10 Things that Make Florida Running AMAZING

The temps are already soaring here in Central Florida making it one of my least favorite times of year to run outside.  Of course rather than complain about how much I hate it, I thought I would recount some of the super awesome things about being a Florida runner...

People come from all over to visit Central Florida’s theme parks and beaches, making this area one of the world’s top tourist destination.  If you’re visiting during the mid-March through early October, your first and most likely continuous thoughts are probably about the heat.  We’re known as the Sunshine State for a reason.  With temperatures averaging over 90 degrees in the summer months (and summer for us is pretty much those months listed above) and reaching triple digits with the heat index, not to mention the insane humidity, outdoor activities that do not involve the ocean or a lake almost can be a little rough!

But despite the heat, believe it or not, Central Florida really is one of the best places for runners to live or visit.   

Here my top 10 reasons that make running around here so great:

It’s FLAT

We’re certainly not known for our hills here in Central Florida.  In fact, if you wish to do any sort of hill training, you will have to find you a good overpass to run up and down several times.  Quite possibly one of the best trade offs for the extreme heat and humidity is our extremely flat terrain.  Runners visiting the area may find themselves hotter than ever, but they may also find themselves with a PR on our nice, flat roads and trails.

Must Run ALL the Races

One of the challenges to living here is the urge to sign up for a race every weekend, and trust me, there are races EVERY weekend.  In fact, it can even be difficult choosing just ONE race per weekend since there are typically several!  From 5k’s to full marathons and even ultras, Central Florida offers a variety of fun races year round.  But wait, isn’t it too hot to run in the summer?  Not according to Final Mile Race Management who puts on a two incredibly awesome mid-summer events each year with a Half Marathon in June and a 5/10k event in July!  Of course the absolute best time to race each year is from February to April, and that is when you will find some of the best races in the area.

Great Community

The running community in Central Florida is like no other.  Here you will find some of the most enthusiastic, supportive and friendly runners in the world.  Whether you’re receiving friendly smiles and waves from fellow runners out on the trail or joining one of the many group runs around town, you’re sure to enjoy the positive and encouraging energy that makes our running community so great!  Most all of our local running stores including Fleet Feet Orlando, Front Running Sports of Lake Mary and or course Track Shack put on weekly group runs with product samples and of course tons of fun.  A personal favorite of mine is the monthly Fleet Feet pub run.  Running + Beer = Good Times!

 

Why Not Tri?

With lakes galore, beautiful biking trails and of course an already embedded passion for running, it’s difficult to say NO to a at least giving a sprint triathlon a shot down here.  With distances short enough to be non-intimidating up to full Ironman races, options are unlimited when it comes to triathlons.  A late summer early Fall tri is the best.  The water is no longer at boiling temperatures, the slight crisp to the morning air and the sun warms everything up just enough by the end of your run.

Easy Access

Orlando has two international airports that can take you just about anywhere you would want to go and of course getting here just as simple.  Major interstates make driving down here pretty seamless if you’re not too far for a scenic drive.  Whether you’re traveling to Orlando for a visit or you leaving Orlando for a race, you won’t have a problem traveling to and fro.

 

The Happiest Place on Earth

We do have lives outside of running, don’t we?  When we’re not hitting the trail, or of course at our jobs funding our running habit, we like to unwind and spend some quality time with our family and friends.  Central Florida may be most known for Disneyworld and beaches, but that’s not all there is to do around here!  Other than the other well-known theme parks (Sea World, Bush Gardens, Universal, etc.), Central Florida is also home to several other family attractions.  A personal favorite of mine are the several state parks offering beautiful hiking trails and natural springs.  The warm year round temperature of the springs make them perfect for swimming, kayaking and paddle boarding.

Will Run for Food (and Beer)

Being a large, diverse tourist town, it should go without saying we have some of the best restraunts in the country!  You can sample just about any cuisine from any country or culture you can imagine.  Your options for post run fuel are virtually endless.  And if you’re like me and like to carb load with some hops, we also have some amazing local breweries.  Orlando Brewing Company is a favorite of mine not just because of its high quality, delicious beer options, but also because it is Florida’s only USDA organic brewery! 

