(Top row left to right: Morgan, Hans, Jake, me; bottom row left to right: Ryan and Beau)
For the full-sized version of the photo, click here.
For the full-sized version of the photo, click here.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Finish Line Team Photo
I've been waiting to see the finish line photos. We look good, right?! Go Team 5!!!
Friday, May 24, 2013
It's been almost a week
I looked at the clock this morning, and it said 7:06. Freaky! How could it be the exact minute that I was pulling out of the driveway one week ago to start my Keys100 adventure?
This has been my post-race week (without being long-winded).
Monday: Sore! Like "sore" as in hard to sit down or stand up without falling into a chair or pulling myself up with my arms. Still was able to get 45 minutes done on the elliptical.
Tuesday: Still sore...but not as bad. I didn't look like a 95 year old person when trying to sit or stand. (It's improvement in baby steps, people! I'll take it where I can get it.) Got 50 minutes done on the elliptical.
Wednesday: Thought I was totally recovered, so I did the "fun run" in Stuart with some of the Sailfish Striders. At about mile 3, my legs started telling me that this wasn't fun any more. Of course, my brain told my legs to keep quiet and keep moving! Ended up getting in 5.9 miles and the end had a great, fast pace thanks to coming down the backside of the Ocean Ave bridge. Thanks, Steve & Juan, for being my running partners that night!
Thursday: Did my regular Thursday night routine: group run with the Team Essen folks in Palm City. Legs still felt a bit mushy, but I survived. The last two days made me realize that I think I do need another "rest day" (which I really don't like).
Friday: Today's going to be a "me day." We all need that every so often! My "me day" is kicking off now with a pedicure. The only way it could be better is if I had a glass of wine with me. But then I guess I'd be forced to choose between blogging & drinking the wine. Take one guess what would win out?! :-)
I'll be honest: it's weird not having anything to train for right now. I've got a 5k on Monday (Run for the Pineapple in Sewall's Point) and another one July 4th (Team Essen Dash & Blast in Palm City). Maybe instead of thinking "oh, it's a 5k, and I can do that in my sleep," I should focus on speed work & train to get faster. Would love to get my 5k time down closer to the 23 minute mark!
Julio asked me today if I'd being doing the relay race again soon. Doing it again: absolutely! Doing it soon: unfortunately not. Race season seems to be winding down. Gotta be due to the heat. Come on, runners, if you can race now, you'll really, really be able to run when the cooler weather gets here in the fall!
This has been my post-race week (without being long-winded).
Monday: Sore! Like "sore" as in hard to sit down or stand up without falling into a chair or pulling myself up with my arms. Still was able to get 45 minutes done on the elliptical.
Tuesday: Still sore...but not as bad. I didn't look like a 95 year old person when trying to sit or stand. (It's improvement in baby steps, people! I'll take it where I can get it.) Got 50 minutes done on the elliptical.
Wednesday: Thought I was totally recovered, so I did the "fun run" in Stuart with some of the Sailfish Striders. At about mile 3, my legs started telling me that this wasn't fun any more. Of course, my brain told my legs to keep quiet and keep moving! Ended up getting in 5.9 miles and the end had a great, fast pace thanks to coming down the backside of the Ocean Ave bridge. Thanks, Steve & Juan, for being my running partners that night!
Thursday: Did my regular Thursday night routine: group run with the Team Essen folks in Palm City. Legs still felt a bit mushy, but I survived. The last two days made me realize that I think I do need another "rest day" (which I really don't like).
Friday: Today's going to be a "me day." We all need that every so often! My "me day" is kicking off now with a pedicure. The only way it could be better is if I had a glass of wine with me. But then I guess I'd be forced to choose between blogging & drinking the wine. Take one guess what would win out?! :-)
I'll be honest: it's weird not having anything to train for right now. I've got a 5k on Monday (Run for the Pineapple in Sewall's Point) and another one July 4th (Team Essen Dash & Blast in Palm City). Maybe instead of thinking "oh, it's a 5k, and I can do that in my sleep," I should focus on speed work & train to get faster. Would love to get my 5k time down closer to the 23 minute mark!
Julio asked me today if I'd being doing the relay race again soon. Doing it again: absolutely! Doing it soon: unfortunately not. Race season seems to be winding down. Gotta be due to the heat. Come on, runners, if you can race now, you'll really, really be able to run when the cooler weather gets here in the fall!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
This sums it up
I've been asked why I did the Keys100. There are a ton of reasons, but here's a really good reason to do anything that's outside of your comfort zone.
Thanks, Lourdes, for posting this!
Thanks, Lourdes, for posting this!
Monday, May 20, 2013
Is it really possible...
...that I'm more sore today than yesterday?!
I know, it sounds ridiculous! You should've seen me trying to sit down or get up today. I must look like I'm 90 years old! But I did take my own advice about still exercising! (See, Bernadette, I'm not all talk! Haha!) Got in 45 minutes on the elliptical today. Minutes 0-3 had me wondering if that was a smart idea, but as soon as I got that done, either my muscles warmed up or they just gave up and went with the flow for the rest of the time. It helps that I can play Tetris & zone out.
This afternoon, I put my Keys100 sticker on my car. Had to take a picture of that and the cool finisher medal that was given out too.
How neat is that 100 sticker?! That's not something you see every day!
Got an email today from Melanie who was on the Pink Panthers team. She was asking how I was feeling. The big question, though, was whether I'd do the race again. Oh, I'm already thinking about it...and by "thinking about it," I mean envisioning how awesome it'll be to do it again!!!! I might've even inspired Bart, my Coastie cousin, to start training now for it. (Bart, now that this is out on the Internet, you can't back down because if it's on the Internet, it's got to be true!)
Do you know what's been really cool? So many people have written to me today to say they followed the blog all day Saturday! Thanks to those who checked it out before the race, during, and after. Oh, and Suzanne, you get the award for calling me while I was running on Saturday!
Hopefully the chicken legs are going to be back to normal or at least ready to run tomorrow. I'm not expecting 18+ miles out of them (at least not tomorrow), but a short 3 miler wouldn't be bad!!! :-)
I know, it sounds ridiculous! You should've seen me trying to sit down or get up today. I must look like I'm 90 years old! But I did take my own advice about still exercising! (See, Bernadette, I'm not all talk! Haha!) Got in 45 minutes on the elliptical today. Minutes 0-3 had me wondering if that was a smart idea, but as soon as I got that done, either my muscles warmed up or they just gave up and went with the flow for the rest of the time. It helps that I can play Tetris & zone out.
This afternoon, I put my Keys100 sticker on my car. Had to take a picture of that and the cool finisher medal that was given out too.
How neat is that 100 sticker?! That's not something you see every day!
Got an email today from Melanie who was on the Pink Panthers team. She was asking how I was feeling. The big question, though, was whether I'd do the race again. Oh, I'm already thinking about it...and by "thinking about it," I mean envisioning how awesome it'll be to do it again!!!! I might've even inspired Bart, my Coastie cousin, to start training now for it. (Bart, now that this is out on the Internet, you can't back down because if it's on the Internet, it's got to be true!)
Do you know what's been really cool? So many people have written to me today to say they followed the blog all day Saturday! Thanks to those who checked it out before the race, during, and after. Oh, and Suzanne, you get the award for calling me while I was running on Saturday!
Hopefully the chicken legs are going to be back to normal or at least ready to run tomorrow. I'm not expecting 18+ miles out of them (at least not tomorrow), but a short 3 miler wouldn't be bad!!! :-)
Sunday, May 19, 2013
A few interesting sets of numbers
According to RunKeeper, here's what was tracked from yesterday:
* 6 runs completed
* 18.64 miles covered
* 2 hours, 24 minutes, 36 seconds of running time
* 7 minutes, 45 seconds average pace
* 2298 calories burned
* 6 runs completed
* 18.64 miles covered
* 2 hours, 24 minutes, 36 seconds of running time
* 7 minutes, 45 seconds average pace
* 2298 calories burned
Things to remember
While it's fresh in my mind, I'll share some things to remember. Hopefully I'll come back to this list next year or it'll be helpful to anyone who's new to relay races of extended distances.
These go in no particular order, by the way.
1.) Don't be afraid to do the race with a bunch of "strangers." Nobody this whole weekend was unfriendly. There's a sense of comraderie among runners, so there's always a "connection."
2.) Bring multiples of anything you think you might need: visors, sunglasses, lip glosses or Chapsticks, running shorts/socks/tops/shirts/shoes.
3.) Practice running in the heat & sun! It's miserable, you'll hate it, you'll want to skip it; but come race day, you'll be happy that you did it!
4.) Document your experience. It was wonderful to have my netbook and be able to pop it open & blog whenever I wanted. Don't rely on others' Internet service; get an aircard and use it!
5.) Tell everyone & anyone that you'll be giving details via a blog. It's free and is so much easier than trying to do individual calls & emails. (The exception to this is obviously Grandma. She gets individual calls!)
6.) Towels! Bring 'em! One full sized one (like a beach towel) and some smaller ones (like hand towels).
7.) Ziplock bags are great for sectioning off your stuff within one bag. I Ziplocked each running outfit, had towels in another Ziplock, and had smaller stuff (lip balm, eye drops, deodorant, and a small pill box) in a sandwich bag. It's much easier to have things in bags than trying to dig through everything all thrown in one bag. Oh, and Ziplocks are great because if/when you change, you can seal your stinky duds!
