Portland Marathon 2015

Tomorrow, three FOUR of my cousins are competing in this year's Portland Marathon. Running in a marathon is something I can't even imagine, (I am happy with my 5Ks), but I can't help but admire their drive and stamina to attempt and complete such a huge event.

I was not able to make the trip up to the race due to my work schedule, but I received my Team Wonder Woman shirt in the mail, and I will be wearing it in support of their effort on Sunday. I have already been warned of the glitter explosion that might be in my future...LOL.

One of my cousins flew in from Hawaii for the race and will be coming to visit us after the race. Her parents and sister live here so it will be good all around. I am looking forward to a little family get together of some sort....fortunately it will be my weekend.

Their ambition is motivating to me to get back on my own fitness mission. Good luck guys!! Hope the race is everything you want it to be!! Love you!
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Last Year on In My Words....Minnesota 2014

2015 PB 5K

Yesterday, I managed to compete in a 5K in one of our local towns. I didn't train for it, even though I should have so I wasn't able to do as well as I would have liked but I did do better than I expected.

The weather was cooler and cloudy and we had heard there were threats of rain. I have to say, we got lucky and it only sprinkled a bit near the end of the race.

I forced myself to run more than I had in ages, and it paid off on my time. Even with the extra weight I have put on this year, I matched my time from last year with no training other than walking a few 5k distances in the last few weeks.

After the race, I changed clothes and volunteered to work for my employer to help relieve some of the other volunteers when they needed it (the race is only one small part of a big festival that my employer is deeply involved with). The rain did come down, but it didn't damper the spirit of the day.
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Last Year on In My Words...Smile 11/100 Bib

Ugly Sweater Run 2014

Second year that we have done this one, and it was the second year that it was done...how cool is that. This isn't a timed run so we just do it for exercise and fun which is great in itself.

This year, I managed to find an ugly sweater at the local St Vincent's, so I didn't have to borrow one this year. Once again, it was chilly out so we had to bundle up but we managed to get the race in without rain so no slicker was needed.

I also had just received my shirts from the Wear Blue Run To Remember organization. I wore my long sleeve shirt under my ugly sweater so I would be supporting the org even if it wasn't on the outside.

I didn't run much of this since I hadn't been training in a few months, but I am sure I will be feeling it afterwards anyhow. My time wasn't too bad considering how little I ran. I hope to do a couple other runs in February but I am not sure how much of them will be ran either...it will depend on training time. My cousins and my uncle did the run as well. We all got back in just before the rain started.
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Seven Years Ago on In My Words...Naha Harii

Smile 11/100 Bib

This is my bib for the 5K that I am doing tomorrow. I picked up my race packet this afternoon. I am looking forward to the run even though I am not in that great of shape and I know I won't get the best time on it....it will be fun anyhow.

One of my cousins is running it too but she is a fast runner so I am sure we will not see each other except at the end...LOL. This is my first IRL race for the year and my second overall 5K since I did a virtual this winter.

This year, we got short sleeve tan shirts instead of the long sleeve ones from last year. I won't wear the new shirt until after the race (my own juju) but I think I am going to wear last years since it is warmer and the race is at 7am and will be chilly.

I took this picture in our dining room with no flash but macro enabled with my Fuji Finepix f50. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color, light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Last Year on In My Words...IRL Run

Runs For Cookies Virtual 5K Report

Distance: 3.36 Miles or 5.41K
Elevation Change: ~90ft
Weather: 64 degrees, 10-15 mph, sun
Time: 48 mins

So I managed to get this virtual 5K done today. I did some geocaching afterwards so I was actually out walking around for about 2 hours but I knocked out the 5K first. I did 3.36 miles becaues the route I used was already set and I don't have a nearby route that is exactly 5K.

The weather was amazing...we are having unseasonably warm weather and on this way, we had some wind too, but that was okay because it felt great to be out in the sun in shorts and short sleeves. I am sure my body was very thankful for the Vit D absorption.

I didn't take any pics during the 5K portion but I did take a bunch while geocaching afterwards that I can post (see below). I don't post images of myself on here so I can't add any of those to this. Here is a link to my original post about this.

I only walked it today...since I was geocaching afterwards, I had a Camelbak on with equipment in it and jogging with it on would have been difficult and irritating. I didn't get my best time but I was in the ballpark for what I normally can pull off while walking.

Second cache found in cemetery

Location of fourth cache

Overall, it was a great day full of exercise and geocaching adventure. I am so glad I found the link to the virtual, perhaps I can add this one to my list of annual virtuals I try to knock out each year in between my IRL ones.
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Nine Years Ago on In My Words...Geocaching Peeve

Runs For Cookies Virtual 5K

I saw this on one of my friend's timeline on FB and thought, why the heck not? So I am signed up to do another Virtual 5K on the 25th of this month....perfect motivation for me at this point. Let's just hope that it isn't artic outside that day since this one doesn't have a window of opportunity, just the day of.