Ohhh, the “Winter” Months

For a few shorts months out of the year, Florida is quite possibly the most amazing place on this planet to run in!  With temperatures averaging in the upper 50’s to low 60’s and of course our incredible sunshine and brightest blue skies, it’s almost a surreal outer body experience running around here!  With the flat terrain and pristine weather, you are sure to have one of your best races ever if you’re running down here then!  Because the summers can be so brutally hot, this time of year is even more cherished and runners take advantage of the weather using it as the perfect time to train for longer distance events.

Who Doesn’t Love a Good Beach Run?

Whether you are staying at one of the hundred beach resorts or a short drive at one of the theme park resorts, getting in a run on the beach is an absolute must.  Crystal clear waters, beautiful skies, warm ocean breezes and nice hard packed sand make beach running an experience you wouldn’t want to miss.  If you’re in the area in early May or November, Beach Running Champions puts on an event that includes distances from 5k to half marathon, and even a barefoot division along the shore.  It’s a fun, beach themed event with a nautical finisher’s medal

Trails, Trails and More Trails

Wherever you are in Central Florida, you’re near a trail.  There are several beautiful trails all throughout Central Florida and many of them even connect, so running and biking can go on for as long as you wish!  And it seems like new trails are sprouting up all over the area, giving runners even more options to get their miles in.  If you’re more into rugged terrain, one of the manystate parks offer great off road trails with all the dirt, sand, roots and trees you could ask for.  I myself, gave trail running a shot a few years back with a Masters of All Terrain series race and was instantly hooked.  Though we may not have mountains or even great hills, our countless beautiful trial running options (paved or off road) in Central Florida more than make up for it!

Race Recap: Riverside Dash 15k

There are not many 15k races in the area, so it's not a distance I get to race often.  In fact, it had been over two years since I last raced a 15k and it was actually at this very event.  I remember it being a smaller, local event that was well organized and a lot of fun, so I was super excited to run it again this year.  There were a few changes since the last time I ran it, but it was equally awesome, so here is a recap of the event and my experience running it this past Sunday.

Signing Up with Ease
Let's start with registration because it is always a plus when it is an easy and inexpensive process.  I signed up several months ago using a coupon code I had received through my Moms Run This Town chapter.  I had also noticed periodically discount codes on their Facebook page as well as in various other race packets.  I believe I paid around $40 for the event, which in my opinion is very reasonable for a mid distance race with a tech tee and finisher's medal.  Registration was through www.runsignup.com, and if you already have an account through that site, signing up for the even is incredibly simple.  I also signed up my kiddos for the FREE kid's run and they recieved their very own race bag and t-shirt.

Packet Pick Up
They offered packet pick up at Academy Sports in Lake Mary on Friday and Saturday before the race, as well as race morning.  I was able to attend the Saturday one and thanks to the store coupon in my packet, I was also able to do a little shopping ;-)  The shirt, in my opinion, is pretty ugly.  I'm not usually a fan of the white shirts, and the design is a little plain and strange.  Also, it's a women's fitted so of course on my Amazon self, it is way too short.  Probably won't get to wear, nor do I really want to.  But oh well, I have an abundance of race shirts, so I'm bound to have some bad ones here and there.

Driving and Parking
Sanford is about 30 minutes from me, and mostly interstate driving, so getting to the location was fairly simple.  They had sent out several emails leading up to the event indicating road closures as well as where we can park.  Not being too familiar with the area and nervous about enough parking, I got there a little over an hour early.  I had no problem finding a parking spot at the lot the website and emails had suggested, in fact I could have parked even a little closer in some of the side street spots.

Pre-Race
The sun wasn't up when I got there, so it was cold and dark.  They were still getting set up in the expo area but they did have the registration and packet pick up table set up as well as a tent with coffee and donuts, whoohoo.  Since the race expo was being held at Fort Mellon Park, we did have access to the public restrooms there, and I tell you what, it was so nice to get to use an actually bathroom!  It is the little things that make us runners giddy.  There were also several port-a-potties available on the other side of the expo, but most preferred the well-light and clean restrooms.  Though they were still preparing for all the post race festivities, they DJ was in full effect blasting out upbeat dance music over the loud speaking and making race announcements.

I was able to meet up with several of my MRTT mamas before the race for pictures.  Because we were right on the waterfront, it was windy and cold for us Floridians, so we were all bundled up together!

