Davie Road Run 5K

For some reason I feel like they are doing more & more races on Sundays...which sucks because my girl works Sundays. 

So this race I signed up for alone. No big, I've learnt that if I wait around for others...I'll never do all the races I want. 

I had seen the Davie Road Run promoted last year, but for some reason I didn't sign up. Prob a conflicting date or I was set to do a race the day before. Whatever the reason I knew I wanted to do it this year. The race is literally 6 mikes from my house, how could I not. 

I was expecting a ton of people & honestly I was not expecting to do very well, considering Jake (my lovable mutt) & I had both been up the majority of the night w/ upset tummies...but I persevered. And dragged my butt up at the crack of dawn to run. 

I couldn't help but remember the awesome 9:30 stay in the UK...compared to the 7 am start here. But our Florida weather doesn't like that. 

I wasn't sure what to expect, so when I pulled into the local Rodeo grounds (yes, I live in the country) it was different.  Not a lot of people & everything was set up in the booth. They had already run out of small shirts (why have ppl request sizes if you are just gonna give them whatever) so I ended up with a medium, better than nothing. 

Well the race started: 2 of them. A 5K & a 10K. I had no idea there was a 10K & I had no idea the 10K offered prize $$! Or I woulda been right there! LOL. 

But I was doing the 5K. I started off strong, but my body was just tired. I had that sleep deprived headache set in before the 2nd mile was out. It's all good, I still managed to drag myself into a dirty 2nd place overall female. 

I look back and kick myself...shoulda pushed harder, but it's always easier to say that after the fact. But then again, I didn't feel like throwing up afterwards....so...coulda pushed harder. Lol. 

Jingle Bell 5K Jog 2013

I have the best running partner in the world who helps me train for all my races & encourages me to run every day no matter how I feel, even if it's just for a mile or two...my dog.

So for the last race of 2013, and since I missed the doggy 5K in April, I figured there was no better way to end the year then doing a run with my best friend & my mum to cheer us on. 

I must admit that my mum & I were a little hung over from our per-holiday lychee matinee night :-) but Jake was ready to go enough for all of us. 

I was so proud of my little man, he was focused & set off. We were doing really well, good pace (he was basically dragging my hungover ass)...until he got the call of the wild. Maybe he knew we were in a race or maybe it was a tactical move to hinder the eny behind us, but my man decided to take a dump...in the middle of the road. But instead of just doing one. He tried to keep running, leaving small, let's call them land mines, across the road.

Nice work partner, that will slow them down. 

After that he must have gotten his second wind, because he picked it up. 

I can't quite explain the look of anger & frustration on peoples face as my happy go lucky dog goes bounding past them without a second thought. 

My boy kicked ass and we managed to still pull into 5th place in my age group. And the sad thing, that boy was ready for round 2 in no time. 

This race brought me to a whooping total of 22, just shy of my goal of 24.

The 10th Annual Firefighter's 5K

This weekend, my girl and I did our 2nd race of the season, the Firefighters 5K.  After last weeks hill run and an insane week of training...I am sore...like SORE. I think my trainer is trying to kill me, but that is another blog for another time.

Usually when I go to races, I look like I just rolled out of bed...because I have. I roll out of bed, into cloths and off I go. However, my friend (who has her own make-up line) was practicing on me the day before and guys...I don't know if I can explain it to you, but she made me look so beautiful...I couldn't wash it all off. I left it on. LOL :) So I rolled up to the race looking like one sexy chick and then I proceed to CRUSH the race! LOL.

The run went along Hollywood beach, up into the neighborhoods and back around. I have run it a few times before (doing the whole boardwalk and neighborhoods not just part just on Sunday lazy days. ) and it really is a great run. But this time there was something different.

As we turn off the main boardwalk and head back into the neighborhoods, the trees start to in close in around us and suddenly you hear cats howling and fighting in the distance. The road shadows over and the sun disappears. "Ahhh, it will be nice and cool for a while" I  think to myself, but something strange is in the trees.  Everyone in front of me is looking up, so being the sheep when I run that I am look up as well and I feel the blood drain from my face and fall like lead into my feet. I start screaming at myself in my head...."Dear Mother of F'en God Run...Just RUN!!! As Fast as You Bloody Can".

Hundreds of what I now know are Banana Spiders had set up shop at the tops of the trees, stretching their webs from one side of the road to the other creating a canopy of GIANT SPIDERS!

no I hate spiders, like ice on my soul, death comes to quickly as they plot to weave me into a giant cocoon and feed me to their zillions of children...and above me was Satan's hell for me on earth.

