The Great Pumpkin Classic 5K (October 20th, 2013) – This run had the potential to be one of my all-time favorite 5K’s. Perfect time of the year and in the best town… my town! The only problem was that I was not ready to run, given
the condition of my knee. I went back and forth all week. Should I risk it and run the race? My final answer ended up being no. 3.1 miles around my block was not worth the potential end to my running career. Besides, these 3.1 miles are miles I do regularly!
While I was sad, I was happy at the same time. Carolyn was running the race! AND the race ran right past my house. PERFECT!
The morning of, Skylar (my niece), and I woke up early to make sure we were standing outside of my house at 10:00 am. At 10:03 the first runners ran past my house. Sky was in awe. At four years old she knows I run, and she knows what running is, but she had never seen a road race before. The normally energetic, loud, bubbly, happy four year old was just standing there staring. She was not even able to clap. Seeing these runners was blowing her mind.
We watched about a hundred people run by. One girl was only five years old! How AMAZING is that? A few minutes in we saw Carolyn! She ran right up to my house and asked Skylar and I for high fives. Skylar was so happy! We had just seen Carolyn!!
Once the last runner ran past my house, Sky and I ran inside, changed out of our PJ’s and walked down to the high school. Sky was so excited. She thought we were going running! I had to let her know unfortunately we were not running today, but next weekend we could run together.
As we were approaching the high school we could already see the runners coming in. Skylar and I had a small conversation that went like this:
Skylar: “The winners get trophies right?”
Me: “Only the first place winner gets a trophy.”
Skylar: “I think Carolyn will get a trophy.”
Although Carolyn did not get a trophy, Sky and I did see her sprint in. And yes, she did SPRINT in!
Sky loves Carolyn like family and was so happy to see her run. This morning ended up being better than I had originally anticipated. Great job Carolyn! Next year the three of us can do this run together!
the condition of my knee. I went back and forth all week. Should I risk it and run the race? My final answer ended up being no. 3.1 miles around my block was not worth the potential end to my running career. Besides, these 3.1 miles are miles I do regularly!
While I was sad, I was happy at the same time. Carolyn was running the race! AND the race ran right past my house. PERFECT!
The morning of, Skylar (my niece), and I woke up early to make sure we were standing outside of my house at 10:00 am. At 10:03 the first runners ran past my house. Sky was in awe. At four years old she knows I run, and she knows what running is, but she had never seen a road race before. The normally energetic, loud, bubbly, happy four year old was just standing there staring. She was not even able to clap. Seeing these runners was blowing her mind.
We watched about a hundred people run by. One girl was only five years old! How AMAZING is that? A few minutes in we saw Carolyn! She ran right up to my house and asked Skylar and I for high fives. Skylar was so happy! We had just seen Carolyn!!
Once the last runner ran past my house, Sky and I ran inside, changed out of our PJ’s and walked down to the high school. Sky was so excited. She thought we were going running! I had to let her know unfortunately we were not running today, but next weekend we could run together.
As we were approaching the high school we could already see the runners coming in. Skylar and I had a small conversation that went like this:
Skylar: “The winners get trophies right?”
Me: “Only the first place winner gets a trophy.”
Skylar: “I think Carolyn will get a trophy.”
Although Carolyn did not get a trophy, Sky and I did see her sprint in. And yes, she did SPRINT in!
Sky loves Carolyn like family and was so happy to see her run. This morning ended up being better than I had originally anticipated. Great job Carolyn! Next year the three of us can do this run together!
Daisy Trick or Trot 5K (October 26, 2013) – I have said it once and I will say it again. I love 5K's. I had not run a 5K in so long, that I forgot how good it felt to hear“Half way through,” at mile 1.5. I love 5K’s. I love 5K’s. I love 5K’s.
The night before this 5K I thought it would be a good idea to go out for a Halloween event with my friends. I had spent months and months sacrificing for my runs. This weekend I wanted to try doing it all.
