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By kilax, December 6, 2008 2:28 pm

When you wake up at 7:30 on a Saturday morning, still recovering from a bad cold, and look out the window to see the ground covered with fresh snow, and more snow coming down… what do you do?

You get out of bed to run a 5K! Ha!

Mr. and Mrs. Santa Runners

Today we ran the Santa Sleigh 5K, for the Arlington Heights Rotary. I’ll admit, the big thing that got me to run this race is that EVERYONE is given a Santa costume to wear! (And yes, we did get to keep our costumes)

Santas at the starting line

I was laughing so hard when we driving around to park our car, because we were seeing all these random groups of Santas walking to the race.

During the race

The race went very well, considering that it was snowing and slushy, that we haven’t been running as much lately, that I am recovering from the cold from hell, that we ate Mexican food last night, and that I had to hold my pants up during the entire race (we got there 20 minutes before start and I think all they had left were the XL and larger sizes). I think we finished just after the 30 minute mark.

My disheveled post race outfit

The Santa beard actually kept my face surprisingly warm! I told Steven I think I am going to start wearing it during my walk to work in the mornings! Ha ha.

I think this is going to be our last 5K in 2008. It’s getting a bit cold outside. We plan to keep training during the winter, and maybe run a half marathon in the spring!

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By kilax, November 15, 2008 11:59 am

This morning was the WonderGirl 5K! I didn’t get as many photos as I thought I would because Steven decided to run it with me (instead of being my photographer)!

I’m really happy Steven decided to run it. Even though we don’t talk much while we are running, it’s nice to have someone I know next to me. It keeps me going.

More than 2000 people ended up running this 5K. We got there around 8:00 (the race started at 9:00) and there were already tons of kids everywhere, getting warmed up, having their faces painted, drinking free hot coco, decorating foam tiaras to wear during the race… it was energizing to have so many people out, all so enthusiastic about the race.

I tried to take a photo of of the huge crowd…

Look how beautiful the sky was. NOT!

I saw a lot of school groups running with the young girls, but I also saw families, fathers with daughters, mother with sons, and single people like me and Steven… there was a huge variety. It was inspiring to be running by a father and daughter and hear him say, “You set the pace, and I’ll follow you.”

There was no official timing of the race. There was a clock in the end, but the focus was on everyone finishing – on everyone being a winner. We all got medals. I thought that was pretty cool.

I’m proud of my medal!

I know our time was about 2 minutes slower than normal, but I wasn’t out there to kill my last time. I was just out there to participate. (I think that is what my winter training is going to be about – staying in shape, not working on timing)

After we finished, we went back to part of the route to cheer other runners on. We did that for about 20 minutes until my Under Armour started to turn ice cold and I had to get into the car and heat up. I am happy we stayed to keep cheering though. It’s always nice to have people cheering for you, whether or not you know them!

I had a lot of fun at the event. I saw a lot of women running with younger girls, letting them set the pace, and just sticking with them. I would love to be a mentor (well, they call it a “running buddy”) like that, but I know my schedule doesn’t allow the time. I think I will contact the Girls on the Run organization near my home and see what I CAN help with.

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By kilax, November 2, 2008 12:10 pm

5K #3 – The Red Ribbon Race in Lake Forest, IL.

This race supports LEAD (Linking Efforts Against Drugs) – a local area “organization dedicated to parents and other adults and their role in the promotion of healthy family relationships and the prevention of alcohol and other drug use and risky behavior by youth.”

Our sweaty “after race” faces!

I just realized I never tell you guys what the races we run are actually benefiting. Honestly – and this is going to sound really, really bad – I usually run them to benefit me, and my health. The fact that my entry fee goes to support something else is basically a plus. There have been a few races that support causes I really wanted to run, but haven’t worked out with my schedule.

There is one race that I am really excited about though – the wondergirl 5K sponsored by Girls on the Run, on November 15 in Bridgeview, IL. This organization supports running for girls. Check out this description from their website:

The bi-annual WonderGirl 5k is the culmination of the Girls on the Run-Chicago 10-week season each spring and fall. More than 1000 young girls aged 8-13 will celebrate their “girl power” by running 3.1 miles together with their parents, teachers, and community members.

Girls on the Run-Chicago is a non-profit after school program for 3rd through 8th grade girls. We use running to help prepare girls for a lifetime of self respect and healthy living. The character-building program focuses on building self-esteem, confidence and improving physical and emotional health. Over the course of a 12-week season our volunteer coaches teach life-skills lesson such as handling bullies, dealing with body image and the media, making healthy decisions and contributing to the community. Along the way, the girls train together to run in a 5k (3.1 mile) run, the WonderGirl 5k.

