Red Rose Run recap

My goal is to add a few smaller races through the summer in order to help me with my speed. This past weekend I decided to run the Red Rose Run- a 5 mile race in Lancaster, PA. My running club was offering a discount so I signed up with them. This small race has been around for 38 years and had about 500 participants (or so I heard).

Expo:
Very small. With such a small race, the organizers had a table before the race at a plaza right in front of the starting line. There were a few tables of vendors. 

Race Day:
The race started at 8 am, but my alarm was set for 4:45 (ugh). My running club and I wanted enough time to get there, park, and get out packets. This meant I was eating breakfast and having my ritual pre-run drink three hours before the start. Not ideal. We ended up parking in the Prince Street parking garage which was right next to the starting and finishing line. It cost us $6 to park there for over 3 hours. There were 6 or 7 porta potties which had a huge line. We debated looking around for a store or mini market to go to, but at that hour nothing was open. It was predicted to be 62 at the start and 68 by the finish. A touch warm for my liking, but the course would be mostly shaded due to the tree lined streets and the park. 

Shortly before 8 am everyone finished up their warm ups and started to gather around the starting line.

My race:
I came into this race really only wanting to improve on my Hibiscus 5 miler time. The conditions were a little better- less humid, in the 60s, not as large of a hill to climb. Unfortunately I did not realize that this course was all hills. A minute before 8 am, my running club went up front and I went to the back. There are no corrals for a race of this size. You line up wherever you want, but since I knew I would be slow I made sure to stick to the back. It is really annoying when people who are slower are at the front clogging up the course for faster runners. 

ready to go!

The first mile and some was through downtown Lancaster. It was actually scenic going through tree lined streets with cute little shops.

About a mile and a half in we hit our first water station. The cups were filled really high. I had to actually stop to drink it and even then I couldn't finish. I never thought I'd actually complain about too much water.... Right before the 2 mile marker, we entered into the Lancaster County Park. 

Sadly this part did not last long and we were out back on a road around mile 3. We passed the same water station and hit mile 4. I heard there was a large hill around mile 4, but I never noticed it. The whole course was up and down so it was hard to narrow in on one hill being the 'big one.' I was excited since the clock at mile 4 read 44 minutes. I knew I was going to beat my Hibiscus time! Unfortunately my high did not last long. While going up a hill, an older guy on the course ran up next to me and said he was following me the whole race. He said I was slowing down and I guess tried to offer words of encouragement. 1) I was going up a hill. I tend to go slower up hills and faster down hills. 2) my mile 4 was faster than my average and my second fastest mile. So thanks old guy! Shortly before the last turn before the home stretch I saw my running club cheering me on. They sort of knew my situation so they understood I would be finishing a solid 20 minutes after them. The last part I had a nice talk with a 64 lady who was running. She was saying how she did half marathons and ever since she retired loves to do races. Hopefully I'll be able to keep running and racing into my 60s (and beyond). Crossed the line around 54 minutes and changed. Official time was posted: 53:55.8! Pace of 10:48 seconds which was a huge improvement on my 11:27 pace of the Hibiscus 5 miler. 

My Garmin and Nike Plus app were not too far off the official time.

oh Garmin how I missed you!

The finish area was in the same plaza. It included bananas, oranges, chips, water, green tea, and some juices. They were spread out in boxes in crates.

A band played the whole time and after the 5 milers were finished a kids mile (I think) run was done. Overall I was on a nice runners high from doing well and making good progress. 

The course:
Rolling hills. Like much of Pennsylvania, it was full of gently rolling hills. There were any bad hills but it felt like a constant roller coaster. I am not sure which I prefer- constant rolling hills or one large hill like the Hibiscus 5 miler. The course took you through downtown Lancaster then through Lancaster County Park.

There were clocks at each mile marker. Even though I had my Garmin (yea!), it was really helpful knowing about where I was and my time. There was one water station which you passed by twice. It was spread out enough that I felt the need to take water both times.

Final thoughts:
I probably would not do the race again unless I was really looking for a race to do. Maybe it's materialistic of me, but I like a finishers medal or at least something at the end. I like having something concrete to say hey you finished! The course however probably good training for races in the Mid Atlantic. It also was not too expensive- $25 which included a shirt. The race itself was pretty well run especially for being such a small race.


Next up: Maryland Women's Sprint Duathlon 

Running again :)

Last Monday, I had my 12 week checkup with my orthopedist. The x-rays confirmed that my bone healed properly. The new bone looked exactly like the old bone so I am all healed! (bone wise)

He said my pelvis will always be unsymmetrical which may or may not be an issue with a natural childbirth of a large baby. The only other lasting issue would be cycling. The one broken pubic bone now sticks out a bit which is exactly where I would be sitting on a bike. He suggested if it bothers me on long rides, get a well padded seat. The good news is that the unsymmetrical pelvis will not bother me or prevent me from doing sports or running. When asked about running, he said YES and to 'go crazy.' You should never tell a runner this ;)

My main PT was not working Tuesday so Wednesday I gave her the good news. She then said ok we'll try the treadmill today. I honestly thought I would move up to the elliptical or treadmill in the pool, but nope. Straight to the treadmill! I was nervous and excited. They started me out at 3.5 mph walking then they upped me to 5.2 mph (about 11:32 minute mile). I could not stop smiling. I felt rusty but otherwise good. I only ran for about 7 minutes but I was sweaty and huffing and puffing. It's amazing how much harder it is to run right now. Two PTs were watching my run (part of the same team that have been helping me) and said that I was very symmetrical. A worry was that my weakness in my right leg might have my limping while running or favoring my left leg. Luckily I did not have this issue. 

