A couple months ago, I had written about how coconut water was all the rage with runners and exercise enthusiasts these days. Well, I've got another "natural" nutrition rage for you. Chocolate milk is now becoming runners' favorite post-run recovery drink. Seriously, I looked around at the Bagel Bin where all the HCS runners hang out after our Saturday runs and over half of them were drinking chocolate milk (Bagel Bin better start stocking up on more chocolate milk on Saturdays!). Chocolate milk apparently has the perfect blend of carbohydrates and protein to rehydrate the body and help muscles recover/reduce soreness.
Everyone who knows me knows that I always have random chocolate milk cravings. I always feel like such a kid drinking from a milk carton or out of a bottle with a huge picture of a bunny on it. Well, now I have a legitimate excuse for drinking chocolate milk all the time! And I must say, the chocolatey yumminess is quite satisfying after a long and tough workout!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Dreaded Druid Hills 10K and Bel Air Town Run 5K
This weekend was my first attempt at double-dipping with races. I ran the Dreaded Druid Hills 10K on Saturday and the Bel Air Town Run 5K on Sunday. I would someday like to do the Disney Goofy Challenge (which is a half-marathon one day followed by a full marathon the next), so it is good to test what back-to-back racing feels like. However, I guess this time doesn't count for much since I didn't run very hard at Dreaded Druid Hills.
Dreaded Druid Hills 10K:
This race is known for its brutal hills. The description on the website reads: "Most memorable quote so far: I love running hills, but that was mean and totally uncalled for. - Finisher in the chute, 2002." I love a challenge and have seen my fair share of nasty hills, so I had to see for myself just how bad this course was.
Unfortunately, I was hit with food poisoning mid-week and spent two full days in bed. By Friday, I was recovered enough to eat full meals again but still took a full day of rest from physical activity. I thought I was fully recovered and back to full running form on Saturday morning, so I started out at a decent pace and ran the first mile in 8:49. Then, the same stomach pains that had me lying in bed for 2 days came back in full throttle. I felt like I was about to hurl and told the friend that was running with me to go ahead without me because I needed to slow down. Although I was able to still keep somewhat of a running pace for the 2nd mile, each time I sped up or climbed a hill, my stomach would hurt more.
When I got to the 2nd mile, I couldn't ignore the pain any longer and had to stop and walk for the full mile. I felt so defeated! With the exception of JFK (which required walking), I have never walked in a race. My goal for my first marathon was to be able to run the whole duration of the race, no matter how slow or fast. But here I was, walking a 10K. After one mile, I decided it would take too long for me to finish if I walked the whole second half and started running again with some intermittent walking. When I reached the last mile of the race, I was finally able to ignore the pain and speed up. Thinking about how I don't belong this far back in a race kept me motivated and I passed a lot of runners who were out of gas from all those hills. I finished in 1:12:16.
Besides all of the stomach issues, I actually enjoyed the course. I thought it was rather scenic and although the hills were pretty brutal, I think I would've managed ok if not for the food poisoning. If I am free next year, I will definitely come back and redeem myself. I guess the lesson learned here is that no matter how much you prepare, there are so many factors that play into whether you are going to have a good race or not, be it the weather, injuries, sleep deprivation, digestive issues, pre-race jitters, etc. It's how you deal with all of this that makes you a better runner.
Bel Air Town Run 5K:
This year, I am competing in the RRCA State Championship series to try to win my age group. Basically, this is a series of 10 races throughout the year all over Maryland amongst several running clubs. Each club hosts a race and you get points based on your finish time. You have to run at least 4 of the 10 races to qualify for an award. The Bel Air Town Run was the 3rd race in the series and was hosted by Harford County's running club, RASAC.
I couldn't get any of my friends to go all the way out to Bel Air to run 5 km with me (it was weird driving that far north on 95, I am so used to driving south to MoCo for my weekend runs), but I knew a few HCSers that were doing it and was able to hang out with them before the start. It was such a hot and humid day that I was already sweating from just standing and waiting 5-10 min at the start line. I knew it was going to be a rough run. Luckily, the course was pretty forgiving as it was mostly downhill with only a couple uphills towards the end. A good number of supporters came out to watch and some even took their hoses and sprinklers out to cool us down.
I didn't experience any stomach pains during the race or any other sort of issues, so that was good. I wasn't really able to speed up or slow down much, so I basically just kept the same pace throughout the race. I pretty much just remember it being so hot and humid (which made me contemplate why I am doing the Annapolis 10 Mile Run at the end of August again) and just wanting to be done and glad that was only a 5K and not a 10K. I crossed the finish line with a time of 24:21.
I cooled down and hung out with my HCS friends for a while afterwards but I had to leave at 9:00 AM to get balloons and decorations for my mom's surprise birthday party. They hadn't announced the awards yet by the time I left, but apparently I came in 3rd place out of the 48 females in my 20-24 age group. However, since the overall female winner was 22 and you cannot win both the overall and age group award, I got bumped up to 2nd place for the AG award. This is my first running award ever! Too bad I was not there to claim it. Hopefully they will mail it to me, so I don't have to drive all the way back up to Bel Air to get it. My friend said the awards for this race was trophies too! Yay!
