A weekend in the life of a runner who enjoys a social life

Sometimes I feel like runners feel like they have to sacrifice a social life while training for a race. While it does take making some sacrifices, I am a big believer that it should not conpletely take over your life. Running keeps me structured and Labor Day weekend was an example of this. 

That weekend I decided to put together a little photo blog that somewhat captured my weekend.

This is also not a lecture or judgment on those who do give up a social life. I definitely understand that as well. I hope you all enjoy it. It was a tiring, fun weekend. We will start on Friday night. 

I film games for the football team at the high school I work at part time. The game started at 1 p.m., but I got asked to be there at 10 a.m. to help out. If I wanted to get my run in, I needed to stay in and attempt to get to bed at a decent hour. This a decent hour, right? 

Flash forward to:

Blah! Morning runs are the worst, but  I would hate to miss out on a run more.  I managed to get a warm-up in and then I finally headed out around 6:30 a.m. The positive of morning runs is that it I am done and do not have to worry about a run later. I knew I had to leave by this time to get my it in. 

                 The sweaty aftermath 

I showered, got a quick bite to eat and headed to my next stop. I had some issues that led to me leaving later than I wanted to. That frustrated me because I hate being late. It stresses me out. 

I had some time to get a workout in before the game, so I did that and stretched afterwards. Eventually, the football game started and I took my post in the lift. 

The game ended a little after 3:30 p.m. and I rushed out of there to meet a friend who I was attending a wedding with. I got dressed in my dad's car on the way there because traffic stunk on Saturday. I failed to get pictures at the wedding, but I had a good time. 

               That says 12:29 a.m.

I could have gone out after the wedding, but I was wiped and knew I had a run to get in Sunday. I also knew that I could and would have some fun on Sunday. 

Once I made it out of bed, I ran to a bar to hang out with a friend for a while. This was a brutal run. A combination of the heat and my dead legs did not help.  I left the bar, got something to eat, and headed to my friends for a fantasy football draft.  

            The spread at the draft!

Like I said, Sunday was hot. As much as my friends know I like to run everywhere, I did not want to be completely sweaty. These are my on the go essentials. The power shower wipes are great and I felt good after using them.

That is just a sample of my Labor Day weekend. It is definitely possible to train for a race and have a social life. It also helps to have friends and family who understand your crazy running goals and support them. In conclusion, it is important to go after your running goals, but do not get completely sucked in. 

North Shore Classic recap

Wow. I fist looked at the temp for this race and saw 57 degrees. That looked like perfect conditions for a race. Little did I know what would coming my way on May 31, 2015.

I woke up that morning to a steady drizzle in Chicago and got worried. It calmed me down that the forecast for Highland Park did not call for rain. The temps however, looked turrible(in your best Charles Barkely voice). It also did not help I had no real way of getting out there. We will skip that part because I am upset about that. 

Despite being upset about taking a can to Highland Park, I was happy to arrive. I failed to mention I was nervous about North Shore being my first official half in a while. It is a good thing the cold and wind made me forget about that noise(sarcasm). There was nothing I could do about either, so I got ready to warm-up and did what I could to stay warm. 

The benefits of it being a small-ish race is that gear check was very convenient. It also meant I could wait as long as possible to get into my corral. 

       I look happy, but I'm dying inside

I had a race plan, but I threw that out the window and decided to race by feel and just go. As the picture above shows, I was not really dressed for a casual Sunday run. 

                 So close to the elites!

The first few miles of the race were actually pretty nice. I knew it would be hilly, but these were not bad. With half marathons, I break the race down in three parts. I tell myself to get to mile 6, then 10 and then the finish. With the help of my friend Cass over at asweatlife.com and bibrave.com pro, I knew the mile seven would not be too pleasant. 

It starts nice enough with a downhill where your legs keep moving even if they do not want to be moving. Then an ugly hill rears its head as soon as you hit the bottom of the hill. It really is a cruel place to have a hill.

