Race to Read 5k

March 17^th was supposed to be my first ever 10k. I had trained for this distance, beautiful spring weather was predicted, and even had a fun little St. Patty’s skirt to wear (back of the pack=lets have fun). Not to be…the evening of the 16^th I was down and out with the tummy bug.

This left me with still needing a March race. We were leaving home Friday evening the 23^rd to head to Tennessee, so the 24^th was out. There was the possibility of the Bunny Rock 5k in Indy on the 31^st. However, I don’t know my way around downtown Indy at all. Avoid it if I can. Haven’t been there since Lucas Oil Stadium was completed. Give me Castleton and the Fishers/Noblesville areas any day.

Ding, ding, ding!!! Light bulb moment…I could look for a race in the Lexington Kentucky area where we would be staying overnight on Friday. Did a search and found a list of races in the area and did some map looking to figure out where they were located. Found one located right by an interstate exit that had lots of motels!! Woo, this might be doable if I can talk hubby into it. And it would be really nice if motel had a late check-out time so I could take a shower. J

Daughter gets sick mid-week…will we even be going on the trip? Thursday night decision to go, but still don’t know about the race. I book a motel room Friday afternoon, conveniently located at the same exit as a race.

11:15pm Friday: I can run the race in the morning. After not having had supper that evening, and doing a strong 3.5 miles at noon, and knowing there would not be a good night’s sleep due to snoring in the motel room (not from me!!).

I set my phone alarm and to head over to Coldstream Dog Park in the morning. This was about a 1-2 mile drive from the motel. Redbuds are blooming all along the course. Gorgeous.

At the check-in I ask about the course. “Oh, there is one hill at the beginning then it’s pretty flat.” Um…Kentucky flat! At two different spots the route is going uphill for a half mile length. Happily, the finish was at the end of a downhill. One of the interesting obstacles on the route was the worms! There had been strong storms the night before, and there were many worms all over the road. After awhile, I just didn’t look down. Ick!!

The race was the Race to Read 5k sponsored by Reading Camp, a literacy education program that serves 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade children who are struggling with learning to read. Wow, what a great race to support since I am a teacher.

There were 115 participants and I came in 50^th overall. So I can actually say I was in the top ½! No back of the pack on this day. A beautiful course, very well organized race, great volunteers, and my best 5k time to date!!  31:17.

In front of the redbuds is where the finish line is located

Race over! Time to head to Pigeon Forge and the Smokies!

Chris Brown 5k

"What do you predict will happen on the next page?" This is a phrase I use often while reading stories to preschool classes. But this time the question was, "What time do you predict you'll finish the race?"  A prediction run...no watches allowed, no calling of splits at the miles markers. During registration you wrote down your guess at your finish time, and the winners were determined by who came closest to their time guess.

And they're off!

The race was held Sunday afternoon on the campus of IPFW in Ft. Wayne. The course wound around the sidewalks with many turns and twists. It was an enjoyable route...with good support letting racers know which direction to head.

Cheeser at the beginning

Several great things about this race. First, I set a new PR with a time of 32:34 (my prediction was 32:18). Second, this is the first race I ran the entire course with no walking!There were plenty of goodies to eat once the race was completed, including three choices of soup. And here is a great one...there were about 40 stalls in the women's restroom!!  I've been at a race with only 1 potty...not fun.

Just after the two mile mark

My Dad met me there and was "official" photographer for me.  Afterwards my daughter and I went on out to my parents' house for a nice visit.

Here she comes! The last 1/2 mile they kept saying, "Almost there."

Still cheesing at the end!

Look!! AIR!

What did they say my time was? After crossing the finish line, we had to write down our time on an index card...was not expecting this!

Phew! February race done. On to March...my first 10k.

#TwitterRoadRace 5k

Twelve races for 2012...at least one per month. Seems like an easy goal that has a nice ring to it: 12 for 12. Other than the fact that January and February have the tendency to be a bit snowy and cold. Like...today. Never mind that Central Indiana has just finished several weeks with temperatures in the 40's-50's. Today was the day of my TwitterRoadRace 5k. Mid December I signed up for the virtual race that Doug Cassaro set up using Twitter.

