It's Started: 3 Runs Per Day!

Today was the beginning of days with 3 separate runs.

I didn't feel like going to the gym this morning, so I decided to do some bridge work.  (That's the bottom one of 2.50 miles.)  It sucked, I was in a foul mood, and didn't feel like continuing.  I know, that's not like me, but it was me today.  Came home and went back out for a hotter, more humid, and sunnier 3 miles.  Got back home, made myself some oatmeal with berries, called Grandma, and then did a short 2 miler.  I was pretty much cooked after that.  Tomorrow's supposed to be a rest day, but I'm not sure if that's what it'll end up being...

A New Weekly Mileage Record

This is kind of cool (if you're a runner) and kind of crazy (if you're not a runner).  I have a new record to share with you.  

No, not the vinyl 80s type of record, although I did love those.

Speaking of which, I'm 99% sure I had one of these record players, and I'm 99.9% sure that it may still be in my parents' basement.  

That puppy's probably worth some money now!  Everything old is new again, right?!

Back to the real record that I want to share with you!  This may be the most miles I've run in 1 week: 35!  

Yes, I ran 35 miles between Monday (4/21) and today, Saturday (4/26).  Tomorrow's a "no run" day, so there won't be any more added.

Who's excited to see what next week brings?  Me, me, me!

I'm Comin' for You, 7 Mile Bridge!

A while back, team captain, Ryan, emailed us all to ask if there were any volunteers to take the 7 Mile Bridge.  I wrote back and said that I didn't mind taking it, but if anyone else wanted it, I didn't need to have it.  For a while, it sounded like Ryan might take it.  This will be his last Keys100 before he leaves FL, so he thought he might take that leg.  The tentative plan was that whoever took that leg of the race would run only once in the morning so energy could be conserved.  (Last year, Hans ran the 7 Mile Bridge at about 1pm, and it was hot, hot, hot!)

Well, as per today's email that Ryan sent out to the team, it looks like I'm taking the 7 Mile Bridge portion of the race!  Yup, you read that right: it's me doing the bridge!

I'm excited and a bit nervous too.  Perhaps it's a good thing that this will be my third time running the bridge; but maybe it's not so good that I know exactly what to expect!  (Did I tell you how bad my brain was trying to Jedi mind f*ck me during the 7 Mile Bridge run earlier this month?!  Seriously - it was bad!  I know I'm a headcase normally, but this was waaaaaay different!)

My philosophy is that I may have to do my own Jedi mind f*ck on my brain.  Interesting thought, right?!  Step 1 is training in the heat, out in the sun, and on bridges!  It's been a while since I've done any bridge work, so I think that's what I'm going to start making my Saturday mornings.  Then, I'll do another run later in the day to practice having more than just one run a day and doing it in the heat!  (Oh, speaking of the heat, get this: I found the perfect late afternoon sunny run location: outside of my 'hood on Darwin Blvd.  Yup, it's got virtually zero shade!  How do I know?  I ran it this evening at about 5:30pm during my second run, and it was a bear!)

Now, for your musical entertainment, please enjoy the wonderfully cheesy and still totally awesome "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins.  This was today's first song played during my first run.  There's something special about having that as the first song!
 

A Two-Run Day & Some Musical Entertainment

Today was not my first two-run day; that was Saturday.  However, it was my first two-run day where the first part was speedwork at the gym.  Gosh, I didn't think my legs were tired, but they certainly let me know they were when I started this evening's run outside.

I just did one semi-easy loop of my 'hood: a bit less than 2.5 miles at about a 7:37-ish pace.  Would you believe that there was actually too much shade on the road for chunks of the run?  Yeah!  But it was still good to be out there in the sun & heat.  Gotta get acclimated to running in that.  You know what the Keys will probably be like in mid-May!

Here's the first song that played on this evening's run: "I Love It" by Icona Pop.  Random bit of trivia for you on this song: my Keys100 team heard this last May as we were driving down to Key Largo.  No one in the van knew the song, so Beau had to Shazam it.  (I still think it sounds a bit like the song "Mickey" by Toni Basil.  Boy, that just gave away that I'm an 80s child, huh?!)  Anyway, back to Icona Pop.  The song "I Love It" is catchy and has a good beat; it's perfect for running and (obviously) makes me think back to my first Keys100!  Check it out.

I Think I Just Said "Yes" to...

F'n A!  I think I just said "yes" to my first full marathon in January!  Suzanne, I said "yes" to doing this with you, right?!  Sweet Mary!

 http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/new-orleans

Ok, how do I break this news to my husband?  Haha!

It's Not Hot or Sunny Enough!

Yes, this was my exact thought before this morning's later-than-usual run.  I know, I know...who really wants it to be hot & sunny for a run?  Well, if you're getting ready for the Keys100, you best be putting yourself in that category.

This morning's run wasn't too long (4 miles) because I planned on doing a second run this afternoon when it would (hopefully) be hotter and sunnier.  The saying "be careful what you wish for" was certainly in the back of my mind.