This sounds like fun, and really the only requirements are that it needs to be 5K distance and you need to take some photos and post about it...sounds like something I can totally pull off...LOL

Today is such nice weather (given that it is January in the PNW), that I am going to do some outside exercise this afternoon and might even open the house windows for a bit to get some fresh air in here even if the temp is chillier than the house temp is.
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Last Year on In My Words...Storm Rising

Jingle Bell Hell 2013 Race Recap

Distance: 3.36 Miles or 5.41K
Elevation Change: ~90ft
Weather: 52 degrees, 3 mph winds, sun
Time: 46.3 mins
Laughed: Yes
Hell: Yes!

Okay, so I have known that I was going to do this race for a while. The time frame for this one was Dec 14th-22nd. I had lofty plans to do it the first weekend as training for the IRL 5K I had on the 21st. This did not happen.

On Dec 6th we got 8 inches of snow and then a week of below freezing temps made the roads completely impossible for any kind of athletic running or walking. I did do a lot of tromping around in the snow in my snow boots but none of that counted towards this. So the weekend of the 14th, things were just too icy still and plans throughout the rest of the week to knock it out (and get training for the IRL 5K) just didn't work out. I do not have access to a treadmill so that was never an option for me.

So yesterday, I did the IRL race in the morning with three of my family members. It was the first time I had ran in two months and considering that it was in the 30s and overcast, I think I did okay. I ran a large portion of it and ended up with an average time for me.

This morning I woke with a lot of muscles in my legs and torso letting me know they were unhappy with me for exercising yesterday, but I decided to ignore them. I knew that the exercise today would only be beneficial for the soreness.

So this year, I can't say that the weather or music circumstances were my Hell since both worked out well this year. I did have to choose a less desirable route only because I wanted to be sure I wasn't going to run into any lingering ice. This route doesn't have as much elevation as my normal virtual route does but it has more sun so I knew it would be better for safety reason. My hell for this year was just the fact that I had to do this race the day after completing the IRL race and my body and muscles really didn't want to cooperate and that was a challenge but I powered through and feel lots better for it.

My laughter came because in all the times I have done this route in the past, I rarely ever come across other pedestrians. The area of town I am in doesn't have a lot of pedestrian interest like our quaint downtown area does. Today, not only did I have to leave the sidewalk and run in the bike path a few times to avoid ice, I also had to do it to go around pedestrians. On top of that, I came up behind, not one, but two smokers today (which just sucks the life out of me until I can get by them)...and that is what gave me the final chuckle...not a chuckle of joy, but a chuckle of "just my luck".

I am glad that I was able to complete this virtual race, even with the sore muscles and not running all of it. Anytime I can get exercise knocked out in the great outdoors, I am thankful.
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Last Year on In My Words...Jingle Bell Hell 2012 Race Recap

Jingle Bell Hell 2013

I just signed up to do this one for this year. If you remember from my recap last year, my ipod was dead as I headed out the door (and I really don't run without music), and it was also freezing cold, windy and hailing. Lots of fun.

This time it runs from December 14-22nd. I have another IRL 5K that I am signed up for on the 21st so I will probably tackle this one the weekend before. Thankfully it is a virtual so I can fit it in where I can and hopefully this year I will be smart and actually get it done during a nice weather weekend.

Today, I got out and walked the same route that I do for these virtual 5Ks (which is actually 3.34 miles) in 50 mins...and that was with no running...so if I run the downhills, on the next couple of training runs, I am sure I will do decently on this run and on the next one the 21st.
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One Year Ago on In My Words...Jingle Bell Hell 2012

Monster Dash

Signed up to do this 5K to see if I could get motivated. The course wasn't my favorite because the entire first half was uphill and if you have read my blog before, you know I don't like to run up hill. On top of that, I am so completely out of shape it is not even funny.

On the otherhand, it was for a good cause, my cousin was running it too, and we got to dress up in costumes. So this meant, finding a costume that would be easy to run in. I had some errands to do, and managed to swing by a store that had a simple lady bug costume that I could wear running shorts under and I was set. I did end up wearing a long sleeve running shirt under the costume and I am glad I did because even though the sun was shining, it was a bit chilly in the shade.

The turn out was great. Took lots of pics of all the other creative costumes out there. Didn't run as  much of it as I would have liked and really saw how fat I have gotten when I saw some of the pics the pro photographer took but it was still great exercise, and my time was somewhere in my median area.

