WILLOWBAY 5K Race Report

This is what I wrote in my Running Journal, while I was RICEing......

Willowbay 5K for Women

Date: August 18, 2007
Time 9:00am Sunny/Cool
My time: 33:43 Finished 170
Teresa's time: 28:16 Finished 106

With a pulled muscle on Monday my goal was to finished the race, but what I got was more.

I went to the race by myself because Ron again decided that if the kids went to the race, Andy would not make it to the birthday party he was invited to...So after he said that I left.

I went to Longbranch Park were the race was being held to meet everybody. I get there and see Teresa, Rob, Mom and Dad.....the came to cheer us on!! Teresa and I start stretching. There is a big crowd this year. Teresa wanted to try to win the Sister/Sister category. Last year we came so close to winning that if she ran by herself and I just did what I did, we would have won. This year, I don't know?

We see Trac, Bridget, Bridget's friend Karen and we start to get ready for the race. We also see our friend Brandy, who ran with us last year. She came to cheer on her friends from this year's running class and to see who from last year was there. It was so good to see her. Jen came and brought Clifford and Lucy to the race to cheer us on. It was a great surprise to have Jen and the Greyhounds there.

We line up for the race and Trac asked me what my goal was. I said, "Keep up with you". After last week, my big goal was just to beat my time from last year.

At 9am the gun goes off. Teresa goes off with Karen, since Karen is a long distance runner and has more speed than I do. I stay with Bridget and Trace. Trac's goal was to run a 10:30 mile (I think). We are trying to keep a good pace and I believe that we are. We get to the first mile marker and the time keeper calls out "9:55". I'm feeling good. I'm thinking that Trac and Bridget feel the same.

Right before the turnaround, the muscle that I pulled on Monday is giving me mild twitches. We get to the turnaround and we are at a good time. I can't remember what he called out, but I remember feeling happy about it.

All of a sudden, I have shooting paid in the back of my thigh (the muscle that I pulled). I scream out (I think). I know that I can not keep up the pace that I was doing. But I know that I don't want to stop, but I don't want to be in so much pain. I back off my pace quite a bit. I know that Trace and Bridget are worrying about me, (Bridget keeps on looking back....I think she is talking to me, but I don't remember) but they have to run their race.

I just keep on thinking that I don't want to disappoint Teresa. She has done so much for me, when it comes to my running. I have to finish the race. Right now, I remember things, but I don't think there are in the right order, except towards the end. These are some of the things that I remember.

One point between the 1/2 way mark and the 3 mile mark, I have to walk. The pain got so bad, I try to speed walk. This way I am able to get rid of some of the shooting pain. Once some of the pain subsides, I start running again at a slow pace. I am now willing myself from one telephone pole to another.

I remember a older lady coming up next to me saying that I have a good pace and she has been following me....I tell her thank you, but I don't know how much longer I can do it. This must happens before I start to speed walk. At the water stop on the way back, I know that I don't stop, I take a sip of water and throw the rest on my head. Why I do this, I really not that hot, so I don't know.

So I am still willing myself from one telephone pole to another. I do this until I see Jen and the dogs. Jen is giving me encouragement.....I just know that I can finish the race.

Then I see Teresa!!! She has comeback to run me in. She is talking me in the whole way. Telling me that I am going to finish and that I have to just keep running so that I will beat last year's time. Then I see Shannon and Kris. I hear them cheering me on. Along with My mom, saying that I can do it!!! I am now trying to sprint to the finish line. I have this thing mantra, "If the end is near, SPRINT. It will get over quicker" So this is what I am trying to do. I now have the shooting pain back again, but I just want to finish!!!

I cross the finish line at 33:43!!! I still don't believe it because I walked and slowed my pace down after the pain. I start to cry because I was happy to finish, I got my PR for this race, and I was in so much pain as I sprinted. Mickey, the race coordinator was there and she gives me a hug. I don't remember what I told her, but I was glad that I finished.

Then everybody comes up to me. I still don't believe my time. But at this point, I just wanted to walk off the pain.

I love Teresa, my Parents, and my friends. For giving me the encouragement, training and support I needed for this race. I can't thank them enough!!!

Ron does feel sorry that He was not there. I pulled into the driveway right when there were leaving to go to the birthday party. We he saw me limping out of the van, he had a very concerned look on his face. He even asked me if I was OK (which sometime he ever does). As I am writing this....He is taking care of the kids and letting me rest and ice my leg. OK he does care!!

Today, I'm a little sore and still have trouble going up and down the stairs. But I'm going to take it easy again today. I'm taking the kids to camp and putting a lawn chair into the lake and just sit there. I will tie a long piece of rope onto the boat that the kids play in and then tie it to the chair that way the kids will be near me and I don't have to walk around on the rocks!

I still wonder what time I would have gotten if I did not hurt myself......we just have to wait until next year. Now it is the Bud Run 10K next.....BRING IT ON!!!!


