On the 1st K of Christmas

On the 1st K of Christmas, I ran across the start line!  That's right, I ran!!  Welcome back Emily.  I'm still running in one minute increments.  This is one of my favorite races.  I just love the costumes, especially the dogs wearing costumes.  It is such a fun race.

I met up with a couple of co-workers before the race (we were a mixed bag, some doing the 12K, some doing the 5K).  It was misty, but thankfully that's all it was because I had forgotten a hat.  The 5K started off and then it was time for the 12K to start.  I lined up in the 12+ minutes per mile category, which was also called the fast walker category.  I get to run, but I have to line up in a walker category?  I don't know if it was better lining up in the walker category or the jogger category.  In any case, I lined up and then we were off!!  And I was running across the start line!

One house we ran by had Christmas music playing for us - love it!

My time goal was under 2 hours.  But my secret time goal was to get under 1 hour and 45 minutes.  To put this into perspective, my best time on this course previously was 1:42:28 and that was when I was running and not coming off a knee injury.

The Ks kept going by and I started paying attention to my watch.  My secret time goal was definitely within reach.  If I kept up the pace.  But with the big hill behind me, and the majority of the rest of the course downhill or flat it was looking more and more like a possibility.

I kept up my running increments and was heading towards the finish line at the same time the kids race was finishing.  Which meant it was a bit chaotic.  But I RAN across the finish line!!  My time - 1:39:34 - holy cow!!  That would be a PR.  Can I say that again?  I PR'd - 1:39:34!!  I am going to bask in this glow for awhile.  Wow!!

P.S. I am participating in Katye's Virtual 12Ks of Christmas so this race was doing double-duty as my December race and my entry into the virtual 12Ks of Christmas!  Oh wait, it was actually doing triple duty as this is also Run #1.4!!  Wow, I got a lot of mileage out of this one race.

Seattle Marathon 5K

So this was "technically" my first race where I could run.  But instead I decided it would be my last enforced completely walking race.  Not to say I won't ever walk in a race again, because I can guarantee I will.  But it is my last self-imposed walking only race.  Which means next week I can run again! 

Being my last walking only race, I really wanted to come in under 45 minutes.  But I knew it was going to be tough.  Did you know there are hills in Seattle? :)

As I was leaving it started to pour down rain.  And I did not have a hat.  This might be interesting!  But the rain subsided.  I got to the race site plenty early and ended up sitting in my car for awhile. 

There was a decent number of people participating in this race (which is the precursor to the Seattle Marathon tomorrow).  As per normal, I teared up during the singing of the National Anthem.  And then we were off!

The first mile went by fairly fast.  I ended up in kind of a no man's land where there was a decent pack ahead of me and a decent pack behind me.  But not too many people near me. 

The hills weren't as bad as I was thinking until the end.  That last hill was painful!  But I put my head down and gritted it out.  As I was coming down the finishing chute, I really wanted to run, especially since I saw the clock turning to 46 minutes.  I stayed true to my walking and finished, knowing I would have a little grace time since I started in the back.

I crossed the finish line and immediately looked down at my Garmin.  45:41.  I think I visibly deflated.  So close, yet not quite.  Although my Garmin did also say I went 3.4 miles.  So then you would think I made it in under 45 minutes!  But Garmin is not official.  So we're going with the official results of 45:37 (apparently I turned on my Garmin too early!).

It's not a bad time.  I was just really hoping to break 45 minutes.

A little different at this race was that you got your t-shirt and goody bad after you finished!  Which I thought was a good idea!  Until I almost walked off without mine.  Ha!

And there you have it - my November race with a few days to spare!

Project Athena 10K

I would like to start this off by saying I was No. 1 in this race!!  Okay so I'm talking about my bib number, not my actual placement in the race.  But I did get a lot of cheers for No. 1 from other participants and people on the trail which made me smile! :)

This was the race that almost wasn't.  I fell off the bandwagon after the YGG Half and just wasn't motivated.  I had the finishing the race high followed by a low.  Plus there was that little side trip to Disneyland that distracted me.  But what better to get me back on the wagon than a race?

I was a little nervous going into the race as I knew it was a small race and the 10K was technically only for "runners".  But as the course was mainly on "my" normal route I figured if it was too bad and I was way far behind, I could hide my race number and just pretend to be out for a normal walk.

The 10K racers started and sure enough I was last within no time at all.  Well this is going to be fun.  Will this be the day I am last?  It isn't so much that I care about being last - it is more about people waiting for me to finish.  There were 2 women just ahead of me who were alternating run/walking and was able to catch up and pass them on their walk interval.  They would pass me back and so we leapfrogged for a little while but I kept gaining a little more and finally was able to increase the distance enough.  Okay, so I won't be last if I can keep this up!  I played the same game with 2 other women.  So now there was at least 4 people behind me.  Whew!  A little breathing room.

The goal behind Project Athena is to help survivors live their adventures.  The survivors were given orange shirts to wear.  I was now behind a group of 4 women, 3 of whom were survivors.  Of course they were my next targets! :)  But being behind them I was able to see racers coming back giving them support.  Even the super fast men gave them high fives or shout outs.  It was really neat to see nearly every participant giving support to these survivors.  When I finally caught up with them I added my own cheer and they cheered me on as well.  We leapfrogged a couple of times but when we hit the turn-around I was able to pull ahead.

Wow, we're at the turn-around already?  The problem with being on my familiar route - as I passed by my normal parking lot I was ready to step off the trail and get in my car!  Haha!  Not quite yet - I still had a a good 2 miles to go.

I caught up with another woman and walked along side her for awhile.  It was her first race of any sort and she was just hoping to finish.  I told her she was doing great and she was going to finish!  I walked with her for awhile until I saw the finish line and the clock which was ticking towards 1 hour and 30 minutes.   At the beginning I was hoping to finish within 1 hour and 35 minutes but somewhere along the course I was starting to think that 1 hour and 30 minutes was possible.  And when I saw the clock at  1:28 I took off.  I was tempted to run but kept up the walk and finished in 1:29 and some seconds.  I don't remember the exact seconds and I can't tell you because the results aren't up yet.  Grr!  Where are my results?  Ha!  Apparently I am impatient today.

And there you have it!  My October race is done.

You Go Girl Half Marathon

I ran this race last year, except the 10K version.  I enjoyed it last year and when my co-worker started talking to me about doing a half in September and mentioned this race I thought why not?  Especially since it had a 4 hour time limit!!  This would be an excellent race to judge my walking time to see if I could finish in Disney's 3 and a half hour time limit.  At the time I signed up for this race and started training I didn't know if (or when) I was going to be "allowed" to run again.  It would be my test race.  Oh the things I do for Disney! :)

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain.  And not just rain, but a steady, heavy rain.  Oh Fall, couldn't you have held off for one more day?  Eh, it's just rain, right?  I decided against changing my outfit, figuring either way I would be wet.  Well except to switch out my sunglasses for a hat.  I checked my bag one more time, tried to make garbage bag ponchos, and then headed out the door to meet my co-worker (we were going to carpool to the race).

The rain started to subside to a light mist as we drove down to the race start.  The race start is about a half a mile or so away from the finish.  Last year I parked at the start and regretted it slightly when I had to make the climb up stairs and hills back to my car.  Since my co-worker was the one driving I let her decide where to park.  She opted for the finish (which I would be so glad for at the end!).  We parked and started making the trek up to the start line.

I knew this had the potential of being an emotional race, being my second "big" comeback race since my knee injury.  I started tearing up as the National Anthem was played.  And then we were off!!  Being a girl oriented race, it looked like a sea of pink stretching out in front of me.

This was the first race I would be using my Garmin and as it buzzed for the first mile I glanced down and saw 13:39.  Whoa!  That's a little fast.  The upcoming hill slowed me down naturally.  This race is made up of three out and backs.  As I started up the hill I saw the super fast girls coming towards me.  So impressive watching them.  I kept my eyes open for my co-worker and then I saw her!  We gave each other the thumbs up sign as we passed.  And soon I was at the top of the hill and at the first turn-around point.  It was neat to again see the sea of pink clad runners stretching out in front of me.

