Category: roadblocks

Race: Throo The Zoo 5K

Place: Louisville Zoo, Louisville, Kentucky

Date: May 11, 2013

Time: 22:15

So, something happened last week when I was walking around the Mall of America on my last afternoon in Minneapolis.  Cathy and I stopped in just to scout out a few things…and while I was on the move in the Nike Store (of all places), I suddenly started to limp.  My outer thigh just sort of hurt.  A lot.  Bad enough to bring my even stride to a painful limp.  I tried to walk it off as much as possible…but damn…it hurt.  Bad.

I toughed it out…put on the “I’m not hurting” face and just trooped through the rest of the visit.  I went through airports without complaint.  I even did some early morning runs in the dark (where I can’t see the pavement in front of me) regardless of the pain in my leg.  I learned to endure the pain of my foam roller.  And Biofreeze was once again my friend.  Ibuprofen before bed.  Hope for the best.  And over the course of the past three days…my leg still hurt, but I felt that it might be improving.

That being said, I had signed up for the Throo The Zoo 5K months ago.  This is a fun race that winds through residential neighborhoods, populated streets, then through the Louisville Zoo for the last mile until it kicks you out and you make your dash to the finish line.  It has challenging hills at places and it just sort of is a fun run to do.

Granted, never have I been a good 5K runner.  I’m no sprinter and I never have a finishing kick.  I am better suited for longer distances.  Some runners just are.  I seem to be one of them.  But 5K races are still important and any runner will tell you that.  Some people, after taking on a half marathon think they can’t possibly go back to shorter races.  Embrace the shorter races…for that’s where you get your speed work.  Those are the races I end up enjoying the most.  I am not a 5K fan…but I still have a blast when I run them regardless.  Where else will I get my speedwork in?  I have yet to really work on that.  I think my friend Kelsie needs to teach me how she finds energy for her finishing kick she always manages.

This morning was rough.  My leg was feeling better than it has all week, so that was comforting.  Maybe I would survive this after all.  The goal this year is no injuries…and I’m doing my best to not push when I shouldn’t.  That’s why I dropped my mileage this week WAY down from what I have been running.  Run smart.  Run uninjured.  But, I got up at 5:00 a.m. to get dressed and get things taken care of around the apartment before the roomie was awake at 6:00 a.m.  I had to have coffee brewed and breakfast ready.  I even made a point of laying out the breakfast bars we were taking with us on the counter…so as not to forget them.  Poured cereal.  Poured coffee.  Her alarm got her up.  We ate.  She went to get dressed and I went to finish getting things together, brush my teeth, and then…we headed out the door.

The drive to Louisville started, and we were just about to head over the bridge and I looked up from my recent issue of Runner’s World and realized…I forgot our breakfast bars.  We ate so early, but the time the race started at 8:00 a.m., we would be starving!  I would definitely be starving.  We exited on the last New Albany exit and pulled into the first gas station we could find…knowing that we could at least get bananas.  Except…they didn’t have fruit of any kind.  UGH!  So, back in the car and onto the next.  This place had fruit…but no bananas.  I was really starting to get anxious now…and angry.  We were now behind schedule.  After I took such great care to put something out so I wouldn’t forget it…I forget it.  Kicking myself because now we were meandering around New Albany and not heading to the Louisville Zoo.  We pulled into one last gas station and they had some bananas.  None at the ripeness I like, but beggars can’t be choosers.  I snagged one for each of us (the ones with the fewest brown spots) and we paid $1.00 and hurried back to the car to get our booties over the bridge and heading toward the Louisville Zoo.

We got there at about 7:20…just enough time for me to peel my banana and start eating it.  That was 40 minutes to start time…which is my usual banana-fest on longer races.  So…I was familiar with this.  We parked in the grass off to the side where we were directed.  Walked through some soft and muddy lawn (it rained a lot yesterday!), and headed up toward the zoo.  Port-a-potty lines were super long.  And people were milling about near the finish line.  One thing I did notice was that the start line had moved from where it was last year.  Instead of starting on a side road in front of the zoo, we were on one of the residential roads near the zoo.  So, that was very different.  We headed that way after throwing away banana peels as a lot of runners were already making their way over there.

As I was stretching out, I spotted  a flurry of color.  I knew immediately it had to be Kelsie.  Oh yeah.  She came over and we talked a lot about races we want to run, injuries, and how we were pursuing this race (she was aiming for a PR…with my leg bothering me, I was doing a shake-out race and hoping I didn’t strain a muscle or something).  Before I knew it, more people were filling up the start line, so we took a couple of pictures and then got into the road with everyone else.  Jeff, from Fleet Feet, started shouting that 5 minutes into the race, they were going to open the cages at the zoo and let the animals out.  Jeff makes me laugh.  He’s someone I can always count on to make me smile and relax me at the start line.  Even at the start of a race I was doing to shake off a half marathon.

Kelsie and I were talking when we heard the sound of the horn sending us off.  I almost forgot to start my watch.  We just started moving.  She passed me immediately, going for her goal, and I fell into a pace I felt comfortable with because I didn’t want to go out too fast because I knew that Gorilla Hill in the zoo would be killer.  It got me last year.  That being said, she never got too far ahead of me.  I could see her, maybe up 20 feet from me for most of the race.

Mile 1 was actually done faster than I wanted.  Very close to the start, as we ran down Russell Avenue and was about to turn onto Poplar Level Road, I passed Jeff.  He spotted me and said, “GO KAREN!”  Treating this as a fun run, I tossed my hands up in the air.  He totally did it again.  Jeff has so much passion for running and other runners…it’s hard not to smile when he’s around.  Mile 1 clicked off just as we were about to head into the park portion of the route.  Guess I wasn’t running as easy as I thought because  I clocked out another sub-7-minute mile (6:50 this time).  I knew I was going out fast, so I eased up…just slightly.  I hate when I peter out at the end of a race.  And in 5Ks…I tend to do that.  Like I said…I’m a runner who was made for endurance, not speed, so longer races are my thing!  I pace myself so much better in them.

