Spartan Sprint Recap

I haven't posted in months.. I have been really busy. We have been shorthanded at work all summer so I've been getting extra hours which is always nice, but haven't done much else besides work, working out, sleeping, and eating. Anyways, its been almost a month since my Spartan race so I've been able to finally let everything sink in.

One morning I watched a Spartan race on TV and it was amazing seeing everyone help each other and all the people participating in the race. I found out there were three main races people signed up for: Sprint, Super, & Beast. Now there are other longer Spartan races, but I figured start with the sprint and see how I do. Sadly, there were no Spartan races in Michigan so I sent an email to be notified when there would be one. There are other OCR races like the Warrior Dash and Tough Mudder, but I wanted to do a Spartan race.

Last year the closest Spartan race was in Ohio around my birthday, but with marathon training I didn't want to try to train for both. At the end of last year I found out a Spartan race was finally coming to Michigan so I thought about it for a bit and when I finally started signing up I got scared and didn't do it. A few hours later I finally signed up.

This year I have done a lot of road races, but after my 5K in May, I focused mainly on strength training for the Spartan race. I would still run a couple times a week, but I knew I had to focus on my upper body.

I was surprised they posted the course map online, so I looked at it, watched some Youtube videos so I had an idea of what to expect.

Race day came and I was a little nervous. Colin drove me there, it was about a 45 minute drive. When we got closer to the Michigan International Speedway, I wanted to turn back and go home. This race actually terrified me more than my full marathon. We got there early so I had time to get my packet pickup, check in my gear, and warm up for the race.

When it was finally my heat time I headed over and there was a wall we had to jump over to get into the corral, I tried a few times and couldn't do it, I was actually close to tears because I thought I wasn't prepared enough for this race. Another racer let me use his hands to step on to get over the wall and I finally was able to do it. Colin was nearby and told me remember to use your upper body more and not just my legs. After the announcer explained the race and obstacle fails we got to go. I started running and when we got to the first obstacle two more of the same walls.. I was thinking great I'll have to do burpees. Well I pulled myself up and made it through both of them without assistance!! I saw one guy help his girlfriend over and it was nice seeing people help others. The next obstacle was the hurdles, the first one I got over and the second one a few people helped me. There was a a team of five that was surprised I came by myself and said if I wanted to stay with them I could so I did. The O-U-T and Vertical Cargo was fun and easy to do. We got to the twister and I tried but I fell so went to the burpee area. The next few obstacles I got through much better: A-Frame, Tire Flip, Spearthrow, & 1/4 mile sprint. I did miss the spearthrow, oh well. I lost my headband during my sprint so went back and found it but I had to catch up with the team I was with. I did the Bucket Brigade, Rolling Mud/Dunk, Slip Wall, & Barb Wire by myself. I really liked the Slip Wall and rolled for the Barb Wire obstacle. I got over to the next obstacle and saw a 7" wall, I was thinking great another wall. The team was still there and surprised how quickly I caught up and helped me get over the wall. Next was the Multi-Rig and failed so more burpees. The Plate Drag was pretty easy, then we had did a Sandbag Carry up the stadium stairs, dropped off the sandbags and then up more stairs (they wanted us to have some incline for the race). Afterwards, we got to the Herc Hoist and that wasn't too bad. The next three obstacles were failures: Rope Climb, Olympus, & Monkey Bars. I know near the end of the race I was getting tired. We finally got to the Inverted Wall and I got help with that one and was able to pull myself over. Finally, the Fire Jump we all went as a team and finished the race!

I thanked the team a ton for all their help and I don't know if I would have finished the race without them. If they see this: Thank you again Dionne, Stacey, Jennifer, Julia, & Brad! Also, thank you to the guy who helped me at the beginning of the race too.

The day after the race I was a little sore, I saw how big of a bruise I had on my stomach. I had bruises all over my body, cuts, scrapes, and bumps but it was worth it. About a week later everything was healed. I did light workouts for a bit to ease back into it. I'm so happy I had the courage to sign up and do it. AROO!

