Have Cheer Squad... Will Travel

It has been two weeks since my ½ marathon so when I heard about a local 5k race I thought, what the heck, may as well get moving again.  (Plus I think I am really into race bling and willing to do whatever it takes to get a finishers medal.)  I knew I would have my work cut out for me because the hubs had to work so I would be pushing the kids in the stroller.

My cheer squad enjoying the
fruits of my labor

We hung out towards the back of the pack as we waited to start.  The race officials asked that those with strollers wait until the last few waves so the serious runners could get off and moving, and I get that.  So when it was our turn we headed out; my cheer squad was in full effect.  “Go faster mommy, catch up with those people mommy, I’m hungry mommy, I want a snack!”  

Despite the 4 year old’s nagging I did manage to keep a pretty good pace and am happy with my finish, plus the last mile was all downhill. With the weight of the stroller pulling me, I had a pretty nice pace- well below my average per mile pace. 

The one thing that was great about this race was the lack of ‘hotshot’ runners (no offense to you gifted, fast runners).  This race was geared for those completing their fist 5k or half marathon, running or walking or a combo of both.  Everyone there had worked very hard to get there; each of them had a story and there were certainly some noteworthy accomplishments.    The race atmosphere was fun and the support crews were great at encouraging the participants

We finished the race and went back home for a few hours, only to return so the little Miss could participate in the kids fun run.  It struck me when we got there because a 5k participant was just crossing the finish line.  I didn’t get to see their face but what an amazing person.  It also made me appreciate all the work I’ve done; amazingly enough I managed a 6^th place in my age group for the race.  I think I have found my people!

6th Place - Unbelievable!

Overall though it occurred to me that yesterday’s race was someone else’s Victoria.  Some of those participants had been working for months, this was their Victoria for 2015, and crossing that line had great significance to them.  So congratulations to those who completed their Victoria.  I cannot wait to see how that feels in June.  

My little inspiration! 

Instant Swimmer - Just Add Water

Yesterday I went back to the pool.  It was my first time swimming in well over 6 weeks and my first time back in the pool since August.  I was at a pivotal point; go back or risk not going back for a LONG time and then being afraid to go back at all.  So off I went. 

Thankfully it wasn’t that busy.  The summer hours for lap swim are frequently busy and sharing a lane with 3 people is pretty common.  It’s also full of ‘kid’ residue but let’s not go there.  (Once this summer I had to cut my swim short because there was so much ‘stuff’ floating around in the water I lost my ability to put my head down – PUKE!)  

Thank the good Lord it hasn't been this bad.

But yesterday was a different story – It was the regular off season crowd of seniors doing water aerobics.  I am not sure why I was so incredibly worried about going swimming; it is something I have been doing at least weekly for the last 18 months... well except the last several weeks, anyway...  I jumped in and started swimming.  After about 200 yards I thought to myself “holy crap my arms are TIRED.”  This is bad news for me because six weeks ago I could swim 1700 yards and it was no biggie.  But I kept going and managed to get in a solid 1000 yards before saying “ease yourself back in, don't overdo it or you'll regret it later" (later as in when I eat about a dozen Oreo's).

This is pretty much what I feel like in the pool, or any body of water for that matter, but I think this guy moves faster.

I have read that swimming comes back quickly and I hope this is true. I made a lot of progress over the summer on my speed and as of today, all that progress went buh-bye (as Russell would say).  I am not discouraged by any means because just getting back in the pool was the win for yesterday.  That and these killer goggle lines that I get to take back to work…

How cute am I - I mean really!!

It will be interesting to see how quick 'quickly' really is.  I think I have my work cut out for me but that's okay.  If it was easy everyone would do it and then I wouldn't be so awesome (insert eye roll here).  At any rate, it was a win for this winner.

