Wind & Whoopie Pies

About a month ago, signed up for the Race the Runways half marathon and signed the hubbster up for the 5k and figured we'd have a fun day of running together and I would just do whatever Coach told me to do regarding the run (race or train) and Casey could get another race under his belt.

What I liked about this race was the medal.

race swag, sweet medal!

What I also liked was that it is hosted on the (now defunct) Brunswick Naval Air Base and a portion of the run in completed on the runway of the base. How ironic that this would be what I liked least about this race...

Initially the weather was predicting 40's and rain. Not ideal for running. Then the forecast changed to 30's and sunny. Then the day before cold and windy.
For once, the meteorologist was right...but it least it wasn't raining, right?

On the road

Coach had a pretty specific plan laid out for the run and it was indeed a training run on tap, mostly aerobic heart rate zones. So definitely just a training day for me!

Casey, on the other hand, was heading into this race with goals to beat his last 5k time.

My friend, Katelyn, was going to running too so we made plans to meet up there. She was also running as a training day too so we thought if our HR zones and pace worked out, we could run together!

Honestly, it was so cold and windy (22* and sustained winds of 20mph with gusts up to 50mph) if I had not just driven an hour here, if I did not want that cool airplane medal and if I did not have Katelyn to run with, there is NO WAY IN HECK I would have run in those conditions for a training day.

In the warmth of the car--no long warm up run would happen!

Casey wanted a good warm up for his 5k (can't blame him!) so he said good bye to us and headed into the frigid wind and cold...while we hit out in the car for a while longer!

Finally, we got out and did a little jogging, a little huddling, and a little shivering waiting for the gun to go off!! I realized that I left my iPod in the car (oh well) and was glad once again to have company to run today!

Video of the start, you can hear the wind!

The 5k and the Half starts together and then we split off in different directions. The first bit of the run was fine, the wind was to our backs and then about a mile and a half in...there it was.

WIND

Cold, bitter, hard blowing wind. Relentless...so I just watched my heart rate and adjusted my pace accordingly, keeping things in check. Once we got to the tarmac (runway) that's when things just got downright silly. The giant wall of wind was just pushing against you! My heart rate shot up to the 150's even though I was barely running a 10 minute mile. The wind was stinging my face and a couple times, it made it kind of hard to breathe!

But we just kept chugging along, I'd check with Katelyn to make sure she was in her zones and I'd check mine. We hit the part where there is a double loop to run and you pass the aid stations with water, gel and gatorade. On the second loop, I walked the aid station to get in some fluids (I can't run and drink from a cup without spilling it...I did not want spillage all over me on this freezing day) and as I WALKED up to the volunteer to get a cup, he spilled the entire cup of Gatorade down the front of me, my entire right leg soaked. AWESOME. I really, really wanted a wet leg on this cold and windy day!! ha ha ha (not really) but whatever, it's not like  he did it on purpose.

Katelyn and I had a couple laughs over the weird mile markers because of the double loop (oh, mile 11 already...oh, no. Only mile 7...) and we were both pretty done with battling the cold and the wind by the time we were done with the loop and the last 2 miles did go by pretty quick.

Another friend, Mike, was there as a photographer and I got to see his smiling face on the course a couple times too. He was somewhere in that last 2 mile stretch and so Katelyn and I had to bust a move for some sweet pics! Can't wait to see those!

Finally, we could hear the PA system and cheers so we knew the finish wasn't far. I recall Katelyn saying something like "oh, it's not windy here" and I was like "shhhh, you are going to jinx us!" SURE ENOUGH. Two feet later--whammo!! more wind.

Round the corner and there it was...THE FINISH LINE. Honestly, this was an "slow and easy" run but I felt worked!! Running slow can be more painful than running fast (or at least that's how if felt on this day). I was never so happy to see a finish line and even contemplated doing cartwheels if I would not kick anyone in the head...

Awwwwsome! DONE :)

DONE! I got my cool medal, a solar blanket and a WHOOPIE PIE!!


The company, Wicked Whoopies, donated 1,200 whoopie pies to all finishers> YUMMMMO!

two cold girls!!

While I did not race yesterday, this was actually a really essential training day. Normally, I would not have run outside in those conditions. So yesterday was mental toughness training and character building day! I smiled the whole time and made sure to thank volunteers along the way. I am sure they were freezing their buns off out there!!

I will definitely return to this race next year and chase a new half mary PR!!
And enjoy another whoppie pie!!


HUGE CONGRATS to Mr. Small who ran his butt to another 5k PR, shaving another :33 off his time and in that wind!! 22:40 for a 7:17/pace. Nice work Casey!!

