Cinco De Miler Race, a new 5K PR + Churros are Delish
{We don’t have pictures from this race - this was an accurate representation of how I acted after I crossed the finish line. I love you Kelly Kapowski!}
The Cinco De Miler is the only five mile race in Chicago (the Shamrock Shuffle is 4.97 miles) and this was the first year we got to run it. Like the Shuffle, and the Hot Chocolate, this will definitely be an annual favorite.
I am always impressed by how “small races” in Chicago have nearly 4000 people running!:)
The Cinco De Miler is organized by the same people who put on the Hot Chocolate 15K, and there are churros and egg and cheese burritos at the finish line.
I’ve never eaten a churro before - it’s a fried cigar-shaped biscuit rolled in cinnamon and sugar and it’s delicious! I gave my burrito to John. :)
I love small races - you can run, have fun, and be showered in time to meet friends for brunch - a pretty great weekend! :)
Nigel also had a great start to his weekend - he wasn’t interested in waking up at 7am though. :)
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I ran the 5 miler in 45:20 - only 20 seconds off my goal of 45 minutes so I’m pretty happy with my performance.
My mile splits were 8:51, 9:13, 9:22, 9:04, and 8:24!
I definitely didn’t feel like I gave it my 100% with the Fargo Marathon less than two weeks away but can I get an internet high five for five mile splits under 9:25!!!
I also reached a 5K personal record of 28:37!
I am excited about this number because at the Shamrock Shuffle it was 29:19 and I shaved off an easy 40 seconds. What can I do if I push myself???!!!
My next goal will be to earn a 25 minute 5K in a race!
Even more impressive for me, was that my average pace at the Shuffle was 9:30 and my average pace here was 9:04!!!
I love speed work, I love speed work, I love speed work!
John finished his race in 39:38 with a pace of 7:56! I’m so impressed and happy for him - and motivated to catch up. :D
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In more exciting news, do you sometimes think, “I wish I had more Nigel in my life,” or “I would love to send Nigel marriage proposals from my girl puppy?”
Well, wonder no more and enjoy The Adventures of Nigel Bear!
Yes, Nigel has his own Tumblr, where he shares all the exciting moments of his life like third nap or the attractive blonde on his morning walk who always calls him “smooshy face.”
It’s a good life. :)
Stellar Workouts + 5K Speed Test!
Nigel, as a baby puppy, captures how intense my workouts have been this week- and how awesome!
I had a surprise six miler yesterday.
During that run, I decided I wanted to make my Wednesday runs my speed work day and focus on the 5K distance.
It doesn’t tax me as much as my five miler speed tests, allowing me to aggressively keep increasing my weekend long runs which I run at a fast pace (rather than a slower pace as recommended by some books).
Today, I went out on my first 5K speed test and finished it in 28 minutes. When I came home, I checked my Garmin data and apparently, this is my 5K P.R.! It’s only a little over a nine minute pace and it’s my starting point.
I paired my run immediately with a Hot Power Fusion yoga class - I haven’t taken these since I’ve mostly been doing the C2’s but it was nice to have some aggressive flows.
Hot yoga and running, goes together like a PB&J sandwich!
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What I’m really proud of though is my strength training this week.
Today and on Monday, I adapted my yoga routine along with the Tough Mudder strength training routine and created a routine I really enjoyed doing!
On Tuesday, I worked on my pull-ups and planks.
I have no pull-up strength but I read in a book that pull-up hangs, where you hang from a pull-up bar with your knees bent, are a great way to build strength. Women might need to build up to a 2 minute hang before they can do five perfect pull-ups!
I finally feel like my Abs Fitness Streak was working for me and allowing me to integrate more strength training into my regimen.
It’s a mental game - yes, strength training isn’t as fun as running or hot yoga for me, but doing these routines without rest gets me going!
My training journal is available here! Hope everyone is having a good training week!
You Are my Sunshine, My Pretty Sunshine
The morning was grey, grey, grey, but something about this day was going to be extra good. Maybe it was because I started it off with this sweet and succulent grapefruit!
And some blueberry Chobani! This combination is so delicious, get ready to see me do this every day for the next six months! :D
There was a delicious cup of coffee with half a cup of unsweetened almond milk!
