Run, run, Rudolph

I didn't think it had been an entire month since my last post, but I suppose time flies when you're being Fancy.  This holiday season was quite possibly my favorite for Fancy Fonts thus far for many reasons.  Time was one of them...I gave myself the gift of time this year by saying no to the stuff that stresses me out the most.  I didn't participate in a single vendor event this year, and I can't say business has suffered for it either.  I always hated busting my butt to make stuff I thought people would love, packing it up and thoughtfully putting it on display, only to pack 95% of it back up and shove it in an already cramped attic.  I feel like the custom nature of my work is why people come to me, and I think I'll be sticking with that for the foreseeable future.  

I also said no to things I love to give myself more time to Fancy.  I took a hiatus from volunteering in the girls' classrooms for the entire month of December.  I needed every bit of kid-free time to focus on my work because it is nearly impossible for me to get into the creative zone when they're home.  I hate saying no when the PTA president asks me to create a banner or some sort of artwork for school events, but I simply had to this month.  I declined several social events for both myself and my kids this holiday season as well...as much fun as they would have been, it simply wasn't worth the tizzy it would send me into as I tried to make up for lost Fancy time.  Mr. Fancy was my knight in shining armor when it came to entertaining the kids without me through the evenings and weekends, and never once complained when he was out of clean socks and underwear because I hadn't gotten to the laundry.  

Fancy Fonts has come a long way since its inception a few years ago, and it continues to be a work in progress.  I still have so much to figure out on the business end of things, and every year I vow to become more organized with my bookkeeping.  I have a lot of dreams floating around in my head about the direction I'd like Fancy Fonts to go, and I think 2015 will be the year I start to work on turning those dreams into goals and making a concrete plan to achieve them.  Terrifying, but exciting!

So that's the business end of where we finish 2014.  Now for the running side of things.  When I learned about the changes to the Surf N Santa race a few months ago, I was mostly annoyed.  Here's what I bitched and moaned about:

1) They changed the date from the first weekend in December to right before Christmas.  Seemed like madness to me.

2)  They changed the start time from 8am to 4:30pm so the boardwalk lights would be on during the race.  Lovely, but having all day to think about a race before actually getting to run it seemed awful.

3)  They changed the distance.  For the past few years, the Surf N Santa has been a 10 miler, and this year they changed it to 5 miles.  I loved the 10 miler.  The distance was challenging, but not in a half marathon sort of way.  I also felt the 10 mile distance kept the field very competitive.  It doesn't come with the bragging rights a half marathon does, so a great many of the people running were out there to race, not parade.  Basically, I thought one of my favorite races was being turned into a fun run and it bothered me.  

The race has come and gone, and here are my thoughts:

1)  The date change suited me perfectly.  The first weekend in December is typically when I'm trying to bang out all the Fancy that needs to be shipped.  Between the 10 mile race, the after party, the recovery, and making up for lost time with my kids, I pretty much lost an entire day of work.  This year, I made it my goal to finish every last order by race day so I could truly enjoy myself before, during, and after without worrying about how much more I had to get done.  This absolute deadline kept me on track and I worked my Fancy little fanny off to finish on time.  My gift to myself.  

2)  The positives about the evening start time actually started the night before.  In order to meet my self-imposed deadline, I had to stay up later than I normally would the night before a race.  Since I had nothing to wake up early for the next day, my late bedtime was really a non-issue.  I slept until 8am (!!!) and woke up feeling refreshed.  I ate a really good breakfast and lunch, drank plenty of coffee, and enjoyed the morning with my girls before sending them off to Grandma's for the night.  As for the boardwalk lights, I'd have to say I didn't even notice them.  It wasn't completely dark by the time I got to the boardwalk, and my tunnel vision seemed to keep them out of my peripheral vision.  

3)  The distance.  The one thing that bothered me most about the changes to this race ended up being what I was most thankful for.  How ya like them apples?  Due to my ultra-conservative approach to coming back from IT band issues, the first 10 mile run I attempted since the Shamrock Marathon in March was actually Wednesday of last week.  It was a solid run and I felt absolutely fine the next day, but I am in no way ready to race that distance any time soon.  Had the Surf N Santa been a 10 miler this year, I'm sure I would've still run it, but I know it would've been a blow to my confidence to be a great deal slower than last year. 