Run Like Hell

The Mid-Winter Classic 10 Mile Road Race

Cape Elizabeth, Maine 

February 3, 2013

I signed up for this race quite a while ago and had some pretty solid goals for this race. I broke the 1:45 barrier on the half marathon distance in December so my goal to go sub 1:20 at a 10 miler was completely reasonable...until January happened.

I did a lot of traveling in January-Florida and Colorado-and come home from FL with a nasty chest cold that lingered through the Colorado trip and beyond. Lola was sick too and my training plan for the month was really screwed up! It's freaky to me to look into Training Peaks and see almost an entire week of RED BLOCKS from incomplete or missed workouts!

I chatted with Coach and we both agreed that it was smart to put any lofty goals on hold for the day and just run, call it a training day and take it mile by mile. I wasn't even sure if I was going to show up come 9:45 on Sunday morning. The weather has been COLD and they were predicting snow for the day. There was no way I wanted to prolong this chest cold in freezing temps to just run and not race. Then I found out that my girl, Mandy, would be there--you know, Caratunk Girl.

That's all I needed to know. I have not seen Mandy in a while and as long as the roads were safe to drive up to Cape E for the race, I'd be there.

It was cold, temps in the 20's and the winds brought the "feels like" temps down to about 10*. Layer, layer, layer and be smart! I walked into the High School for packet pick up and right away got to see my awesome Rev3 Team mate, Ryan. Then picked up my race bib.

REALLY?? C'mon....

Then I got to see Mandy.

And Jake.

DOUBLE BONUS!!

We made lots of jokes about my bib number and it was decided that I would RUN LIKE HELL!
The run's theme song would be "Running with the Devil" by Van Halen.


I also got to see running buddies Danielle and Sarah, whom I have not seen in forever!! Danielle is looking marvy with a little baby bump (25 weeks along and looking amazing).

chatting up Danielle and her cute bump

Got out to warm up a bit (ha ha) it was freezing and found Michelle in the parking lot. Lucky Michelle got to witness me christen the CEHS parking lot before the race (and dare I say this is not the first time I have done this...Beach to Beacon 2012!)

obviously, NOT peeing in the parking lot in this pic! 

Then I ran into Jen (yay!!) I've been wanting to meet this gal in real life for a while! She was pacing to what my goal time was today and I was hoping we could run together but...we lost each other before the start.

I lined up and started with Mandy, Michelle and a couple of her friends and just trotted along a bit. I was pretty happy at about 8:45 pace so just kept it there and went with it.

Michelle in Yellow, Mandy in Green and me in Pink (behind red guy)

The first five miles of the course are all rollers and I was feeling good and strong on the hills. Cadence was where it was supposed to be, I was running easy and keeping the HR in check. Pace was solid and consistent at 8:30's and I was feeling good. I hit the half way mark around 42:00 mins and was pretty sure I was on pace for a 1:25-ish finish time. The plan for the rest of the miles was to stay steady at 8:30 and pick it up the last 3 miles and finish strong-no mind to HR at that point.

The last two miles were quite comical--this is actually the flattest part of the course with a slight incline, but into a very cold and strong wind on this day. It was soooo cold and I felt like it was just pushing against me. Ok, it was pushing against me. I'd glance at the Garmin to see high 8:00's and low 9:00's flash at me and I was getting annoyed. To add insult to injury, I had peed a little and my entire inner thighs were wet and FREEZING.



NUMB cold freezing painful NUMB.

So I just chugged along and I spotted a local tri club gal, Kim up ahead about a half mile or so. I tried like the dickens to catch her but that would not happen today. I had no idea where the finish line was but we started in the HS parking lot so I figured it finished around there too. Sure enough, I saw the runners ahead turning into the school and I just kept running...and running...and running. It was a slight downhill to the finish line and boom! Done

1:26:04 for an 8:36 pace and 6th in my division.

Not bad for a training day and I will definitely return to run this route again. I loved it! Lots of little rollers and part of the course is along the Beach to Beacon course.
Next year that sub 1:20 finish is all mine.

awesome! Michelle and Mandy having fun

how cute is she?? GO JEN B
Happy to report that Jen finished in 1:19!! GO JEN GO!
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Put Your Heart(rate) Into It! {Omron Fitness HRM Review}

It's a New Year and with the New Year many make resolutions to eat better, start a regular exercise regime and to lose weight. Not too long ago I made this same promise to myself-only it was in September- but I digress.


I was alone in my journey to lose weight and get healthy. I did not have a trainer or anyone to guide me with nutrition. I turned to many, many books and websites to educate myself about exercise and eating the right foods. A couple months into my fitness journey, I learned about one of the most important tools I would discover on my road to fitness. Something that that motivated me to work a little harder every workout.
That tool was a HEART RATE MONITOR.