Freezing MRTT mamas!

The Race
The race started right on time just as the sun was coming up.  It hadn't really warmed up much and the first couple of miles we dealt with a solid headwind.  We ran along the water then through downtown Sanford, on brick streets (which I'm not a huge fan of but it was for such a short period of time).  There were two sharp turns shortly after the first mile and we were on a straight away for the next several miles.  These miles were all along the waterfront, which was absolutely beautiful.  The sun was coming up and there wasn't much shade, but on the way out it was perfect since it helped warm us up and make the headwind feel less bad.  The road was on a slant (to the right on the way out, left on the way back) which was a little uncomfortable, but luckily it was straight and there were no hills.  I felt like I was able to keep a good 7:25 pace on the way out.

They had us turn around at the zoo around mile 4.5.  Knowing it was an out and back course, I now knew exactly what to expect on the way back.  The sun had really come up by this point and it was nice and bright in my face.  It was was warm though, so I appreciated that!  After the turn around, I was able to see a lot of my friends out there running too!  I was handing out cheers and high fives left and right, it was a blast!

From miles 6ish-8ish, I had passed most of the runners coming up on my opposite side and there really wasn't much runners in front or behind at this point, so I got a little lonely.  But I had his a good stride from the excitement of seeing all my friends out there and had managed to keep it up.  By this point, I was holding on to a steady 7:21 pace.

Around mile 8, we did our turn to get back into downtown and on the brick.  There was a hydration station there and the folks volunteering were hooting and hollering for us since we were almost there!  After leaving the brick and closing in on the 9th mile, I tried to kick it into high gear.  But as we rounded the corner to return to the water front and finish that last .3 miles, BAM came the headwind again!  I was like The Little Engine That Could at this point.  "I think I can, I think I can" With all my might I thought I could sprint through to the finish line, but that dadgum wind had other plans for me. I gave it my all and still came in pretty strong with a finish time of 1:08:38, average pace 7:21 and second place in my division.  My goal was to get a sub 1:10, which would have required sub 7:30 minute per mile average, so I was ore than pleased with my performance.

Exciting to run into old friends at these events!

The After Party
As far as smaller, local races go, this one had a pretty impressive little after party.  It's very well organized in a large loop in the open park.  They had beer in real plastic cups, not solo cups (pretty classy), pancakes for the runners to enjoy, music bumping and plenty of vendors with freebies.  They stuck to pretty close to their projected schedule of having the kid's run on time and handing out the awards.  The fact that the sun was shining bright, the temps were cool and we were right on the beautiful waterfront certainly helped the ambiance as well.

Results for the race were posted at the event shortly after the race and posted online later that day.  Pictures for the event were made available for purchase through www.chessiephoto.com within two days of the race and we were even offered a discount code for purchases made within the week!

Yey for new runner friends made along the course!

Final Thoughts
Just to recap, here are a few pros and cons...

Pros
Well organized
Easy to get to and park at
Same day registration and packet pick up
Cute medal (for both 15k and 5k)
Good after party
Stuck to the schedule
Flat, fast course that was very scenic

Cons
Ugly shirt
Slight lateral slant to the course
Not much crowd support for those who enjoy that
No finish line photos

All in all I would say it was a great event that I highly recommend. Definitely think this will become a yearly event for me and hopefully I can shoot for a sub 1:08 next year!

Race Recap: Orange Blossom Half Marathon

This Orange Blossom Half Marathon & 5k has been held annually in Lake County for Several years.  I ran this one in 2013 and was actually my first half marathon since having my sons.  I remember it being scenic, but so cold and windy running around several lakes.  It was tough and since I was only about 3 months postpartum I was just so excited to have made it out alive, but swore it off from then on out.  Of course when I saw Sommer Sports was offering a big deal on this event for 2016 and they had changed the location, I figured what the heck I should give it another go.  I am so glad that I did!

Registration for this race was on a scale in which the first X amount of people would get the race for $1, the next group would get it for $5, then so on.  By the time I hit register, I think I paid maybe $10 or $15 bucks, so it was a steal as far as I was concerned.  Not to mention I was excited to try a new course and the medal (above) looked beautiful.  I even looked back at the registration page a few weeks before the event and the cost still didn't reach over $50, making this quite possibly one of the least expensive Half Marathons you can do in Central Florida if not the whole state!