I know if I ever do another Spartan race I will have to improve my upper body strength. I had a lot of obstacle fails, but I felt confident doing others. Since Spartan races are so diverse its hard to have a set training plan because you have to work out your entire body.

Race 13.1 Recap... finally

Last month, I ran Race 13.1 Roanoke from winning a race entry from #RunChat. I could have played it safe by running the 5K or 10K, but I decided to be ambitious and try to run the half marathon. My 6-week training went better than expected, I had been running since January so I had my base miles in.

Early on Friday morning we drove down to Virginia from Michigan. We made it to packet pickup with some time to spare. Afterwards we checked into the hotel and brought dinner back. I laid out everything for my race in the morning as I usually do.

The morning of the race was good, I woke up and got ready. I ate breakfast then headed to the race. I was not going for PR just wanted to finish in the time limit. With the course elevations I used the treadmills for a couple runs with high inclines. Most of my runs were outside to prepare for the heat. The half marathoners got to go first and we did a quick loop and I got to high five some spectators before going on the rest of the course. The course was beautiful, a ton of greenery and great scenic views of the mountains. The first 9 miles weren’t too bad, I was going at a good steady pace. Around mile 10 or 11 the pin in my foot was killing me. I tried a run/walk but my foot kept hurting more. I was forced to a walk the rest of the race. When I ran the Marine Marathon last year the pin didn’t give me any issues. Sometimes I have issues with it, sometimes I don’t. I was slightly irritated with other runners saying try to run to the end. I finally saw the finish line and I did a short jog and finished in the time limit. My fiancé made a video of me crossing the finish line. They had pizza and drinks for finishers. I was in so much pain we decided to just walk back to the hotel. Once we made it back to the hotel I showered and crashed for a nap. When I finally woke up we went to get dinner. I really wasn’t super hungry after the race, just annoyed my foot gave me issues.

When I broke my foot years ago, my orthopedic surgeon put a pin to stabilize my broken bone. It was a Jones fracture. After being on crutches and it finally healed up he told me I could get the pin out but I would be on crutches for a few months. I’ve been back and forth about getting it taken out. I have the sick leave time, I just need to figure out when I should get it done. I know it would probably get rid of a lot of the foot pain I deal with during races, but the pin does lower the probability of breaking the bone again. My fiancé may need back surgery in the fall so foot surgery is not a high priority right now. I have lots of planning for our wedding next year and will finish the rest of my races this year. Here's the photo of the pin in my foot again, I put it in a blog post a while ago too.

With the short amount of training I had, I finished my third half marathon and it was slower than my other two but that's okay. I did enjoy the views, it made my pain a little more bearable.

Surprise Race, thank you #RunChat!

Since I completed a full marathon last year, my plan was to do shorter distances and improve my speed. This year I have improved my average pace and even hit a few PRs! Things are going well so far and starting to gear up for my fall races.

I participated in a #RunChat and won a free entry for Race 13.1. I was completely shocked because I know a ton of people put their entries in and I didn't think I had a chance of winning. In the past I have won a few things from running chats and very thankful. I've learned about new running gear, equipment, shoes, training, etc from seasoned runners. I trust runner's actual reviews over online ones.

I had the choice between Roanoke, VA or Nashville, TN. As much as I would have liked running in a new state my race schedule convinced me to go with Roanoke, VA. I signed up for my very first Spartan race in September and the race in Nashville is about a week apart and I don't think it would be the best idea. Anyways, I ran in Virginia last year but the course looks challenging and scenic in Roanoke so I'm really excited to try it.

I had the choice of a 5K, 10K, or half.  I was between a 10K or the half, and ultimately decided on the half. I have been running since January so I know I have enough base miles in, just my normal half marathon training schedule is 3 months, so its a gamble doing a shorter training schedule. Hopefully, I complete it. I'm not going to try to PR, I just need to focus on making it to the finish line.

I'm at 12 races now for the year, it might be less, might be more. Either way I'm going to give it my best shot and hope for no injuries.

