katieRUNSthis

Yesterday I ran the Rock and Roll Dallas Half Marathon! It was the slowest, ugliest, and I think hardest half marathon I have ever run. My time was terrible. It was hot…and hilly. I got blisters…and I was dehydrated.

This sounds like the perfect recipe for the worst race ever, right?

Nope, not at all! Taking all of these things into account, I can honestly say it was one of the best half marathons I have ever run. Despite my “slowness” I hauled my body 13.1 miles. And that in itself is something to be proud of! Even though I posted my slowest 13.1 time, I know that deep down in my gut, I gave it everything I had, and I left everything on the course. This was the first race I can recall having to fight so hard to finish, but I did it.

Operating my post-baby body in a distance race almost felt the same as when I first started running. Its awkward, and weird, and with every step, I was reminded that I am not as strong as I once was. Humility at its finest, my friends. I had high hopes for my finish time (reasonable, yet slightly aggressive), but somewhere in the back of my brain, knowing that this race was my first solo effort distance race post-baby, I knew I had to be okay with whatever the clock said when I crossed the finish line. Surprisingly, I was.

The last two years of racing before the baby brought out this super competitive side of me (not to worry, I was most competitive with myself and not others). If I had a bad race day, I would obsess over it, beat myself up, and punish myself with restrictive diets and two-a-day workouts. Looking back, it was crazy.

This race was different. Crossing the start line with the mentality of “just do the best you can” gave me such a sense of peace. I was able to enjoy watching other runners, take in the scenery, and chat it up with my super awesome running buddy. In short, I allowed my brain to turn this race into an experience…one that I desperately needed. I have been wrestling with a lot of self doubt lately. Rock and Roll Dallas was more than just the 13.1 miles of the course…it was a giant leap over my mental 13.1 hurdle. While it wasn’t fast, I still did it. And you know what this means, don’t you? It means that this mama has still got it in her! HALLELUJAH!

Pre-race breakfast! YUM!

So now about the race…here is the good, the bad, and the ugly…

I was not ready for the hills.
“Hill work” in South Louisiana is almost non-existent. I put it in quotes because the city I live in barely has hills. We often do hill training on the overpasses or rolling mounds that we like to call hills. Let’s just say that the exaggerated piles of dirt that we call hills were not proper training for the inclines that we experienced from Mile 3 through Mile 8.

I was not ready for the heat.
In the past few weeks, Louisiana has seen rising temperatures. Being a girl that loves the summer heat, I did not think this would be an issue. I was SO wrong. Even though I have been doing some long runs in the heat, they had been in the evening, when the sun was not so high up in the sky. Though the course was absolutely beautiful, it did not bring much in the way of shade. I felt like the sun was blazing right down on us…and it was, as evidenced by my sunburned shoulders and cheeks today.

I got blisters.
Bodyglide was no match for the awkward foot falls that resulted in all that hill-climbing. In getting dressed for the race, I rubbed that stick of Bodyglide over every inch of each foot…on the tops, sides, bottoms, all around the toes, and all around the ankle. Sadly, the anti-friction super power of Bodyglide was all gone by Mile 5. This was the first time I have EVER experienced a blister while using Bodyglide. When I first starting to feel the hot spots (under the two smallest toes, both feet), I was completely thrown off. I probably should have stopped at the medical tent for some attention, but we pushed on!

I was dehydrated.
This is completely my own fault. I drank lots of water on Thursday and Friday before the race…more than 90oz each day, at least. Saturday, however, was a different story. I know it sounds ridiculous, but drinking water COMPLETELY slipped my mind. Erica and I were having so much fun in the car and I was so distracted, it didn’t even occur to me to drink water. I think my subconscious also had something to do with the sabotage because lots of water drinking leads to lots of bathroom stops…and we were just too excited to get to Dallas! In my bag I packed my hand held Amphipod and Nuun, but at the last minute, I decided not to carry it, thinking there would be plenty of hydration stations along the way. What a bad idea. While there we lots of water stops, they weren’t where I needed them to be…which let to panic and stressing on my part. Let’s just say, lesson learned.