8.) Someone on the team had the foresight to put an air freshener in the van! Great idea! Despite having most of our time with sweaty runners, the van never stank...that I noticed.
9.) Pickles! Great snack for sodium replacement, and the juice is good for preventing & relieving leg cramps. Thanks, SBDS, for that info! One of my teammates actually did the pickle juice trick twiced and said it was perfect!!!
10.) You can never have enough fruit! It was so nice to have such a variety in the van from which to choose! But, for the stuff that can be smushed, you might want to keep it in a cooler so it doesn't get beat up.
11.) Pack lightly, but don't skimp. You don't want to realize that you should've brought one more towel or one more pair of shoes. Keep in mind the size of your team vehicle. It might not have the size to accommodate 6 suitcases! (Everyone on Team 5 packed pretty lightly, including me!)
12.) Sunscreen - you can't leave home without it! I liked the spray kind.
13.) Regardless of the length of the run, meet the runner with a cold water and/or Gatorade (depending on his/her preference). If you don't know what is liked, bring both. It was so nice to have my teammates have something cold to drink when I finished a leg. I tried to reciprocate the gesture!
14.) Enjoy the view! For crying out loud, look around & not at the road! (I have to remind myself to do that.) For a race like the Keys100, there's so much to see & enjoy.
15.) When you're hanging out on the side of the road, cheer on other runners as they go by. It's greatly appreciated! I really got a nice "push" whenever that would happen.
16.) Compression sleeves are worth every penny! I can't imagine how sore my calves would be today if I didn't keep them on the whole time!
17.) The beer at the after-race party was Michelob Ultra, and boy, was it good!
18.) Bring cash, and take at least an extra $25 above what you think you'll need. Take it in smaller denominations so it's easy when trying to cover meals that all get put on one bill.
Think that's all for now. I'll probably come up with some others & will add to this list.
These go in no particular order, by the way.
1.) Don't be afraid to do the race with a bunch of "strangers." Nobody this whole weekend was unfriendly. There's a sense of comraderie among runners, so there's always a "connection."
2.) Bring multiples of anything you think you might need: visors, sunglasses, lip glosses or Chapsticks, running shorts/socks/tops/shirts/shoes.
3.) Practice running in the heat & sun! It's miserable, you'll hate it, you'll want to skip it; but come race day, you'll be happy that you did it!
4.) Document your experience. It was wonderful to have my netbook and be able to pop it open & blog whenever I wanted. Don't rely on others' Internet service; get an aircard and use it!
5.) Tell everyone & anyone that you'll be giving details via a blog. It's free and is so much easier than trying to do individual calls & emails. (The exception to this is obviously Grandma. She gets individual calls!)
6.) Towels! Bring 'em! One full sized one (like a beach towel) and some smaller ones (like hand towels).
7.) Ziplock bags are great for sectioning off your stuff within one bag. I Ziplocked each running outfit, had towels in another Ziplock, and had smaller stuff (lip balm, eye drops, deodorant, and a small pill box) in a sandwich bag. It's much easier to have things in bags than trying to dig through everything all thrown in one bag. Oh, and Ziplocks are great because if/when you change, you can seal your stinky duds!
8.) Someone on the team had the foresight to put an air freshener in the van! Great idea! Despite having most of our time with sweaty runners, the van never stank...that I noticed.
9.) Pickles! Great snack for sodium replacement, and the juice is good for preventing & relieving leg cramps. Thanks, SBDS, for that info! One of my teammates actually did the pickle juice trick twiced and said it was perfect!!!
10.) You can never have enough fruit! It was so nice to have such a variety in the van from which to choose! But, for the stuff that can be smushed, you might want to keep it in a cooler so it doesn't get beat up.
11.) Pack lightly, but don't skimp. You don't want to realize that you should've brought one more towel or one more pair of shoes. Keep in mind the size of your team vehicle. It might not have the size to accommodate 6 suitcases! (Everyone on Team 5 packed pretty lightly, including me!)
12.) Sunscreen - you can't leave home without it! I liked the spray kind.
13.) Regardless of the length of the run, meet the runner with a cold water and/or Gatorade (depending on his/her preference). If you don't know what is liked, bring both. It was so nice to have my teammates have something cold to drink when I finished a leg. I tried to reciprocate the gesture!
14.) Enjoy the view! For crying out loud, look around & not at the road! (I have to remind myself to do that.) For a race like the Keys100, there's so much to see & enjoy.
15.) When you're hanging out on the side of the road, cheer on other runners as they go by. It's greatly appreciated! I really got a nice "push" whenever that would happen.
16.) Compression sleeves are worth every penny! I can't imagine how sore my calves would be today if I didn't keep them on the whole time!
17.) The beer at the after-race party was Michelob Ultra, and boy, was it good!
18.) Bring cash, and take at least an extra $25 above what you think you'll need. Take it in smaller denominations so it's easy when trying to cover meals that all get put on one bill.
Think that's all for now. I'll probably come up with some others & will add to this list.
Leaving Key West
It's interesting to see the route yesterday...in reverse!
Sad to be leaving Key West, but it was amazing! (Yes, that's the word I keep going back to when describing this whole event. It just fits perfectly!)
Sad to be leaving Key West, but it was amazing! (Yes, that's the word I keep going back to when describing this whole event. It just fits perfectly!)
Good morning! It's post-race day!
Wow! What a truly incredible experience this has been! I write this to you as I sit in a chair, overlooking the water, with the sun rising just to my right and boats going by, all from the Key West Navy Base. Does it get any more awesome than this?
Let me catch you up on where things left off (blog-wise) yesterday. So Hans was doing 2 miles (from MM4 to MM2). The last place where a runner change could happen was right by Key West Airport, so the team van pulled in there, and we all got out to go wait for Hans' arrival. I had my music going and was pumped to be the official runner of the final relay leg of the day! At certain points during the race (the start, 25 miles in, 50 miles in, 75 miles in, and the end), a runner has to wear a timing band around his/her ankle and go through the designated area in order to get the time recorded. I had the band strapped to my ankle & was set!
One of the race rules is that if anyone is running after 7:30pm, that person must where reflective gear that can be seen 360 degrees around and there must be flashing lights on the front and back. The team purchased a reflective harness/belt/suspender type thingy on Friday. Because I was going to be the official last-leg runner, I had to have that on, so when Hans got to MM2, he transferred the get-up to me. Together, we both ran the last 2 miles down toward the finish line where we met up with the rest of the team with about a quarter mile to go. It was amazing to be able to have the whole team cross together! Beau had a Coast Guard flag that he carried, and we all wore our blue Run to Remember shirts. (Note to self: get a picture of the shirt!)
So here's an ironic moment. All day, I've had my phone with me so I could have my RunKeeper app going in order to know my pace, distance, and time. I was pretty good about starting it & stopping at at the right times. Of all of the times when I ran yesterday, when do you think was the ONLY time I forgot to stop it immediately? Yup, the finish line!!!! :-) But have no fear, it didn't take me that long to realize that it was still going, and I stopped it in time to still have that final leg's average pace be under 8 minutes per mile! If I had truly stopped it when we crossed the finish line, the average might have been another second or two faster; but at that point, does it really matter? We finished the Keys100!!!!!
Below is a snapshot of the day's activities from RunKeeper. Not too shabby, huh?
Here's a picture of the team after crossing the finish line. Notice the beers in our hands!
(The glowing stuff you see me trying to tuck behind my back is that reflective vest/harness/suspender thing-a-ma-bob.)
In addition to the finisher medals (which are quite cool, by the way), each person got a Keys100 sticker. I went back later & asked for a second one; I want one for my car and one for a yet-to-be-gotten race memories bulletin board that I've been wanting to do.
Let me catch you up on where things left off (blog-wise) yesterday. So Hans was doing 2 miles (from MM4 to MM2). The last place where a runner change could happen was right by Key West Airport, so the team van pulled in there, and we all got out to go wait for Hans' arrival. I had my music going and was pumped to be the official runner of the final relay leg of the day! At certain points during the race (the start, 25 miles in, 50 miles in, 75 miles in, and the end), a runner has to wear a timing band around his/her ankle and go through the designated area in order to get the time recorded. I had the band strapped to my ankle & was set!
One of the race rules is that if anyone is running after 7:30pm, that person must where reflective gear that can be seen 360 degrees around and there must be flashing lights on the front and back. The team purchased a reflective harness/belt/suspender type thingy on Friday. Because I was going to be the official last-leg runner, I had to have that on, so when Hans got to MM2, he transferred the get-up to me. Together, we both ran the last 2 miles down toward the finish line where we met up with the rest of the team with about a quarter mile to go. It was amazing to be able to have the whole team cross together! Beau had a Coast Guard flag that he carried, and we all wore our blue Run to Remember shirts. (Note to self: get a picture of the shirt!)
So here's an ironic moment. All day, I've had my phone with me so I could have my RunKeeper app going in order to know my pace, distance, and time. I was pretty good about starting it & stopping at at the right times. Of all of the times when I ran yesterday, when do you think was the ONLY time I forgot to stop it immediately? Yup, the finish line!!!! :-) But have no fear, it didn't take me that long to realize that it was still going, and I stopped it in time to still have that final leg's average pace be under 8 minutes per mile! If I had truly stopped it when we crossed the finish line, the average might have been another second or two faster; but at that point, does it really matter? We finished the Keys100!!!!!
Below is a snapshot of the day's activities from RunKeeper. Not too shabby, huh?
