Skip to main content

She Runs LA

EVENT: She Runs LA
DATE: Wed-Thu, April 27/28, 2011
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA (more like Pasadena, CA)
RACE BEGAN: 6:33 AM
FINISH TIME: 01:06:24

After yesterday's very long and stressful day, I kind of cringed when I realized that I had only a 24-hour window (4 PM April 27th - 4 PM April 28th) to complete the Nike She Runs LA virtual 10k.  I had a promo code from Run Eat Repeat, so I signed up and had the tank mailed to me.  I finally got the tank yesterday evening, along with tickets to the post-race event at the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles.  I had indicated I wouldn't be going, but I wound up with tickets anyway.  Unfortunately, I am going out of town tomorrow, so I won't be attending the after-party.

Since Fargo Marathon is in a few weeks, I also needed to get a 20-miler in, so I thought I would run 6.2 + 13.8 miles this morning and kill two birds with one stone.

Unfortunately, lately, my "throwing" has been a bit off.  The power was out at my house all last night.  I had to stay at school late to meet with my chair, so as I got home, it was getting dark, and dinner was kind of out of the question.  I had a slice of orange and mango that was sitting on the table.  Along with being too exhausted to be hungry, things just weren't going my way.  But it was actually one of the best nights I can remember -- imagine my parents, myself, my little sister, and pup sitting around in the living room with flashlights until bedtime.  It was weird, but actually pretty cool because I got to invite my parents to my graduation and explain to them this whole crazy process I just went through.

I guess I was still on an adrenaline high, because I slept very poorly that night in spite of being exhausted.  I had plugged in my Garmin, hoping the power would come back on sometime during the night and charge it enough for 3+ hours of running.


Needless to say, I woke up hungry, tired, headache-y, and unmotivated.  But I took to the streets, anyway, with salt tablets and gels on hand.  I trudged through 3 hilly miles when I realized that 20 miles just wasn't happening, and even the 10k I needed to do would be a challenge.  The bright sun already started beating on my back, and my legs felt weak. 

That's when I decided to start taking walk breaks.  And actually, it felt really nice, with the cool morning breeze countering the sun.  So I ran the easy parts and walked the other parts.  There was no shame in it... I felt that I needed a break from pushing myself.  I just didn't want to DNF (did not finish), even in a virtual race. 

And while I didn't do the remaining 13.8, I did cover a total of 7.5 miles, which was good enough for me.  I haven't figured out how I will make up for a lack of a 20-miler in preparation for my marathon in 3-ish weeks, but I am going out of town this weekend and have another hectic week next week.  So maybe I can wing it?  I'm sure I'll be up for more long runs later, but I am missing my window of opportunity to safely do the 20-miler, and in a way, I'm okay with that.  Maybe less is more when it comes to training for this marathon, since I just did one two months ago and reached a peak of 16 miles since then. *excuses*


Since my Nike+ thing wouldn't find the sensor (I haven't used it in quite a while), I was happy I had a backup measure!

Comments

  1. Wait you never emailed me the code. That tank is super cute. :(

    ReplyDelete
  2. cute tank and great job getting out there, when you werent feeling it

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sorry about the tough run. Congrats on the finish! I love that top.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good luck in your final preparations for Fargo. It was barely 40 degrees here in MN today, and we had snow flurries this morning, so I hope the weather improves by the time you get to the upper Midwest! :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Giveaway Winner! -- Sony W Series MP3 Player (Update)

Updated Post: 3/20/11 As promised, here are the Sony W Series giveaway winners: -- both have been contacted and prizes sent -- Please e-mail me at (Gmail) Nobel4Lit2 with your addresses, and I'll ship out the units soon! Thanks to everyone who entered.  Stay tuned for another giveaway soon (maybe later this week)! (Note: I ended up putting everyone's retweets starting after the comments when it came to numbering the entries.) Original Post: 3/10/11 Sunday, March 20 2011, the day I will run LA Marathon for the 4th time (and embark on my 8th 26.2 journey overall), will also be very special because it will mark the 5th year since I did my FIRST training run with the intention of running a marathon.  (Check out that life-changing post HERE ). Yep, on March 20, 2006, I went to the track and ran my first 3.25 miles with the dreams of marathon glory (or even half-marathon glory). I think it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.  I was a sprint/track

Sharkies Prize Pack (giveaway)

It's giveaway time! On a long run recently, I took a couple packs of Sharkies Organic Sports Chews  with me to keep me going on a hot day.  I got through those 15 miles  eating these, versus normal gels.  I've been opting to eat chews over gels in my running nowadays because I just find them more palatable and easier on my stomach for some reason.  Plus, they do pack a few more calories, which is a good thing in this case. I normally associate cute little chews with candy, but these actually contain natural electrolytes.  Plus, they were light to carry and very tasty, too!  Each pack is about 140 calories.  The only downside I found to the sport chews is that they stuck to my teeth a tiny bit more than my normal choices, and the packaging gave me a fight at times.  This could easily be solved by conslidating them into a baggie pre-run, or eating them BEFORE running would be much easier than during. Want to win the prize pack below?  It comes with these Sport Chews, a neat

Rebecca Michaels Performance Clothing (Giveaway)

UPDATE: 6/21/12 -- This giveaway is closed, and the winner is #43, Jacqueline!!  I will contact you, but if you miss it, please e-mail me! ------ I'd like to credit in advance "The Ukrainian" who helped me stage some photos for this post. =) Perhaps because I don't dress well when working out, I was offered the opportunity to try some fun pieces from the Rebecca Michaels summer collection. Since I complained about my issues with headbands staying on my head, I also got to try their Violet Love headbands.  "The Ukrainian" didn't hesitate in throwing one on, and I think he said he looks like Rambo in it. Anyway, I'll start with my experience with the headbands .  They are very soft and actually look SUPER cute on!  They also cover a large portion of the top of your head, so those little fly-aways don't come drooping down.  Or is that just me?  My hair is normally cut in layers, so I do experience this quite a bit. Unfortun