 And my theory that this race would turn into more of a fun run than a competitive race?  WRONG!!!  In every other race this fall, I've run mostly with packs of guys, having only one or two women to really keep my eye on and compete with.  Halfway into this race, I was surrounded by a pack of five other women, which is how it remained until the last 400 meters or so.  It was a battle to stick with them for the better part of the race while still conserving a little bit of umph for a kick at the end.  Once we got past half the length of the convention center, I started to make my move.  One by one, I started reeling them in and pushing past them until we came around to the side of the building and I found another gear.  That gear does not feel good and cannot be maintained for long, so I was just trying to hang in there, hoping I had gained enough distance between myself and the other girls that they wouldn't be able to make it up with a strong kick themselves.  I dug deep and focused on the finish line.  

36:43

Hallelujah!  And I didn't even almost puke this time.  While this race wasn't technically an 8k, my time was a full minute (and 2 seconds) faster than the 8k I ran in September.  Tangible evidence of improvement over the past three months and exactly what I need as I get into the meat of this half marathon training program.  

A few days before the race, my friend asked me what my goal was going into it.  I didn't have a time in mind and instead gave the wishy washy "I just want to have fun" response, which she wasn't buying.  But the thing is, racing is what's fun about these races (duh).  Pushing myself to work harder and competing with other people is exhilarating and rewarding.  Finishing faster is fun.  I loved this race.  

 

So while the first half of 2014 was less than stellar on the running front, the second half of the year more than made up for all that nonsense.  I honestly believe I had the fall season I did because I removed all pressure to perform, leaving me feeling lighter and much more able to fly.  I hope to continue on this trajectory as we enter 2015, and I'll have to sit down and really think about my running goals (aside from what I've already set for Shamrock).  I worked hard at my goal of becoming more social with my running this past year, and now I have several more wonderful people to share my love of the sport with, which is incredibly exciting.  Anyone else wanna join me?

The cold never bothered me anyway

Yeah, so it was a chilly start to the morning of the inaugural Harbor Lights 5k.  I was expecting it to be cold, but not that cold.  As they say, the show must go on, so I grabbed some extra layers to wear while I warmed up before the race and planned to run a fast race so hopefully I wouldn't notice the cold.  

Ryan, the kids, and I got to Norfolk with plenty of time to spare.  We walked around a little, went inside to get warm for a few minutes, and found some friendly faces along the way.  The atmosphere was incredibly laid back and relaxed, and I ate it right up.  

There was plenty of space to get the blood flowing, and this time I brought my headphones  so I'd be in control of my get amped music.  For the occasion, I chose Salt-n-Pepa radio on Pandora, and each song was better than the last.

Since all I wanted to do in this race was zooma zoom zoom zoom, Wreckx-N-Effect was right on queue.  As start time approached and runners made their way to their corrals, I let Young MC's Bust a Move finish before heading over myself.  

It had warmed up to a sweltering 28 degrees by race time, and there was an excited energy as I waited in the corral.  This was the first ever Harbor Lights race, and it felt great to support J&A Racing in their newest endeavor.  Bob got the crowd pumped and ready to go (although there was no love for Corral 1 from those behind us!), and off we went.  

I had no strategy.  I just wanted to run hard and then run harder.  I am totally unfamiliar with downtown Norfolk, so the course was a mystery to me.  I had looked over the course map prior to the race and knew it was full of turns, but I didn't know what to expect otherwise.  I didn't realize we'd be running on cobblestone streets in spots (hey Norfolk, it's 2014...we have asphalt!!!), and it caught me a little off guard.  I felt like I was cheating a little, but I hopped up onto the sidewalk with most of the other runners until we got through the treacherous terrain of the cobblestones.  We came around to the water and right in front of the USS Wisconsin and Nauticus Museum*** before heading back up Waterside Drive and turning around to finish right along the water.  

***A little side story about how Nauticus scarred me as a child - one time during a summer vacation to Virginia Beach, we were promised a trip to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg.  We drove all the way there from my aunt and uncle's house (an hour or so) only to find there was a bit of traffic getting off the exit for the park.  My father decided Busch Gardens would be too crowded, turned around, and brought us to Nauticus (a naval museum) instead.  Nothing against Nauticus, but it's not Busch Gardens!  I digress...

Since there were so many turns on this course, I must've seen Ryan and the kids at least three different times.  Seeing their frozen little faces made me want to run that much harder.  Just past mile 2, I could feel my throat becoming a little constricted.  I often experience this during a hard run, but it's usually as I'm running down the homestretch of my street, not with a full mile left to go.  I allowed myself to back off ever so slightly so I could try to kick closer to the end.  I was able to reel in and pass a few women I had my eyes on for most of the race, and by the last half mile, I was just trying to hold on.  I came around a tight turn and knew the finish line was near, but my view was obstructed and I couldn't actually see it.  I spotted Ryan again, and as I ran by him, he yelled "200 meters left...GO!!!"  

