My Son's First 5K

Back in January, my son set a goal to lose some weight, start running and to actually run a 5K. He does not love running like I do but he made the commitment and on April 4, 2015, he accomplished his goal. My son ran  the Santa Anita Derby 5k which was his first timed 5K. 

We chose this race because it seemed like a fun course. The runners go through the LA County Arboretum and Botanical Garden and the race ends on the Santa Anita Race Track.

 

The event offered runners the option to pick up their bibs on race morning which was perfect for us. The parking and bib pick up was right near the starting line which was very convenient.

The race started at 8:00 a.m. and I waited with my son in the starting corral until it was time for him to go. The weather was a cool 64 degrees but the sun was out and the course did not have a lot of shade. I felt confident that he could run a 12:00 pace but I knew he was capable of a little bit more so he decided that 11:00 pace corral was good for him. We talked about not going out to fast and slowing down if he started to feel tired and he said he was ready but nervous. 

 
I bought him a Garmin 220 for his race which has the live track function. This allowed us to  track him on the course to see how he was doing and to allow him to watch his distance and pace to make sure he stuck to his plan. He waited for him around Mile 2.4 and were able to cheer him on. He was looking pretty good when we saw him. We headed closer to the final stretch of the race to see him finish. I was cheering for him and when he saw me he sprinted to the finish at a 5:53 pace! He did not walk at all and that was something he did not want to do.

We did not get a finish line picture because is it was really hard to get into that area. He finished in 32:41 and kept his pace pretty consistent. He told me that he felt good at Mile 3 so he decided to pick up his pace a bit for the last mile. He knows that his race times are not important to me but his effort is what matters most. The purpose of the Garmin I bought for him was to help him stick to his pace and he likes to know his distance.
 

The medal was really nice and all finishers received a medal. That was important to me when we decided on a race for him. I think the medal really meant something to him.

After the race he collected some post-race goodies and then he asked for some Dippin Dots on the way out. Of course I said yes to ice cream at 9:00 a.m. I think he earned it for meeting his goals.

 

Not only did he meet his goal of running a 5K but he has also lost 15 pounds. My son loves to eat but is not a big fan of exercise but he is getting better. He recently purchased a new road bike with his own money which he enjoys more than running. He also signed up for AYSO soccer and is really enjoying it. His running has paid off for him since soccer requires a lot of running. I know he feels much more confident and that makes me happy.

He wants to improve his running times but I told him that for right now we are focusing on completing the race. He already set his next goal which is to complete a duathlon. It is amazing how motivating and encouraging your children makes them want to achieve bigger things. 

We are really proud of him to say the least!

Weekly Recap 7/21-7/27 and a 5K!

July flew right by didn't it? I am well on my way to meeting my goal of 150 mile for the month and I can hardly wait to get there. I have 10 miles to go!! I wasn't sure how my body would respond and I was definitely ready to back off of the miles if my legs were not happy. I don't want to jinx myself but my legs have held up pretty well but I think I owe the results to my foam roller. Things have sure changed for me since I have committed to foam rolling after my runs!

This week was a cut back week. My body sure appreciated the break. I also threw a 5K in this week to tire my legs out a little bit before my long run. I ran this same 5k last year and it was not pretty so I really wanted to go back and make things right. It didn't need to be a PR but just a decent race where things felt normal. I have a love/hate relationship with 5K's!

Monday: Rest Day from running but did some strength training.

Tuesday: 6 Miles @8:14 avg pace/I went to a different gym and the treadmills are different than the ones that I am used to running on. This run felt really hard and my legs felt really tired for the first two miles. I wanted to quit at Mile 3 but I kept telling myself to just hang on.

Wednesday: Rest Day with strength training.

Thursday: 6 Miles@8:04/I really wanted to run on the roads but it was 102 degrees when I got home from work and there was just no way! I was determined to have a good run after my Monday run was not so great.

Friday: Rest Day since I wanted to be rested for my 5K.

Saturday: City of Cypress 5K (23:43) avg pace 7:37

Sunday: 15 Miles@ 9:19 avg. pace/I made it out the door super early and kept the pace easy. I had cloud coverage for the first 10.5 miles and it was great. The first 12 miles were MGP plus 60 seconds and the last three miles were at MGP.