Here is a link to the half I plan to run next month: Race 13.1

Updates on everything

Well my race season started a couple months ago. I've haven't updated my blog in a while, I feel lazy not keeping up with it. Last year and this year hasn't been the easiest. In December, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. They did a 3D mammogram so they caught it at a very early stage. She didn't want to scare anyone so I had to keep it private which was harder because I couldn't talk about it very much. My fiance did know so I could talk to him about it. She had surgery to remove it and radiation for about a month. I'm happy to report she is cancer free!!! I had a fear she wouldn't be around for my wedding next year and that would have broken my heart. I know you don't have to take my advice but its a good idea to get an annual checkup with your doctor!

Recently my fiance's grandma passed away. We did make it down to Georgia to say goodbye. I was very fortunate to get off work for both my jobs. I'm still working an insane amount of days in a row but it did break up my 20 day work week (only 13 days instead). We got to spend time with my future in-laws and celebrated some birthdays while we were there too.

In January, I was good on my diet, I lost about 10 lbs, but with my mom's radiation and other stresses I started eating badly. I gained the weight back but will be working on losing the weight for good. I see a huge difference in my running when I weigh less and I wouldn't mind being about 40 lbs less before my wedding next year. I'm not ready to try on dresses yet, I feel so heavy right now.

Anyways, back to running updates.

My first race of the year was the Paczki Run with my co-worker Dave. I brought Pasha along and she did much better at this race compared to the Cork Town one last year. There were less people and less dogs. She ran the whole time and even got a new PR!!! Our time was a lot better than I expected.

I had to go to Alabama for a week for work and so my Buffalo Wild Wings 8K wasn't as good. I got some runs in while down south, but didn't get the mileage I would have liked. This was my first 8K race so I did get an automatic PR out of it. I got through the first 3 miles okay, but then did a run/walk at the end. We got BWW chicken afterwards which was tasty. It was a small portion but there were a lot of runners.

Today, I ran the Kona Cheesecake Run- 8K and did much better. I got a new 8K PR by 2:01!!!! My co-worker/running buddy Dave ran it with me and he got a new PR too! I finally met one of my twitter running buddies Jeff. He lives in Michigan too, but it did take a while to finally meet. I was planning on going to the Freep expo last year but ended up napping. (Marathon training). It's great connecting with so many runners on social media. I've learned so much from them and still do. That's all for now and hopefully I can post a little more often.

Races for the Year

This is the first year I have most of my races planned out. I may still add some more races. At the moment: I signed up for 10. Most I was able to get early bird pricing so that was a plus. A couple races I've done before and I signed up for new ones too. 

I've enjoyed doing the Freep half for the past couple years. I love Kona races: parking is really easy and 6 of my races are Kona ones. Out of all the races I've done, the parking at Kona has been the best. There is a huge lot right off the expressway and have shuttles to and from the race. I'm running the Paczki Run and Kona Chocolate Run again (food is a great motivator). I thinking of bringing Pasha to her second race, it depends on the weather and how much training I can get done with her. She loves running too, mostly to chase squirrels. 

I've never done a spartan race before and still super nervous, I almost didn't sign up for it. I'm focusing on my diet and trying new workouts to prepare for everything. I did long distance running last year, this year I'm going to work on improving my speed. I'm hoping I don't get any major injuries either. I'm doing my first relay this year too: I'm really excited about it. I'm running with some coworkers and friends!!!  

I put links to all the races. If I complete the Cheesecake, Wicked, & Chocolate races I'll get a Triple Crown medal and extra bling if I do both BWW races too. 

Good luck everyone with all their races this year. 

February 25th: Paczki Run 5K 

April 2nd: BWW 8K

April 23rd: Kona Cheesecake Run 8K

May 6th: MOM Race 5K

May 21st: Stoh's Legend Run 5K

September 10th: Spartan Sprint in Michigan

September 24th: BWW 5K

October 14th: Freep 5K

October 15th: Freep Marathon Relay (Leg 3)

October 29th: Wicked Halloween Run 5K

November 19th: Kona Chocolate Run (Double-10K & 5K)

Marathon training and the Marine Marathon!

