Let me explain why. Last week, Saturday morning offered up gorgeous 60°F weather. I went out to Seneca Park in Louisville, Kentucky, and ran an easy six miles for training. It was gorgeous out. So gorgeous that I enjoyed that run in shorts and a t-shirt. No need to layer. No compression gear necessary. Leave that winter gear at home. It was the perfect morning for a run. It got up to 72°F that day and I was out in it as much as possible.
That night…rain rolled in. Rain and cold. And when I woke up the next morning, the cold, damp blech was still falling from the skies. A check of the weather showed that it was going to be with us all day. And I had a race to run that evening in Frankfort, Kentucky. And errands to run that afternoon once places began opening for their Sunday hours. So, out into the cold blech I went. And I can say that, because at one point, we had the cold air, the rain, the snow, and sleet all falling from the sky at once, making road and sidewalk conditions rather…treacherous. Not. A. Fan.
I also was not a fan of being inside and then back out into the mess of the world that day…time-after-time. I’d finally get some warmth back into my bones and it was time to scurry through the pouring rain back to the car. And…remember…the high the day before was 40 degrees warmer than it currently was.
I ran my race in just the cold. The rain stopped moments before the run, and started up again about the time my booty hit the seat of my car to drive back to Louisville. I was thankful for that. But…the crazy weather took it’s toll…
Here I sit…with this upper respiratory…THING. I am NOT a happy runner. A happy runner wouldn’t have to fight for each breath. A happy runner wouldn’t have a coughing fit in the middle of a run. A happy runner wouldn’t have to carry a pack of tissues. A happy runner would be in shorts and not layered still. It’s the end of March. Last year I was in shorts and t-shirts by this point. This year, I’m sucking in cold air and my lungs just aren’t handling that very well.
The worst part is…I have a race on Saturday. Not just any race, where I feel like I could plod along and be okay with my finishing time. It’s not “just another” little 5K race to run to work on, maybe, getting a little faster. Nope. This is the second race in the Louisville Triple Crown of Running. The Rodes City Run 10K. And last year I ran my heart out in this race. And I’ve only since gotten faster.
Coming into the Triple Crown this year, I was definitely feeling that I could improve on all of my times from last year. And I definitely did that in the Anthem 5K, with my first sub-23 minute 5K race time and my new 5K PR. So, that made me feel good about the 10K this weekend. Until the mega blahs hit. When breathing becomes difficult, running becomes even more difficult.
Needless to say, the best I can do now on Saturday is hope I just run the best race I can. Not worry about my pace, my time, who might be ahead of me. Breathing…that’s the key. Maintaining a pace where I can still attempt to breathe is far more important than blitzing the hell out of the streets of Louisville in search of a new PR. There will be other 10K events and other Triple Crown years ahead of me. No need to do something crazy and make a bad situation worse.
I won’t lie…I am beyond disappointed. I’m angry. I’m upset. But, these are the cards I have been dealt. At least I can still get out there and move. At least I can still run. Albeit it, my training runs have been less than enjoyable…slower than usual…and have involved quite a few moments of labored breathing…lots of gasping…even more coughing. I think I sound like a warthog in search of something to eat while I’m out at 4 a.m. getting my training run logged. That is no lie.
So, I suppose…Saturday I’ll just get my Pumba on…run the best race I can in the condition I am in…and just enjoy it. That’s what it’s all about for me anyway…doing something I love. Even if it sounds like I should be out nosing through the African savannah in search of grubs…the Rodes City Run 10K will be finished by me.
Hakuna Matata – no worries. There’s always next year…
A cold, wet start for the Frankfort Trifecta racing series
So…tomorrow I go to run in Frankfort, Kentucky.
To run.
You know what that means?
It’s gotta rain. I have yet to run a race there where it didn’t rain on me or rain prior to or after a race. I. AM. NOT. JOKING.
So, it only seems fitting that the racing series (3 races) that Frankfort, Kentucky hosts each year kicks off with winter temperatures and rainy weather. Right?
GRRRR!