Heading into Mile 2 meant looping the park and heading down the front of the zoo parking (where the race started last year!) and back around the corner.  The start line was still up and we had to run under that.  As we did, Jeff was right behind me shouting “RESET! RESET!”  But instead of heading back down the street and into the residential area, we veered left toward the zoo.

And the name of the race suddenly comes into play.  Welcome to the Louisville Zoo.  Coming in through the back, immediately you hit a downhill portion.  I took advantage of that brief downhill slope and was starting to feel a bit like my old self again.  This is why I don’t run races to set PRs.  I run for fun…because I run better when I don’t focus on pace and speed and goals.  My goal is, and always will be, to finish and to do so having fun.  Sure, I’m a serious runner, but if I don’t enjoy it…why do it?

The zoo portion is a lot of fun and very challenging.  I spotted flamingos this time around.  And as we ran through the polar bear area, I was hoping they would be out like they were last year.  No luck.  Darn it.  But then comes the part I dreaded, because I knew it was there.  Gorilla Hill.  GORILLA-FREAKIN’-HILL!!  It’s at mile 2.5…so you’re so close but still not-so-close to that finish line.  And you have to determine whether you want to use energy to climb it or not.  I try to tackle hills hard.  I hate running hills, but the challenge of them makes me want to take them on.  I’d been avoiding hills recently because, my half marathon was hilly and I wanted my legs to recover, and my leg had been bothering me…so I was taking it easy so as not to do further damage.  But I was not going to let Gorilla Hill defeat me.  And…in the process…I managed to pass Kelsie.  I knew that would be short-lived though.  She’s a strong finisher in 5K races.  A sprinter if you will.  She’s so well-suited for 5Ks because she can put on the afterburners right there at the end.  My goal wasn’t to beat her or pass her though.  It was just to finish.  I was close.

The zoo portion came to an end as we rounded the corner.  I was right…in the straightaway, Kelsie pushed past me and ran hard.  She claims it was too soon, but I didn’t see her slow one bit.  We came around a little turn and there was the finish line.  I could hear Cathy screaming at me.  I saw Kelsie cross the finish line…definitely beating her last 5K PR…YAY!  And I crossed behind her.  I stopped my Garmin, stepped off to the side, and couldn’t help but smile.  It was a shake-off run, but my zen attitude paid off again.  A new PR according to my Garmin.

Cathy came over and gave me a hug.  We decided to move down the way so we could check out some of the tents in the finishers area.  I grabbed some water and some apple slices and we started walking around.  When nursing sore muscles, legs, etc…best to keep moving and not stop.  So, we walked and walked and walked…and talked.  And we meandered around.  Raffle tickets were handed out to finishers…and this year we hung around, simply because we wanted to stay for awards.  Awards were happening at 9:30…we had lots of time to walk…and listen to the raffle numbers get called.  Luck was not with me…again…so no prizes here.

Then…the sad news of the morning.  River City Races announced that they were having some “technical difficulties” with their equipment, so division awards would not be handed out.  But they would give out awards to the top 5 male and female finishers.  So, many of us stood out in the chilly morning and applauded those that crossed the finish line ahead of the rest of us.  The awards ceremony was fun, but I was hoping to at least have something official to report.  I never report times to my mom until they are official.

It is coming up on 12 hours after the race…and River City Races hasn’t posted anything about the results, nor breathed a word about them.  It’s a little frustrating…because I want to be able to call my mom and dad since they live a couple states away and always want to hear about my races.  I just can’t.  Because I refuse to give unofficial times.

I’ll have to end the blog here…until I find out more from River City Races…

Okay, late last night River City Races FINALLY posted the results of the Throo The Zoo 5K.  That only took way too long and was very frustrating.  But…what do you do, eh?

And the results were that I finished the Throo The Zoo 5K in 22:15.  A new PR!  Um…not bad for doing this for a fun shake-out run.  Wow.  Thrilled.  I was the 71/1659 finishers overall.  Oh, and I finished 2/135 in my age division.  WOOOOOHOOOO!!  Cathy had kept count at the race, but I confirmed that I was 9/1047 females to cross the finish line as well.  Awesome.  Quite happy with this being as this race was one I was taking easy for the sake of my leg…my body…and just…because it’s the zoo.  I wanted to have some fun.  PR-ing is always nice…and I managed to do it here…but if it’s not fun…why bother, right?  I think I smiled through this entire race.

Already looking forward to my next one…

Race: “Walk Me Home…To The Place I Belong” 5K Run and Walk for Foster Care

Place: Veterans Park, Hoover, Alabama

Date: April 27, 2013

Time: 23:01

Let me be completely candid with you, first of all, when it comes to this race.  I was not happy about doing it.  Nope.  I don’t travel often for 5K races, even when it is where my family currently lives.  It’s too expensive for that short of a distance.  And this 5K race was $30.00.  Albeit, it’s for a fantastic cause, but…I normally wouldn’t have entered it.  Not under normal circumstances.

But someone I used to work with wanted to run her first 5K.  Originally, this weekend was going to be the Making Tracks for Celiacs 5K race, but that was pushed back to next weekend, and I just happen to be in Minneapolis, Minnesota for a half marathon that weekend.  So, with the race rescheduled, I set out to find us another one.

And I did.  This race.  I signed up.  I thought she had  signed up.  Turns out she didn’t…and wasn’t going to.  That news was dropped on me on Friday afternoon.  Saturday morning was the race and I was driving straight through from Louisville to Birmingham that night after work to get there, get a couple hours of sleep, and then run.