Communication leading up to the event was great.  We received several emails indicating the date, time and location of packet picket.  Since the event was over an hour away from me, I was so relieved to see they had race day pick up.  And based on the information on directions and parking they sent out, it looked like it would be fairly easy to get to and park at.

The weather forecast was another iffy one, which is par for the course this time of year.  Though temps were expected to warm up later that day, they were calling for upper 30's to low 40's at the start of the race.  These temps were very similar to when I ran 26.2 With Donna two weeks prior and I remembered how quickly I warmed up once I got going.  So I opted for shorts and long sleeves for this one.  As I do for each race, I lay my outfit out the night before, snap a "Flat Christina" to share on Instagram and with my Moms Run This Town Facebook group and gt ready to hit the hay.

I was coming down with either a cold or my allergies were really starting to kick into high gear, so I was not feeling at 100%.  In fact, by Friday night, I had full blown laryngitis and I was coughing quite a bit.  I figured if I felt iffy in the morning, I would skip the race since I didn't want to make things worse for myself.  When the alarm clock went off at 4am, I didn't really have much time to think about how I felt, I just hopped out of bed, got dressed grabbed my race bag and hit the road.  It wasn't until I was about 3 or 4 miles down the road when I started coughing terribly.  Oh that's right, I'm kinda sick, not horribly, but I certainly do not feel great.  Oh well, no turning back now, let's just go see how this goes!

MapQuest was not kidding, it was definitely over an hour away and when I pulled into the parking area, it was a little shy of 6am.  It was pretty dark out still and a frigid 38 degrees.  The website said packet pickup started at 6, so I figured I would have to wait in my car for a few minutes, but as I saw people going in and out of the banquet hall, I thought maybe they had started early.  Sure enough, when I got in there, they were already doing packet pick up.  They were READY, I like it!  I remember this race being smaller when I ran it back in 2013 and it by the looks of the set up, the ease of parking and the amount of people there at the time, I could tell it was going to be another quaint event.  Those to me, can be just as awesome if not more than the larger races.  It makes it feel more like a family.  Rhere is a lot of excitement for everyone from the first to the last finisher.

I met up with a couple of my MRTT mamas and we headed over to the start area a little before 7am. There were no pace groups for this event, so I figured I should just head up close to the front.  After some announcements, course descriptions and a playing of the national anthem (that cut in an out, oops), the race began right at 7am.

The sun was really starting to come up by then and the temp had also come up some.  The first part of the course took us through some houses skirting downtown and up a hill.  When we finally got up the hill and out of the downtown area, we took a sharp right after a school and then it was a mile or so on a beautiful country road with farm lands to our left.  I could see the sun really starting to rise on the horizon, the air was cool but crisp and refreshing.  This part of the course we had a tailwind and a slight decline, so I was able to really pick up my pace and hit a great stride.

Only mid race pic snapped by a friend of mine.

Around mile 3ish we took another sharp right turn and soon after a left turn.  Here comes the orange groves and the hills.  For about a mile, we ran uphill until we turned onto some clay roads.  I was a little nervous about the clay, but this was actually where I did the best.  It was very pretty running through the orange groves (despite all my coughing and sneezing) and the clay was hard packed and mostly flat.

Once we left the clay and were back on the road, we were also back to the hills.  Mile 7 was actually one big hill and that is where things stated to fall apart for me.  I was keeping an average pace of about 7:35 but to get up that hill, I found myself running in the low 8's.  By the time I reached the top of the hill, my legs and lungs were burning.  Once things finally flattened out, we were faced with a pretty strong headwind.  The saving grace was the course was actually really pretty, tough but pretty.

They took us through a dirt/gravel path for a mile or so then it back on to the original course to head back to the start/finish line.  Knowing how far I had left and what it would look like, I felt relieved and excited.  A little under 4 miles to go, I figured I could kick it into high gear.  Unfortunately, I was wrong...

