So, I've officially completed three 5k races! This last one, the Charleston Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day, was a whole new experience in several ways.
1. There were 6,500 racers. Seriously. There were people EVERYWHERE. Because there were so many people, we lined up under the signs according to our pace. Bummer, no 13 minute sign. It stopped at 10 minute mile! Ha! I laughed with some other folks in the back.
2. They let the elite folks out, then the walkers. MAJOR bottleneck. I had to walk for the first block until Preston yelled, "Cut across on the sidewalk!" Genius. I sailed past the walkers and was on my way.
3. This route was gorgeous. It ran down King Street through Charleston's historic district, then down around battery park, then back down Meeting to the finish line. Gorgeous architecture, amazing waterfront, and the occasional smell of horse poo.
4. My goal for the race was to get under 40 minutes. If you discount that block in the beginning when I had to walk, I totally did it! By my watch, I finished in about 39:45. Haha. Just barely, but I still did it! That put me at my first under 13 minute mile average. I am happy.
5. Part of the reason I finished so well was my uncle, cousin, dad, sister and Ultra-Supportive Husband, were all strategically placed along the final stretch to cheer me on. How great! Cousin James and Preston have even promised to run it with me next year!
6. I finished just ahead of the Wando High School girls track team. Mwahahah.
Overall, it was a great experience. Weird thing though, the chip time went from the whistle to when you crossed the finish, not when you crossed the start. So, it was pretty inaccurate according to my watch. When you start in the back, you don't cross the start til a couple of minutes after the leaders! Oh, which, I should mention... the winner was a 15 year old from Virginia - he finished in 14:55. For reals. I was not even to the battery when he was finished. HAHA.
Also, I finished in front of 1,500 people. I know I shouldn't care, but it did make me feel pretty good that my efforts have been paying off.
Bonus: I felt totally justified in enjoying pumpkin pie AND delicious pumpkin crisp at thanksgiving dinner.
I'm so thankful that running is a part of my life! I'm also blessed that my family and friends are so supportive. Plenty to be thankful for at T-giving this year.
Sarah
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
A major milestone!
Yesterday, being that it was a gloriously beautiful fall afternoon, and I had no after-work plans, I decided to run.
And since my running partner was busy, I, as I often have, invited my husband to come for a run.
His response: Sure!
Me, a little stunned: Really? I mean, don't feel obligated or anything.
Preston: No, seriously. I'll come.
And, sure enough, when I got home, there he was, dressed and ready to go.
So, running with my husband poses one obvious challenge. He's 6 foot 3 to my 5 feet. Seriously. His legs are as long as my entire body.
We started out at a seriously nice clip. Not enough to feel bad, but enough to really feel like we were pushing the pace. Turns out, we finished 3.1 in about 39 minutes.
This is AWESOME because I want to finish the turkey trot on Thursday in under 40. And now, I know I can do it!
Ultra-Supportive Husband lives up to his name, yet again!
Sarah
And since my running partner was busy, I, as I often have, invited my husband to come for a run.
His response: Sure!
Me, a little stunned: Really? I mean, don't feel obligated or anything.
Preston: No, seriously. I'll come.
And, sure enough, when I got home, there he was, dressed and ready to go.
So, running with my husband poses one obvious challenge. He's 6 foot 3 to my 5 feet. Seriously. His legs are as long as my entire body.
We started out at a seriously nice clip. Not enough to feel bad, but enough to really feel like we were pushing the pace. Turns out, we finished 3.1 in about 39 minutes.
This is AWESOME because I want to finish the turkey trot on Thursday in under 40. And now, I know I can do it!
Ultra-Supportive Husband lives up to his name, yet again!
Sarah
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Damn hills!
I've been lazy for a few days. I took Sunday-Wednesday off. I don't know - things got busy, it's dark early - anyways, it didn't happen.
I'd planned to run with Regan this evening (boooo to injuries! Feel better soon!!!) but ended up doing about 3 around the house. So, where I live, there are hills everywhere. I can't go more than a 1/2 a mile without tackling a gnarly hill.