We were coming back towards the start line.  Do I stop at the port-o-potty?  I had a conversation with myself about whether or not to stop before finally deciding to use the port-o-potty.  Better safe than sorry!  I was back on the course in no time flat and coming up on the big, bad hill I remembered from last year.  It was still bad, it hadn't improved since last year.  It was also the second out and back (not a true out and back) and about half way up I saw my co-worker again.  She shouts to me "this is a wicked course!"  Those hills can be pretty bad.  Up the hill and around the little park, through the mud puddles.  And then it was a big stretch of downhill!

Coming around a corner, there was a spectator with a great sign reading "1) Run 2) Breathe 3) Repeat".  Love it!

And then it was the finish line!!  For the 10k-ers.  Why didn't I sign up for the 10K again?  LOL!  So last year when I finished, they had chocolate milk but it was only for the half marathoners.  That was going to be me this year!!  Past the finish line and up the incline and on to the last out and back section.  I rounded the corner and could see the fast half girls closing on the finish line.

I knew the last section was along the water so I foolishly hoped it would be flat.  And it was flat for the most part except the few hills thrown in for fun.  Fun or torture at that point!  I finally got to the flat portion.  As I passed one volunteer, he tells me I'm about a half a mile from the last turn-around point. He was a liar!  Liar!  But it did give me a boost for a short time (until I realized it was a lot longer than a half a mile!).  That out section was a doozy!  I kept thinking I was seeing the turn-around but I wasn't.  But all along the course women on the back section were telling me encouraging comments.  Which I needed and so when I passed by a woman who was looking a little down I said something along the lines of "you're doing great!"  And she tells me "thanks, I really needed to hear that."

Finally, finally, finally I saw the turn-around and it really was the turn-around!!  Hallelujah!  As I reached it I could feel tears welling up again.  It was at this point I could see how many people were behind me.  And while I was near the end, there was still a good number of people behind me.

I hit the 10 mile sign.  Only a 5K left.  I can so do a 5K!  Although by the 11 mile sign I was just ready to be done.  And drink my chocolate milk.  Mile 12 comes and goes.  One more mile.  Up the last hill.  One foot in front of the other.  Keep going.  Around the last corner.  And I hear my co-worker yelling my name!!  Finish line!  And done!

I head to the food tent and there isn't any chocolate milk!  Color me sad.  (I stopped at the store on the way home and got some though.)  I eat my banana, do some stretching before we walked back to the car.  I was so happy the car was at the finish line!!  Because I don't know that I could have walked back up to the start line.  Ha!

My time: 3 hours 14 minutes and 4 seconds for a per mile pace of 14:49.  These are the official results because guess what?  I forgot to turn off my Garmin after crossing the finish line!  Doh!  My time wasn't actually that far off my Princess Half time.  Granted even though I ran a good deal of the Princess, I also stopped for lots of photos! :) 

You know what this means?  I will be able to stop for pictures for the Tinker Bell & Princess!!  Yahoo!!  Well at least one or two photos, let's not get to crazy!

And I'll end with - what's next after finishing a half marathon?  Chocolate milk!!  Ice packs!!  A massage on Tuesday. And one more thing on Thursday!  What is that?  I won't say just yet, but see if you can guess! :)

At the start line

Me at the start line

Done!

Another medal!

Lake Union 10K

Before I get to the race report, check out my new travel page which has all my trip reports summarized!

I really enjoyed this race last year and decided to do it again.  Plus they had a walkers division, since that is what I am (for now) - a walker!  And I am learning to be proud of that fact.

The day did not get off to the best start.  I either slept through my alarm, or turned it off in my sleep.  Either way, I woke up late.  I hate being late!  I rushed around and was out the door before I knew it.  No breakfast?  Nope.  I recently found this new product, Vespa Power, an amino acid supplement.  I usually only use it when I know I'll be training or racing for more than a couple of hours, but decided to try it this morning as well.  I can't really explain how it works, but basically it helps your muscles metabolize a higher level of fat during physical activity, conserving your glucose.  It isn't for everyone (especially anyone with honey/bee sensitivities), but so far I've noticed on my longer walks, I'm really not super sore the next day.  So I had my bee juice, as I like to call it.

I arrived at the race site, found a parking spot, got my bib and found my co-worker (she also ran it with me last year).  We found another co-worker of ours and chatted until the race was about to begin.  In my rush to get ready this morning I pulled on pants and while we were waiting I was beginning to regret the decision.  Capris or a running skirt would have been a much better choice as it was definitely starting to warm up.  Oh well.  At least I had sunglasses!!

They had us line up according to pace and there was even a pace sign for the walkers.  Which is where I lined up.  We waited for all the runners to cross the start line and then the walkers started!  Yay walkers!  Once I got around several people I found myself at the front of the pack.  As in there was only one walker in front of me.  As in, if this was only a walking race I would have been in 2nd place.  This has never happened before!  It didn't last too long as a couple other walkers sped past, but I did enjoy my "second place" while it lasted.  I caught up with a few of the run/walkers and played leap frog, I'd pass them while they were walking, they'd pass me when they started running.

The first mile passed by in a blur.  I knew I'd gone out pretty fast and so did my knee as it started protesting at the pace.  I settled down into a more manageable pace.  One woman, out for her morning run, passed me and asked how far the race was and then told me "good luck!"  I collect all and any cheers.  Thank you very much!  Just like that we were up to the first water stop and mile 2.  From mile 2 to mile 3 the sun seemed to be always in my eyes (thank you sunglasses!) and it also seemed to take forever.  But finally the mile 3 sign came into a view.  Not too much longer after, I passed a mom and her baby and she and the baby were clapping for me.  (Okay, maybe they were clapping for all the runners and walkers, but I am taking it for myself!)  Up and over the University Bridge, where a car started honking for us.  Seriously, I had great cheerleaders this entire course.  (Again, probably the car honking wasn't just for me, but I'm pretending it was.)  Just after the bridge was my first glimpse of the Space Needle.  Yay!  (The finish line is sorta near the Space Needle.)  The course brought us down by the water and it was fun to catch glimpses of the different house boats.  Water stop number 2, mile 4, and this set of steep, short up and downhills were next.  I was still feeling really good.  And so was my knee.  Once I had backed off the super fast pace, and settled in, my knee did much, much better.  Don't remember too much about mile 5 except thinking I'm so close.  Oh and the volunteers right before the mile 5 sign.  Let me say all the volunteers on the course were great, but a special shout out to the group right before the 5 mile sign.  Your cheers really lifted me up.  I was in the home stretch now.  I thought I was slowing down a tad, so tried to pick up the pace.  I rounded the corner and could see the finish line.  A spectator was standing off to side cheering her heart out.  Again - fantastic cheerleaders all along this course.  And then I was done!  Yay!!  I heard my name over the loudspeaker (they paused briefly trying to figure out my last name). 

My time you ask?  I am super happy to say it was 1 hour 32 minutes and 57 for a (are you ready for this?) 15 minute pace!!  Hallelujah!  I am feeling so much more confident about the Tinker Bell & Princess Halves and their 16 min per mile pace.  Plus here's hoping I will have permission to run before then, but even if I don't, I would say I'm doing okay walking.  And I am embracing being a walker.  I am a walker.  There I said it!  One day I will be a runner again, but until that time, I will walk proudly.

And there you have it!  A 10K with a 15 minute pace and my race for August done!

No More Bike!!

Woohoo!!  I am DONE!!  And more importantly, my bike is going into storage for many, many months.

Not much exciting to say about the expo - I checked in and dropped off my bike.  I did have lots of traffic issues getting to and from the expo and race site.  A lesson in patience apparently.