 On a day like that, I would not be surprised if it ended a lot of racers races. I was determined not to walk it, so I powered through and made it to the top. It felt so good to reach the top of hill. Unfortunately, from mile 7.6 or so-to-10, the wind just kicked my butt. It felt like I was running in place for a long time. As I mentioned earlier, I break the race down in three parts and just told myself to get to mile 10.  

The rest was of the race was on pure grit. My body felt like moving, but my legs did not. Despite feeling like that, I kept an even pace and felt really proud of myself for continuing to keep moving. At one point, another runner and I had a conversation about the wind finally being behind us. He sped by me and I wanted to go with him, but I am not sure it would've been a smart move for me. Seeing the finish line of this race made me so happy. I wanted to be done and put some layers on! 

                  The medal is huge

After getting stretched out and grabbing some hot chocolate, I checked my results and was really happy with my time. Of course I saw it and went, "well, if I did this, I might have broken 1:30." I stopped myself and just enjoyed a tough race I ran. Below is the elevation map according to my garmin. 

I would probably run this race again. It is a really nice challenging course. Next time, I will also have to be a little more prepared with logistics. It was a little hard getting out there on my own. 

Soldier Field 10 mile recap

Up until last Thursday (May 21), I had no plans to run this race. Originally I planned on being down at the state track meet. Unfortunately, an athlete I help coach did not make it to the finals and I made the decision to run. It is always a fun and well organized race. My night before/morning of races can tend to be a little crazy. This did not quite get there, but it came close. We will start this recap with the day I signed up for the race.

I completed a tempo run after getting done with working and it was kind of rough. My legs were pretty dead. Instead of just stretching and foam rolling, I did a 15-minute leg workout through the Nike Training Club ap. Stretching and foam rolling came after completing the workout. Normally I would have just stayed on the floor resting up, but I had plans to go the Matt and Kim concert. I got home after the concert and planned on an early morning run before the long Friday. 

                          Race outfit 

With my legs being pretty sore, I stayed on the slower end of my easy pace that morning. This run needed to happen early due to work and having to be at a track meet in Lisle most of the day. All things considered, the run went well and it was time to get ready for the day. Work and the track meet came and went. After eating at Culvers, driving back to school, doing some stretching and getting a ride home, I ended up going to bed around 2 a.m. The plan was  to get to Soldier early so I could get a couple of miles in as part of a warm-up( I had been scheduled to do 14-miles that day, but it did not end up happening). My nice little nap ended quick when my alarm went off a few hours later and I made the trek to the race. 

My legs were a little sore and that made me wonder if they could hit the prescribed pace for them that day. Eventually I got a warm-up in and should have gone to the bathroom before the race started, but I got a little distracted. I talked with people, took in the scenery and wondered if I would use music or not(I ended up not having any music. This is the longest race that I have not used any music). Things got somewhat interesting because corrals one and two had a hard close of 6:45 and I was in a bathroom line at 6:43. If someone reading this is good at predictions, the guess that I never made it to the bathroom is a good one, because I never did. 

Corral one closed as soon as I got there. The guard sent me off to corral two and this is where I thought I would start the race. With the help of some other runners who also got locked out of corral one, we wiggled our way up to the corral. I did the dance everyone does when they are doing there best to not use the bathroom right then and there. I figured I could get to a bathroom once the race started;should have known myself better. I took a my Huma Gel and felt ready to go. This is where my bladder and I had to have a little talk. I said, "please be nice to me and I will finish this as soon as I can.

The race started. The bathroom trip I kind of of planned never came and my bladder decided to play nice for the moment. Having no music was interesting because I could hear everything around me. The only annoying thing was this guy who just breathed really heavily for the first few miles. I did not know whether to ask him if he was ok or just assume this is how he always runs. Someone finally asked, but I did not hear the answer. During the first few miles a speedy little 12-to-14 year-old boy passed me. Unassumingly, he became my running buddy for a large portion of the race.