Those lovely earlier miles that were downhill with a tailwind were now my last miles and the complete opposite as before.  From mile 10 on I struggled uphill with the wind at my face.  The cold/allergies/fatigue situation I was experiencing was really taking over me and I was struggling.  Knowing if I could just keep a certain pace, I would finish under 1:43, so I worked on that.  Not a PR, but a strong finish nonetheless. 

Around mile 11, I could see a shadow of someone approaching to my right.  I looked over my should and she gave a big smile and seemed like she wanted to chat.  I paused my music to say hello.  She was ironically someone I knew through Instagram but had never actually met!  We ran and chatted for about a quarter of a mile, but she was a little too fast for me and all the running and talking got my lungs going again, so I had to pull back while I coughed up a storm.  She ended up finishing a few minutes ahead of me and we met up after.  It's funny how social media and running can bring people together and forge new friendships!  Here we are pictured below and we have already discussed plans for running again soon!

Back to the race.  We passed back by the same school and I knew we were getting close, but it seemed a little too close.  Yep, my suspicions were confirmed when I came upon someone directing us down a narrow trail, which we ran out and back for a little over mile to give us the extra miles needed.  The trail also had our last water stop.  After chugging my last bit of water I realized a couple of things.  First, the water tasted a little funky, almost like chlorinated pool water.  Also, there had been no Gatorade or Gu along the course.  Most distance races offer those at some point along the course so I felt that to be a little odd.  I was at least grateful for the pool water they served us.

As the trail came to an end, we took a sharp right and up a hill.  There was less than mile to go at this point and fortunately, what goes up comes down.  The last little stretch to the finish line was mostly downhill so I was able to kick it into high gear and finish in my typical sprint.  Luckily that last little push got me in at 1:40:58.  It was about a 45 second PR but a PR nonetheless!

The after party was quaint, but they had plenty of food (including full bbq sandwiches for the runners), places sit and a lot of socializing.  The sun was up, it was warming up and it was shaping up to be a beautiful morning.  I was able to meet up with some of my MRTT mama's as they were coming in and spend some time recapping our adventures out on the course.  The general consensus was that it was a tough, hilly course but very beautiful.

It turns out that my time was enough to get me up on the podium.  I placed second in my age division, receiving a super cute little plastic orange in it's very own wooden crate with the name of the race and my place engraved on it.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Here are my final pros and cons to recap this event.

Pros
Great pre-race communication and instructions
Race day packet pick up available and was simple
Easy to get to and from
Plenty of parking
Clean bathrooms inside as well as port-a-johns outside
Race started on time
Beautiful course
Plenty of instruction along the course
Free finish line photos
Instant results on large screen
Great food for runners
Medal is large and very pretty
Got right to awards ceromony
Results were emailed right away

Cons
No pace groups for those who like to use them
Course was rather challenging (fun but tough)
Clay and dirt roads
Lots of hills
The added out and back narrow trail was a little dauntingWater tasted icky
No Gatorade or Gu
Crowd support was lacking, even at the start and finish line, no real areas for crowd support along the course
No course photography (just finish line)
After party could use more vendors, activities and excitement

All in all, it was a fun event that I plan to do again next year.  In fact, I think this would be a great one for my husband and I to do together if I can just convince him to train for and run a half

Bidding Farewell to High Mileage...For Now

I cannot believe I will be running another marathon two weeks from Sunday!  It feels like I just ran my last marathon, oh wait, that's because I did just run a marathon and genius [sarcasm] over here decided to just jump right into another one.  Of course people do it all the time and I do love the distance, so no complaining from me.  But I do have to admit, that I am kinda ready to get it over with and start focusing on some shorter distances as well as other goals.  My body and mind have had enough 20+ mile runs over the last few months.  Like I have said in my past posts, I chose this one because of how badly I wanted to BQ, but I quickly realized that it probably just won't happen again.  And I am ok with that.  This is a great race, with great supporter for a great cause.  So I am just looking to get out there, run my heart out and have fun.
So without any further ado, here is a recap of the week:

Monday: Spinning, of course.  This week, I had a big class.  The energy was through the rough and we even had some fun tracks on the house playlist, including the "Macarena!"  Of course we had to spend the last several seconds of the track sitting upright on our bikes doing the arm movements to the dance.  Everyone got a big laugh out of it and had fun doing so.  That's what it's all about after all, working hard but having fun in the process.  I knew I needed to work legs that day to so I did some barbell dead lifts and front squats.  Added in some upper body as super sets and felt pretty good about my brief, but effective workout.

