Team Daaaaaamn!!!!

Cool action shots from the race...

Event 2 of 14 in 2014 - Winter Garden 2 miler and 10K

Team Daaaaammmnnn!!! showed up for the annual Winter Garden 2-miler and 10K this weekend! I didn't feel quite ready for the 10K yet this year so rather than give up altogether, I decided to focus on running a bit faster for the 2-miler instead.

 

I came in at just under 20 minutes which was the fastest I've ran in some time so I was really pleased! Mike did the 2-miler as a warm up for the 10K :). It was fun to be a spectator and cheerleader for his race a change!

 

We went for a coffee at Axum - the best coffee shop in the world - while Mike was setting the pavement alight...

 

And just over 50 minutes later - he was in so we gave him some 'over-the-line' love :)

 

He looked great and earned some fabulous bling...

 

Great job Mike!

 

My activity levels are gradually increasing in 2014 now and I've even tried hot yoga a couple of times (which was tough but made me feel really great afterwards). This week I also played tennis again after a 15 year hiatus and totally loved it! Getting back to regular activity has been so much tougher than slacking off was but it's coming back together now and I'm starting to feel much better. I'll get there :)

Inaugural Winter Garden 10K

The Tri and Run store in Winter Garden hosted their first 10K today! One of my goals for this year is to run with a group and there's a bunch of local runners who get together there every week so I thought this would be a great opportunity to meet some of them! I hate getting up so early on the weekend but it's always worth it once I'm out of bed. I was super sleepy this morning but Lu got the energy flowing...:)

Mike's friend, Sean, joined us for the first time. Welcome to Team Daaaaamn! Sean!!

 

Feeling the running love...

 

The route was absolutely gorgeous today. I love the old downtown area and we got to run by Lake Apopka too which is so pretty...and there were medals. I freaking love medals...

 

So does Lu...:)

 

Team Daaaaamn! looking good...:)

 

And congrats Mike who killed it in 51:10...

 

Good times:)

Jelly Bean Virtual 10K

Luciana and I were particularly proud that we managed to pull out a 10K on a Monday night after a long day at work at 9pm for the annual Jelly Bean Virtual 10K! I really wasn't feeling it but together, we made it happen!

Now the tough part - to stay "10K-ready" through summer in Florida...:)

Celebration Founders' Weekend 10K!

As part of the Founders' Weekend festivities in Celebration, they have an annual 10K race. Since I had a 6 mile run on the schedule anyway, I figured I'd sign up and try and run without any intervals to see how it went. They had a ton of entertainment for participants and the course was very pretty as it went through the different parts of the town. I really enjoyed the hot air balloons as we arrived, the bag pipe player who played us out (and back in again) and especially the neighbors who sat out cheering and waving as we went by. One of them played the theme tune for Rocky which really picked me up just as I was flagging! It was a really enjoyable run, I felt great throughout and finished with a PR of 1:05:09 which I was thrilled with!

Jelly Bean Race - Virtual 10K

There are just tons of 'virtual' races on various running blogs to sign up for. Some are designed to raise money for different causes and some, like this one, are just for fun! In general, for these types of races awards are given based on drawings from all participants and some offer some really cool prizes too! This one looked like fun so me and Mike signed up for the Jelly Bean virtual 10K...

Mike did his first and ran an extra mile too - show off...

I did mine in the morning and it was hot, hot hot :)

A new 10K PR for me and I won a prize too! (Winners Announcement). How cool is this? I love it!

Florida Dirty Duo

We had such an amazing time at the Florida Dirty Duo race! At this event teams of two share one bike and alternate running and biking through a 6 mile obstacle course (including a mud pit:)) through Tampa's gorgeous Trout Creek park. Throughout the course there are various obstacles such as: tractor tire flip, tire run, steep hill climb, tunnel crawl, roll and pull, etc. Course terrain includes grass, dirt, jeep trail and single track trails and covers about 6 miles and 18 challenges.

Here is the 3 mile course that we had to complete which ended with the mud pit. Then you have to do it all over again covered in mud!

It was still dark when we arrived at the park ready to rock and roll...

We marked up the bike with painter's tape so that we didn't take someone else's by mistake during transitions...

Our team name was "the Sporty Forties" in honor of my BIG birthday coming up:)

Mike did the majority of the running and I biked trails for the first time!

The course started out with a three-legged potato sack race...

Later we had to hop in them to get to the finish...

And then there was the crazy mud pit!!

It was great to hang out with Amber and Chris ("The Honeymooners":))

We definitely got dirty...

After the race the kids were allowed to play in the mud. Mike ended up throwing Maddy in :)

I'm so glad I have Monday off to recover...I ache all over :).

Our first 10K!