He stayed ahead of me for a good portion of the race. I focused on him but felt determined to keep my pace and run my own race. Around mile eight is where I caught up to him. It seemed like he was struggling a bit and I asked him, "How are you doing?' He responded, "I'm good." We continued for a little bit and I did my best to encourage him to finish strong and say things like, "We are almost there. Focus on the building ahead." It may not have sounded like much, but I hope he appreciate the nice words. Soon after this point, I took off and hit the home stretch.

I sped up a bit around mile nine and started my final kick towards the 50-yard line. Once I finished, I really had no idea what my time was. I knew I had beaten my goal and felt great. I hung around the finish line hoping to see a few people and I saw my 12-to-14 year-old running buddy. I congratulated him on the race and he smiled. This is one of the things that I love about running. He is probably someone I will never see again, but it felt cool to share that brief moment. All in all, Soldier Field went great.

                           Post race 

That bathroom trip I promised my bladder also finally came. We were both happy and celebrated the day with other runners. 

Lesson learned

I should set the scene for this blog post.

It started around 3:30 a.m. when I woke up to head to Nike Chicago downtown. I, along with a few others, got asked to do a small photo shoot. It sounded like a fun time and I jumped at the opportunity. Having never done of these ever, I had no idea what to expect. 

We left for the first location (Buckingham fountain/queens landing) and did some light running action shots. This seemed like it would be a fun low key day. The group also was enjoying the warm sunny day we were having. I could not predict what the combo of the sun, a good amount of running and little sleep would do to my legs. 

By the end of the day,  my legs were pretty tired. We did a pretty good amount of running. At a few of the locations we did some pretty fast runs. We were done around three, got coffee, and went our separate ways for the day. My body felt ok then, so instead of going home, I headed to Fleet Feet to drop my bags off and attempt to run this tempo. 

Once I arrived, the pre-run routine to get myself ready started. Things were looking good and I felt excited for the tempo. My legs even felt great during the warm-up mile I did. Maybe this was my body playing tricks on me? 

The answer to that question would be yes. The first two miles of the tempo run were great! Despite how great they felt, I felt an impending doom coming. Did that stop me from slowing down to the pace I actually should have been aiming for? Nope. I pretty much even predicted when this breakdown would come. 

Mile 2.5. The turn around point of my out and back tempo run. It is also the point where legs fell apart. Maybe, mentally I knew this turn would be tough because I gave it in to it way before it even came up. Either way, I still had half of my left to go. 

At the turnaround point my legs did their best to hang on. It also did not help that my stomach started acting up, my mouth got really dry and my Zoom Elites felt so heavy(definitely not the shoes fault). I stopped a couple of times after the turnaround to get water and hope my stomach would settle down. A public bathroom is not something I wanted to spend time in. My pace slowed a decent amount, but this run needed to get done. 

Eventually, my run ended. I felt pretty terrible. Typically some would think I might have been disappointed with it, but I laughed and I loved it. Those things came out of it because I knew I just learned a few lessons from it. Lessons learned from the run include:

-Stay at your prescribed pace even if the first few feel good at a fasteh.

-this counteracts the first point, but it is ok to take chances every so often. 

-It is not easy adjusting to the heat. If you have to carry water with you, do it! I ended buying a Nathan Speeddraw plus handheld and like it more than I thought I would. 

-Appreciate your runs. They may be a struggle, but things could be worse.

The best part about it all is that I got a great run in the next day. 

Ravenswood 5K timeline

I thought it would be fun to provide a timeline of how I got ready for this past Sunday's, Ravenswood 5K. These are not tips or guidelines, but just a little insight. I do not feel like I prepare for races in a way most runners do. My timeline will start with my Saturday night run. I lounged around for a large portion of the day on Saturday before I decided to actually run. 

Saturday 

6 p.m.-When I should have gone running/gotten a haircut. 

6:40-The time I actually leave my house to get a haircut/run in. I do not always get haircuts the day before races, but it needed to be done.