After enjoying a long run this morning in 60 degree temperatures and having the high hit around 71 degrees…the fact that it’s going to be low 30s tomorrow evening with lots of rain doesn’t make me eager to put on my running shoes and head to Frankfort to run. In fact, last year this race was run in beautiful weather. A little warm for my liking…but sunny. It stormed after I left…but at least the race saw nice weather.
Tomorrow is the first race of the series – The Good Shepherd Run For The Gold 3K.
Short little race. But…a nice run, regardless. Runs in Frankfort are always nice. I always get rained on, but the city is gorgeous, the people are amazing, and I have to admit…I love running there. So…just under 2 miles tomorrow evening, at 6:30 p.m. Rain…is pretty much guaranteed. Cold weather…oh yeah…expect that too.
Me being unhappy…definitely expect that.
There is definitely something badass and enriching about running in the rain. But…I still have to leave Frankfort to come back to Louisville…and doing that soaking wet and cold doesn’t sound like fun. At all. And it’s not. Been there, done that…more times than I can count.
So, I’ll probably grouch around for much of tomorrow about the weather, try to figure out what to wear for this short little run, go and get my wintery, wet run of suck out of the way, then head back home.
And pray that the next two races see better temperatures and weather.
The Frankfort Trifecta series also includes the Pro.Active For Life 5K on May 17th and the Capital City Stampede 10K on June 15th. It makes the Run For The Gold the only race in this series to run in the same month as the Louisville Triple Crown of Running. And, thankfully, this year it isn’t running on the same day as one of the Louisville races. Last year, I ran the Rhodes City Run 10K in Louisville in the morning, then hopped over to Frankfort for the Run For The Gold 3K that evening. Crazy day, that one.
So…aside from miserable weather, all I want to do is run a good race and just have a good time. In the end, rain or shine, cold or heat, that’s what it’s all about. And, I do have a soft spot for this racing series. While some runners might shy away from the cold, wet run tomorrow…I will embrace it. Begrudgingly, of course…but I wouldn’t miss this for the world.
For the record…winter can go away now. I run better when I’m not cold or in layers.
Alright, Frankfort…bring on the rain…bring on the cold…bring on the run!
You know you love a race series when, after participating in it for the first time, you immediately declare, “I want to run this series next year!”
And that’s how it was for me last year when I participated in the Louisville Triple Crown of Running. If you are unfamiliar with the Triple Crown event, let me get you up to speed. The Louisville Triple Crown of Running is a three race series that takes place at various locations of Louisville throughout the month of March…and this year into April. This series of races is rather well-established and runs in varying distances, starting with the Anthem 5K Fitness Classic (3/9/13), the Rodes City Run 10K (3/23/13), and then the Papa John’s 10 Miler (4/6/13). Runners can participate in all three legs of the series or just pick and choose races from it. However, if you compete in all three races and finish, you do receive a race series t-shirt in addition to the individual race shirts you get for each race. And, as runners, we all know how much we love those race t-shirts.
This race series draws nearly 20,000 participants who run in at least one of the three events. Over 5,500 runners will complete the annual series and earn the Triple Crown t-shirt. (Yes…I was one of these people last year!) The first Triple Crown of Running occurred in 1984 and featured the Rodes City Run 10K, the Run for the Arts 15K, and the Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon. But in 2003, Triple Crown Race Organizers announced the new series, which omitted the Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon and instead added the Anthem 5K Fitness Classic to the mix.
I am quite proud to be in the city that hosts this race series. It is very well organized, highly attended, and just a lot of fun!
Which is why I was so eager to sign up for it again and do it all over this year.
So, this Saturday, while the cold weather will still be here in the morning, I am going to head downtown to Slugger Field and run the first race of this year’s Triple Crown series – the Anthem 5K Fitness Classic. I have no goals for this race…not even to beat last year’s time. And here’s why. I’m going to be out late the night before. At the PINK concert at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville. So, I am going to be exhausted after rocking out, getting home late, and then getting up early to head downtown, park, and get ready to run. So…my goal is just to finish and finish strong. And that’s the best goal to set, I think. No pressure. No reason to push it. Just enjoy the run, soak it in, and maybe next year work on a new PR or something.