Race Morning!!  I woke up an hour before my alarm.  And tried not to let my mind start and fortunately I fell back asleep.  Then my alarm went off for real and it was time to get up and moving.  Driving across the bridge, you could see them setting up the bike course.  I arrived at the race site and set up my transition area and then wandered down to the water.  I passed by who I thought was Ali Edwards and inside I'm thinking "It's Ali Edwards!!" but outside I was playing it cool.  I love Ali - her blog was probably one the first I started "following" regularly.

I got down to the water and did my ritual of inching in to the water until I immersed myself completely.  The water wasn't super cold!  Whew!  I got in line with my other yellow swim caps.  Our magic word?  Excellent.  As in I finished this day as an excellent triathlete!  We were counted down and off we went!  I felt like I was swimming fairly strong and every time I looked up I was surrounded by other yellow caps which made feel good.  I wasn't at the back of the pack.  The water was fairly choppy, not too bad, but every once in awhile a big wave would come rolling in.   I was about halfway through the swim course when I came up upon another swimmer and tried to maneuver around but she was a little all over the place and she ended up kicking me.  Which, with that many bodies?  Is bound to happen.  But then she turns to yell at me "Oh, come on!"  Really?  You kicked me.  She must have been having a bad day.

And then I saw the swim finish.  While on the one hand I was glad to be done with the swim, on the other hand I wanted to keep swimming so that when I came out of the water it would be time to do the run (walk).  And I could skip the bike!  But no such luck.  I got out of the water and headed back to my bike.  Oh bike.  I tried to talk nicely to my bike in hopes that would help.  It did for awhile.  I also gave myself permission to do whatever I needed to do to finish.  Such as walking up the really short, steep hill.    I was feeling fairly good and then I was heading up a hill when guess what?  My chain came off.  Again.  But the good news was since I'd already dealt with it earlier in the week I didn't panic.  Well didn't panic too much.  I pulled off to the side and attempted to get the chain back on.   Thank goodness it was only the chain!  I got back on and started off again.  The rest of the bike was fairly uneventful and soon I was back in transition getting ready to walk.

I started towards the run start.  And I really wanted to run, but I didn't.  In fact most of the run can be summed up with I really wanted to run but I didn't.  Even at the finish line.  Which was the worst - so many people cheering and here I was walking.   I have come so far with my knee and I didn't want to do anything that could damage it.  Plus I'm a rule follower and since the physical therapist hasn't given me the okay to run, I walked.  Plus I had walked the entire thing, so I wanted to actually finish walking.  So I walked through the finish line and got my medal.

My parents were there to cheer me on at the finish line.  And I told my mom about seeing Ali Edwards (since she is a bigger fan that I am).  And wouldn't you know I happened to look over and see Ali.  So I dragged my mom over to meet her since I knew she wouldn't go by herself, and I knew she would regret it if she didn't take the chance to meet Ali.  Ali was super nice.

Going into this, I wanted to finish in less than 2 hours and 30 minutes (since my worst time was 2 hours and 26ish minutes).  And I did!!  I finished in 2 hours 10 minutes and 55 seconds.  Not my best time, but not my worst!  And given the chain issue as well as the knee issue, I'll take that!

Transition Area

Lots of bikes

Almost time to swim

This will be me soon

Almost "GO" time

Finished!

Ali & Emily

Yay!  Another medal!

See Jane Run 5K

Way back when I signed up for this race, I was thinking it would be my triumphant return to running. I had it all planned out. I was going to do the couch to 5k program and then run this race. What is it they say about the best laid plans? With my physical therapist putting the ixnay on running, I settled for See Jane Walk. I mean a race with chocolate and champagne?  I'm so there, even if I am walking. Plus I needed a July race anyway.

I woke up super early and got there in time to grab one of the last parking spots in the lot. Which, okay, I guess makes up for the fact I was there so early. I quickly got in line for the real bathroom. The line was already ridiculously long. I do have to say my one complaint (well okay I did have one other MAJOR complaint, but we'll get to that) was the lack of restrooms. They only had 9 port-o-potties to start with for I don't know how many women. Sometime after the race started they did bring in more, but a little late in my opinion.  Hopefully they will learn their lesson for next time.

It's funny who you can run into at these events. This time it was my massage therapist, or one of my regular massage therapists. She was running the half. We chatted for a minute and then went our separate ways.

They did a cute warm-up and it was time to send the half-ers on their way and I got back in line for the bathroom. With just minutes to spare I made it to the front of the bathroom line and over to the starting line.

And we were off!! My time goal for this race was under 50 minutes. I wasn't feeling super fast right out of the gate but finally settled into a good rhythm.  It felt like I had just started out when I saw the fast girls coming back.  Wow - it is something to watch the fast girls.  They are FAST!!

It was definitely not nearly as humid as it was yesterday (oh wait - I haven't told you about that yet!  Next post, I promise).  I started reeling in people one by one (including a few who were jogging!).  I got to the turn around point and the volunteer told me I was at 24 minutes and some change.  Double that and it would be cutting it close time-wise (but I knew I had a little bit of grace time).  So I would have my work cut out for me if I wanted to beat 50 minutes.  As I turned around and headed back I saw how many people were behind me!  I may not be the fastest but I am not the slowest!!  That gave me a lift and I powered on, reeling in a few more people.

With under a mile left I saw the first of the half marathoners heading towards me.  Again - FAST!!  Before I knew it, I was rounding the corner towards the finish line.  There was one woman in front of me and I was just about to pass her when she started running and I couldn't overcome it.  It was all I could do not to run across the finish line.  I so wanted to!  But I am committed to this path of no running to try and heal my knee.  The clock was nearing 48 and I put on my own finishing kick to cross the line before it hit 48.  My official time, you ask?  Why 46.41 which means a 15.24 pace!  Yahoo!!

I crossed the finish line and saw medals and my eyes lit up!  I love medals!  But no one was giving me a medal.  So I walked over and asked if everyone got a medal (because you'd better believe I'm getting me a medal if they are giving them out).  They directed me over to a table to fill out a rain check for a medal.  They ran out of 5K medals.  And this would be my MAJOR complaint.  I didn't get my medal.  Boo.  But they are going to mail it to me.

I wandered around the expo, got my champagne (so what if it was 10 in the morning - it is 5 o'clock somewhere!) and chocolate and headed out just as it started to rain.  Oh great.  And here I was on my way to ride my bike.  But that is a story for another post.

Ready to Walk

Champagne

Bridle Trails 10K

We're getting close to the end of June, which means I need to participate in a race of some sort to keep up with my one event per month goal as part of my 34 Things.  My co-worker had told me about this trail run that she was planning on doing.  Emphasis on run.  I combed the website but there was no time limit that I could see.  Okay, then.  My first official purely walking race in several years.

I lined up with all the other 10Kers and felt like a fraud.  I was not going to run any bit of this race.  But since it was on a trail, rather than a road, it wouldn't matter when I finished.  Right?  And then I saw the sign that said this was going to be a 5K, 10K or 30K race.  Woohoo!!  I may not be the last person on the course.  I will get lapped but I should be able to finish a 10K before even super fast runners finish a 30K.  A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders.  (Turns out there was no one doing the 30K but it definitely gave me a psychological boost.) 

The race started off with a steep uphill.  Oh great.  But I actually passed a few people on my way up the hill!  That didn't last too long and before you knew it I was last.  I have this big fear of being the last person on the course.  Looks like I was going to face my fear today.

The trail was fairly muddy so there was a lot of zig-zagging to avoid the mud and the mud puddles.  I kept my eyes down so I could navigate between the tree roots and the mud.  So that's pretty much how the race went - up, down, avoid the mud puddle, watch out for horse poop, mud puddle, horse.  Wait, horse?  Yup, horse!  Nice horsey.  I kept to the side of the trail as I passed the horse.  There was one close call with a tree.  I was grabbing a hold of a tree to help me around a mud puddle when I smacked into the tree!  My shirt had gotten caught.  But I stayed on my feet.  Yay! 

