Bellin Run 10k 2014 recap

Last weekend was the running of the 38th annual Bellin Run 10k.  This race is a favorite for local runners as well as runners from across the country and around the world!  This year, 18,213 runners laced up their shoes and hit the streets on the East side of Green Bay.    It is actually one of the largest 10k races in the nation.

This year, when registration first opened, it debating if I was going to run it this year.  Don't get me wrong, being able to run a race of this size and be able to sleep in my own bed the night before is a huge plus!  The excitement and energy on the street is amazing. However the size of this event also has some drawbacks.  Parking in the area of the start/finish line is mostly limited to street parking through the surrounding neighborhoods.  Don't get me wrong, the crew that puts together this even handles this very well, providing shuttles from select area in the city, giving people the opportunity to get downtown without having to actually drive!  The fact that there are so many people also makes it difficult to run the course without feeling like you are continuously running around people.  18,000+ people all in the same 6 miles of city street gets a little interesting, but at the same point, adds to the excitement of the morning.

Since I actually earned a free registration for this years race for completing 5 or 6 races in last years Titletown race series, it really was a no brainer... why go somewhere else and PAY to run (plus travel costs) when I could run at home for FREE!

Truimph Mile 2014!

The weekend started off on Friday night with the 2nd annual Truimph Mile with myTEAM TRIUMPH.  This is an event that I missed last year but heard many good things about.  My son and I have become more involved with this organization over the last year and were not going to miss this awesome event!  This amazing event gives individuals with disabilities, that would otherwise hinder or prevent them from taking part in an athletic event the opportunity to  complete a 1-mile course (2 laps) around Astor Park.  After we picked up everyone's race packets for the big race on Saturday, Darrin and I met up with our good friend Vicky and hundreds of mTT Captains and Angels to complete this 1 miles walk/run.  I would have to say that this was one of the most amazing hours of my life!  Walking these disabled athletes, who were determined to get out there and go was very humbling.  Many of us take our ability to run for granted.  These individuals do not have that opportunity - except for now!  Darrin stayed with Vicky for 2/3 of the first half mile loop and then took of running with another Captain/Angel team.  Vicky and I spent the rest of that loop and the entire next loop trying to keep up to and even catch other excited Captains!   The smiles and pure enjoyment on the faces of these athletes made this one of the best birthday presents I could have asked for!  Yes, this amazing event was on my birthday and I was so glad to be able to have the best birthday party ever - Running with this amazing, inspiring group!

Darrin getting ready to run with Team Jonny

 After a good nights sleep, it was up bright and early to get everyone downtown!  Darrin was running with myTEAM TRIUMPH and needed to be downtown by 6:15,  My husband and our good friend (and my running partner's wife) Molly were working one of the water stations and needed to be downtown by 6:30.  This meant that I needed to be downtown by 6am also (for an 8am race).  The good thing about having to be downtown that early?  Plenty of parking is available!  We were able to get a parking spot just 2 blocks from the start line area!

Darrin and I both had goals for this years event.
 Mine - to finish in under and hour (last year's time = 1:06:59)  Darrin's goal - to cross the finish line before me.  Note:  he said cross the finish line before me, not beat my race time!  Since he was running with mTT, he would have about a 20 minute head start on me!  He just wanted to say that he crossed the finish line before me.  (FYI, my estimate was that I would pass his at about mile 5, but also thought it would have been cool if we actually crossed the finish line together!)

Matt, Gina and myself, pre-race!  Let's do this!!

It was time to get ready!  Over the next few hours, I met up with a few friends, tried to relax, get some stretching in and get myself ready to go, including clipping in my black Rockstar flower.  Then it was time to head towards the start corrals.  I do have to say that this race is very well organized in terms of the start corrals.  When you register, they ask you your estimated race pace and put you in corrals based on that.  Granted we know that many people register in for a faster corral that they actually run, but for the most part, everything runs very smoothly.  Matt met up with Darci and I near the entrance for wave 4.  We were actually registered for corral 3, but opted to drop back to Corral 4 to start the race with Gina.  Gina actually runs a faster pace than us, but registered in the slower corral.  Our mission... to use Gina's faster pace to push us to finish within the one hour goal that we set for ourselves.