Last night the freezing rain, snow, and ice arrived to cover the roads. Also awoke to a 4 degree windchill. Driving to Muncie to join a running group was not going to take place this week. So, after waiting for the temps to rise to a nice 19 degrees this afternoon, and being very excited to see a snowplow come down my road, I started to bundle my layers and prepare to trudge through the snow.

How does one run on a snowy, slushy, and possible icy road? With Yak Trax! But I don't have those. Wait! I do happen to own an "off brand" called Winter Trax!! Received these as a Christmas present several years ago. They are fantastic for walking across icy parking lots and my driveway. Found out today that they do work for running on the road.

This was a real road race with a bib, and over 700 participants around the globe. Support came from all of those tweeting at #TwitterRoadRace and from race director @Seedouglasrun. Even Bart Yasso ran!

Sherberts was my Dad's nickname for me when I was a kid

Look at me go, speeding down the lane

Must have the cheeser moment!

The road before me.

Who made this print? Crazy runner girl wearing winter trax on her shoes.

What made this print? Horse pulling the Amish buggy down the road. Just as I headed out the door, saw the Amish neighbors heading home. Only vehicle encountered was a neighbor driving a tractor. Had to step off the plowed section of the road into a drift to let him pass.

At my finish line

The run was not a speedy venture as I did my warm-up walking as part of the 3.1 miles. There were also pauses along the route to snap several pictures. Found out there are a different set of muscles used when running in the snow & slush. It was akin to running in sand. Overall, I enjoyed my time on the road today (even if the family thought it was nutty) and am happy that I took that step out the door.

Miles go by in 2011

As most of you know, I began walking this year and progressed to beginning to run mid summer. Because my parents used to run & compete in road races, I knew all about tracking mileage and speed. Runkeeper is an interesting freebie app I have on my phone. It uses the GPS to track distance, speed, and route which I can view on the phone or on the website with more details. I had downloaded it soon after the phone purchase to use when we walked the trails at the park. I used it a few times, but that was it.

Somehow I remembered this app when I began walking. I would use it most times I ventured out, but not everytime. Occasionally when there was a certain type of cloud cover it did not want to get a gps signal. Then, there were times I just didn't have any pockets to stash it while I was moving. Most of the summer running shorts only come with a little "key" size pocket...nothing big enough for a phone. I bought a handy dandy Spibelt which is just big enough for the phone, driver's license, and car keys to solve this problem. Still, there were plenty of times I went out and did not keep track of the miles. During several of my races, the days I went out for the mail or paper and went to the corner and back, hiking around in the fall...or just didn't care about time & distance.

Runkeeper was my main tracker with Endomondo as a second app used to track when I walked with family. Their walking pace is slower than my running pace. Wanted to keep my average up :-). Both of these apps have made improvements and upgrades this past year...gps locating works the same on both for me. Both have web sites available to review stats, etc. One advantage I like about Runkeeper is I can put in "notes" for the activity on the phone before I save. Little things like it was windy, my shoe came untied, I did walk/run intervals, hot enough to melt... Runkeeper was my exercise log for the year. One feature recently added is the option of audio cues. It can be set at a distance of your choosing to "voice" your speed, pace, etc. This is handy when running a new area, but not wanting to look at the phone every so often to check time & distance passed.

I had not even planned on adding up my miles until many of my Daily Mile & Twitter running buddies started posting their totals. This made me curious. And that is the point of this post, to state how far I went this year.

Okay, so my total of TRACKED miles for 2011 is 313.83. This includes walking, running, hiking, and biking miles.
Total tracked running miles is 130.3. Not too shabby for taking up running at the end of June.

In case you were wondering, there is no particular mileage goal for 2012. The goal is one special big race, and many smaller ones. And possibly the 12 for 12 (at least one race each month).

Here is to a year of improvement in my times and to continue on the quest of fitness.

Jazz hands!

Seasons on the Greenway

March 2011...the realization that I was easily getting out of breath during various activities and when running in the school gym with my preschool classes hit home. I needed to get into cardio shape.  My weight...it is a decent number, I don't worry about it. The number has stayed within a nice 5 pound range over several years. It was all of that huffing & puffing that needed to change. 

Friends on Facebook would post about their exercise adventures, and I had been paying attention. If they could do it, so could I. Walking is the way it began. 

