Tag Archive | racing

Cardio Conundrum

Feb10

Some things are mostly good of late. Teaching has gone well despite my inability to turn the fans on high at times. And usually at least one person compliments the playlist.

Of course, this has also led me to becoming a bit of a subbing whore. I actually proudly wear this label given to me by a fellow SPIN instructor, though when some people say it to me, it can be annoying.

Anyway there is a point here, just bear with me. Recently, at a training session, my cardio routine had come up. Mainly because I had mentioned that assuming all goes according to plan (i.e, Bucktown Athletic Club is open) then I will have close to double-digit classes to teach at the end of February / beginning of March. I’m pretty excited about this but at the same time, slightly freaked out about. Continue reading →

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Running and Music. Music and Running

Sep7

September 7th was a 20-mile run. I wasn’t even nervous about it. In fact, I was looking forward to it. A few weeks ago, I was freaking out about 17 miles. After I finished the 17 miles, 18 and 20 were just no big deal to me.

This 20-mile run in addition to getting used to being in my feet for so long was also special because I did it solo and with no music. I normally run with music, but since I discovered a few weeks ago that my music player wasn’t going to last, I thought I should do at least one really long run without music. And the 20 mile run seemed like the perfect run to do this on for a couple of reasons.

One, it was sufficiently long so that I would have more of the marathon experience. Second because I was going to be starting my run well before the sun came up and for safety reasons, it would be better to be fully aware of my surrounding until sunrise.  Continue reading →

I Wish I Had Friends

Jul22

Thursday night, I ran in the inaugural Esprit de She race in Chicago. It was a 10K and a 5K race. I signed up to do the 10, but because the temperatures were so high, the 10 was canceled so everyone had to do the 5K. Part of me is happy about that because I would have pushed through to do the 10 and perhaps regret it later.

In any event, I was only one minute slower than my fastest 5K time. Not bad considering the heat was forcing us runners to go slower. If the temps were decent, I can only imagine what my 10K time would have been as well as my 5K split.

Continue reading →

I’m a Runner

Apr1

running shoesThere, I said it. I’m a runner. I’ve been at the running thing since 2006. It is now 2013 and I feel like a runner. I am a runner. Some people would say that I’ve been a runner since 2006, but back then, I felt like a fraud. Sure, I would jog / run a little bit, but more of my time was spent with walk breaks. But last August, something finally clicked and I started to feel like I could accomplish things with running.

It is now April and so far this year, I have run over 221 miles. Yes, over 200 miles. In January, I started the year with a 5K race and over the course of the month, ran over 50 miles. February turned out to be an even better month. There were three fewer days and I ran over 10 miles more. The big month so far has been last month where I put in over 105 miles. If that seems like a lot of miles to you, imagine how it feels to me. Before this year, I thought I was having a good month when I got in 30 miles in a month. A run longer than three miles seemed like forever. Granted, I had done way more than that on numerous occasions, but those were just for races. Running more than three miles in a race was a no-brainer to me. It was what races were for. Continue reading →

Adjusting

Feb9

I start training in earnest on Monday. I am planning on running about nine races this year and the first really big ones are in May – the Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon and the Soldier Field 10-miler. I have a race before those and I’ve already done a couple this year so far. However, I’m really excited about those races. Both races will allow me to run at some amazing football fields. Additionally, I get to express my inner sports meatball and wear Packers attire for both races. At Lambeau it will be feel right. At Soldier Field, it will just annoy Bears fans and I’m all about poking them.

running shoesAnyway, last week I got my training schedule and it caused a mini panic for me. HOW was I going to fit in all the working out I do along with the added running that would need to happen so I can smash my previous best half marathon time. I knew I was going to need help, so I emailed my trainer with the schedule. She was thrilled to see there were planned rest days because right now, I’ve been working out for over 430 days without taking a true rest day. I just have easier days where I will just do yoga, but I always have to be doing something.