Considering the number of people that run this event, I will have to say that the start of this race is very organized.  Granted it does take a while to get everyone started, but with over 18,000 runners, that is expected.  When we crossed the start line, the race clock said 0:16:xx, which meant that Darrin started about 20 minutes ago... the race was on!

I went into this race optimistic that I could hit my 60 minute goal that I set for myself.  The first 2 miles of the course are a gradual uphill, so that is always a struggle for me.  I started out ok, running the 2 miles with 10:04 and 10:25 splits.  I however, gave up on trying to keep up with Matt and Gina.  Their pace was just beyond what I was going to be able to do today (we lost Darci shortly after we started as she took off in front of us!).  I made up some time after I passed the 2 mile marker and headed down the LONG downhill stretch along Greene Ave.  Even with having to stop and tie my shoe, I still hit a 10:11 split.  Unfortunately, the second half of my race was not as positive.  This had turned into a mental race for me.  I needed to keep me head in the game and run MY race... not the race that everyone else was running.  Yes, I would have loved to keep pace with Matt and Gina, but considering my IT band issues from this past spring, I had to remind myself that I was NOT at that point in my training.  I needed to run this for me.

Darci and I, ready to be awesome!

Right around the 4 mile marker I caught up to Matt, who had been dealing with a nasty cold for the last 2 weeks. I walked with him for a bit, making sure he was ok before he shoo'ed me off to continue my run.  Once I knew he was ok, I continued on my mission.  Once I reached the top of the next hill, I came to the water station that John and Molly were working.  It was really awesome to see familiar faces out on the course today!  Of course, John dumped a cup of water on my head as i ran by but I was not going to complain - with how warm the sun was getting, the cold water felt great!  I had less than 2 miles to go.

I'm not going to kid you, the last 2 miles were tough.  The sun was getting warmer, there were not many clouds in the sky and I was mentally and physically feeling it.  The awesome thing about this race tho is that, from start to finish, there are people lining the street, cheering everyone on,  blasting music and breaking out the hoses and sprinkles!  This really helped me to get through those last few miles.

When I finally came around the corner, back onto Webster and saw the finish line in front of me, I gave it everything that I had left in me.  When I crossed the finish line, the clock said 1:21:xx  Knowing that it was already at 0:16:xx when I started, I knew I was well short of my 1 hour goal.  But I finished.

Official course time 1:06:12.  I beat last years time by 47 seconds.  I know that this is something positive, but in retrospect, I can't help but feel disappointed.  It was not my best race, but I also know that I have no one to blame but myself.  Over the last few weeks, life got in the way and I did not take the time that I need to get in some training runs.  Granted I got to the gym, plus did my exercised from my PT, but the miles were not there.  I also know that I did not properly fuel  myself pre-race (spent too much time catching up with friends pre-race and forgot to take my EnergyBits!) and by the time I crossed the finished line I was partially dehydrated (my own fault because I had water WITH me!).  All in all, I know I did the best that I could and can only learn from today - and I finished with ZERO knee pain!!!!!!   And this was WITHOUT wearing my ITband strap!  Thank you Lisa for helping me get back to where I am today!  I know I staill have work to do, but obviously we are moving in the right direction!

After I finished, I found Matt (he finished about a minute or so behind me!) and Gina so we could get a post race pic with the photographers and then it was time to find my munchkin!  Since I never saw (or past) Darrin out on the course, I had to assume that he killed is previous 10k PR.

Darrin and I post race (with photo bomb by Andy!)

Darrin met up with is just as we were heading back toward the park (in route towards the mTT tent).  He was glowing!  He and his team finished with a team of 1:22:56!  CRUSHING his previous 10k time by 18 minutes!!!!!!  He, and the rest of Team Jonny completely ROCKED the Bellin!  He figured that they ran their first mile in 9:30!!  Granted, after that mile, they did slow down a bit, but in the end, they pushed like they never have before (literally) and made it a day to remember!  I am so proud of him for what he has accomplished!  Over the last few months that he has been running with mTT I have seen him grow and mature so much!  Yes, some days it is hard for me to believe that is is the same kid that often times makes me want to pull out my hair and scream, but then days like this remind me that he is a strong caring individual that is full of life and potential... however,  he will always be my "Little Goobler"   Can't wait to see what they do at the Packers 5k in July!

