Harbor Fest 5K Race Report

This past weekend was a another weekend jam-packed with stuff to do.  My little field hockey team had two wins on a beautiful Saturday morning.  I was so proud of them and their comeback at the end.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of them because I was coaching and my older daughter was too lazy to go back to the car to get the camera....  Next weekend we have another game so I'm getting some photos then if it kills me.

Directly after the game I had a long overdue hair appointment.  I had done nothing with my hair since April.  No color, no cut.  Nothing.  It was ratty, dry and yuck.  Here is what happens when you care about your appearance.

No rats.  No dry ends.  No grays.  No fake blonde.  Now I'm a fake brunette.  It's a bit darker than my regular color.  Although I'm not even sure what my regular color would be now.  I started highlighting my hair in 1990....  

A friend of my had commented on my facebook when I posted the new pic:  #brownisfaster.  Loved it!  Keep reading to see how that came to be true!

Sunday was the Harbor Fest 5K, a local race set up to benefit the Dempsey Cancer Center in Lewiston, ME.  Yes, as in Patrick Dempsey.  It is a center he started when his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.  He also hosts the Dempsey Challenge in a couple of weeks which is another fundraiser for that center and that was where all the proceeds of this race would be going to.  His sister was there to start the race and she passed along how pleased Patrick was that the community could pull together this race in just a a few short months.  

I decided to run it that morning because it worked out with our kid's sports schedules.  Start time was at 10 and it was about a mile and a half from my house, which meant I did not have to get up early at all.  #win!  I had zero expectations for this race, but would really wanted to beat my PR of 24:01.  I wasn't sure that I could, you know, you can only improve so much and then that's it.  I keep wondering when that time will come.  

The race course was a bit hilly and the last half was really pretty as it went along side of a pond.  I guess we messed a bunch of people up in the morning though when they closed off one lane of the main road in and out of town while we ran about 3/4 of mile down it.  Oops.  

I didn't wear a Garmin or any music as is my usual routine.  I have found that I do much better at the short races without any distractions.  Just run at whatever pace my body feels is comfortable.  Which 90% of the time is faster than I think I can.

me in the bright yellow top and visor

The woman with the short hair and blue shirt in the front of that picture is fast.  I see her in all the local races and she is always ahead of me.  I thought I might be able to keep up with her.  I tried to keep her in my sight the whole race.  I did manage to do that, but I couldn't beat her.  

I had no idea what my time was or how I was doing.  I just kept running and telling myself to go.  I came around the corner near the finish and it was then that I could see the clock.  It said 23:01!  WTF!  I said out loud, Shit is that the time?  And then sprinted and shouted the last little bit.  

this is me saying, holy shit! Is that the time?  Is that right?

that is a happy face.  really.

#brownisfaster!

Official time 23:18.  Yay me!  Can I just say that that is a 7:31 pace!  2/25 in my age group.  The winner of my age group took it in 20:21.  what the?  

I am sore today.  I think that racing shorter distances fast is harder on my body than running longer distances slower.  Does that make sense?  I think it might even be harder physically where the longer distances take more out of you mentally.  But that's just me.

On a side note, I cannot even fathom a marathon at a 4:42 mile.  I cannot even imagine running a lone mile at that pace, let alone 26.2.  He is running, on average, 13 mph.  THIRTEEN MILES PER HOUR!  That's faster than most people can bike.  And he's averaging that..  which means that sometimes he's running faster than that.    Omg, that is too much for my brain to compute.  (Speaking of the world record being broken at the Berlin Marathon by Wilson Kipsang, in case you didn't know.)

Back to me now.  

So I am faster than I thought I was.  Which makes me wonder how long this can go on.  When does it end?  When do I become slower?  I hope it's not too soon, because this is really quite fun.  

My son had soccer that afternoon so it was a quick trip home to shower and then head back out again.  I'll leave you with a few photos of him.  Oh, and they won too!  A good day was had by everyone!

right handed but left footed!  nice form kiddo!

Have you ever changed your hair color drastically?

When did you start to slow down?  Or hasn't it happened yet?

One Week Away! Time to Join Team Tough Chik!

Calling all you Tough Chiks out there!  The sign up period for Team Tough Chik is less than a week away!  On October 1 registration for Team Tough Chik will open for any and all women (or men, I suppose...) who want to join. 

Tough Chik is a team of women who run, bike, swim or are active in some way.  You don't have to be fast, thin, or the best, you just have to want to be part of a team that is supportive, encouraging and helpful.

Running, biking and triathlon packages will be available to purchase.  The only other requirement after purchasing the team gear, is to race in it!  You don't have to be active in social media, but if you are, you will find all kinds of support and teammates on twitter, facebook, instagram and various blogs.  You will have access to the Team Tough Chik private Facebook page and discounts at toughchik.com.  We have various generous sponsors that give us discounts such as Nuun, Aspaeris, Road ID, Rev3 and others.




