Race 6!

So I did it!  I tackled the ICE BREAKER!  This race was at Granite Bay once again.  It took place on Sunday April 17th. 

Matt and Dad came out to watch me complete this race.

Here I am waiting to start.  I was in the last wave out of six, so I had to wait a while until I actually got to start.

Still happy not realizing how cold the water really was!

 So I decided to get in the water before the race started so I wouldn't complete freak my body out.  It was so cold.  My feet and legs were tingling pretty badly.  I wasn't brave enough to go for the whole body dunking.
Once it was time for my wave to start I took a running start and went for it.  I didn't realize how strong the current was and took in numerous drinks of water.  Even though I went in the water for a bit before, the water still shocked me. It took me a bit to breathe normally again.

YAY!!! I'm finally out of the water!

 The swim took me 26 minutes to complete.  It was half a mile.

Then came my 13 mile bike ride.  I rode this same course twice in January, the only difference was I had to ride the course twice in one race.  Once you finish one loop and back to the where you started you had to turn around and do it all over again.  I felt like I was doing great.  

Coming in from my ride!

 The ride took me 1 hour and 7 minutes. 

Next came the run.  It was only 4 miles.  I felt like I could hit this one out of the park!

Here I go!

The run started out the same as the January races, and I was wondering if it was going to just be two loops of that same course.  But I was wrong.  The first mile was the same and the last mile was the same.  After finishing mile 1 you entered some tougher terrain which went straight down and straight up numerous times.  Here was the problem...I forgot my running shoes at home, and was wearing some "retired" no traction shoes.  I had to side step down some of these hills.  At one point I looked up to see someone running the opposite way and was shocked to find out that I had to go down even further before I would turn to go back up.  When mile three was over I was happy because I knew the track I was on.  This part of the run was very doable. 

Across the line I come!

Of course I started running in a dead sprint to cross the finish line.  Or at least what a dead sprint was at that point. 

Walk it off!

 I finished! YAY!!!!

I did it!

Gatorade does a body good!   

He snuck in for a hug...I didn't know that was going to happen!

So all in all it was a great race.  It was my last race of the year in Granite Bay.  At least at this point...who knows things could always change.   

Next Race: Avenue of the Vines May 15th

A 5K for my 5th

My fifth race was on April 2nd.  I wasn't sure if it really counted for my year of races, but after much discussion I have decided it does count.  Even though it was a 5K it was still a race, I never set parameters around distances for my races except for my grand finale! 

Dad and I before the race!  (Too bad my eyes are closed)

The 5K was fun it was two laps around the campus of St. Mary's.  Which was nice because in the second lap you knew exactly where you were going, but the downfall was that you passed the finish line and had to keep going. 

Competing in this race were Alle, Bryan, Matt, Dad, Ginger, David, and yours truly.  Mom and Millie were on the side lines cheering us on. 





Matt, Alle and I after the run!

A 5k is definitely a much different race then a half marathon, because a half marathon is about endurance and perseverance, while a 5K you can just go for it and get it done.  I didn't think about it this way from the get go, so if I squeeze another 5K into the race schedule this year I will definitely go into it with that mind set.



Goofing off after the race.

Millie a runner?  We will have to wait and see

Race Four

Race number four took place on March 27th.  This race, the Oakland half marathon, was the second in my Northern California racing series.  Joining me for this race was Alle and Sara.  We set out early in the morning because we wanted to make sure to get one of the free parking spaces before the race started.  We walked around and had plenty of time to walk back to the car multiple times.



Here we are before the race started!



Before we even started the race we saw a woman in a gurney being covered by race blankets and having heating pads placed on her.  Hypothermia had definitely set in.

Let the race begin!!

It was time for the race to begin. My goal was to run one mile with Sara and Alle before letting them take off. Little did I know they had a different goal for me.  I ran the first two miles with them.  Then they took off.  But I didn't give up and I didn't let any negative thoughts enter my mind.  Before I knew it I was at mile 3.  It felt like forever to get to mile 4, but mile 5 and 6 felt good.  I loved getting to run "through" the fire.  I kept checking the time and just knew that I was on track to finish under 3 hours.  I felt like I was doing great!
At mile 10 I all of sudden had massive cramping in my thighs.  I have never felt pain like that. I had to keep moving though, there's no giving up especially when you've come so far!
Right before I hit mile 13 I had a cramp in my left calf that almost made me fall over.  I wanted to stop, but by now I was so close.  I knew I could still make my time.  I saw Sara and Alle to my right and told them I wanted to stop because it hurt so bad.  I ran passed them.  At the time I was very disappointed in myself. I had run more of this race then any race before and yet I still finished in 3 hours and 1 minute.  I had let myself down.

YAY!  We did it!

It wasn't until I had time to reflect on the race that I became proud of myself.  Even though I said I would never finish over 3 hours again, I had achieved more this race then any race before. 
I had run the vast majority of this race.  I ran two miles of this race with Sara and Alle.  I continued going even though I wanted to stop because of pain.
I could have finished in a better time had I not been in pain, but hey I finished and I'm proud of myself for continuing on this journey I have set before me!

Next Race: SMC 5K