Gotta love race pics that make you look like you're power walking.  Or perhaps marching.

With the end now in sight and the sun at my back, I dialed it up a notch, focusing on my shadow in front of me in hopes of keeping my form in check.  I crossed the finish line, breathlessly thanked the volunteer for my medal, then almost puked.  Twice.  

Yeah.  That's never happened before.  I thought I would just burp, but it ended up being more of a gag.  And it didn't go unnoticed by one of the volunteers, who shooed me over to the other side of the barricade and away from the other finishers (but mostly himself, I think!).  I caught my breath and got my shit under control, then jumped back into the chute to collect my snacks and finisher goodies.  I finally looked down at my watch:

21:55

Yesssss.  My only goal going into this race was to do better than the Race for Breath 5k earlier this month.  I improved upon that time by 49 seconds and was more than pleased.  My average pace was 7:04 (16 seconds/mile faster than Race for Breath), and I know with a little bit of hard work, I'll get that back down under 7 minutes before too long.  

We stayed for chili, beer, and conversation with some friends we ran into (not literally), then made our way to the car.  I checked the results on my phone once we got in the car, and here's the breakdown of my effort:

Much like almost puking after a race, there's a first time for everything - first Harbor Lights 5k, first time placing first in my age group in a J&A race!  I think it was meant to be...the fonts J&A's graphic designer chose for this race logo were so Fancy:

I felt appropriately sore on Sunday, with the exception of this bizzarre big toe pain I've been having for the past week or so.  It feels like a minor (yet mysterious) sprain and only hurts when I toe off, but it's changing my gait enough that I won't risk running on it until it feels significantly better.  It's been steadily improving, and it has until Monday or Tuesday to be perfect because that's when training for the 2015 Shamrock Half Marathon kicks off!!!  I've set a challenging goal for myself, and I am praying to the running gods that my body responds well to the gradual increase in mileage.  

I'm excited and nervous about this new journey, and I hope I've learned enough from last year's marathon training and injury recovery to have a smart, successful training cycle.  

BRING IT!!!

Every day I'm hustlin

The Fanciest Season of All is in full swing, pushing this little blog way down to the bottom of the list of priorities.  I've missed writing, and I'm hoping at least one, maybe two of you have missed reading, so I give you 10 things before getting back to the Fancy:

1)  The snow piling up in Buffalo's got nothing on the laundry piling up in my house.  Gone are the days of giving all of our swim suits a good rinse and calling it a day.  Now the hampers are full (fine, overflowing) with pants, long sleeve shirts, socks, and more socks.  

2)  Mr. Fancy has half of our Christmas lights up already.  Weather permitting, Santa, Frosty, Chilly Willy, and friends will be welcoming you to our humble albeit blinding abode by the end of the weekend.   

3)  For pretty much the entire month of October, I struggled to wake up early enough to get my whole P90X workouts in.  I usually got in about 45 minutes instead of the full hour before it was time to get Brynn up and out the door for school.  Knowing it wouldn't last forever, I cut the slacker in me some slack and am happy to report I've completed 100% of my workouts for about 95% of the month of November so far.  

4)  Some days, Camryn still gets a little teary when it's time to leave for school.  She tells me it's because she just loves me so much and will miss me while she's at school.  That girl.

5)  I successfully planned, prepped, and executed a birthday party for Brynn in 6 days.  

If we're being honest, I think that's the least stressed I've ever been about planning and hosting a party.  I had no choice but to make quick decisions about the theme, decor, and activities, and I only spent a few days thinking about the party before it was over and done with.  Brynn had a blast, I think her friends had fun (even the girl with the bloody nose, but what's a party without a little bloodshed?), and all is right with the world.  

6)  I'm not ready for winter running.  Trying to figure out the perfect combination of layers stresses me out, especially for those long runs on Saturdays.  Remember when I broke out in huge hives after an 8 miler in 15 degree weather?  I think I am literally allergic to the cold because my legs were super itchy after a windy and cold walk on the boardwalk Wednesday night.  In all fairness, I was dressed to run for 30 minutes and we ended up meeting friends and walking for close to 2 hours, but still.  Allergic to cold.  It's a thing.  Time to find some fleece lined running tights.

7)  I've gotten a rather large chunk of my Christmas shopping done already.  I have learned from the past couple of years it's best to get it done before the flood of Fancy orders comes in.  I'm making a conscious effort to shop local small businesses whenever possible, and I hope lots of people do the same.  