I was alone for most of the race, except when the 10K route intersected with the 5K route.  From about mile 3 on I was basically on a walk in the woods by myself.  Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.  It was very peaceful, when I took my eyes of the trail! :)  I finally hit mile 6 and the rest of the course was mainly downhill.  As I rounded the corner towards the finish, I saw the remaining volunteers packing up.  Yup, last one on the course.  But when they saw me, they cheered.  I love cheers!  Even if they are pity cheers for the last person.

My goal was to come in under 1:40 and I'm super happy to say I came in at 1:39:26!  Which is just over a 16 minute per mile pace.  Hallelujah!!  (Disney race pace is 16 minutes per mile.)  I still have 6 months (give or take) to improve on my time.  Ideally I would like to get under 15 minutes per mile.  And there is always hope my physical therapist will okay me to run! 

And I learned something else from the posted times - there were 2 people behind me.  I wasn't last! 

Top Pot 5K Doughnut Dash

Saturday morning I was lying down in hot yoga before class, already praying for people to come in the door closest to me because I already needed the breeze, when I remembered there was a 5K Sunday morning.  To enter, or not to enter?  Enter of course!

Sunday morning I woke up bright and early to go run a 5K!  I hadn't pre-registered so I made sure to get there plenty early.  I got to the front of the line and to my surprise, they didn't take credit cards.  Really?  In this day and age?  Everyone takes credit cards!  Granted, I haven't done too many day of registrations, but the few I have done have taken credit cards.  Shame on me for not checking.  But still.  Okay, rant over. So back to my car I go to get my debit card and off in search of an ATM machine.  I thought for sure there was a Bank of America in the neighborhood, but I couldn't easily find one, but I found another one and paid the fee.

Back to the registration table with my money.  All registered, I happily discovered they had a gear check so I wasn't going to have to take another trek back to my car.  Whew!  I switched shirts and checked my gear.  I still had some time so I stretched out and mentally prepared.  For a second there I was wondering what the heck I was doing...

And finally we were off!  It was kind of a mad start, with a lot of dodging and running around people, but finally it started to thin out and I found a spot for myself.  I started off running 1 song, walking 1 song, but was feeling strong so then ran 2 songs and walked 1.  My knee held up, for the most part.  But then my right calf started bothering me.  Not too badly thank goodness!

Before you knew it, there was the finish line!!  The clock was at 43 something so I knew I was going to beat 45 minutes.  Especially since it took me awhile to get to the start line.

I finished, got my water, my banana, and most importantly my Top Pot Doughnut!  Because why else would I run a Top Pot 5K, it not for the doughnut?? :)

My time was probably helped by the fact it was a mostly flat course.  According to the website my official time was 41:49!  I've still got some work to do, but I'm definitely on my way back!!

Bellevue 5K

Bellevue 5K, otherwise known as Welcome Back 5K!  Today was my first foray back into the land of racing.  Let's do a little rewind first, and see how I got here.  The Cliff Notes version (get it, cliff?  I crack myself up!): 2010 was the rise and fall of my running career.  I had never really liked running at all, but had started to dabble in it - run one song.  Then it was run two songs.  And then I had run a mile continuously!!  I continued to build and there I was - running my first 5K without stopping, running (with some walking) the Princess half, watching my personal records fall left and right.  For awhile it seemed as if each 5K or 10K I ran I was setting a new record for myself.  I was on my way to becoming a runner!  And then came the fateful day in Italy.  Long story short (with some dramatics thrown in, because I do so like the dramatics!) I fell off a cliff and ended up with a sprained MCL (grade 2, whatever that means).  And there has been virtually no running (or anything else) for about 5 months now.  Which catches us up and brings us to this morning.

But let's back up, shall we?  To the night before, where I decided to mess with my iPod.  Why did I do that the night before?  Good news, I now have new songs on my iPod.  Even if I stayed up past my bedtime.

Race Morning!!  I got to the race site, parked and headed for registration.  Holy Registration Line!  It was down and around.  It ended up eating all my extra time.  I got my t-shirt and since I didn't have enough time I tied it around my waist.  I had just enough time to do a little stretching (not even enough time to visit the port-o-potty!) before they started us off!

My goal was to alternate running and walking, using songs to tell me when to switch.  I started off running and almost immediately (or so it seemed) we were climbing up a hill.  I was about to give in and walk when song #1 ended and I could legitimately walk! :)  Thank goodness!!

At this point my fingers were freezing!!  I had debated gloves, but decided against it.   I regretted that decision until I passed the 1 mile mark.  My fingers had warmed up by then.   I settled into a good rhythm and leapfrogged with several people who were also doing run/walk intervals.

I knew I was going to have a decision to make.  With my pattern I was going to finish on a walk song.  So do I run 2 songs and finish strong?  Or keep with my pattern?  My knee seemed to be doing okay, but I didn't want to push it.  I compromised.  I walked briefly until I was the 6 mile sign (for the 10Kers) and realized I just had 2 tenths of a mile left.   I tried to turn on the afterburners but the 5 months of near inactivity and the hill I was climbing didn't quite let me.  I had to walk up the last little bit of the hill before I somewhat turned on the afterburners to cross the finish line.

Now I could say my time really didn't matter to me.  But that wouldn't be true.  I really wanted to finish in under 45 minutes.  And, well I finished in 45:28 - close but no cigar.  Oh well, there is always next time.  

Snoqualmie Ridge Turkey Trot 5K

In my what now seems to be a never ending quest to run in a 5K every month, I woke up on the early side Saturday morning and drove out to Snoqualmie for the Snoqualmie Ridge Turkey Trot 5K.  The start line was right outside an elementary school and so we were able to wait inside until the race started!  Yay!  Especially since it was cold outside and it meant we could use real bathrooms!! 

I love the start of a race - the excitement is so contagious!  And this start line was in the shadow of what I think was Mt. Si.  It was a beautiful view!  I started off too fast, which I'm blaming on the fact that we started off going downhill! :)  Right after the downhill?  Yes, you guessed it - an uphill!  There were several uphills and downhills throughout the course, but not very dramatic hills.  Except when you add in that I've run - oh, about zero hills in the last month or so.  Apparently I need to work on hills!  I walked more than I wanted to on this course but sometimes that happens.  And I'm just that much closer to running 12 5Ks! 

You Go Girl 10K

This race snuck up on me.  I picked up my packet on Saturday and woke up to rain on Sunday morning.  Isn't this reminiscent of last week?  I drove down to the start, parked, and used the bathroom before lining up in the starting chute.  They had pacers for those running the half, so I lined up close to the 2:40 pacer (as I have been running around a 12 minute mile lately).  Being a primarily girl race, there was lots of pink, sparkly headbands, and skirts.  I saw a dad running with his daughters.  A big cheer went up and we were off.  I must say, either I seeded myself too high, or people seeded themselves well because I really didn't need to dodge too many people and I don't think too many people had to run around me.

The race started out flat and then started to climb gradually, but not so gradually you didn't realize it was a hill.  Oh no, you knew it was a hill.  Towards the top someone said that this was the only hill and the rest of the course was fairly flat.  I liked hearing that!

But the joy over a fairly flat course only lasted so long.  In fact it lasted until the next hill.  So much for being flat!  I put my head down and focused on running up the hill, knowing there was a water stop at the top.  I walked through the water stop and then started up the next hill, turned the corner, and started up the next hill.  This is the opposite of a flat course!  I almost made it up this hill before I stopped to walk.  And I continued walking up the next hill. 

The seemingly unending hills finally ended and it was through a (by now) very muddy path in a park.  The path slowly dipped downward as we ran the perimeter of the park.  And what goes down, must come up.  It was a short, small hill when the 2:40 Pacer caught up to me.  I knew she was going to catch up to me at some point, but I was hoping it would have been a bit closer to the finish.  Now I just needed to keep her in sight.