All in all, it was an awesome day.  I may have not run the race that I wanted, but I am using it as a learning experience!  Have you had those "off" races?  What did you learn from those days?

Next up?  for BIG events - Cliffrunner 10k at High Cliff State Park in July... in the meantime, lets hit a glow run and a few 5k's to keep us entertained!

Super Saturday turned into Wicked Awesome Weekend

After yesterday crazy morning, you would think that I would call it a weekend and relax...

Nope.

At 3pm yesterday, my equally crazy running partner Matt and I decided to register for the Aurora BayCare 10k that was being run in conjunction with the Triathalon.  John also decided to join us and walk to the 5k!  Yes, I have officially crossed the line to crazy!

We were up and at the park by 6:15am, waiting for the Triathalon to start (and a wave a rain to come through) and were off and running again!  I was fueled up (Energybits were my friend this weekend!)

After my crazy day yesterday, I was not running this for time.  It was just to get my miles in.  Matt had taken the last week and a half off from running so he was going for a slower pace too. By about mile 2 we decided that we just wanted to hit a consistent time/pace (of 11:30) today.

Matt and I just after we crossed the finish line

Thankfully the rain had stopped before we started and held off for the entire race, but by about mile 3 it started to get a little muggy.  Not going to complain though because last year when we ran this race, it was only 40 degrees!

In the end, we did exactly what we set out to do.  We finished with a 11:27 pace (mile 3 was over 12 minutes, but it was pretty much uphill!).  This was a great confidence booster for the Bellin 10k coming up in 2 weeks, especially when we both ended up finishing 1st in our age group (one of the joys of running a small local event!).  Perfect way to kick off birthday week for Matt too!!

No medals for this one, but 1st in age group makes up for it!

It was truly a wicked awesome weekend!  Yesterday was insane and I still managed to pull off a 10k today without having to walk any of it.  So far, the knee is feeling good and I and ready to go! 

Now time to go find food and refuel this body!

... and then probably take a nap!

Super Saturday: Scheels 5k run + Summer Slimdown kick off = an AWESOME morning!

What a morning!

Back in February when I signed up for the Scheels Run for Home 5k, I figured it would be just another early Saturday race morning... little did I know this was going to be the same day as the Summer Slimdown Challenge kickoff at the gym!  I had to figure out how I was going to be able to pull this off... especially since the 5k was in Appleton (a 30 minute drive from the gym!) at 8am and the kickoff started at 8:30 (first workout started at 9am)!

Thankfully the crew at the gym was very accommodating and put my challenge partner Lisa and I in the 10am workout.  I just had no time to waste between finishing my run and getting to the gym.

In the stadium, before the run

So, I was up at 5am and out the door by six.  Breakfast was a Banana and some Spark on the drive.  I was at the stadium for the run to pick up my race packet by 6:30.  It was nice to get down there early so I had time to finish waking up, get in some good stretching and relax a bit before my insane morning started.  Once we got closer to race time, I downed my energy bits, and was just waiting to start!

 Feet don't fail me now!

 I always have liked this race.  The course changed this year tho and we were not running through the FVTC campus.  It was just hitting the trail near it and then one of the residential areas.  I had a feeling it was going to get warm quick out there once we got started because there was not a cloud in the sky.

The race itself was good!  I cruised through the first 2 miles, feeling good and maintaining my pace.  If I could keep this pace, I knew I had a chance on actually hitting my 5k PR.  The blazing sun had other plans for me.  Once I hit the 2 mile marker the glaring sun was really doing a number on me.  There was not a cloud in the sky so it only intensified how warm I was already feeling.  I ended up slowing my pace and did actually have to walk part of it so that I didn't over heat. I can really tell that I got accustomed to running in the cold temps from this past winter and my body is still adjusting to running in the sun and heat!

In the end, I still ended up finishing in 29:40, good enough for 5th in my age group!  I am not going to complain about that one bit!  Anything under 30 minutes in the direct sun is a win in my book!  I would have loved to have stuck around to catch up with everyone else that was running, but there was not time!  I needed to cool off, change out of my running shoes to let me feet breathe for a bit, get some water and Rehydrate in me and hit the road.

I was on the road back to Green Bay before 9am!  I was going to have time to spare... maybe!

