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 :).

Weight a minute!

I was working diligently towards my goal of running a 5K in under 30 minutes when I suddenly realized that there may be more than one way to 'skin a cat' as it were. I found this little table on Runner's World that shows the relationship between how much faster you can run if you lose a few pounds in weight :)

According to RW author Amby Burfoot, the table is based on research that runners, on average get 2 seconds per mile faster for every pound they lose.

So, basically if my PR is about 30 and a half minutes and I lose just over 5 lbs I could be at goal!

Coincidentally this is almost the exact amount of weight that I've gained over the Holiday season. Not sure if it happened in Charleston where I was so carb'ed up that I actually had Mike take photos of me in front of a dessert bar no matter how much my enthusiasm was scaring the server behind the counter...

Or...it could have been on New Year's when Catherine held me down and forced me to eat these...:)





Regardless, I've signed up for the new PointsPlus Weight Watchers program and so far it's going pretty well. I've found some great blogs to follow also including *Bitchcakes* (Click here) and the Retro WW Experiment (Click here) which is hilarious. On her blog, Mimi goes "Back in Time" and incorporates some of the original 1972 WW program recipes into her current weight-loss plan and writes about it!

Jean Nidetch - founder of WW

Since I was feeling a bit nostalgic I volunteered to try out one of the hideous recipes for myself. Here is my "guest blog" over at Mimi's (Clare's guest blog).

And here is the living proof that Mike and Maddy actually enjoyed it!

Groovy Jean!

New Shoes for Mike!

We went to the fabulous Fitniche at the weekend to get Mike a new pair of sneakers. According to running shoe manufacturers you're supposed to buy new ones every 300 miles/6 months or so but Mike thinks that's a made-up conspiracy to get at his hard-earned money. So it took quite a bit of persuading that after 5 years or so he really could do with a new pair. Here's Mike's 'gait analysis' where they filmed him running on a treadmill and slowed it down on a TV to find the right fit just for him based on his footstrike.

First they put him on a treadmill...

According to Mike, in the next photo the store employee is looking up fancy terms on her computer like "over-pronating" and "cadence" so that she can hit him up for lots of money when he's too tired to argue...

Mike's feet - literally bursting into flames on the wide-screen...;)

He went home with a pair of Nikes in the end...:)

It's a foot miracle :)

I've been suffering with a massive blister in the same place every time I run over about 3 miles for a while now. I've tried vaseline and two pairs of socks which definitely helps but doesn't fix the problem completely. I asked at our running store for their advice and it turns out that new socks are the answer! Apparently cotton retains moisture and you shouldn't run in cotton socks. Who knew?! I suppose it makes sense since you don't run in cotton T-shirts. Anyway, I wasn't sure if I believed it so I bought a pair (for about $10) and took them out for a long run. I had no blisters at all! None in over 5 miles! What an awesome discovery - thank you Emily from Fitniche!

Goals for 2011...

When I look back over the past year I'm really happy at how I've done:). My running goals for 2010 were...

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

I did manage a couple of 5Ks in under 30 minutes but only on the treadmill and I never managed to pull it off under race conditions. That will be my goal for this year. I'm most proud of my first 10K which I did on December 17th! This was the very last race of the year so I'm going to try and get this year's goals done a bit sooner so that I don't feel quite so much pressure:). My last goal to establish a regular workout regimen went very well. I'm now safely in 'the groove' and have changed my lifestyle accordingly. I ran about 300 miles this year in total and participated in 10 races for some amazing charities. I have also connected with some of the nicest people that I am really happy to have as my 'running buddies.' I definitely have better energy levels and feel much stronger than ever before. I also have a deeper appreciation for people with disabilities or injuries and recognize that running in particular is such a privilege. I feel so lucky that I can (albeit slowly :)).

So for 2011, here are my new goals:

* Run over 350 miles
* Do at least 6 fitness events
* Complete a 15K or a Sprint Triathlon
* Finish a 5K race in under 30 mins

Yikes! These feel very ambitious...gulp...

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...

Fishhawk Turkey Trot 5K

We picked up Rich's sister Sara, bright and early at 6:30 a.m. to join us for our first Thanksgiving 5K! It was suprisingly hot and the trails at Fishhawk were difficult and cramped in some spots but overall it was a nice route, well organized and with a good turnout of over 1,200 people. We really liked the race shirts too and Mike wore his all day! I pushed myself during the race so it wasn't exactly fun but I did manage to shave 30 seconds off my best time and got a new PR of 30:36 which I was really pleased with. It's always great to run with Emily and Mike really enjoyed having Sara there to run with the whole time. They came in within 8 seconds of each other and Sara came 2nd in her age group! We all were very proud of ourselves afterwards and were able to start out our Thanksgiving having had a really nice time, supporting a great cause (feeding the hungry of Tampa Bay) and having burned off some calories in anticipation of our big Thanskgiving Dinner!

Richards Run for Life 5K

We had a really great time at the Richard's Run for Life 5K in Ybor last night and both got new PRs - 23:13 for Mike and 31:06 for me! It was our first night race and about 10 degrees cooler than just last week. Perfect running conditions, great friends, beer and food and a fab after race party! My fave race so far!

Here's Catherine, Aleisha, me and Mike. It was Aleisha's first 5K and she made it look so easy! Catherine ran like the wind - the times aren't in yet but she looked so fast!! Go girls!

David, Mike, Darren, Emily and Ermie!

 Ermie's cousin and his friend are marathoners. I felt cool just taking a photo of them:)

Me, Mike and Ems with a post-race beer (it's very important from a health perpective to replenish your electrolytes after a run...or something like that...)

Darren, me, Ems and Ermie - the 'Grow' team...

Rafe - also part of the 'Grow' team and not in the group shot due to speculation about what may or may not be under the kilt. 'Is it safe Rafe?'

The massive beer line...

 Ermie joined in on the post-race dancing...

Tampa Police Department Memorial 5K

Today was extra special since it was my one year anniversary and 8th 5K! I didn't have a camera in the end so I was particularly happy that I managed to get in on the picture in the Tampa Tribune online (3rd picture - I'm the pink one on the right:))  TBO News Article

This 5K raises money for the families of TPD officers killed in the line of duty. There have been 31 such tragedies to date including officers Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis (below) who were shot and killed just last year while trying to apprehend some local lowlife scumbag. Both officers were just 31 at the time...

The race took place in downtown Tampa and much of the route was along Bayshore Bvd. which was thankfully a lot cooler than during last year's race. There were over 2,600 runners too (including nearly 200 law enforcement officers) - 3 times as many as last year!

One of my favorite things about this race is during the national anthem when the guys scale down the TPD building downtown and release an American flag...

I also really enjoyed running with the recruits and listening to their chanting - 'Officer and a Gentleman' style :). 

This whole event for me is such a stark reminder of how different England and America really are. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to look at an American cop without thinking he's about to turn into liquid metal...

Although I'm pretty sure that English policemen don't really look like this any more and that's just the way I prefer to remember them :)

Anyway, I didn't dry heave over the line like last year and came in over 8 and a half minutes faster at 31:16 - my fastest race to date!