And a good luck sleepy puppy snorgle. I pup-hanced so you could see how delightfully flat and wrinkly an English bully can be! :)
And then I went and ran 5 miles in 48 minutes 17 seconds, beating my old personal time of 48 minutes and 32 seconds.
The Marine Corps Marathon is now officially one month ago and I am finally back to running. I thought the rest advice wouldn’t apply to me - I laughed at people who said I would need to take two to three weeks off. I even went back to running too quickly by completing the Hot Chocolate 15K a week after the marathon, prolonging my knee problem.
Today is good. I am happy when skies are grey! :D
FIVE MILER PERSONAL RECORD…! :D
Internet high five! Internet high five! Internet butt bump! Internet butt bump! Interwebs hug! Interwebs hug!
I’m celebrating. :)
I ran my five miles test in 48 minutes and 32 seconds. Do you guys remember how ecstatic I was running five miles in 58 minutes and 20 seconds only three weeks ago?
I had to dig deep during the first mile because I ran up a street with a sharp incline and echoed Bumblebee’s advice to repeat to myself, “I love hills, I love hills, I love hills.” I can’t believe it - I am actually getting faster. Faster than I ever thought I could get.
Even better, if I can keep this up, I can hopefully reach my goal by the end of the year to be able to do five miles in 45 minutes so I can do an easy five miler before my work day!
And can you believe the crunch of the leaves underneath your running feet? I like to run a straight line - so I had to walk five miles back! Not efficient but it breaks in the Veebs.
After my run, I had the rest of my protein pirate smoothie from this morning and many bottles of water!
I Only Wear Medals :)
RACE RECAP
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My Chicago Half Marathon time was 2 hours, 20 minutes and 40 seconds. That is not only a P.R. win for me but a personal best because I ran the race alone. To put this in context, I ran the Donald Duck half at Disney in 2 hours and 50 minutes. I didn’t run another half-marathon until America’s Finest City half in San Diego and completed that half-marathon in 2 hours, 45 minutes and 13 seconds. Yesterday, at the Chicago Half Marathon, I shaved almost 25 minutes off my time! I am trying to be humble, but I am bursting with pride and happiness. No matter how many times I was encouraged, I didn’t believe I could run such a consistent race and get such a great time. I signed up for fall half and full marathon races as early as January to May but once we got Nigel, my real training didn’t start until he was nearly an older puppy in July. I improved my personal time in less than three months.
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I have to brag about John a little too! :D My Boy also had a personal best - 2 Hours 7 Minutes 9 Seconds. To put his time in context, John ran the Chicago Marathon in 2010 in 4 Hours and 57 Minutes. His Chicago Half Marathon P.R. puts him on pace to complete the Marine Corps Marathon in 4 Hours and 30 Minutes. That’s a 27 minute improvement for a 26 mile race - an improvement from 11:47 average pace to 9:43 average pace. John would love to shave off another seven minutes before the Marine’s race but I am so proud of him!
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THE NITTY GRITTY DETAILS
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I ran the race alone. John and I really wanted to see what this would feel like and I haven’t run alone since I lost John during the Donald Duck Half Marathon at Disney and the Hot Chocolate 15K (yes, telling me to run ahead while he goes to the bathroom means he will lose me - crowds grow when you are looking for someone!). I also don’t carry my phone…so…
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I ran the race with no camera. Sadly Tumblrettes, I would love to have photos for you, but my recent training has been to run as lightly as possible and I will continue to do so even at my next marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon, in 47 Days!
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This race was my most consistent running experience. I took NO walking breaks except near a few water stations for ten to twenty seconds each and ran a pace that averaged between 10 minutes and 11 minutes throughout the entire race.
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My 5 Mile split was 53 minutes and 4 Seconds and my 10 Mile split was 1 Hour, 47 Minutes and 33 seconds. If you want to see all my race numbers, they are available at Tiny Legs, Long Distances.