Lisa and I pre-workout.  It all starts here!

I made it to the gym around 9:30, got checked in, measurements done and change back into my other shoes!  The first group was well into their workout and I could tell this was going to take everything I had left in me!

Lisa was already there and filled me in on what we were going to get to do... yes, GET to do.  We signed up for this!  No turning back now.  We were on a mission.  Since we needed to come up with a team name, the first thing that popped into my head  was me dear friend Tori and her dad... the Tortoise and the Hare.  They are both amazing people that are part of the awesome team that keeps me inspired to do many of the crazy things that I do!  Lisa's first response was "I hope I get to be the tortoise!" so I guess I am the hare... It's a challenge that I will gladly accept!

We tackled the workout with everything we had.  6 exercises, 5 minutes each... Burpees, Kettle Bell Thrusters, Sprints, Wall Balls, Tire flips, high five push-ups... 2 minutes in between so move from one station to the next.  Not really sure if starting with burpees was a good thing or bad... Good that we got them out of the way right away, but that they just might kill me! (aside from the few I did at the gym Wednesday morning, I have not done burpees in 5 weeks, PT orders!).  We did it, and we did it with a smile on our face.

In the end, I am proud of what we did!  There were times that I was ready to be done.  We pushed through and put up some good numbers!  I was really worried that my run earlier this morning was going to be a huge factor in my workout.  I am not saying that it was NOT a factor, I just thought that it was going to be worse.  I am sure that my tomorrow afternoon I'll be singing a different tune (but fingers crossed that's not the case!

How hard did we work?  My headband it a good showing of that - there is even dirt from the tire flips mixed it with the liquid awesome!  Today was the first day of our new summer adventure!  I am curious to see where we are com August when we get to do this same crazy workout again!  I am so excited that Lisa decided to join me for this challenge and I know that we are going to have fun with it!!


Now that the fun is over... this girl needs to eat and then put my feet up and relax for a bit!

Post workout fuel! 

Calf sleeves and flip flops!  Score!

I pulled off a combination of workouts today that I would have never even considered a year ago.  Many times over the course of the last 2 years, I have wanted to give up, even questioned why I was doing everything that I was doing.  But then I look back at everything that I have already done and the things that I am considering doing in the future, I would not have it any other way.  Plus, over the course of this crazy adventure in the last year and a half I have made been blessed with countless people along the way that have supported, encouraged and motivated me to keep moving forward.

Some day I may not be able to do these things... today is NOT that day!

Remember, keep your eye on what you want... you WILL get there!  I know I am not there yet, but eventually, I will be!

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Ty's Weekend Warrior Insanity Sessions - I won't let them kill me!

Yes, these workouts are crazy, some even say insane, but I keep going back for more!  They push me to do things that I never thought I could do... and probably would never have tried! Ty, this post is just for you!  You come up with some crazy workouts, push us to do some crazy things, but in the end, I really do look forward to the weekends that I can actually get in to the gym and see you!

People have often asked what these crazy workouts consist of, so I cam going to try and post some of them out here when I have a chance (especially the really "Special" i.e insane ones!)

Some of us joke with him every weekend that he is trying to kill us! (we all cringe is we see him walking around the gym with a deck of cards - but we will save that for another day!)  Hence the headbands that I got for Darci and I!   However... even if we think he is trying to kill us, we are the ones that keep going back week after week!  We are a special kind of crazy and I wouldn't have it any other way!

This past weekend, was not different!  Well, maybe it was a little different... I was originally going to head in for the 9am class, getting in my workout, heading home to shower and then hit the road for a weekend of camping.  at 5:30am Saturday morning, I was wide awake.  So, I decided to just get up and got for a run INSTEAD of waiting to go to the gym.  I headed out and did a 3 mile tempo run through the neighborhood and was back home relaxing on my deck by 7am.

Now I was faced with a dilemma... what was I going to do now... everyone else was still sleeping.  I posted the above pic on FB and Ty was the first one to comment... "Class at 8,9 and 10?"  Hmmm...  I could make the 8am class and we would still be able to hit the road for the camper at decent time.  I shot a quick message off to Lisa to tell her I was thinking about hitting the 8am class instead if there was still room.  Before I could change my mind, she replied back that she was in.  There were 4 slots left for the 8am class (well, 3 since she already changed herself from the 9am to the 8am class).  Time to put the shoes back on and head out the door!  I got to they gym just as Ty was getting there and his first words were "hope you are ready for some fun today!"...  So in other words, I might be dreading that I hit the gym AFTER that run...  