Total Miles: 30.11

Week three of the Summer Run Challenge is complete and I met my goal for the week! This week I will take the mileage back up a little bit! 

The heat will still be with us here in So Cal next week which makes training a little tricky. I know that I have to stick with it even if it means bringing down the pace and focusing on getting the miles in.

Do you love or hate 5K's?

7/26/14: City of Cypress 5K

This was my second year running this race. Last year I had a horrible race so I really wanted to run this race again with better results. I really like this race and the course is flat and easy. My only complaint is the start time. The race starts at 7:30 am and with the summer heat I think a 6:30 am start would be much better. I like that they offer same day bib pick up but I am sure they would not be able to offer this if they had an earlier start time.

I am kind of useless in the heat when it comes to running. I just don't feel right and I really have to work much harder than I really want to. I knew by the first mile that things were not going to be fantastic. My legs felt heavy the entire first mile so I think I kind lost confidence after that point and just hoped to finish with a better time than I did last year.

The last mile was tough. It was hot and we were running with the sun in our faces. I wanted to be done. It was pretty sad how I didn't push myself to finish stronger. I am still kind of mad at myself for giving up so easily.

Last year I finished in 23:57 and placed 5th in my AG so I was glad that I beat my time by 14 seconds and placed 4th in my AG this year. 

Official Time: 23:43 (4th Place AG)

I am sure I will run this race again. Maybe I will get lucky next year and the weather will be much cooler or I need to get brave and learn how to run in the heat!

Claremont Sunrise Rotary Turkey Trot 5K: 11/28/13

I woke up at 6:00 a.m. to a fully cooked turkey that had been roasting overnight in the oven. The house smelled so good and my dogs were hanging out by the oven hoping to score some turkey! Cooking the turkey ahead of time makes things much easier and allows time for things like early morning Turkey Trots on Thanksgiving morning.

This was a local race which about is about 15 minutes from my house. Parking is easy and close to the start line and the race is reasonably priced. The course is mostly flat but the first two miles are slightly uphill and the last mile is all downhill. I have not been doing any kinds of speedwork for some time so I went into this 5K with zero expectations. I told my son and my other half that I would probably finish in about 25-26 minutes.

I was more excited about meeting up with Caroline and Megan. Caroline and her family were running their first family race so I was looking forward to seeing them cross the finish line. We wished each other well and then we were off. I took it easy for the first two miles and then just let myself glide into the finish. I don't have a finish line photo to share with you because apparently my other half did not see me until it was too late. I waited for Caroline and Megan to finish in hopes of snapping some pictures of them crossing the finish. I finished in 23:35 which was not a PR but I was happy with my time in spite of zero speedwork. I swear I am going to start doing speedwork again since I would really like to run a 5K in under 23 minutes.

After the race I headed to Starbucks to grab my favorite Caramel Brulée Latte and then home to finish my Thanksgiving cooking. I ate way too much but I enjoyed it!

How was your Turkey Trot?

7/27/13: City of Cypress 5K

I don't care what anyone says. 5K's are tough! They are tough for me because I really push myself thinking that it is just 3.1 miles. It had been over a year since I last ran a 5K so I was a little nervous going into this race. I had no goal going into this race except to do my best since my focus has been on improving my endurance and no real commitment to speed work.

This is a small race (5K and 10K only) but it was well organized. My friend Caroline suggested that I line up in the front since the race tends to be congested in the beginning and there are lots of strollers and walkers throughout the course. The course was very flat and fast but the temperature was about 70 degrees at the start which was no bueno! 

I also liked that bib pick up was available the day before the race as well as the morning of the race. I arrived about an hour before the start time and it was not crowded at all. Parking was close to the start and there was no problem getting in or out of the parking lot. I was able to pick up my bib in less than 5 minutes and had time to go back to my car, put my sunscreen on and use the bathroom.

They had real bathrooms as well as porta-potties. The lines at the real bathrooms got longer as the start time approached but the porta-pottie lines did not.