Training for a marathon, working two part time jobs, and still trying to keep my house in order was quite a task.  I abandoned my blog all summer. I did have a draft but I didn't like the post so I will just try to recap everything.

The first 5 weeks of training were fairly easy.  I did have to go to Alabama for a week but I found time to fit in my runs, yay! In August, things started to get rough. I missed a run and had to shorten a few runs from minor injuries and life got in the way a few times. September was rough as well, the heat still wouldn't go away and I had to miss some runs and shorten a couple again. October started going fairly well until I felt a pain in my right foot, I tried to push through the run and it wasn't going to happen. I iced it and initially thought it was an achilles injury, but I think it was more of a calf strain.  I took an extra day off running so I could heal up.  Luckily with some stretching and a warm up walk seemed to do the trick, I wasn't feeling the pain anymore.

Finally race weekend came and I had some annual leave to burn so I took a few extra days off of work.  I considered flying but it would just make the trip way too costly so my fiance Colin drove us from Michigan to Virginia.  The drive was around 8 hours, so not too bad. We've had to drive all the way down to Georgia a few times so this was a little quicker.  We got to the expo on Friday about an hour before it was closing and there was no line to get my bib and shirt.  I got a jacket from the Brooks booth and only had to wait a few minutes in line.  The cashier was actually from Michigan so we chatted while he was ringing us up.  Afterwards, we went to the pep rally.  They said if you have done 60-70% of your training you will make it to the finish line.  That did help me feel a little better about my training over the summer, but I was still a little nervous. On Saturday I did my last training run in the morning which was only 3 miles.  I watched the MSU/UM game so I could rest my feet most of the day.  We did head over the the Korean War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and saw the Washington monument, I didn't want to do too much walking since I had my race the next day, but I thought it was worth seeing some things.  I was born in South Korea so I always like seeing Korean War memorials and I'm very thankful for all the military that was there.

Race day: I woke up on time and got ready.  The metro opened at 7am, so I took the runners only shuttle from Crystal City and it went smoothly.  They dropped us off to Runner's Village and I got through security very quickly.  I filled up my camelbak and the found a place to sit to eat my breakfast.  I was trying to rest my legs as much as possible before the race.  I did make sure to go to the bathroom a few times before I headed to the start line.  I found my corral and before I knew it I was running my race, I actually started my gps watch a little after the start line, oh well.  The first 4 miles went by super quick.  I took it easy with my pace initially because of the hills and I didn't want to expend all my energy since I had a long way to go.  Things were going great and going through the blue mile around Mile 11 was very special.  They had photos of fallen soldiers and it made me appreciate running this race even more.  I told myself keep going, run this for them!

Around mile 14, things started to fall apart.  The pin in my foot started hurting so bad I was forced to start walking.  It started to feel better so I was able to do more of a run/walk.  I got through the gauntlet and I beat the bridge in the time limit.  As the day progressed it kept getting hotter, I think it got up to 83 degrees and it felt like a summer run.  My camelbak helped with hydration, but I felt like I hit a wall.  Colin was live tracking me on the app so he would send me motivational text messages and just kept telling me just keep moving forward even if I'm just walking.  I thought about quitting, but I kept walking.  I knew I wouldn't make it to the finish line in the time limit, but I was going to keep trying.  When I got to mile 22, Colin saw me and gave me a big hug.  He told me I only have a few more miles I can do this.  I kept saying I won't be able to finish in the time limit, but he told me keep going.  That did seem to help get me running for a bit, until I felt like I hit a wall again.  The Marines kept cheering us on so I would be able to jog at points, but still wasn't sure I would make it to the finish line.  Everyone around me was walking so I knew I wasn't the only one having issues.  I finally got to mile 26 and one Marine said, "Finish with pride".  I think that gave me enough drive to run one last time and I made it through the last 0.2 miles.  I knew I was over the 6 hours and 37 minutes but I didn't care.  I texted Colin thanking him for helping me get through it and called my mom so she knew I survived.  I was bummed it took me 6:58:21 to complete it. I didn't have a goal time in mind, I just wanted to make it to the finish line, I felt I failed horribly.  All the Marines at the finish line were congratulating me, giving me high fives, and shaking my hands.  I figured I wasn't an official finisher so I just was trying to find the family link up area to find Colin.  To my surprise they were still giving out finisher medals.  By the time I finished there wasn't much of a line and the Marine gave me my medal and I thanked him for his service. He even let me take a selfie with him so I could remember that moment.  I think they took the weather into account and kept the course open longer.  I wasn't the last runner, there were a little over 570 runners after me so I wasn't last!