I can't quite believe that I actually managed to complete a 10K!!! I was really nervous the night before and only got about 3 hours of sleep but on the plus side it was a nice cool, rainy morning :). We went over to Clearwater with the lovely Catherine at the crack of dawn and met up with Kathleen, Emily, Darren, Nikisha and Joe over there. Everyone was in really good spirits and I felt encouraged and motivated. The bridge was tough on the way back but apart from the couple of hills, I just kept running and stayed at a really slow and steady pace. Mike was a complete treasure and stayed with me the whole time and it was really special coming over the line holding hands!

The results came in later and I was just under 71 minutes which I was thrilled with until I realized that I was 39th out of 46 in my age category! I can't believe how fast 30-something chicks can run! The good news is that next year I will be in the next age category so it's not that I have to run faster, just get older...that I can do :).

Me, Mike and Catherine just after we arrived...

We ran over that bridge!!

This race is notorious for the fabulous after-run pancakes!

We're home and it's time for some relaxation!

Training for the 10K

OK so it's the first week in November and I'm planning on doing a 10K on December 18th and frankly I'm terrified. So scared in fact that I don't plan on publishing this post until I can be sure that I'll actually be able to do it. The plan to get "10K ready" in 6 weeks is very simple: run 3 times per week: one long run (adding a half mile each time), one maintenance run (3-4 miles) and once short 1.5-2 mile run with 4/2 minute splits to build speed. Wish me luck...!

Week 1: Managed to do the dreaded long run (4.5 miles without stopping !) and a 4.2 mile maintenance run this week. The long run was incredibly tough and my legs hurt a fair bit afterwards but basically I'm fine and there's no reason why I can't do this if I can keep my head together...

Inspiration... 

Oprah Winfrey ran a marathon in four and a half hours...that's under a 32 minute 5K pace and over 8 times further!

Week 2: I never did get that last run in last week. Good week with a Monday splits run, 5.1 mile long run in 56:30 and 3.5 miles with Sharon on Friday.

Inspiration... 

The average distance that women in developing countries walk to collect water per day is four miles and the average weight that women carry on their heads is approximately 44 pounds. (WSSCC, 2004)

Week 3: Good week last week and the legs aren't too sore and the world's biggest blister seems to have calmed down a bit. Did a PR at the Turkey Trot 5K on Thursday morning and a 5.5 mile long run in 1:02:45, slow but actually really enjoyable. I felt like I could even have gone further but didn't want to push it! I'm really starting to feel like I may have had a break through and this may be possible. I'm even starting to fantasize about doing a 15K for Gasparilla at this rate! Good stuff...

Inspiration...
Not only can Oprah do it but so can I. I ran a 10K distance twice in January of this year on the treadmill (which I had conveniently forgotton about).

Week 5: So now it's two weeks later and I haven't blogged or kept up with the program:(. Bloody rubbish and fairly typical of what seems to happen each time I try and push myself. After the success of the longest run ever and my fastest 5K to date I have barely managed two runs a week for the past two weeks and not had a successful long run since. The 10K is next Saturday and I haven't even registered since I don't have the confidence that I can do it. There's only one way to turn this sucker around and that's to get my arse in gear and run a 10K tomorrow to prove to myself it can be done. Then I need to show up on Saturday and walk (or crawl if need be) to get this thing done.

Inspiration... 
You are not a wimp. You are quite capable of setting a goal and doing it. Like quitting smoking for example which you managed to take care of over 3 years ago. Get a grip and stop doubting yourself - it's a 10K not a freakin' marathon!

The next morning...woke up feeling determined to do a 10K to prove to myself that I can. Mike ran all the way with me and Maddy rode her bike alongside me to show their support. How cool is that?!

Anyway, 66 and a half minutes later and we were all done. No stopping and I didn't feel too bad at all. So now I'm registered...OMG...

Running Goals for 2010

My running goals for 2010 are...

* Finish a 5K in under 30 mins
* Do a 10K
* Exercise at least three times a week and add some variety to my work outs

I can do this :)

Christmas Day 2009

It's getting so much better now. I am sticking to the treadmill most of the time since I'm afraid of getting bad legs again. I did run the block though which feel like a warm up now:) I can't believe when I started this I couldn't run further than the bottom of the street! I can run a 5K now fairly comfortably without stopping to walk and have been running 4 miles most of the time. I have even run continuously for 5 miles a few times and actually ran for 10K twice without stopping in 1 hr and 5 mins. 5K feels like such a short run so I braved the outdoors again, measured the distance and it was fine. No major shin splints really. On Christmas Day, Mike, Gail and I all ran 5K and had a really healthy lunch. It felt so great - what a perfect end to such an amazing year!