Fast forward to Saturday morning. I had a lot of fun the night before, yes … but I was SO exhausted Saturday morning!! I laid in bed feeling sorry for myself, only getting up when I received a text from Carolyn saying she
was two minutes away. I quickly brushed my teeth, got dressed, & ran out. Although I was tired, the second I got to the race I felt so happy! I just love race day environments. This one was extra fun because everyone was dressed in a Halloween costume (I was Buzz Lightyear) and they had fun activities going on. It was also a bonus that Ryan was running it too. Running with two of my best friends on a beautiful fall day. This was a great way to start my day. Lesson I learned this race: I can hang out and run!
The night before this 5K I thought it would be a good idea to go out for a Halloween event with my friends. I had spent months and months sacrificing for my runs. This weekend I wanted to try doing it all.
Fast forward to Saturday morning. I had a lot of fun the night before, yes … but I was SO exhausted Saturday morning!! I laid in bed feeling sorry for myself, only getting up when I received a text from Carolyn saying she
was two minutes away. I quickly brushed my teeth, got dressed, & ran out. Although I was tired, the second I got to the race I felt so happy! I just love race day environments. This one was extra fun because everyone was dressed in a Halloween costume (I was Buzz Lightyear) and they had fun activities going on. It was also a bonus that Ryan was running it too. Running with two of my best friends on a beautiful fall day. This was a great way to start my day. Lesson I learned this race: I can hang out and run!
For a second I felt so sad that I was unable to bring my niece because I know she would have had so much fun. But I had no one to watch her while I ran. I cannot wait until next year. I will definitely be bringing her to all of the fun Halloween runs!
This race was my first time running at all since the Hartford Marathon. The day before I had gone to an orthopedic doctor to discuss my knee injury. He told me that I have an ulcer behind my knee cap, but that I did not need to stop running. He told me to try running in moderation, but I quickly reminded him that there is no such thing as running in moderation when you are training for a marathon. He laughed and suggested physical therapy. So I will begin that this week or next! (With all of this said – if my knee hurts above the norm while running I, of course, will take it slow. I do not want to cause a lifelong injury!)
Due to the fact that it was my first time running since my injury, I was nervous. Would it hurt? What if I wasn’t able to run all 3.1 miles? Luckily, that was all I was able to ask myself before the run started! I know that Carolyn has been dying to PR, so it was my goal to help her run. It was a win win for both of us because I was running at a pace that would moderately get me back into running and she had someone to give her that extra push to PR.
The race was a big loop. A good part of the first mile was down hill, a portion of the second mile we went down one side of the road, turned around and ran on the other side of the same road (brought back Hartford memories). A house had a huge sign on their lawn that read “Run Hard Toenails are Overrated.” PERFECT for me. For those who don’t know, my toenails are pretty messed up from running.
This race was my first time running at all since the Hartford Marathon. The day before I had gone to an orthopedic doctor to discuss my knee injury. He told me that I have an ulcer behind my knee cap, but that I did not need to stop running. He told me to try running in moderation, but I quickly reminded him that there is no such thing as running in moderation when you are training for a marathon. He laughed and suggested physical therapy. So I will begin that this week or next! (With all of this said – if my knee hurts above the norm while running I, of course, will take it slow. I do not want to cause a lifelong injury!)
Due to the fact that it was my first time running since my injury, I was nervous. Would it hurt? What if I wasn’t able to run all 3.1 miles? Luckily, that was all I was able to ask myself before the run started! I know that Carolyn has been dying to PR, so it was my goal to help her run. It was a win win for both of us because I was running at a pace that would moderately get me back into running and she had someone to give her that extra push to PR.
The race was a big loop. A good part of the first mile was down hill, a portion of the second mile we went down one side of the road, turned around and ran on the other side of the same road (brought back Hartford memories). A house had a huge sign on their lawn that read “Run Hard Toenails are Overrated.” PERFECT for me. For those who don’t know, my toenails are pretty messed up from running.
Since the race was a loop, and the first mile was downhill, that meant that the third mile was mostly up hill. Like I’ve said before – I really like hills so this was great for me. The last quarter of a mile was all up hill. Carolyn had not been feeling well and the hill at the end left her tired, but I was determined to have her PR! So, when she thought her lungs were going to collapse (her exact words) I grabbed her hand and helped her run as fast as she could to the finish line.
She ended up PR’ing by ONE second. But hey, a PR is a PR – right? :)
She ended up PR’ing by ONE second. But hey, a PR is a PR – right? :)