I am looking forward to picking up my race packet tomorrow at Slugger Field and, despite not really being at the top of my game on Saturday morning, running a hell of a good race. In the end…I can only do what I am capable of and try my best.
So, for all of you who are running the Triple Crown this year in Louisville…I’ll see you at the start and hopefully the finish lines of each race. And good luck. Remember, the most important thing is to have fun.
Tomorrow, Saturday, February 9, 2013, will mark the end of this year’s Polar Bear Grand Prix. Last year, I was greeted by a very cold morning and pouring rain. This year…I think it’s just the cold that I get to contend with. At least…I hope.
But…in reality, I don’t really want the cold.
Fact: The cold air naturally slows me down. It’s harder to breathe through. I have to layer my clothing. I just feel…awkward in cold weather.
And I have been getting out to run in the cold as often as possible. Last Sunday, I even went for 6 miles in the snow and ice. My roommate called me hardcore. The fact of the matter was…the very thought of going to the gym for the second day in a row to run my miles for training was unbearable. I hate running inside. I hate the treadmill. I hate the tiny indoor track at my gym even more, where 1 mile is 18 laps around it. Told you…it’s tiny. That’s what got me out in the snow and ice that Sunday morning. And I took it slow and easy and really just kept myself close enough to home that should I need to give in to the elements and cut the run short, I wouldn’t have far to go.
And though it was a slower run for me…it was a good run.
But there is that word. That word I hate using…but I feel it so often.
SLOW. S-L-O-W.
I don’t know why I focus so much on my speed, especially on these training runs. I think it just comes natural to a runner to want to improve. Or at least maintain. But lately it’s just felt like I’m moving backwards. Figuratively, of course.
And here’s why I think it’s been bothering me all week…
Despite the cold, hard rain of the Snowman Shuffle last year…it was one of my best races to that day. No joke. I finished the four mile course, complete with those killer hills at Cherokee Park, in 33:17. That was huge for me. That meant I had a lovely pace of 8:19, or about 7.2 miles per hour. Up until that point…that pace had never happened.
And over the year that has now passed, I have only begun to get faster than that. Until, it seems, recently.
I would like to point my finger at the elements and push all the blame off on that, but the fact of the matter is…I can’t. I could sit here until I was blue in the face and rattle off reasons as to why I feel inadequate coming into this race, despite the training and time I’ve put into my runs during the week and over the weekends, but what good would it do? They are just excuses when it comes down to it.
“It’s so cold out! The cold slows me down.”
“It’s hard to breathe in that bitter cold air!”
“I f***ing hate layers!”
“But it’s so dark when I go out to run that early in the morning…”
Hey…it may be the truth…but it is also an excuse. Any way you slice it.
So…why the added pressure? I made a mistake a couple weeks ago and looked at the overall standings for the Polar Bear Grand Prix. Yep. Bad…bad idea. Because currently, I am sitting in third place in the overall women’s category. Not my age division. Women…overall…for all the races. And suddenly…it just feels like I put a crap-ton of pressure on myself to maintain that. I mean, I’ve had killer races leading up to this one. I placed third in my age division in the Reindeer Romp 4K, and second in my age division in the Frostbite 5K…but it was seeing that overall ranking that just…it really took away my zen runner attitude and I’ve been fretting over it since. That…and my finishing time.
This isn’t like me. Not really. But I feel that when I revisit races, I should only better my performance. After all, I have a year of training behind me. The second time around, or third, or whatever, should only show improvement. But…but what if I don’t.
And given my recent morning runs…even on the weekends…I haven’t been feeling good about besting that 33:17 finishing time. In fact, I’ve made a point to check my Garmin at each 4 mile beep on my runs that go that long or longer…and I am usually right at, if not slower than that time.
And it’s a bit disheartening. Especially feeling this added pressure of that overall standing.
Let me clarify…no one is putting this pressure on me. No one but myself. And, I think that is what makes this so hard to get over, to ignore. It’s that little voice in the back of my head that tells me…I’m not getting any better. I’ve plateaued. That I fail if I don’t maintain that spot in the top 3 women’s overall.