Despite all of these hiccups, I had an awesome day…

• I ran my fastest 5k that I have run in MONTHS. The first 3.1 miles was around the 32:00 mark.
• This led to my fastest 10k in my last three 10k run distances. 6.2 miles was around the 01:09:00 mark.
• Miles 3 through 8 were uphill…and exhausting.
• Miles 6 through 8 were mostly walked. We were running out of steam and those hills were murder.
• I had “heard” that after you get past the crest of the hill at Mile 8 that it was a sloping downhill all the way to the finish. Huh. I’m not sure where the sloping downhill went, because it seemed pretty even to me. I still need to download the info from my Garmin and see the actual elevation statistics.
• Miles 8 through 10 were run in intervals…3:00 minute push, 1:00 minute recovery.
• I ran out of gas at Mile 10 and I was TIRED.
• Miles 10 through 13 were a fight. I repeated my mantra, fought for every quarter of a mile, and dreamed about the beer at the end. I WILL NOT DIE. I WILL NOT DIE. I WILL NOT DIE.
• The last 0.1 mile was JOYOUS. I caught the eye of my friend, I picked up the pace, and I did a little dance across the finish line. It was spectacular!

And 02:47:53 later…I was done. And smiling.

I drank a couple of these…

Chocolate milk, I love you.

EARNED.

While I had a great race experience, I can assure you that I will never again post a time this slow for a half marathon. It isn’t that I am embarrassed by my time or anything like that, it is just that I prefer to move faster. Basically, if I am going to be investing that much time running a race, I want it to be for a full marathon and not a half (just my personal preference). More extensive training is definitely needed before I register for another half marathon. Getting a happy trigger finger when signing up for races isn’t always the smartest plan. Moving forward, I am looking to do a fall half marathon and possibly an early winter full marathon. For the next 12 weeks or so, the goal is to bring the mileage/run down, increase run frequency to get my body really comfortable, and increase strength training (which, I will admit, I really don’t like to do). Necessary evils!

I have another race in mind, but I have to work out the details and logistics before I put it out there in the universe.

One last thing before I wrap this up…I just want to say that the support you can find from other runners across the Twitterverse and blogosphere is truly amazing. I appreciate every kind word that was sent our way on race day. It means so much. It just goes to show you that despite all the negativity you hear on the news or read in the paper, there are a lot of really awesome and thoughtful people in the world.

How was YOUR weekend? Did you race or get in a long run? How did it go?

In the last couple of years there has been a surge in mud/obstacle race series. In a few short words…I LOVE IT. I first ventured into mud runs with the 2007 Goodwill Mud Run (then called the St. Francis Upstate Challenge Run). I was hooked! For starters, running in the mud totally breaks up the monotony of serious road races. There is absolutely nothing I do not like about mud/obstacle runs. Wait, that’s a lie. Getting gritty mud in your mouth is pretty gross, but it isn’t a total deal breaker. Just remember to keep your MOUTH CLOSED when going through those sloshy pits. Oh, and keep your eyes closed if you have to go under mud or under water. Think about this, if you get mud in your eyes and there is mud all over your hands, how do you plan on wiping your eyes off?

The insane obstacles are really my favorite part of mud runs. They allow you to utilize muscles in your body that regular road races do not normally tap into. Tire flipping, wall scaling, belly crawls, and berm hurdling…love it all! I may not be the leanest and speediest runner, but I tend to do well in mud/obstacle runs because I am good with using my whole body to complete a challenge.

With mud/obstacles runs, you do not run to set a PR…you run for the fun of running. And sometimes, we all need to do that. You know…just cut loose and act like a kid again.

Fall down.
Get dirty.
Get mud in your hair and under your fingernails.
Give big, gross muddy hugs and high fives to your friends.

Have I convinced you to try a mud run yet? Yes? Awesome! Here are a few more tips to make your run go *slightly* smoother:

Tie your shoes tight. Once they get wet and soggy, they’ll get heavy and want to slide off. You will see some people duct taping their shoes on. This isn’t really necessary and will just make it harder than heck to get them off afterwards.