Alone.

Which, did sort of upset me.  The whole reason I originally joined this race was to run with her in her first 5K ever.  And now…I was sort of left to my own devices, making a very long car trip for 3.1 miles.  Yeah…not a happy runner.  Not one bit.

That being said, I got in just before 10 p.m. that evening.  My dad came out and helped Cathy and I unload the car.  And I left most of my stuff to sit so I could spend a little time with my parents before calling it a night.  We sat up and talked for a little while, but then we decided that we best get some sleep.  After all, I checked the race page on my way out at work and it indicated a 7:00 a.m. race start.  EARLY!  So, off to bed I went, setting my alarm for 5:20 a.m., which would hopefully give me enough time to get dressed in my running clothes, eat some cereal and a banana, and then head on out to Veterans Park with Cathy and my parents.

The alarm went off way too early for my liking that morning.  But, I shut it off and hopped out of bed.  I changed into my race clothes – a bright orange shirt, one of my running skirts, and my green compression socks.  Why not?  For my BondiBand…I was in Birmingham, Alabama.  Nothing but my War Eagle band would do.  Trust me.  I put purple and orange extensions in my hair, and then finished up by getting my old running shoes out and onto my feet.  Why old running shoes?  At that point, rain was still a high possibility, so I figured…better to be safe than sorry.  I’d leave my new pair dry and at home.

I went to wake up Cathy, and then headed downstairs to make up some breakfast.  I intended to take a gluten-free bagel with vegan cream cheese with me to the race to eat afterwards, since my 3 year old nephew, Chace, had a tee ball game that morning.  But that wasn’t until 10:15 a.m.  And if the race started at 7:00 a.m., that would mean I’d have plenty of time to run and then hop into the car, come home, and eat some breakfast before heading out for the day.  That being decided, I poured a bowl of Cinnamon Chex for Cathy and for me, got us each a banana, and warmed her up an Udi’s Gluten-Free Lemon Muffin, per her request.

My parents, Cathy, and I all scarfed down breakfast and I hurried to brush my teeth and get my Garmin and Road ID on.  Then…we were packing into my parents vehicle and heading out to Hoover, Alabama.

I ran Veterans Park last year when I was down for the Making Tracks for Celiacs race.  I had an idea of what this course was going to entail.  For one thing, it’s the cross country course…so much of it is made up of loose gravel.  Once you officially head out of the park and over toward the school campus, the path gets even trickier.  HILLS.  Dangerous hills with loose gravel so you can’t really fly down them and you have to watch your step and footing running up them as well.  Yeah…this is a challenging course, with a monster hill right at the end.  But, at least I knew that this time.  When I was down here last year for Making Tracks for Celiacs…no clue.

We actually were some of the first to arrive.  In fact, as we drove in, Cathy pointed out that all the signage for this particular race showed that it started at 8:00 a.m.  Not 7:00 a.m. like the Web site told me.  Great.  So, now we were an hour early…which might mean I could be starving halfway into this race.  I have a fast metabolism, so when I run I plan my meals and snacks and fuel accordingly.  I didn’t bring anything with me, assuming that this would kick off at 7:00 a.m.

When I get there, I head over to the table that looks like where registration would be.  No one is really manning it, so I ask the woman standing there if this is where I pick up my race packet.  She seemed a bit lost, because, here I was, showing up way early, before all the volunteers were there, and before anyone was really ready.  She asked for my name and went and plucked a bag out from a box.  The volunteer handed me a waver notice that I had to sign for the City of Hoover.  So I did.  The bag was a nice reusable canvas bag from Birmingham’s running store The Trak Shak, and inside was my race t-shirt, a blue bracelet, a pin, and some gift certificates and cards for Sonic.  I gave those to my dad, as I really can’t eat anything at Sonic and our location closed anyway. I did, however, note that there was no race bib with a number included.  I found that odd.  And I sort of got all grumpy and upset over the fact that I wasn’t going to have a number for this race.  I even told my mom I’d rather just go home, forget I spent the $30.00, and run my 10 mile long run while it wasn’t raining, as it was supposed to be pouring when I was to put in my 10 mile run on Sunday.  She said it was my call.  I grumped and groaned about it to Cathy and she hurtfully said, “Well, we can just list this as a DNS (Did Not Start).”  Oh, you should have heard me when she said that.  No runner wants a DNS or a DNF (Did Not Finish).  And honestly, just forgetting I even signed up for this race was what I was going for.  The fact that she was going to hold me to it…give me a frickin’ DNS if I didn’t run it hurt me.  It stung.  I let her know that I didn’t like that at all.  She just shrugged.  And I pretended like I didn’t want to punch her for a moment.

But then…things started to get a little better…

More volunteers arrived.  And soon a sign appeared on one of the tables that had race numbers on it.  I allowed the girls manning that table a moment to get situated before heading up there to inquire about my race bib.  Sure enough…my preregistered number was there.  I was 716.  The two girls handed it over along with two safety pins.  I went over to where Cathy was seated and handed them to her.  She hates just having two pins, so after declaring her dissatisfaction with that, my dad went over to the table and snagged two more for her.  She pinned me up, and more racers arrived and got signed in to run.

A zumba dance thing was happening on the stage that was in the park.  We watched that, briefly, and then a few announcements were made.  Race time, 8:00 a.m., was fast approaching now, and I noticed a lot of the runners making their way away from the pavilion and toward the start/finish line.  I didn’t line up yet, but as announcements and some information about the race and the charity that it benefited were given.  We had a nice blessing over the race and then we all started to line up.

I was near the front, but not right up front.  There were some cross country runners here, and quite a few native race veterans from the chatter I heard.  Two ladies behind me were talking about their friend up at the front, saying how she always wins…so that was interesting.  We were all just anxious to get started, so finally the announcer counted us down…and sent us off.