8)  I have started to live up to and embrace the stereotype of the stay-at-home mom.  I live in my yoga pants (but I actually do yoga some of those days so there's that), I rarely wear make up anymore, and my hair is either up in a ponytail or under a hat.  Camryn's bus driver even told me I "look a lot different without yer ball cap" on a day I actually put some effort into my appearance.  I'll take that as a compliment, Mr. Gary, but I should probably take it as a wake up call instead.  

9)  I drink hot water every single day now.  My house is kept at a chilly 65 degrees during the winter months, so I need something besides layers of comfy clothes and slipper socks to keep warm while I Fancy on the couch, but I don't want the calories and caffeine of my beloved coffee.  The mug warms my hands and the water warms my belly.  Winning.

10)  Tomorrow is race day!  It's the inaugural Harbor Lights 5k in Norfolk (the half marathon is Sunday, but I wasn't ready to tackle that distance yet), and I'm excited for some new scenery.  I've had more good runs than bad lately, and though I still feel a PR is not within reach just yet, I do hope to improve upon my time from the Race for Breath 5k.  Ryan and the girls are sitting this one out but should be there to cheer me on.  This race is falling right in line with the stress-free racing mentality I've had since my return from injury...I get all the perks of a J&A race (the crowd support, the after party, the swag) without the pre-race jitters that accompany longer distances.  I should be all smiles, except for maybe when I try to push it at the end and inevitably have some ugly runner face pictures to laugh at next week.  

So there you have it.  Ten things.  Luckily tomorrow's race is a short one, so the race recap should be a quick one to write.  

Peaceful easy feeling

Race - run - run - race.

That was my running schedule last week.  It was my first time having races on consecutive Saturdays and I'll have to give it mixed reviews.  While the racing part was undoubtedly fun, it was the run - run in between that had me feeling a little off kilter.  

The Wicked 10k left me feeling really sore in all kinds of wonderful places.  I wasn't expecting to keep the pace that I did for 6.2 miles and was pleasantly surprised with a 2nd place finish in my age group (out of 602 women, no less...HUGE turnout for us!).  I was lucky enough to win my entry for the Race for Breath from Jess at The Fit Petite, just a week after the Wicked.  Normally, I'd jump back into intervals on Monday or Tuesday (depending on my schedule for the week) after a race, but I felt my legs deserved a little more time off after the Wicked and did a comfortable 4 miles with Camryn in the stroller instead.   My second key run of the week was an easy 3 miles in place of the 5 mile tempo run my training plan called for (my plan is geared toward a 5k later this month, so I had to finagle it a bit to take these other races into account).  

I went into this past Saturday's Race for Breath with fresh legs and zero expectations.  I had the mindset that it would just be great practice for racing in general, and I could count those miles as my speed work for the week to make up for the easy miles I did the week prior to the race.  I met up with our team leader, Jess, and met some of my other teammates while warming up for the race.  The purpose of the race was to raise money for Lung Cancer research, so there were tons of people and teams wearing shirts in memory of a loved one they lost to lung cancer.  I was reminded of a childhood neighbor of mine who lost her battle with the ugly disease a few years ago, and I got a little choked up thinking of the family she left behind.  It was around this time last year that we learned Peggy's cancer had returned with a grim prognosis, and I had to walk around a bit or else risk being reduced to a puddle minutes before race time.  Emotions were high, but I did my best to shake it off and get out there and enjoy myself.

It was chilly and windy, with the first half of the out and back course going with the wind and the second half coming straight into it.  Now, I've been working hard on not starting out too fast when I race, but that day was different.  I really wanted to push my speed, and I knew I could only really fly if I went with the wind.  So off we all went, and I felt my pace was quick but comfortable for the first half mile or so.  It was just me and the guys for a while, and with it being a small race, I was able to see past runners and admire the view of the ocean on a blustery first day of November.  

Perhaps I should have been focusing straight ahead because a dark horse came up from behind, her long ponytail blowing in the wind as she pranced past me with her hoppy gait.  The longer I was behind her, the more irritated I got...not because she was ahead of me, but because I couldn't understand how she ran so fast with such a high flying stride.  Regardless, I tried to stick with her as long as I could as we headed back north and into the wind.  Seabiscuit was about a foot taller than I am so I was hoping to draft behind her for a bit.  No such luck, as she continued to gallop along and I started to run out of steam.  Much like during the Wicked the week before, I was grunting and groaning for the last few hundred meters, trying to shave off however many seconds I possibly could.  I crossed the finish line in 22:46, then practically bowled over the handsome Marine who was handing out finisher's medals literally a foot past the finish line.  

