Flying Pig 10k Results

I did it!  I finished the 2012 Flying Pig Marathon 10K race this morning!  Yep, that's 6.2 miles...my longest race yet.  


I started out this morning by waking up at 5:30 to wake Molly up to nurse her before I left the house.  Breakfast was in the car (banana with peanut butter, yogurt with cereal) as I had no idea what to expect parking-wise.  I had planned on carpooling with my running buddy, but she backed out at the last minute, so I was in it alone.  That made me more nervous on my way down and waiting for the run to start.  I found a spot to park right away so I had plenty of time to mentally try and get ready for the race and to get my gear together, try to get my blood sugar under control (I try to keep it a little higher than normal so I don't crash in the middle of the race) and get to the start line.  I didn't take my phone or my camera, so I don't have any photos of the actual race or start, but it was such a fun atmosphere.  Actually, all of the races that I've done have had a great spirit and a "buzz" before the start.


So the actual course was crossing the bridge over into Northern Kentucky, running the riverfront, back over the bridge, past the start line and another 1.5 mile loop around downtown Cincinnati.  I think most of the first 4.5 miles of the course is the same as the Flying Pig 1/2 and Full marathons that take place on Sunday morning.  


The run was scenic, the water stops were well placed, and overall I just really enjoyed the run.  The last mile was probably the toughest for me, but once I saw the finish line, I was able to pick up my speed a little.  My garmin said that my 5k (3.1miles) was around 34:00 and my 5 mile was around 56:00.  Both of those times were about 2 minutes better than my times at previous races this year (Shamrock Shuffle 5k in March was 36min and the Walk for Life 5 mile was 58min).  So, overall I'm pleased.


Here is a screen shot of my Garmin upload:

Here are my official race stats:

The fastest lady finished it in 38:00...which is just a few minutes longer than my 5k pace :)  I'm definitely not a fast runner, but I'm proud of where I finished.  For me it was good.  And it was a great first introduction to the Flying Pig Marathon.  I say first because I will be back!  Hopefully doing the 1/2 marathon next year...

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It's go time!

So, Goal #1 for the year was accomplished on March 30th when I finished the Bible in 90 Days reading program.  Part of Goal #2 will be accomplished tomorrow when I run the Flying Pig Marathon 10K course.

I have to admit...training was much more difficult this year than it was 2 years ago when I completed my first triathlon.  I'm not sure all the reasons, but one major reason was that now I have 3 kids instead of 2.  Not only does adding one more kid to the mix take a little more time, but it also makes it so they don't fit in the jogging stroller.  Which has made it logistically more difficult to get my runs in.  So, I'm not expecting a stellar time tomorrow.

But, today I went to the expo associated with the marathon and was blown away.  I've only competed in two 5k's, the annual walk for life for our local women's center (a 5 mile course, have only run twice but participated probably 10 times), and 2 triathlons.  That's it.  None of those events were big enough to have an expo, although the Shamrock Shuffle 5K that I did earlier this year had lots of vendors outside.  But this was huge.  I thought I would walk in there, grab my bib number and leave, but there were like 5 rows of vendors that you walked past on your way to get your t-shirt and poster.  I didn't have my camera because I totally wasn't expecting anything like it, but I really wish I had allotted more time to visit all the booths.  I'm so new to the running world and just have so much to learn.

Anyway, I thought I would show you my "flat shot" of my running gear for tomorrow.  I saw this idea on Moms Run This Town's Facebook page last week and thought it was a cute idea.

For my electronics, I have my Garmin Forerunner 205, my iPod shuffle (thanks to my friend, Mary!) and my insulin pump.  The pink shirt is what I'll be wearing, but the grey shirt is the official shirt and I'm taking it with me to change into after the race.  If I make it that far :)

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FINISHED!

So, last night I completed the Bible in 90 Days program (B90)!  The actual finish day was Saturday, so I finished 2 days early...well, actually only one day, because by the time I was done, it was 12:08am.

I did this entire reading program (except about a week) on my iPod touch using the YouVersion.com bible app.  It had the reading program already in the "reading plans" section, so it really helped me keep on track.  The only reason why I didn't do the entire program on it was because my 2nd son decided to throw my iPod in the toilet and I was without one for about a week :)


Anyway, this was my 2nd time completing the program and I learned some new things along the way this time:

1. For some reason, it was much more difficult to complete this time.  I think I tried to take on too much with my reading plan, training plan, trying to juggle 3 kids, Lent, and working my home-based bakery.
2. Most of the days, I actually got things from my reading.  There were days were I was reading just to mark it off the list, but I really tried to read at times where my comprehension was better and my attention span could be kept (i.e. not trying to read while the kids were awake and constantly interrupting or needing attention).
3. I did try and read some times while the kids were awake, though.  I wanted them to see me reading and to ask questions about it.  I even read a little out loud to them.
4. I still don't like Chronicles.
5. It's great to be finished! I will probably take the next week off from reading just because my schedule has piled up and I really need to concentrate on getting back on my training plan, but I'm looking for a study to start or just a book to start reading.