And so…I hit that loose gravel path running as much as I dared.  I wanted to be careful and take this race easy.  After all, I didn’t want to risk injury before my upcoming half marathon.  That being said, early on I found myself passing quite a few people that had been closer to the front.  I just kept moving, kept going, focusing on the path ahead.

Good thing too.  About a quarter mile or so into the race, there was this huge gap in the course.  It was at least, at least two feet wide with water running through it.  Apparently, off to the side was a pedestrian bridge, but there were no volunteers to point the runners that way.  I did what the guys in front of me did…and took a leap of faith.  This fault line of sorts was nearly the death of me.  I have short legs, and I barely landed on my toes on the other side, leaning forward in an attempt to not fall into the giant opening in the Earth.  That was close.  And it really rattled me.  But, I just kept moving.

Signs and volunteers, many of them Boy Scouts, were along the path to guide runners (and later the walkers) in the right direction.  I scurried around the little lake, dodging a fly fisherman as he worked his fishing pole, and continued on.  I was hoping, as we rounded the lake and headed back toward the park that I wouldn’t have to leap over the fault again.  Thankfully…I didn’t have to.  Whew.

Heading back toward the park, we were diverted away from the finish area to head around the tennis courts.  As I made the turn, Cathy peaked her head out to cheer me on.  And one of the volunteers applauded and said, “First lady!”

Really?  I was the first female?

That was new.

From there, we made our way across the road and toward the school campus.  A water station was there, but I bypassed it and kept my momentum for the hill I had to climb.  Not easy.  I made it up and started down, realizing again that I needed to be careful of my footing on those steep downhills, which meant, leaning back and not allowing gravity to take over.

There were three men ahead of me, that much I knew.  I was now entering the shady wooded area of the race, where the trees offered brilliant shade.  But it was quiet.  I could see flashes of the pink shirt of the guy ahead of me, so I pressed on, winding through the wooded path, watching my footing on the hills, until I finally caught up to him as he approached the last giant hill.  He slowed to a stop, much like the guy ahead of me at Making Tracks for Celiacs the previous time I ran there.  But, just as I did last year, I pressed on and took on the hill.  It slowed me down, but I’ve trained on hills.  This one was certainly steeper than the ones I normally run on, and made up of roots, gravel and mud, but I got up it and found my momentum again.

Besides, I couldn’t let the pink shirted guy beat me to the finish line.  He was wearing western boots, not running shoes.  It was a matter of pride and principle.

I dug in, scurrying back along the path, coming out of the trees.  I ducked back under the bridge and emerged to run, once again, back toward the park.  This time, however, I knew it was to the finish line.  I also knew that there was a runner not too far behind me, pink shirt and western boots aside, he was still a contender.  So, I just ran as hard as I could.  His buddies started screaming at him as I started in toward the finish line.

I could see my parents right at the finish.  My mom was holding up three fingers, shouting, “Come on, KJ!  Come on, baby!”  I crossed the finish line, paused my Garmin, and was handed a blue ribbon to go tie onto the Blue Ribbon Tree.  Cathy hurried over and said, “THIRD OVERALL!  FIRST FEMALE.”

Holy crap!!  I wasn’t aware of being the third one in, but as no women passed me, I knew I was first female in.

Let me say this again.

THIRD.  OVERALL.

Prior to the race, Cathy said as long as I  wasn’t in the top three racers in, then I we could leave right after the race.  Turns out…I was in the top three racers.  But, no one fussed about that at all.  The problem now was I needed to find out when awards would be given out.

First thing was first, however.  Cathy pointed out the two guys who came in ahead of me and I went over to see if I could get a picture with them.  They were happy to oblige.  Nathan was our first place finisher and Jim was our second place finisher.  Both were very nice guys and very good runners.  We talked a bit about upcoming races, and then we all sort of split off and did our own thing until awards were given.  Right…awards  I needed to find out about those.  So, I approached the same volunteer I first talked to that morning and she handed me a piece of paper with that information.  Awards were going to be done at 9:30 a.m.  This almost gave me enough time to go home, get my camera (for the baseball games that afternoon), change, and, most important, grab something to eat.  I was starving.

My dad said that we would be cutting it close by going all the way home.  So, my mom was going to send him, and I started rattling off everything I would need.  He wasn’t sure he could remember it all, so my mom said she would go with him and Cathy and I could stay at the park and wait for them…and for the start of the awards.  She said as long as they didn’t get stopped by a train, they should be back just in time.  We saw them off and then went to sit down in the pavilion.

No sooner had we settled in, my mom texted to say a train had them stopped.  Naturally.  Contact went silent after that, and I was just hoping it was a short train and they were getting everything I had asked for them to grab, toast my gluten-free bagel, slap it with vegan cream cheese, and then make it back in time.

Unfortunately, they were stopped by a train on the way back too.  And with the walkers having been sent off after a very, very long prayer, the time for awards was almost there.  Cathy and I stood up and made our way toward the stage area.  I stopped walking, glancing over toward the parking lot, hoping that my parents would get back in time.  No sign of them.  So here they were able to see me place in the top three for the first time ever…but they were going to miss the awards.

I was frustrated, and very sad.

But luck was with me again.  They just happened to start with awards for the men first, not the overall winners, as most races do.  So, this bought some time.  They were just at the Men 20 – 29, when I saw my dad heading my way with my bagel and my mom a few steps behind him with my change of clothes.  YAY!  They made it.

I downed the bagel as they went through the awards, realizing that overall awards were going to be given at the end.  I had fun cheering and clapping for those who stuck around to get their awards.  I love seeing award ceremonies, even if I don’t win.  And then…overall awards were given.