My mind is screaming "GO FASTER You Dumb Bitch! FASTER, before they lasso you up to the canopy with their steel webs!"
My body is screaming "I CAN'T any Faster!? I think Her heart stopped...pretty sure she is in Shock! And the Dumb Bitches Feet kidnapped all the blood and they ain't giving it back!"
My feet are responding to the rest of my body with "You bitch now, but when one of those demon spiders spots us and tries to take us up into its web of death, you will be happy we have become lead weights!"

And then there is me...slowly turning around as I run forwards to where I am actually running backwards (going the right direction still, but my entire body is facing the other way and I am starring up into the sky screaming like a mad woman inside my head....coming up with ever different outcome of my death by giant spider.

Finally I circle back and start heading back out towards the boardwalk, I remain vigilant, waiting for the spiders to start attacking my fellow runners. I think to myself...must conserve my energy, because if they start warfear on us by dropping down on our heads. I must be ready. Looking around I spot 2 weaker looking woman a few feet behind me. I slow down so they can catch up, make no mistake folks, I will toss both them chicks to the spiders as a distracting while I try to get away.

However, no such sacrifice is needed as I hit the boardwalk. I realize that I have been holding my breath for most likely the entire time (locally really considering I didn't want to draw the evil spiders attention to me). I breath deep and start to sprint again....leaving the ally of pure venom behind me.

Now I focus back on the race...Shit...did I slow down to much and screw up my time. I hope now. I barrel towards the finish line. Both of the sacrificial lambs are still on my tail...time to lose them. I pick it up and give it that extra burst of energy I was saving in case a quick escape was needed from the Giant Spider attack and I finish strong. Breathing heavy for a change :)

Not only did I survive the Spider Apocalypse, but I managed to place and for the first time ever, I got a trophy! Not just a medal. I came in 2nd with a time of 23:17. Not my best time ever, but better than last week and not a bad time either way. And lets not forget...I was looking SEXY!

This was my 17 race of the year and one closer to my goal of 24!

The next race we are doing is the Miami Children's Hospital 5K. It will be one of our last races in Miami (basically anything farther than Amelia Park), getting up and driving the 35-45 min down there for a 23 min race isn't worth it. We have enough closer to home. So after a little discussing...if we haven't already signed up for it, we won't be doing it. Miami is just to far.  I know I have the ING and the Miami Beach, but beyond that...I think this will be the last 5K.

King of the Hill 5K - 2013

Running Season is finally back.

I don't know about many other places, but running from June through Aug is S. FL is horrible, just horrible. Even if you get up at 7 am and hit the road, sweat is running down your ass crack before you even hit the end of the block. You are looking up at the sky thinking to yourself, dear god do I really love running this much to endure the sun beating down on me for another hour slowly dehydrating my body and turning me in to a walking mummy that will most likely disintegrate and crumble into dust around mile 8, the answer...no. So even though there are still some races...there are not a lot.

Running season here is basically Sept 1 - May 31.

This year, we started the season off again with the King of the Hill 5K...again!

Now Florida is flat...since we are at sea level and don't run many hills around here, starting the season off with a hill run (even if it is an old land fill that they turned into a park) is a rough.


My goal was to finish this bitch without collapsing halfway up the hill sobbing uncontrollably as I curled up in the fetal position and begged for my mummy. Hell, besides my casual jogs with Jake, I hadn't RUN myself in about 2 months more than just 2-3 miles at a time....this was going to be brutal.

A group of about 4 of us signed up for the torture, amazing how badly humans seek out pain and suffering upon themselves.

The race started on time, which was a blessing because as I am standing at the start line, I can feel the sun and heat coming up and peeking over the tree line. The race starts and I feel good, knockout the first hill like a boss and proceed to pass people. Some slow bitch was jog/walking and I ran into her almost knocking her over...

**Side Note - DEAR GOD PEOPLE! If you are at a race, be it 5k or full marathon, and you plan on walking and chatting with your girlfriends while you pose for pictures...GET THE FUCK TO THE BACK OF THE LINE! For F sake, what do you think...you are going to walk a 6 min mile! NO BITCH! and you may not be competative, these races are competitive so GTF out of the way and take your walking ass to the back of the line so you don't get knocked over and then run over by a crap tone of competitive runners who are trying to get a new PR...just saying**

So anywho...after almost taking down a walker, I finally find my pace again and go...I am doing pretty well and start to think to myself...hey, not to shabby, I have already KO'ed 2 of the 4 hills, I can do this and maybe even get a pretty damn good time....until we circle around and I see the beginning of the 3rd hill. Its so nice of them to set it up that you run past the hill, have a half mile to think about it before circling back around to face it head on. So I spent the next 4 min thinking to myself...ugh, that hill, I remember that hill! Last year that hill almost killed me. (I was having so many issues with my heart rate going way to high and causing my chest to hurt that I almost didn't make it...problem solved with that by the way....no more unhealthy heart issues.)