After all those uphills, it was finally time for some downhills!!  The rest of course was basically downhill with a few flats thrown in.   

I finally caught back up to the 2:40 Pacer just before the 10K/Half split.  I told her "thank you" before heading down the 10K chute to the finish line!  Yay!!  I grabbed my post-race bagel & banana.  They had chocolate milk but it appeared to be only for those who ran the Half.  Now I am really craving chocolate milk!  I signed up for the complimentary massage and waited for my turn.  Even though it was a bit of a wait, it was worth it. 

And then it was time to head back to the car.  100+ stairs and a hill later, I reached my car.  Let me just say that was my least favorite part about this race.  My legs were crying by the time I reached the top of the stairs.  But on the bright side, it probably helped loosen me up!

Oh, my time!!  Thanks goes to the pacer!!  Keeping her in sight kept me motivated and I managed another PR - 1:14:42!  Woohoo!!

Groovy, baby!

Here I am, at the end of what turned out to be a longer than expected triathlon season.  I am happily saying goodbye to my bike for several months.  Shortly I will be turning my attention to Princess training!  I have officially signed up to once again run the Princess Half Marathon (February 27th!!!).

Before I get ahead of myself, how did my last triathlon go?  It went well!  There was cold, rain, and a course that was familiar, but not. 

Friday night it absolutely poured rain.  Oh boy...  Saturday morning brought gray clouds and a few sprinkles but then it burned off to reveal a pleasant day (except for the fact the Huskies got absolutely trounced, but we won't relive that).  That was until it started to absolutely pour once again.  My first thought Sunday morning as I awoke was, do I hear rain?  And I did, but once again it was sprinkles.  I was hopeful the weather would be similar to Saturday and it would burn off.  But not too much, just enough that the rain would go away!

This race is at the same site as the Seattle Danskin I did a few weeks ago.  However, on a much smaller scale.  Parking ended up being a bit of a cluster but I found parking and walked over to the transition area.  I set up my area and made my way down to the swim start (and was able to use the real bathroom!  I had forgotten there was one).  I was in wave #8 of 10.  As soon as I found out my wave was again towards the back, I immediately tried to quash the worries of being last.  After all it wasn't that long ago I started in the second to last wave and finished in no danger of being last. 

Brr, I slowly waded into the practice area for the swim.  It was cold!!  While there were a lot of wetsuits, there was a decent number of girls without wetsuits.  And just like that it was time!  We got our magic word of "groovy" and were off!  With the clouds, sighting was much easier this time.  It took a few strokes before I found my "groovy" rhythm.  I kept chasing different pairs of feet and tried to pass them one by one.

Out of the swim and on to the bike!  Note to self: don't go to kickboxing the day before a triathlon and do lots of lunges and squats.  My legs were not at their happiest.  I kept going hoping that once I settled in it would get a little easier and it did.  My personal nemesis on this course, the hill up to the freeway, loomed in front of me.  I dropped down into a lower gear and a lower gear and a lower gear until I was in the lowest gear possible and I still wasn't all the way up the hill.  I gritted my teeth and hung on to the top!  Woohoo!!  That is a first!  There was a huge smile on my face!

Once I hit the bike turn-around, I knew I was shortly going to see where I stood in the race.  I started counting people as we passed.  It wasn't until the middle of the bridge deck when I finally saw the police escort for the last biker.  I felt much better at that point that I wasn't going to finish last!

Run time!  I had my same goal of running the entire course and walking through the water stops.  I went through the first water stop and was soon praying for another water stop.  It came finally, after the 1 mile sign.  I kept plodding along, one foot after the other.  And then came the turn back into the park.  The finish line was a lot further up (than where it is for the Danskin) and we circled around before finally the finish line was in sight!  Yay!!

I had barely finished when the skies opened up and the rain started coming down.  I was so thankful I had made it before the rain started.

And there you have it.

Oh yes, my time.  Well I did improve slightly, again mainly due to a much smaller transition area.  But I'll take it!  Minute by minute, second by second I keep chipping away at my time.  Official time was 1:58:06.

Thanks for reading along through my summer of triathlons!

Cottage Lake Triathlon & Iron Girl 5K

Do you ever have those moments and wonder just what on earth you were thinking?  This was one of those weekends where somehow I found myself once again signed up for 2 different events and wondering just how that happened. 

First up was Cottage Lake Tri on Saturday.  This was a super sprint distance, so not quite as long as what I normally do (which is a sprint distance).  My thinking was since I was going to go out and do a brick (bike/run) in preparation for next weekend's triathlon, might as well do a race.  Makes sense, right?  Well it did until my alarm went off.  Ugh!  I won't do a full on race report, just a few thoughts:

• I started getting a little nervous when I realized pretty much everyone else was wearing a wetsuit.  The water was cold!!  I might need to think about getting a wetsuit...
• I got off course on the swim but one of the course officials got me back on track.
• The bike kicked my a$$!!  Lots of steep hills.  I lost it on one because I wasn't able to down shift quick enough.  On the second loop, I just barely hung on.
• Best comment?  As we were running into transition after the bike, a woman turned to me and said "This is where we wish we had signed up as part of a relay!"  So true, so true!  Ha!  I had a smile on my face going into the run even though...
• I was worn out by the run between the cold swim & the rough bike.  I had a stern talk with myself as I passed out of sight of the spectators (the perfect time to walk) - you just did this a week ago in brutal hot weather, you can keep running!
• They had the best post race food ever - bread with nutella!!  I love nutella!  And a medal!  I love medals!

Next up was the Iron Girl 5K on Sunday.  I had wanted to do this race for several years but for whatever reason, it hasn't worked out until this year.  It was another early morning, which is currently taking its toll as I'm rushing through this before my eyes close.

• I liked how they gave you a bag and let you pick out your own "swag".  I grabbed some tea, lotion and ointment.
• There were 3,000 ish participants and even though they seeded us, I still had to run around and through (but hopefully not over) a lot of people.  It took a while to thin out, but it did.
• I loved seeing the little girls running along side their moms.  And I was envious of one girl (maybe 7 or 8) who would run a few steps then do a cartwheel.  Oh to have that kind of energy! 
• The medal was super cool!! 
• After I picked up my bag from gear check, I turned around to see a familiar face.  But why was it familiar?  And then it hit me!  It was Zoe from Run Zoe Run!  I don't know when or how I started reading her blog.  So I went up to her and I think I introduced myself or I might have just babbled on...
• I got home and the race emailed me my time!  And drum roll....36:20!  Another PR!

Nothing Can Stop Me, #409

As the days came ever closer to my WDW trip, I began to rethink the decision. Did I really want to go by myself? It is going to be so stinking hot, do I really want to race? Maybe I should have just bought tickets to Hawaii... But I had paid my money and I had put the training time in, so off I went!

I was on the “early” flight down, which meant I got in to Orlando in the early evening, enough time to head over to Epcot for some extra magic hours. I meandered my way over to the new Italian pizza restaurant, but they were full for the evening. So instead I rode a few rides and headed back to the hotel.

I took advantage of the early magic hours at Hollywood in hopes of reaching Toy Story before the line was outrageously long. Alas, that was not meant to be. I ended up fastpassing it for later in the afternoon (in the event I did end up back at Hollywood). Instead I headed over to Rockin’ Rollercoaster and discovered I am not so brave by myself, and definitely not brave when there aren’t other screamers on the ride. After some HSM, it was time to go check in for the race.

Race check-in went very smooth, I picked up my rental bike, got my chip and racked my bike. And since my race number was 409, I had the Beach Boys song stuck in my head most of the weekend. And I found out there were only 6 waves and I was in wave #5. Well if there was ever a race I was going to be last, it was going to be this one. Deep breath. Bring it on. Mickey can console me afterwards, along with Mickey ice cream. And, at least I will get over my irrational fear of being last. It isn’t being last per se, it is the fact that people will have to wait for me to finish last.