I was the first up, being that I was the third overall finisher.  My award was a beautiful bronze medal and an envelope stuffed with gift cards for local Birmingham businesses and restaurants worth $116.00.  So awesome.  When my name was called, Cathy, mom, and dad all cheered loudly.  I love my cheering section.

The awards for first and second overall were also awarded, to Jim and Nathan, whom I had spoken to soon after my finish and got my picture with afterwards as well.  And then, I scurried off to change and head off to get the rest of the day underway.  I had nephews to cheer for at the ballpark after all.

So, while this race got off to a rocky (literally) start, in the end, it was totally worth the drive.  I had a good time running this challenging course and I was thrilled my parents were attending the first race I ever placed as an overall winner.  It was a very proud moment…and they continued to let me know how very proud they were of me.  Yeah…totally worth it.

No new PR this time…but one amazing run in the presence of the two people who mean the world to me.  So glad my parents were there to encourage me and motivate me to push all the way to the end…to one of my best finishes yet.  Not bad for a rocky, hilly, treacherous course, yes?  Sometimes races have a way of making us stronger.  I definitely found my strong in Birmingham.

Race: Papa John’s 10 Miler

Place: Louisville, Kentucky

Date: April 6, 2013

Time: 1:18:52

I hate not being at the top of my game for a race.  It doesn’t happen often.  In fact, this year has marked the first time since I took up running where I have actually run while sick.  It just hasn’t happened to me before.  But these past two races in the Louisville Triple Crown of Running have proven that even when my body is fighting off sickness…it can do amazing things.  Even when I doubt it.

Bronchitis sucks.  It sucks regardless, but it sucks even more when you are a runner.  Breath control is so important when it comes to running…and when each breath is a wheezing gasp, it sort of makes an easy run feel that much harder.  I started to come down with bronchitis on March 17th, just after the Run For The Gold 3K in Frankfort, Kentucky.  Since then, it has been a struggle for me to train for my upcoming races, particularly my half marathon in 27 days up in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  But, I’ve trained through it.  I’ve slowed down…because I don’t like breaking into a coughing fit…and I’ve come to terms with between the end of this bronchitis and the start up of allergy season…this might turn into an interesting spring racing season for me.

Oy vey!

To put it bluntly…on Saturday morning, when I woke up and got dressed to go run in the Papa John’s 10 Miler…I felt off.  I felt very off.  I’d take a step and I’d lose my balance.  This hadn’t happened before.  But, no time to worry with it.  I had cereal to eat, coffee to make and then consume, and a race to get to.

My roommate work up about 45 minutes after I was up.  I usually like to get up over an hour ahead of her so I don’t feel rushed, but she wanted to be down at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium at 7 a.m., and she is notoriously S-L-O-W in the morning and I really, really, really didn’t want a 4 a.m. wake-up.  So, I set my alarm for 5 a.m., told myself that I would immediately get up and make coffee (she can’t drink hers right from the pot…it has to sit and cool down for like 20 minutes…but, get this, she doesn’t like cold coffee either…) so it would be ready.  I got the coffee pot working and went to go slip into the other uniform my company purchased for me to run in.  NCL representing in Louisville!  WOOT!

This uniform is red…and…as this was Saturday, the Louisville men’s basketball team was attempting to make their way into the Final Four…so I knew red was going to be one popular color.  So that Cathy would be able to spot me at the end of the race, I decided to wear my pink compression socks and a bright orange BondiBand.  This BondiBand just happened to be the exact one I wore to last year’s race…that declares: Beat The Hill!  It seems fitting, given that the 3 middle miles of this race are spent inside one of Louisville’s hilliest parks: Iroquois.

I figured my clashing, but colorful, attire would at least make it a bit easier to see me coming as I rounded into the stadium and headed for that finish line.  Hey…runner’s don’t have to match and I love being, as my co-worker puts it, “Rainbow Brite.”  Which means…the more colors, the better.  And the brighter…the better.  I laugh at people who are afraid of being a riot of color.  Running isn’t about being a fashionista, it’s about being a fastiniesta!

So, when Cathy dragged her hiney out of her room, I handed her a bowl of cereal and sat down with my own and a cup of coffee.  I ate and got my small dose of caffeine then went to clean my dishes.  I was pretty much set to go, except to brush my teeth.  So, I did that, gathered up what I needed and let her pin my bib onto my shirt.  She scrambled around making last minute additions to her packing in her backpack, added my SmartWater and my Arbonne vegan chocolate protein shake.  She grabbed the sign and we headed out to make the drive over the river to Louisville and attempt to find parking around Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.

Believe it or not, parking was super easy.  So, we were now down there with plenty of time to kill.  Oh well.  We wandered up toward the stadium and I ducked inside to use the bathroom, you know…the kind that has a flushing toilet and running water (I am a princess!).  With that, we went to take the stairs up to the bridge that would then take us over a hill, around a corner, past the busy Starbucks and a line of port-a-potties to about where the start was going to be.  The starting gate was inflated and ready to go…but no one was really up that way yet.  Everyone sort of hung back and did their stretching and whatever pre-race rituals they have.

I moved away from the wafting air of the port-a-potties and began to do my usual pre-race stretches.  I wanted to make sure I got plenty of stretching in because I knew those hills at Iroquois Park were going to be difficult, even on the tale end of bronchitis.  I don’t run Iroquois Park much due to it being way out of the way.  Cherokee, Seneca, and the little park over near where I live…I run those often.  Not Iroquois.  It isn’t in the best part of Louisville for one thing…and it just, as I said, isn’t really convenient for me to run in.  I think I should start doing more of it so I can really work on those hills.

