Crazy Running Legs

Living life in moderation...one run at a time

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Shark Bite Half Marathon {Race Recap}

January 18, 2016 by Michelle 5 Comments

I’ve written extensively about losing my mojo and speed, so I’m just going to spoil this recap by sharing that I finally feel like I’M BACK — well, I finally finished a sub-2 half again. It’s just one race, but this race definitely gave me the confidence to keep pushing. And believe me – I had to push for this finish! But, I’m getting ahead of myself…

So, the race. Yesterday I ran the Shark Bite Half Marathon — my 25th (!) half. It was the Inaugural year and they did a fantastic job!

The start was set for 7:30am. However, bad weather and tornado watches postponed it to 8 — and then to 9:30. The RD and the Shark Bite team wanted to ensure that everyone could arrive at the race safely (the storms passed by 7:30) and I greatly appreciated it!

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I am all about running in any kind of weather, but I kind of draw the line at tornadoes (and lightning – which was also reported in the area). The race was in New Smyrna Beach, which is about an hour away from East Orlando. So this lady and I met up with our crew and headed over.

When we got there, I was a little stressed out about parking, but we easily found a spot and walked a quarter of a mile to the start. I used the porta potty within the first 5 minutes of being there (there were plenty and they were surprisingly very clean – always a bonus) and then we snapped some pre-race photos.

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My work peeps!! Coworkers who run together… bore a lot of other coworkers who don’t care about running.

At the start, it looked like the weather had changed from cool (60’s), rainy, and cloudy – to warm (70) and sunny. Oh, how deceiving that was.

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We started at exactly 9:30 and the RD thanked us for supporting their decision to delay the start. Some people were not able to run the half due to the later start – and they were very accommodating, either giving them the medal anyway (hopefully they still ran some kind of virtual race!) or switching them to the 5K. Gotta love a flexible race team!

Right at the start, I realized how crazy the wind was… when my hat almost flew off.

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I wish I could say it let up, but it only got worse. I was about a half a mile in when I looked to the right and saw the storm clouds. Where the heck were those things hiding?? It started running about 5 minutes later. Not just a drizzle, but full on pelting rain.

Somehow I just kept going. The first two miles were hell, and I wanted to quit. I could not figure out why I was running this race in these conditions. WHY WAS I TORTURING MYSELF. Around mile 3 the rain stopped and something kicked in. I was really enjoying myself and those running endorphins. Mile 5 was extremely happy for some reason. Running is weird.

Did I mention there were bridges? AKA, Florida hills. There were 3 total — a medium-sized bridge at the start (between mile 1-2), an ASS kicker between miles 6-7, and a small one at mile 8. I actually did not mind any of the bridges, but on the ass-kicker bridge I had to hold both my hat and my bib because I thought they were going to be ripped off my body. 27 mph winds say WAH???

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This is the side we ran down — taken as we were heading home.

I have to say though, nothing compared to the wind that hit us at miles 8-10. After the last, small bridge we turned onto a road and ran directly into the wind. At times, I swear I was running in place because the gusts were so intense. I kept hoping for the turn around and it took forever to arrive. I’m pretty sure I screamed more expletives during those miles than I have all month!!

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Every day I’m shufflin’.

Thankfully, once we hit the turn around, the wind was at our backs for the rest of the race and I was able to pick up my pace again!

It wasn’t until Mile 12 that I realized I could sub-2 again. I had kind of given up hope between Mile 9 and 10 – even though I still kept chasing two of my friends who were about a minute in front of me. I think it helped that I really just wanted to be DONE. The wind was killing me and I felt so beat up. When I looked down and saw it was possible, I dug in deep and pushed it. It helped that Return of Mack popped up on my iPhone.

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Please tell me you remember this song.

That’s right — this bitch is back!!

After a brief sprint uphill, I turned the corner and ended up crossing the finishing line at 1:59:21.

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ACK!!! I was so happy!! It’s no where NEAR my PR (1:54:something), but I know I have it in me to push myself again. Confidence is HALF the battle.

My splits…

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After the race I celebrated with some fantastic women and men.

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With our bigass medals.

 

Three of my friends PRs, two receive 10% finisher hats, and the rest of us, while exhausted, all agreed that it was a great race.

It was the kind of race that makes me want to sign up for ALL the races — and I’m ready to sign up for next year!!

Up next is… undecided. I’d like to run a half in February, but I have yet to run one. Hmmm…

Filed Under: Races, Reviews, running

A Tale of Two Races {Lighthouse Loop and Space Coast Half Marathon Recaps}

December 7, 2015 by Michelle 8 Comments

Umm… hi? Surprise! Surprise! I just remembered I still have a blog!

have we met?

I guess I’ve been doing anything but blogging. Work is keeping me on my toes and family life has been jam packed with dance, soccer, trips to Disney, and visits to Santa.

