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Pteradactlybrain is not only misspelled, it is retired. Come visit me and mine at H.I.P. We'll talk about stuff.

Race for the cure

Derek and I ran the Komen Race for the Cure on Saturday. This was my first race in almost 2 years, since I had such an eventful time after my last 1/2 marathon. We got Derek’s whole family in on it, though most of them walked the 3 miles. Derek, Britanna, and I started running about 7 minutes after the gun, because that’s how long it took us to get from where we were, behind 10,000 people, to the starting line. As we were walking, Derek said, “Wow, this is gonna be a 5K mosey.” Britanna ran with us for about 1/2 mile, then separated and walked for a little while.

Derek and I were together until about half way. Derek hasn’t been running for about a month, so I was glad he could do that much, although we were running about as slow as I know how. I didn’t get the race thing that makes you get jittery and start out fast. I knew I wasn’t being timed, so I treated it like any old morning run. I didn’t even warm up, so that first half was the warm up. Derek claims that when he started walking, I picked up speed, but I don’t remember doing so. He only walked for a few minutes, then ran the rest of the way. But he still came in 2 1/2 minutes after me. Yee-Haw!

I finished in 27:56, which is my slowest 5K by about 3 minutes. I usually get pretty nauseated after a race, but this time it was so mild. I don’t feel like I exerted myself very much. Which is actually very good, since my goal was to finish in 29 minutes, and not worry about it at all.

So I feel like it was a very good first race of the season, and especially good since I’m still recovering from childbirth. I know, that was 7 months ago, but unless you’re me, you don’t know how hard it was. I’ve been taking it so slow.

I think there were about 15,000 people in the race. I’m not kidding. There were more people in one place that I have ever seen before. It was incredible, and very claustrophobic. I think I might have gone an extra 1/4 mile just from all the weaving in and out of walkers and people with strollers.

The highlight of the race was when Derek told me later that when he started walking and I ran ahead of him, he heard a group of women commenting on people’s running attire, and as I ran by, they pointed and said, “Oooo, I like that one!” I always have bright shirts to run in, so the one I had on was a cute, fitted, bright orange Patagonia running shirt, with my black tights. I won’t give the lecture on the benefits of spandex while running, but I won’t run with anything else on my legs.

So I ran a race. I can’t really brag about it, but I’m glad I did it, I finished, and it wasn’t bad. Running makes me happy.

Join My Team!

Derek's mom and I just formed a team to run/walk the Komen Race for the Cure in Salt Lake City, on May 12th. We would love it if you joined us! So far, we have me and Derek, Derek's mom Toni, his sister Britanna, his younger brother and sister who are too young for me to reveal their names on the internets, and his sister-in-law Linda.

Some of us will run, some will walk. It's a no pressure "race," and it's for cancer research. Join Team Hope is Power!

Shorten your stride

I went up to Bridal Veil again this morning. I ran right past the spot where Derek proposed (yes indeed, he proposed at Bridal Veil Falls, though that wasn't his original plan. More on the subject...), and to Vivian Park and back. Today I went a little further than last week, for a total of 6 miles. I forgot my watch, so I don't know exactly how long it took, and I left my cute periwinkle blue hat on top of the car when I drove off. It is lost and gone forever.

I couldn't believe how good I felt, the whole time. My body is a miraculous machine. Just 6 months after creating and giving birth to a whole other human, I am able to run continuously for an entire hour, with very little pain, and without even exerting myself very hard. I was tired at the end, so I had to slow down and shorten my stride, but I still made it.

I can't remember where I got this bit of advice, but I think it was from Runner's World magazine. I used to read it all the time, and they have tips, answer questions, and tell all sorts of stories about runners, both professional and novice. So I think it was there that I read about shortening your stride. It was aimed at people who run longer distances, and are not necessarily competitive runners. They said that when your body gets tired, like at the end of your run, it is much easier to injure yourself through overuse, or poor form. When you're tired, you don't concentrate so much on keeping your back erect as just putting one foot in front of the other.

I'm sure you've heard the advice to "lengthen your stride," in reference to anything from running to working harder at the office. It comes from training sprinters who can cover ground faster with a long stride. Sometimes long distance runners will try to lengthen their stride at the end of a race, to finish strong. However, this is a good way to get hurt, especially if you don't have a trainer who can teach you how to do it right.

The best thing to do when your body is getting fatigued is to shorten your stride, and keep your form. With a shorter stride, you do not over-tax the muscles that have already been working so hard, to the point of injury. You also reduce impact on your skeletal system, not having travelled as far between foot-strikes.

When my body is really tired, but I still have another couple of miles, I shorten my stride, but pick up the speed just a tiny bit.

New Shoes

I got a new pair of shoes a couple of weeks ago. They're Pearl Izumis. I love them. I had Mizuno Wave Riders for a few years, but they kept changing them, and I got tired of not knowing what to expect. Plus, my last pair was so squeaky that I would wake up the kids while I was trying to sneak out of the house in the morning. I tried a bunch of things to get them to stop squeaking, but they only got worse, even after 400 miles. Yes, I kept running in them anyway, but no more.

So I went to Runner's Corner to get some new shoes, and though the service there is sometimes questionable, they always know what they're talking about. It came down to the Pearl Izumis and the Asics Gel-Cumulus. I chose the PIs just to try something different, and they are such a smooth ride! I think I'll try the Asics next time and compare the two with more mileage.

The PIs are so wonderfully cushioned. I was wanting cushy shoes because I was having pain in my heels, ankles and hips. My heel pain is now totally gone, and my hip pain is much reduced, even after running 4 1/2 miles on Saturday. There's nothing like running pain-free.

The one drawback of the PIs is that they are not just mesh uppers, like most other running shoes. They have some sort of thin foam or something inside the uppers. I noticed it when I tried them on, but bought them anyway. It just makes them a little warmer than other shoes. I don't think I will be able to wear them all day in the summer, but in the winter, it will be great to not have frozen toes after running in 20^o weather. It sort of feels like I've got a blanket wrapped around my feet, and is quite comfortable.

I recommend the Pearl Izumi Shine for women who are small to medium frame (I'm on the top end, at 144 pounds) and like a neutral shoe with some cushion. I have yet to try them on a trail, though, and we'll see if they hold up for 500 miles.

Bridal Veil - Vivian

It is so worth it. I drove up Provo Canyon this morning at 6:30 and ran from Bridal Veil Falls to Vivian Park, about 2 1/2 miles each way. So about 47 minutes. My hips were pretty tired, and I haven't run that far since February of last year, so I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow. But Yay! Running in the canyon is so much easier than on the road, especially if I want to go more than 10 or 20 minutes. Which I do. There are pretty things to look at, the air is clean to breathe, it's so much more fun.

My dad is going to run 20 miles this morning on the front of Timpanogos. He just had surgery about 4 weeks ago, was told not to run for 2 weeks, and can still run 20 miles today. I hope I can get there. I hope I can find someone in Ohio to go on long runs with. Derek doesn't like it yet.

3 days off

Mmmm, I sort of skipped writing about last week. I sort of skipped a few days of running. We went to this great restaurant in Salt Lake on Friday, then headed up the hill for the best chocolates at Hatch Family Chocolates. Apparently they don't have a website, but if you need to know, there is no place better in Utah. I tried some other chocolates the other day and I was so saddened at the inferiority. So go to Hatch.

On Saturday, we had the family Easter party with Derek's parents and sibs, and in the evening went to dinner with my dad, grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousin Liz. There just wasn't time.

So this morning I ran for 20 minutes and felt great, but by the end, my hip was hurting again. I just got new shoes, so I don't think it's that. Maybe I need to go even slower.