Maybe I was being generous when I said a foot...this looks more like 6 inches!

My finish line photo tells the story of how I was feeling.  The Race for Breath left me completely out of breath, and the photog with the quick trigger finger snapped this before I was able to smile pretty for the camera.  This is the real deal, folks.  Exhausted.

As quickly as the lady in black came up from behind and passed me, she disappeared into the crowd at 24th Street Park.  I tried to find her to offer congratulations, but she was nowhere to be found.  I stretched for a minute, collected my post race snacks, found Jess to thank her (and ask her if she'd mind collecting any award I may have won), and dashed off to the soccer field to catch my girls' back to back games.  Turns out I was the 2nd overall female, and I won a nice little gift certificate to my favorite local running store.

I just ordered my favorite Sauconys from Amazon for $65 (!!!), so I guess I'll just have to treat myself to a splurge item with this gift certificate instead!  This was my first time placing overall in a race, as well as my first monetary award...considering I didn't pay for my entry into this race, I'd say I made out pretty well!  

My 5k time of 22:46 was 1:40 slower than my PR from last year, and while I don't feel great about that significant difference, I do feel good about my time.  The week leading up to the Race for Breath wasn't a typical race week as far as my training plan goes, and the race day weather conditions were less than ideal for speed (although gusty winds are par for the course at the oceanfront in November).  Until that race, I was basing my training paces around an imaginary 5k time instead of an actual one.  Now I can adjust my paces to a more accurate (and slightly faster) 5k time for the remainder of this training cycle.  The Race for Breath was my litmus test, so now it's time to put in a few more weeks of hard work and see if I can do better at the Harbor Lights 5k.  

After the tough spring I had dealing with an injury, I am so happy to be running strong and healthy again.  I was worried I would have a lot of ground to make up to get back to where I was pre-injury, but it seems as though I've been able to pick up where I left off.  It feels so good to attack my training runs, even on days I'm not sure I have it in me.  I've gotten lucky and placed in all three of the races I've entered since returning from injury, and it feels like I'm being rewarded for my patience while I was down and out, as well as the work I put in once I was back out there pounding the pavement.  

I've been enjoying this lighthearted approach to running I've taken in the past couple of months, and I think it's a much healthier way for me to race.  This approach has made finding balance in my life so much easier...training for these shorter distances isn't all-consuming the way marathon and even half marathon training is.  I feel good about giving my body more time to rest and rebuild when needed, and there isn't even a trace amount of panic that would usually come with doing so.  I am registered for the Shamrock Half Marathon and start training in just a few weeks, and I hope I can keep this easy breezy approach as I start to ramp up my mileage to places it hasn't been in a while.  And as much as I'm loving these shorter race distances right now, I still have not ruled out running another marathon...not anytime soon, but maybe someday.  I learned this past weekend that it's impossible to watch the New York City Marathon, this time as a marathon veteran, and not be inspired, not wonder what I would do differently my second time around.  I don't feel like the nail is in the coffin of 26.2, and it's a little exciting to think about when and where #2 would be if I chose to have another go at it.  In the meantime, I'll just keep running happy...in some new gear from Running Etc!

Cuz this is thriller

With so much going through my head about the past couple of weeks, I'm not quite sure where to begin.  Where we left off seems to be a good place.  The week before last, it seemed as though I was coming to my first bump in the road since my full blown return to running.  My mileage was starting to creep up and my pace was starting to quicken.  I was feeling strong and confident, especially coming off of a great race the last weekend in September.  My IT band started nagging me a little again the following week, which really started to chip away at the confidence I was building.  Trying hard not to panic, I simply stepped back a little.  I ran smart, listening to my body and cutting back distance and speed when I felt it necessary to do so.  I had a few races on my calendar, and while I am not putting pressure on myself to knock them out of the park, I do want to do as well as I can and (most importantly) feel good while running.  

This past week, I switched up my training plan to account for Saturday's Wicked 10k.  Instead of 6 x 800s, I did the 6 x 400s the plan usually has me do the week of a race.  I was nervous going into them because I was hurting a bit the week before.  I was also super busy that day and was just trying to get the run over with so I could get on with my day.  Not the best mentality to have going into a run, but it happens.  I managed to complete those 400s with a great deal of consistency and absolutely no pain, so chalk one up in the win column.  