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I’ve also been running a TON – in fact I made a goal last month to hit 100 miles and I did it! It’s been a while since I’ve seen that number — and I even skipped two long-run weekends. I’m interested to see how December goes. Last December I ran ZERO miles, so I know I’ll beat that!

In the past month I also ran two half marathons. They were similar in a lot of ways – but also very different.

First up was Lighthouse Loop Half on October 25th.

I signed up for this race what feels like a LOOOOOONG time ago and I really looking forward to it. My best racing friend was there too and it was like ooooolllllllddd times (it was her first race in almost a year!).

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Things I liked:

  • The organization – they had race day bib pick up and bag check right next to pick up
  • My peeps  – I knew a ton of amazing ladies running it (including my all-time favorite racing buddy)

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  • The shirt – I had the choice of picking between a short-sleeved shirt and a sleeveless shirt. That was a first. I picked the sleeveless shirt and I love it!
  • The cause – All of the money raised went to local schools. Yay kids!
  • The post-race party – The food was amazing — plus there was free craft beer.
  • The price – I think I paid $50 for the race and it included a shirt, a bag, and plenty of water/gels on course.

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Things I didn’t love:

  • The weather – Ok the weather sucked. It was hot and humid and felt like summer.
  • The course – While it wasn’t horrible, the course was a little boring. We were right off the ocean in Port Orange, but we couldn’t see because of buildings. The lighthouse WAS cool, but it took 6 miles to get there and then that was it.
  • UntitledThe bridge – I’m thankful we didn’t have have the bridge twice, BUT the bridge at Mile 12 was KILLER. Thankfully, I was mentally prepared for it, but it really didn’t make it any easier to run over. Blah.
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  • Lady issues – My favorite aunt was visiting and a porta-potty visit was necessary. At least it was clean.
  • My time – It wasn’t horrible, but I know I can do much, much better. I finished in 2:07:48

LL_2 The biggest mystery of them all… why is that lady behind me wearing a jacket AND capris? It was in the high 70s.

 

On November 29th, I ran the Space Coast Half Marathon. I ran the full last year and I have to say I have zero regrets about running the half this year, even though MANY (most) of my MRTT friends ran the full.

Untitled Moms (and one dude) carpool this town.

I did have a chance to run in with one of my friends from miles 24-26 though — it was her first full and she killed it!! SC_Me_Sheila So proud of that lady to me…

Things I loved:

  • The course – Space Coast is an out and back along the Banana River that run between Cocoa Village and Rockledge — and back. The houses are gorgeous (and many of them are decorated for the holidays).
  • The medal.

UntitledNeed I say more?

  • The company – I started the race with my fellow MRTT mama Jaime (she’s the Yao to my Shaq) and ran most of the race with her. I also ran 2 miles with my friend Sheila — getting her to mile 26, which was just a great experience. She wanted to quit, I was annoyingly chatty.
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  • The post race party – There was endless beer, pizza, pancakes, and eggs. Plus, my crew and my ladies. What could be better?

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Untitled Shaq, Kevin, and Yao. Untitled

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Love these ladies (minus a few)!!

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Things I hated:

  • THE FREAKING WEATHER – It was effing November and in the 80s and so, so humid!! I’m really over this “winter.” I don’t need it to be snowing, but it would be nice to have some cooler weather for this race.
  • Leaving my headphones at home – It was my first race that ran entirely without music. It didn’t suck as much as I though it would, but it still sucked.
  • The stupid porta-potty stop I made at mile 6.5 – I barely made it to the porta-potty pre-race and apparently it hit me at mile 6.5 I DID manage to make up some of my time by running like a bat out of hell, but I had some issues getting my shorts back on (because of COURSE I did — too bad running naked is frowned upon) and it felt like Lighthouse Loop all over again (this time in a potty that felt like it was going to tip over).
  • My time – So my goal was to beat my Lighthouse Loop time — and I did, but not by much. I was hoping for a time closer to 2:00. Cooler weather needs to happen before I see that number, but I DO think it can happen. Maybe. I finished in 2:07:07.

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Overall, it was a great race and a great weekend. I would have appreciated it more if the weather was cooler.

Would I do the race again?

I MIGHT do Lighthouse Loop again — not for the course or the medal, but the miles. It wasn’t the prettiest, but there was a great post-race, so that counts for something!

I will definitely be doing Space Coast again next year so I can get my Milky Way Galaxy medal!! It’s also the 45th year — so it’s a pretty fancy medal. I don’t think I will ever do the full again though – that course is tough on the feet (the road is somewhat slanted) and I was pretty every mile during mile 17.