Here's a picture of the team after crossing the finish line. Notice the beers in our hands!
(The glowing stuff you see me trying to tuck behind my back is that reflective vest/harness/suspender thing-a-ma-bob.)
In addition to the finisher medals (which are quite cool, by the way), each person got a Keys100 sticker. I went back later & asked for a second one; I want one for my car and one for a yet-to-be-gotten race memories bulletin board that I've been wanting to do.
So, you're probably asking yourself, how did we do, right? Well, here it is! (http://keys100.com/index.php/2013-results/2013-teams) The winning team, which wasn't us, had a time of about 9 hours and 24 minutes. I haven't done the math yet, and I don't think my brain is functioning at that level yet, but I know that's fast! In fact, both the 1st place team from this year and the 2nd place team beat the previous record for a relay team that was set in 2010! Team 5 finished in 14 hours, 29 minutes, and 23 seconds. We were 39th out of 104 teams that did finish! Go Team 5!!!!
Overall, I couldn't have been more thrilled with this entire experience. And to think that it's been less than a month since I knew I'd be doing this makes it all the more special! Going into races, I usually set 2 goals for myself. (Well, maybe I should say "3 goals" with the first one being just to finish it, regardless of the distance, but that's probably understood, right????) My first goal is always a "I'd be happy if my pace was ____" type of goal. My second is a "I'd be really, really happy if my pace was ____." After joining Team 5 and learning that their pace last year was 8:22 per mile, my level 1 goal was to be able to have my overall pace average be under that, even if it was just by 1 second. (Notice that left me some leeway in case I had one really good run but then 2 not-so-good runs.) My level 2 goal was to have my overall pace average be under 8 minutes per mile. I truthfully wasn't sure I could do that. I knew I'd have a good run in the morning while the sun was still low, but didn't know if I'd blow it once it got super sunny & hot. You've got to ask Dave about my texts to him! After each run, I'd send my pace and be super excited that it was under 8 minutes per mile. As the day wore on, and (truthfully) I got tireder and tireder, I didn't know if I could keep it up...but I did! I met my level 2 goal! Woo hoo times a million!!!! Later today, maybe on the ride home, I'll try to do the math and see what the overall average pace was over the 6 legs I did. Have no fear, blog readers, I'll share it with you! I also want to see what my final distance was. Just estimating it from the RunKeeper info, I'm betting it was in the 18-18.5 mile range. Not too bad for these chicken legs, huh????
Speaking of the chicken legs, I'll be honest, they're sore. My calves feel like a million bucks, and I really think that's because I wore the Zensah compression sleeves all day! (So happy I never took them off despite the heat that was upon us from about 10am to 6pm!) Those sleeves are worth every penny! Plus, they're pink tie-dye! Does it get any cuter?! So the calves feel great, but my upper legs are sore. Maybe my million dollar idea should be for a compression thigh sleeve!! My feet feel good; no blisters at all! (Love those $15 Thorlo socks!!!) Didn't get sunburned at all, and that might be the biggest feat of the day! (I thought the UV index only went up to 10, but the Weather Channel app had the UV index at 11 yesterday!!!!)
I'll post more later, but before I go (for now), let me say "thanks" to each one of you who's either read the blog, emailed me, called me, texted me, or even just said "have a good race" before I left on Friday! Love & hugs to you all!!!!
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Headed to MM4!
Beau's out now & going from MM6 to MM4. Hans will do MM4 to MM2. Looks like they're giving me the final leg! Can you believe it??????? Me!!!!
7:34 pace!!!! Hell yeah!!!
You'll have to take my word on this since I'm too tired to post pictures (for now). My last run of 2 miles had a 7:34 pace! Holy moly! Tried to catch up to a CG air rescue swimmer so our team can beat his team. Didn't catch him, but made up some ground!!!!
12 hours in...
In literally just a few minutes, the team will have been running for 12 hours!
Almost done! We're at MM 16 waiting to get Beau; he'll hand off to Morgan who will go 2 miles, and then she'll hand off to me for 2 miles.
Weather is getting super nice!!! Sun is going down, air is feeling drier, and the end is almost in sight! Is anything better? Maybe the finish line!!!
Almost done! We're at MM 16 waiting to get Beau; he'll hand off to Morgan who will go 2 miles, and then she'll hand off to me for 2 miles.
Weather is getting super nice!!! Sun is going down, air is feeling drier, and the end is almost in sight! Is anything better? Maybe the finish line!!!
4th run done!
Who's missed me? More importantly, who was worried when I didn't update this for a while? Yeah, yeah, all of you, I'm sure! Love & hugs to you!!! :-)
So here's a update. After lunch, I had a tummy ache. Not sure why. I wasn't hungry, and I wasn't too full. The good news is that it's one of those that I can just stretch out, so once I was able to get out of the van & stand, I was pretty much good to go. Not sure where I left off as to who was running, but what we decided to do was have Beau finish his run (about 3 miles, I think), then Morgan went for 2, and then I went for what I thought was 2.1 miles. Well, my RunKeeper got to 2, got to 2.1, got to 2.2, then 2.3, then 2.4, next was 2.5, and I'm beginning to ask myself if I heard 2.1, but the team meant 3.1! Sh*t! Well, the good news is that I didn't have to go to 3.1 miles. It ended up being 2.57 miles. Whew! I was beat after that, and soooooooooo happy to see Ryan to hand off the bracelet to him!
Below are some stats & the map. I'm still under 8 minutes per mile for all of my runs, but I'll be totally honest, this is hard!!!! (You must be rolling your eyes and saying, "Really, you thought it would be easy?!")
Here's what I've done so far (according to RunKeeper), but keep in mind that run 3 was really a bit longer since I couldn't get the app to start right away: 4.89 miles, 4.05 miles, 2.86 miles*, and 2.57 miles. What's that total? Seriously, my brain is fried, but I'm still lovin' it! Go Team 5!!!
Woo hoo!
So here's a update. After lunch, I had a tummy ache. Not sure why. I wasn't hungry, and I wasn't too full. The good news is that it's one of those that I can just stretch out, so once I was able to get out of the van & stand, I was pretty much good to go. Not sure where I left off as to who was running, but what we decided to do was have Beau finish his run (about 3 miles, I think), then Morgan went for 2, and then I went for what I thought was 2.1 miles. Well, my RunKeeper got to 2, got to 2.1, got to 2.2, then 2.3, then 2.4, next was 2.5, and I'm beginning to ask myself if I heard 2.1, but the team meant 3.1! Sh*t! Well, the good news is that I didn't have to go to 3.1 miles. It ended up being 2.57 miles. Whew! I was beat after that, and soooooooooo happy to see Ryan to hand off the bracelet to him!
Below are some stats & the map. I'm still under 8 minutes per mile for all of my runs, but I'll be totally honest, this is hard!!!! (You must be rolling your eyes and saying, "Really, you thought it would be easy?!")
Here's what I've done so far (according to RunKeeper), but keep in mind that run 3 was really a bit longer since I couldn't get the app to start right away: 4.89 miles, 4.05 miles, 2.86 miles*, and 2.57 miles. What's that total? Seriously, my brain is fried, but I'm still lovin' it! Go Team 5!!!
Woo hoo!
Time to eat!
With Hans doing the 7 Mile Bridge, we had time to swing by a Publix. I'm being very careful with what I eat. Would rather be on the "too light" side with all of the snacks than be "too heavy" and regret that later. I'm sticking with pickles (which I just had a bunch of!) and now am enjoying a PB&J. Thanks for making those, Dave!!! They're as good here as they are on the boat!!!!
One of the only times I didn't have my phone with me meant that I missed a great photo op. A gorgeous royal blue Lamborghini pulled into the parking lot! Yes, a nice and new (I'm pretty sure) Lamborghini in Publix in Marathon! The guy didn't even park far away! Seriously, you drive a car like that and you don't park far away?! Oh, and he also seemed to have a heck of a time trying to get out of the car! LOL (Why get a car like that if you can't get in & out of it with some ease? That's probably a topic for a whole different blog!)
We're going over the 7 Mile Bridge now. Just saw Hans! Go, Hans, go!!!! He's over the hump, so the worst part is done...somewhat! Still sunny and hot, HOT, HOT!!!!
One of the only times I didn't have my phone with me meant that I missed a great photo op. A gorgeous royal blue Lamborghini pulled into the parking lot! Yes, a nice and new (I'm pretty sure) Lamborghini in Publix in Marathon! The guy didn't even park far away! Seriously, you drive a car like that and you don't park far away?! Oh, and he also seemed to have a heck of a time trying to get out of the car! LOL (Why get a car like that if you can't get in & out of it with some ease? That's probably a topic for a whole different blog!)
We're going over the 7 Mile Bridge now. Just saw Hans! Go, Hans, go!!!! He's over the hump, so the worst part is done...somewhat! Still sunny and hot, HOT, HOT!!!!
3rd run done!
For those of you who know what the plan was, we're off of that, so don't think that I'm done yet! LOL
It's f*$@ing HOT out!!!! But it's ok, and we're swapping out more often to make up for the drain that the heat has on you. Check out a snapshot of what the Weather Channel app said was happening just a few minutes before I started my run.
It's a bit hard to see from what's above, but it says "Feels like 94!" I wasn't lying when I said "hot," now was I?!