Here goes nothing... It was total body challenge Saturday! 

 Yes, you read that right... 100 of EACH exercise listed in the orange.  The 3 listed on the left were to be done after you finished with everything else.  Yes that meant a total of 940 reps once all is said and done!   All within the 40 minute time limit!

Time to get busy.  We were allowed to break up our workout any way that we wanted, we just had to make sure that we completed all 100 of each exercise.  Lisa and I decided to divide it into 4 sections and do 25 of each (4 rounds total).  Granted, doing 100 squats at once is doable, but there is no way that I was going to attempt 100 push-ups in one go!

I was not going to let this workout get the best of me!  I pushed it with everything I had.  I was not going to let Ty's Crazy Insanity workout take me down!

In the end, I ended up finishing in 25:46!

Post workout... not dead yet!

He may have tried to kill me again today, but he has not succeeded yet!  Knowing I made it through that, after my 3 mile tempo run, was going to make a weekend of camping even that much more enjoyable!

Until next time... keep pushing it!  You will be glad that you did!

Cellcom Half Marathon 2014 is officially in the books!

I just realized that it's been a few weeks since I have posted an update!  I guess I have been busier than I thought!

Today was the big day... Cellcom Marathon 2014 was finally here.

5am the parking lot is still pretty empty

The last few weeks have been filled with PT appointments to help get me into the best possible condition for the Cellcom Half Marathon this weekend, a few Chiro appointments to make sure everything is where it belongs, not as many miles run, but more strength training to get everything working the way it should.

Now here we are, the day of what should have been my first Full Marathon but I would only be running the half.  To be honest with you, for the first time every, I woke up on race day and DIDN'T want to get out of bed. Granted part of it was the fact that we left the bedroom window open last night and it was only 40 degrees outside (and in the bedroom) now... so my toes did not want to leave the warm blankets!    I woke up feeling like I was going into this unprepared. The last time I ran more than 6.5 miles was on April 12th, when Matt and I ran 10.  This was the first time that I ever recall actually waking up on race morning and NOT excited for the days event.  I just wanted to stay curled up in my nice warm bed, and sleep for another 3 hours!

myTEAM TRIUMPH early on race day

However that was not an option!  My son was volunteering with myTEAM TRIUMPH this morning and needed to be at the stadium by 5am, so I was also there at 5am!  IT WAS COLD!  I think it was 43 degrees outside when we got to the mTT truck.   I was rethinking the short and tank that I put on to run in!  All I was thinking was that it better warm up!

Hanging out with the Angels and Captain with mTT will definitely put anyone if a good mood!  The excitement and energy around the mTT trailer on race morning is contagious!  You can't be around there and not find yourself caught up in everything.  Seeing this crew dive in and work together as a well oiled machine is an amazing thing. This was the first time I was present on race morning, watching a great plan come together!  As the Captains and their families started to arrive, things really started to get fun.  The endless smiles and laughter was everywhere!  For several of the Captains, this was their first event and there was no stopping us now! The sun may have been just waking up, but everyone out there was up and ready to move!  This was the day they had been working for all spring!


By the time the Full Marathon started at 7am, any pre-race jitters or doubts were gone.  It was slowly starting to warm and and I was ready to go.  I still was having some apprehensions as to how my knee was going to hold up but I was going to do what I can.  I dug out my race fuel from my bag, took a relaxing walk around the parking lot, did a lot of stretching, rubbed some BioFreeze on my knee and did what I could to get myself mentally into the game.  At the start line I ran into several fellow runners, coworkers, as well as fellow Twitter friends!  It was shaping up to be an awesome day!

3/5 of the Fox Cities 2013 Marathon Relay Team

Overall it ended up being an unbelievable day! I started out running my own race, at my own pace and for the first time ever, I didn't let myself get caught up in the adrenaline rush of the race.  I knew that I needed to make this my race, not whomever was running in front of me or behind me.  After the first water station, I found my groove.