Up next…

More races! I’m doing the BDR Cape Coral Virtual Half Marathon  (PS for all other BDR races — use my code CRAZYRUN!!) and the Mt. Dora Half Marathon the weekend of the 19th (yes – back to back!) to close out 2015. A HUGE difference between 2014 and 2015.

What will 2016 bring?? I guess we’ll find out! (more half marathons, marathons, and maybe an ultra?? Say what!)

Filed Under: MRTT, Races, running

Suck It Up, Buttercup 10K {Race Recap}

July 15, 2015 by Michelle 4 Comments

Oh hey there. Yes, it’s true… I’m still alive. Not only that, but I have my first official race recap of 2015 — because I love running again! I’ve actually been itching to post again about… something… anything… but I just haven’t had the time or energy or something. #excuses

So yeah… back to this race thing.

For the 8+ months I have been missing my racing buddy. She was injured. I hated running. Racing just sounded miserable. The races I did do were fun, but there were missing something. Really someone.

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So, for her 29th birthday (it’s a big year!) I bought her the BEST GIFT EVER — a race registration. Not only that but a race register in the middle of the hottest summer we’ve had in YEARS. Oh, and did I mention there were actually hills? (I know, it’s amazing to hear that we actually have some here in Orlando that aren’t just overpasses) Sounds like a great comeback race if you ask me! I started this race weekend making very healthy choices. We went to a fantastic Imagine Dragons show on Friday night in Tampa.

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Bedtime = 2am

I followed it up by going out for drinks and a showing of Magic Mike XXL with a bunch of my lady friends on Saturday night.

Bedtime = 12:30am Healthy choices guys. It’s a priority for me, obviously.

hodakathyleeanderson This means I slept maybe 8 hours in 2 days. I’m smart! So, it’s not surprising that I LITERALLY had to forced myself to get dressed and out the door to pick up Paula by 5am. Yay. Thankfully, race adrenaline kicked in (oh, and an iced coffee helped too!) and by the time we got to the race site, about 45 minutes away, I was wide awake.

We easily picked our bibs and t-shirts, dropped them off at the car, and then had plenty of time to use the porta potty (see Paula’s post for more on this) and mingle. I got there early so I could get into an East Orlando MRTT picture. I’ve only been running with them for a couple of months — but I already love them!

Paula and I also found our co-worker, Leah, who I might have talked into running this race.

We then stood around for a LOOOOONG time. The Race Director was MIA and apparently she needed to be there to kick this shindig off. We were supposed to start running at 6:30 – and it was closer to 7 when we started. But, I guess the good news is that it finally started and we were off.

And it was HOT. So, so hot and SOOOOO humid. It was like running in mud.

Suck it up, we did.

My only complaint (other than the late start) is that the 10k and the 5k started together and it was a cluster. The first mile was such a strugglefest – not just because of the hills (I secretly love hills — my legs can get some good traction!), but becuase of all of all of the bobbing and weaving. However, I kept pushing.

Around the 1st mile the 10K and the 5K split and things got a little easier. By easier, I mean there were less people. This course was still tough. I also managed to catch up with two of girls I run with during the week and chatted with them for a little bit (which I NEVER do during a race — who am I??) before an elastic on one of my braids snapped. EFFFFFFF! I suppose I could have continued on looking like a crazy person, but I was already really gross and sweaty and everything was sticking to me — so I pulled over and stopped (AGAIN — SOMETHING I NEVER DO). Thankfully, I was wearing a hat and I quickly pulled it up into the hat. I still probably lost about a minute. BUMMER.

Even though I lost my girls, I fought hard to keep them in my line of sight. I actually almost caught up to them, but we hit a loooooong incline between mile 4 and mile 5 and I slowed down a little. I was so happy to chase them though because I REALLY think I would have stopped to walk at least 8 times. They seriously kept me going.

After what felt like a million hills, I finally hit the decline towards the finish and all I could think about was how happy I was that this wasn’t a half marathon.

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I finished in 1:02:26 and while that’s a far cry from my PR, I was happy. I am happy.

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A happy person who looks like a toolbag with Paula’s sunglasses on.

I figured that I the humidity added at least a minute per mile to my pace (obvious statement: humidity is a BITCH) — and stopping to fix my damn didn’t help. I’m really just excited that I’m running and happily racing again. I also know that there are PRs to come. I was also excited to celebrate with some lovely running ladies.

That’s Paula’s favorite porta potty right behind us…

While we didn’t have beer (sad!) there was Dunkin Donut and munchkins (and unlike other races – they didn’t run out).

Overall, I really enjoyed this race. Summer races are hard to find here (for obvious reasons!) and I look forward to running this again next year — at an even faster pace.

My next race is still up in the air. I’m thinking about running the Stone Island 10K in August, because it can’t be any worse than the one I just ran! It will probably be just as humid, but at least it’s flat (and the 5K and 10K starts are at different times). After that I have the Lighthouse Loop Half Marathon in October. Could it be a PR?? I’m not holding my breath. But next year?? It’s on.