When you're used to running on the greenway, you get totally hill phobic. The trails are pretty flat, and even tiny, 6 step hills make me uncomfortable. I dread them. Even when, seriously, it's barely a speed bump.
So today was a little intimidating, but I refused to go less than 3 miles. If anyone needs a good place to do hill training, go to Oak Park neighborhood. My rear end got a nice work out.
So next week, I've got another race. And because it's in downtown Charleston, it will be flat. So I'm hoping to really challenge myself on the speed. I know I can run a 12 minute mile, but I'd be really happy with just an under forty total. So that's the goal. I won't be crushed if that doesn't happen, but that's the goal.
Oh, PS... Katy Perry and Girl Talk = great running music. And "Almost There" from The Princess and the Frog helps get you up hills. Yup. I'm a dork. But if you're reading this, you're probably well aware by now.
Sarah
I'd planned to run with Regan this evening (boooo to injuries! Feel better soon!!!) but ended up doing about 3 around the house. So, where I live, there are hills everywhere. I can't go more than a 1/2 a mile without tackling a gnarly hill.
When you're used to running on the greenway, you get totally hill phobic. The trails are pretty flat, and even tiny, 6 step hills make me uncomfortable. I dread them. Even when, seriously, it's barely a speed bump.
So today was a little intimidating, but I refused to go less than 3 miles. If anyone needs a good place to do hill training, go to Oak Park neighborhood. My rear end got a nice work out.
So next week, I've got another race. And because it's in downtown Charleston, it will be flat. So I'm hoping to really challenge myself on the speed. I know I can run a 12 minute mile, but I'd be really happy with just an under forty total. So that's the goal. I won't be crushed if that doesn't happen, but that's the goal.
Oh, PS... Katy Perry and Girl Talk = great running music. And "Almost There" from The Princess and the Frog helps get you up hills. Yup. I'm a dork. But if you're reading this, you're probably well aware by now.
Sarah
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Picking Cotton
This post has nothing to do with running. My appologies for a sidebar post.
Today I went to the NC Governor's Conference for Women. (thanks for the opportunity, work!)1400 women in downtown raleigh. Amazing. There were 5 incredible ladies inducted into the Women's Hall of Fame. A State Supreme Court Justice, a State Senator, two amazing advocates, and a generous philanthropist. "Inspiring" just doesn't quite cut it.
I also went to a session that really affected me. It was called Picking Cotton - the title of a book written by a rape victim and the man she wrongfully accused of the crime.
You heard right - they wrote the book - together. And presented at this conference - together.
He was exonnerated in 1997 with DNA evidence. The rape victim did not, for one second, think that he could be innocent. When they finally met, she was terrified that he would be angry. But here's the thing, he wasn't. He had forgiven her long before that day. He helped her to forgive her actual rapist.
Ya'll. It was intense. It was a hell of a lesson about forgiveness, and resilliance, and the importance of keeping all biological evidence. The evidence from this case was slated to be incinerated one day after it was tested for DNA. Some states destroy evidence as soon as the case is over. Thank goodness, NC is leading the way in this fight.
So I'm off to read their book. I'll let you know if it's as awesome as I think it's going to be.
Sarah
Today I went to the NC Governor's Conference for Women. (thanks for the opportunity, work!)1400 women in downtown raleigh. Amazing. There were 5 incredible ladies inducted into the Women's Hall of Fame. A State Supreme Court Justice, a State Senator, two amazing advocates, and a generous philanthropist. "Inspiring" just doesn't quite cut it.
I also went to a session that really affected me. It was called Picking Cotton - the title of a book written by a rape victim and the man she wrongfully accused of the crime.
You heard right - they wrote the book - together. And presented at this conference - together.
He was exonnerated in 1997 with DNA evidence. The rape victim did not, for one second, think that he could be innocent. When they finally met, she was terrified that he would be angry. But here's the thing, he wasn't. He had forgiven her long before that day. He helped her to forgive her actual rapist.