It seems as if there is always one aspect I am worrying about more than others. This time it was how to get to the race in the morning. I wasn’t staying at the host hotel, and supposedly there were no buses from the hotel I was staying at. Okay then, I will take a taxi. On my way back to my hotel to drop off my race packet, I noticed another girl with a race bag. In a very un-Emily like move, I went up to her and asked how she was getting the race site. Her husband was going to drop her off and just like that she asked if I wanted a ride. Yes, I would thank you very much. Yay!! We exchanged information and made a plan to meet up the next morning.

And then it was off to Animal Kingdom! I was having doubts about the Yeti, after the experience with Rockin’ Rollercoaster. Hmm... But then somehow I was in line. This time I was on with a lot of teenage girls, which meant a lot of screaming!! Whew! That made the ride a little less scary. If there is ever a good time to go on Kali River Rapids and get soaked, it would be this trip. It was H-O-T!!! Have I mentioned I don’t do heat? I was not the only one who had this idea and so I never did end up on the ride. The park was about to close and I walked toward the exit, trying to decide if I really wanted to go back to Hollywood to use my Toy Story fastpass, or if it was time to go back to the hotel. The hotel won out. The heat and humidity had taken its toll on me and I was ready to be done for the day. Besides, I had a race the next day!

There was a German family standing behind me in line for the bus back to the hotel. And I’m happy to say I could understand every couple of words! And their conversation was peppered with my favorite German word, genau. They were discussing where to eat breakfast – at the hotel or at Hollywood so they could fast pass Toy Story. And for those wondering how to say fastpass Toy Story in German? Fastpass Toy Story.

Early, early the next morning I awoke and got ready. I met my new friend Kimberly & her husband and we drove over to the race site. I prepared my transition area, made a few mental notes of where my bike was, used the real bathroom and then headed down to the water. I found a group of “royal” blue swim caps and stuck to them. They noticed me and welcomed me into their circle as we tried to calm our collective butterflies.

It was then our turn to head into the water. Our word? Sexy! That’s right, I am a sexy triathlete! The swim started off with the normal jockeying and jostling for position and soon I was in a rhythm. It wasn’t long before I felt like I was all by myself. Was I at the back of the pack already? Nope, not quite. The course is in the shape of a big semi-circle and I kept getting off course. And there were several times I felt I must be way off course and all by myself, but then a swimmer would pass by me. I was never so happy to have someone pass me! The shore came into sight and the swim was done.

I found my bike, threw on my gear and took off for what turned out to be an interesting bike ride, due to the bike I rented. My thought was, if I have to rent a bike, why not rent a bike I might want to get in the future? With that I forgot the cardinal rule of never try something new on race day (although I break this rule often since I like to wear new outfits). I ordered a road bike and the guy told me it was basically a triathlon bike. It was a nice bike, it just took me some time to figure out shifting – I figured out how to shift up pretty quick, but had trouble shifting down so I just stayed in that higher gear for a lot of the race until I did finally figure out the down shift. And the handlebars... I’m not sure I’m a fan of the aero position. And the seat was a normal seat, not my nice gel seat, so saying it was slightly uncomfortable is probably an understatement. Other than that, the bike went great! The course is basically flat and I was flying at times!

I wasn’t sure what to expect for the run with the heat. I gave myself permission to walk as much as I needed to. Not too far out of transition was the first water stop. Oh, thank the Lord!! I continually talked to myself (or the heat) throughout the run. Just around this corner, just around the next corner, how about to the first turnaround? Dear Humidity, I hate your guts! Fortunately the first part was fairly shaded, and I heard the sounds of a water station, but it was on the way back. I kept plodding along until I realized I didn’t have much further until the water station. One to drink, and one to pour over my head. Oh wow, that feels good. The next stretch had basically no shade and went on forever!! You can do this. Soon you will be eating Mickey ice cream. Not much longer now! I made it to the next water station and same routine – one to drink and one to pour on the back of my neck. I knew at this point I had less than a mile left. Boy, was it hard to start running again after that water stop. Just one more cone! Okay, go! Finally I was back in the shade, and even better there were people yelling and cheering! I can’t explain how much I feed off of the cheers. It is such an uplifting feeling! The finish line was in sight! Done!

It’s the little things that get me through a race – a “you go girl” from a passing racer, the kids blowing bubbles & cheering as I rode by, volunteers shouting encouragement and handing out water, the cold water dripping down the back of my neck, the cheering spectators lining the finish line, and the kids giving you a high five as you barrel past.

My times? I did actually better my overall time by about a minute, but I picked up most of my time in transition. This is a much smaller race and therefore a much smaller transition area. I lost 3 minutes in the swim, picked up 2 minutes in the bike (surprise!), lost 1 minute in the run, and picked up 3 minutes in transition. I was pleasantly surprised by the pick up in the bike and was happy I only lost a minute in the run considering how stinking hot it was!

With the race over it was time to get my Mickey on! I saw Kimberly and she offered me a ride back to the hotel, which I gratefully accepted. But before I got my Mickey on, I decided to try the Italian restaurant at Epcot. I got in no problem. And yum! The pizza was good. As was the strawberry drink I had. And then I caught the monorail and headed over to Magic Kingdom and pretty much spent most of my time in Fantasyland. I love the cartoon rides! One of the coolest moments was when I was sitting on a bench (to take some ibuprofen) and lightening flashed right above the castle. It was super cool! I didn't quite close down the park (it was extra magic) but I came close until I realized how tired I was and went back to my room and crashed.

Overheard at the Magic Kingdom: Does Cinderella live in the castle with the Beast?  I don't know why that cracked me up, but it did!

And there you have it! Three triathlons down, one to go (plus a little one, but that is for another post)!!

Covey Run 5K & Lake Union 10K

Aren't you lucky?  Two!  Two race reports!  Ahahahaha!!  (My tribute to the Count, my favorite Sesame Street character.  Hm, does this explain why I'm an accountant?)

This is really turning out to be the summer of races!  Both of these had been on my calendar for awhile, but I wasn't sure which one I was going to end up doing.  Little did I know I was going to end up doing both.

My 33 Things goal of 12 5Ks led my to choose the Covey Run.  I showed up bright and early, got my t-shirt and race number.  The one complaint I have about this race was the start.  No pace markers, no division between runners, walkers or strollers.  It was a giant mass of people all trying to cross the start line at the same time.  I tried to start towards the back, but not too far back.  I still had quite a few of people to navigate around and through but it did finally start to thin out. 

The course was out and back on a section of the Woodinville Redmond road and basically flat.  The sun was out, but it wasn't too hot yet.  I had my usual goal of running, and only walking through the water stop(s).  Once I made my out of the mass of people I found one woman who I thought I could keep pace with.  Key word being thought.  It wasn't too long before I realized she was a little too fast for me and so I backed off.  I kept going, slow and steady.  There was one water stop, however since it was an out and back, there were technically two!  I skipped the first one, feeling pretty good, but stopped at it on the way back.  The back part seemed way longer than the out part.  Funny how that works! :)  But finally I was back to the Redhook entrance and the 3 mile sign.  As I rounded the corner I saw the finish line and that the clock said 37 minutes.  Holy cow!!  Was I going to PR??  I knew I had a few seconds to play with, so it would be close.  But yes, yes I did PR!  I finished in 37:13 (my previous best being 37:24).  Does that count as improving my 5K time?  I'm going to count it! :)  Check that off the 33 Things list!

I'd somewhat decided against the Lake Union 10K but hadn't officially closed the door and got talked into doing it when I found out two of my co-workers were going to do it.  The race started at 7:30 in the morning.  Ugh!  My alarm went off too early for a Sunday morning and what is the first thing I heard when I woke up?  Rain.  Double ugh!  At least it was more of a sprinkling mist than actual rain.  But I now had the dilemma of whether or not to change my race outfit...  I decided against changing, but did add a hat to my ensemble.  I met Teresa & Nilufer at the designated rendezvous (the office) and we headed across the bridge.

