Sharks Fitness Faceoff 10k

I was very excited to do another 10k race today, this one presented by the San Jose Sharks Foundation. The cool thing about this event, in its second year, is that there are many different options, including 5k and 10k runs, 20 and 50 mile bike rides, and a kids' run. Since I am a runner and A is a cyclist, this was a great opportunity to FINALLY do some sort of race thing together! (Sort of.)

Although a bit sleepy from getting home on the later side last night, A and I managed to leave the house around 6:15 in order to get to the SAP Center, where the Sharks play, for Andrew's 6:45 start time. It was cool to get there so early, since it was just the 50-mile cyclists hanging around by the start, and was largely empty. San Jose "Sharkie," the Sharks mascot, was hanging around.

As the cyclists were off on their way, I realized I had an hour and then some before my 8:00am start time. So I took a trip to the port-o-potties before there was a giant line, and then went back to the car to read, sunscreen up, and generally get ready.

I was lucky to see my cousins, one of whom works for the SJ Sharks, and aunt and uncle, who were all doing the 10k race as well. Mini family reunion!

Time actually passed very quickly as the area behind the starting line began to fill up. I left my family and pushed up towards the front a bit, but still found that it was a bit crowded with people going all paces in every location. Many people were walking through the start, which was a little annoying as I wanted to start off quickly.

I got going pretty quickly, and found I was able to maintain my pace through mile 3 or 4. Miles 4 and 5 still felt good, just a bit slower, as my legs got tired. However, I saw on my watch that I was still maintaining a 9:15-9:20 pace on average, though, which was above my time goal.

As I neared the finish line, I was excited to get a time goal above my Turkey Trot 10k time from last year, which was 58:57. However, when I passed the finish line around 8:57, I realized my Garmin only said I had run 6.06 miles. I feel like people were cutting corners where the course was not particularly well designed... oops. So I jogged around to cool down a bit past the finish to get a 10k read on my watch.

However, even with the extra time on my watch, I still had a 10k PR! My watch time of 6.2 miles was 57:46... still >1min PR!

By myself and with my cousins. My cousins both ran awesome races - 59 minutes and 1 hr 12 minutes!


Here are my official results:

Time: 56:17
Pace: 9:04/mile
Place: 202/849 finishers, 23rd in age group and 74th female finisher


I'm really proud of my time and had an amazing race that went by very quickly. My speed work that I've been doing seems to have been paying off!



A finished very soon after I passed through the post-race expo for snacks and free stuff. The medals they gave us were awesome - even bigger than many of the half marathon medals I had received! A was not pleased that they had not marked the course well, so he and two other guys got lost on the way to the finish. However, he still came in 4th (would have been 3rd) of ALL the guys doing the 50-mile bike ride.

My boyfriend is a stud, basically.


Post-race (first joint race!) selfie:

Overall, although there were still some kinks to be worked out in this new-ish event, it was so much fun to have both cycling and running events - and sponsored by one of my favorite sports teams (and for a good cause).


Next up - SF Half Marathon 7/27! I'm actually really looking forward to it after getting back in the running groove. Can't wait!

I'm in!

Woohoo!!!

I entered in the lottery to run the Nike Women's Half Marathon in SF in October after a woman I work with asked me if I had planned on it. At first, I thought I probably would not, since it's super expensive, and I was feeling somewhat burned out on longer distance. I wanted to focus on shorter distance running, speed work, and more cross-training in the Fall.

But then, I remembered that Nike Women's races are a total experience, and I imagine it's a great community of women who run. I also remembered the firefighters that give you Tiffany's necklaces for finishing...

(Photo credit from 'Ama Runs blog - she wrote an awesome post about the 2013 Nike Women's in DC!)


So, I entered. If it was meant to be, it would be.

And today I got my e-mail! Woohoo!!!


I think, actually, as I think about it more and more (and read annoyed Facebook posts on the Nike Women's page from the ladies whose entries were not selected...), I realize how awesome of an experience this is going to be. And I think it's just what I need to keep me going!