7:22-I finally started my run after getting my haircut and watching the end of the Bulls game.

Sometime after 8-My 6-mile run went great. I ran to a bar to watch the Hawks hopefully win in regulation. I had a beer and thankfully the Hawks won in regulation.

11:30ish- I head home to get ready for the race. 

Sunday

Midnight-I eat something because I am starving and do not like going to bed on empty stomach. Once I got one eating, I stretched and rolled out. It is not uncommon for me to stretch and roll out after coming home from a night out. 

12:45 a.m.-I figure I should find out what I am going to wear for this race. April weather in Chicago makes it really difficult to decide, so I picked out something, took a picture and got ready for bed.

Shirt-Nike Dri fit knit

Shorts-Saucony 

Shoes-new balance fresh foam Zante 

1 a.m.- Time to figure out where the race is. Once I got that figured out, I decided to run there(2.8 miles) as a warm-up. 

Sometime b/w 1 and 3 a.m.-I fall asleep. One of my bigger fears before a race is waking up too late and missing my race.

6 a.m.- I woke up and stayed in bed for quite some time. Setting the alarm at a time before I actually want to get up is a common practice for me. It gives me time to realize that I am up that early and eventually get out of bed to run.

6:20-Bathroom trip and then a shower. Showering before races is another thing that I do a lot. It wakes me up and gets me going a little. 

7:11-I finally leave the house and get going on my warm-up run. 

7:40-I find the Fleet Feet Racing team tent, realize I'm overdressed and change into a t-shirt and shorts. I get a briefly warm-up in and then head to the corrals.

8:01-Race time!

8:20ish- I get done with the race, say hello to a few people and go back to the tent. I wanted to use this race as a tempo run for my half-marathon training and felt good about my time. 

8:33-Start my cool down. After I finished that, I went to eat at a neighborhood place. 

I enjoyed writing this. I got the idea from Cass and Kristen over at aSweatLife.com. There are some good pieces on that site. (http://asweatlife.com) 

I hope you enjoyed reading this.

2014 Recap

This year flew by! It seems like I just wrote my 2014 goals a few weeks ago. Running wise I had a good year. Lets start off the new year by looking back at recap of my 2014 running year.

2014 Races

May 9-10: Cape Cod Ragnar 

I had a blast doing my first Ragnar with people I did not really know. The hills of Cape Cod were a killer. I did not know what to expect, but it is a tough, challenging and fun experience.

May 31:The Original 5K

My first 5K ever! Usually this is were a lot of people start, but I ended up going a different route. I did not know what to expect, but I wanted to run a good race. The gun went off and I ran as hard as I could and it felt really hard. I guess I did not expect a 5K to be difficult. It ended up being a good race and gave me the confidence fr the rest of the running season.

June 6-7: Chicago Ragnar 

This ended up being a challenging Ragnar for a few different reasons. The first reason it ended up being difficult is the heat. We were not prepared for it to be as hot it got and the first few legs were rough for all of us. The second reason it ended up being challenging is because I had a wedding to attend on Saturday afternoon! I am thankful the group ended up working with me to get me to that wedding on time so i could enjoy it;even if I were extremely tired.

Chicago Marathon

This is by far the race of the year for me. I changed my training program and went with the Hansons Marathon Method. The plan gave me a lot of confidence and despite my longest run being 16 miles, I felt extremely prepared for the race. Race day confirmed everything I thought and I felt great. I loved the program so much that I even convinced a few of my other friends doing marathons to use it. Not hitting the wall is a great feeling in a marathon. I am looking forward to my next challenge.

Thanksgiving Day: Evanston Flying Turkey 5K

Another 5K! I did this with a few of the students that I help coach at the high school I work for. This is definitely the coldest race I have ever done. Despite having a great running year up until this point, I had not really trained for anything since finishing the marathon. This is another race where I just ended up running as fast as I could and seeing how it goes;it went well! Things seemed like they would go wrong because my shoelaces came untied within the first few minutes of the race and I got really annoyed, but I had to keep moving. The race ended up with me finishing third in my age group.