Luckily I never have a shortage of hand towels thanks to all the football games we go to!

Got to start my morning off with my little early bird.  Lincoln has never been a big fan of sleep, so I embrace our morning cuddles with the big fella.

Tuesday: Our forecast for the rest of the week wasn't looking too good with Tuesday being the last day of sunshine and warm temperatures.  I figured I needed to take advantage of running outside before the showers got here.  I have several route options in my area; I can run from my gym or home, or just a few minute drive I'm at the trail head of where I usually run.  But honestly, I have been getting a little bored with those routes since I do them so much and wanted to try something different.  On our Fleet Feet group runs, we typically run over an interstate overpass near the store.  From the time it starts inclining to the top, it's about a quarter of a mile, then the same thing going down to the end of the decline.  Since we do not have much hills here in Central Florida, this seemed like it would be a great place to do "hill training."  The weather was absolutely beautiful and all the cars rushing by even created a nice breeze.  I warmed up with a mile then attacked that over pass several times.  3/4 mile cool down for a total of 5 challenging miles.  What a great workout, I will definitely be doing that again.  It did, however, not help my already sore legs so I was somewhat regretting all that Wednesday morning, lol!  I also took a few moments to participate in the FitApproach flex and flow challenge with one of my favorite poses.  The upward facing dog always feels so great!

Wednesday: I didn't have much time to train on Wednesday, Hunter and I had a lot to do at work, so I got a quick, but potent lift in at our gym.  For lower body, I only did kettle bell swings and hurdle squat jumps, then focused mostly on upper body.  Later that evening, I was the hostess for our Moms Run This Town meet up at the Fleet Feet pub run.  I was so excited for the opportunity to run with some gals I don't get to see very often as well as make new friends!  Unfortunately, it was raining and dark, so my group only did 2 miles then headed back to the pub.  A lot of us gals are racing over the next couple of weeks so we didn't want to risk getting hurt, plus we were really just there for the beer anyway, hehe.  It's always such a great time hanging out the gals, enjoying a drink or two, discussing everything from our races to our jobs and families.  I am not able to make much events so I take full advantage of our time together when I can.

MRTT at Fleet Feet Pub Run

Thursday: The rain continued into Thursday so I figured it would be a good treadmill day.  Thursday was just one of those blah running days for me.  Not sure if it's been the rain or the tapering, but I was just not totally with it.  I definitely need to snap out of it and get my mojo going for game time in two weeks!  Despite being somewhat cumbersome, I had a descent treadmill run with 3 miles at an average pace of 7:45 then 2 miles of speed work (4x400 @ 6:15 pace w/ 400 RI).  I followed it up with 1000m swim, which actually felt great.  Swimming is becoming more and more effortless for me and I am super excited to get my triathlon training in full swing here soon!

Friday: The only time I have to workout on Fridays is right after I coach the 9am MetCon class.  Hunter heads over to Yoga and I am have the gym to myself to get in another quick but potent lift.  Typically focusing on all upper body, I did a lot of shoulders, biceps and triceps as well as core.  Didn't want to be too sore for my last double digit run the following day.  After our workouts, Hunter and I got some work done at the gym and headed to our favorite lunch spot, Jimmy Hula's, for a delicious post workout lunch!  Then of course we and picked up our precious munchkins and enjoyed a fun afternoon at the park with them.

Nothing better than getting some work done early morning then coming upstairs to these two!