Ya'll. It was intense. It was a hell of a lesson about forgiveness, and resilliance, and the importance of keeping all biological evidence. The evidence from this case was slated to be incinerated one day after it was tested for DNA. Some states destroy evidence as soon as the case is over. Thank goodness, NC is leading the way in this fight.
So I'm off to read their book. I'll let you know if it's as awesome as I think it's going to be.
Sarah
Monday, November 8, 2010
Best run yet!
So. A half suddenly doesn't seem crazy. Regan and I are killing our training runs!
Today, our plan was to go at least 3.5 per our training schedule. We reserved the right to go a full four - if we were feeling froggy.
Well, call me Kermit, because we kicked butt on our 4 miles! We killed our average time - 13:41! Our first mile was 12:48. Awesome!
I hate that it is starting to get dark at 5:00, but thankfully, we got most of our mileage in when it was still relatively light. I do not want to have to run inside all winter.
Saturday, we try for 6. We're a week ahead of our Half training schedule.
Yup. We are totally going to be ready by the spring.
Because we're awesome.
Sarah
Today, our plan was to go at least 3.5 per our training schedule. We reserved the right to go a full four - if we were feeling froggy.
Well, call me Kermit, because we kicked butt on our 4 miles! We killed our average time - 13:41! Our first mile was 12:48. Awesome!
I hate that it is starting to get dark at 5:00, but thankfully, we got most of our mileage in when it was still relatively light. I do not want to have to run inside all winter.
Saturday, we try for 6. We're a week ahead of our Half training schedule.
Yup. We are totally going to be ready by the spring.
Because we're awesome.
Sarah
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Disney Princess Weekend
Coming home from my bachelorette party last March, Dana, Erin, Shruthi and I decided that we needed to have a girls weekend, complete with junk food and disney movies.
That finally came to fruition this weekend, and it was FABULOUS. We laid around slumber party style and watched...
Sweet Home Alabama
How to Train Your Dragon
Little Mermaid
Beauty and the Beast
Princess and the Frog
Oliver & Company
and a couple of other partials in between.
What a fantastic way to spend a weekend. Little brain power required, junk food readily available, and all diets out the window.
Will my run tomorrow be a little rough? Probably. Was it worth it? No question.
Being an adult is stressful - sometimes you need to revert back to what it felt like to not have to worry so much. It felt just like the kind of party we would have had back in elementary school (OK, except for the adult beverages...) and it was fabulous to be surrounded by some seriously amazing women.
Oh. And we had crowns. And princess press on nails. And princess headbands.
*sigh* life is good.
Sarah
That finally came to fruition this weekend, and it was FABULOUS. We laid around slumber party style and watched...
Sweet Home Alabama
How to Train Your Dragon
Little Mermaid
Beauty and the Beast
Princess and the Frog
Oliver & Company
and a couple of other partials in between.
What a fantastic way to spend a weekend. Little brain power required, junk food readily available, and all diets out the window.
Will my run tomorrow be a little rough? Probably. Was it worth it? No question.
Being an adult is stressful - sometimes you need to revert back to what it felt like to not have to worry so much. It felt just like the kind of party we would have had back in elementary school (OK, except for the adult beverages...) and it was fabulous to be surrounded by some seriously amazing women.
Oh. And we had crowns. And princess press on nails. And princess headbands.
*sigh* life is good.
Sarah
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
A run and a vote, all before 7:00 am
Just a quick post to say that I love running in the mornings. Except when I didn't sleep well the night before. And when my lungs are fighting me the whole way. And it's getting coooold! (But really, it wasn't so bad. For some reason, I'm feeling whiny today. Maybe it's all the whiny political ads rubbing off.)
But, when all was said and done, Vanessa and I did about 2.5 in 32 minutes (not too shabby!) and I did have a little more energy once I got home and had some breakfast.
If only naptime was incorporated into a typical workday.
Sarah
But, when all was said and done, Vanessa and I did about 2.5 in 32 minutes (not too shabby!) and I did have a little more energy once I got home and had some breakfast.
If only naptime was incorporated into a typical workday.
Sarah
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