2014 goals

Beating my race times from 2013

I accomplished this with my marathon this year.

2013-3:47:40
2013-3:15:12

Now I have a 5K PR-19:54

I did not do a half-marathon or 10-miler,so I will try to beat those times in 2015.

Run with others more often

My running community and friends definitely grew. I ran with others more, but this is something that could definitely improve. I did most of marathon training solo, but when I got a chance to run with others, it felt good.

Stay healthy 

This happened for the most part! When I say for the most part, I mean that nothing seriously went wrong that forced me to take time off.

More races

This kind of ended up happening with adding the Ragnar's and 5K's to my race calendar in 2014. This is also due how things are going financially and sometimes I could not justify paying for races when other things needed to be taken care of.

Read more blogs

I still need to be better about this. There is a lot to learn from others runners.

2014 total mileage: 1886

Donut Dash 2014 recap

Twitter can be really great if used correctly. One of those ways it can be great came through on Saturday, November 22 when a group of runners met up for Donut Dash 2014.  I found out about the potential event via fellow bibchatter, Cass. She tweeted out a survey that the organizers(Cass, Julie and Kristen) used to plan the event.

Donut Dash Route

Usually waking up early to run is difficult for me, but running for donuts and meeting a lot of new people excited me. It being a cold, windy and rainy morning also made it a struggle to get out of bed. However, I committed the event and did not want to let them down. The group met at Montgomery Park on Saturday outside of Pete's coffee.

There were definitely nerves because I did not know anyone except Cass and we had only interacted via twitter. I enjoyed meeting her and the other runners who decided to brave the misty morning. They had coffee for all the runners who showed up. I had a cup even though I do not consider myself a coffee drinker because I needed something to warm me up. The organizers had the group sign waivers, discussed the plan and split the group into two waves. I jumped into wave one and we headed off to our first stop, Firecakes.

Firecakes would the shortest distance to run to out of all the shops we would go to. Once wave one got to Firecakes, they gave us three options of donuts. I forgot the other options they gave us, but I got the Honey Glazed donut pictured below. The other donuts were on the small-ish side, but not the Honey Glazed donut. We took our time to eat our donuts and I believe it took me the longest of group one to finish mine. I finished my donut and we started our "long" three mile journey to Stan's in Wicker Park.

Honey Glazed donut from Firecakes 

Prior to the event taking place, I kept telling people how fun I believed the event would be. Most responded with an answer like, "Running after eating a donut sounds like asking for trouble." The donut after Firecakes definitely lingered a bit on the trip to Stan's. This is the only time I worried a little that there might be some issues. Fortunately we made it to Stan's with no issues and were pleased to hear we could choose any donut.

Those who know me well know how much I love peanut butter flavored products. Even some of the runners in wave one knew that my next choice would involve peanut butter;the peanut butter chocolate donut would be my choice. A fellow wave one runner and I decided to split the donut because of the fact it looked so rich and we had one more stop left. We ate our split donut and decided we made a wise choice. It tasted great and we moved on to our last location. Glazed and Infused.

Peanut Pocket(very left) from Stan's 

Glazed and Infused had a very nice set up for the group of runners participating in the donut dash. They put aside a few tables for us and had boxes filled with a variety of donuts. Once I saw the options available, I knew my choice immediately.

Red Velvet 

As seen from the picture above, I went with the Red Velvet option (I promise that the donut sitting on the napkin in the picture is not mine). The cream cheese frosting made the donut. Despite me saying that the second donut pictured is not mine, I did have half of another Red Velvet. There were extras and I took a few of the other options home.

The overall event was a big success in my opinion. I had a lot of fun and it seems like everyone involved did as well. Thank you to Cass, Julie and Kristen for all the work they did in organizing the event. I would also like to thank Stan's, Firecakes and Glazed and Infused for providing donuts for the group.