When I got to the bottom of the hill, I looked up and surveyed my next challenge...this year. I was not going to let this hill kick my ass. I watched as runner after runner slowed down to a near walk as they scrabbled up the hill. Screw this I told myself and I started up. I will not slow down I told myself....High Knees High Knees. Breath Breath, get to the top of this thing....AGHHHHHH!
BAM...crushed it...kinda :)

However at the top, everyone was heading up over the top of the hill, through some grass and gravel and down the side of it...for some reason we were getting off the road. Different then last year, but heck...I guess I am a sheep. And apparently so is everyone else....we all go off track...but not like we are going to turn around now. We plowed through and to the finish line.

Although I didn't get a great PR and although I lost 2 min off my time over the summer....it was a hill run and I managed to slid into 2nd place. Actually it was a tie. We both came in 24:00, however my gun time was 24:07...she crossed the start line :07 before me. But whatever, I finished and I didn't die, I didn't give up and I didn't stop! WHOOHOO!!!

My next race is the Firefighters 5K next Sunday along Hollywood Beach, I am looking forward to it. hope I can get my time back down...I don't expect it to be where it was yet...but closer would be nice.

This was race number 16 of 2013 I will get to my goal of 24 for 2012 yet! :)

BiG Cardio 5K

A little back story first:

The first…well I guess second 5K that I ever ran and the first one in S. Florida was the 4Kids of South Florida BiG Cardio 5K. My first officially 5K was back in 2007 when and I did it with my college.

 

When I moved the Florida, I ended up have to take a really crap job that paid well below standard in my field and hardly even meet living standards in general, so I for sure didn’t have the money to pay for a gym membership or anything…so I started running as a way for me to stay in shape. Well running and not being able to afford food kept me pretty small. LOL.

I would ran with Jake (my dbf – dog best friend) about a mile or two every night after work and then I would do a few weights in the house, but nothing major and I went from being in pretty good shape to being in…eh shape.

About 3 months after I left the crap job and stared working at Banyan in 2010 I heard about a 5K race that Banyan sponsored a team for, and for some reason I thought how hard can it be right…I run with Jake every night a mile or so…a 5K is only 3.15 miles. I can do this.

Boy was I mistaken. Yes, I ran the whole thing, but boy was I crap. My time back in 2010 was a pathetic 36 min. I could have basically walked the entire thing and done better.

Anyway. That was in 2010…lets fast forward.

2011 my time was 32:17

2012 my time was 27:12

Now it was 2013 and I was ready to do this. I signed up again…after some debate and the Puerto Rico Half Marathon talk falling though. I would have rather done the Half Marathon in Puerto Rico, but not enough people wanted to go and to do it alone would have made me a very broke girl!

I did it with two on my close girlfriends and although neither of them worked for Banyan, I signed them both up under the Banyan Wings of Hope Team. Funny Things is that out of the 6 people that did participate in the 4Kids, 2 of them were my friends.

So this year, I was really ready to push myself. Not only have I been doing well lately and setting pretty good times, I was feeling good. I had talked my friend into running her first 5K ever…and honestly, I was pretty sure she was going to not only kick my butt, but everyone else’s…girl can run!

We all managed to drag our butts out of bed. We all meet up at the park. We walked around for a bit and decided we would try to pace around 7 min (this is my new goal, since I want to get under 22). And I managed to keep that pace for the most part…I failed a bit towards the end, but all 3 of us still KICKED BUTT!

We each came in first in our age groups!

I came in this year at a time of 22:50. Not the best time I have had recently, but it was good enough to take the gold. After freaking 4 years of doing this race, damn it has become like a tradition for me….and for my friend, who did her 3 year this year. Even though it is not our favorite race, we always seem to run it, and I think we may also do it again next year.

This year the swag was much better and it was much more organized. Last year when we finished the race, they didn’t even have cold water out at the finish line yet or any of the tents set up. But this year, they had their shiznit a little more together.