I am signed up for a Ugly Sweater run in December and might even do a Turkey Trot 2 miler on Thanksgiving....we'll see.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Racing Again

MS Walk 2013

It has only been a week since my last run, but this walk is for a great cause and there was no way I was going to miss it.

My BIL, SIL, friend from highschool, and family friend while growing up all have MS with my BIL being the most recently diagnosed.

Mostly this event is for awareness and fundraising and our group did our fair share. It was a lot of fun to get out with family and friends in honor of those fighting this battle.

There was no timing it (other than your own watch) but I still tracked my 5K walking time and we all enjoyed ourselves.
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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Races

IRL Run

First in real life 5K of the year. It was cold and cloudy, but still a lot of fun. I didn't get my best time, but I also didn't train for it so I am just glad I didn't get my worst time either...LOL.

I picked up my packet yesterday and narrowly avoided ending up on the local news. The director was giving me a hint about where to park when the news crew showed up and wanted him to talk about the race and festival...he asked me to be on camera too, but I was able to beg off (thankfully).

We had to be at the site pretty early so I didn't get a ton of sleep, but that is no surprise on race day anyhow. I parked a bit away from the start/finish line, so I opted to leave my warm up pants at the car. There were about 1800 runners in the 5K portion and then another 1800 did the 10 miler. The course was flat for the most part and that made it even harder for me....I just tried to run as long as I could and then would walk for a bit.

Once I got into the groove, there were a few people that I just tried to stay with for the remainder of the race, and that helped me to push myself a bit. Last curve and the finish line was right there so I ran it in.

This is the first race I have done recently that didn't offer food, or drinks to the finishers. So no new pint glass for me...LOL. I did get a banana and a gatorade from one of the sponsors. I stuck around until the 10 milers started. By that time, my body temp had dropped and the weather also started getting colder. I was chilled to the bone. I stopped for a big coffee on my way home. I got into a nice hot bath that night and soaked with the knowledge that I pushed myself and accomplished a goal.
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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Racing Again

Virtual 5K And Overall Catch-up

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the period that I can complete my virtual 5K for this race. I did not officially sign up for this one, but I am participating anyhow and will post a race recap with photos when I am done. I have, once again, not had time to really train for this one....so hopefully, I will get it done a couple of times over the next 11 days and then do one for the books. We'll see how my time pans out.

I have a cousin coming into town this weekend that I haven't seen in at least 15 years if not longer. I am excited to see him and see how life has been treating him.

I am a little bit sore all over from spending about 40 hours over the last week or so working in our yard trying to get it looking okay before the weather gets dry and hot and the ground super hard. The dandylions and I are NOT friends.

I have been able to stay up on my picture taking (even if most of it is of DIY projects) but I am not currently doing any photo projects this year so I haven't been posting much other than to the house blog and some to my FB.

The time has changed and the weather has been terrific which means most inside projects have stalled out, but we are expecting some wind and rain in the next few days I might be able to finish up a few things.

I need to be studying for my computer test, and writing more than I have...thankfully my reading hasn't been too hindered since I still do that most nights before bed. I have another 5K in April (IRL one) and then an MS walk the following week that I am looking forward to, so that helps me to stay in shape, not to mention the hours of yardwork...haha.

Oh and last but not least, I am still on the job hunt....frustrating as it is, it has to be done. I know that at some point, I will get something but in the meantime, frugal is my middle name.
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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Car Crash

Another Virtual 5K

Unofficially doing this virtual 5K in March...unofficially, because I am not going to sign up with the site that is tracking it and giving away the prizes but I am going to do the run and do a race recap.

I signed up for a real 5K in April as well...figure that this will give me some motivation in the exercise department.

Kind of funny...unofficially signed up for a virtual race...how more vague can things get...haha. Anyhow, I am excited to get racing again, it is definite motivation, and I need motivation.
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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Racing Again

Jingle Bell Hell 2012 Race Recap

Borrowed from Jess

Distance: 3.27 miles or 5.26K
Elevation Change: 200+ft
Weather: 37 degrees, 11 mph winds, hail
Time: 47.5 mins
Laughed: Yes
Hell: Yes!!

This year I have been really terrible about my running (even terrible about my walking for that matter), so when I heard about Jingle Bell Hell 2012 from XLMIC and RunWithJess, I just knew I had to commit and see if it would help me get back on track with my outdoor exercising.

Jingle Bell Hell 2012

Image borrowed from Jess

So I have been terrible about exercising lately. Part of it has been due to busy-ness and part of it due to sickness and then of course part of it is just plain laziness.

