So with this blog, I was thinking about my past three races since the Rocket Run 10-miler...McKay Hollow Madness, Oak Barrel Half, and the Double Helix 5k. I told myself after the Rocket City Marathon that I would be focusing more on improving my speed and not so much distance running, and honestly, I have really enjoyed the change so far! Granted, I signed up for 3 half marathons this season (you know you're a distance runner when a half marathon doesn't seem like a "long run" anymore!), but with my average marathon pace, it takes soooo many hours a week to train for a full marathon, and after an ultra and two marathons in 2014, I was starting to feel burnout/laziness with my fitness, and I was ready to change my focus to something else other than 20+ mile runs! I am happy that I did. The Scottsboro Half along with the Rocket Run Ten Miler, I had timed goals and was busting my butt to get that average pace and time lowered to get a "good time", but with the last three races, I had a "good time" too...but not when it comes to fastest pace, negative splits, etc. I was running to just be running and to have a good time! Granted, I am VERY competitive with myself to make new personal records and personal goals, but sometimes, as a runner, you need to just relax and just run! I did just that for the last few weekends!
MCKAY HOLLOW MADNESS 12K: Seriously, I will just be honest and say that I signed up for this race excited, and then I ended up wondering why in the world I signed up. Don't get me wrong, I love trail running, but hearing people talk about how challenging this course was (along with past injuries...yikes!) did not make me feel comfortable. After trail race #2 (Tick Ridge Trek) going so horribly (sick and just not trained up enough for those hills), I was beginning to think that peer pressure got the best of me...but wow, I LOVED THIS RACE. I am sooooo happy that I did the 12k since I had been sick so much and wasn't training on the trails like I should have. The race was challenging enough at my fitness level (thank God for my hill workouts!), but not such a long distance that I was miserable. I had such a good time! No time goals, no stress, no pressure...just me and nature! I plan on training for the 25k next year! Call me a sicko, but the inclines, hills, and the technicality of the trails in this race kept me entertained and NOT bored! What a good time! I don't even know my average pace or time that I finished this race...and hey, that's the best part!
OAK BARREL HALF MARATHON: I love this race! Katrina encouraged me to do this race three years ago, and it was my first half marathon that I ever completed. It has some challenging hills in this race that can slow you down (like Whiskey Hill), and it has a few flat areas where you can pick up your speed! This year, I raced for a good time with my friend, Katrina, and my sister, Heather. This was half marathon #2 for my sister, and like I told the girls before the race, my plan was not to be left or to leave anyone, but if possible, I would love to stay together, which I know can be difficult to do....but we did it! We rocked out the whole race together! Heather ended up beating her previous half marathon time on a hilly course (wow!) but hey, she trained well, so why would I expect anything less?! We paced ourselves, we walked, we took pictures, and had a GREAT time! It was great to spend time with the We Run Huntsville community at the annual picnic too...I'm so thankful for the people that I have and continue to meet through this group...it's so crazy that we come from different backgrounds, occupations, stages in life, etc, but the joy of running brings us together. I love it! :) :)
DOUBLE HELIX DASH 5K: I signed up for this Tuesday evening race thinking "hey, this will end up being a great motivator to do my normal Tuesday evening run...and it's close to home, and the race fee is going toward a good cause" and I end up PRing on accident. LOL! Seriously, it was definitely not planned! When the race started, I knew that I had to be running pretty fast to be running with David Collins, and when I heard my watch start to beep with a 6:56 pace, I was like "oh crap, what am I doing"? I ended up averaging a 7:55 pace for my first mile, which I didn't think was even possible for me! So, I signed up for this race to have a good time, but I ended up getting a good time in a different way this I expected...a new 5K PR! I have the Cookie Dash 5k next weekend, and it's way flatter than this 5k, so maybe I can try to get under 26 minutes...we shall see next weekend! :)
Since March, believe it or not, even after I got over all my sickness from the winter, I have felt so exhausted, and just not motivated to run or work out. I was beginning to think something was wrong with me physically, yet again, because I felt like my body was trying to tell me something (which that ended up being true), but wow, this past school year has been a year of constant sinus issues and sickness for me...if people didn't know me that well, they would probably honestly think that I was a hypochondriac or something...haha! It's sad, really! Anyway, I decided to listen to my body and get my bloodwork checked...I just assumed maybe my thyroid was low, or I was anemic again, but I have gotten such great blood work results since I started running and eating better along with a better variety of food, I started to wonder what else it could be...
The conclusion? My thyroid is fine. My iron is fine, but it is B12 deficiency. The nurse said that in the lab results that B12 is suppose to range in the 211-946 range, and I was a 252. I had heard people and Dr. Oz talk about B12, but I never really paid much attention since it wasn't anything that has happened to me yet...but wow, after thinking about my symptoms, it all made perfect sense. I started taking some B12 pills two weeks ago, and some of my symptoms have started to go away...which is great news! This is all new to me, so anyone with any recommendations or advice on this subject, please post below! I go back to the doctor in a few weeks, so I am hoping the pills will do the trick so I don't have to take the shots!
First 5K (CFA Athens)---April 2012
Anyway, I end my blog with saying that it's been 3 years since my first official 5k in April 2012. I never would have thought that running could have taken me this far with my health, physically and mentally, and I am so thankful for the people that I have met along the way. Let me tell you, one of the most difficult, trying times in my running "career" was when I first began to walk/run on the treadmill. I was out of shape, and it hurt. I was embarrassed to go to the gym, and I would huff and puff to get through that half a mile, then that mile, and then eventually a 5k (3.1 distance). The whole time you think it's impossible. The whole time you want to make excuse after excuse on why you can't and shouldn't do it, but each time I hopped on that treadmill, I got better...I got faster...I got stronger. YOU CAN DO IT TOO! Get a good pair of shoes, get active, and get moving! I'm only a message away if you have any questions! :) Enjoy the weekend!
-Holly