Saturday: I have been loosely following a couple of different training programs in preparation for my next race in two weeks.  For my first couple of marathons, I followed Jeff Galloway's program, but without the walk intervals.  I used it mostly for the suggested mileage.  This last marathon, I followed the Run Less Run Faster method.  I was drawn to it because I have always been a three times a week runner and I felt the structure and speed training would help me get my BQ.  The RLRF program also known as the "First Method" was almost too stringent for me.  In fact, I believe it is what lead to me over training and ultimately my injury.  (Side note, the program didn't cause me to bruise my heel on a coffee table, but I strongly believe I wold have healed much quicker with less issues if I had not been over training.)  Despite the overzealous speedy tempo runs and high mileage runs ever single weekend, I did find that I rather enjoyed and always crushed the speed work from the program.  So I decided to plug the speed work in to the Jeff Galloway program and have been doing that for the past two months.  Between a much simpler approach and of course my much more relaxed attitude about it, I'm feel pretty good heading into race day.  So with all that being said, my plans for Saturday called for 8-10 miles and I of course, had to do it on the treadmill.  It was one of those runs where everything just kinda worked in my favor.  My favorite treadmills was available for me.  The temperature was perfect inside (I know that sounds silly but it is usually super humid inside LA Fitness).  My iPod did not mess up on me and it kept playing some of my favorites from my playlist.  and I just felt good, confident strong and fast.  I knocked up the full 10 miles in about an hour and fourteen minutes with an average pace of 7:25.  That was my best 10 miler since before my injury so I was pretty fired up about that!  As excited as I was about a super awesome 10 treadmill miles though, I am still being very realistic about my full.  Man I would nothing more than to finally catch that Unicorn and know that I have it in me, I just don't know if this will be the one, we shall see!

This was actually my first ever gym mirror selfie, so I was pretty embarrassed getting this shot, lol

Sunday: Family, laundry and meal prep day!  The boys were just too excited for the day that they woke up super early to get it started.  Hunter went for his run while the boys and I ran some errands, then we all headed off to soccer.  I was hoping to get a quick little afternoon run in myself like I did last week, but meal prepping took a little longer than anticipated.  It was probably a good thing though because with the race coming up, I definitely need to take my designated rest days.  Don't want to over train or get hurt, yet again.  Later in the evening we went over to a neighbor's house and they had a super delicious and healthy meal.  It was such a fun evening and the boys, as well as Hunter and I, were super worn out from the exciting events of the weekend!

Final Thoughts: I switch back and forth between excitement and dread for this next marathon, and it all just depends on the day and the my most recent training run.  The week started off a little rocky but I finished strong with a great run on Saturday.  It's time to focus on tapering and resting up for the big day.  Just trying to stay positive and focused.  Most important thing is that I just give it my all, finish strong and leave it all out on the course!

Last Long Run for Marathon #5 Done!

Week 3 of 2016: MLK Day and last long run for my next marathon

Monday was in memorial of the late, great Dr. Martin Luther King.  Schools and many businesses close to honor his life and achievements, so that meant no preschool for my munchkins that day.  I did, however, still have to teach my usual spin class at LA Fitness, so to their excitement, they got to accompany me to the gym.  I knew I wouldn't get much done work wise that day having the babies home with me, but I was also super excited to get to spend the day with them.  I didn't do much weights that morning either because I wanted to maximize my time with them, so just a little core before my class.  That afternoon, we got to have lunch with daddy, ride scooters in the beautiful weather and get frozen yogurt.  I'm sure they would agree, it was a super awesome way to spend the day!

Tuesday is the day I would typically do speed-work but because I had to do my long run on Thursday, I used it as a tempo run.  I started out a little faster than I have been these past few months in hopes to start getting my base pace back up.  Surprisingly it went really well and I was able to knock out 5 miles at a 7:30 minute mile.  Not where I used to be, but seeing improvements like this definitely makes me hopeful I will soon be there again!

Rather than doing my usual heavy lift day and spend my long run the following day regretting it, I figured I should do some laps in the pool instead.  Swimming was something I always struggled with.  Back in my tri days, it was my absolute worst event (I was so glad it was first so I could get it over with)!  I avoided the pool like the plague for many years, but early last year I was feeling somewhat burnt out with running and wanted to give swimming another shot to mix it up.  I am so glad I did.  Not sure if I had just gotten stronger, leaner and more conditioned, or if I just finally decided to let go of my fears, but I felt as if I were a mermaid!  It was all of a sudden so natural to me and I found myself actually enjoying it.  I began incorporating swimming as a regular part of my training regimen until I began training for my full marathon last fall.  I was spending so much time on specific training runs that I did not have time for swimming, but when I ended up getting hurt half way through training, swimming was all I could do.  But once again, marathon training came back into my life and bye bye swimming.  Wednesday was the perfect opportunity to pick it back up and glad I made it happen.  I even made some friends in the pool and guess who is now doing a triathlon this May!?!