 

Besides all the religious crap that people kept trying to hand me, it wasn’t too bad, and afterwards I went and put flyers for JWKFA in the cars. Trying to promote my awesome ass kickboxing place as always!

Either way it was a good time and I finally got some good swag at the run!
 

My next race is the Color Run and I am doing it with some friends from JWKFA. I didn’t actually sign up for it because I thought that it was on the same day as the 4Kids, but it wasn’t and someone else bailed and they had an extra entry, so why not.

M.A.D.D. Dash 5K

I wasn’t planning on signing up for any more races in April. One was enough since I am busy licking the wounds of turning 30 and seeing my life going nowhere fast, but my girl really wanted to do it, so I finally caved and signed up! I am on a mission to do 24 races this year right…and if my life is going to turn to shit and fall into shambles at least I have that accomplishment right! LOL

We did the M.A.D.D. Dash last year and it was a nice run, but it is the same course as almost every other race we do in Ft. Lauderdale…I would like something different for a change I think, but whatever.  They did give us “Dry-Fit” shirts this year, but they are unisex and TOTALLY sux! OMG, I can’t even wear mine to bed because it is just uncomfortable.  IDK, I will just toss it in a pile with my ever growing stash of running shirts and move on.

You know what I would like…for them to start giving away Dry-fit Tank Tops or running shorts or something like that! I have so many shirts, I could start a shirt shop!!!

Anyway…back to the race, this was now my first race in the 30 – 34 age group. OMG that just sounds horrible! I don’t even want to write that.  They say age is just a number, well however they are is stupid and needs to come over here so I can hit them!

We got there nice and early and this time, my mum got to come with me! That is right, she has only been to one other race with me and that was the Jingle Bell Jog last December where I am pretty sure I left what was left of my tits after they froze off!  I was really happy to have her at one of my races, and it kinda encouraged me to push myself just that much harder. I wanted to make her proud of me, since I remember when she told me “Don’t worry Chloé, if you don’t do that well”

Well, even though I am now…over the hill…so to speak, I still managed to do ok. I set a new PR at 22:18 & placed 1st in my age group (Now 30 - 34). Maybe getting older isn’t all that bad! JK. It is horrible. Who ever said that should also be hit!

So regardless of what I say, I am pretty proud of myself, and the fact that I totally impressed my mum! She was all, Wow Chloé you are getting pretty good at this running thing!

That I am Mother, That I Am!

Even though I did do very well, I am disappointed in my overall results.  I came in 4th Overall Female & missed 3rd overall female by 1 (that right 1) bloody second. Her time was 22:17. Ugh!!!   SO CLOSE! I am just too damn competitive sometimes!

I really want to pick it up and have decided to add a new goal to 2013. I want to drop my time below 22! I would like to get to 21something, even if it is 21:59 by the end of the year. I don’t know if I will be able to do it, because dropping just a few seconds off my time is going to be hard as hell, but I want to try. It actually looks like it might be possible!

Riverwalk 5K

 So after the Half Marathon in Sarasota, I was looking forward to a nice short race for my 10^th  race of 2013,  that I could just run and not feel like death an hour in. My friend and I had signed up for the Riverwalk 5K for the second year in a row. Last year we did this race and there was a LOT  of swag. Actually, I think this might have been the first race that we did that we actually got stuff…like lots of goodies and stuff…so of course, we decided to do it again.
I really wanted to push myself in this race; you know…get a good time, new PR and see how fast I could really go, especially after the iRun 5K time. So I ended up switching from the 5 mile run to the 5K. My friend still did the 5 mile run. 

However, the stupid shoes that I had bought when I was in Sarasota had given me stupid shin splints and I still had them on Race Day! Boy was I pissed off! I was hobbling around and was not expecting to get a good time at all. I probably shouldn’t have run at all, but anyone that knows me knows that wasn’t going to happen, shin splints or not.
I dragged my crippled ass around that damn course cursing god and all his angels with every step that I took and figuring I had come in LAST place when I crossed the finish line with a time of 23:47 (a pace of 7:40 min miles) I was pleasantly surprised that I still managed to pull come in 2^nd place in my age group! If I had been up to speed…I would have totally came in first place and had about a minute to spare! But I was happy with what I got, considering how much pain I was in.

Whoohoo for coming in 2^nd place, but instead of a medal or something I got this hideous print of a painting. And not just any painting, the painting that they had put on the shirt! You could see the look on people’s faces as they went up to collect their “prize”! I am pretty sure that it is not hanging up in many of the winners homes; I have no idea what I am going to do with mine. Maybe give it to someone or something! Who knows! 