Around Mile 2, my race day took a slight change.  One the course I met Crystal.  We both commented on each others Fellow Flowers shirts and were wearing matching turquoise flowers.  (the story of our run can be summarized well here on the Fellow Flowers FB page HERE) We realized that we were running at about the same pace and fell into step with one another.  We ended up spending the next 2 hours sharing local race stories, laughing and enjoying the beautiful morning.  We also the morning encouraging and pushing each other to make this the best race day that we could.  We both suffer from some of the same knee/IT band injuries so it was nice to be out there running with someone who knew exactly what I was dealing with!  Plus, we both live in Green Bay, so now I have someone else to go running with!!

Crystal and I just before mile 8!

Crystal and I finished the race together and were still smiling at the end!  I was well beyond surprised at my overall finish.  After all of the knee issues I had been dealing with, I was not pushing for time... I just wanted to run the best race I could, not push myself too hard and just finish.  In the end, I ended up finishing in 2:33:40, just 3 1/2 minutes shy of my Half Marathon PR!

Many thanks to my awesome family and friends, my chiropractor, physical therapist and fellow running friends that helped prepare me for this awesome day.  Plus major kudos to Crystal, who helped push me through those hill and last few miles when I really wanted to walk!  We kept running and ended up finishing strong in the end!

Overall this was an awesome day!  I met a new running friend, I finished in a near personal best, then spent the afternoon relaxing and enjoying the day with my boys as some great friends with a cookout in the back yard!  Cellcom 2014 turned out better than I excpeted it would and now I am ready to roll!

Here is to the start of another summer of running, adventures and challenges! Many thanks to my awesome husband and son who support me in this crazy adventure!

Post Race and still standing!

Keep pushing on? Nope. Time to rethink the current mission.

I made it through the week off!

Not running all week was tough and not going to the gym was even tougher than I thought, more physically than mentally.  I never realized how much my weeknight trips to Fitness Renegades was really part of my life now, until I couldn't go! Granted, I had my strength exercises from PT that I needed to do, but that's just not the same as a dose of Joe's daily intense lifting and challenging missions or Ty's fierce weekend warrior insanity adventures.  I may make light of these workouts but they are intense, often fierce and push me to my limits and I wouldn't have it any other way.  Thanks guys!

On Thursday when I met with Lisa, while she was really working my IT Band we were discussing my painful weekend, how things were going this week and where we were headed from here.

From the way my run and workout last weekend went. I knew what was coming...

We were only 4 weeks out from the marathon.  My longest run to date was 14 miles, over a month ago.
As of right now, I couldn't make 10 miles without being in extreme pain.  I think deep down I knew what I needed to do, it was just really hard to admit it.

I was NOT going to be running this Full Marathon.

I will be honest, it was tough to finally admit what I think I knew deep down a few weeks ago already.  My body was just not ready for the challenge yet.  Last summer when I was just running a lot of miles and spending minimal time with strength training, I was doing ok.  Then over the winter, I switched gears and was doing a heavier amount of strength training and minimal running (thanks to mother nature and the "lovely" winter we had here) that too was ok.  Come spring when I upped the mileage and kept up with the strength training, but body put up the stop sign.  Ok, it was probably just a caution flag at first but since I didn't pay attention to it right away, it turned into a red flag.  I needed to stop and pay attention to what was going on.

I did get the ok from my PT to run the half marathon and thankfully I was able to find someone that had a Half Marathon registration that they were no longer able to use.  Unfortunate that they were not able to run, but in the end it was a blessing for me, as the half marathon was at capacity and I could not just "switch" events.  It cost me $10 to process the transfer, but that was $10 well spent!

I am taking these next few weeks before the half marathon to work on the strength training prescribed by my PT to get me moving in the right direction and on May 18th, I will head out for my 1st Half Marathon on 2014.

Yes I am disappointed that I will not be able to make Cellcom 2014 my first Full Marathon, but I know that with some hard work over the next few months, I will only come out a stronger runner in the end.  I am not calling it quits on a Full Marathon, just delaying it until my body is ready for the challenge!

The rest of 2014 is still ahead of me, several 5k's, 10k's, color runs and Half Marathons, so the distances might be shorter, but the miles will still me there!  We are not stopping, just changing gears and taking a detour!