Wordless Wednesday: OUC Half Race Photos

I love these race photos. You can tell I was having a blast in every single one of them. Not a single grimace amongst them :) I love that I am making the sign language symbol for "I love you" in the 4th photo.

Race Report: Iron Girl Half Marathon

I had low expectations for my performance going into this race, because my foot had been bothering me and I took a week off from running prior to the race, so my main goal was to have fun. I accomplished that and surprised myself a bit considering the course and weather I had to deal with.

Pre-Race: The race was in Clearwater, about 2 hours away, so we stayed with a friend at Land O' Lakes, which is only 1 hour away from the race start.  I woke up at 4 am and went about my pre-race routine. It was going to be a hot and humid day, and I was running in a sleeveless shirt, so I generously applied bodyglide everywhere. I also redid some of the KT tape on my right foot. Grabbed a banana to eat later, packed the car, and were on the road by 5 am.

The Outfit: For my race outfit, I wore the team sparkle traveling skirt, with Skirt Sports shorties underneath, a C9 black tech tank top and run love bondi band. I skipped the knee high socks because I knew I'd get too hot, and I'm really glad I did. I wore my Amphipod hydration belt to carry my iPhone, which got really hot after a while. I opted not to bring any of the water bottles since the course had plenty of water stops, but I wish I had because it was so hot. The skirt is adorable, but the tag kept scratching me until it finally dawned on me to flip the elastic band over. I'm not sure if I'd wear one of these again, but it was perfect for this race and it got a ton of compliments from volunteers, spectators, and fellow racers.

Parking/Race Start: The race started at 7 am, but I had to take a shuttle from Downtown Clearwater to Clearwater Beach no later than 6:15 am. We arrived at one of the parking lots at 5:50. Jason dropped me off to get in line for the shuttle while he parked the car and unloaded his bike; he biked the course and took photos while I ran. The line was super long, but I made onto the shuttle before 6:15 and arrived at the start line with plenty of time. I ate my banana while I waited for the shuttle, and when I got to the beach got in line for the potty. There were plenty of them, but still long lines. I made it out and onto the start line with 2 minutes to spare.

Course: The course was very scenic with 3 bridge crossings and rolling hills throughout. You can see the course and my splits at http://j.mp/hhlVIU. I ran into Kathy and Martha at the start, and we ran together enjoying the gorgeous scenery and music for the first 4 miles but I was feeling really good and pulled ahead around mile 5. Not wanting to overdo it and make my foot worse, I ran with 2/1 intervals for the first half of the race, and walked up every bridge / significant hill and through the water stops. I saw Jason around mile 3, then he disappeared for a while when he decided to return to the car to get the real camera because the iPhone wasn't cutting it. The water stops were frequent and well stocked with water, gatorade, granola bars, and fruit snacks! They also had powerbar gels at mile 8; I brought my own, but took some for later use just in case.

The heat and the hills made this race really tough, and my knee started hurting along with my foot. I don't think they appreciated the bridges/hills and I really should have run in new shoes but didn't have the time to break them in before the race. Despite the pain in my foot and knee, I was feeling really strong but the stop and go from the run/walk made it worse, so around mile 8 I abandoned my run intervals and just ran as much as I could only walking for a few minutes at every mile marker or water stop (every 1/2 - 1 mile) and up the last bridge.

Geocaching: Since I knew I wasn't going to PR at this race, I wanted to make the most fun out of it. I saw that there were several Geocaches along the course route, so I told Jason to find one and lead me in the right direction so I could find it during the race and continue my streak. I noticed his bike helmet bobbing up and down behind some bushes before mile marker 10, but he had not found it yet, so I kept going. He gave up and biked ahead in search of another one.