I read about this in a magazine and wanted to look up when the organization was racing in Chicago, and forgot about it until today – there was a flier for it in our race packet! The race sounds like it will be crazy, but a lot of fun. I love the idea of running a race that supports a group like this. If I had a daughter (or a son!), I like to think we would run it together. I am wondering if I can convince a fellow blogger to run this with me… (yeah, diane, I am talking to you! Maybe we can convince Tori to join us?)

I’m surprised I am even thinking about another 5K right now. Today’s was not so great for me. Steven did very well. He finished in under 26:00 minutes. We will have to look up his time when the scores go up this week (can you believe he didn’t look when he crossed the line?!). I finished at 27:04, 4 seconds slower than last time.

We did a great first mile – an 8-minute mile! I kept repeating in my head “You feel good. You feel good. You feel good.” And I generally did feel good, I just can’t figure out my breathing lately.

About half way through, I started to get a really bad stomach pain, like I was going to throw up. “You feel good” turned into “Keep running, you can do this!” and “Ignore the pain.” I didn’t have the watery taste in my mouth (that one you get before throwing up), but my stomach just didn’t feel right.

Steven went ahead of me (obviously) and I am happy he did. I could see him up ahead and I was thinking about how proud I was of him for running so hard. It didn’t bother me that we split. I don’t think we would split up on a longer race, but on a 5K it’s no big deal.

I sprinted the last .1 mile to try to beat my last time, but it just didn’t happen. Oh well. Now I just want to figure out why I have this stomach pain. My stomach still hurts right now, as I am typing.

If you want my body and you think I’m sexy… JUST KIDDING!

I don’t think the pain is any big deal. I just want to figure my body out – what to eat before a race, how to breathe, how to pace myself. Blah blah blah. I signed us up for a subscription to Runner’s World. There are a lot of good tips in there. I think I will be doing a lot of searching on the internet too.

Comments (22)

By kilax, October 18, 2008 11:30 pm

Today was 5K #2, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The conditions were much different than the last 5K we ran – this race had two hills, and it was foggy and only about 45° (Oh yeah, and we had two blabbering idiots running behind us for the first mile. It’s cool to talk to someone when you are running, but not like you’re a valley girl who works in a salon.  [sorry, that’s the best analogy I could come up with. Steven said the girls sounded like Sarah Palin – is that any better?]).

Notice how I am checking my watch right before the finish line?

Even though this race was “rougher,” we finished with a time of 27:00! (It’s weird how this time also ended on an exact minute. Hmm.) I am contributing this 2-minute-faster-than-last-time finish to the fact that it was so cold… and that we both weigh less than we did at the last race.

We have some weird mist or frost in our hair!

My aunt, mom, and sister came to watch us. It’s always nice to have someone cheering your name when you cross the finish line!

My aunt, me, mom and sister

This is going to sound awful, but when I was running up the first hill, I was thinking, “How could I ever run a marathon?! This hill is wearing me out! I don’t think I can run more than a 5K!”

That’s so pathetic, especially since when I was done, I felt great, like I could do it all over again.

I’ve been wanting to train for a longer distance run. I really think Steven and I could run 10Ks. I’m just not sure if we should focus on decreasing our 5K time, running longer, or both. Probably both.

Right now, I am still loving running. I want to keep it that way – I want to keep it varied so we don’t lose our interest in it. We have been on and off running plenty of times. I want this to be the time we stick with it!

Comments (25)

By kilax, September 20, 2008 9:35 pm

Today was our 5K!

Before the race…

… and after!

Our neighbors came to cheer us on and took a few photos. It’s always nice to have someone there to cheer you on through the finish line! (And I should write an entire post about how wonderful these neighbors are – a husband, wife and daughter. They actually live in our neighborhood, not next door.)

Two of our neighbors and us

We’ve been running in the dark, most weeknights, around 8:00. It’s the earliest we can get outside to run. I was thinking this race would be easier than our night runs – we would actually be able to see where we were running. BUT, it was a lot hotter than when we’ve been running, since we’ve been running at night. It was about 80 degrees, and I think it is normally 65 (or less!) when we practice. I had a hard time breathing. I am kind of disappointed in that. I am happy Steven was there to push me and keep me going.

Oh well. Our finish time was 29:00! That’s encouraging enough that we may sign up for a few more 5Ks in September/October, or maybe even train for a 10K!

Quite a few people showed up for the race! It’s always fun with a lot of people there!

Running up the last hill. Check out my… “muscular” legs.

I always try to sprint the end!