Last week especially, I was feeling really burned out on running, feeling like I was doing it because I had to, not because I wanted to. Not a good feeling. But, as I am coming off of a better week, including a great 10-mile run last weekend, and heading into a fun weekend including a San Jose Sharks 10k race, I realize that there are going to be ups and downs. There will be weeks where I just don't want to, and that will be okay. I don't ever have to!

And because I don't want to burn out, after the Nike Women's, I'm going to take a little break from October through the Spring of 2015, and do what I said - run some shorter races perhaps, cross-train, and run when I feel like it. When I run for the sake of running and feeling good, not as part of training, I just feel so much better about it.


But first?

(via photopin.com)

With a pretty necklace. Ohhhh yeah.

(Okay, maybe not shirtless. But still.)

My First Stitch Fix!

I was so excited to get my first box in the mail on Tuesday from Stitch Fix.

It's a really cool premise - you fill out a questionnaire with what types/styles of clothing you like, preferences for what they send you, and rate pictures of outfits based on whether you love/hate them. Then, you pick a date, and they send you 5 items!

I was excited to get mine this week, when I had requested, since I could get some new pieces possibly for the summer, perhaps to wear to my 5-year college reunion which is coming up this weekend.

When I opened the package, I first took everything out and looked it all over. I was happy to see some cute pieces... however, I wasn't quite as impressed with the prices. I feel like for what they ask for a lot of the pieces, I could find something equivalent for much cheaper at TJMaxx. I mean... everything was definitely cute and my style, I'll give them that. But - I feel like it was all stuff that I might pick for myself. (For cheaper.) Maybe I should have filled out my questionnaire differently, that I wanted styles that were more different from things that I already have.

Then again, A reminded me - the point of all this is that you DON'T have to go to TJMaxx in order to get these things, it's the convenience of having cute things delivered straight to you. So there's that. It was definitely really fun to have that box with a surprise in the mail!

It was still super fun to get the package and new surprises in the mail, that's for sure. I decided to look everything over and give it a try. Since I don't have a full-length mirror, I requested that my trusty assistant (boyfriend) take some pics so I could see how it all looked.

The first pieces I tried on were a long gold circle pendant, and dark wash skinny jeans. The Stitch Fix "stylist" told me that she saw similar necklaces on my Pinterest - so true. And the jeans, although basic, are a classic piece and go with everything.

The jeans just fit like a dream. I didn't want to love them, since they were the most expensive piece I was sent ($88) - but I totally loved them. A liked that they were tight. They also have a little stretch, which would be nice for work and moving around a lot with the kiddos there. I also loved the necklace, another piece that can go with a lot, and would look really cute layered.



The next piece that I tried on was a split neck patterned top. I loved the style and the pattern, and could wear it to work or with shorts on the weekends. However, I waffled back and forth on whether to keep it or not due to the price - $65.

I also was sent another top, a sheer polka dot blue blouse, with a cami that goes underneath. I loved the style, but felt that it was a little too short on me. Also, for the price ($68) it was hard to justify keeping it.

Finally, they sent a dress. It wasn't my favorite style, with stripes, but I thought it could be cute on. It fit really well, but when I saw the pictures of myself, I felt like it gave me the illusion of a little belly where I don't really have one. I did like the view from the side. At $54, it was the cheapest piece that they sent me, but I didn't love it.

So, all in all, I ended up keeping the jeans and the necklace. The blouses I just couldn't justify for the amount that they wanted for them, but it was so much fun getting them and trying them on. I was amazed that everything fit, and loved the personal styling aspect of getting my "Fix" in the mail. :)


If you want to try it, use my link, and I can get $25 credit! Get yo fix here.

Not that I've given it the most rousing recommendation or anything... but it was definitely very fun. I *may* try it again!


What do you think?
Would you have kept the same pieces that I did?
Gonna try it? :)

Women's Fitness Festival 2014, or Why I am Never Again Running a Half Marathon in Sacramento in the Summer

This past weekend, I did my first half marathon in which I was NOT trying to get a PR or achieve a certain goal. My goal was to run the 13.1 and consider it part of my training for the San Francisco Half Marathon at the end of July. Since I struggled so hard with my long run last week, I was nervous about how I would do, but excited to complete another race. My mom, sister and I did the Women's Fitness Festival 5k last year and had a great time, so mom and I signed up again this year - she did the 5k, and I did the (inaugural!) half marathon.