At the top of the last bridge, just before mile marker 12, I saw Jason with his camera straddling the concrete wall that separated the sidewalk from the road. Some runners were running on the road while others were on the sidewalk. Luckily I had chosen to walk up the bridge on the sidewalk because unbeknownst to me Jason had posted for me to get on the sidewalk because he found a cache on the bridge. As I passed him, he mentioned it and pointed in it's general direction. I stopped, quickly found it and it totally made my day! I handed it to him to sign for me while I finished the race, gave him a kiss, and ran the rest of the way to the final water stop and then onto the finish line. I really wish I had thought of having him taking a pic of me with it, but I was focused on finishing the race and getting out of the hot sun as quickly as possible.

Finish and Post Race: As I neared the finish line, I saw Jason taking pictures and cheering me on. I was hurting, but I gave it my all and sprinted as best I could across the finish line as the announcer called out my name -- LOVE THAT!

I was in a bit of a daze, but got my chip removed, grabbed some water and my medal, then found Jason. We waited to see Penny finish and then headed to get some food and put my name on the wait list for a massage. The list was super long, so we pulled some chairs in the shade and ate our food. The food was just ok.

Since it would be a while before my name was called for a massage, I found the medical tent to get some ice for my knee. I was so tired and hot that was about ready to give up on the massage, so Jason offered to bike back to the car and come pick us up so we would not have to wait in line for the shuttle. This turned out to be a blessing as the lines were super long and with no shade. While Jason got the car, they called our names for the massage and it was wonderful! The lady finished with my massage (legs and feet!) just as Jason pulled up to pick us up. We all piled onto my car and got real cozy, then had a little photo shoot when we got back to the parking lot. See all the crazy photos.

After the photo shoot, I changed out of my sweaty clothes, put on my calf sleeves, and got ready for our 2 hour drive home. We stopped at Perkins to refuel, then took a nap when we got home before meeting my parents for dinner to celebrate my Dad's birthday. After dinner, we all visited my sister to get some baby squeezing time. :) Bella is just about the most adorable baby girl, even though she is so grown up. They put some music on and she was just spinning and falling over saying "woah" Too hilarious!

Final Thoughts: Despite the challenges I faced during this race, I really enjoyed it. There is something a little bit magical about running an all women's race. Everyone is there to have fun and the enthusiasm is contagious. I would certainly consider doing this race again, but I really wish they would change the date to March when is not as scolding hot and I'd need to train better for the hills :)

Iron Girl Half Marathon Highlights

I don't have the mental energy to write a full race report, so here are the highlights (the good parts) of my 9th half marathon. I'll try to get the full report posted tomorrow.

• Gorgeous course w/music near the water stops every 1.5 - 2 miles
• Running with friends and hanging out after the race
• Fruit snacks at water stops! Yum! :)
• Continued my geocaching streak -- Yes, I found a cache DURING the race LOL! (with Jason's help)
• Jason is the best support crew/paparazzi =) 
• Hearing my name over the speaker as I crossed the finish line strong 
• Free post-race massage
• It wasn't a personal worse! :) Official Stats = 2:42:16 @12:23 m/m; 1131 / 1628 overall; 209/279 in age group 
• Post race photo shoot =) (click photo to enlarge)

More Race Photos 

Three Things Thursday: Bike Camping, Watermelon 5K, Week 26

I've been a blogging slacker, among other things, so I'm going to use this Three Things Thursday post to catch up, in reverse.


#1 - Slow Week / Bike Camping 

This has been a slow week so far, exercise-wise. I had Monday off and I did absolutely nothing, other than walk to Publix for what I'm sure was junk food. Then I called in sick on Tuesday and Wednesday, which also meant no biking. I could have, and should have, done some yoga, but I instead got distracted resting and playing with my new iPhone 4 -- it was a much needed upgraded from my original iPhone!

I seem to have developed plantar fasciitis (boo!) so I've not been doing any speed work and trying to take it easy on the runs I do. It's not too bad yet, but I don't want to make it worse. While I do want to work on speed this year, it is more important that I stay strong and healthy and make it to the start line of the full and half marathons I have planned. I need to keep reminding myself of this over and over =P I got a night splint and that has been helping, but it's still lingering.