So here's a quick summary. My third run was about 3 miles. Maybe my iPhone screen was not clean, maybe my fingers were too sweaty/sunscreeny, or I wasn't clicking on the right part. (It's hard to see the screen when it's so sunny out!) But anyway, I started my run before I could get my RunKeeper app going, which means I ran slightly more than what you see below.
What I'm really happy about (and super proud, if I do say so myself) is my first mile pace on that last run! Look at what's below!!!
Hans is tackling the 7 Mile Bridge now. Go Hans!!!!!
It's f*$@ing HOT out!!!! But it's ok, and we're swapping out more often to make up for the drain that the heat has on you. Check out a snapshot of what the Weather Channel app said was happening just a few minutes before I started my run.
It's a bit hard to see from what's above, but it says "Feels like 94!" I wasn't lying when I said "hot," now was I?!
So here's a quick summary. My third run was about 3 miles. Maybe my iPhone screen was not clean, maybe my fingers were too sweaty/sunscreeny, or I wasn't clicking on the right part. (It's hard to see the screen when it's so sunny out!) But anyway, I started my run before I could get my RunKeeper app going, which means I ran slightly more than what you see below.
What I'm really happy about (and super proud, if I do say so myself) is my first mile pace on that last run! Look at what's below!!!
Seriously, that's insane!!!! I actually passed another racer at about the 0.75 mile mark, so I'm still really cookin', and he actually said to me, "You're killin' it!" Yeah, I was! Thanks for noticing! :-)
Here's the map of my third run. I went all along Marathon Airport and through the halfway checkpoint.
Hans is tackling the 7 Mile Bridge now. Go Hans!!!!!
2nd run done!
I swapped out for Morgan. The word "hot" doesn't really do justice to what it's like here. I'll see if I can think of anything more appropriate. :-)
Think I still did good, though! Check out the status below from my RunKeeper.
Still had under an 8 minute per mile pace! Me likey!
Here's the map of where I went.
Ryan's running now. We're going to check on him at about the 2 mile mark. I'm ready to go if he wants to swap out!
Think I still did good, though! Check out the status below from my RunKeeper.
Still had under an 8 minute per mile pace! Me likey!
Here's the map of where I went.
Ryan's running now. We're going to check on him at about the 2 mile mark. I'm ready to go if he wants to swap out!
I'm up next!
Morgan's out now. We're going to check on her 3 miles into her leg. I told her I'll be ready to go if she wants to stop. :-)
I'm sunscreened up, got my visor on, and think I'll wear my sunglasses and a wristband. Still got the Zensah compression sleeves on. It may be getting too hot for them. Watch what happens!!!
I'm sunscreened up, got my visor on, and think I'll wear my sunglasses and a wristband. Still got the Zensah compression sleeves on. It may be getting too hot for them. Watch what happens!!!
Other notable names
I finally started writing them down. Here's what I've got so far!
- Soup2Nuts
- Kickin' ass-phalt
- My pace or yours
- Han & the princesses
Go Melanie!
Melanie, from Team Pink Pathers, looked great and had an awesome kick at the end of her leg to meet her teammate and do the bracelet transfer! You rock, girl!!!! Hope to see you & catch up in Key West later today!
It's getting hot in here!
Do you remember the Nelly song called "Hot in Herre" from 2009-ish? (Yes, Mom, that is the correct spelling! That's not my too-fast fingers hitting too many keys!) Well, HOT DAMN!!! That song is appropriate for today and right now (and probably what's to come as the day goes on).
Song link for those who want to get their groove on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6tn9yjY05U
Beau finished his run; Jake's out now. Morgan's getting ready, and I'm sometime after that! The great thing is that the team's totally flexible, and we're stopping to check on each runner at certain points during their legs to find out if they want to swap out with someone.
Lovin' Team 5!!!!
Song link for those who want to get their groove on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6tn9yjY05U
Beau finished his run; Jake's out now. Morgan's getting ready, and I'm sometime after that! The great thing is that the team's totally flexible, and we're stopping to check on each runner at certain points during their legs to find out if they want to swap out with someone.
Lovin' Team 5!!!!
A few random thoughts
Random thought #1: The "Livin' La Vida Loca" Pandora station is not what I thought it would be. I don't change stations in the middle of a run, so I had to deal with it for 37 minutes and 43 seconds. The next run will be with a different station. (I know, I know...nothing new on race day! My mistake.)
Random thought #2: This Neutrogena sunscreen seems to make my face sweat more than usual. (I know, I know...nothing new on race day! Sweet Mary, when will I learn?!)
Random thought #3: There are lots of cute team names! I'll try to document a few, but the 2 that come to mind are "3 Chicks, 3 Sticks" and "6 Chix, No Dix." Oh, just saw "Scrambled Legs!" Funny!
Random thought #4: BEAUTIFUL scenery!!!!
Random thought #2: This Neutrogena sunscreen seems to make my face sweat more than usual. (I know, I know...nothing new on race day! Sweet Mary, when will I learn?!)
Random thought #3: There are lots of cute team names! I'll try to document a few, but the 2 that come to mind are "3 Chicks, 3 Sticks" and "6 Chix, No Dix." Oh, just saw "Scrambled Legs!" Funny!
Random thought #4: BEAUTIFUL scenery!!!!
Team picture!
This was from earlier this morning, before the race began. Go Team 5 - The Cinco!!!!
From left to right: Beau, Hans, me, Jake, Ryan, and Morgan
From left to right: Beau, Hans, me, Jake, Ryan, and Morgan
First run done!!!
Oh my gosh! Amazing, just simply amazing!
Finished my first run and love, love, loved it! According to my RunKeeper app, it was 4.89 miles, and I did it in 37 minutes, 43 seconds. That's a 7 minute, 43 second pace! Not to shabby, right?
Here's a map of my run. Started at the J&M Scaffolding building and ended at the HS.
Sweet, huh????
Oh, and speaking of sweet, the smell! The air had this light, sweet, honeysuckle scent to it. Well, except one part where there were lots of crab traps all piled up. Then it had that fishy, ocean-y smell...but not the good kind.
Ladies, in case you're wondering, I went with the pink tie-dye Zensah compression calf sleeves, my black Nike Pro spandex, my greenish-turquoise top, and a white headband. Didn't go with a visor, and really didn't need it since most of the run was in the shade. The next run, though, will definitely be with the visor!
Right now, we're in the CVS parking lot and waiting for Ryan to finish his leg. Hans is all sunscreened up, and ready to go!
Gonna leave you with a Grandma story. You know (or should know from a past blog post) that Grandma is a worrier. Well, once I finished my run, stretched, cooled down, and had some Gatorade, I gave her a call. This was before 8am. (Maybe 7:45-ish?) She sounded so awake & so happy! In fact, she said "Oh, I've been waiting for this call!" She's just too much!!!! :-)
Finished my first run and love, love, loved it! According to my RunKeeper app, it was 4.89 miles, and I did it in 37 minutes, 43 seconds. That's a 7 minute, 43 second pace! Not to shabby, right?
Here's a map of my run. Started at the J&M Scaffolding building and ended at the HS.
Sweet, huh????
Oh, and speaking of sweet, the smell! The air had this light, sweet, honeysuckle scent to it. Well, except one part where there were lots of crab traps all piled up. Then it had that fishy, ocean-y smell...but not the good kind.
Ladies, in case you're wondering, I went with the pink tie-dye Zensah compression calf sleeves, my black Nike Pro spandex, my greenish-turquoise top, and a white headband. Didn't go with a visor, and really didn't need it since most of the run was in the shade. The next run, though, will definitely be with the visor!
Right now, we're in the CVS parking lot and waiting for Ryan to finish his leg. Hans is all sunscreened up, and ready to go!
Gonna leave you with a Grandma story. You know (or should know from a past blog post) that Grandma is a worrier. Well, once I finished my run, stretched, cooled down, and had some Gatorade, I gave her a call. This was before 8am. (Maybe 7:45-ish?) She sounded so awake & so happy! In fact, she said "Oh, I've been waiting for this call!" She's just too much!!!! :-)
Getting ready for my first run!
Morgan's doing the first leg of the day! Go Morgan!!!!
Got some pictures, but will have to post them later.
We're in the J&M Scaffolding parking lot waiting for her. Once she gets here, she'll give me the reflective race bracelet (a slap bracelet for anyone who remembers those), and off I go! 5.2 miles to Coral Shores HS and I'll hand the bracelet off to Ryan.
So excited! It's a beautiful day, the sun's just starting to rise, and it's still (relatively) cool! Thank you, Team 5 - The Cinco, for letting me be a part of this with you!!!!
Got some pictures, but will have to post them later.
We're in the J&M Scaffolding parking lot waiting for her. Once she gets here, she'll give me the reflective race bracelet (a slap bracelet for anyone who remembers those), and off I go! 5.2 miles to Coral Shores HS and I'll hand the bracelet off to Ryan.
So excited! It's a beautiful day, the sun's just starting to rise, and it's still (relatively) cool! Thank you, Team 5 - The Cinco, for letting me be a part of this with you!!!!
It's race day!!!!
It's official! Race day is here! Woo hoo!
4:42am is not a time I normally see, but today it was a welcome sight! Even though my alarm was set for 5am, I didn't quite sleep that long! Oh well, as one of the vans in the parking lot says, "You can't run all day if you don't start EARLY!"
It's going to be a GREAT day!!!!
4:42am is not a time I normally see, but today it was a welcome sight! Even though my alarm was set for 5am, I didn't quite sleep that long! Oh well, as one of the vans in the parking lot says, "You can't run all day if you don't start EARLY!"
