Friday Five: Olympic Edition

It’s that time again and we are here to take note of the five things that are helping us to ring in the weekend!

Olympics – Duh! The Olympics start today and it’s all anyone can talk about. The conditions in Rio may be a bit unnerving, what with zika and contaminated water and all, but it still encourages a sense of pride seeing fellow Americans compete at the top of their game in a global field. USA! USA! USA!

will ferrell usa

Oiselle Lori Shorts – To celebrate the Olympics I’ll be wearing my new Oiselle Lori Shorts in Podium Blue Paint Brush print. I love these shorts. They aren’t too poofy, have pockets and a neat design. P.S. They’re on sale!!

lori_shorts_blue_print_f_5

Runhers Discount – If watching top athletes bust a move during the Olympics incites courage and motivation in you to run your own race, well you’re in luck! You can now run the Spirit of Survival race for 10% less. Runhers Norman graciously posted a discount code for Spirit of Survival. To get 10% off registration for any of the Spirit of Survival races use discount code RUNHR.

deal

Bad Moms – I’m going to see this movie this weekend and am freaking excited. Between Bad Moms and the Olympics, my weekend is set!

Bad-Moms-Banner-Poster

Vacuum dog – I’m obsessed with this dog. Number one, he isn’t afraid of the vacuum. Number two, just think of all the time you would save of having to sweep up the house if your dog would just let you vacuum them. Secret confession: my house is covered in dog fur.

 

Go Girl Run Oklahoma City 2016 – Race Recap

You guys! I’m gonna get real with you for a minute. I run/train a lot. I’ve been training consistently for half marathons for over a year now. The Go Girl Half Marathon in OKC was going to be my break through race where I finally complete the race in under 2:10. But I freaking failed. Hard.

With as much as I run, I’m embarrassed by my failure. Yes, my training over the past few months has completely sucked. I started a new job and am just now finding my rhythm of working full time, training, parenting, and wifing; so yeah, my schedule has been off. And my IT Band has really been acting up. I can’t seem to find shoes that I feel comfortable in and my training runs have been painful. Lately, my relationship with running has been a struggle. Despite all that, I continued with an altered version of my training plan to allow for my IT Band to rest.  I was determined this Spring racing season would be when I finally get closer to the 2:00 Half Marathon.

Go Girl Run Starting Line

I was mentally prepared  for the the Go Girl Run. Because my training had been off and I wasn’t in top physical shape, I knew my mental game had to be top notch. And actually, my race started off great. I was able to eat a fraction of a bagel (eating always upsets the ole tum tum before a race), drink a bit of water, and use a restroom with indoor plumbing before the race (no one likes port-a-pottys). The temps were chilly but not too bad. It was a smallish race so the starting line was manageable. The race started in the dark and I couldn’t tell you where we ran because I was just following the person in front of me. I wasn’t able to keep a consistent pace at first because I have a difficult time seeing in the dark. A women in front of me tripped on the road and fell hard so I’m certain I’m not the only one that has difficulty running in the dark. By mile two I fell into a nice pace that was challenging but still felt “good”. Before I knew it, I had reached mile four and the game plan was to just maintain current pace/effort for the next four miles.

I ROCKED the steady pace portion of my run! I hit the half way point with a time of 1:01 and a split pace of 9:22. I was right on target and hitting my goal pace like it was my freaking job. I was going to do it! I was going to get below 2:10.

I drank a little water and took in a bit of fuel. Then mile 8 happened. I just can’t seem to get past the affliction that is MILE 8.  At this point the 22 mph wind made it feel like I was dragging a piano behind me. This is the point that sharp pains shooting through my knee were all I could think about (due to IT Band). This is the point where the wheels straight fell off and sent me crashing into a pile of self pity and despair.  I had to stop several times to stretch out my leg and walk to alleviate the pain in my knee. By mile 12 the pain was so bad I contemplated not finishing. But I did and I’m glad I did.

IMG_6996

My overall average pace ended up 10:08 and a final time of 2:12:40. No PR for me. [sad music] UGH! I JUST WANT TO GET FASTER!  HOW DO I GET FASTER?!!?

But my lack of preparation and poor performance didn’t mean the entire event was a bust. I wanted to make the best of this well organized, fun race celebrating women. So that’s just what I did. Nebraska Brewing Company was there serving up delicious microbrew beers. I tried their strawberry brew and it was perfection in a plastic cup.  They also had a tent where you can have a custom t-shirt made so of course I had to have a Run Oklahoma shirt made. It’s kind of my favorite thing from the race. I met up with old friends and made new friends. I also got to celebrate in a friend’s first ever half marathon.  Hopefully I can take the things I learned from this race and crush my goals at the next one.