I went from feeling defeated and walking for the first time in one race to winning an award in another all in one weekend! A lot of firsts this weekend: some good, some bad. I need to get faster (or find races where the fast girls don't show up), so I can win some cash awards to make up for all of these race fees.
Drove up to Bel Air after work today to pick up my award. Here it is:
Not the best picture, but it is hard trying to take a picture of a piece of glass! When I turned the flash off, the glass reflected everything back.
Dreaded Druid Hills 10K:
This race is known for its brutal hills. The description on the website reads: "Most memorable quote so far: I love running hills, but that was mean and totally uncalled for. - Finisher in the chute, 2002." I love a challenge and have seen my fair share of nasty hills, so I had to see for myself just how bad this course was.
Unfortunately, I was hit with food poisoning mid-week and spent two full days in bed. By Friday, I was recovered enough to eat full meals again but still took a full day of rest from physical activity. I thought I was fully recovered and back to full running form on Saturday morning, so I started out at a decent pace and ran the first mile in 8:49. Then, the same stomach pains that had me lying in bed for 2 days came back in full throttle. I felt like I was about to hurl and told the friend that was running with me to go ahead without me because I needed to slow down. Although I was able to still keep somewhat of a running pace for the 2nd mile, each time I sped up or climbed a hill, my stomach would hurt more.
When I got to the 2nd mile, I couldn't ignore the pain any longer and had to stop and walk for the full mile. I felt so defeated! With the exception of JFK (which required walking), I have never walked in a race. My goal for my first marathon was to be able to run the whole duration of the race, no matter how slow or fast. But here I was, walking a 10K. After one mile, I decided it would take too long for me to finish if I walked the whole second half and started running again with some intermittent walking. When I reached the last mile of the race, I was finally able to ignore the pain and speed up. Thinking about how I don't belong this far back in a race kept me motivated and I passed a lot of runners who were out of gas from all those hills. I finished in 1:12:16.
Besides all of the stomach issues, I actually enjoyed the course. I thought it was rather scenic and although the hills were pretty brutal, I think I would've managed ok if not for the food poisoning. If I am free next year, I will definitely come back and redeem myself. I guess the lesson learned here is that no matter how much you prepare, there are so many factors that play into whether you are going to have a good race or not, be it the weather, injuries, sleep deprivation, digestive issues, pre-race jitters, etc. It's how you deal with all of this that makes you a better runner.
Bel Air Town Run 5K:
This year, I am competing in the RRCA State Championship series to try to win my age group. Basically, this is a series of 10 races throughout the year all over Maryland amongst several running clubs. Each club hosts a race and you get points based on your finish time. You have to run at least 4 of the 10 races to qualify for an award. The Bel Air Town Run was the 3rd race in the series and was hosted by Harford County's running club, RASAC.
I couldn't get any of my friends to go all the way out to Bel Air to run 5 km with me (it was weird driving that far north on 95, I am so used to driving south to MoCo for my weekend runs), but I knew a few HCSers that were doing it and was able to hang out with them before the start. It was such a hot and humid day that I was already sweating from just standing and waiting 5-10 min at the start line. I knew it was going to be a rough run. Luckily, the course was pretty forgiving as it was mostly downhill with only a couple uphills towards the end. A good number of supporters came out to watch and some even took their hoses and sprinklers out to cool us down.
I didn't experience any stomach pains during the race or any other sort of issues, so that was good. I wasn't really able to speed up or slow down much, so I basically just kept the same pace throughout the race. I pretty much just remember it being so hot and humid (which made me contemplate why I am doing the Annapolis 10 Mile Run at the end of August again) and just wanting to be done and glad that was only a 5K and not a 10K. I crossed the finish line with a time of 24:21.
I cooled down and hung out with my HCS friends for a while afterwards but I had to leave at 9:00 AM to get balloons and decorations for my mom's surprise birthday party. They hadn't announced the awards yet by the time I left, but apparently I came in 3rd place out of the 48 females in my 20-24 age group. However, since the overall female winner was 22 and you cannot win both the overall and age group award, I got bumped up to 2nd place for the AG award. This is my first running award ever! Too bad I was not there to claim it. Hopefully they will mail it to me, so I don't have to drive all the way back up to Bel Air to get it. My friend said the awards for this race was trophies too! Yay!
I went from feeling defeated and walking for the first time in one race to winning an award in another all in one weekend! A lot of firsts this weekend: some good, some bad. I need to get faster (or find races where the fast girls don't show up), so I can win some cash awards to make up for all of these race fees.
***UPDATE***
Drove up to Bel Air after work today to pick up my award. Here it is:
Not the best picture, but it is hard trying to take a picture of a piece of glass! When I turned the flash off, the glass reflected everything back.
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