It's going to be a GREAT day!!!!
Friday, May 17, 2013
In Key Largo!
I'm here! :-)
I know, I know, you were wondering why it took so long to post, weren't you?!
Just like the ride down to Miami earlier today, traffic getting into the Keys wasn't too bad. Let's give a big thumbs up for that!
Went to Ballyhoo's Historic Seafood Grille (http://www.ballyhoosrestaurant.com/) for lunch. Got their sweet potato burger, and it was delish! In fact, I'm munching on the last half of it now. You know I love my leftovers! Once we finished eating, the team headed to Shell World for a little tchotchke shopping and then kept motoring south to Robbie's in Islamorada to see & feed the tarpon (http://www.robbies.com/tarpon.htm). I watched Hey, I'm not going to try to get fish-stink off my hands. Some of the tarpon were huge!
Here's the bait that they sold to feed to the tarpon. Notice that my hands are not anywhere near that! I'm not princess-y, but this may be an exception! (Dave, are those pilchards????)
So one of the neat things about heading to Robbie's was that it gave me the chance to see some of my route for the first leg of tomorrow's run. Looks good! It's on the east side of the road and there are decent-sized trees lining most of it, so I'm thinking it might be relatively shady for that portion of my day. Woo hoo!
Got checked it to our home-away-from home tonight, will get together again in a bit for dinner, and then head to the runner's meeting. Tomorrow's going to be an early day, and you know how much I love mornings! (Can you just picture my eyes rolling as I type that?! Yeah, I knew it!) Seriously, this is going to be such a fun experience, and I'm sad to think that by this time tomorrow, it'll be almost over.
I know, I know, you were wondering why it took so long to post, weren't you?!
Just like the ride down to Miami earlier today, traffic getting into the Keys wasn't too bad. Let's give a big thumbs up for that!
Went to Ballyhoo's Historic Seafood Grille (http://www.ballyhoosrestaurant.com/) for lunch. Got their sweet potato burger, and it was delish! In fact, I'm munching on the last half of it now. You know I love my leftovers! Once we finished eating, the team headed to Shell World for a little tchotchke shopping and then kept motoring south to Robbie's in Islamorada to see & feed the tarpon (http://www.robbies.com/tarpon.htm). I watched Hey, I'm not going to try to get fish-stink off my hands. Some of the tarpon were huge!
Here's the bait that they sold to feed to the tarpon. Notice that my hands are not anywhere near that! I'm not princess-y, but this may be an exception! (Dave, are those pilchards????)
So one of the neat things about heading to Robbie's was that it gave me the chance to see some of my route for the first leg of tomorrow's run. Looks good! It's on the east side of the road and there are decent-sized trees lining most of it, so I'm thinking it might be relatively shady for that portion of my day. Woo hoo!
Got checked it to our home-away-from home tonight, will get together again in a bit for dinner, and then head to the runner's meeting. Tomorrow's going to be an early day, and you know how much I love mornings! (Can you just picture my eyes rolling as I type that?! Yeah, I knew it!) Seriously, this is going to be such a fun experience, and I'm sad to think that by this time tomorrow, it'll be almost over.
On the road...
Headed to Key Largo now! Woo hoo!
Met 4 out of my 5 teammates; they're all very nice! (See, Grandma, one less thing for you to worry about!) Got a big van, plenty of room, and are headed south.
Remember my blog post about the "sign" that I was meant to be doing this? (If you have no clue what I'm talking about, shame on you! You didn't read my first post, and that makes Baby Jesus cry.) Well, what would you say the chances are that someone on my team has a brother who's in the Coast Guard and stationed in Staten Island? It's true; that happened! But, it turns out that my cousin doesn't know him. (Heard it's a large site with lots of people.)
By the way, it's just barely 11am, and I'm already starving! Ready to hit the snacks, but want to be careful of what I eat today. Gotta feed the machine, right?????
Met 4 out of my 5 teammates; they're all very nice! (See, Grandma, one less thing for you to worry about!) Got a big van, plenty of room, and are headed south.
Remember my blog post about the "sign" that I was meant to be doing this? (If you have no clue what I'm talking about, shame on you! You didn't read my first post, and that makes Baby Jesus cry.) Well, what would you say the chances are that someone on my team has a brother who's in the Coast Guard and stationed in Staten Island? It's true; that happened! But, it turns out that my cousin doesn't know him. (Heard it's a large site with lots of people.)
By the way, it's just barely 11am, and I'm already starving! Ready to hit the snacks, but want to be careful of what I eat today. Gotta feed the machine, right?????
The adventure has started!
Woo hoo! The adventure has started!
As of 7:06am when I was pulling out of the driveway, Kim's Keys100 adventure was here! A few things hit me on the ride down to Miami to meet up with my teammates. And no, before you ask, I am not driving and blogging! I'm at a quite lovely McDonald's just mere miles from my first real "destination" of the day. (At this point, anything 17.1 miles or less is considered "mere miles.")
Here are this morning's thoughts in no particular order.
Ok - I think that's all for now! It's going to be a big day, but I wanted to do some morning sharing!
As of 7:06am when I was pulling out of the driveway, Kim's Keys100 adventure was here! A few things hit me on the ride down to Miami to meet up with my teammates. And no, before you ask, I am not driving and blogging! I'm at a quite lovely McDonald's just mere miles from my first real "destination" of the day. (At this point, anything 17.1 miles or less is considered "mere miles.")
Here are this morning's thoughts in no particular order.
- It's a gorgeous day. That's got to be a sign that tomorrow's going to be equally as gorgeous!
- Traffic headed down to Miami, on a Friday morning, was surprisingly light on the Turnpike!
- I hate it when Yahoo Maps gives you one set of directions, and your GPS gives another set. What to do? In my case, I followed the GPS.
- I haven't been into a McDonald's in a really, really long time! Are they all updated like this?
- If you have not heard the Pitbull song (featuring Christina Aguilera) called "I just want to Feel This Moment"), you've got to do so! It's going to be my theme song for this entire adventure. (Linky: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jlI4uzZGjU)
Ok - I think that's all for now! It's going to be a big day, but I wanted to do some morning sharing!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
On Saturday my grandmother will be...
...drinking all day!
Yup - those were her exact words to me earlier today. Apparently she's so worried about my race that this is her way to handle it. Guess it's a good thing that I sent her some wine for Mother's Day! (Dr. L by Loosen Brothers, if you like sweet Rieslings, is a great one!)
Oh, and just in case you're wondering, Grandma is a worrier about everything! But I bet you knew that already...
Yup - those were her exact words to me earlier today. Apparently she's so worried about my race that this is her way to handle it. Guess it's a good thing that I sent her some wine for Mother's Day! (Dr. L by Loosen Brothers, if you like sweet Rieslings, is a great one!)
Oh, and just in case you're wondering, Grandma is a worrier about everything! But I bet you knew that already...
It's the pickles; I swear!
Let me preface this blog post by saying I have never done this before.
Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking. That truly sounds like a line of BS. But seriously, what I'm about to describe to you can all be attributed to pickles. :-)
I've lost my mind. Figured it would happen, but figured it would be after the race. Nope - it was today, and it was at Publix. So here's the deal: I've got to hit the road early tomorrow and wanted to get in some last-minute shopping for food to bring for the race. I had my list: granola bars, yogurt, bread, bananas, and pickles. Are you asking yourself, "Why pickles, of all things?!" I assure you, there's a really good reason, although I'm not 100% sure what it is. (Probably the sodium...but that's not the point...yet.) I'm not really a pickle person. I like 'em on sandwiches (that I don't have to make), but I don't like 'em enough to buy a jar to have in the fridge. The next time you're at Publix (or whatever your local grocery store is), swing by the pickle isle and check out how many kinds there are! It's mind-blowing! Do I want Kosher pickles? Should they be dill pickles? Do I want the long sliced ones or the round sliced ones? Garlic or no garlic? Sweet or not sweet? See what I mean! This is tough! At the point of pickle indecision, I had three things in my cart already: turkey, ham, and bananas. I had to move my cart down the isle because there was a lady waiting to get through and the isle was blocked by me and another group of people. (They weren't searching the pickle section, in case you're wondering.) Apparently, after moving my cart and letting this other shopper pass, I went back to the pickles, fiiiiiiiiiiiinally made my decision, put the pickles in the cart, and continued with my shopping. Did you notice that? I said "in the cart" and not "in my cart." I'm sure you see where this is heading.
Confident in my pickle selection and wanting to get the rest of the shopping done quickly, I kept moving. Got my granola bars, picked up a loaf of white bread, and was headed to get yogurt when it finally hit me. There was a chocolate fudge cream pie in the front of the cart! It was staring right at me! It was beautiful, and, I'm sure, it would be delicious! The problem, however, was that I never put a chocolate fudge cream pie into my cart. OMG - I had grabbed someone else's cart and not even realized it...until now! You must be saying, "But Kim, what was your first thought?!" It was that I needed to find my turkey & ham because I did not want to go back to the deli!!! (The deli is the bane of my grocery store existence.)
As luck would have it, I spotted a shopping cart not 15 feet away that had another chocolate fudge cream pie in it. What are the chances that it could be a different shopper? Upon closer inspection (but without looking like I'm stalking them), I saw lettuce and salsa! Those were the other "non-Kim" items that were in the cart currently in my possession. I think I found the original owner!