With my muscles stretched, I finally saw some movement of runners up toward the starting line…so Cathy and I made our way up that way as well.  I shed the hoodie I was still wearing, given the air was still a bit chilly at that point.  Just nudging up toward 50 degrees.  It was perfect weather for the run.  I was just going to run what felt comfortable to me.  No sense pushing too hard and throwing myself into a coughing fit.  That was the plan.  The National Anthem was sung and we all stood there, with no flag, but still respectful.  And then…we were told that we had about 10 minutes to the start of the Papa John’s 10 Miler.  So, Cathy gave me a hug and told me to have a great run…and then she disappeared, leaving me standing with my peeps…the other runners who were just as eager to get underway.

The wheelchair racers (there were two of them this year…one in a racing chair and one in a regular chair) were sent off a minute before the rest of the pack was.  The countdown was on.  And soon, we had the “Runners…set.”  And the air horn sent us off on our way once again.

It took about a minute to get up to the starting line.  I hit my Garmin and stepped over the sensor.  And I never heard my Garmin beep, so I hit it again…saw Cathy…waved…and kept on trekking with the group I was with.  I glanced down once at my Garmin and noticed it wasn’t even counting my time…so I restarted it and was now a bit off for the rest of the race.  But…I wasn’t going to utilize the Garmin.  I just wore it because…I always do.

And so, we wennt down Third Street, where Churchill Downs was visible in the early morning light.  The first mile had us winding through neighborhoods and down the streets toward Iroquois Park.  A water stop came up very early and I think most runners chose to bypass it and keep on trekking.  The first three miles of this race are relatively flat, except for a few minor inclines in the road.  Nothing too taxing.  But after you wind down Southern Parkway and over on to New Cut Road…Iroquois Park is straight ahead.  And that means…it’s time to run for the hills.

The route through Iroquois Park was winding and hilly.  We enter the park near a small playground and immediately hit the path that will take us by the beautiful amphitheater and into the wilderness.  Don’t get me wrong, I find Iroquois Park stunning and beautiful.  The races I run there are always challenging and push me to the very brink of my ability.  And I always tell myself to dig deep and find my strong.  But today…I was being zen…this race was just about getting to that finish line.  And that seemed daunting when my legs got their first taste of the hills that awaited me.  Not only did my legs feel the burn, but so did my lungs.  For the first time since starting the run, I was no longer breathing easy.  I had that lingering phlegm in my throat, that no matter how often I cleared it…would come right back.  The lungs were definitely not happy with the additional effort.  But, when I signed up for the Triple Crown of Running, I didn’t count on having bronchitis either.  You just do what you can and hope for the best.

Somehow, I managed those hills and fought the burn in my chest and throat and rocked out those three miles through the park.  I pushed myself just enough to feel the effort on the uphills, and I coasted on the downhills.  I grabbed a water bottle just after Mile 4 and took a sip just to get something wet in my throat.  I tossed the rest of it and continued on.  And that was all it took.  With a great deal of determination, I made the turn out of Iroquois Park and back onto Southern Parkway.  That meant that I was down to the final four miles.  I knew I could do this.  I was suddenly feeling a lot better about the race now that I was through the most challenging part.

There is one thing that I will always applaud this race for, and it is the scattered entertainment along the way.  The various DJs that spun out tunes as we ran past were very much appreciated.  I no longer run with an iPod in races, finding that it is more of a hindrance than a help.  I run better without a pace being set for me.  I know, I used to whine and complain about not being able to wear my headphones…now, I’m happy to leave them behind.  The evolution of a runner.  Anyway, the music was great and some runners, like Fleet Feet Louisville’s very own Jeff Wells, hopped out of the course to go and boogie to Love Shack.  It made me smile and I was having a blast.

Before I knew it, I was coming up on Mile 9, right at the corner of the Starbucks…the very one we started near.  I could see Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium and knew I just had to get up that hill and from there, it was straight on down, into the stadium, and across that finish line.  It was hard.  My legs were not feeling the last hill here…but I was so close.  I pushed, and I fought my way up that hill and when I crested it, I coasted down with other runners and pressed on toward the turn that would take us toward the stadium.

I remembered how difficult it was to go from asphalt to AstroTurf from the previous run, but I still hit that softer surface and had to regather my footing a bit.  That is NOT an easy transition.  That being said, the finish line was a short spin around the football field.  I rounded that first corner…and could hear Cathy yelling at me.  I rounded the next corner and the finish line was ahead.  I attempted to give some kick to my step…whether that worked or not, I don’t know.  I’m still working on that final kick at the end of the race.  And with bronchitis…I wasn’t pushing it.

And I finished.  I finished strong.  And smiling.  And I felt great.  The Brightroom photographer up on the ladder leaned down and said, “Congratulations, Karen!”  No, my name is not on my bib…he notices my sign at every race.  Does that mean you’re famous when the race photographers recognize you and can call you by name?  LOL!

Anyway…the official results of the 2013 Papa John’s 10 Miler were that I finished in 1:18:52 seconds, shaving over 10 minutes off my time from last year.  I couldn’t believe it.  Especially since I felt I ran Iroquois much better last year.  Shaving 10 minutes off of a finishing time is awesome.  And that happened when I was having gluten issues, retaining water, and fighting bronchitis.  ROCK ON!!  I was 525/6108 overall, the 91/3466 female to cross the finish line, and I was 20/600 in my division.  I couldn’t be more proud of myself.

After the race, I made my way out to the recovery area and spotted Cathy with the sign.  I ran up a hill and we celebrated with much screaming and jumping over my new PR for a 10 mile race.  I enjoyed a banana and my Arbonne protein shake.  And then…we made our way out to attempt to get to our car.