I can't wait for this registration to open up!  I've had a sneak peak at the gear, and it is *awesome*!  The tri shorts have been redone and there is a long sleeved running shirt to choose!  Registration is only open for a month so make sure you sign up early.

This will be my third year with Team Tough Chik, I've been here from the very beginning and I'm excited to be a part of it again this year as an Ambassador and a team member.

Come join because

YOU ARE WHAT TOUGH LOOKS LIKE!

Unexpected Long Weekend

Friday came as an unexpected day off.  I could choose to have her fill my schedule or just keep the day off.  I chose the latter.  I've learned my lesson--if you fill a day at the last minute, you either get a bunch of weird complicated crap or you get 2 appointments.  Since there was a full moon, I wasn't taking any chances.  Day off wins.

Once the kids were at school I had plenty of time to do all those things that never seem to get done.  I did all the dishes.  I did all the laundry.

I didn't say I folded it....

I brought the kitten to the vet, went to the dump, got medicine for Big Sissy and then was supposed to go for a swim.  However, the day was bright and sunny and *perfect* for a bike ride.  So I did that instead.

 Ocean Point--another ugly spot in Maine

 Me, on the other hand, not as pretty as the view.

Ram Island

20 miles on the bike is just what I needed on that perfect day.

Saturday I was in class all day for continuing education.  The lectures were less than interesting so thank goodness for my computer/phone.  I did manage to get in a 5.5 mile run during the lunch break.  I ran a loop around town and then came back to the resort property and ran out to the lighthouse on the breakwater and back.

There is a light house at the end of that rock path.

The breakwater is about a mile long so that tacked on an extra almost 2 miles to my run.  Have you ever run on a rock path like that?  It is more difficult than it looks.  It was pretty similar to a trail run and if you want to practice your mid-foot strike, then this is the place to do it!  Heel strikes = pulled achilles on this path.

The run was a perfect break in between boring classes.

Sunday we were supposed to have two field hockey games but it was POURING in the morning.  One of the teams was coming from two hours away so I had to make the call to play or cancel pretty early.  We ended up deciding to cancel, it would be terrible for them to drive 2 hours only to have it be pouring, or worse, thundering, and then have to turn around and drive home.

But of course, right around one o'clock when we were supposed to play, the sun came out, almost on cue and it was beautiful out.  One of the few times I have been upset by bright sun.

The kids and I decided to go for a hike on one of the trails near our house to make up for the canceled game.

We are pretty lucky to have such access to the ocean and such beautiful walking trails to use.  This is about 3 miles from my house.

All in all, a pretty good weekend.

Things That Must Be Said In Triplicate

There are some things in this world that must be said three times in order for anyone to make sense of them.  Here is a list of what I have noticed.

1.  Brush your teeth. 

No one.  I mean, not one single person in my house will ever brush their teeth the first time I ask.  In fact, this one is probably said at least 5 times before anyone moves. 

2.  Go have a shower.

I'm not quite sure why this one takes so long to set in because showers are awesome.  Strangely enough, once they are in the shower I guess they decide they like it there because that brings us to number 3...

3.  Get out of the shower.

I don't understand what an 8 year old 45 lb boy is doing for 20 minutes in the shower (I can see a 14 year old boy.... but 8?) anyway, I get in there and he's writing on the wall with the soap or laying on the floor of the tub pretending he's in a rain storm.  Meanwhile, all is see is dollar bills going down the drain and water pooling on the floor. 

4.  Get your shoes and socks on.

What the?  Isn't that just a part of getting dressed?  Doesn't that seem like an obvious thing to do when we are trying to leave the house to get to his soccer game?

5.  Put the cat down.

Since getting the kitten, I think this is the one statement I say the most and it precedes all of the other statements.  "Put the cat down and get your shoes on."  "Put the cat down and go brush your teeth."  "Put the goddamned cat down!" 

Most annoying is when I'm cooking or making lunch or any other food preparation and they walk over with the kitten to show her to me.  Do we not have enough dog hair in our food already that we need to add cat hair as well? 

6.  Get in the car.

7.  Go to sleep.

8.  Get up. 

My life is a series of short commands said over and over again. 

I actually enjoy coming to work because I say things once and people listen. 

Can I have that chart?  Voila!  There is the chart!

I need to leave early tomorrow, can you move that patient?  Bam.  Said patient has a new appointment.

I need chocolate!  Whammo.  Sometimes, if I'm really lucky, there is chocolate.  My staff is the best.

 

Am I alone in my misery of threes?  Does everyone else need to speak in triplicate?  What would you add to the list?

July and August Recap/ Tough Chik Ambassador!

So like everything else I've half-assed this summer, I have also slacked on my monthly reports.  I totally skipped over July and here we are a week into September and I haven't done August's report yet either.  Here goes both months.