P.S. - We finished 15th in the Sister/Sister out of 30 entries......alot more than last year Oh well. We tried Teresa, we tried!!!

Pulled Muscle

Yes, 5 days before my 1 year anniversary of running 5K's and I pull a muscle!!! So who is the first person that I get ahold of to help me? TRAC!! My Savior!!! I remember that I needed to do RICE. But I could not remember what RICE meant.

So, I e-mailed Trac on Tuesday and asked her what to do if I pulled a muscle. Right away she e-mails me the answer along with websites to help me. What a friend!!!!

Even after I said that I would not do stupid stuff (Like not try to run long distances after I have not run in days), I decided to see how fast I could do a 5K on my road at home. Then I would run the rest of the 4.75 miles that I needed to do to keep up with my mileage. I did pretty good time on the first 1.5 miles. I was keeping a good time, but all the hills are down except two on the first 1/2. I know that I pulled the muscle going up the two big hills on the way back. I was really trying to push myself. My time was 37:47....That was worse that my Harborfest Time!!! But of course, I ran around 7pm. It was hotter that were the Devil Lives (Brian is in the room and he is learning to read so Now I have to be careful what I type). I did not even finish running the rest of the miles that I had to do because I just did not have enough oomph in me.

It has been 2 days that I have been doing RICE. I even wore my compression pants, that I wear in the winter time, to work today underneath my dress pants. Good thing I was not hot today and the pants were long enough that nobody knew I had them on.

So I am only going to run about 2 miles tomorrow to make sure that I am going to be ok of the race. I went to pick up the race packets for Teresa and I at Fleet Feet tonight and the race coordinator said that there are going to be alot of teams this year. So T, you better run you heart out. You know that your sister (Me) is going to do her best, but she is no speed demon!!!

Ok I'm paying for it now!!!!

The last week I was on vacation with the family. Nothing really fancy or fun. Just went camping with Ron and the boys in Wolcott, NY and did somethings in Rochester.

So that means that I really did not run at all last week. We did a lot of walking, but no Running since the campground was so small and the only halfway decent road to run on is a major trucking route. I did not run. But I also have a major sunburn across my chest and on the top of my "babies". I not thinking it is a good idea to run while my "babies" are trying to recover.

I call up Trac on Friday to see if we were running on Saturday, she said yes. I'm now looking forward to running.

I don't know if because I did not work for a whole week, there was no stress or it was the new sneakers that I got last week (I will put in what I wrote on vacation about my sneakers after this), but Sue was in the GROOVE. I have not been that in the zone since one of the last days of the YRun class I took with Trac and we were doing something like 11/1 or 15/1. I just set the pace and just ran with it. Today's run, I can remember every step and enjoy running it. I remember every song that was playing on my MP3 player. I can go into work on Monday and say "Yeah I did six miles on Saturday."

I know that I pissed off Trac. She has been working so hard and deserves easy days. And it did not help that I did not run at all last week. But I really needed a day like to day to prove to myself that I can do it and maybe I am putting just a little to much into my Job and not enough into me and my family!!

Trac, here is your payback. I just got up from a nap with Brian to come down and see if he had turn off the computer (of course he did not). It took every effort that I had to walk down the basement stairs!!! My knees, they don't hurt, they just don't move!!! I'm getting electric "shocks", no real pain in the tendons that are attached to my heels. For the second time, I have learned my lesson, Do Not Over Do It If You Don't Run During The Week!!!

Next week the Willowbay 5K for Women. Trac, Bridget (I think), Teresa, and myself will be running it. I can actually say that I am looking forward to running it. Teresa wants to win the Sister/Sister category and will be running at her speed (good thing that I love her or I would hate her for her time) Race report to follow on Saturday.

This is what I wrote when I was on vacation regarding my new sneakers:

NEW SNEAKERS - 8/6

Well, I finally got them.......new sneakers. After trying to run on Saturday and only getting in 4 miles in because of two (count them 1! 2!) blisters on my feet! I could not go the other 1.75 miles that I was supposed to do. OK, I have now had it. Is it my sneakers? Is it my socks? It is because of the new mileage? Well now, I am going to find out.

So, I head over to Fleet Feet just as they open. I talk to the sales person and I show him everything and tell him what I am training for. After a long discussion and running on the treadmill, he comes to the conclusion that It is my sneakers. They have an arch that did not go with my feet. Also the sneaker that I was wearing was to narrow on my foot. My purchase is a new pair of New Balance 767's!! I can't wait until I can try them since I'm on vacation now.

The salesman also recommended some new socks to see if that will cut down on the friction. He said that the socks that I was wearing were OK since they were not cotton. But these socks have a double layer and that should cut down on the friction. Now I'm ready to run without my feet hurting!!!

***I can truly say that after today that my feet don't hurt......just the rest of my legs!!!