Your registration would be paid. Want to run it?

So, yesterday I get a text from my hair dresser. It says:

"There is a 5K run tomorrow on the Air Force Academy.

Your registration would be paid. Want to run it?"

I thought this sounds like fun, to run at the US Air Force Academy, that is a one in a life time opportunity. Also, the idea of my entry fee being paid sounds great. Then I thought, what's the catch?

After talking to my hair dresser, and asking some questions, it turned out another client of her's has a business called Pikes Peak Respite Services they provide individualized respite care for your loved one with special needs as well as typical siblings. Our services include family advocacy for IEP meetings and family preservation planning. I would be running for them on a team and I would need to wear a shirt. Basically it is a marketing event for them.

I was so honored to be asked.

I showed up at Beverly's house and met the team, we proceeded to pick up a client and then off to the AFA stadium.  We got a little turned around while there. The US AFA covers 18,000 acres, so it is very easy to get lost there! We found our way after a few u-turns. We checked in and found out tent, set up and I started to stretch out. There were quite a few kids there with disabilities and chair bound. It was nice to see young cadets there that offered to push kids through the race.

The race started fast! It was down hill for the first mile then up hill for mile two. I don't train much on hills and the mental block that comes with them is hard for me to get over, I try to tel myself, if I just push this out to the top, then it's all down hill. Sometimes when your breathing gets labored and you feel like you legs weight 10lbs each makes it hard to pick them up and keep going. Also, the US AFA happens to sit at 6,800 feet above sea level, which is almost 800, feet higher than I am used to running at. At the turn around it was all down, hill so anytime that I added on the upswing, I got back on the down hill. On the down hill, the AFA bike escorts were circling back up the hill and they kept saying "good job keep it up" this really helped me out.

I started to pick off runners one by one, all those people that passed my on the up swing. Passing other runners just helps you push your legs out from under you and give you that extra push to go just a hair faster with each step. As I was rounding the final right turnI could see mile marker three and the finish line, it was uphill again, I kicked it into gear with all I had left, it was cool to have the crowd cheer you on, it makes me push harder. I had a strong finish and was overall happy with my time.

I stood at the finish line and waited for my other team members to make their way in. I got the opportunity to watch a few cadet push kids through the finish line. Just watching the kids faces light up was moving. The crowd would cheer really loud and the kids would raise their hands from their chair in victory, laughing and smiling.

Here are my splits:

As you can see mile two caught up with me. I was running out of gusto!

Official time: 00:31:10

Happy Day!

I can say I am a real blog! I just noticed today that I have a new follower that is not my family! Sorry Char!

So I wanted give a shout out to my new follower Carmelo! Thank you for showing intrest in my blog, and in return I will follow yours!

First off, welcome to the world of running, I hope that you can find your own path and you follow it where ever it may lead you. Running can push you to your limits but it can amazing what you can do when you put your mind to something if you let yourself go there. There will be miles that are hard and you feel like you are all alone out there, but always remember that you are doing something that many people only wish they can do.

Steve Prefontaine once said:
"A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways they're capable of understanding"

That being said, keep running and keep blogging!

25 Interesting Things About Me

1. I like to put fresh lavender next to my bed, I believe it makes me sleep better
2. I am a certified life guard, but I have a fear or lakes, oceans and the deep end of pools
3. I will run my first Marathon in October
4. I believe in ghosts and spirits, but not heaven or hell
5. I wore my hair maroon and blond for three years
6. I am a licenced Emergency Medical Technician, but cannot say the word ambulance
7. I prefer to be given a potted plan, than a bouquet of flowers
8. I have lived in all the states that start with the letter "C"
9. My favorite smells are clothes after they come out of the dryer and wet cement right after it starts to rain
10. I don't like my food to touch other foods on my plate, it messes with the flavors
11. I like to drink my coffee at room temperature and through a straw
12. My normal hair color is brown and it is curly
13. I believe everything has a meaning in life
14. I have to always have a napkin when ever I eat something even if I don't use it
15. I love dogs, but hate the smell of a dog
16. I have one tattoo on my hip, and will get another commemorating my marathon, it will be om my right rib cage of a running girl
17. I think that Halloween should be a Holiday, it is my favorite day of the year
18. I believe in reincarnation
19. I love to shovel snow?!? The cold air on my face some how makes me feel fresh and relaxed
20. Running in cold air is hard for me, I can't breath in cold air (asthma) but I love to run in sleet
21. Nothing feels better than slipping into bed right after it has been made, the tight sheets make me feel like I am in a cocoon
22. When I was in Kindergarten I asked the kid next to me to write my last name (maiden)  "because it was to long to write on my own"
23. The only numbers I know off the top of my head in my cell phone, are my home, My work and my parents home number
24. My Dad taught me "I would rather be an hour early than a minute late" to this day, if I know I am going to be even a minute late, I get anxiety even before I show up

And finally...