There was plenty of water and snacks such as bagels, bananas and popsicles after the race. I was not able to enjoy my popsicle because someone else wanted it more than I did. My son has the habit of taking all of my snacks after a race and I end up with nothing but water.

Now onto the race....I debated about actually running this 5K because I went to a church function with family the night before and ate way too late and I didn't get to bed until way past midnight. We laughed about how my race might go the next morning and apparently it was not a joke. I also woke up several times in the night feeling thirsty and I think I even had a nightmare! My alarm went off at 5am and I decided that I should go and make the best of it in spite of feeling super tired since I paid for it!

The race started out on the wrong foot because I broke the "don't go out too fast rule." I didn't do it on purpose but I didn't glance at my Garmin until the first turn (about a half mile into the race) and it read 6:35. "Hello...you can't hang at that pace so you better slow it down!" I immediately took it way down and settled into a 7:15-7:20 pace. 
Mile 1: 7:16

As I approached the last half of Mile 2, I started to feel a pain in my left side. I tried to push through it by holding my side but it didn't help much. I slowed it down a little more to about a 7:30 pace to see if that would help but it got worse and I had to stop. Yes, I stopped! I was absolutely hating myself for stopping but I had to or else I would not have made it to the Finish Line. 
Mile 2: 7:32

The last mile really sucked and I just tried to finish the damn race. I thought that maybe I had not hydrated properly and that was why I was feeling the side ache. I drank more water and that made it even worse! I never experienced a side ache before so I have to figure out what I did that brought it on. In any case, I kind of gave up mentally and that just sealed the deal. I didn't care anymore and when I saw the clock at almost 24 minutes I just wanted to forget that I even showed up! 
Mile 3: 8:16

Official Time: 23:57

5th in AG

I know that every race will not be perfect or result in a PR. I just wanted to do my best and know I did not so it was a disappointing race. This was my 9th race towards my goal of 13 races in 2013. I have a long run in the plan tomorrow so hopefully it will be a better day.

Color Me Rad 5K: A Family Fun Run: 9/15/12

I love doing a fun running event each year and this one was definitely fun! We ran it as a family which made it really fun. The event is not timed and most of the participants come out to just have a good time. The participants are given a t-shirt, sunglasses, a color bomb, a RAD tattoo, a ticket to an event at the venue and a bib for the entry fee. 

The event took place at the Fontana Speedway and looped around the race track so the course was flat and easy for most. They also allowed strollers and children of all ages participated so it was a real family oriented event.

The weather was very warm at the 8:00am start. It was close to 80 degrees and they only had a couple of water stops on the course. I carried my handheld water bottle for my son because I knew he would be thirsty. Good thing I did because they were out of water at the first water stop and were just offering cups of ice. Most people were out on the course for an extended amount of time enjoying the color stations and taking lots of pictures so they were a little disappointed when there was no water!

Throughout the course, there are several color stations where different colors are thrown/sprayed on you. By the time you reach the finish, you have several colors on your face, clothes, shoes, hair, etc. It's a very messy event to say the very least!

My son enjoyed the color stations and wanted to be done in between. They also sold these color bombs which people were throwing at one another throughout the course. We bought my son five color bombs so he was having a great time color bombing me, those he passed and himself as well.

The color consists of corn starch and is fairly easy to get off. I had to scrub myself a little bit to get it off but I thought it was going to be worse. I rinsed all of our clothes out before putting them in the washer and they came out pretty clean. This race is a messy one so if you plan on doing a color run bring a change of clothes, bags for your colored clothes and shoes, towels to put on your car seats, and a towel to clean your face! We came prepared so it wasn't as messy as it could have been.

COLOR ME RAD 5K Finishers! We were very COLOR WASTED!!

Three Things Thursday

1. I finally bought a helmet and the puppies checked it out for me and made sure that everything was okay. Now I just have to put in on, get on my bike and go for a ride!

2. We are registered for the Color Me Rad 5K and will be doing it as a family. It will be the first 5K for all of them. I am excited and I am sure we will having fun more than anything so I am really looking forward to it.