Winner Winner Winner

Mental Toughness

I am 8 days post first half marathon.  As previously posted it was a very challenging race for me in terms of the mentality around mile 11. I was thinking there is no way I would ever do this again... unless required for Victoria 2016.  All that said, I know there will be some training runs leading up to Victoria that will be really close to 13.1, if not in fact 13.1 or farther (YIKES!).  

I was really hoping this race bling would be bigger...

I think stating that a half marathon is something I would never willingly do again was my way of coping with something that truly challenged me.  It was something that was physically tough, sure, but the real meat of that challenge came from the mental game I had to get through when it started to get hard. 

“Mental toughness is to physical as four is to one.”-Bobby Knight 

This is the kind of mental training I need a lot of over the next several months because there is no doubt in my mind that completing a 70.3 race will be mentally challenging.   Anyone who has done any kind of endurance activity will tell you that at some point your body will be able to handle the work, but you have to be able to keep your mind on the right path. It can be easy to go to ‘The dark side’ of yourself when things get tough.   Mental toughness is being able to fight through that and keep moving; it is what separates a finisher from a non-finisher. 

“You know that little voice in the back of your mind, telling you to stop? Well you can train that little voice. I taught mine to shut up.” -Unknown

Something like getting a flat tire on a course (or even a training ride) can completely derail someone who is physically prepared but not mentally.  You have to figure out how you are going to deal with the issue at hand and get moving again.  Then you have to figure out how to not get hung up on that incident, otherwise it will impact the rest of the race. 

“Even if you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward.” -Victor Kiam

So what does any of this have to do with last week? Well, as I have found with triathlon, my desire to ‘never do that again’ doesn’t stick around long.  I must have a horrible memory because today I started looking for another half marathon to sign up for.  Part of me wants the experience for the mental aspects so I can see if it would be better the second time.  The other part of me says ‘you’re an idiot.’

“If your going through hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill 

I think my difficult pregnancies gave me the ability to be mentally tough but to also quickly forget how truly awful those particular experiences were.  So maybe in that aspect I have a leg up on my toughest competition- myself.  I guess I am blessed with the uncanny ability to forget.  So I am sure I will find my next 'hell' right around the corner...

½ marathon, ½ crazy

Sometime in mid August I decided that I was training enough to justify trying a ½ marathon in October.  I signed up and never once thought I would fail.  I cannot recall a time in my life where I would have signed up for a ½ marathon with no qualms.  That alone astounds me. 

As soon as I signed up life started happening and my normal training regimen went way off track.  I ran a handful of times in September (less than 5) and once this month.  My longest run was 7 miles 3 weeks ago and it felt good so I was not worried about the race. 

Fast-forward the next 3 weeks – filled with life and sickness- and here was October 11, 2015 and time to ‘race’.  I still wasn’t worried. I solicited some advice from supportive training buddies and left for the race knowing I could do it. 

My plan was to run 4 minutes and walk 1 minute for the duration of the race. (Thanks Barb!)  As I drove to the race I was wondering if I would find ‘enough’ in this race.  After finishing my other triathlons I have always felt somewhat disappointed; I didn’t feel like it was enough for me.  Would this race be enough? Would this make me legit?

The first 6 miles were fantastic.  I was feeling really good.  At mille 4 I hit my runners high.  I was running and singing, feeling amazing.  By mile 7 I was starting to feel it and wondered how the next 6 were doable.  But I kept moving.  Around mile 10 it started to get hard because I was getting sore. 

By mile 11 my 1-minute of walking was actually painful as I started to stiffen up.  I also started to cry and I cannot explain why other than I felt it was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.  It ranks right up there with my 2 difficult pregnancies.  I pushed through and crossed the finish line ‘running.’ It was 2 hours and 26 minutes of constant movement.  A 12:41 pace.

I think my tears indicated that this truly was enough.  I have ZERO desire to ever run a marathon.  With this knowledge, Victoria 70.3 will certainly feel like an accomplishment.  Now, someone get me some Tylenol and Epsom salts.