Color Me Rad!

Almost 2 weeks ago I did my first color run, Color Me Rad.  It’s a 5K run (3.1 miles) and every kilometer they throw a different colored powder on you. 

http://www.colormerad.com/

So many people sign up that they have to assign you to a wave with waves departing every 20 minutes.  My cousin and I

 

were in the first wave, which started at 9:00.  My daughter and a friend didn’t go until 10:40.  Even though I was in the first wave, 9:00 is very late for me to be running.  I usually run at 6:00.  Oh well.  Can’t have everything go my way, can I?  :-)  They encourage you to wear white clothes so the color shows up better.  

 

We started with 500 other people and were off!  At kilometer 1 we got color thrown on us.  It’s colored cornstarch, which doesn’t taste very good if it gets in your mouth but won’t hurt you.  I don’t remember the order of the colors, but they had different delivery methods.  Sometimes it was thrown on us by hand from bulk boxes.  At one station it was mixed with water and sprayed on us from sprayers like pest control people use.  At another station they were using fire extinguishers to deliver the color!  

This run is just for fun and is not even timed.  I didn’t take my watch so I don’t know what my time was.  I’m sure it was a little slower than usual since I didn’t know the course and it was later in the morning and getting hot.  

This was my daughter’s first race.  Go Brianne!  (She's on the far right in the picture above and in the group one below.)  She didn’t time herself, either, but she did have fun.  The cornstarch messed with her breathing a little bit, but nothing serious.  

So at the beginning we had “ridiculously white shirts,” as the DJ called them, and by the end we had colorful shirts.  And pants, socks, shoes, skin, hair, etc. 

 

We met up with some friends afterward for a group picture. 

This run was fun, which is how they designed it to be, but I don’t think I’ll do another one.  It was more expensive than other 5Ks, it started late in the day, it was on Memorial Day weekend and that’s late to be running in Florida, and…um…I’ve moved beyond 5Ks. 

:-O 

Did I really just say that?  I run a 5K three times a week just in my normal training, I’ve already done one 10K and am training for another in less than a month, and I’m training for Ragnar, the 200-mile relay race.  This would be a good first race but I’m not a beginner anymore.

Here’s a bonus picture of someone’s shirt I saw and liked. 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm Getting There!

At the end of my last blog post I asked if you thought that next time I’d go 35 minutes in one direction before turning around. 

Raise your hand if you thought I would.  You win, because I did! 

I took the same course except for a little correction to start on the right street, on the north side of the park and not the south side.  Oops.  I think I still need to correct another part.  I run on the same side of the bridge out and back, but I think the actual course comes back on the other side.  My way takes safety into account but with vehicle traffic banned from the course they can do things a little differently on race day.  In my last post I had two pictures of the bridge that I couldn’t get side by side so you could see how big it is.  My friend Doug melded the two together for me so you can get a better idea of the length and height of this bridge I run twice two days a week.  Thanks, Doug!

I ran for 35 minutes, almost to the turnaround point for the actual race, then turned around and went back.  I ran for a total of 40 minutes, which is my usual running time, and then walked for 4 minutes.  I’m a little disappointed about that, but I started the race hungry and battled that all the way through.  I then ran some, walked a few more minutes, ran, walked, etc.  I walked for a total of probably 10 minutes.  I made sure I ran the entire bridge, though!  I have to earn the fun downhill and I do that by running the uphill. 

I traveled 2.7 miles in one direction and then back for a total of 5.4.  I’m getting there!  I know I may have to walk part of the distance on race day, and that’s okay.  I’d like to run the whole thing, but it’s okay if I don’t.  As long as I run the entire bridge both times, that is!  I finished the course in 1:13:54, which is about 13:30 per mile.  A little slower than I’d like but, again, that’s okay.  I’m running.  Period. 

I think I’m going to run the course again on Monday, so I’ll let you know how that goes.  Will I go 40 minutes in one direction?  If I continue to run the course twice a week and increase by 5 minutes each time, I can be running the entire thing by December 7.  When I think about that I get a nail-biting, I-don’t-know-about-this feeling like I probably had when I registered for my very first race without being able to run the whole thing at that time.  And that was an easy 3.1 miles!  Look how far God has brought me!  I did run the full distance about a week before race day, though, just like this will be (I hope). 