Even though this afternoon's run was hotter and sunnier, Weather Channel said the "feels like" temperature was only 81 (with 57% humidity).  I'm not sure where they came up with a UV index of 2 because it was certainly sunnier than that.

I did 3 miles just before, and there will be no third run today.  That'll come in the future.  For now, I'm wondering what my legs will feel like tomorrow after running twice today out in the warmer-than-usual weather!

A Mom Story

You may know that my grandma is famous for her hysterical quips about anything and everything.  These items usually end up being referenced as "Grandma stories."  This is who brings those strokes of comedic brilliance.

My Badass Grandma

Today, though, I've got a Mom story for you.  That's right, this one's courtesy of my own mother from last Saturday after my Brianna Cooper 10k win.
 

Poppa Joe & Lindy (my mom who loves being called "Lindy" by me)

I called my mom & dad (pictured above) after my Coast Guard run on Friday to tell them how I did and sent the link with results later in the day.  Obviously they were happy for me and knew that my pace was crazy fast.  After Saturday's 10k, I called to tell them how I did.  When I got my mom on the phone, she asked about my time and my pace.  "It was about 7:18," I told her.  Her response?  "You ran slower than yesterday."  (I kid you not!)  "Yes, Mom, I did...it was twice as long as the race yesterday."  "Oh, I know that," she said.

  
Dave said that he was going to bust my balls and say the same thing to me, but he decided against that.  Haha!

Race Results, a Rant, and Getting Ready

Hola, blog-o-sphere!  Been meaning to get back to you sooner than this.  Sorry to keep you waiting...but I've been busy kicking ass & taking names!  Here's a quick recap.

April 5th, as you know, was the 7 Mile Bridge Run, and it was awesome!  My bridge work & speedwork definitely paid off with a much better time than last year...as in 35 seconds per mile faster than last year!  Ended up 2nd in my age group (out of 143 people) and 53rd overall (out of 1500 people who signed up).  Woo hoo!!!!  Enjoy a few pics!

Ok, so that was obviously awesome!  But, the following week was pretty good too!  

Friday, April 11th, was the Coast Guard Runway 5k that was actually held on the airfield in Opa-Locka.  How cool is that?!  I've got to back up a bit, though, to set the stage for what's about to happen.

When I had my Monday visit with my chiropractor/sports medicine doctor, we discussed my 7 Mile Bridge Run, the pace, the splits, etc.  One of the things he said was that I can’t be afraid to fail, and by that he meant that I can’t find out what I’m capable of until I do something and realize I can’t keep a certain pace or finish a certain distance.  Interesting, right?  I told Dave this on Wednesday night, and we both sort of agreed that this Coast Guard race would be a good one to go “all out” (in a way).

At the start of the race, I had my music going and had my RunKeeper app up so I could start it as soon as the gun went off.  Maybe my screen was schmutzy or my taps weren’t strong enough, etc., but I couldn’t get the app to start.  Don’t worry, I didn’t stand there screwing around with it!  I took off like a bat out of hell and just kept tapping my phone.  Finally, RunKeeper started, but I was probably a good minute and a half to two minutes into the run (which meant my distance “updates” would actually be less than the true distance I had run by about 0.18 to 0.26 miles).  My first minute update had my pace at under 6 minutes per mile.  (As a point of reference, I’ve been doing my treadmill speedwork at a pace of 6:22 min per mile, so I was cookin!!!)  Needless to say, I couldn’t (and didn’t want to) hang on to that pace.  By the end of the first mile, I was at a 6:52 average pace.  That was really good because I’ve only had a handful of 5k races where my first mile was under a 7 minute pace (and those were usually by only 1-2 seconds).  At this juncture, I was in front of the majority of the other racers, and the real leaders were too far in front of me to really be “catchable.”  (I’m still trying to figure out if it’s a good thing or bad thing to be sort of running “alone” like that.)  Up to mile 2 was still good, but I had slowed down.  My average pace, while still being under 7 minutes per mile, was creeping up to about 6:56-6:57.  Mile 2 is where I can finally start saying “1 mile left” and reminding myself to just hang on for another 7 minutes!  Near the end of any race, I always start sprinting.  Where that happens, though, is sort of determined by how far away I am from the finish line, who else is around me, and how tired I am.  Normally I pick out something (a tree, a bush, a car, a person) to mark mentally where I want to start my sprint, and I did that on Friday.  But before I got to that point (still thinking that I was all alone), I had some guy come up and start to pass me.  Not only "no," but "hell no!"  So I start my sprint….he starts his sprint!  It must’ve been a sight to see!  We both finished strong and fast!  Like the beginning of the race, RunKeeper didn’t recognize my first tap to stop the tracking, so I had to fool around with that a bit more, but it calculated my pace as being 6:55.  Ridiculous…in a good way!  Then the results get posted, and I don’t know what kind of “new math” they were using, but they had my pace at 6:34.  Definitely not!  There’s no way I could do that and hold that for the whole race.  The accurate results that I’m going by are online (http://www.accuchiptiming.com/images/race_results/2014/Coast_Guard_Runway_5K_Run_-_Race_Results.htm), and it has me at 6:49.  Still ridiculous!

