Candy Cane Kids Run race report

You think mama was the only one having a good race on Saturday? Oh, no. Conal was right there racing too, only he was handed candy at the end of his race and I had to wander around in my depleted state searching for coffee and water.

Wah, wah, wah . . .

The Candy Cane Kids Run took place a half hour before the Jingle Bell Run 5K on Saturday. There were only about 20 kids in the race, which was far fewer than Conal's first race, the Freihofer's Kids Run, where there were so many kids that they had to start in waves. And there were no race bibs or t-shirts, two things that Conal fully expected to receive. When I told him that this was a small race so they didn't have bibs or tees, he didn't believe me. "Nooooooo! You is wrong!" Sorry, kid, I'm right. And, you know what? That's life.

Once he came to grips with the fact that he was indeed the wrong one (and I was right! Ha ha!), he was ready to race. He lined up next to his friends, the sibling pair Luke and Leah, and waited for the word, "GO!"

Check him out -- puffy jacket as streamlined racing gear? Hey, it kept him warm!

 

Once the race started, the kid took off. Go, Conal, go! But then he stopped, turned, and waited for his friends, Luke and Leah, who -- in pure adorable fashion -- were running hand-in-hand. Running hand-in-hand slows you down a bit so they were behind and I guess Conal didn't want them to fall too far back. So, he'd wait. Then, once they'd get a little closer, he'd take off again. He did this several times. It was, as they say, too cute.

The race was a 3/10ths of a mile loop around a pond and I'm proud to say that my little guy managed the whole loop. In fact, I'd say he showed that he has a little Happy Runner in him:

 

 

That's some kind of joy right there, people. Happy running.

And then, at the finish line, he collected his candy cane and moved on. In search of yogurt. Which they didn't have, but that he expected because, you know, they had it at his last race. This kid is nothing if not full of expectations. 

Can't wait to find out what he expects from his next race.

~ Felice

Jingle Bell Run 5K race report.

My alarm came too early on Saturday morning. Yes, I was excited and raring to go. But, my little 2-monther has a cold and was up all night coughing, which means I was too. And so when the alarm went off at 7, I felt as if I hadn't slept at all and had to work hard to convince myself to get out of the bed.

I eventually got up, at my customary English muffin with peanut butter, drank a glass of water and a cup of coffee and then debated what to wear. It was cold on Saturday but sunny so I settled on a pair of running pants over a base layer (thin EMS leggings) on the bottom, and a long-sleeve shirt under a fleece on top. In retrospect, I didn't need the leggings but, enh, you live and learn.

I nursed Niall as much as possible and then it was time to go. There was a kids run before the 5K (race report to come!) so we wanted to get to the race early so Conal could run. I'm glad we did . . .

So, OK. The race. We got there, I met up with some awesome strong running mamas and Conal ran his race. Then it was time for me to nurse Niall again -- yes, that was me nursing my baby in the lobby while a bunch of serious runners stretched  out. Yeah, let me say this for pre-race nursing: It's stressful. You're watching the clock (15 minutes to start time!); trying to keep the race bib out of the baby's face while not exposing too much of your own, well, you know; talking to yourself about not starting out too fast; ignoring the curious looks . . . aiy! The pressure!

But I managed the feeding and met back up with my pals. Here we are before the race:

Jen, Bridget, me, Janis

And here we are with Santa. And Darlene.

 

 Janis, Jen, Santa, Bridget, me, Darlene 

(we missed Amanda and Tami for the pic!)

After the requisite photos, we made our way to the starting line and then we were off! As I mentioned in my last post, I had three goals for the race but I really wanted to go after my A goal of finishing under 25:13. So, I took off and weaved through the small crowd at the start, almost tripped over a dog that was running (?!?!) and smacked into a woman who had tripped over said dog's leash . . . and made my way to a clearing where I could run comfortably. 

Oh, look! That's me!

Throughout the first and second miles I passed people and felt good. I was running more or less at the pace I was hoping for and figured I had a good shot at finishing right around 25:13. Because the course winded back and forth through a local park, Owen and the boys were able to cheer for me at a few different locations. That was awesome. The best was that each time I passed Conal, he cheered exuberantly and stuck out his hand to give me a High 5. I loved it!

But even my own personal cheering section wasn't enough to help me maintain my speed through mile 3. Just about as soon as I began the third mile I felt grateful for B and C goals.