If I haven’t said it enough, I am going to say it again…the Louisville Triple Crown of Running is such a great race series.  This is the second year I have participated in all three races and I am very much looking forward to doing it again next year.  Maybe even getting a little faster…a little stronger…and a little bit better on those hills.  But of all the races, I’ve always loved the 10 Miler the most.  Why?  I love distance races so much better than 5Ks and the like.  Which makes this race so ideal for me…not a sprinter…but one who is in it for the long run.

One thing I did notice, though…last year I stated in my blog that at each of the Triple Crown races, I set a new PR.  The same held true this year.  How awesome is that?  Oh yeah, I’m already gearing up for next year!

Race: Rodes City Run 10K

Place: Louisville, Kentucky

Date: March 23, 2013

Time: 47:40

Breathing is highly overrated.  Not really.  But this race just went to prove how important breath control is when you are running.  I’m battling bronchitis…and on the morning of the Rodes City Run 10K…the last thing I really felt like doing was running.  Every breath I took was a rattling, wheezing mess in my lungs.  My nose was stuffed.  My body was just tired and worn out, fighting off this nasty bug.  The sheer act of climbing out of bed was enough to make me want to climb back in and take a long, long nap.

I felt like death.

No really.  I felt…like death.  Sort of looked like death too.

It was enough to think that all my attempts the previous night to feel better were a waste of time and money.

After picking up my packet at Louisville Slugger Field after work on Friday, my roommate and I headed out to Oxmoor Mall…for my prerequisite night-before-the-big-race gluten-free pizza.  I still had money on a gift card for BJ’s Brewhouse, and since they have gluten-free pizza…it was a logical choice.  We kept the toppings easy…cheese, mushrooms, roasted red peppers.  And then, as a treat for making it through the week, and because I wasn’t feeling good, we also split one of their gluten-free chocolate chip Pizookies.  Which, while calorie content might be insane, I didn’t care…because the cookie was warm, gooey, delicious, and the vanilla ice cream was melty and creamy and…oh…so good.  Hey, sometimes you just have to treat yourself, right?

As I was not feeling good, my roommate hauled me over to Teavnana in the mall and had them brew me up a cup of Sick Tea.  Which was really good and just what my body needed.  Afterwards, we made a few stops at some of our grocery stores while we were out on Shelbyville Road, so we could avoid it on Saturday.  I bought a tea specifically for colds at Whole Foods.  Then, I hit up Walgreens for Vaporub, Mucinex, and Halls, and hoped my self-medication would knock this out of me overnight so I could at least have a good run.

That was wishful thinking.  As I mentioned, despite downing tea, Mucinex, and slathering my chest and feet (yes…my feet!) in Vaporub, I woke up with a deeper rattle in my chest that was a bit more persistent than the day before.  My nose was still stuffed.  And I felt…like death.  Have I mentioned that before?

That being said, I went ahead and got cereal into bowls for breakfast, grabbed a few protein bars for pre-race snacks, and started the coffee maker.  While the coffee was running, I went ahead and brewed more of the tea for colds and let it steep.  Which meant I had time to drink that down just as my roommate was waking up.  So, cereal, I sip of water, and then coffee followed.  I didn’t take my Mucinex in the morning because I was reading online that taking cold medicine before a race isn’t the best idea.  I decided to slog it out without any and take some immediately following the race.  I tucked a bunch of tissues into my shirt sleeves and more into my jacket for pre-race, and we got into the car to head into downtown Louisville to find parking.

That wasn’t as difficult as we anticipated and we ended up parking in an open lot a short walk from the start in front of the Brown Hotel.  And…extra bonus…it was only $3.50 to park.  NICE!  So, we tossed our stuff into the trunk and started hiking in the cold morning air toward where the start of the race was.

We were so early…the start line wasn’t even up yet.  And, because this race is held in the midst of downtown…there really was nowhere we could duck into to keep warm.  That was something I didn’t need to worry about the year prior, as it was quite warm for that race.  I remember being really hot at the finish line.  Standing around outside last year was awesome.  No problem.  This year…I was shivering and fighting my need to stretch.  Cold weather means you best be good about your stretching.  Get those muscles warm and keep them warm.  But I couldn’t get myself warm.  So…thirty minutes before the race, I at my No Gii Protein Bar and did a few lunges, stretches, high knees, butt kickers, knee circles and some hip circles.

As I was warming up, a photographer from Brightroom came over, noticing the sign that Cathy has at every race.  He said that he sees that sign at every local race and looked at me and asked if I was Karen.  I nodded and said I was and he asked if he could get a picture.  Of course.  So we posed with the sign.  And then he reminded me he needed to see my race number, so the warm fleece jacket was unzipped and pictures retaken.  The legendary sign does it again.  After that…I ended up shucking the jacket and hoodie I had layered over my cold weather running top (I think if I hadn’t been sick…the running skirt and short sleeves would have been on regardless) and removed an extra tissue and a cough drop.

With the start line up, people were already filling the starting area, so I gave Cathy a hug and she wished me luck and told me to have a good race.  I looked at her, and practically in tears, I said, “It will be slow.”  I, to this very moment, can’t believe how much it pained me to say that.  Probably because I have been feeling so good about this race series.  I’ve been training through the winter, getting stronger at racing, and just loving the runs.  I was loving nothing about running this morning.  Fighting back tears, I folded a tissue into my hand and went to find a spot to stand for the start of the race.  I found a little pocket that was about 30 feet back from the start line and tucked in there.  Lots of people were talking…discussing the race and their strategy to run it.  I was just hoping not to die from lack of oxygen.

The National Anthem was sung and we all fell silent and paid due respect to our flag.  A minute before the official start, the four wheelchair racers were sent off on the course.  It was almost time to go.  I popped the cough drop into my mouth in hopes that it might ward off any coughing fits like those I’d been experiencing in my training runs for my upcoming half marathon.  The starting area snugged up and then we were sent off with the air horn.  At least…I think an air horn sent us off.  Because most everything is a foggy memory to me…damn bronchitis.