It’s all poppycock, of course…but…that’s what thoughts have been permeating my mind. Not just on my downtime…but on my runs. Every 4 mile beep…that’s what I think about.
Why am I even obsessing? I love running…and finding that joy that I associate with each stride, each breath, each footfall…hasn’t felt good enough leading into this race. And it’s been killing my mojo. It’s been really pulling at me. It’s been…bothering me.
Honestly, it shouldn’t. I shouldn’t even be obsessing over it. But I am. And. I. Can’t. Stop.
The past couple of mornings, I’ve turned my mileage for my training schedule…and each time, I’ve been unhappy with the results. Why? I’m right at that 7.2 mile per hour speed. Which, isn’t slow by any means…but I know I can and do run better than that. I know that most of these runs are supposed to be at an “easy” pace…that I shouldn’t be trying to find that magical race pace unless my program specifically calls for it…but…it’s human nature to get competitive…even if it is with yourself.
The fact of the matter is, the one thing in life that brings me the most joy has been bringing me down these days. Actually…it’s not the running that’s bringing me down. The running, while slower than usual, has been brilliant. It’s that little voice inside…that little devil sitting on my shoulder…that doubt that creeps in every now and again…that’s what has been bringing me down. My own lack of confidence. My own sense of what accomplishment is. My own perception of what not meeting certain goals would mean to me…as a runner…in this particular race.
So…what do I do to overcome this?
I don’t know.
But here’s what I am going to do…
I am going to get up tomorrow morning and dress for the expected 29 degree weather. Yep…this means some cold weather gear. Perhaps even a layer or two. We’ll see. A lot of that will depend on the wind factor, which the Weather Channel is currently predicting to be around 6 mph. I’ll eat some cereal before heading out the door to drive to Cherokee Park and, hopefully, find a parking spot that isn’t outside of the park and a long walk uphill to packet pick-up. I’ll get my packet and get my number pinned up. I’ll do my, “I’m too cold to stretch…but here goes nothing” half-ass stretching. I’ll eat half of a Kind Bar. I’ll line-up at the start…somewhere back from the front…but not too far back. And then…I’ll just run. I’ll run what I am comfortable with. I’ll run without looking at my watch for time or pace. I’ll listen for the beeps, but I won’t look. I’ll simply run.
And what happens when I cross the finish line? I’ll find that whatever effort I put into that run…was enough. Do I need to beat last year’s time? Nope. I want to, of course…but I don’t need to. Will I be any less of a runner if I don’t? Not at all. Will I be a failure if I fall out of that third overall spot? I might feel like it for a moment…but it will pass. I don’t run to collect medals and awards. That’s not what fuels me. What fuels me is passion. I don’t get up at 4 a.m. every morning and throw on my running clothes and take a run in 19 degree darkness because I have to. I don’t have to do anything. I do it because, believe it or not, I want to.
I sometimes forget the whole reason I started running. Because somewhere…somehow…one day when I took up a jog at that itty-bitty track at the gym…I found something that made me smile. I’m not super fast. I’m not an elite. But sometimes helps to just take a step back and realize…while I am not these things…I am enough.
And my passion for running should never be overshadowed by doubt, fear, time, or race placement. I am not a failure. Time doesn’t matter. Run for the love of the run…and the run will love you back.
So, we’ll see what happens tomorrow as I tackle four miles through Cherokee Park’s hills. It looks like another chilly morning run awaits…and if it slows me down…it slows me down. All I should focus on is making it from start to finish. My legs, feet, and determination will do the rest.
Snowman Shuffle…I’m coming for you. Even if I don’t feel like it…I am ready.
This race was the first race of 2012. Following suit…it is also my first race in my 2013 race season. It’s the Frostbite 5K…the second race in Louisville’s very own three race series – the Polar Bear Grand Prix. Oh…and it runs this morning.