In the course of reading a few blogs, I discovered a couple of running blogs. One of them is organizing a virtual 5K in December called Jingle Bell Hell 2012 and I have committed myself to doing it. I have to run at least a 5K locally, between December 8th and 16th. I have to post why it is "hell" for me and I have to laugh at some point during the race (that might be hard to pull off). Then I need to recap the race, post a link to it and call it good.

There aren't many local races, so this virtual option gives me the opportunity to race (myself) and have the motivation to get out there get running again. I mapped out a route on MapMyRun the other day, and I plan to try to walk it tomorrow if I can, so I am sure of it before I do it "officially". I will probably do it more than once during that time, and hopefully will get a better time each time.

I hope this will ultimately get my butt moving and get me started back on my fitness routines.
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Four Years Ago on In My Words...Mission For Fitness

Shamrock Run 2012

This was my first 5K in quite some time...and I definitely felt it. Plan was for the whole family that was in town to come down to watch but it is such a huge race, that the traffic to get to it was horrible and my dad and his wife decided that they better head home. It was also drizzling out, which makes for a much worse spectator experience for anyone. So while the BIL found parking, my sis and I got out of the traffic jammed car and started heading to the start area. Time was tight so we had to move pretty quick.

Once we got to the start area, I moved up to behind the runners but in front of the strollers and most of those that were walking. This route started out similar to the one we did for First Run in 2011 but then turned and had a long slow gradual upgrade before turning again back towards the start area.

As I said before, this was a big race...I think 35000 people total (split between the 5K, 10K, and 15K) so besides the massive amount of traffic, there was a lot of activities after the event and lots of participants dress up. I don't wear my race shirts until after I have completed the race, so I wore my green Google running shirt instead. I also wore some green beads and a head band with shamrocks on it.

The route was tough but I enjoyed the scene with so many runners (biggest race for me so far) and everyone having such a good time. There were even a couple of Guiness glasses running along (and I am not sure how they kept from overheating in those costumes). Overall it was a fantastic experience and I would love to the do the race again in the future.
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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Car Crash

Racing Again

I had another race this past weekend...and even though I didn't get to train as much as I wanted to, I actually improved my overall time by 3 minutes, 47 seconds to complete the race in 38 minutes, 13 seconds. This means I ran a 12 minute, 24 second mile which is faster than I have ever run (although I have never been measured in all the soccer I have played).

I have never been a runner...always had to have a soccer ball in front of me to get going but a few years ago my husband started helping me to run without a soccer ball and I have been sort of interested in getting better at it ever since then. I was doing 5Ks whenever I could, but I always walked them. In January, I didn't really have a plan to run the 5K I did, but it was so cold that running was the only way to stay warm. That sort of started this most recent streak.

Anyhow the day of the race, I had a monthly visitor show up, and didn't start the race feeling like I was going to do well. My legs felt heavy and I really felt like I had to keep pushing to keep going. I just kept finding landmarks in front of me and talking myself into running to the next one. Before I hit the one mile mark, I was already starting to feel better. The first few minutes are the hardest for me...the entire time my brain is trying to convince me to stop, and I was able to get past it this time without it stopping me. I actually know exactly when that happened and it felt great to reach the one mile mark without having stopped once.

I did walk the biggest climb in elevation, but then kept making myself start running again and I guess it paid off because I never expected to have that much improvement in this race (in fact, I was expecting to do worse than my April race). Of course that means I need to keep it up for the next race but I think all the interval training I have been doing on the hills near my house will help. If nothing else, my legs feel and look better.

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Four Years Ago on In My Words...Mom Visit

Races

I looked back in the archives and couldn't find that I even posted about my first 5K this year (the first one I have actually run in rather than walked), so I am going to talk about both races now.

On New Year's morning at the stroke of 12:01am, I did a 5K through the downtown part of town. It was absolutely freezing (no kidding, it was in the low 20s), and part of the reason I was convinced to run most of it was due to the fact that it was so darn cold and it was the only way I could stay warm. On that night, I improved my 5K time by over 10 minutes (because in the past I have always just walked them).

This past weekend, I did my second 5K for the year. It was on Earth Day. I wanted to do something for Earth Day and part of the proceeds from the race fees were going to good causes. This one went through two different parks I had never been to (although I went to check them out the day before the race). I didn't improve on my time but this race was also the first with hills and that made a difference. I had improved my two mile time by a full minute, but the last mile had some big hills in it and I am sure that is where I lost some time back. Regardless, I felt good about my effort and had a great time doing it.

The next race I am looking at doing is on May 22nd. It too will be near the parks I did this last one at, in fact I think the same hills are in it too. It will also be keeping with my tradition (if you can call it that) of participating in races that are sponsored by breweries (which means that a pint or drink of something is always a benefit after the race). Wish me luck!!

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Art Purchase