The group I am training with has two different programs for the half marathon training. One that involves taking one rest day a week and another that has a total of maybe five rest days through the entire process. Since the Green Bay Half will be my ninth half marathon, I figured I should probably do the advanced program. But then I had this fear of will that make sense if I choose to run / walk it? Why can’t I just run the entire time? Then I started to wonder if maybe, just maybe I could run this race in under 2:05 because that would mean I could do something else later in the year. Seriously, why not? Continue reading →

Can’t Best Them All

Jun14

Recently, I have had a couple of absolutely terrible races. Part of it due to weather and part of it due to just not being as ready as I should be.

Last month, I ran the Soldier Field 10-mile race. It was my first time doing the race. It should have been the second time, but last year I had to bow out of the race due to an absolutely horrible headache that prevented me from running.

This year, I talked a friend into running the race with me and meeting up with her before and after the race was fun. But the race itself was the worst race I have ever done. It was just terrible.

Not due to any organization problems (those make me despise races and never want to do them again) or course issues. No, this was my absolute worst race because my wonderful friend calf cramps came back to haunt me.

I kind of knew I might be in trouble as I was awakened in the middle of the night by a cramp in my calf. I was hoping it would just be a night thing and not bother me during the race. Continue reading →

New Personal Records

Mar25

Today was the Shamrock Shuffle in Chicago. The race is known officially as the start of the running season. This was my second year doing the race and I really enjoyed it.

I was hoping I would run the race in under an hour, but as usual plans went awry. This was because earlier in the week, I was starting to come down with a cold. The weather in Chicago has been fantastic lately, so coming down with a cold was not something ideal. I was hoping it might just be allergies, but sadly it was an actual cold.

I did manage to keep it from becoming a full-blown cold however. Just a bit of a runny nose and stuffiness in the morning. It did make life less than idea since it interfered with my running. Somehow though, I managed to set a new PR with the Shamrock Shuffle today. Continue reading →

Almost Done it All

Nov17

This past weekend I ran a 10K. It was supposed to be a 10-miler, but it was just a day that 10 miles wasn’t going to happen. It was also a chance for me to look back over the year of running and see exactly what I have accomplished.

After my hometown beotch “disaster,” I could look at the year as such a huge disappointment. However if I am realistic about it, it was a fantastic year of running for me. I ran pretty much every distance there is to do in some form or fashion. Maybe not necessarily as a race, but definitely putting in those miles in some capacity.

I started the year off with a 5K on New Year’s Day. Then a few months later I did a 10K. Then an 8K. A 5-miler. A half marathon. A 20-mile training run. An attempt at 26.2. Then another 5K and most recently a 10K.

Each race I managed to do something fun, in that I shaved time off of previous bests at these various distances. November 5th, I ran a 5K race. It was my first race since the Chicago Marathon. And I destroyed my prior best 5k time. When I say destroyed it, I mean that my previous mile splits were along the lines of 13 minutes per mile. In that 5K, I was averaging 10:55 per mile with at least one sub nine minute mile. All in all, I ran that 5K in just under 31 minutes. Continue reading →

The Last Stand

Oct1

I went for my last long run this morning before it is time to conquer the hometown beotch. Initially I had planned to go out and do a specific number of miles. Instead, I just ran for time this morning. Two hours total.

I had a good reason however. A couple of people I work with have been hacking up a lung for the past month and riding public transit means you run into quite a few people who apparently never learned how to properly cover their mouths / noses if they have cough or sneeze. Continue reading →

Accomplishment

May7

2nd most important piece of running equipment

Today I ran a five-mile race along the lakefront on the south side in Chicago. It was a good day. It was also my birthday, so it was great way to start out a new year of my life (ugh). I actually have done two races this week, with a neighborhood 5K this past sunday and then today’s five-miler.

The massive positives. In April, I ran an 8K (4.97 miles) race. It was the official start of the race season. My time wasn’t great for that race, but I was ok with that. It was my first time at the distance in a race. This despite having run 5Ks, 1/2 marathons and attempting a full marathon. It was also a bit warmer than I prefer for running in general. Though, making excuses shouldn’t be allowed. Anyway, today I shaved almost 2:30 off my five-mile finish time. That right there is huge. I went a slightly farther distance and I ran it faster. Continue reading →