So far I've gotten both runs in this week, shorter than usual, and I expect to make up for the lack of exercise this weekend. I've got a 12 mile run scheduled for Saturday, then we are going camping at Blue Springs by bike, which means 40+ miles each way. Jason will be hauling all our gear in the bike trailer. This ought to be interesting :)

#2 - Watermelon 5k Race Report

On Sunday I ran the Watermelon 5k with my parents. We wore matching shirts that I made us and had a blast. Jason volunteered instead of running it. The humidity was insane, and the race is pretty crowded, so there were no attempts at a PR; I just wanted to have fun. Dad lined up a little bit ahead of us and because of the heat/crowds finished in over 30 minutes for the first time ever (lol). I stayed with mom the whole time and took photos and video of us as we ran. It was a blast and nice not to feel pressured to run fast. I'm sure my foot appreciated it too.

See all photos and videos on flickr

#3 - Week 26 Recap

Week Totals (rounded)

• run - 15 miles
• walk - 11 miles
• bike - 68 miles
• total - 94 miles / 12.5 hours

Workout Summary
See details on Dailymile

• Monday - biked 29 miles (roundtrip to work)
• Tuesday - ran 4 miles (hills); walked 2 miles (bus stop)
• Wednesday - biked 29 miles (roundtrip to work)
• Thursday - ran 2.5 miles (easy; plantar fasciitis); walked 2.5 miles (bus stop)
• Friday - walked 3.5 miles (bus stop + cvs)
• Saturday - ran 5 miles; walked 3 miles (errands, etc)
• Sunday - ran watermelon 5k; biked 9 miles (roundtrip to race + publix)

Race Report: UCF Adventure Race 2010

"Duck Duck Goose" before the race


Adventure Racing 101


high ropes course


zip line at end of ropes course


getting our barings


check point


carrying the canoe


our egg survived the race!


Duck Duck Goose is done!

This was certainly an adventure! =) It forced me to go outside my comfort zone a bit, but I got through it in one piece. I'm very proud that we finished the entire course with all check points before the cut-off. There was a 4 hour time limit, after which you'd start losing check points. After 4 1/2 hours, you were disqualified. We finished in under 4 hours, and were not last! Yay! :)  (I'll update when official results are posted later next week.)

Pre Race
We had nice weather, cool and no rain, but the wind was fierce. This made everything far more difficult. Many teams were running late, so we got a late start, but that was fine because the sun was out by then. They had a little Adventure Racing 101 session to teach newbies (us) the basics. There are 2 rules in adventure racing: (1) race your own race, aka don't follow other teams who are probably going the wrong way; (2) if you don't have it, you don't need it -- we were required to have a helmet while on the bike, and a life vest while on the canoe. The rest of the gear (map, compas, water) was helpful, but you could still race without them.

Race Details
The race had 4 legs that each of the 40 teams completed in different order to spread out the field: trekking, cycling, challenge course, canoeing. Each leg began at the Reflection Pond, where you got instructions and the team passport for that leg. Following the instructions given, we made our way through the course to various checkpoints where we punched our passport. After we finished each leg, we returned to the Reflection Pond for the next passport. The first leg was assigned at random, then you got to choose the order in which to do the rest. We also had to carry a raw egg (some teams had to carry a water balloon) through the entire race with us, and got 2 minutes deducted off our final time if it was still intact when we finished.

Leg 1 - Trekking
We rode our bikes to the Observatory, dropped them off, and followed some trails to find 5 check points. As soon as we got there, we had to go off-road a bit to the check point station and show them our egg before beginning the trek. I fell off my bike and got all muddy right away, but was able to go on. Doug was not so lucky---a stick got tangled in his bike and broke his derailleur hanger, so he walked the bike back to the car and met us at Leg 2.

This leg was a bit frustrating for me because I can't run as fast as Jason for as long, so I was always trailing behind and he found most of the check points on his own. But I didn't give up and tried to run as much as I could.