Wear some old or cheap compression shorts under your shorts. Mud will want to creep into all your bodily nooks and crannies and you will want to do all you can to keep it out of there. Trust me on this one.

Don’t wear a shirt that is too loose. Once it is wet, it will sag and stretch out. In turn, it will get heavier. On my first mud run I wore a loose tank top and I swear it was three times bigger by the end of the race than when I started.

Pick up a pair of cheap sunglasses. In the event your course features an obstacle where your head will go through mud or mud will be sprayed at you, you will find these helpful. After that obstacle, you can pull the sunglasses off and toss them to the side without feeling bad about letting them go. The cheap sunglasses will allow you to keep your eyeballs mud-free without trying to figure out how to wipe mud from them with muddy hands.

Bring a volunteer camera person. Trust me, you will want photos and you will be way to gross to operate that camera yourself.

Bring flip-flops. Most mud runs have a post-race rinsing area. In addition, they typically have bins or piles where you can donate your muddy shoes. Once you get rinsed off, those flip-flops will be comfy and you won’t have to worry about hauling those mud caked running shoes all the way home.

Bring tarps and extra towels. Even the post-race rinsing station will not get you all the way clean. You will most likely need a full-on detoxing once your return to your house. You will want to cover your car seats in the tarps or extra towels just to keep them clean and free of your gunk.

Leave the jewelry (yes, wedding rings included) at home. You will be wet. You will be muddy. Rings will slide off and jewelry will just get GROSS or lost. Do yourself a favor and leave all the goods at home on the dresser.

Bring some post-run grub. Most races will have post-race food, but with these events, people tend to linger a while afterwards. You may get hungry while waiting in line for the rinsing station, so at least pack a protein bar or quick snack to refuel after the run.

Now you are ready to sign up for a mud run! Here are some of the more popular races. For more information, be sure and check out Obstacle Racing.

Go Dirty Girl
Spartan Race
Warrior Dash
Tough Mudder
Go Ruck Challenge
Expedition Everest Challenge
Merrell Down & Dirty
Columbia Muddy Buddy
Rebel Race
Run Ruckus
The Mudathlon

Do YOU run dirty? Have you ever done a mud run before? If so, would you do it again? What tips do you have for a mud run newbie?

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Yesterday I got to run with the animals at the Baton Rouge Zoo’s 2011 Zoo Zoom 5k! I first heard about this race last year, but unfortunately, I heard about it after the event. Everyone who ran it spoke so highly of it, so I knew I had to make sure and sign up for this year.

Running through a zoo has been on my running bucket list for a while and I am so glad that I finally got to cross this one of my list! I love unique or theme races! Being 30 weeks pregnant means setting race PRs is pretty much out of the question, so instead I am focusing on doing fun races that I might or might not normally would have signed up for otherwise. Plus, I was easily convinced to sign up for it since lots of my #RunLA running buddies were going to be there as well! This was definitely a family event and I look forward to pushing Baby Key in his running stroller at next year’s race!

Running through the zoo was a hoot! (No animal puns intended!) The Baton Rouge Zoo is a smaller zoo, so the course was a double loop which did partly include the parking lot (not the biggest fan of that). Thankfully, most of the route was shaded though. It was not as hot yesterday morning as it had been the last several days (or, at least, it didn’t feel so hot to me) and with the shade, the sun seemed bearable. The part of the route that actually went through the zoo was so fun! It was early so not ALL of the animals were out, but I did get to run beside hippos, zebras, elephants, and orangutans! I really wanted to see a giraffe, but they were not out yet. (You can’t win ‘em all, right?)

I really enjoyed running through the zoo and would definitely consider another zoo run. I hear a lot of bigger cities do these types of races. Of the ones that I have looked into, I think Run Wild for the Detroit Zoo and the Cheetah Run at the Cincinnati Zoo both sound like really fun (and big!) races!

