One Year and 10 Races

Today... marks my very First Running Anniversary. Yes, this is the first year in my running career [if there is such a thing hahaha]...my 11th race so far since I started... and already my 4th 5K for this year.

Like any anniversaries - this is a very important event to me. It's the anniversary of my 360 degrees mental, physical and psychological turn-around. Yes, it has been one year now since I made that drastic decision to take charge of my life. It has been a year now since I ran The Great Scot Trot 5k - a decision that I never regret.

Time flies quickly. I have ran 10 5k races in a span of one year and now I am looking forward to more races and trainings.

I have braved mental torture on thinking "why am I doing those stu**d laps around the Bonney Eagle HS tracks". I have endured physical torment of weight lifting for strength training. And yes, I have psyched myself up to rationalize that all those grueling training days and nights are part of my life as a runner. Hah! It does feel good to call myself a runner though deep inside I know I just either walk or jog my way to the finish lines. wink*

 This is me last year at the Finish Line. Notice the snow on the background.

Today, is my second Great Scot Trot 5k. I walked up to the sound of rain. I walked up hoping that they cancel the race. But then I realized this is my 1st year anniversary, it should not ruin the momentum. So I ran the race in freezing rain and landed 164th on the list with a breaking record [wink* wink* and another wink*] of 35:03 PR. It was 5 minutes and 45 seconds less than my first one.

This is me on my 1st Year Running Anniversary.

And yes I wasn't 5th to the last like last year. I was 66th to the last [one huge wink*] this year. Yay! To me and to more races until - my Second Year Anniversary.

My 3rd 5k for 2012

Same time last year... I was so excited because it was my first time to join any event that has something to do with "walking and running". At first I just wanted to be a part of the team who supported Sandy Orr, one of the secretaries where I work. She lost her battle to cancer that year and in memory of her we did the Mary's Walk and Kerrymen Pub 5k at Saco, Maine, which is an event that benefits the Maine Cancer Research. That year, I planned to run but I chickened out so I just "walked" with the rest of the team.

This year, I finally got the guts to run. And this year, this event meant so much to me because early this year, I got a "cancer scare" when my Doctor found an abnormal cell in my latest pap smear. Good thing my Ob Gyne assured me that there is nothing to worry about and the abnormal cell turned out to be "normal", quite ironic. It's a long story and it has nothing to do with running. lol

 This was me last year at the Mary's Walk getting ready to "walk".

Anyway, so I finally signed up for the 5k race and became part of the pack... the last part of the pack, that is. wink* Though I thought I know everything about running after doing it for at least once every month since last year, I was still overwhelmed with the experience. It was a fine sunny day, for some reasons I cannot explain. If you live in Maine you know what I mean. It's still winter here at this time of the year.

This is me this year getting close to the Finish Line at Mary's walk.

So I did run the Mary's Walk. No elderly women passed me by this time. LOL. And my only goal is to pass by the lady in front of me whom I beat by a matter of 2 seconds. hahahaha [There she was the one in the blue shirt.] I clocked in 38:01 and ranked 921st among the close-to-a-thousand runners and I ranked 56th in my Division which has 58 runners. hahaha Well it's not bad at all considering that I did finish the race and I didn't chicken out this time.

My 2nd 5k for 2012

The weather forecast was not good this morning. According to Mallory Brooke, it will be snowy and rainy and slushy. Yeah, right!

The temp is still in the freezing point and it is still snowing and raining outside as of this writing. And as of this writing, I am having a warm bowl of shrimp wonton soup with noodles to keep me warm. I threw in some fresh veggies from my salad bag into the soup and it's a perfect after race meal.

Yes, I did the Polar Bear 5k this morning. And yes, Mallory is right... it was snowy... it was rainy... it was slushy. But one thing she didn't know... it was awesome!

I thought it was early enough when I left the house at quarter to eight. But given the wintery situation, I had to drive slowly and carefully in town so I didn't get there as I planned to. I had only 10 minutes to take a breather before the race took off.

The route was breathtaking despite the foggy scenery I had from the mixed snow and rain on my face which gave me blurry my vision of the scenic vista. Anyway, my only goal is to cross the finish line and not to do sight seeing. So I ran on my own pace not minding those people who passed me. After I gained my senses and focused on the road, 3 more people passed me at the mile 2 mark. It was then I realized that the 3 people who passed me were old ladies running on a steady pace.

I started losing control of my feet as I ascent the 100 feet elevation. It was then, I started to panic and thought of changing my plan. Earlier I planned to overtake the elderly lady in front of me since we left the start line. After 20 minutes that she was only a tiny image in my eye at a 200 yards distance, I thought I will just keep running my pace. But after those 3 old ladies passed me by, I just thought of pretending that I had an injury and will just walk limping to the finish line. hahaha

But just as I was about to walk limping... I heard the voice in the microphone saying - and here comes Ruthinian Gregoire of Standish. Then, I sped up and clocked in 39:07 making me 9th to the last. Whew, another finished race, indeed!