Leg 2 - Challenge Ropes Course
After biking back to the Reflection Pond and getting our 2nd passport, we made our way to the ropes course and met up with Doug. This leg consisted of 5 check points, a "gear challenge," and the high ropes course.  We had to complete the "gear challenge" before gaining access to the ropes course.

The gear challenge consisted of our entire team making it across the "water" (marked area on the ground) by only stepping on 5 discs and carrying the egg, which could not come in direct contact with any of us so we had to hold it between 2 pieces of foam. The 5 discs had to always be in contact with one of us, or we'd lose it. We got into the groove quickly and made it through in no time.

We then had to put on a helmet and figure out, without any help from the staff, how to get the harness on and tie the ropes with hooks to it (I don't know all the technical terms). Once we did that, they checked it was done properly and let us onto the ropes course. The first part of the course was a huge cargo net. I started off well, but the higher I went the more anxious I got.

Once I made it to the top of the net, I fell apart. My brain could not comprehend how I could possibly not fall while standing on tiny cables. I froze and had to pull myself together before going on. With the help of my team mates, and hanging onto the ropes for dear life, I made it through the first section.

I was still a bit apprehensive as we moved along to the other 3 sections. However, since I had conquered the first one without dying, I felt more comfortable and confident I could do this. I got through the others 3 sections a bit quicker, mainly because I wanted to get it over with, but not without ample screaming =P Oh yeah, did I mention the ridiculous cross winds that made this even more terrifying? 

The last section was a zip line to lower us to the ground. That was fun and not as scary as it looked. (See video.) We forgot we were in a race for a moment, but quickly got back into it and found the 5 check points with little trouble.

Leg 3 - Biking
Jason and I rode back the Reflection pond and completed this leg without Doug, who walked backed to Lake Claire to wait for us to return to complete the last leg with us. This leg was not very challenging, except that biking into the wind sucked. It seemed that no matter which direction were rode, we had a headwind. After we found the 4 check points, I rode back to Lake Claire to wait with Doug while Jason rode back to the Reflection Pond to retrieve our last passport.

Leg 4 - Canoeing
When Jason got back, we grabbed life vests and 2 paddles, then walked over a bit to pick up the canoe, and the boys carried it to the dock. There was a check point along the trail way, then we had to canoe around Lake Claire for the other 4 check points. The wind was insane, making it very difficult to paddle. The boys paddled, and I manned the map/passport and prayed we wouldn't tip over. After getting all the punches, we had to return the canoe and tie it back up before getting the final punch. Jason returned to the Reflection Pond to drop off our last passport, then return to "cross the finish line" at 12:34 p.m.

Post-Race
After we checked in and showed that our egg was intact, they recorded our finish time, we filled out some feedback forms, got a raffle ticket and a t-shirt, then ate some yummy Qdoba (chicken, beans, salad and chips). We hung around after lunch for the awards and raffle, then headed home.

I had a lot of fun and would consider doing this race again next year, but maybe I'll put together an all girl team. I felt a little bad because I know I was holding Jason back during the race, and he had to work a lot harder than us, but we made it through without killing each other; I call that progress :) So what's next? Stay tuned to find out =P

View more race photos and videos on Flickr.

Official Race Pics - Race for the Taste 10K

(EDIT: View all race photos at my Race for the Taste Flickr Set)

Some great action shots of all of us at the race:

me - http://is.gd/4bFA
dad - http://is.gd/4bFH
jason - http://is.gd/4bFJ
tim - http://is.gd/4bGh
chas - http://is.gd/4bGq
bob - http://is.gd/4bGc

A few highlights:

Race for the Taste Pics

Jason's step mom took pictures at the race and they are now up on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9305003@N04/sets/72157608003124517/detail/

Here are a few highlights, but most are best viewed large:

The racers: Tim, Chas, Dad, Bob (Jason's Dad), Jason, Me


Me crossing the finish line, flanked by Jason's dad on the left and my dad somewhere off-camera. I love how both my feet are airborne!


Dad crossing the finish line


Jason crossing the finish line, flanked by his dad on the right


Mom and Dad after the race -- he looks so fresh and happy!