The rain had picked up a little, but still not too bad.  We got our race numbers & t-shirts and used the real bathroom before heading to the start line.  It was looking like it might be a messy start again, but then the race director started putting people into their pace.  And they started us in waves, which made for a nice start.  I wished Nilufer & Teresa good race and we were off!  Once again I started off a little fast, but settled in fairly quickly. 

Nilufer passed me by fairly early on.  I knew this was going to be a challenge, running with people I knew.  I know and accept that I am not the fastest and that is okay.  But I still judge myself and compare myself to others.  I knew I had to let it go.  I tried to keep Nilufer in sight, which I did up until the bridge.  At that point, I couldn't see her anymore and it was actually for the best.  I was able to focus back on myself and my race.

My goal for this race, which I wasn't completely set on since the longest distance I have run lately is half this, was the same - run, only walking through the water stops.  The race was marked in kilometers and as I passed 5K, I was still feeling strong.  Okay, I might be able to make my goal! 

I have done this course before, except in reverse.  And I must say I liked this way a lot better.  The many uphills were now downhills!  Except the one very steep downhill, which was now a very steep uphill.  I made it part way up before walking the remainder.  I picked it back up and was soon rewarded with the 7K sign!  Hallelujah!!  I can so do 3Ks.  I could say the next 3Ks passed by quickly, but they didn't.  However, as I turned one corner the Space Needle came into view, which put a smile on my face.  I knew I was going to make it, even if I had to grit out the last few Ks, which I did.  But as it always happens, the finish line came in to view and I turned on the afterburners.  Done!!

Wow, my PRs are falling right and left!  My official time for this race?  1:16:48!!  Beating my last 10K PR by 4 minutes.  Maybe I am a runner after all!

Sensational Green Machine

Shall we cut to the chase?  I not only beat my best time, I also came in under 2 hours!!  Barely (at 1:59:43), but it still counts! :)

Okay, rewind back to Saturday...  I got to the check in a little later hoping the crowds would have died down.  But no such luck - the line was going down the block.  I had just gotten in line when the volunteer came by to tell us we could bypass this line if we knew our race number.  Wait, was it 2568 or 2658?  I looked it up on my phone - 2658!  Whew!  Bypass this line and on to the next line, and another line, and another and finally I was checked in and numbered.

On to the bike racking.  I parked, grabbed my bike & helmet and headed to transition.  Once I got to transition I made the discovery that somewhere between the parking lot and transition I lost my bike helmet number.  Boo!  I retraced my steps but no sticker.  The volunteer I asked said to stop by tomorrow and pick up a blank name tag as a substitute bike helmet number.  Well, okay then.  Nothing left to do now but go home and get a good night's sleep.

Thanks to my fan I did get a decent night's sleep, even with it being super hot.  And while 90+ might not be that hot elsewhere, this is Seattle and we melt, or at least I melt.  I was up bright & early, ate my banana and half a bagel and was ready to go. 

I got my name tag / bike helmet number and set up my transition area before making my way down to the water.  The good thing about the soaring temperatures - the water wasn't quite as chilly!  In fact, as I was waiting with my green caps to enter the water, one person remarked that it was much hotter than last year to which I responded that it only helps in the swim! 

We entered the water and the cheers began.  Our word was "sensational" and then it was time to count down.  And we were off!!  The sun was almost directly in my eyes and it was hard to see the first buoy.  I tried to follow the feet in front of me but they were not going as fast as I would like so I passed them and tried to find a new set of feet.  The wind had picked and the waves were coming in strong.  Keep going.  Each stroke was a fight until I finally rounded the first buoy.  Past the first buoy it was a whole new swim!  The waves weren't nearly as strong and the sun wasn't in my eyes.  I kept going and was about to get out of the water when the girl in front of me kicked me in the chest and then the nose.  Ouch!  Oh well.

I made it back to my transition area, threw on my clothes and shoes, grabbed my bike and was off.  There is one hill that I normally get off and walk up - it is short, steep and quite narrow and I'm not confident in my bike skills in such a narrow place so it is easier to get off and walk it up.  There wasn't a lot of people near me when I started up so I shifted down and started climbing.  I made it about halfway up before jumping off my bike and walking the rest of the way up. 

I love the energy of this race, especially in the tunnel where the yells and cheers echo off the walls.  I surprised myself with how many people I was passing on the bike.  I reached the turn around and started back.  The views from the bridge deck were amazing - Mt. Rainier and the very blue water.  It was beautiful!  I made it back and jumped off my bike and somehow got it back on the rack.

I was feeling quite spent at this point.  The heat was starting to get to me.  But I was still determined to run as much as possible, and only walking through the water stops.  Thank the Lord there were 4 water stops!  I stopped at all of them but on the second and fourth I just dumped the water on my head.  The hill rose up in front of me and I hung on until I was half way up before stopping for what I hoped was my last walk break.  At the top of the hill was one spectator who I swear I'd seen several times before.  He was ringing a cowbell and yelling for us.  "Go get your downhill - you earned it!"  That's right, I did earn a downhill and I'm taking it!  Down, down, down to the finish line.  More and more spectators lined the streets and the cheers were getting louder.  Come on!  My feet seemed to have a mind of their own and carried me across the finish line!!  Yay!!

Between the waves and heat I wasn't expecting to beat my time so imagine my surprise when I saw my time!  Where did I make up time?  A little here and a little there - I shaved time off the swim, bike & run.

Two down, two more to go!! 

Pre-race

Post race (with my newest medal)

Skirt Chaser 5K

I am fairly fortunate to live in an area where there are lots of 5Ks, all within an easy distance of my house.  And then I saw Skirt Sports was sponsoring a fun 5K in Vancouver, WA (about a 3 hour drive, give or take).  So I got some wild hair and decided to drive down and run the 5K.  I left in plenty of time to arrive early, but traffic had other ideas.  A couple accidents, some roadwork, and a slow down later all my cushion time disappeared.  It became a game - could I make up enough time?  I seriously hate being late.  I am such an early bird, I was stressing at this point, but not enough to turn around and give up.  I had come to far at this point.  I arrived with 2 minutes to spare.  Whew!! 

I ran to check in and to my dismay they had just packed up.  Was I going to be thwarted after all?  But the nice volunteers unpacked enough to give me a race number and send me on my way.  I didn't get a chip timer but at this point I was just happy to make the race.  I missed the girls' start but was able to start 3 minutes later with the boys.  Eh, we knew I was going to be passed by the boys, this way they started in front of me instead of blowing past me! :)

I was a little worried at this point that my fear of being the last one to cross the finish line was really going to come true this race.  But before long, I had caught up with some walkers, and then another set of walkers, and then some runners!  My goal was once again to run, only walking through the water stop.  Oh, and the hill.  Stupid hill.  I got most of the way up it, but as it circled around a corner and continued to climb, I lost my momentum and slowed to a walk, but then picked it back up again.  Best part about the hill?  After that it was pretty much all downhill from there!  I crossed the finish line and looked up to see what might possibly have been very close to my best time ever in a 5K, but with no timing chip we will never know... 

I hung around the post race party for a bit before climbing in my car and heading home.  It was a fun race - although I don't know if I would drive all the way down there for a 5K again (a longer distance - possibly).  But they are currently allowing people to vote for cities to host a Skirt Chaser 5K so go out there and vote!!  For Seattle of course! :) 

Mid Summer All Womens Triathlon

This particular triathlon had caught my eye a few years ago, but had never worked out for me to do it until this year.  It was in Portland (about a 3 hr drive from Seattle) and my mom decided to come along for the ride.  Car loaded up, it was time to start the long, very long drive with just me and my mom in the car.  Did I mention it was a 3 hour drive?  Agatha Christie (and Hercule Poirot) to the rescue!  My mom was and is the queen of books on tape.  I remember listening to books on tape all throughout my childhood and on many family vacations.  So we popped in Death on the Nile and were off.   (You know I love you Mom - and you did get an A- for the trip!)