Seeing all these bigger cities with large zoo runs makes me wonder why the New Orleans Audobon Zoo doesn’t have a zoo run. I have not been to the Audobon Zoo since before Hurricane Katrina but from what I hear, it is doing really well and the zoo is thriving! Besides, couldn’t a zoo run be a good fundraiser for the Audobon Institute and a fun event for the City of New Orleans? Hmm…my wheels are spinning now…who can I get on this project…

And just for funsies…here is the start of the race. Yep…that is me…STILL running…at the back of the pack. (0:43 marker)

Have YOU ever raced through the zoo? Did you get to see lots of animals? What was your experience like?

Last night, the runNIGHTLIFE Series presented their second race of the year, the Red Carpet Road Race. This road race more than just a “ 5k race” in every sense of the words! It was an A-List event from beginning to end! Every detail of the race oozed with glam and style!

The entire atmosphere for the race was set at packet pick-up. Event organizers had promised the most unique race bib and they certainly did not disappoint! Tyvek tuxedo bibs? Yes, please!

The big event kicked off at 6:00PM last night in Downtown Baton Rouge. The half lollipop/out-and-back course was relatively flat and fast. Despite the warm August temperatures, racers still showed up in their red carpet best…tuxedos, suits, sequined ball gowns, and more! One racer even went as far as having a painted on tuxedo. (I am not sure how long it lasted once he was off and running, but bonus points for the effort made!)

Coming into the finish, racers sped into the red carpeted chute in order to claim their coveted race bling…a VIP ticket medal. This medal was one of the most unique I have ever seen! All participants were eager to get their medals as they were required to enter the super exclusive post-race party.

Walking into the post-race party, racers had their photographs taken by the paparazzi and walked another red carpet past the step-and-repeat into The Lyceum Ballroom. Fancy! Upon entering the ballroom, you were greeted with a small red jewelry box from Adler’s Jewelry which contained your door prize ticket. Door prizes included gift certificates to restaurants and spas, gift packages and gear from Brooks, cases of Powerade and beer, etc. No one left empty-handed!

It took no time at all for race finishers to get inside and get the party going! Music was provided by Louisiana locals Josh Garrett and the Bottom Line. I had never heard them before but they were fantastic! Check out the video below! Their New Orleans funk meets Rock and Roll style had everyone dancing in no time. In between breaks, everyone enjoyed the food and drinks, and, again, both were done in top-notch style!

The food…oh, the food. Most post-race areas have fruit and bagels. Not this event! Finishers were treated to a menu by James Beard Award Winning chef, Chef Scott Varnedoe, from Stroube’s which included blackened tuna crostade, open face oyster BLTs, BBQ shrimp and grits, filet tips with wild mushroom demi glaze served over mashed potatoes, asparagus and white truffle risotto…and the list goes on. (I may or may not have had one…or two plates of this goodness.) Oh, and the cake balls by Brew Ha-Ha? DELICIOUS!

Beer for the event was provided by Killian’s and Blue Moon and the Varsity Vixens from Varsity Sports offered a martini bar of all kinds of specialty martinis. While I couldn’t partake in the adult beverages (you know, no booze for the pregnant lady), I will say that the chocolate martinis they were mixing up looked absolutely DIVINE! The drinks must have equally rivaled the food because as the night went on, everyone seemed to be having a really great time!

Toward the end of the evening, the winners of the two biggest giveaways were announced. Adler’s Jewelry graciously gave away a beautiful pearl necklace. (I think this ended up being won by a gentleman. His girlfriend was more than happy to accept the prize for him.) The big ticket giveaway of the evening, however, was a much coveted trip for two to Las Vegas in December for the first-ever nighttime start Rock N Roll Las Vegas Marathon/Half Marathon Benefitting the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. I must admit, I *really* wanted to win this trip, but alas, it was not meant to be. (It still looks like an amazing event and it will definitely make my bucket list!)

Overall, the Red Carpet Road Race gets an overwhelming two thumbs up from me. The teams from Happy’s Running Club, Brian Harris BMW, Varsity Sports, and Abita Beer did an incredible job on this event! I can’t even wait to see what they have in store for the Poboy 10000m Race in November!

Where did YOU race this weekend? What kind of fun experiences did YOU have?

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