  25.  I am stage 2 cervical cancer survivor.

The Ever Shrinking Me

Well, I think the time has come to reveal the before and after. Here I am before I started to run:

Starting weight: 162lbs

Before:                After:                                                                                               

Current Weight: 118lbs

Classic 10K

 July 23rd 2011



Classic 10K is one of the fastest 10Ks in Colorado, the 10K starts near Tiffany Square on Corporate Center Dr & then follows the Pikes Peak Greenway along Monument Creek. The route is mostly paved and relatively wide. It has rolling hills along its path. Be aware of mud on the pavement if it has been raining. In Monument Valley Park the path turns to gravel and eventually ends on grass.



 

Time: 01:04:01

Age Place: 40/48

Gender Place: 238/313

Overall: Unknown

Here are my splits for this race:



Alex Hoag Run for Sunshine

Well this is my "anniversary" run. I don't know what else to call it but that.  Last year this was my first race and I feel that this will be a good placer to see where I came from. Last year I was very unprepaired but this year I was ready. I practiced hill work and built leg strength. Brad decided to run this race too. :) He has not trained for a 10K so I am very shocked that he decided to up and run that. I just wanted to do my 5K since I have the 10K classic next week.

2011 Results:                             2010 Results:
Offical Time: 00:29:01             Offical Time: 00:38:35
Age Place: 7th/14                     Age Place: 22/27
Gender Place:                            Gender Place: 116/ 184
Overall Place:                            Overall Place: 260/348

I gave everything I had today, I started strong and finished strong! I used the hills to my advantage, training for these really paied off! I pushed myself to the limits I ran through cramps, and ackes at one point I really started to doubt myself that I could do this but when I check my Nike+ at mile marker 2 I couldn't believe that I was at 18 minutes! When I hit the Mile marker 3 it was all down hill and I kicked it into gear and ran my heart out, my legs were shot at the end and I stumbled to the water station, but I FINALLY felt like an elite runner, now I may never see that time again, but giving everything I had was WORTH IT!

Rock Bottom Run Club

I recently discoved that Rock Bottom has a run club. I discovered this a few weeks ago and have been sitting on the idea of checking out this club since it was close to the house. I had checked out the Indigo Joe's run but that club has yet to be developed.

I sat on the patio last night and had the debate with myself on the should I, shouldn't I run. I finally decided I would give in and check it out. I ate a few ice chips to help bring down my core body temp. I little tip I found in my Running Magazine. I know, sounds strange but I figured I would give it a try since I am planning for Saturday's run to be hot again. Why not do a dry run today?

I got to Rock Bottom just a tad after 6pm, and was relived to see that there were some that had yet to start running. I met a nice couple that had a little boy and asked if they were doing the 5K or 3K. She said the 3K and he said the 5K. I was a little nervous because guys tend to run faster than I do. I really hate to make people slow down for me. So I said in the best confident voice I could muster up "GREAT" I figured if he was better than me at least I can work on my speed, not my favorite thing to work on, but I was not going to look like a sissy! Much to my surprise he said he runs about an 11 to 12 minute pace and walks from time to time. I can not say how releaved I was! I really didn't want to push it since Saturday is right around the corner.

So off we go, we made a nice pace and the weather couldn't have been better! It was slightly overcast and just a hint of humidity in the air. This made me glad since I forgot my water it in the car. The route is mostly paved and flat with just a few hills here and there, but that is nice to add to my runs, it will build strength in my legs. As we rounded the last mile the rain came! So did the hail! The hail kept hitting my ear and it hurt! I was starting to get soaked and all I could think about was my Nike+ chip in my shoe! We ended up camped out under Panara Bread and tired to wait out the rain. We stood there for five minutes or so it started to look better so we took off. By the time we got to Rock Bottom, I was soaked and not very happy to be wet, but oh well, another thing to chalk up to experience.

I decided to stick around for a few minutes and meet some of the other runners and I am glad that I did. With a smaller group it was nice that I got to meet people, Jack's is really big and I am to shy to converse with people in large groups.

Next week I really hope that it does not rain. I will finish the runs since after five you can earn your shit! That's really easy and it will give me something else I can work on!

Thanks to the Rock Bottom Run Club for a great run and it was nice to meet other runners in the area!

Distance: 3.83 miles
Pace: 00:13:00
Time: 00:43:34