Tuesday's original task:  6 x 800s @3:26, 90 sec RI
Tuesday's modified task:  6 x 400s @1:41, 90 sec RI

Tuesday's outcome:  1.4 mile w/u, 1:31, 1:29, 1:27, 1:27, 1:30, 1:28 (90 sec RI), 1.4 mile c/d 

Last week was also a recovery week for P90X, which means lots of yoga, stretching, and core work.  My knee was feeling much better all week, but I still wasn't as excited as I felt I should have been for what is quite possibly my favorite J&A race.  Silly as it is, the problem was my clothes.  It's a Halloween themed race, and I had nothing to wear.  I'm not the person who is willing to risk major discomfort during a race for the sake of a costume, but I do still want to bring an element of fun to what I'm wearing.  And I had nothing.  I popped into every store I could think of while on Fancy Fonts errands last week, and kept striking out.  Until Thursday morning.  

I had to go to Kohls to make an exchange before Camryn went to school, and I was really close to buying a comfy black hoodie so I would just be decked out in all black and maybe paint a spider web on my face or something.  Camryn insisted on heading over to the shoe department to try on the Twinkle Toes she doesn't know Santa will be bringing her for Christmas, and as we walked by the juniors' section, I remembered that's where I found the ninja turtle shirt I got for last year's Wicked and took a quick look around.  Low and friggin' behold, they had this:



I mean, does that shirt have my name written all over it or what???  The fact that it has the same spooky font I've used on pumpkin after pumpkin was a sweet little bonus.  I forked over my $8 and smiled the rest of the day.  

Finding just the right race day outfit was the boost I needed going into Thursday's easy 3 miles.  I felt energized and had a great run.  It was pretty cool out that day and I was able to wear long sleeves, so I brought my phone and ear buds along for the short, easy run, running the cord down through my sleeve to keep it from bouncing all over the place.  The music may have gotten me a little more amped than I would have liked to be for what was supposed to be easy, but it was a great run and it was fun to see my splits.

Thursday's original task:  1-2-1-2-1 @7:41
Thursday's modified task:  3 miles easy

Thursday's outcome:  8:33, 8:07, 7:33

The quicker pace did feel easy, which brought me back to feeling strong and confident after a so-so week the week before.  I was race ready for sure!

Then it was Friday.  And Friday was a slap in the face.  My knee hurt all day long.  Not a ton, but enough to let doubt creep right back into my head.  A similar thing happened the day before the Neptune 8k in September...my low back had this little nagging twinge all day long, making me wonder if the race was a good idea, and it was happening again now before the Wicked.  Not cool.  I did the only thing I knew how to do:

I fired up my glutes.

I fired up my adductors (while standing at the stove, cooking dinner - multitasking like a boss!).

I foam rolled.

I did lots of self-talk to try to convince myself that it was just the running gods having a little fun with me, trying to psych me out and see what I'm really made of.  Yeah, that had to be it.  I hit up the race expo with the kiddos, which always gets me pumped for a race.  I loved collecting four race numbers and four bags of goodies (one for each Fancy family member), and the girls loved the spooky stuff (and free candy) they had scattered around the convention center:

Since it would be an early morning, we laid out our race gear and got to bed early.



We were up long before the Saturday morning sun, and I was pleasantly surprised to have no sign of knee discomfort whatsoever.  I was incredibly thankful, but if you're listening, running gods, I could do without the race-day-eve psych out!!!  Knowing I wouldn't come anywhere close to a 10k PR, I was about as relaxed as I've ever been going into a race.  I had my whole family with me, and I was going to enjoy the fun atmosphere of the crazy costumes that filled the streets of Virginia Beach that morning.  It sure as hell beat the queasy feeling I usually have before races!


Pre-race selfie by Sara

I crossed the start and just ran.  I felt like I was keeping a quick, but comfortable pace, but I was also trying to get ahead of a guy who would be dragging a string of beer cans behind him for 6.2 miles.  Since I missed the 1 mile marker, I decided not to look at my watch until I hit #2.  Once I got to #2, I looked down at my watch and saw 14:45.



I felt like I should back off a little, but I'm still having a hard time backing off some but not too much.  So I just kept going.  I stuck with a guy dressed like this:



and tried to feed off the energy of people yelling "Run, Forrest, Run!"  every hundred feet or so.  But that got a little irritating after a while.  Once we got back onto Atlantic, the smells of the restaurants cooking up breakfast started to nauseate me (what a friggin' head case I was!) and I tried to just look ahead to keep my focus.  I ended up being shoulder to shoulder with another girl for what seemed like an eternity, and I thought I should try to stick with her.  Shortly after mile 4, I could feel myself getting tired in a hurry.  That girl started pulling ahead by a few feet, and for a brief second, I told myself to let her go.  But then something took over me.  I don't know...