man this is way more difficult than it used to be

Friday I continued running on the treadmill by completed 1 mile (still at 5.2 mph). I felt great doing it so I planned on my first outdoor run this past weekend. Previously I refused to go less than 3 miles, now I was looking forward to 1.5 miles. With a chance of rain, I added to my lengthy process to get ready.

favorite running capris... check

Brooks waterproof jacket... check

Garmin 620... check

heart rate monitor... check

waterproof Nike Pegasus.... check

RoadId... check

plastic bag for my iphone (yep I'm high tech like that).... check

running cap... check

I was going part of a normal route for me and a really familiar way out of my neighborhood. My mind kept wanting me to go faster, but my legs would only go so fast. It was a weird surreal feeling. I can safely say it felt a lot better going faster than a walk. I would take forever to get to a mile walking, but in no time I was at a mile and decided to turn around. I knew I would be going 2 miles instead of the planned 1.5, but I felt great. One thing that did bother me were my allergies! Ugh Spring! At least the view was nice.

In the end, I was a bit sore. My muscles felt like they ran much further, but at least it didn't hurt! I noticed no pain or aggravation in my pelvis. Cardio wise, I could have kept going so that is another positive. I was not sure how fast I would be after my injury, but it seems like 11 1/2 minutes is what I will be around. I guess that is better than the 12 - 13 minute range I thought I might be in. 

My goal all along was to start running in May. I actually was ahead of my own schedule starting April 30th. Hal Higdon has a 30 week marathon training plan. 29 weeks puts me at November 23rd which is the Philadelphia Marathon. There is no way to tell if my muscles will get better fast enough to really be able to train. One thing I can try to train for is the Hibiscus 5 miler (vacation race!). Game plan: 3 mile long run this weekend and 4 miles next weekend. Add some 1 to 1.5 mile runs and cross training with the bike and elliptical.

Until next time...

Another race missed

Days like this are the toughest. Today I should have been participating in the Cherry Blossom 10 miler. I was really looking forward to this race. Enough so that I signed up to run it for charity and fronted most of the fundraising requirement. Due to my circumstances, the race organizers were kind enough to let me defer the race until next year. Today I needed a reminder of how far I have come.

(yep my Garmin recorded the accident)

Checked up on all of my gear I had during the accident. My Garmin and heartrate monitor have a few scratches but seem to be working. I had a handheld water bottle that is now somewhere in Mexico. My compression shorts had to be cut to get them off of me. My white tank top has black marks that are not washing out. I was most concerned about my Garmin 620. I had just bought it to train for this race and by far is the most expensive piece of running gear I own.

I cannot believe it has been 9 weeks already. This past week I walked a mile without hip pain. This is HUGE for me. I still have a goal of walking 6.4 miles for the New Jersey Half relay. Originally I was to run the half, but had to downgrade. My fall race scheduled is all booked up. I signed up for the Wineglass Half Marathon in Corning, NY. The finishers medal is made out of glass and the course is point-to-point (my first one!). 

(course picture is from wineglassmarathon.com. Spots still available!)

The race starts near Campbell, NY while marathoners start further up in Bath, NY. *If* I can train for the full marathon I will need to tack on 3 extra miles to the race for my 16 mile run. Do you do it before or after the race? I assume after since before you will be waiting in your corral. I am very much looking forward to getting the champagne bottle and wine glass that come with the kit. mmm wine :)

Injury update: The swelling in my foot has gone down considerably. I finally fit into shoes normally although I still have some pain in my calluses and top of my foot. My Achilles is stiff and has a weird bump it (no pain though). My lower back is still hurting regularly. Unfortunately it does not seem to like being at work for 10 hours straight. I get lightheaded a lot, like pressure in my sinuses. I thought it might be allergy related, but it feels different. My doctor thinks it might be from the accident and eventually might go away in a few months (um thanks). My hip still has some tenderness to touch. If I place my body on my right side in just the right spot it will hurt. The bone is still healing even though new bone has formed so I assume this will still need a few more weeks. My bruised/cracked/something was wrong rib is feeling significantly better this week. It hurt the most when I would lay down and now I don't even notice it. Like my pelvis, it took about 6 weeks to feel better. There are crazy things that happen during a trauma that you never think about. My toenails on my right foot are finally starting to grow again. They simply stopped growing for almost 2 months. The PT says it takes 6 weeks to gain muscle back. If I start the clock at the beginning of week 7 when I started to walk this puts me at the beginning of week 13 (or a full 12 weeks after being hit). I started noticing that my right leg muscles are feeling more firm but still soft compared to my left leg.


Side note: one thing I regret not putting in my previous blog post was the power of prayer. I prayed often while being in bed. I truly believe this helped me heal closer to the 6 week mark. My faith helped me put the accident behind me. I do not hold ill will towards the driver nor am I angry. I am simply focusing on getting better and appreciating how lucky I truly am. There are people in my life going through much worse illness than my fractured pelvis. All of my injuries will eventually heel and I will get back to normal. Just takes time.