The awards were given out, and they sectioned the winners into over/under 30 for both male & female.  Overall (for women), I would’ve been 3^rd.  Because of the age, though, I was 1^st for the over 30 group!  Now, get a load of this: the prize for first was a $100 Visa gift card!  So for my $14 race entry fee, I got a cool t-shirt, breakfast after the race, and the gift card!  As Grandma said, I “made out like a bandit.”

I haven't spent my big winnings yet, but I've got my eye on a great blue & white Ralph Lauren dress! (Appropriate colors being that it's "courtesy" of the Coast Guard, right?!)

Alright, so that was my Friday!  But, I had another race on Saturday, and it was a 10k.  My plan wasn't to go as balls-to-the-wall as I did on Friday, but I certainly wasn't going to lollygag this one.  I did my usual front-of-the-pack starting spot and started reasonably well.  The one thing I wasn't really crazy about was the "loop" aspect of this course.  It was really a 5k course; that means the 10k-ers had to do the loop twice.  This was, I think, my first time doing a route like this, and it sort of blows.  I'm not sure if it's the "I've already seen this" or "I wish I didn't have to run around some of the 5k walkers who I'm passing," but it just wasn't my bag.  That doesn't mean I didn't kick some ass!  Ended up 1st overall for women and 3rd overall out of men & women.  (Ed Burrows, I'm comin' for you next time!  I know your end strategy.  Watch out, buddy!)

Check out these winnings!  Yes, that's another year of Chick-Fil-A!

Dave's quite thrilled with the Chick-Fil-A cards.

So 2 races and 2 PRs!  Good weekend, huh?!

Now, if I may change gears, let me move to my rant.  [Rant on]  Sugar!  Yes, seriously, sugar!  Next time you're at the grocery store, start looking at yogurt, especially the low-fat and even non-fat ones that are "healthy."  Yup, some of them have 18, 19, 20, or more grams of sugar per serving!  (As a point of reference, a can of regular Pepsi has 41 grams of sugar.)  Listen, I get it: sugar tastes good.  But does it have to be in everything and in such high quantities?!  Sweet Mary!  [Rant over]

And finally, I'm getting ready for the Keys100!  I'm going to start doing my Friday and Saturday runs out in the midday sun, heat, and humidity.  Sounds fun, right?  Yeah, I know, it's going to suck the life out of me and probably take some (not all) of the fun away from the training.  There's just no way around it, and if you're going to be running in the midday sun, heat, and humidity during the Keys100 (which is a 99.9% possibility), you've got to practice in it and acclimate yourself to it.  Looks like I'm going to be getting some funky, hard-to-get-rid-of tan lines in the near future!!!!  Oh yeah...

Not me, and not my tan lines.

I'm Back...Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger!

There is probably no more appropriate day to say that Kim's Keys100 Adventure (Part 2) is getting started!  Why's that?  As I type this, I'm down in Marathon, and tomorrow's the 7 Mile Bridge Run.  

Past blog readers might remember (or should remember) that that's the race last year that started (or should I say "rekindled") my desire to want to be a part of the Keys100.  Need to catch up & refresh?  Here's a linky for you.

My Keys100 relay team from last year asked me back (probably in late January or early February), and you know I said "absolutely!"  While it won't be the full team from last year, 3 out of the original 6 from Team Cinco will be there, and I'm proud to be a part of it again!

Even if you're not a Kanye West fan, and I wouldn't really consider myself to be one, you'll have to admit that his song "Stronger" is totally appropriate for my situation.  The video will do it more justice than I can, so definitely watch it.


Consider these lyrics from the beginning of the song (but seriously, watch the damn video already):  

Work it, make it, do it,
Makes us harder, better, faster, stronger!

Work it harder, make it better,
do it faster, makes us stronger,
more than ever, hour after,
Our work is never over.

So what's so special about that?  I think it really sums up everything when I look at my "running self" from a year ago to now.  Let's be honest, I was winging this last year, and it was working fairly well.  But after my stress fracture, being forced to not run for a while, focusing carefully on recovery and avoiding reinjury, training for a half marathon, following a true running plan created by my physical therapist and running coach, and paying a lot more attention to hydration and nutrition, I really do think that I am a harder, better, faster, stronger runner!

The Keys100 relay is about 6 weeks away.  In fact, the race director, Bob, is here in Marathon, and when the group I was with saw him tonight, we told him that we were already signed up for the relay & looking forward to it!

Stayed tuned, and monitor my blog.  Over the next 6 weeks, I'll keep you updated on my training, races along the way, and other silly/serious/random happenings.  Oh, and I'm sure I'll have a few Grandma stories to throw in along the way.  She'll be having a mimosa tomorrow between 7:30am and 8:20am while she's "with me" during the bridge run.  (Note to self: get Dad to take a picture of Grandma having her mimosa one of these days.)

Yup, stay tuned!  It's going to be an adventure of epic proportions!