I faded. Big time. Where I felt strong in miles 1 and 2, I was just hanging on in mile 3. So much so, that I didn't even have a kick at the end. What's up with that?

I loped to the finish and crossed the line in 25:50, just short of my A goal, but pretty far ahead of my B goal of finishing under 27:11. So . . . not too shabby, all things considered. And, in fact, I felt pretty good with my time and the race overall. 

Race stats:

Mile 1: 7:56

Mile 2: 8:01

Mile 3: 8:24 (?!?)

last .18: 1:29

Finish time: 25:50

Overall place: 40/227

 

Post-race: Jen, Janis, Bridget, me

 

I wanted to run hard and run strong and I did. I wanted to use the race to gauge my fitness and I'm happy to say that 8 weeks after having my baby, I'm feeling fit. I had a hard time in the last mile, sure, but it wasn't terrible, really. I never stopped. And since the race, my body has felt fine -- no lingering muscle soreness (other than my bum foot, but that's just the norm around here), no pelvic discomfort, nothing. So, yay! I'm back!

I didn't achieve my A goal, but that just means that I have something to strive for in my next race. And while I could be disappointed, I'm not. I'm putting this race result in the books as my Masters 5K PR! I hope to shatter that record soon but, for now, it stands.

As a thank you to everyone for rooting me on in my first post-preggo race, here's a little photo for you to ponder over:

I don't even know what was going on there. Maybe he was going for sunburn, windburn AND frostbite? Runners . . . sheesh . . .

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend!

~ Felice

Thanks to Jen for the photos!

Race goals.

Tomorrow's my big race. (You know, the one I've been yammering about for, oh, the last month or so?)

It's not an especially big race as far as participants go (I think there will be about 200 runners) but it's big for me. It's my first post-preggo race.

Yup, tomorrow marks 8 weeks since I gave birth and I'm celebrating with a 5k.

And although I haven't exactly trained for the race -- I've mostly just been running at a comfortable pace -- I do have some goals. Sure, it would be nice to say I just want to finish with a smile on my face but, let's be real. I want to run well. I want to run fast.

I know I'm not going to be all that fast, unfortunately, because I'm still carrying about 12 extra pounds. But I'll use this race to gauge where I am, fitness-wise. So, here's what I'm shooting for tomorrow:

• A goal: 25:13 or better. This was my time for my first 5K after Conal was born, 4 months postpartum.
• B goal: 27:11 or better. This was my best preggo 5K time, run when I was 5.5 months pregnant.
• C goal: 29:59 or better. I just don't want to finish in the 30s.

Do I have any idea how I'll do? Not really. If I want to sandbag, I could go on and on about the cough that I have had for almost two weeks now or my feet, which feel oddly like they are broken. Bum feet and congested lungs probably aren't setting me up for any PRs. But will they ruin my shot at a good time?

Nah.

I've run through coughs and foot pain before. I can suck it up with the best of them. It's only 3.1 miles, after all. I can run hard for 3.1 miles.

And that'll be my plan. Run hard. Run strong. Yup, that's my plan.

Have a great weekend, everyone! And to those of you who are racing: Run hard. Run strong!

~ Felice

November recap.

Since October was taken up with giving birth and taking care of a newborn, my mileage was low. So, in November, there was no where to go but up.

And up it went!

I feel as if I ran a lot in November, making the most of every opportunity. One thing I've learned since having another baby is that I need to be more flexible with my routines. In the past, I would make sure to eat 1.5-2 hours before a run. Now, though, that doesn't fly. I can try to keep to that routine, but it doesn't always work. When I was at my mother-in-law's for Thanksgiving weekend, for example, I had an opportunity to run only a half hour after eating breakfast. I didn't know if I would be able to run later, and actually highly doubted it, so I went for it, full belly and all.

The other thing I've learned is to be prepared and not dilly-dally. Evenings when I plan to run when Owen gets home, I'm dressed and ready to go as soon as he walks in the door. That also means I've fed and changed Niall and have him ready to be peaceful while I'm gone (ha ha!) and I have prepped or completely made dinner. So far, it is working.

And now, here's how the month looked.

November stats:

Running (miles): 64.8
Cross-training (sessions): 4

Considering September and October were each 21 mile months, that 64.8 looks pretty good!

And now, bring on December! It's the month of my first post-preggo race (and you already know I'm super excited) -- but what about you? Big plans for December?

~ Felice