...but I was not letting that girl go!  I stuck with her, and somewhere after we turned onto the seemingly endless boardwalk, I passed her.  I knew she wasn't far behind and I'd have to maintain my pace if I wanted to edge her out, and who knew what kind of kick she'd have at the end (I was assuming I'd have very little left in me!).  Just past mile 5 is where the stitch in my side kicked in, and I spent the next mile plus grunting and groaning and begging for the mercy of the finish line.  Remembering Kristy's keen advice to smile for the cameras, I did my best:


And there's my girl behind me in white!

But then there's this one:


Dear God, make me a bird.  So I can fly fah.  Fah fah away from heah.  

As I approached the finish, DMB's "Halloween" was just starting to play and MC Bobby Fresh (aka Leprechaun Bob) pronounced Psimas correctly for the first time in J&A Racing history.  I crossed the finish line feeling like I had arrived (instead of Karen Puhsimas, Karen Seeeemas, Karen Pissmass, or any other variation of my tricky last name).  I stopped my watch, looked down at it, and would have cartwheeled if I had anything left in me.  

46:10.  

Just 6 seconds over my 10k PR of 46:04 from last year's Wicked.  Thinking I'd be more in the neighborhood of 48 minutes, I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.  

I gave myself a minute to catch my breath and collect my finish line goodies before turning around to try to find that #198 I tried so hard to stay with for the second half of the race.  Once I found her, we both looked at each other, shaking our heads.  We high fived and ended up thanking each other...turns out I was pushing her just as much as she was pushing me, leaving me to wonder how each of us would have done without the other.  God, I love racing!!!  Knowing I wasn't chasing a PR, chasing this girl (because I had no idea I had 11 years and a few age brackets on her!) was the driving force of this hard-fought finish.  I am grateful for her and will certainly keep an eye out for her in future races.  

We had some time to hang out on the beach and enjoy a beverage or two before the girls' Monster Mile fun run kicked off.  It was a picture perfect October day in Virginia Beach, and I had a great time soaking it up with some friends.


Jennie Phaneuf and Karen Psimas.  We're in competition for bragging rights of the Most Often Mispronounced Last Name in America.

Before I could finish beverage #2, it was time to line up for the kids' run.  Camryn had a game time change of heart and wanted to run with me instead of Daddy ("I'm just a little bit nervous because I've never done a Monster Mile before."), and I was more than happy to pace the slower kid.  I had the greatest time running with her, even when she was totally distracted by the Thriller dancers a few blocks before the finish line.  She really kicked it into high gear at the end, and I couldn't be more proud of her.  

It was her first ever mile run, and her little legs carried her across the finish line in 12:10.  She was quick to spot the volunteer holding the pumpkin bucket full of candy just past the finish line, and she couldn't wait to get home and hang her new medal with the others on her bedroom doorknob.

Ryan ran with Brynn, and he said she ran her little tail off.  She was huffing and puffing, but she wasn't stopping.  I wish I could have run with them both because Brynn's intensity and game face totally crack me up.  I'm glad the marathonfoto.com photographers caught it on film though:

She's a fierce little Frankenstein!

Such a great day for my little family, and I'm starting to like these annual Wicked family photos we've been getting:

But just like any other fall Saturday morning, we had a soccer game to dash off to.  We made the long trek back to the car and I checked my phone for our preliminary results.  Much like after the Neptune 8k, I was shocked by what I found out:

2nd place in my age group?!?!  Woohoo!!!  Last year's PR had me placing 12th, so this just goes to show that placing is more about who shows up that day than your own personal performance.  But since this was my 2nd fastest 10k, I think a 2nd place award is simply perfect.  From what I've heard, there were lots of issues with the timing of this race, so if it ends up changing and I get bumped to say, 20th place instead, that's just fine by me.  I showed up and I ran hard and I'm happy happy happy!

I woke up yesterday morning feeling sore.  Like soooooooooore.  My calves felt tight before I even got out of bed, and each passing hour of the day revealed a new muscle group that was sore from yesterday's effort.  Normally I would beat myself up over missing a PR by just 1 second per mile, but the soreness that encompassed every inch of my body was proof I gave it everything I had.  



We took a nice long bike ride and park hopped all afternoon yesterday to get some blood flowing to my achy legs, and the day and the company couldn't have been prettier.