Even though all the issues, I think picking the Marine Marathon as my first full was the best decision I could have made.  It was so memorable with the blue mile of all the fallen soldiers, to Marines helping motivate runners to keep going, the amazing views, and little kids just excited to get a high five from a runner.  The signs and spectators were great and I would get a good laugh when every part of my body was hurting.  My race photos turned out pretty well too. At the end of the day I became a marathoner even though my time was terrible.  I'm proud I didn't quit and just kept going even when I could only walk.  I'm not sure if this will be my only full, for now I checked something off my bucket list and focusing on recovery!

 

Starting marathon training and random updates

I haven't posted in months, I tend to get really busy so my blog gets abandoned.  Anyways, I have been working on my base miles since January.  I've read between 3-6 months is a good range to prepare yourself before marathon training.  Since this is my first full, I thought better to start earlier than try to cram it all in last minute.  I did strength training with weights and went back to my low-carb diet.  I've dropped about 20 lbs since March and it definitely helps running when you weigh less.  In the winter to be on the safe side I use the treadmill.  Michigan had a weird winter this year, we had snow in APRIL... I have proof.  This photo was from the Meteor 10K, I even got a new PR despite the snow and cold weather.

I'm finally running outside regularly, I hate the heat, but I know I have to get my body used to it again.  At least in the fall it should be cooler.  In summer heat, hydration is key! I have a water belt, but I'm thinking I might try a hydration pack for my long runs.  I finished my first week of marathon training, only 17 more weeks to go.  This summer will have some challenges: I have work training in Alabama for a week (there is a fitness center so I should be able to get my runs in) and a couple weekend trips that I'll have to squeeze my runs in too.

One of my side jobs is being an usher at Comerica Park, I got in about 27 games in before my marathon training started.  I'm treating the marathon training as a job and making sure to get my runs in and my rest days truly as rest days.  I will be working a few games the rest of the season, but my priorities are my main job and this training plan.  My main job is Tuesday-Saturday and my long runs are Sundays so it works out nicely.  I'm starting to get used to waking up early on my days off, but if I have a night run here and there, no biggie.

Last year I didn't do any races during my half marathon training and this year will be similar.  I tend to get nervous sometimes and eat different when I have a race, so this way hopefully I can stay consistent the next few months.

However, this season will be the last year the Red Wings play at the Joe Louis Arena.  I saw a few friends post about the Hockeytown 5K which is part of the Farewell to the Joe.  For my training plan that day, it lists 8 miles so I will just break up the miles into 2 runs; I rarely do it, but since this is a once in a lifetime race, that's how I'm justifying it.  My mom was nice enough to sponsor me, she told me I would kick myself if I don't do the race and I know she's right.  I'm a diehard Red Wings fan and it combines hockey and running, what more could a girl ask for.  The start line is at the Joe Louis Arena and you run along the riverfront and once you make it back into the building your name is on the big screen so spectators can see it.  My parents and fiance plan to sit in the stands to cheer me on.  The finisher medal, bib, and shirt look awesome, I can't wait for the race!!! I'll post a link to the 5K, it is sold out.

Hockeytown 5K   

Hopefully I will post more regularly about my marathon training and everything that happens at the Marine Marathon in October!  Thanks for reading this post and hope everyone's runs are going well too!