The crowd I was standing in began the starting line shuffle…slowly moving toward the actual starting gate.  It took me less than a minute, I think, to reach the line…and I was off.  I started my Garmin and darted over the sensors at the start.  I spotted Cathy with the sign and gave a wave, but she didn’t see me.  I could tell.  And…off I went.

The race starts on East Broadway, which we basically run all the way down until we hit Grinstead.  This is a good stretch of downtown Louisville.  And…this also had the wind blowing right at us for the first couple miles of the race.  You just suck it up and go.  Or in my case, wheeze through it.  I was running slower than I like…but not taking it easy either.  I knew I wasn’t hitting my normal race pace, but I had to push myself a little.  It’s race after all.  Not that I enter the Triple Crown of Running to win anything.  I am not that fast of a runner at all.  I enter it because it is one of the best race series in this area and I had SO much fun with it the year before.  That being said, even with bronchitis, I felt that while taking it easy I still needed to challenge myself.  I told myself I’d listen to my body…and my body was still sounding a lot like Pumba rustling through the African desert for grubs.  UGH!  Stupid lungs!

I survived the first mile, which was an accomplishment all its own in the cold air.  My body was fighting every breath.  I was struggling.  I could tell my legs were fighting each time I pushed off the pavement.  I was pretty certain a lot of that had to do with the fact that it was a struggle to just draw breath…and breathing is integral to running.  So…color me screwed!

Mile 2 was up next and I was thankful to have made it this far.  I navigated the water stop and continued on my way.  The turn onto Grinstead to take the road around Cave Hill Cemetery was ahead.  And I remembered that path from the previous year I ran.  Little bits and piece of the course were filtering into my head.  I guess it was one way to keep my mind off the rattle in my lungs and the chesty cough that I let out every now and again.

Mile 3 meant we were past the “hilly” portion of the race and what remained was virtually flat.  Awesome.  And I was running through that halfway point before I knew it.  I made no attempt to glance at clocks or my watch…because I didn’t want to know.  I just wanted to run my race and make it to the finish line.  It was the only goal I set considering how I felt.

Around the cemetery I went with a large group of runners and then Mile 4 clicked by.  Two more to go…plus the added .2 for the 10K mark and I was home free.  I wheezed, I coughed, I gave my all and pressed on through the next mile.  One more to go.  When I made the turn onto East Main Street, I knew that it was a straight shot down toward Slugger Field, around a corner, and then onward to the finish line at the waterfront.  The last mile had me at least entertained by a couple of guys who started singing Wham songs.  I don’t know why…they did.  And it was what I needed to take my mind off my rough breathing and just laugh (or cough, in my case) a little.

I made the turn and could see that finish line ahead.  So, with whatever reserve power I could find, I made the final turn onto the straightaway to the finish line and just…powered as much as I could toward that gate.  I ran as fast and as hard as I dared and could manage.  My body was just tired and worn out.  It was fighting bronchitis.  It was fighting the cold.  But I really just needed to hit that finish line.  I did.  I threw my arms up in the air, then gave a wave to Cathy before stopping my Garmin.

And somehow…even with bronchitis…even with feeling like death…I pulled off a new PR, beating my previous 10K time by 4 minutes.  I was shocked.  I was surprised.  I am still trying to figure out how I managed it.

That being said, upon spotting Cathy in the finish area, I walked over to her, saying, “I…I can’t breathe.  I…I can’t…I can’t breathe.” I couldn’t.  Each breath was a rattle and a gasp.  She told me to head down toward the water and she’d meet me there.  So, I slowly began to walk that way.  I grabbed a cup of water and slowly sipped on it, feeling how fast my heart was beating, how hard it was to even draw in a single breath.  I coughed hard a few times.  Finished up the water and spotted Cathy as I grabbed one more cup.

I asked her for my jacket…which is something I never do after a race.  Even on the coldest race mornings, after running I’m usually too warm to even want my jacket back, even if the temperature is cold.  But I was chilled to the bone, and all I wanted was to be warm.  As we were standing around, another runner came over and congratulated me on a good race.  She said she spotted me at Mile 4 and used me as a pacer for her.  We stood around and talked for awhile about races and sparkle skirts (she was wearing one and is good friends with the creators) and all that crazy stuff.  We congratulated each other again, then I went to grab a small banana to split with Cathy as we made our way back toward the car.  No hanging around this time…I wanted some breakfast and to get warm.

As we were walking to the car, I woman runner noticed the sign and asked who was running the Chicago Marathon.  I told her I was and that sparked a conversation as we all walked through downtown toward our respective parking areas about marathons.  She ran Boston a couple years back and said that while everyone talks about Heartbreak Hill…the entire course is hilly.  This made me laugh…and cough.

I love my fellow runners.  We said goodbye to downtown by piling into my car and making our way to Annie May’s Sweet Café for gluten-free donuts and a gluten-free/allergen-free/vegan breakfast sausage and “cheese” sandwich.  I changed clothes before eating and did my best to warm up with a good breakfast post-race.  It was a good day…and I was actually surprised…and quite proud of my accomplishment.  I wonder what I could have pulled off had I been feeling 100%.  Maybe I can figure that out next year.

So, as it stands, the official results for the Rodes City Run 10K are that I finished in 47:40.  It was a new 10K PR for me, despite being sick!  Wow.  I was the 523/6572 finisher overall and the 97/3694 woman to cross the finish line.  And I was 25/609 in my age division.  Not too shabby for a girl running while having a hard time breathing and battling bronchitis.  I’ll take that.

Next year…Rodes City Run 10K…I intend to take you on stronger and much, much healthier.  But…good race.  I might have felt like death that morning, but the race definitely put a little life into me.