We capped off a great weekend with dinner with some fun friends and some more foam rolling and massage for my legs.  I'm giving myself one more rest day from running, then getting back at it tomorrow because guess what...it's race week again!!!  I'm so excited to get to race again in a 5k this weekend (for free, no less!), and I'm hoping to draw from my experience at the Wicked to dig deep and fight to the finish.  Once again, I firmly believe a PR is out of reach right now, but I'll make like Tony Horton and 

Whisper to a scream

Even if it's not as flat and toned as you'd like it to be, you should always trust your gut.  Last week, when faced with a tempo run totaling 7 miles, my gut told me, "That might be a bit much.  Maybe cut it to 5."  I didn't listen.  In fact, I stuck with the 7 miles on my training plan AND pushed a jogging stroller at the windy oceanfront.  If I were my gut, I would have punished me with raging diarrhea or projectile vomiting.  But I'm not my gut.  It seems my gut is far more evil.  My gut went for the jugular, or in my case, the IT band.  

I felt fine - correction:  my knee felt fine - during and right after that run, but it made its discourse known the following day.  Luckily, I had Thursday and Friday off from running and could rest and rehab before my Saturday long run of a whopping 6 miles.  By Saturday morning, I physically felt fine.  Mentally, not so much.  The fear had returned.  I was so scared my knee was going to hurt during this run, and I hated feeling that way.  I tossed my time goal aside and just ran what I felt like running.  I paid no attention to my watch, but I could feel myself speeding up and backing off a few times during those 6 miles.  And it never hurt.  Oh thank heaven!  I might make this a regular thing...wear a watch for my Saturday runs but never look at it until I get home.  

Saturday's task:  6 miles @8:11

Saturday's result:  6.1 miles @8:01

We spent the rest of Saturday enjoying a gorgeous summer-like day at the oceanfront, riding bikes at playing on the playgrounds on the beach.

 80 degrees and sunny means a boardwalk full of beach cruisers

Just like the view I had riding my bike when I was growing up...NOT!!!

Why should the kids be the only ones enjoying the playground's amenities?  When it comes to handstands, I abide by a strict use it or lose it policy.

Over the course of the weekend, I made sure to give my hip and knee the attention they were craving.  I stretched, I foam rolled, I massaged.  I went into Monday's intervals feeling pretty good, but still having that bit of fear lurking just beneath the surface.  

Monday's task:  10 x 400m @1:41

Monday's outcome:  1:32, 1:29, 1:30, 1:30, 1:32, 1:31, 1:34, 1:32

In case you're counting, that was 8 x 400m instead of 10.  My knee was starting to whisper to me on the seventh one, so I quit while I was ahead after the eighth.  Didn't want that whisper to turn into a scream, and I still had almost a mile and a half  left to get home.  I was really excited about the consistency of those 400s, and the fact that I was well under my target pace for all of them was icing on the cake.  No need to push through two more sprints to satisfy my need to check a box.

Even though I trusted my gut on Monday and cut my workout a little short, I still paid for it on Tuesday.  My knee ached with everyday activities, and my mind was starting to go back to that dark place that being injured takes you.  My confidence was being crushed, and I knew I had to dial it back a little with my training program.  Not exactly what I hoped to be doing right now, but very necessary.  I had planned to run again on Wednesday, but my knee was still talking to me and I decided against it.  Once again, I stretched, foam rolled, massaged, and ran through my rehab exercises a few times...firing up those glutes and quads always gives me relief, and yesterday was no different.  I went to bed last night feeling hopeful I could get in some miles today.

I woke up pain free today and didn't feel so much as a twinge of pain all morning, so I threw Jude in the stroller and headed out for a run after Camryn went to school.  I knew the stroller would slow me down, which is exactly what I needed to do today.  I was nervous starting out, but the uneasiness subsided with each passing mile with no pain.  What was supposed to be a tempo run turned into a slow progression, but I finished happy and gained a little confidence that Saturday's run will be ok too.  

Just in case the ol' ITB needed a reminder that running makes us happy.  

Jude gave me a big clap with his man hands and a "YAAAAAAAAY!"  when we got home.  My sentiments exactly.  

Today's task:  1 mile easy, 4 miles @7:56, 1 mile easy

Today's outcome:  9:19, 8:59, 8:34, 8:26

So it wasn't the sub-8 average I was supposed to run today (heck, it was barely a sub-9!), but it was 4 happy miles that didn't hurt.  I'd rather be slow than sitting!!!