Cardinal Greenway has a trailhead two miles and a bit from my house. This is the area I have logged most of my exercise miles. It is smooth, no pot holes, scenic in the areas I visit, and not very busy out my way. Bikers on long training rides swoope past, but I see more birds than other walkers/runners.

March 19, 2011

March 19, the first foray on this "get into shape" adventure on the Greenway.  I just happened to take a picture.  It is something I often do...take pictures.  Spring was around the corner. Wouldn't it be cool to take pictures every few days or weeks to show the progress of nature "greening" up?

I have somewhat managed to remember to snap a shot every now and then. These are all taken with my phone, and most shots are looking Southeast toward Losantville. This is at the trailhead entrance from the parking lot. Notice the short roundish bush on the left...it is in most of the pictures. A few are at other points along the trail.

March 26, 2011

April 6, 2011

Time of day and cloud cover really make for a difference in the pictures.

April 13, 2011

Click the pictures for a larger view...notice that there is more green along the edges of the path...green beginning to pop out in the trees on the left.

April 25, 2011

Even though this is looking SE, I almost always begin the exercise routine headed NW toward Muncie.

May 7, 2011

Wow! What a change.

May 21, 2011

May 30, 2011

Oops...no pictures for June and July.  What can I say, the deer fly were horrid!!

August 12, 2011

                   This was the first official day back to work for me. And one of my first evening runs. Taken looking SE just before Stony Creek bridge.

August 20, 2011

One misty, moisty morning when foggy was the weather.... beautiful dew drops on what had been hidden spider webs.

September 26, 2011

This is looking NE toward Muncie. For a warm-up, I walk from the parking lot to this spot, right at the end of a section of fence.  This is where I begin my timing on running days.  Oh, beware of fallen walnuts along this section.

No pictures for October or November...oh well...maybe next year.

December 23, 2011

December 28, 2011

The path well traveled is ever changing.

Happy 2012!!

Ramblings

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Just a ramble or two as we get closer to the changing of the year.  It seems as if many people make those grand New Year Resolutions (or at least the media leads us to believe they do).  The most touted resolution: lose weight.  Watch the ads at the end of December and beginning of January.  Exercise equipment for sale…gym membership trials 50% off…"diet" foods available.

You do not need January 1^st to take the first step toward a dream or to begin making positive changes in your life. You can begin today! Yes, start right now. You are more likely to stick with your goal if you begin on your own terms.

What is your dream?

When I was younger, I had several diaries.  These were the dated books that started on January 1. There was so much pressure to put something down on paper every day that often I would write, “Nothing to say but need to write.”  Then in Fourth or Fifth grade I read Harriet the Spy.  Here was a character I admired, and just loved the idea of having a “spy book” like she kept in the story.  I found an old three-ring binder, added paper, and started writing away about things that took place at school and home.  Little did I realize at the time that this could be considered journaling or writing. I just thought I was “spying”. Through the rest of elementary, middle, and beginning of high school I wrote. And somewhere in the house I still have those papers.

Writing is one of those activities that I have done off and on over the years.  Paper listens without comment or judgment to the words that need spoken. It is during the re-reads that it answers back. No guilt for not doing it every day.

Getting back to the New Year’s resolution part of things,   don’t. Start today, start next week, start mid-March.

March was a good time for me to start walking. Then later the running began. And now, people are trying to talk me into doing more than the fall half-marathon I have planned. 

It all started with the first step.

What is yours?  

Frostbite 5k

Oh what fun I had at this race in Glen Miller Park in Richmond, Indiana.  The Frostbite 5k on December 3rd was the final race in the Wayne County Challenge series. I work in Wayne County, and it was fun seeing people I recognized at these races.  I did four of the eight...did not know about them until after the first two, and was injured/sick during two others.

Since this was a December race, I decided to sport a fun Santa skirt.  I was honestly surprised that there were only a few Santa hats and reindeer antlers to be found.  I had sooo many complements on my skirt, even during the race.  I talked the most ever during this run saying, "Thank you!"


I set a new PR (Woot woot!!).  Fun since I'm still at the "getting into shape" stage of things.  Time was 33:18.  There were 341 finishers and I was 236th. Here are a couple of shots right before the finish. The other runner is one year younger than my mom...managed to pass her at the very end. 

I thought it was funny that our strides were matching in these shots. 

Mid-pack for my age group... 13th out of 22.


Happy running & crafting!