Since training for my last marathon this past Fall, my training runs have been all over the place.  I was finding myself getting more and more frustrated if they did not go as EXACTLY as planned.  The self inflicted pressure and stress cause me to lose a bit of my love for running, which is NOT cool.  After getting hurt last fall, my knee jerk reaction was to jump right into another race to get that BQ I have been working so hard for.  But with my poor attitude, overtrained body and not quite healed injury, I am realizing my dream may have to wait yet again.  Rather than getting pissed off, I have decided to let go (for now) and just enjoy the process more.  So with this last long run for my 5th marathon, I made a promise of myself to just run and have some fun.  Run the miles not only because I had committed to doing so, but also because I get to do so, and it is what I love to do.

7:15am start time (for safety purposes, I typically wait for sunrise) and off I went.
It was only about 42 degrees when I got going.  I was half excited about the weather and half concerned since I have not a clue what to wear! #runnerproblems  I figured I would dust off everything I have purchased over the years for cold weather running, put it all on and peel it off as I go, lol.  I did have my watch, but I changed my settings to not see my pace.  My goal was to just run the miles, and that is exactly what I did.  For 15 straight miles it was just me, the trail and my thoughts (well and of course my iPod).  One foot in front of the other, refusing to give up or give in.  It wasn't easy, I wanted to stop and walk several times, but I was committed to just run,even if it's slower than I'd like.  Then, out of nowhere, and just what I needed was a friend of mine and fellow runner, Kim.  Kim and her friend Kris had just dropped their kiddos off at preschool and were out for a 5 miler.  Just what I needed, some running buddies!  For almost 4 miles, we talked about our families, our jobs, and our running goals.  We kept a solid pace and the miles just flew by.  Before I knew it, we were back to their cars and I only had 3 miles to go.  I couldn't have been more thankful for saving my run when I needed it the most.

Having had that little pick me up from my friends was exactly what I needed to crush those last few miles and even had some great negative splits at the end!  Finished all 22 miles in about 3 hours with an average pace of 8:30.  I know this pace is not what will get me that BQ I had originally hoped for, but I am completely ok with that and am hoping to pull off a good PR for this one.  Like I always say, there will be other races.  I've learned a lot both physically and mentally over the past two years of running, more than I had learned in the first 15.  So I'm excited to move forward with a much better attitude and start crushing some goals, but most importantly, have some fun!

Friday, my legs were a little sore but I still wanted to get a quick upper body pump in after I taught my Friday morning group.  Did mostly shoulders and biceps, and of course foam rolling.  Didn't make it to hot yoga that evening, but it was probably for the best, I needed some recover.

On Saturday, I figured I could knock out my usual 8-10 miles, but I quickly realized my legs did NOT agree with me!  A super slow treadmill 5k, that even involved some walking, was about all I had in me.  I foam rolled some more then hit up the pool for about 1000m swim.  Again, really digging on this swimming.  It was ultra cold, cloudy and windy that day, so me and the boys were all bundled up.  We spent some time with some friends and had a nice relaxing evening at home!

Sunday started off pretty chilly with temps in the 30's!  By lunch time, it had warmed up to the 50's and the sun was shinning bright.  The boys' had their soccer game that afternoon and despite a bit of a chill in the air, it had shaped up to be an absolutely beautiful day.  When I mentioned how gorgeous it was after we got back from soccer, my husband said "Yeah, you should get you a run in!"  If he suggested it and it willing to watch the kiddos, I'm so going for it, and I did!  No watch, no music, just a few quick miles around the neighborhood was all I needed for an absolutely perfect Sunday afternoon run.  My legs felt great and I hadn't enjoyed a run like that in I don't know how many years!

This was a pretty good week of training.  Glad to have my last long run complete and now I can focus on some speed work then start tapering down in preparation for the big race.  I am also excited to be back in the pool and plan to make that a regular part of my training.  My lifting always take a big hit during long run weeks and that is one thing I'm missing consistently in my life.  I am looking forward to getting back after it and getting my muscles back!  Who knows, maybe I will finally work on that other fitness goal I have been thinking about for years.  Definitely quite a different direction than my endurance sports.  But we shall see!