Traffic wasn't too horrible, many miles and several slow downs later we were in Portland.  After picking up the race packet and checking into the hotel, we drove out to the race site to look around.  Thank goodness the buoys were not up in the water because I think I would have had nightmares if I had seen where they were placed.  What did greet us at the race site were mosquitoes, lots and lots of mosquitoes.  Given a choice of Person A or Emily, mosquitoes will undoubtedly choose Emily.  I must have sweet blood or something.  The tour of the race site did not last long, but by the time I got back into the car I was sporting a handful of mosquito bites.  Which called for an emergency stop at Target for bug spray and calamine lotion. 

Dinner ended up being room service at the hotel as by the time we got back it was getting late and I needed sleep.  I was debating between margherita pizza and crab gnocchi and guess what I choose?  Wrong!  I did not choose margherita pizza, although I really wanted to, but instead had the gnocchi.  It was quite delicious.

I passed quite a restless night, which is usual in a new bed and the night before a race.  Breakfast was half a bagel and a banana.  The drive to the race site was much faster at 6 a.m.  I set up, listened to the race instructions and before you knew it, the race was about to start.  I took a quick dip in the water to test out the temp.  Oh my word, it was warm!!  This was definitely not Lake Washington! 

Swim
As I might have mentioned previously as I was starting to feel a slight bit complacent about this distance.  All that went out the window on the swim!!  This distance can still kick by butt!  Just looking at the buoys way out there started freaking me out.  Is that really how far I have to swim?  I started off to the side and near the back.  My wave started with the windmill of arms and legs thrashing through the water.  I apparently did not adjust my goggles quite right as they started to fill up with water.  I tried to ignore and keep going.  The distance to the first buoy seemed to get longer, not shorter.  One thing I do need to work on - sighting.  Finally I passed by the first buoy.  The next several buoys passed by much quicker and then I was almost to the shore.   

T1
Coming out of the water, I ripped off my goggles.  My eyes were so happy!  And then I spotted the steep hill leading back to transition.  I literally tripped my way up the hill, somehow managing to stay on my feet.  Socks, shoes, shirt, sunglasses, race number, helmet & I was off.

Bike
The description of the bike course was flat and fast.  Flat, definitely, with a couple of baby hills.  And so began the portion which I like to call "Where Emily gets passed by a lot of people, but manages to pass a few".  I did try not to draft, however in these small races, sometimes you can't avoid it!  Girls were flying by me left and well, left.  Although one did call out "on your right" before she passed on the left.  Then, for a time, no one was passing me and I started to wonder if everyone had already passed me and I was the last one on the course.  But surely I had not been passed by 300+ women?  It is funny what your mind will think.  I decided that while I was going to continue getting passed, I might as well get in on the action.  I picked one rider ahead of me and slowly reeled her in, and did the same with another and another.  I played leapfrog with one rider - I passed her, she passed me, I passed her, she passed me and as we were nearing the end and I wasn't sure I had enough time to repass, but I did!

T2
I swear the ins and outs of this course were super long!  I dismounted and made my way to my transition area.  Putting the bike back on the rack has to be one of the hardest parts of a race for me, however due to the size of this race, the racks were fairly open and easier to navigate.  I took off towards the run when suddenly I realized I still had my helmet on.  Oops!  Back to my transition area and off with the helmet.  Now I was really ready to run.

Run
My goal for the run is increasingly becoming run as much as I can, walking through water stops.  The first part of the run was through the park, with lots of spectators.  Their cheering helped keep me running at first.  And then it was the fact that no one else was walking.  Since no one else was walking, I had to keep running, didn't I?  Or so I told myself.  It was at the Mile 1 sign where I really wished I had my iPod because then it would only be 7 or 8 more songs.  But they are not allowed so it was just me and my thoughts.  And then the hill appeared.  There still wasn't anyone walking, so I still couldn't walk either.  But the girls coming from the other direction called out encouragement saying the turn around was just up the hill!  And a water stop!  I walked through the water stop and then started back up.  Mile 2 passed and I kept running.  One more to go!  This I can do!  Especially since there was another water stop, which I walked through.  And a steep downhill, which I walked down, as I was pretty sure if I didn't I would fall flat on my face.  Less than a mile now, I can do it.  I came around the corner and there was the finish chute.  The cheers were amazing and gave me energy to sprint to the end. 

And there you have it!  A new personal record for yours truly.  Where did I pick up my time?  Why in the run!  And while the elusive sub 2 hr race still eludes me, I am that much closer.  This was a fun race!  I would do it again. 

We headed back to the hotel, checked out and were back on the road towards home, trying to figure out who done it (and we guessed right!).

Swedish 5K SummeRun

I was in a fairly optimistic frame of mind when I decided to run 12 5Ks as part of my 33 Things.  And then reality sets in - I had thought to do one a month and here it is almost the end of July.  Fortunately the Swedish SummeRun was this weekend. 

I got to the race site early, in time to sign up for the race.  First time I didn't pre-register!  Registration was a piece of cake and I changed into my race shirt, stretched, used the port-o-potty and stretched some more.  The 10K runners set off to the sounds of a live band.  I absolutely love the start of a race!!  And the live band was great!

After the 10Kers had started, the 5Kers lined up.  I took my spot in the 10 and higher pace section.  We were counted down and off we went!  I do have to say, people were lined up pretty well pace-wise.  I didn't have to run over too many people and not too many people ran over me.

My goal for this race was to run as much as I could, hopefully only walking through the water stop.  To continue with the hill theme, the race basically started off with a downhill.  Oh great, this will be loads of fun on the way back.  But for now I'll enjoy the downhill.  It took me awhile to find my rhythm but then I slow and steady through Mile 1.  Okay, I can do this.  I was starting to falter when I saw what I thought was the water stop.  It wasn't, but it got me to the next downhill.  And after the downhill was the water stop!  Hooray!  I grabbed water and walked until I had finished my water and started running again.  And then it was Mile 2!!  I got this.  I knew I had it, but my mind needed more convincing.  Especially up the next hill.  At the top of the hill was when the back caught back up with the out and there was still a ton of people walking.  The cheers from the walkers helped with the convincing.  Less than a mile, less than a mile.  I can do this.  And then it was the hill from the beginning of the race.  It wasn't this long at the beginning was it?  Why did the hill grow?  I am so close - I have to keep going.  Can't I walk?  No, you are almost there, you can make it!  Right foot, left foot, keep going and then I was at the top!  And there was the Mile 6 sign (for the 10Kers).  Only 2 tenths of a mile, so got this.  Before I knew it, the finish line was in sight.  I could see the clock and it had just turned to 59:00.  I knew we started about 20 minutes after the 10Kers, so if I could make it across the finish line before it turned to 60:00 I would have finished in about 40 minutes, while not my best time, still good for me.  Now it was down to me & the clock.  I'm not sure what the exact time was, but it still said 59 so mission accomplished! 

Race done, I hopped back in my car and headed for church.  I was fairly positive God wouldn't mind if I showed up for church sweaty, but I wasn't sure about the people I would be sitting next too.  I quickly toweled off with the free towel they gave us and called it good.

Race done, church done - next up was hot yoga.  I've found hot yoga after a run really does help me loosen up and stretch out.  It was a hard class, but we did do some hip work, which was good.

What was my actual time?  I'd like to know that as well.  My time is not showing up on the results page.  I'm hoping they just haven't uploaded everyone's time and eventually it will show up and my time is not lost forever.  Another reason why I really need to buy my Garmin watch so I can keep track of my time myself.  Hmm, another car payment redirection perhaps?