Lighthouse 10k Race Recap

 

The morning started out with my usual pre-run breakfast. Coffee and toast with jam. I packed a Luna Lemon Zest bar to eat about an hour before the race on the car ride to Oak Island.

When we got there, the wind was KICKIN’! It was kinda cool out too. I guess that made me channel my inner Brett Michaels. TIP: Don’t put your bib on in the car, it will be crooked.

It was a point to point race, so we loaded up on trolleys to go to the finish line. I rode over with my friend Kelly who did the 5k.

The first mile was over the Oak Island Bridge. It was a slight incline, but nothing like the Ocean Isle Beach Bridge which I crossed twice during the OIB Run for Food in January. The view from the bridge is amazing. I realized I was doing pretty well coming down the other side of the bridge and was holding steady within a 9 minute mile until about mile 2.

We wound and wound through some neighborhoods and by the first water stop I was starting to feel a little tired. The water and a good song on the Ipod got me moving again. It was right about this point where we round a curve and saw ocean. It was a beautiful day and the wind had either slowed to a cool breeze or just felt great at that point. I continued to look to my right and at the ocean whenever I felt the urge to slow down or stop. It kept me distracted for awhile.

Around mile 3, we were at the 5k’ers starting point. This is where I really started to struggle. I walked for a bit, but never for long and just kept trucking.

Right at 4.5 miles, I felt it. Someone had set my legs in concrete and then set them in a Jell-O mold. That’s the only way to explain it. I felt like I weighed 1,000lbs. I ran as much as I could, but walked fast when I needed to. The sun was directly in my face and I was covered in sand.

When I saw the 5 mile marker, I knew it was the home stretch and this helped me push forward. I finished in 66 minutes and 41 seconds. I couldn’t have been happier or more exhausted crossing that finish line!

I am so proud of myself. The goal I had in my head, that I never expected to achieve, was 66 minutes. I will totally take 66:41 as a BIG WIN for me!

My friends Kelly and Jen ran their 5ks and both did VERY well! Jen even placed 3rd in her age group! I am so proud of both of them!

I don’t know how so many runners have such beautiful pictures after or even before races. I always look like a hot mess! However, I am proud of that messy hair and that sweat! I earned it!

With my first 10k now complete, and my work schedule not really allowing me to run any more races until the fall, I am already itching to do another one. It’s going to be a LONG summer!

Here is my playlist, although honestly, I know music was on while I was running…but I don’t really remember listening to it. I was just focused on every step.

 

I think it’s time to go nap by the pool! See y’all later! Go run! :)

Tomorrow is the big day

 

Weigh-in

This week’s weight – 159.9lbs, –.9lbs. The 150s! I know it’s barely the 150s, but it’s the 150s! This puts me .3 from my first big goal of 50lbs lost. So close! This week’s weight loss puts me at my 5% loss goal since officially starting Weight Watchers Online in January.

Running

Yesterday morning, I had a good run. I was fast…well, for me.

 

Tomorrow is the Lighthouse 10k. My first 10k race. I’m excited and nervous. I’m as ready as I’m going to be. I’m just going to go out there, run and have fun. I have no PR to break, no goal for finish time. My only goal is to finish. My Mom is coming to visit for the weekend and to be my cheerleader! It will be so awesome to have her there at the end waiting for me. We are very close.

Cooking

TJ over at TJ’s Test Kitchen, who I adore, made this fantastic looking Butternut Squash Flatbread. So guess what I did? I changed it a little and made Butternut Squash Pita Pizzas!

Ingredients

1 cup cooked cubed butternut squash, in small cubes  
2  Whole Wheat Pitas
2 Tbsp red onion, sliced  
1 garlic clove, finely diced   
3 Tbsp fat-free ricotta cheese  
2 Tbsp Kraft Reduced fat Italian style shredded cheese blend  
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese  

Instructions

Toast pita loaves in a 400 degree oven until just crispy.

Mix ricotta and garlic, smear onto pita loaves. Top with cooked squash and onion, pressing lightly down into the ricotta. Top with 1 tbsp each of italian cheese blend and bake until cheese melts. Top with 1 tbsp each of Parmesan cheese and serve.

The changes I made: I skipped the olive oil, used fat free ricotta in it’s place and I used pita bread instead of traditional pizza crust. I got the points value down to 4 points per pita! I’m sure TJ’s pizza is AMAZING though. I just don’t need that many leftovers of it, so I chose the pita bread. I had a side of steamed “Baby boom-boom cabbage” on the side. If you don’t know why I’m calling brussels sprouts “baby boom-boom cabbage”, which I intend to do from now on, please go visit Jack Sh*t, Gettin’ Fit, which you should be doing daily anyway.

Wrap it up Tonyne….

I hope to post a race recap on Saturday at some point. Wish me luck! I’m still looking for a few more songs to round out my playlist…anyone got any suggestions to keep me moving? So far I have gotten such suggestions as Rod Stewart “Do ya think I’m sexy”, Salt –n- Peppa “Push It” and Michael Jackason “Beat It”. They are all going on the playlist. Give me what ya got! :)

Happy Friday!

It’s officially official!