 And my girl! Totally crushed the 5 mile run, she did amazingly well and came in 4^th place.  

What we were disappointed in the swag afterwards as well, we didn’t get many goodies at all. Nothing like last year, which kinda suxed. That is OK, we both had a blast and we will do it again next year I am sure. 

Our next race is next week. We are going to be doing an obstacle race. It should be a lot of fun and very challenging! Suppose to be like 20 obstacles and like 5 miles! The Challenge Mud run, we even have a team! TEAM VENTURE! There are about 5 or 6 of us doing it so I am looking forward to it. Maybe we should all do matching outfits or something. :)

iRun Miami 5K

So this was just a very random run, I got the email and didn’t have anything for this weekend so I figured I would just go ahead and sign up! I asked a few people if they wanted to do it with me, but even my friends that live in Miami didn’t want to. But that is ok, I seem to be doing well at doing races by myself this year…if I wait on everyone else, I am not going to get to my 24 that is for sure!

This race was very small, only something like 500 people were allowed to even sign up, but there were cash prizes for the people that placed first. I knew I wasn’t going to come in fast enough to place, but trust me, one day I will!

I ended up getting up early and one of my friends last minute decided to jump in, even though he didn’t get to sign up (they were already full) and even though he could and would usually SMOKE my ass, thanks to an injury (how evil am I) he had to pace with me. Sadly, he still pushed me…and the damn kid running the 10K one next to us! Kid was good btw ;)

The course was different, I had never run it before, and outside of that race, I will probably never run it again. The course actually started behind the iRun Store.  I kinda wish I would have gone into the store and checked it out, but I know I am never going to drive all the way down to Miami just to go to that store when Runners Depo and Running Wild are just around the corner!

And thanks to my friend, I managed to drag my ass into 2^nd place in my age group with a time of 23:07! What frustrates me (because I seem to be so uber competitive) is that 26 seconds faster and I would have come in 1st in my age group and just 29 seconds less and I would have been able to place even with the 3rd OVERALL female! 

I really need to start picking it up, I know I can push myself harder. I didn’t even have the urge to stand over the trashcan and attempt to hold down my vomit after this race…so I obviously didn’t push hard enough!  

My next race will be the Sarasota Half Marathon. First out of town race so I am excited and nervous, I hope everything goes well. Being away from my little man and letting him go to the sitter’s drives me crazy! I wish I could have taken him with me, but we waited too long to find a dog friendly hotel!

MIami Zoo 5K

The Miami Zoo 5K….my 5^th Race of 2013 and I think going into this one I had something to prove. I ran this race last year with my girl and we did well (for where we were in our times then) but this year I was running this race with a few of my guy friends who have always given me (playful) hard time about Not Quite Being as Fast as Them.

Well I have been training….I have been running…I have been eating right and in my mind I wanted to smoke them and leave them in the dust!

So we get to the Zoo and it is literally a mad house, they had offered a packet pick up the day before all the way south in like Homestead or something and NO ONE picked up the packets beforehand, so everyone was trying to get it there and then. Usually you can go to a few locations in either Miami or Fort Lauderdale, but this one was just out there.  We ended up waiting in line for 2 hours to get our packets! It was insane; they ended up have to even push the start time of the race back because of the chaos.

But I do love that course. I love running thought the zoo in the morning when all the animals are coming out and getting breakfast! I love the zoo….if I don’t think too deeply about innocent creatures being caged up for our amusement instead of being allowed to run free. But where else am I going to get to see zebras and giraffes!

Anywho…I started the race and I had one thing on my mind…beat them! And I did! Not only did I beat them, but I smoked them by minutes! Managed to come in 2^nd place in my age group and I got a new PR! 23:08!! That is the best time I have had, EVER! I may not be too shabby at this running thing after all :) I just really need to work on sprinting…I just can’t seem to make my legs do that!

So I got to go up on stage and some dolphin cheerleaders (who had on way to much make-up) gave me a medal, but it was fun, rubbing their faces in it!

 

I wish this one wasn’t so far south, I really enjoy doing it, but getting up that early to drive all the way down to Miami Zoo, OMG it is like an HOUR! Ugh, but I have fun doing it. Next year….we shall see. I may or may not pill up in the car and drive that far again.

Maybe a race around the botanical gardens would be nice….I haven’t done that yet. That is about an hour drive as well…I will have to keep my eyes open.

My next race is the Publix A1A half marathon that I kind signed up for last minute and I am doing it all alone…..Wish Me Luck! :)