Since I did not have anyone to help me, let me help you:
If you are new to working out, just starting your own journey to a healthier life or even getting back into a workout regime--If you are current NOT using a heart rate monitor, let me save you some time and tell you that the investment in a heart rate monitor can help you reach your goals faster than you could without one. 


That sporty looking watch would become one of my best friends. The angel sitting on my shoulder wrist telling me I could go a little longer and work a little harder.


How did this bit of technology hidden inside a sports watch help me?


Heart Rate:
By wearing the HRM (heart rate monitor) I knew exactly what my heart rate was at any given moment and I could adjust my workout accordingly. Did I need to kick it up a notch? Did I need to dial it down?
The HRM kicked me in the butt when I was not working to my potential. Seeing my HR drop below my target was a great way to get me moving more and sweating harder!!


Motivation in Numbers:
Seeing how many calories I did burn (or didn't on some days) certainly motivated me in many ways. I found that more often than not pushed me to go a little bit longer to bring that burn up a little bit higher.
It also played an important role in helping me keep my nutrition in check. I could now see just how hard it was to burn off a measly 300 calories so there was NO WAY I was going to blow that on empty calories.


Three years and more than 100 lbs later, I still train with a heart rate monitor only these days I use the data a little bit different. I am a huge advocate of heart rate training so when I was asked to participate in a review of Omron Fitness heart rate monitors, I could not raise my hand high enough!!


Omron Fitness sent me the their new strapless Heart Rate Monitor HR-210.





So what did I think of the Omron Fitness HR-210?


This sporty and reasonably sized heart rate monitor is strapless so there is no need for a chest strap to get your heart rate. The advantage of being strapless is you are ready to go anytime and anywhere. To find out what your heart rate is at any given time, you just tap two fingers onto the 1:00 and 7:00 position sensors on the watch/HRM face and within seconds, your heart rate is shown.


The HR-210 is water resistant to 164 feet so it is perfect for swimming, water aerobics or any kind of water based activity. You can also program the unit to certain heart rate zones to target your training.


The price is very reasonable at $49.99

Every HRM I have used has had a chest strap to wear. I was a bit skeptical on how accurate this unit could be with only the touch of my fingers. But I went in with an open mind and an idea. I plugged in my personal data and then I used the Omron in conjunction with my Polar FT7 and Garmin 310 on several training sessions: long, hard trainer rides, running and teaching 
bootcamp.

I was happily surprised to see that the HR that Omron indicated was always within a beat or two of the "control" HRM's. With my initial concerns alleviated by it's obvious accurate read outs, I ditched the straps from the Polar and the Garmin and proceed onto several more workouts with just the Omron-more time on the trainer, running, swimming and more bootcamp.

The start of one workout-getting on the TM

After - total burn 968 calories!

My findings were that the HR readings from the fingertip was spot on, the caloric burn seemed to be accurate as based on my body size and the effort used for each workout. To obtain more accurate readings, the manual suggests checking your HR often so I would do this every several minutes.

I think the the Omron HR-210 is a great addition to anyone looking to get a little more information and motivation out of their workout-for any fitness level. With a $49.99 price tag, it is one of the more affordable options I have seen on the market. 


The only thing that would enhance the use of this HRM is being able to obtain your overall average heart rate per workout as well as your maximum heart rate.

One sweaty trainer session test. Yes, it is water resistant!

I then was curious to see how someone totally new to fitness AND heart rate monitors would like the Omron HR-210. I remembered my early days with a heart rate monitor so I wanted to see if someone else would have the same reaction and experience. I asked a woman I am training-we will call her Mary- if should would be willing to test it out for me and she was excited to try it.


We updated her stats into the unit (so simple to do) and she was instructed to continue with her workouts as scheduled, checking her heart rate often and tell me her thoughts. Here's what Mary had to say about the Omron Fitness HR-210.


Mary, how do you like the Omron HR-210 so far?
I feel more motivated with the watch on, I get to see my heart rate and see how many calories I am burning. When I see my calorie burn go up, it makes me want to go faster and push myself even more.


Do you find the Omron HR-210 easy to use and understand?
Yes, it's really easy to use and understand.


What is your overall impression of the Omron HR-210?
I love the watch !! I really like knowing what my heart rate is while I am exercising and I can keep track of how many calories I am burning. And when I see the rate of my calorie burn,  I now I can push my self even more. It does make more more aware of what I am eating too. 

So there you have it. My thoughts and those of a fitness newbie on the first part of her journey to health and happiness!


You can find Omron Fitness heart rate monitors online at the Omron Webstore 
Or you can check this list of partner stores to purchase.


FTC Disclosure: FitFluential LLC compensated me for this sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.