I know I need to eat a better meal the night before a long run.  I had a big lunch yesterday and a small supper, which is what I prefer in general (eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and supper like a pauper), but which doesn’t work too well when I’m pushing my body beyond its limits.  Live and learn. 

Okay, I interrupted composing this post to actually register for the race.  Exciting!  I have an exercise jar (actually a piggy bank) into which I put a dollar each time I run or otherwise exercise. 

I took $19 out of it to pay the fee.  I’m committed now! 

One of the songs on my playlist is the Veggie Tales song about knocking down the walls of Jericho that I adapted to my running:  “Keep running…and I will knock down that wall!  Keep running…and I am not gonna fall!  It’s plain to seeeeeee my God is very big, so keep running…I will be knocking down that wall!”  I think for this race I want friends or family members stationed somewhere along the route with a paper banner of a brick wall and the words “I Can’t” on it.  As I run by I’ll break through the banner!  That sounds like fun! 

Once again, my friend Doug came through for me.  I googled pictures of brick walls but don't know how to add words to an image.  I made a brick wall texture background in Word and added "I Can't" to it but it wouldn't copy to this blog.  I asked Doug for help and he sent me this picture.  Um, that's quite a wall, there, Doug.  Thank you. 

Stop Feeling Sorry For Myself

I walked a full 3.4 miles yesterday morning instead of just 1.2 like I’ve been doing.  I make a loop and go past my house at 1.2 miles and it’s so easy to just call it quits right there and say that 1.2 is better than nothing.  This morning it felt good to push beyond that and not even stop at 2.5 the next time I passed my house.  I did the full route. 

On the one hand I’m thankful I can still walk even if I can’t run.  On the other hand, I can’t believe how far back I’ve been pushed – to the point of having to talk myself into just walking the full distance.  I don’t understand the reason for this. 

My friend Dee, who is on her own weight loss journey http://networkedblogs.com/uVBVR left a comment on my previous post.  I was really feeling sorry for myself.  Then I took a break from working and saw her comment.  Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Michele!

Today I plan on walking on the Pinellas Trail and pushing my niece in the stroller while Brianne's in class.  Maybe tomorrow I'll try running again and see if I can go more than 4 steps. 

Day 5

This is the report for yesterday, which was day 5 and one-quarter of the way through this fast. 

I lost 1 more pound from the day before for a total of 6.6 from the beginning. 

I took a walk on the Pinellas Trail while Brianne was in class.  I didn't even attempt to run, knowing that would be asking too much of my body.  I walked for about 40 minutes and a distance of 2 miles.  I felt great!  I did have a little bit of ankle pain so I slowed my pace but otherwise was fine.  I made sure I had something to eat drink before and after and I took a 1-hour nap as soon as we got home. 

When I woke up that's when the hunger hit.  I think I overcompensated by drinking too much smoothie and broth for the next few hours.  I won't be doing any walking today and will do only 1 mile tomorrow. 

In other news, the top I wore yesterday is one I got when I was doing this fast the first time.  When I bought it it was too snug for me to feel comfortable, but it was only $5 and I knew I'd eventually fit into it.  Besides, it had strawberries on it!  I've worn it these last two years and I put it on yesterday too.  It's too big! 

It drapes like a maternity top so I won't be wearing it again!  Time to make it into a pillow. 

Speaking of time, it's time to get today started and make it better than yesterday.  See you tomorrow.

Do it anyway!

I walked/jogged my usual 3 miles with increase on Monday when Brandice came over.  Yesterday I could do only 1-1/2 miles.  I just wimped out and plain didn't want to.  I'm feeling sluggish this week.  Today I didn't want to do it either, but I knew how important it was that I do since I didn't do the whole thing yesterday.  I told myself that at the very least I would walk the whole 3 miles.  I ended up doing my usual walking and jogging +70 steps, right on schedule!  Thank You, God!  I feel so much better than I would if I'd taken the easy way out.  Physically I'm tired, as usual. Spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, though...ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!  Victory!