July

Run: 55 miles
Bike:  375 minutes
Swim: 4000 yds

August

Run: 50.4
Bike:  220 minutes
Swim:  6500 yds

When totaling these months up, I really thought that these numbers were pretty low, except for the run.  I know I never get over 50 miles for a month so that is really great for me!  Over 50 miles for two consecutive months is awesome!  Go me!

The bike totals are actually pretty average with what I usually do except for July, but that included a 50 mile ride.  The swim is lower than usual but that makes sense with how busy I've been with kid's activities.  I really just have the one day on Friday to get my swim done and that didn't really happen much over the past two months.

So overall, I guess I'm really not disappointed with the summer and my efforts.  I'll never be a 100 mile month runner, but that's ok.  I don't really want to be.

Races/rides:

I had the Lobster Roll and Ride in July which is a group ride in Rockland, ME.  My friend and I opted for the 50 mile length and it was fantastic!  I loved it.  The ride itself was along the beautiful coast of Maine and the company was the best.  There is nothing like a good friend and a beautiful ride.  Loved it.

I had a 5K in July which I managed a 1st in age group.  Love those small local races where you can actually win something!

why do I feel like a gazelle but look like a rhino?

August brought the Beach to Beacon 10k and the Rev3 Tri.  I loved the B2B, and the tri I was just happy to get through.

having all the fun high-fiving the announcer

 Looking a little more gazelle-like here--Rev3 Tri

Finish photo--the best photo and feeling of the whole day!

Things I'm Loving

I'm loving that the kids are back to school.  It makes life easier and a little less complicated.  I know where they are going to be everyday and for how long.  We have less things scheduled for the evening hours and they are (for the most part) right in town.  The kids all seem to love their teachers and classes and are genuinely happy to be back to school.  Good stuff.

Things I'm Hating

I guess I'm not hating anything right now which is pretty damn surprising since I'm like grumpy cat and hate everything.

There is something new and exciting in my life--I have been chosen to be an ambassador for Tough Chik!

I have loved Tough Chik and it's clothes, founder, name, meaning and team from years ago when I first discovered the website.  The whole idea behind what Tough Chik means really seemed to resonate with me.  I felt like I had a bond with the founder, Shannon, even though I've never met her IRL, I feel like we'd be great friends if we ever did meet.  I love how Tough Chik welcomes everyone, of all sizes and abilities to be on their team, because really, we are all Tough Chiks in our own way.  We are all fighting our own battle, whether it be weight, work, family, marriage, children; whatever it is, we are are working hard to get through this life and we are all tough.

So look for me to be telling you all about Tough Chik and Team Tough Chik.  Keep on the lookout to join later this year.  Or just go and get yourself a shirt because This is What Tough Looks Like.

How was your summer?  Did you meet your goals? 

It's a Shark!

Sometimes I really hate long weekends.  The Tuesday coming back from a 3 day weekend really sucks.  The work schedule is crammed with everything and anything.  Usually all crazy shit.  Combine that with the first day of school and you have a winner of a day, people!  But wait!  There's more!  It's my night to work late too!  Woo!  Jackpot for me.

But you didn't come here to read about how much I hate Tuesdays that are Mondays, did you?  Well, I hope you aren't looking for some athletic achievement, or something about a fab run I did, or some bike ride cause you're not going to get that either.  This Labor Day weekend was all about nothing.  I did manage a 3.68 mile run.  yay me.

So let me tell you about other things that happened recently.

Two super awesome fantastic kiddos got a yellow belt in Isshinryu Karate.

The boy is now a yellow belt in both karate and jiu-jitsu.  MMA doesn't know what's coming.


I am now officially really old.  My kids are in 8th, 5th and 3rd grade.  What the...

And this happened on our boat ride this past weekend:

Yes, that mother is as big as it looks.

We were riding back in the boat, going pretty fast, 28 mph ish, and both my son and I saw a fin sticking out of the water.  Well, since the sharks were all in the local news in the past month, my son yells SHARK!  My husband didn't see the fin, but I said, yes there was a fin, I don't know if it's a shark or a dolphin but I did see a fin sticking out.  So we drove back and saw what you see above.

It was just floating near the surface, like it was half dead or something.  It looked like a big ass fish that had it's ass bitten off.  I'd never seen anything like it.  This thing was,  no joke, at least 6 feet at it's largest diameter and fat.

I tried calling Dept. of  Marine Resources in case it was some rare fish or was actually a half-eaten fish, but didn't have any luck with the numbers I found on the internet.  We ended up flagging another boater down.  He came over and we showed him and he told us it was an ocean sunfish or mola mola.  Which upon further research, is the largest bony fish in the ocean and can weigh up to 2,000 lbs!  He thought this one was close to 800 lbs.

Here's a more professional picture of the fish.  

Craziest thing I've ever seen in the ocean.

So not a shark, but still worth stopping to see.  We even got to touch him as the boater told us that they were very gentle.

How was your Labor Day weekend?  Did you get to see a big ass fish?