It's pretty embarrassing to have to say to someone "I think I accidentally took your cart." It's even more embarrassing to hear the guy say "yeah, that's ok, we just got another and got all of our stuff again." He even walked me back to where my cart (with the turkey, ham, and bananas) was still waiting for me! Despite apologizing profusely, I'm sure many stories will be told by him and his 2 companions of the crazy lady at Publix who took his cart & his groceries!
Bringing this story back around to where I had hoped to go, the good news is that I think my pre-race food shopping is almost complete! I've got a case of Gatorade, sourdough pretzels, Planters nuts, bananas, granola bars, yogurt, bread (for the soon-to-be-made PB&J sandwiches), and yes, pickles too! Have I left anything out? I hope not! The last thing I need is to end up accidentally taking yet another customer's cart!!! :-)
Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking. That truly sounds like a line of BS. But seriously, what I'm about to describe to you can all be attributed to pickles. :-)
I've lost my mind. Figured it would happen, but figured it would be after the race. Nope - it was today, and it was at Publix. So here's the deal: I've got to hit the road early tomorrow and wanted to get in some last-minute shopping for food to bring for the race. I had my list: granola bars, yogurt, bread, bananas, and pickles. Are you asking yourself, "Why pickles, of all things?!" I assure you, there's a really good reason, although I'm not 100% sure what it is. (Probably the sodium...but that's not the point...yet.) I'm not really a pickle person. I like 'em on sandwiches (that I don't have to make), but I don't like 'em enough to buy a jar to have in the fridge. The next time you're at Publix (or whatever your local grocery store is), swing by the pickle isle and check out how many kinds there are! It's mind-blowing! Do I want Kosher pickles? Should they be dill pickles? Do I want the long sliced ones or the round sliced ones? Garlic or no garlic? Sweet or not sweet? See what I mean! This is tough! At the point of pickle indecision, I had three things in my cart already: turkey, ham, and bananas. I had to move my cart down the isle because there was a lady waiting to get through and the isle was blocked by me and another group of people. (They weren't searching the pickle section, in case you're wondering.) Apparently, after moving my cart and letting this other shopper pass, I went back to the pickles, fiiiiiiiiiiiinally made my decision, put the pickles in the cart, and continued with my shopping. Did you notice that? I said "in the cart" and not "in my cart." I'm sure you see where this is heading.
Confident in my pickle selection and wanting to get the rest of the shopping done quickly, I kept moving. Got my granola bars, picked up a loaf of white bread, and was headed to get yogurt when it finally hit me. There was a chocolate fudge cream pie in the front of the cart! It was staring right at me! It was beautiful, and, I'm sure, it would be delicious! The problem, however, was that I never put a chocolate fudge cream pie into my cart. OMG - I had grabbed someone else's cart and not even realized it...until now! You must be saying, "But Kim, what was your first thought?!" It was that I needed to find my turkey & ham because I did not want to go back to the deli!!! (The deli is the bane of my grocery store existence.)
As luck would have it, I spotted a shopping cart not 15 feet away that had another chocolate fudge cream pie in it. What are the chances that it could be a different shopper? Upon closer inspection (but without looking like I'm stalking them), I saw lettuce and salsa! Those were the other "non-Kim" items that were in the cart currently in my possession. I think I found the original owner!
It's pretty embarrassing to have to say to someone "I think I accidentally took your cart." It's even more embarrassing to hear the guy say "yeah, that's ok, we just got another and got all of our stuff again." He even walked me back to where my cart (with the turkey, ham, and bananas) was still waiting for me! Despite apologizing profusely, I'm sure many stories will be told by him and his 2 companions of the crazy lady at Publix who took his cart & his groceries!
Bringing this story back around to where I had hoped to go, the good news is that I think my pre-race food shopping is almost complete! I've got a case of Gatorade, sourdough pretzels, Planters nuts, bananas, granola bars, yogurt, bread (for the soon-to-be-made PB&J sandwiches), and yes, pickles too! Have I left anything out? I hope not! The last thing I need is to end up accidentally taking yet another customer's cart!!! :-)
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Getting closer!
What do I pack?!
This is the point where the ladies reading my blog will say "oh yeah, girlfriend, I got you!" and the guys will be wondering why this is even a consideration. :-)
How do you pack for a trip of this nature? Keys attire is usually flip-flops, a bathing suit, some shorts, and a tank top or two. But the Keys100 is not your run-of-the-mill trip! You've got to have your "getting there" outfit: something comfortable, but still nice enough. (Hey, I haven't met my teammates yet, remember?! Don't think for a second that I'm going to be walking into a Coast Guard facility in cut-off shorts and flip flops!) Then you need your "runners meeting" outfit. (Hmmmm, something nice or something "racy" in the running sense?) Next, you've got your race day attire. Here's where it gets easy to go crazy. The good news is that it looks like it's a very low chance of rain for Saturday. Woo hoo!!! But, it's the Keys, it's mid-May, it's all day, and, oh, by the way, it's freakin' 17.1 miles! I'm thinking that I should have 3 full sets of running gear: shorts, tops, socks, and sneakers. Don't know if I'll need or want to change after each run, but if I do, I'll be glad to have fresh everything!
Runners who wear hats and sunglasses still boggle my mind. Don't the hats hold in heat? It always feels like that to me! Don't the sunglasses bounce or get sweaty/slippery/foggy? Honestly, I don't run often (if at all) while wearing sunglasses, so I don't know how that works. (Maybe I'm missing out on something!)
I don't particularly like wearing a visor when I run, but I've been practicing with one for a good 2+ weeks now. Here are my (non-scientific) findings: the visor is useless early in the morning and if it's too windy, you have to look down to keep it from being blown off. But it is nice to not have the sun in your face during afternoon runs! That all leads me to my plan: no visor (headband only - but should it be black or white?!) for the first run of the day and a visor for the second and third runs. I have a really cute pink Adidas visor, but don't know if it'll be sweaty & icky after the first run with it where I don't want to wear it later on. Guess I should bring another...just in case! Have no fear, I've got another cute Hawaiian-print one to use! Or should I go with the pink & white camo Pelagic visor? Decisions, decisions...
Let's talk sweatbands. No, not the big headband ones that John McEnroe used to rock, but wrist ones. Wait, did he wear them too???? In theory, they're great because it's like having a towel if you need to wipe your face, but the ones I bought feel a bit too tight. In reality, maybe they're not "tight" but it's just that I'm not used to wearing one. In my practice runs, I don't think I've gotten more than 2 miles in before I'm taking the darn thing off & just holding it in my hand. (Like that's something I want to do for 5 or 6 miles! Sheesh!) Maybe I'll bring the wrist bands and decide at the last minute to wear (or not wear) them.
Over the past few weeks, I've also experimented with those hand-held water bottles, the belts that hold two of the water bottles, and smart phone arm bands. On the Kimmie scale of wonderfulness, the hand-held water bottle gets a vote of "it's ok," the belt gets a huge "no way," and the arm band is a "not for me." Again, maybe I'm missing something, but these seem to be more trouble than they're worth. (Funny story regarding the hand-held water bottle: I came up with this semi-brilliant idea to fill it 2/3 of the way full with fruit punch Powerade and freeze it. Then, I'd fill it the rest of the way up with more fruit punch Powerade. As I would run, the frozen part would begin the melt, and it would serve as one big ice cube, keeping the rest nice & cool. Maybe I filled it too full with liquid, maybe I was shaking it too much while running, but it was a disaster! For about 2 miles, I kept having random drops of fruit punch Powerade shoot out. Of course, this would go all over. Eventually, I ditched it in front of a tree at a neighbor's house and finished my run w/o it. Yes, in case you're wondering, I did go back & pick it up. Anyway, that run was around 1pm, so I figured there was still enough good sun to lay out by the pool. Little did I know that my right leg had been stained by the fruit punch Powerade spills! Red streaks were going down my leg, and the part that got on my Spandex was red too, but with white creases where the Powerade never got through to my skin. When I showed it to Dave, his first response was "What the heck happened to you?!" Luckily, it scrubbed off in the shower. (Yes, I know you were worried that I was still walking around with my Powerade red-stained leg!))
Socks! Who thinks about 'em? I mean, really, do you?! I never used to, but a friend got me Thorlo socks for my birthday because she knew I'd be doing my first 5k not long after that. (Thanks, Lourdes!!!!) Dave tried to get me to buy them back in December, but they were $15. Who spends $15 on one pair of socks?! You know who does that now? Me!!! Yup - I'm one of those! They are my official race-day sock and have been since the 5k in February. Think I'm up to 3 (or maybe even 4) pairs in white, one with the royal blue, and one with the light pink. Sports Authority had the hot pink ones last weekend, but not in my size! :-( Race day, though, will be white Thorlos. It's sort of tradition/superstition at this point. My 5ks, my 10k, the half marathon, the 7 Mile Bridge run...they've all been done in white Thorlos. Not changin' now!
But what about the Zensa calf compression sleeves? They're super cute (pink tie-dye!) and are functional too. The heat, my God, the heat! (Seinfeld reference - don't tell me that you didn't get it!) That might have to be like the headband: worn for the first leg and then removed for the hotter, sunnier legs later on.