And just to set the record straight... I didn't do the plunge. No way! I am not that too crazy yet. Maybe someday. Wink***

The Winter Runner

I don't do New Year's Resolution. It doesn't work for me and I don't operate that way. But one thing I'm sure about me is that - when I decide on something... I do it.

This year I want to run as many races as I can. Last year, I didn't start running until winter is over. Now that it is winter and winter this year feels like spring, I have more opportunity to run outdoors. The only problem is that - I work 12 hours a day. So the only time I can run is on weekends.

I have never thought that winter running is fun. The internet is a great resource to feed you with all the information you need to gear yourself up for winter running. So I take every opportunity and resource there is to train. After my first race for this year at Scarborough, I signed up for 3 more races. One for February and two for March. What am I thinking? Oh well, it is a good motivation for me to get my bum out and run.

So, armed with petroleum jelly slather sparingly on my face, a dab of Burt's Bees lip balm, a warm fleece head band or hat, a pair of comfy mittens, another pair of thick wool socks and an appropriate winter running outfit... I'm good to go until the next snow storm falls.

My 8th 5k and 1st race for 2012

Winter this year is awesome compared to last year's. And because of this, I should have more time for training. Well, I did plan to but it didn't happen. Heather and I signed up for our first race for this year but we both didn't get the chance to training as much as we needed to because we were both busy.

This year, I plan to set a goal for myself. I plan to beat my own PR by... 1 minute. [LOL] Sounds very conservative huh. Well, I also plan to chance my strategy like - beating an old lady to the finish line. Oh no, I already learned my lesson at The Patriot 5k. Will not go that road again. This time, my goal is just to outrun the one in front of me regardless of its age, gender and gender preference, color, and size and shape. There it's a good plan, isn't it?

Well, the Scarborough Frozen 5k yesterday, January 8th was awesome. Despite the absence of snow on the ground, the temp was kinda freezing due to wind chill. I was having a hard time breathing because my nose was stuffy. My eyes were watery and my head seemed wanting to explode. But then, I still did it. I clocked it at 38:48 which placed me 5th... to the last. hahaha And yes, I finally got a photo of the race.

There are 2 reasons for why I am smiling at this photo. 1. I saw the finish line. And 2. I saw the guy with a camera. wink*

Over-all impression of the race - awesome.

Standing Tall in my Stillettos and Running Steady in my Sneakers

Yay for myself. This is the new page in my running career. hahaha I know, there is no such thing. This year, I have a plan. A huge one. Well not really huge because I am scared of huge thingies.

Since I enjoyed running, I plan to continue running this year. Sounds like a plan, indeed.

I don't really know how I came up with the idea of running. But whatever made me decide on it, it's working for me. Yes, it all started with a walk and then pacing up... I started enjoying the feel of the cool Maine breeze on my checks every time I run. Next thing I know I ran seven 5k races last year. Yay, indeed!

Yes, I ran 7 5k races and I am so proud of myself. It was the most fulfilling decision I made with my health. I have given up on my Yo-Yo dieting and I just decided to take charge of my health by being active. And little did I know that I will enjoy and love doing it.

So now, it a new year to train... a new calendar to schedule my race dates... and a new way of looking ahead to more races.

Yes, I have plans and I am planning ahead. So let's pick up the pace!

My 7th and last 5k for this Year

Yes, you read it right. Yesterday was my 7th race for 2011 and it's the last one for this year too.

 

This is one of the most memorable races I had so far for 3 reasons.

1. This is also my second race with Heather. And yes, we were late again. hahaha. Well, if the race was held on Thanksgiving Day, we would have been early. You see, I messed up with my calendar date and thought that the race was scheduled on the morning of Thanksgiving Day. I was so ready and called up Heather early so we won't be late. But guess what? Wrong date. Instead of the 24th, it was scheduled on the 26th. hahaha And yes, on the exact date, I called her late so we arrived 10 minutes late at the venue. Runners were about a mile away already when we got there so we thought of just getting our number and freebies. And yes, the free tee was way to big for our size. That's what you get for being late, you are given with left-overs.

2. The weather is awesome. For some reason, we were happy that it felt like springtime again. It snowed the day before and we gathered around 2 inches in our town. But at Kennebunkport, it didn't snow. The place was devoid of the powdery blanket and the wind felt like spingtime. So we decided to just go for a run anyway, just to see the area and do some workout. But lo and behold, we caught up with the runners - dog runners and the walkers... that is. hahaha

3. I wasn't even the last in the list. I was 8th to the last and so proud of it! Why not? We came in 10 minutes late... caught up with the runners, well mostly walkers - dog walkers... and clocked in 47:53. It's 10 minutes over my PR. So do the math.

Well, the 20th Annual Presidential 5k is my last race for this year. I tried to find another race in December but no luck. But guess what... I already signed up for my first race in 2012. Isn't it awesome?