While this race does take place in the hilly world of Cherokee Park, the start and finish are not up at Hogan’s Fountain as usual. This always throws me off because I’m so used to the Cherokee Park 5Ks starting and finishing there…I know when to expect hills when we start from there. But for this race, we start and finish at the rugby field…which is somewhere in the middle of the park. Therefore, while we start off going uphill, at least our finish is more downhill instead of uphill as usual. It’s different. Nothing wrong with different.
For the second year in a row, the unseasonably warm weather has rolled into the Louisville area. Nothing wrong with that. I won’t complain. I love good weather on race day. And as long as the rain holds off until after I run, it will be the perfect morning for a race. The Weather Channel (or as my roomie and I call it – The Lying Channel) has the current temperature at 9 a.m. (start time for the race) as being 61°F.
Yep. 61° for the Frostbite 5K. I’m thinking they may need to rename this race in the future should this trend continue.
For the time…I won’t complain. I’ll embrace the milder weather and go out there and run as best I can. The goal…to simply enjoy the run. Nothing more.
But a little luck and good thoughts is always welcome…
I’m not one to set a goal and take it lightly. I’m a fighter. A pursuer. A doer.
So, imagine my chagrin after declaring my 2013 running goal of running 1300 miles…and then heading out of town for the New Year…to be met with snow, ice, and roads that were not safe to run on while I was out of town. It was still December at that point…but running in place (or sprinting around the island) in my friend’s kitchen was even worse than running on a treadmill.
FOR REAL!
But…my dedication to the Runner’s World Run Streak and REDD (Run Every Day in December) meant…I ran. Even if it was running in place for 50 minutes to hit what would be 5 miles…all to simply get that run in.
Winter sucks. I dislike winter. I dislike it with a passion. The cold weather is hard on my skin…and definitely not easy to get out in and run. Oh, I’ll do it…I just don’t like doing it. And if the roads are trecherous…it means the outdoor run has to move indoors. This would normally mean a treadmill at the gym…but being out of town meant no gym.
So…my first run of January was done in my friend’s kitchen. My second run…on a treadmill. My third…I almost went outside for. But the 19 degree weather turned me back around and pushed me back into the warm cloak of my apartment. I also woke up with a migraine that day…so I endured my job at the office and then went over to the gym to pound out half of my required training run that day.
BLAH!
But this morning, I told myself to SUCK IT UP, CUPCAKE! So…I layered up the running clothes. Put on my reflective gear and blinking lights. And I headed outside for my first official outdoor run of the year. 4 miles. As it’s an early morning run, I stick close to home, so this is a 3-time out and back…but it gives me my mileage. The darkness is a bit of a challenge, but I do have a light clamped onto my hat. And the cold…well…it sometimes leaves me gasping for air…but it feels so good to actually move while running.
While I understand the need for cold weather, I am already looking forward to Spring. These cold mornings are doing a number on me. But I am going to do my best, on the mornings where it is tolerable, to take my run outside. Because, when it comes down to it…that’s where I love to run.
Here’s to one week of working toward my goal. Ten miles 4 days into it the year…not a great start…but not bad either! Given the circumstances, that is…
Well…about this time last year I set what I thought was a lofty goal for 2012…to run 500 miles. And I had that in the books by the middle of the year. I had a silent goal to, perhaps, make 1200 miles in 2012, but with the injury that took me out of running for 2 weeks, it doesn’t look like I’ll make it. I’ll be off by…just under 100 miles. It kind of makes me sad, but it sure did make setting a goal for 2013 easier than anticipated.
And here it is:
In 2013, I intend to run 1300 miles.
There…I said it…and all of you are witnesses.
I think this is a little lofty…but I am hopefully going to be training for my first marathon…so mileage will be increasing at the start of the year when I put my training program into my phone and begin really looking ahead to the goal of going 26.2 miles this year. I am nervous…and excited all at once. And I love it.
I am also setting another goal…and that is to run 2013 injury free. This one may or may not come into fruition. I mean, accidents happen. Injuries happen. But I’m going to really focus on being a healthier, better runner. I’m going to make better choices when it comes to my runs and really listen to my body. I want to make this racing season a great one, with no DNS’ (Did Not Start) statuses and I hope to maintain my record of never having a DNF (Did Not Finish).