Since this was the first year the half marathon was being offered, I was not sure how many ladies would be signed up, or how different things would be from the 5k setup from last year. We headed to the state capitol downtown, and saw all of the vendor and sponsor booths being set up. The whole festival is put on by Kaiser Permanente, and they had all sorts of fun stuff set up - prizes, body composition testing, sports medicine, nutrition, and more.

Nice Scenery!

What I did notice right away was that it was already warm. I wore a sweat jacket, but I was already comfortable in my tank - yikes. Mom and I looked around a bit, found a spot to meet up afterwards, and then I said goodbye and jogged up and down the street a couple times to warm up. There were a lot of women ready to go for the half marathon - turns out it was over 1,000! There were a few in costumes or matching outfits with friends, which was cute. The best part was definitely the pacers - although men are not allowed to run in the Women's Fitness Festival, the pacers are men dressed in women's running clothing and wearing wigs. Hilarious!

We were off right on time at 7:15, and I started going at a comfortable pace of around 10:15/mile for the first few miles. A lot of the course was in the shade, which was awesome. There were water stations at miles 1 and 3, which was pretty comfortable.

By around mile 4-5, I definitely noticed that things were heating up. I could feel myself start to slow down, and was wishing for water almost immediately after leaving mile 3. I hate carrying water with me in a race - I figure there should be enough stations throughout the race course for what you pay for these things, but in this case, with the heat, I should have brought some with me. There were only stations every 3 miles for the rest of the race: miles 6, 9, and 12. I brought some Clif Shot Blocks with me too, which definitely helped keep me going.

I told myself to just keep running between the water stations at Miles 6 and 9. It was awesome that some families that were watching out on their front lawns had hoses and were spraying us as we went by. It felt great! However, I definitely wished that I could take the hose and spray the water directly into my mouth!

I was definitely feeling super slow by Mile 9. I (finally) got more water, and slowed to a walk through the water station so that I could drink it all and not spill. It was tough to get going again after that, but I did. At that point, I was definitely going 11:00/mile or slower, but I made myself keep pushing through.

Finally, at mile 11, I tried to focus on intervals rather than how hot I was and how much I wanted water. I made myself run my regular 10:00/mile pace one block, then run the slow pace the next. That helped me finally get to the next water station at Mile 12! It was actually right after Mile 12, and I was running towards it like, GIVE IT TO ME NOW. I walked through that one and took my time having water there as well.

The last mile was SO hard. I was crawling pace-wise, and sweating all over the place. I was so excited when I made it to the home stretch - hearing all the people cheering gave me a little mental boost. My mom made friends with a group of ladies there to cheer on Kaia runners, and they all cheered for me as I went by. Stepping over that finish line, and grabbing my medal and WATER, felt amazing!

I was so proud of myself for finishing, and doing the best I could throughout! I think next year, if the heat is the same, I will probably plan on doing the 5k again. It's a great event, but don't know if I want to do 13.1 on a day with a high of 106 again. Yikes!


My official results were:

Time: 2:20:34
Pace: 10:45/mile
Place: 355/1143
Age Group Place: 54/141

My mom finished the 5k in 35:09! Yay mom!


I felt awesome that I ran the whole way, and finished another half. I think this will make me much more confident for the rest of my training for the San Francisco Half!

Mom and I hit the free Asics photo booth on our way out:

I didn't feel like eating a ton when finished - I had some banana and a few bites of a Luna Protein bar (they gave out lemon flavor... I thought it had a funky aftertaste and I much prefer the chocolate ones!). Instead, Anne and I got lunch at Jack's Urban Eats - I had Chinese Chicken Salad and Mac n' Cheese. YUM.

It's the last week of school here - happy (almost) summer!