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My Vibrams were only one of three spotted during the entire race. In San Diego, there were hundreds! :D I had one guy give them a good squeeze before the race, who I’m convinced was worried about me and didn’t believe I had already completed another half-marathon in them. John also overheard some guys talking about a girl wearing “pink Vibrams and booking it.” I think the minimalist trend is not that big a deal and I never mind the attention or questions (“Go pink toes!” is a common refrain), but with a flat-as-a-pancake course like Chicago, Vibrams were far and few between and I definitely stood out. The shoes held up beautifully - I got my first teeny blister in them but I think that was caused by the water I kept throwing on feet.
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Speaking of throwing water on myself, it got hot and humid. A great running day, but I’m going to have to throw in some more runs in the few hot weekends we have left.
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My average pace went from 12:37 at the America’s Finest City half to 10:41.
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Boo Gatorade! I train with electrolyte drinks but the Gatorade caused my stomach to cramp in mile three (also my slowest mile at 11:01) and I’m not sure why because I am used to the flavor. Maybe because it wasn’t sugar-free? I stuck to water the rest of the race but I took several cups and spilled them on my neck and legs, and also swished and spit a ton instead of drinking it. I find I need to be selective about my hydration and I prefer not to take bathroom breaks like John does. Ironically, John and I both skipped the bathroom this race!
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I’m writing this the day after, and I am happy to report that both of us are pain-free and just a little tight in the legs - hot yoga for me and a massage for John will take care of this! I will still be integrating hill training into my routine regardless of how flat courses are in Chi-town, because they make me stronger!
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The best part of the race was spotting John on the sidewalk at the 13 mile marker. John, bless his heart, wasn’t expecting me and was getting ready to settle in and stretch because as he told me later, “I knew you’d be faster, but I didn’t know you would be this fast!” I had looked for him towards the end of the race hoping I would spot him among all the runners who wore their Chicago 2010 Marathon shirt and when I saw him, I screamed “John, I love you!” and kept running. He dropped his banana and water bottle in surprise and a second later jumped in running behind me, screaming “Go! Go! Go! The turn is right around the corner!” I was worried going over the finish line again would mess with his results but I used the push to just move forward - ignoring him and running as hard as I could. Kissing John at the finish line was the best!
Running Win!
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Yes, we have a Garmin Forerunner 405CX in the family - and no it hasn’t been used since John trained for the Chicago Marathon in 2010 (his first marathon and he finished in 4 Hours, and 57 Minutes). I would just use Map my Run but I decided to steal this cutie from John and buy him another for his upcoming birthday (and don’t worry babe, that isn’t your only present).
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A few weeks ago, I was so happy that I ran 5 miles in 58 minutes and 20 seconds, wearing my Veebs. Training on the treadmill with a zero incline (woops!) isn’t the same beast as running outdoors so I knew my speed workout would have to be outdoors today. I left the camera at home to forgo distractions and charged up the Garmin. I also decided to put in a race eating strategy which is different from before - when I had no strategy at all. :D
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I don’t have pictures except this little delight from when Nigel was a puppy - I ran Chicago’s lake shore path as I always do. This path is nearly 26 miles so it is perfect for marathon training and is one of the best urban running “trails” next to Central Park in NYC which will always have a special place in my heart. Today was a beautiful fall day in Chicago and the winds they were a blowin’ - sadly, the winds were blowin’ against me and to the right - where there’s a lot of water! :) In Chicago tradition, the wind died down at several points and the sun blazed hot - nice variability!
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I finished my five miles in 51 minutes and 44 seconds. The last speed run was 58:20 on a treadmill and this time I made sure to run on concrete, asphalt, only two minutes of grass (grass is super forgiving to Vibrams and feels like a massage). My 5K time was a little over 32 minutes - I am becoming much faster in my Veebs and getting back to levels I had with my Asics! Miles two and three were slow - and mostly because the tourists were everywhere snapping pictures and not giving me the pass - can’t complain though because I love them visiting my beautiful city. :)
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After my run, I had a slice of Ezekiel toast with two servings of Sabra Lemon hummus and a can of Coke Zero - clearly craving the sodium!
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Today was an absolute running win in my book - I am really happy with my progress and proud of myself and I hope this continues until the Chicago Half Marathon this weekend and the 20 miler the following weekend!
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Off to shower and give the pup a bath too! :D