It’s officially official! I am registered for the Oak Island Lighthouse 10k, that I have already been training for! The race is on April 17th. It goes over the Oak Island bridge, another high rise style bridge and winds through Oak Island. I am excited for this race, not only because it’s my first 10k, but because two of my friends will be participating in the 5k!

Jen	Kelly

It’s Jen’s first 5k race and Kelly’s return to races! I am so proud of both of them and I know having them there will keep me motivated! How could I not have fun with these two around? And if I drop somewhere in the middle, two people will be at the end wondering where I am and will hopefully pick me up on their way home! :)

I ran this morning...don't lecture. My knees felt fine, it was mostly just the bending action that was causing me pain. They are a little tender since the run, but nothing major and I'm wearing flats today to be a little kinder to my legs in general...actually, I'm wearing my awesome furry boots that I got in Greensboro, remember them? Here's my run stats, not terrible...



It felt pretty good. My next scheduled run is a 4 mile training run on Sunday. I'm going to try it, but I will stop if I have any pain. Tomorrow is some more 30 Day Shred, I moved up to Level 2 on Monday. That DVD kicks my ass. Period.

I think that's it for today! I am making a big taco salad for dinner and I'm really excited about it!

What has been your favorite meal that you have had this week?

Catch ups!

I figured this morning I would do a series of "Catch Ups" I feel like I've been behind since I've been sick but I'm turning a leaf and I'm ready to start going forward again, even if it is slowly.

Oak Island 10k Training

This morning was my first (albeit a few days behind) training run for the 10k. I was supposed to run for 20-25 minutes according to my Galloway Training Schedule. I ran for exactly 20 minutes because I didn't want to push it and end up sick again. I ran outside on the road and it was approximately 44 degrees. A little colder than I expected, but I really wanted to be outside.



It felt great. I couldn't believe it. I ran the whole time, kept a steady pace and stayed pain-free. Until I stopped. As soon as I stopped it felt as if an elephant had stood on my chest and proceeded to do the polka. It took a long time for that feeling to pass, probably a good 10 minutes or so. However, since it passed, I feel great!

Operation Freezer

I have been doing great with my quest to clean out the freezer! I haven't bought anything that needs to go in the freezer (with the exception of some ripe bananas for smoothies) and I've been eating the main part of my meals out of the freezer for both dinner and lunch. I think I can make it at least 1-2 more weeks without buying any meats!

This morning I decided to try to have breakfast out of the freezer too. I had lots of frozen fruit in my freezer and I recently watched an episode of Good Eats in which Alton Brown shared his weight loss story. He drinks a fruit smoothie every morning for breakfast. He assembles everything the night before in the blender carafe and places it in the fridge so all he has to do is add ice and blend in the morning. I followed his advice on this, but used a different recipe. This morning I had a tasty Banana, Peach and Vanilla Soy Milk Smoothie in no time. Although I'm sure the husband (who is off of work today) didn't appreciate hearing the blender at 7:55am.



I liked it because I could drink it in the car, which was good this morning because I was running a wee bit late! I just hope it keeps me as full as my Chobani Greek Yogurt and Granola usually does. Recipe I used: 1 frozen banana, 1/2 cup of frozen peach slices (both of which defrosted slightly in the fridge over night) and 1 cup of fat free Vanilla Soy Milk.

Meatless Monday

Yes, I know I missed Meatless Monday, but I already have a recipe planned out for Monday. How does Black Bean Cakes with Avocado Butter sound? It's from the Weight Watchers cookbook my Mom got me many moons ago that I haven't used yet.

Ok, this has been a long entry of "Catch Ups". If you made it through, I'm proud of you! :) I am so happy to be feeling better, I know I'm not 100% yet and I don't plan on pushing it too much, but hopefully I'll start to be around a bit more.

Let's keep the pendulum swinging in a positive direction!

Training is the best form of motivation

It's proven that if you schedule your exercise like a meeting or other commitment, you are more likely to stick with an exercise routine. I know this is true for me. If you give me a training schedule, I will complete it and even feel guilty when I miss a day of training. It makes me work hard toward a goal. I enjoy hanging the schedule on my fridge and marking each day off with a highlighter. I've used this method for training for my two 5ks.

I decided that 2010 would indeed include a 10k. I used Active.com to find the Oak Island Lighthouse 10k and decided it would be perfect and close to home.



I started looking for a training schedule and had heard a lot of love for Jeff Galloway's method of training. He stresses taking walk breaks periodically to avoid injury and burn out. I know that I have to take them occasionally because of my knees and because I'm just a beginning runner. So his method sounds great to me. I also like that his training schedules are devised to help you stay injury free. I'm a klutz by nature and injury prone as it is, so anything that can help me avoid injury is a plus!

His 10k training plan is a 13 week plan, when I looked at the calendar I realized that to have the training completed in time for the 10k, I would have to start on Monday, which works out perfectly because, obviously, I'm finished training for the OIB Run for Food.

So here it is, my Lighthouse 10k Training Schedule which will be hung on the fridge as soon as I get home today.



For me, training is the best form of motivation. This week I am going to try and focus on non-running activities. Do some elliptical, bike and weights...maybe even a little indoor swimming. Next week it starts back again...granted on my cross training days I'll be free for other activities, but my focus will be running. I am excited to see what I can do!