On Walking

So my mom, sister, and I are planning to do this fitness festival 5k/Half Marathon next weekend in Sacramento, which I'm really excited about! I waffled back and forth between signing up for the 5k, and signing up for the half. I ended up signing up for the half, and I'm going to treat it as part of my training for the San Francisco Half in July.

Since I signed up for the half, my mom and sister are both doing the 5k, and my mom e-mailed me since she's feeling the pressure to run the entire 5k. "I don't like running!" she said. "I like running, then walking, then running."

So, I said, do that! There's not any pressure to run the entire thing. You shouldn't do something that you don't enjoy!

And now, I'm trying to take my own advice.

************************************************************************

Since I signed up for the half marathon next week, I have started to increase mileage throughout the week. My friend that I do track workouts with and I have started increasing our reps and intervals, and I've started to bring up my mileage of runs during the week. I also started increasing the length of my long runs. Two weeks ago, I did about 8, last week was 10, and this week, I thought, maybe I should go for 12!

In retrospect, that's way too fast for me to up my mileage that much, but we'll get there.

I also got an annoying cold this week. I felt it coming on Tuesday, and ended up taking a sick day on Friday to rest. I've continued to work out throughout my cold though - I just don't feel like myself when I don't work out at all! I know I should take it easy. A yelled at me (via text message) when I was going to go to an abs class at my gym on Friday, and told me to rest. (I ended up at the gym later in the day anyway... oops. I mean, it was an easy workout.) And even though I didn't feel 100% yesterdat, I decided to run anyway. And try for 12.

Now that I read that, I'm like, okay. Why did I try and do this??

Anyway, I did.

Mile 1 was hard. My shoulder started cramping a bit, I was already feeling a bit of a side stitch... I should have been a little more in tune with my body. By the time I got out on the trail 5 miles, I desperately wanted to turn back. I would have been okay with 10 or 11 miles. But no, I told myself, keep running!

And then by 7.5 miles in, I was done. Congested and snotty, breathing too heavily, and with tired legs, I kept going back and forth. "Should I walk? No, if I walk, I'm going to keep wanting to walk and not run. You don't walk, ever! But I want to waaaaalk. Can I blow my nose yet?"

Ugh. And I walked.

I ended up doing intervals: run .1, walk .4, and then walk .15, run .35. I don't think I could have finished the 12 miles without doing those intervals. My body was just not having it. And although I know it's amazing to do 12 miles at all, part of me feels guilty, or something, for walking. I've never given up and walked before in a long run. I guess that's what it is - I feel like I gave up. And I feel like the reasons I've given for walking (being sick, increasing mileage too fast, body generally not feeling good) are excuses. I mean, I ran a half marathon PR while getting over a cold, so why not now?

Then, I think about it and try to take my own advice.

The reasons I didn't run the entire 12 miles was not because I didn't have the mental strength to. I have done it before, and I will do it again! It's because physically, I just couldn't. I know now that I need to give myself time to work back up to a half marathon distance, and to forgive myself if I have to walk or go a little slower sometimes. Yes, I had a cold when I ran a half marathon before, but your body responds to each virus or whatever illness differently - and this one just happens to be a little rougher.

For my half/training run next week, I'm going to try wholeheartedly to take my own advice! It's really important for me to keep enjoying my running - I do it because I love it. Not all the time, but I want to keep making sure it's something that brings me happiness :)


**************************************************************************************


Now on a totally different note, food/eating has been great the past few weeks. I'm really feeling better with cutting out a lot of sugar from my diet - I'm less tired during the day, and I'm loving trying new recipes involving fruits, vegetables, and whole foods in general.

One thing I've been obsessed with recently is Beets. YUM. I've been making them this way, marinated with fresh orange juice and zest, and it is SO good.

I also made a trip to the farmer's market this morning, and went a little crazy with the fruits and veggies. But hey, could be worse! Believe it or not, I bought all of the fruits pictured below! (Well, not all of them... but some of each!)

Happy June (can you believe that?!)! I'm excited for the LAST day of school next week, and Summer to start!


xoxo
S