 3. I will be running a 10K on September 22nd since I signed up for one yesterday. I got a Schwaggle from Active.com and the deal was for 50% off so I jumped on it. I am glad that I waited to register since it would cost me $50.00 + fees instead of $25.00 and then I would have been kicking myself for not getting the deal. I am due for a 10K since I have only ran one to date.

Is your race schedule getting pretty full? 

I know mine is and I am not done yet.  I still want to sign up for a Turkey Trot and possibly another run in December for the holiday.

Three Things Thursday!

1. I love steel cut oats but since I have to wake up at 4:30am to get to work, there is no time to prepare them. On my weekend trip to Costco, I spotted cooked steel cut oats that are easy to prepare in the microwave.  All you have to do is heat them up in the microwave for 60 seconds and then mix with water, milk, fruit or whatever you like to add.  A box of 8 is $7.99. Works for me!

2.I found some good deals at the Nike outlet.  Pink is not my favorite color but all of the clearance items seemed to have some shade of pink.  I got the tempo shorts for $9.99 and the capris for $27.99.  The tank top was not on sale but it matched with the bottoms and it was $21.00 so I bought it. It actually looks really cute with the capris. I am a sucker for Lululemon however 3 Nike items =1 Lululemon item!

3. It's been a while since I ran a 5K and for some reason or another I have been itching to run one.  My friend Caroline told me about a local 5K that takes place on July 28th so I just might sign up for another race. I am trying to convince my husband to run his first 5K and I think he is almost ready. I normally stay away from summer races but since this is such a short distance I can probably pull it off without killing myself.

Do you run with your husband/significant other?

My husband is very supportive of my running, attends all of my races and is my photographer, however he thinks that anything more than a 5K is crazy and is self-torture!  

San Dimas Turkey Trot 5K: 11/26/11

I think I was pretty turkey trotted out the morning of this race!  I was not in the mood to run and I was seriously considering being a no show.  I finally got it together and decided that I might as well run it since I paid for it!  I guess I was feeling pretty satisfied with my PR from Thursday and got a little lazy!

Since bib pick up was only available the day of the race, I had to get up a little earlier than I wanted to.  When we arrived at the race, it was 43 degrees and I was so glad that I wore my new running tights! I had never ran in tights before so this was a change for me too since I always run in shorts. After picking up my bib, we went back to the car and finally decided to head back 15 minutes before the start time.

Can you find me?

The course was in a familiar place where I do lots of my long training runs but I had never actually ran in this particular area of Bonelli Park. The course was a bit hilly, in my opinion, and I didn't care for the way the course did a turn around half way through.  Any speed that you had going at that point was lost because you had to run around two cones and make a u-turn!

I was feeling really slow and lazy in the beginning and just kept telling myself to just go with what I felt.  My splits were not great and I know that I could have done better and pushed myself much harder. The air was so cold that it was difficult to breath normally and I never experienced that before. My feet were also frozen! Strange morning for me to say the least. My splits went something like this and I also forgot to stop my Garmin at the finish...FAIL!

Mile 1: 7:35

Mile 2: 7:42

Mile 3: 7:48-I dropped my water bottle and had to stop to pick it up..FAIL! I lost some serious time here but didn't really care for some reason.  A girl who had pretty much been running with me the whole time came over after the race and told me that I had a nice finish in spite of having to stop to hydrate.  Uh, that was not a hydration stop...it was a "I am too cheap to leave the dropped bottle behind stop!" 

I hope I finished before him!

The volunteers were serving pumpkin pie to the participants after the race and my son quickly volunteered to eat mine for me!

Good thing my son ate that pumpkin pie for me because I decided to support my favorite small business on Small Business Saturday and celebrated like this instead!

This turkey trot was a very small event with only 216 participants which is the only reason why I placed 20/216, 3rd overall female and first in my age group with a time of 23:56.  I ended up walking away with three medals in spite of a less than great performance. These small races can really give you an ego boost when you least expect it and it was nice to walk away with three medals.

I tried out my Handful bra for the first time and I have to say that I really like it.  It was super comfy and I actually looked like I had a handful!!  I think I am going to invest in another one or two or maybe I will add them to my Christmas/Fitness Wish List.