When all is said and done…goals are good to set…but the key to my running successes…the reason I can do this in brutal heat and bone-chilling cold…is that I truly love it. So, above all else, I hope that 2013 teaches me how to love this sport even more than I do. I have a good feeling that this is going to be a good year.
Tomorrow morning, I’ll be lining up with countless other runners at White River State Park in Indianapolis, Indiana to participate in this year’s Santa Hustle Half Marathon!
Last year, I barely made it to Indianapolis in time to participate in the 5K I had signed up to race in. There were many things that went into that, mostly a late start getting on the road. Unfortunately, this made for a lot of race day stress. I had to get my packet from a friend who graciously went to pick it up for me. I had no pins to put my number on…so I had to borrow two from a stranger (another runner) who graciously parted with two of his. And my shoe came untied halfway through the race. The shoe with the timing chip on it. Oy!
It was a comedy of errors last year.
So, normally I wouldn’t have even thought of running in the Santa Hustle 5K again. And, honestly, I didn’t give it a thought…until I saw that this year, Indianapolis was one of the few cities that was also offering a half marathon distance. Running my last race of the season as a half marathon just seemed…right. It would make it my 6th half marathon of the year…and I think an appropriate way to wrap up a race season of lots of highs and a few lows.
The last time I raced in Indianapolis was in the scorching heat and humidity of the Indianapolis Women’s Half Marathon. Tomorrow’s weather is to be a nice 50 degrees at start time (PERFECT!) with no rain…and some sun. I am looking forward to this.
So…I need to go finish packing up my race bag and my overnight bag. I’m staying at the race hotel (the JW Marriott) downtown, as it is right there at the start and finish. And though I’ve been dealing with a very tight left calf muscle the past couple of weeks, I think it’s starting to work itself out. And that is only a good thing. I think this definitely will be a smoother start and finish. I can only hope!
Ever since the last half marathon in Indianapolis almost killed me, I’ve been looking forward to a comeback. And I guess I’ll do it dressed up like Santa. Hey…it doesn’t have to be a dignified comeback.
But we’ll see what tomorrow holds. Until then…wish me luck…
It was about the time I entered Cherokee Park on Saturday during the Mile 2 Mile run from one BlueMile running store to the other that I hit 1000 miles for the year. And I didn’t even acknowledge the moment or anything. Why? Because at the time I wasn’t thinking about it. I was having a conversation with a runner, a gentleman, that I had been running with for over half of the 12 mile run. I was in the lead group for pace setters for the Mile 2 Mile run and we were making fantastic time, despite stopping a few times to allow time to refuel or hydrate.
I realized it as I was sitting in the BlueMile store in the Highlands of Louisville, after changing out of my running clothes into my regular clothes for the day. I was putting on my shoes and socks and I looked up at my roommate and held up my hand for a high five.
“I’ve done 1000 miles!” I said simply, with a smile.
She high fived me and that was that. No big celebration or acknowledgement. There were other things to focus on that day.
That being said, this is a huge deal to me. I mean…1000 miles in a year may not seem like much, but I set a goal this year for 500 miles, and I have since doubled that goal. I’m at a loss of words as I sit here and reflect on this past year. And this, my dear readers and friends, is also with me being out of running for almost 3 weeks due to a very bad injury. I fought back through that, proved I was a better runner than before because of it, and have kept on trekking through the miles.
And the year isn’t over yet. I’m participating in two running programs this December. One is the annual Runners World Run Streak where runners pledge to run at least 1 mile every day from Thanksgiving into the New Year. I’ve kept that end of the bargain up without problem. And, in conjunction with that, my friends Armand and Ramond started a couple years back called REDD (Run Every Day in December). They work hand-in-hand. And…with all of this going on, I’m still training for my final half marathon of the year, which runs December 16, 2012 up in Indianapolis, Indiana. It all keeps me motivated and keeps me energized.
So…there it is…1000 miles down for the year and still an entire month ahead of me. I wonder what mileage I’ll tap out at this year. And this, in turn, makes me really rethink goals for next year. I’m excited…proud…and thrilled to have reached this goal.
The Celiathlete 