Picture this: tan lines from my visor, running top, Spandex, wrist band (maybe), calf compression sleeves, and socks. Yeah, there's going to be quite a bit of "work" to be done to get rid of that!!! Ladies, I know you get me! :-)
This is the point where the ladies reading my blog will say "oh yeah, girlfriend, I got you!" and the guys will be wondering why this is even a consideration. :-)
How do you pack for a trip of this nature? Keys attire is usually flip-flops, a bathing suit, some shorts, and a tank top or two. But the Keys100 is not your run-of-the-mill trip! You've got to have your "getting there" outfit: something comfortable, but still nice enough. (Hey, I haven't met my teammates yet, remember?! Don't think for a second that I'm going to be walking into a Coast Guard facility in cut-off shorts and flip flops!) Then you need your "runners meeting" outfit. (Hmmmm, something nice or something "racy" in the running sense?) Next, you've got your race day attire. Here's where it gets easy to go crazy. The good news is that it looks like it's a very low chance of rain for Saturday. Woo hoo!!! But, it's the Keys, it's mid-May, it's all day, and, oh, by the way, it's freakin' 17.1 miles! I'm thinking that I should have 3 full sets of running gear: shorts, tops, socks, and sneakers. Don't know if I'll need or want to change after each run, but if I do, I'll be glad to have fresh everything!
Runners who wear hats and sunglasses still boggle my mind. Don't the hats hold in heat? It always feels like that to me! Don't the sunglasses bounce or get sweaty/slippery/foggy? Honestly, I don't run often (if at all) while wearing sunglasses, so I don't know how that works. (Maybe I'm missing out on something!)
I don't particularly like wearing a visor when I run, but I've been practicing with one for a good 2+ weeks now. Here are my (non-scientific) findings: the visor is useless early in the morning and if it's too windy, you have to look down to keep it from being blown off. But it is nice to not have the sun in your face during afternoon runs! That all leads me to my plan: no visor (headband only - but should it be black or white?!) for the first run of the day and a visor for the second and third runs. I have a really cute pink Adidas visor, but don't know if it'll be sweaty & icky after the first run with it where I don't want to wear it later on. Guess I should bring another...just in case! Have no fear, I've got another cute Hawaiian-print one to use! Or should I go with the pink & white camo Pelagic visor? Decisions, decisions...
Let's talk sweatbands. No, not the big headband ones that John McEnroe used to rock, but wrist ones. Wait, did he wear them too???? In theory, they're great because it's like having a towel if you need to wipe your face, but the ones I bought feel a bit too tight. In reality, maybe they're not "tight" but it's just that I'm not used to wearing one. In my practice runs, I don't think I've gotten more than 2 miles in before I'm taking the darn thing off & just holding it in my hand. (Like that's something I want to do for 5 or 6 miles! Sheesh!) Maybe I'll bring the wrist bands and decide at the last minute to wear (or not wear) them.
Over the past few weeks, I've also experimented with those hand-held water bottles, the belts that hold two of the water bottles, and smart phone arm bands. On the Kimmie scale of wonderfulness, the hand-held water bottle gets a vote of "it's ok," the belt gets a huge "no way," and the arm band is a "not for me." Again, maybe I'm missing something, but these seem to be more trouble than they're worth. (Funny story regarding the hand-held water bottle: I came up with this semi-brilliant idea to fill it 2/3 of the way full with fruit punch Powerade and freeze it. Then, I'd fill it the rest of the way up with more fruit punch Powerade. As I would run, the frozen part would begin the melt, and it would serve as one big ice cube, keeping the rest nice & cool. Maybe I filled it too full with liquid, maybe I was shaking it too much while running, but it was a disaster! For about 2 miles, I kept having random drops of fruit punch Powerade shoot out. Of course, this would go all over. Eventually, I ditched it in front of a tree at a neighbor's house and finished my run w/o it. Yes, in case you're wondering, I did go back & pick it up. Anyway, that run was around 1pm, so I figured there was still enough good sun to lay out by the pool. Little did I know that my right leg had been stained by the fruit punch Powerade spills! Red streaks were going down my leg, and the part that got on my Spandex was red too, but with white creases where the Powerade never got through to my skin. When I showed it to Dave, his first response was "What the heck happened to you?!" Luckily, it scrubbed off in the shower. (Yes, I know you were worried that I was still walking around with my Powerade red-stained leg!))
Socks! Who thinks about 'em? I mean, really, do you?! I never used to, but a friend got me Thorlo socks for my birthday because she knew I'd be doing my first 5k not long after that. (Thanks, Lourdes!!!!) Dave tried to get me to buy them back in December, but they were $15. Who spends $15 on one pair of socks?! You know who does that now? Me!!! Yup - I'm one of those! They are my official race-day sock and have been since the 5k in February. Think I'm up to 3 (or maybe even 4) pairs in white, one with the royal blue, and one with the light pink. Sports Authority had the hot pink ones last weekend, but not in my size! :-( Race day, though, will be white Thorlos. It's sort of tradition/superstition at this point. My 5ks, my 10k, the half marathon, the 7 Mile Bridge run...they've all been done in white Thorlos. Not changin' now!
But what about the Zensa calf compression sleeves? They're super cute (pink tie-dye!) and are functional too. The heat, my God, the heat! (Seinfeld reference - don't tell me that you didn't get it!) That might have to be like the headband: worn for the first leg and then removed for the hotter, sunnier legs later on.
Picture this: tan lines from my visor, running top, Spandex, wrist band (maybe), calf compression sleeves, and socks. Yeah, there's going to be quite a bit of "work" to be done to get rid of that!!! Ladies, I know you get me! :-)
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Just days away...
It finally happened...
Yesterday was my first official "freak" out day. We're all allowed to have them, right? I don't know why it was yesterday, but I had the "What in God's name am I doing?!" thought pass through my mind multiple times. Maybe it was just a case of the Mondays. (If you don't get that, you obviously never watched Office Space!) Maybe it was because yesterday was a cross-training day when I didn't run. Maybe it's because I'm in over my head. No, no, it can't be that last one. :-)
The good news is that the freak out passed, and I'm back in the zone! What zone is that? Apparently last night it was the drink-water-until-you-feel-like-you'll-burst zone. Not really the best thing to do leading up to bedtime, but a girl's got to hydrate!!!!
I'm still on my hydration kick, and if you looked in my car, you'd see proof of that via 3 water bottles (in koozies, of course) on my front seat. You can never have too many water bottles, even if one of them's empty. (By the way, does anyone else keep an "emergency" water in the car? I call it my Tillie Tooter water. Don't know the Tillie Tooter story? You must not have been in or around Broward County in 2000.) What other kicks am I on? EATING!!!! Sweet Mary, this is my favorite part of a race like this. You probably know that I love to eat; I mean, just look at me! One glance & it's apparent that this girl likes her food! :-) Seriously, I do! Not knowing exactly what the calories burned will be on Saturday, but knowing it'll be a lot, I'm eating whatever the heck I want. Oh, wait, I do that normally, don't I?! All kidding aside, I really am trying to pack in some extra calories to "energy up" a bit.
Speaking of energy, my next thing to tackle is deciding what foods will be good to have on race day. I've got the usual suspects: granola bars, bananas, energy gels, Gatorades/Powerades, my beloved Belvita cookies, but know I'll need some other stuff. I've heard that pickles are good. Maybe it's a sodium thing?! Maybe some deli meats for protein? Just not sure, but am open to suggestions!
Oh, I can't believe I forgot to mention this! Lately, I've been doing runs that are the distance (or distances) of some of the legs I'll have in the race. Today I did what'll be my longest leg on Saturday: 6.3 miles. Did I tell you that the team, although they want to have "fun" (their word), they also want to beat last year's pace of 8 minutes, 22 seconds per mile? Did I also tell you that all 5 of my teammates are enlisted Coast Guardsmen (and woman)? Yeah, I'm the only non-CG member of the team! I've got to represent! (Represent what? Ummmm, I haven't figured that out yet!) My goal is to help as much as I can with that, so here's where today's run comes in: my 6.3 miles today had an average of 7 minutes, 52 seconds per mile! (Yeah, I've got the proof on RunKeeper! It's no BS!) Ok, ok, I'll admit that today's weather was absolutely beautiful and although it was hot & sunny, it wasn't that humid, so you probably can't make an "apples to apples" comparison of this run to what Saturday will be like, but HOT DAMN!, that was a confidence booster!!!
Yesterday was my first official "freak" out day. We're all allowed to have them, right? I don't know why it was yesterday, but I had the "What in God's name am I doing?!" thought pass through my mind multiple times. Maybe it was just a case of the Mondays. (If you don't get that, you obviously never watched Office Space!) Maybe it was because yesterday was a cross-training day when I didn't run. Maybe it's because I'm in over my head. No, no, it can't be that last one. :-)
The good news is that the freak out passed, and I'm back in the zone! What zone is that? Apparently last night it was the drink-water-until-you-feel-like-you'll-burst zone. Not really the best thing to do leading up to bedtime, but a girl's got to hydrate!!!!
I'm still on my hydration kick, and if you looked in my car, you'd see proof of that via 3 water bottles (in koozies, of course) on my front seat. You can never have too many water bottles, even if one of them's empty. (By the way, does anyone else keep an "emergency" water in the car? I call it my Tillie Tooter water. Don't know the Tillie Tooter story? You must not have been in or around Broward County in 2000.) What other kicks am I on? EATING!!!! Sweet Mary, this is my favorite part of a race like this. You probably know that I love to eat; I mean, just look at me! One glance & it's apparent that this girl likes her food! :-) Seriously, I do! Not knowing exactly what the calories burned will be on Saturday, but knowing it'll be a lot, I'm eating whatever the heck I want. Oh, wait, I do that normally, don't I?! All kidding aside, I really am trying to pack in some extra calories to "energy up" a bit.
