Allegiance Race for Health

Remember how I have been wanting to race but unable to because we are saving money? I got a free entry to a race today! I won the overall women at Allegiance Race to Health for last year. I decided to call the race director on Thursday to ask if I could have a free entry to this year's race. She said, "absolutely!" I was so excited!

So today, I raced!

We woke up early and got into Jackson around 7:30. The 5 mile started at 8:00 so getting there a half hour before was SUPER late for me. I like to register, warm-up, go to the bathroom, stretch, and then run. I only had time after registering for a quick bathroom run and minimal stretching. My warm-up was running to the bathroom. No good!

I met my friend Emily at the race. We chatted before the start. Pretty soon the gun went off and we were off! This race is notoriously hilly. Including a hill right within the first mile. Ugh! I definitely went out too fast for that. I wasn't able to get my splits because my Garmin wasn't getting a good signal because of the trees and buildings. I do know I hit the 5K mark around 22 or so minutes. I had quite a bit of stomach problems in the middle miles (I am not making excuses here, I promise.)

I finished up in 36:50 (a 7:22 pace!). At first, this bummed me out. Last year when I won the race I ran a 6:52 pace. Then, I started thinking. Last year, this race was my 5 mile PR. I was in the best shape of my life. This summer, I had a baby 3 months ago! I guess a 7:22 pace isn't too shabby considering that. So, I was happy. I think I was about the 7th or 8th woman overall this time.
Here's a shot of Emily, Grant, and I right after the race. I always look HORRIBLE in post-race pictures. YUCK! I sweat like a pig! I thought I would share anyway.


Aside from the 5 mile race, I was able to get another 5 mile and 6 mile run in earlier in the week so my mileage will be pretty good again this week!

Good mileage.

This past week I ran 26.5 miles total including an 8 miler on Saturday morning with my two running friends. So last week marks my highest mileage week post-partum and my longest run post-partum.

Then, today, I ate way too much cookout food and took the day off. Ugh. :)

I am hoping to consistently maintain 30+ miles per week by the end of September and build a good base over winter so I can train for another full marathon in the spring (maybe). If not, definitely doing another half. I guess it depends where we live and how I feel about it.

And I have to get serious about working my abs and legs...I have just a couple of weeks until I start teaching fitness classes again. I am going to be really sad after my first class when I can barely move if I don't start getting back into shape.

Whoa!

Totally going to toot my own horn here. Monday I ran without Grant and the BOB. Just to see what pace I could comfortably do and see how in shape I am. I was able to maintain between 7:55-8:05 for a hilly 4 miles! And it felt decently easy. That's pretty darn close to my training pace pre-baby. That makes me very happy. I wish I could race soon just to see where my 5K or 10K time is at but unfortunately that won't happen for awhile.

I should have a pretty good mileage week this week too. My master's runner friend invited me out for a "girls only" 6-8 miler this Saturday without the baby. I can't wait! Nothing excited me more than a Saturday morning gossip session while running. :)

23 miles.

Even though my training log goes from Sunday-Saturday, I actually count my mileage from Monday-Sunday. Therefore, this week I ran a total of 23 miles! It's still a far cry from what I used to run but so far it's my highest mileage week post-partum. And I am pleased to say that I ran all 23 miles pushing the BOB Ironman.

My goals.

The picture of me on the sidebar makes me want to tear up. That was me last summer. When I THOUGHT I needed to lose weight. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. What a freak. Last summer was my fastest summer ever. I think it was my last hurrah before I had a baby or something. So, my goal is to weigh the same as I did in that picture. Before anyone freaks out, I understand that I probably won't look exactly like that picture. I had a baby after all! But, there is no reason I can't weigh what I weighed at that time. I am going to do something crazy. Post my weight. I am very embarrassed about my weight because I am 5'9". So, it's pretty high. And I am sensitive. But, I guess if I have to be accountable, I have to post my weight and my goal weight. So, here I go.

In that picture, I weighed 145 lbs. I had to gain some weight in order to get pregnant. The day I found out I was pregnant, I weighed 154 lbs (eek!). I gained 32 lbs during pregnancy and have already lost 34 lbs. So, I am 152 as of this morning. I HATE, HATE being a bill and a half in weight. For some reason, that 150 mark gets me every time. It just sounds like a lot. So, my first goal is to get back to 145. I don't think it will be too awful. I just have to not eat myself silly like I usually do. I like to eat. I can't hard-core diet because I am nursing Grant. But, just making sure I don't eat a lot of crap should help. I need to eat super healthy anyway. Whenever I start eating crappy, my stomach acts up.

Second, I have to get my abs back into shape enough to teach fitness. I really need to meet this goal because I am already signed up to teach two fitness classes starting in September. One of them is an abs/butt class. What was I thinking? I am going to jump start this by participating in the 30 day Ab Challenge.

Third, I want to get my training pace back to where is was before baby. I think running with the BOB, a huge baby, and a carseat with adapter should help with that.

And finally, I need to start being more consistent with cross training. Especially with a baby. Some days I can't get out to run. On days I can't run, I should make sure I do some other sort of cross training. I am the kind of person who needs to exercise everyday to be a nice person (ask my husband).

So, those are my goals. Here I go...

So, I started a running blog...

I have been wanting a place to keep a running journal of sorts. I always start and then I give up. I always keep running just never keep track of how much and how far I run. Lately, I have been getting serious about my running again. Now that I am a blogging fool, I think a blog would be a fun way to do it. I love talking. I love running, fitness, and working out. And I *REALLY* love talking about running and working out. However, no one else in my household does. If I blog about it, maybe other people that feel the same way will read it. If not, at least I have a place to keep my running rambling.

A little history. I have been running since I was 13 years old. So, I have been running for over 13 years. Yikes! I have run 6 marathons (The Freep x 3 times, Akron, Boston, and Chicago). The last marathon I ran was in the fall of 2006 because in 2007, I decided to try and have a baby. Flash forward to May 2008, Grant was born! I ran until 30 weeks pregnant but had to stop because of a rib injury so I switched to walking. I started running again at 16 days post-partum and have been running with him in the BOB ever since.

So, I plan to use this blog to keep me accountable for meeting my weekly running goals, other fitness goals, and a place to basically obsess about running. Enjoy! (or get sick of hearing about it as my husband does. ;) )