trauma (Learn. Genetics., n.d.). The Bible is true.

That thing about the ideal family being two parents? Well, it really is best for kids. Children who come from two parent homes, of multiple races, have less poverty, less prison, and more college (Wilcox, Wang, & Rowe, 2021). While some families do suffer trauma and tragedies that prevent the presence of both parents, where possible, it is worth it to work at keeping the family together.

God is not a fun-killer. His commands are for the best of his people. The Bible is the way He reveals those plans. It would behoove us to read it, not just to relate to him, but to relate to and live out its truths. It really will be best for everybody!

References:

Curry, A. (2019, July 18). Parents' emotional trauma may change their children's biology. Studies in mice show how. Science.org. https://www.science.org/content/article/parents-emotional-trauma-may-change-their-children-s-biology-studies-mice-show-how

Learn. Genetics. (n.d.). Epigenetics & Inheritance. Learn. Genetics. Genetic Science Learning Center. https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/inheritance

Stanley, S. M., Rhoades, G. K., & Markman, H. J. (2006). Sliding Versus Deciding: Inertia and the Premarital Cohabitation Effect. Family Relations, 55(4), 499–509. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40005344

Wilcox, W.B., Wang, W., & Rowe, I. (2021, June 17). Less poverty, less prison, more college: What two parents mean for black and white children. Institute for Family Studies. https://ifstudies.org/blog/less-poverty-less-prison-more-college-what-two-parents-mean-for-black-and-white-children