Speaking of energy, my next thing to tackle is deciding what foods will be good to have on race day. I've got the usual suspects: granola bars, bananas, energy gels, Gatorades/Powerades, my beloved Belvita cookies, but know I'll need some other stuff. I've heard that pickles are good. Maybe it's a sodium thing?! Maybe some deli meats for protein? Just not sure, but am open to suggestions!
Oh, I can't believe I forgot to mention this! Lately, I've been doing runs that are the distance (or distances) of some of the legs I'll have in the race. Today I did what'll be my longest leg on Saturday: 6.3 miles. Did I tell you that the team, although they want to have "fun" (their word), they also want to beat last year's pace of 8 minutes, 22 seconds per mile? Did I also tell you that all 5 of my teammates are enlisted Coast Guardsmen (and woman)? Yeah, I'm the only non-CG member of the team! I've got to represent! (Represent what? Ummmm, I haven't figured that out yet!) My goal is to help as much as I can with that, so here's where today's run comes in: my 6.3 miles today had an average of 7 minutes, 52 seconds per mile! (Yeah, I've got the proof on RunKeeper! It's no BS!) Ok, ok, I'll admit that today's weather was absolutely beautiful and although it was hot & sunny, it wasn't that humid, so you probably can't make an "apples to apples" comparison of this run to what Saturday will be like, but HOT DAMN!, that was a confidence booster!!!
Even less than one week to go!
Getting closer! Woo hoo! :-)
Let's pick up with the story of how I got here, or maybe more accurately, how I'll get there!
It was April 17th, less than a week after the 7 Mile Bridge Run, when I really started to get serious about finding a team. Google really is my best friend, because despite emailing the race director and having a friend post a "team wanted" message on the Keys100 Facebook page, I was teamless. But thank Google for directing me to this site: http://cgremember.com/sign-up-for-the-3rd-run-2-remember-now/. That's where I saw the oh-so-lovely "Email Us" link where I could in a subtle, refined way, beg to be on a team! Hopefully my email didn't come across that desperate, but I really, really, really wanted to do this!
So how does one sleep after getting an email back about runners still being needed? The answer is "not very well" for $500, Alex! Excitement doesn't even begin to describe this. It took a few days to get more information, but on April 22nd, I had officially been recruited to be a part of Run to Remember Team 5 - "The Cinco!" Woo hoo!!!!
I remember telling my mom about this. Her comment was something along the lines of "how do they know that you're not 300 pounds and planning to walk the entire thing?" Ummmmm, I guess that's a good point. I wasn't asked for any racing "credentials," although I would've happily given them over! But I guess the fact that I'm asking (or rather begging) to be part of a team gives some indication that I'm not what my mom described.
Oh, and if you need some irony, on April 23rd, I was contacted by another team that needed one more member. So in the span of probably less than 24 hours, I went from having no team, to having 2 who asked me to join. (Sorry, RtR Team 4! If I could clone myself, I would've been there with you!)
April 23rd was also when I found out what was going to be expected of me. They Keys100 is a neat relay race in that there are only a few "rules" as to how the runs are organized. No leg of it can be less than 2 miles, and you can't start a new runner midway on a bridge, so obviously some legs of the relay would have to be longer than 2 miles. But just in case you're thinking to yourself, "oh, she's only going to have to run 2 miles at a time," no-no-no. Get rid of that thought because Team Cinco is not running that way! I'm "Josh" (at least according to the initial spreadsheet), and that had me doing 3 legs of the race: 5.2 miles, 6.3 miles, and 5.6 miles. Are you doing the math here? That's 17.1 miles during the day! Putting on my "Positive Kim" hat, I think "oh man, that's easy! Heck, I did 13.1 miles in one shot back in March." When the "Not-So-Positive Kim" hat gets put on, it changes to "Sweet Mary mother of all that is holy in this world! 17.1 miles in one day?!" (In case you're wondering, I'm usually wearing the "Positive Kim" hat.)
So what's been going on since I found out what I'd be running? Well, a lot of running! I'm not really a fan of mornings or of running in the heat. Guess what I started doing? Running (when possible) in the morning and in the afternoon when it's nice, sunny, hot, and humid! Seeing how wonderful running at noon or 2pm or 4pm is has really made me say "wow - this is a challenge!" And you know me, I love a good challenge!!!
Let's pick up with the story of how I got here, or maybe more accurately, how I'll get there!
It was April 17th, less than a week after the 7 Mile Bridge Run, when I really started to get serious about finding a team. Google really is my best friend, because despite emailing the race director and having a friend post a "team wanted" message on the Keys100 Facebook page, I was teamless. But thank Google for directing me to this site: http://cgremember.com/sign-up-for-the-3rd-run-2-remember-now/. That's where I saw the oh-so-lovely "Email Us" link where I could in a subtle, refined way, beg to be on a team! Hopefully my email didn't come across that desperate, but I really, really, really wanted to do this!
So how does one sleep after getting an email back about runners still being needed? The answer is "not very well" for $500, Alex! Excitement doesn't even begin to describe this. It took a few days to get more information, but on April 22nd, I had officially been recruited to be a part of Run to Remember Team 5 - "The Cinco!" Woo hoo!!!!
I remember telling my mom about this. Her comment was something along the lines of "how do they know that you're not 300 pounds and planning to walk the entire thing?" Ummmmm, I guess that's a good point. I wasn't asked for any racing "credentials," although I would've happily given them over! But I guess the fact that I'm asking (or rather begging) to be part of a team gives some indication that I'm not what my mom described.
Oh, and if you need some irony, on April 23rd, I was contacted by another team that needed one more member. So in the span of probably less than 24 hours, I went from having no team, to having 2 who asked me to join. (Sorry, RtR Team 4! If I could clone myself, I would've been there with you!)
April 23rd was also when I found out what was going to be expected of me. They Keys100 is a neat relay race in that there are only a few "rules" as to how the runs are organized. No leg of it can be less than 2 miles, and you can't start a new runner midway on a bridge, so obviously some legs of the relay would have to be longer than 2 miles. But just in case you're thinking to yourself, "oh, she's only going to have to run 2 miles at a time," no-no-no. Get rid of that thought because Team Cinco is not running that way! I'm "Josh" (at least according to the initial spreadsheet), and that had me doing 3 legs of the race: 5.2 miles, 6.3 miles, and 5.6 miles. Are you doing the math here? That's 17.1 miles during the day! Putting on my "Positive Kim" hat, I think "oh man, that's easy! Heck, I did 13.1 miles in one shot back in March." When the "Not-So-Positive Kim" hat gets put on, it changes to "Sweet Mary mother of all that is holy in this world! 17.1 miles in one day?!" (In case you're wondering, I'm usually wearing the "Positive Kim" hat.)
So what's been going on since I found out what I'd be running? Well, a lot of running! I'm not really a fan of mornings or of running in the heat. Guess what I started doing? Running (when possible) in the morning and in the afternoon when it's nice, sunny, hot, and humid! Seeing how wonderful running at noon or 2pm or 4pm is has really made me say "wow - this is a challenge!" And you know me, I love a good challenge!!!
Sunday, May 12, 2013
One week, well, technically less, to go!
Oh my gosh! Less than 1 week until my Keys100 adventure begins! Woo hoo!
Up until 2 years ago, I had never heard of the Keys100. Dave and I were down in Key West so I could do an adult ed. teacher training, and on the way back on Saturday, we kept seeing all of these vans & cars & trucks decorated and "Keys100" written all over. So what does any good online teacher do? Google it, of course! When I found out what it was & told Dave, our reactions were pretty much the same: "These people are crazy!" Think about it: mid-May, in the Keys, all day, heat, sun, humidity. Yeah, the word "crazy" certainly fits.
Fast forward to September-ish of 2012 when I started thinking about doing it...allbeit the 50 mile version as a relay. Little did I know that the 50 mile race is not available as a relay. Crap! :(
The race director said "well, if you've done any 10ks or half marathons, you should be fine to do the 100 mile relay." What was the problem with that?! I hadn't done either of those things! In fact, I wasn't even tracking my running. Did I do 2 miles? 3 miles? 4 miles? More? I had no clue! The idea of participating seemed silly...at that point.
Fast forward, again, to January 2013 when I decided that this would be a year when I see what I could do. February would mark my first 5k. March would mark my first 10k and half marathon. April was the 7 Mile Bridge Run. And that's where the Keys100 once again entered my mind.
Before the 7 Mile Bridge Run, I had been thinking about trying to get a team together for the Keys100 relay. During the actual run, I remember thinking "I am out of my mind to even consider doing the Keys100! The heat! The humidity! The blazing, skin-melting sun! Oh, no way!" But then the race is over, I realized I survived, and I knew I really, really, REALLY wanted to make this my next adventure!
Without 5 other individuals who would truly and 100% commit to this endeavor, I knew my next best bet would be to find a team that needed one more member or needed a replacement. I'll admit that I was desperate! I really, really, REALLY wanted to do this, and didn't care what team I got on...as long as I got on one! Once again, what does any good online instructor do? Go to Google! :)
A few searches later, I had come across a page talking about the Coast Guard's Run to Remember. Now, here's the really cool thing: my cousin's in the Coast Guard. So if I needed any of those "signs" that I definitely was meant to participate in the race, here it was!
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