Oh… and I also discovered that E still really likes medals.

Guess I need to keep running!

<3 <3 <3

Filed Under: Friends, Races, Reviews, running, Uncategorized

10K Me…Maybe?

June 23, 2015 by Michelle 2 Comments

While I have once again discovered the love of running… I have also discovered how miserable it is to run in the heat AND 100% humidity (more like 500% humidity).

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I was actually spoiled a few weeks ago (ha – if you want to call it that) and had a chance to run Mississippi (with my coworker) where the weather was PERFECT (yes, it was still a little humid, but the temps were in the 60s). Coming back was a harsh reality, but hey – there was running!

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And then I got back here and WOW. It is so incredibly miserable right now that I am ACTUALLY SWEATING during my run. Mostly in my crotchal region, of which I don’t have a picture – so you’re just going to have to believe me.

Sidenote: I DID finally get to run with this lady in Orlando — FINALLY. Char’s only lived here for 9 months now (and is ironically back in Canada for 6 weeks as I write this). We both wanted to die during our run, but we survived.

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So, while it’s been more miserable than usual, I decided that it would be an AWESOME idea to sign up to run a 10k in July.

I’m a genius!

Not only that — but I’ve convinced a few others friends to run it too. Including this lady (basically because I bought it for her as a birthday gift and I am forcing her . #friendship).

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This is us not sweating or wearing running clothes.

It will actually be our first race together in an eternity (since Space Coast, I think?) and I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT IT.

I’m also excited about running with the East Orlando Mom Runs this Town group. I am still on a runner’s high thanks to them — and currently running 2-3 times a week.

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Some of the ladies are just about to start training for Chicago and I have to admit, I am CRAZY jealous. For the record, I STILL have all kinds of warm fuzzy feelings about Chicago. Anyone want to run it in 2016 with me?

Ummm back to reality… 10Ks are where it’s at with me right now. I actually might do another 10K in August too (which, it’s beyond crazy — more like”you are f*cking insane woman” terrority.) and I’m searching for more. Maybe 10Ks will become my thing? I know it’s definitely NOT marathons and 5Ks. However, 10Ks are long enough where you feel like you deserve the beer — and are less expensive than halfs.

We’ll see.

Unrelated… this kid finally got a haircut.

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I’m in denial that he actually looks like a little boy and not a baby. I’m also in denial that I’m about to turn 37. Where did that birthday come from?

What distance do you love???

Filed Under: Mom Stuff, Races, running

It’s Hard To Get Faster… When You Don’t Run

February 4, 2015 by Michelle 15 Comments

Ugh.

Remember when I proclaimed my big, bad, 1:50 half marathon PR dream?

This is how I’m feeling about it right now…

kenan-yeahright

johnhamm yeah right

nope

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jlawsure

deaneyeroll

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Yeah, my training is going well.

I could offer you a million excuses (and there are TONS) – but I’m calling bullshit on all of them. Yes, I am EXTREMELY busy at work, superbly busy at home, and it’s cold season (I am about to rip my sinuses out of my face), but I’ve trained in similar circumstances with great results. I think it just comes down to this… I’m burned out.

And I’ll say it, as hard as it is to say, I’m not really into running right now. Which is kind of a bummer because this is best time of year to be into running! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME???

Instead, I’m really enjoying short(er), intense workouts — especially kettlebells. I’m also enjoying sitting on the couch drinking wine. I heard that’s the new workout?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still running – but it’s maybe three times a week (max) or maybe just once a week (more likely) and it’s never fast like it should be to obtain these dream PRs.

I’m actually trying to figure out why these PR thoughts even came out of my brain in the first place?

And guess what? There’s a secret to ALLLLLLL of this…. If I want to run faster — you know what I NEED to do?? Well, for starters I actually need to run – but I also need to push myself to run FASTER. I know. The logic is so shocking.

Then there’s this…

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Probably not happening any time soon.

So in summary these are the things currently going on in my life right now:

  • I’m a whining like a little bitch,
  • I’m tired
  • I’m slightly stressed
  • I’m always worrying
  • I’m possibly attempting my own medical procedure to rip my sinuses out of my face
  • I’m putting my PR dream is on hold right now

I’m still running Best Damn Race at the end of the month, but the pressure is off to be awesome. It’s totally ON to be mediocre. I feel like I need to get my ducks in a row, or my panties out of their bunch, or something productive like that.

Speaking of productive, I AM growing my bangs out, so that’s something…. right?

Filed Under: Races, Rambling, running

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Meet Michelle

I'm a working mom of three who somehow became a runner. I also like to eat, drink wine, and laugh. Sometimes I'm dramatic and I definitely don't EVER get enough sleep. Read More…

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