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Lose that belly!

If you know me in real life or if you have been following the blog, you know that I have 3 kids.  Two boys 4 and 2, and a sweet baby girl who is now almost SEVEN months old!  Time flies!  How and when did I ever get old enough to have three kids?!

Anyway, after having 3 kids, I must say that my belly isn't nearly what it used to be pre-kids.  I think most women say their body changes after having kids and mine certainly isn't an exception.  Even my friends who are lucky to get back down to pre-pregnancy weight shortly after birth say the number on the scale might be the same, but their clothes certainly don't fit the same.

I've heard for years how unhealthy belly weight is, so it's definitely something I want to say away from.  But it's easier said than done. Especially with my Type 1 Diabetes and PCOS.  My endocrine system is so far from normal which makes losing weight harder, but not impossible.


I recently read an article (that I found on Pinterest!) and thought I would share it with you.  It's "Top 10 Tips to Lose Your Belly Fat Quickly and Naturally".  The "quick" and "natural" were two of the key words for me :)  Especially since I am still nursing Molly, I can't take most supplements or cleanses.  Please note, that this is the image from the article and not of me! :-)

Pin It Here; source

Some of the tips were things I've always heard.  Like don't skip breakfast, work out (duh!), avoid alcohol and drink more water.  I never skip breakfast, I've been working out consistently, I don't drink alcohol (it messes with my blood sugar!), but I'm terrible with my water consumption and I know it.  Definitely on my list of things to improve upon!

But a couple of them were not as obvious to me.  Like get 7-9 hours of sleep.  I typically stay up late running and doing my Bible reading as well as cleaning projects that are not able to be completed with the 3 kids during the day.  So, I usually only get around 6-7 good hours of sleep each night.  Which my husband is always on me about but I'm not sure how to change.

The other one that really got me was to work out BEFORE you eat breakfast.  I usually work out at 10pm after the kids go to bed (thanks to my husband who drug the stinkin' heavy treadmill into the basement for me!) but then I can't go to sleep right away which doesn't help the whole sleep thing.  But the article said that if you work out before you eat, you burn your "excess fat" instead of the food you've eaten during the day.  Makes sense to me!  So, this morning, against all that is normal for this late-night girl, I set the alarm for 6:30 and got up and ran 2 miles on the treadmill (20min:50sec).  Not an awesome time and I felt like I was going to puke the entire time.  I have only done one other run this year that wasn't after dinner and I felt like puke during that run as well, so I'm not sure what it is.  I've done a couple of 3 mile runs, so 2 miles shouldn't really be that difficult for me anymore.

I guess we will see where it goes from here, but I'm going to stick with it and hopefully it will help do the trick!

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Busy!

Phew...it's been a busy month!  I think I over-committed myself this month.  Between keeping up with 3 kids, working 2 days a week at a local church doing childcare while the mommas get a break, training for my 10k and triathlon, reading through the Bible in 90 days, plus doing cakes almost every weekend, this has been a busy month!  I just haven't had time to come up with blog posts.  I enjoy blogging, I really do!  It just hasn't been up there on the priority list.  I've even been slacking in the pinterest department, so you know it's been busy around here :)

But I wanted to take a few minutes and update on my progress for my 2012 Goals:

spiritual goal:  Read through the Bible in 90 Days.  I'm still doing this, but I'm behind by about 5 days.  It's going to take a bit of extra work to catch up since the daily readings are about 5 hours each for me complete.  But I'm still at it and won't give up!

health/body goal:  Complete the Flying Pig 10k on Saturday, May 5 & the Little Miami Triathlon on Sunday, June 3.  I have also added a 5 mile run on April 21^st for the Clinton County Women’s Center Walk for Life (if you want to join me, let me know and I can send you details!).  I am completing my "unofficial" training and will be starting my official training plan tomorrow!  I've been doing a good job running 3 times each week plus I've been doing a couple of spinning classes here and there.  Here's what my "official" training plan for the running looks like.  

	Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Feb 20	1	2	rest	2	rest	2	rest	3	9 mi total
Feb 27	2	2	rest	2	rest	2	rest	3	9 mi total
Mar 5	3	2	rest	2	rest	3	rest	3	10 mi total
Mar 12	4	2	rest	3	rest	3	rest	4	12 mi total
Mar 19	5	2	rest	3	rest	3	rest	4	12 mi total
Mar 26	6	3	rest	3	rest	4	rest	4	14 mi total
Apr 2	7	3	rest	3	rest	4	rest	4	14 mi total
Apr 9	8	3	rest	4	rest	4	rest	5	16 mi total
Apr 16	9	3	rest	4	2	rest	5*	rest	14 mi total
Apr 23	10	4	rest	4	rest	5	rest	6	19 mi total
Apr 30	11	4	rest	4	rest	5	rest	10K
May 7	12	4	rest	5	rest	6	rest	7	22 mi total
May 14	13	4	rest	5	rest	6	rest	7	22 mi total
May 21	14	5	rest	6	rest	7	rest	8.5	26.5 mi total
May 28	15	6	rest	4	rest	rest	TRI		10 mi total

financial goals: Complete Baby Step #3 by July 1 (fully funded emergency fund of 6 months expenses), start on Baby Steps #4 and 5 (investing for retirement and college funds for the kids).  We've made a little progress on this goal but there's been a slight setback.  Looks like my hubby is going to have to have shoulder surgery and carpel tunnel surgery and will be out of work for about 4 weeks (mostly unpaid).  So instead of socking money away for our fully funded emergency fund, we are socking it away so we won't have to worry if his recovery takes a little longer or if surgery and PT costs more than what we expect.  It's wonderful having enough money in the bank that we really don't have to worry!

family goal: take a vacation!  Nothing set up yet...but I have quit my job for Tuesdays (so after this coming week, I will only be working every Thursday at the local church doing childcare).  This will help make a little more time for fun with the kids or doing cakes which I enjoy more than the childcare work :)

business goal:  Limit bookings to no more than 7 wedding cakes for the year.  I think I'm changing this one to 12....with Steve taking a leave from work it just makes more sense for me to try and get a couple extra in.  Plus, I also have a couple house projects that I want to do and that's what I usually use my cake money for :)

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Free Weight Loss App

Since Beth is sharing her triathlon and 10K training journey, I thought these 2 apps that I use and like would be appropriate to share.

The first one is called "Lose It".  It is free and is basically a calorie tracker. I like it because it is super easy to use and being able to track calories on the go is very convenient.  I have also found that when I am forced to eat fast food (on a trip or something), I've been able to look up calorie info quickly through this app and it helps make a decision on what I can eat that wouldn't blow my whole daily calorie consumption. 

Second is an app Beth recommended to me last year called "Log Your Run".  This is basically just what it sounds like -- a way to record your route, time, and distance (and therefore pace) for your run or bike or walk.  I used it quite a bit last spring and summer.  I didn't want to pay for an app, and I will be the first to admit this one is not without its problems.  I found that when I ran on the bike trail near my house I often lost info -- it would tell me I'd gone 1 mile instead of 4.  I was always too preoccupied with running to notice it and problem solve, but I suspect it had more to do with phone reception than the app itself.  But just a warning in case you decide to try it.

Does anyone else have any favorite fitness or health apps they'd like to share -- free or not?

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P90X Advice?

So, I heard a lot about P90X last year.  For those of you who haven't heard of it before, it's an intense 90 day workout program where you "confuse" your muscles by doing different exercises every day.  You can find out more details on the website here.

Anyway, a friend of mine had the DVD's and has let me borrow them.  I'm watching one of them right now (yoga) just to see what I might be getting myself into.  Have any of you tried this program before?  Even if you didn't complete it, what did you think?  I'm thinking it can't hurt because it is exercise, but I don't want it to interfere with my training for the 10K run and Little Miami Triathlon in May and June.  Not that it wouldn't be good to do, but I'm not sure that it's the right training for running, canoeing and biking.

There are a couple different ways you can do the DVD's (12 total) to get different results.  I'm considering doing the "Lean" training program.  This program is for people who want weight loss, but it's also for people who want to incorporate cardio into the program.  Check out the schedule I found on p90xmomma.com:  (click on the image to display the full 13-week program)

Intense!  Thoughts?  Advice?  Tips?  HELP!!!

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Training Continued...

Ok, so yesterday I posted on how I plan to accomplish my Bible reading goal for this year.  Now, I want to talk about training for my 10K race and a triathlon.  You might be asking why I'm lumping the Bible and my race training together, but for me it's similar.  They are both goals to make myself a healthier person. They both require a lot of time and they both require a PLAN.  For me, that's the biggest part of accomplishing something I set out to do.

My first goal is to participate in the Flying Pig 10K race on Saturday, May 5.  I have never completed a 10K race before, so I'm looking forward to this challenge.  Because the 10K race is similar in distance to the run distance for the triathlon (8.8K), I'm using it as a test to see how I will do for the triathlon.  It's a full month before, so I'm hoping to get a good idea of how fast I can do the triathlon, but also give myself a pace goal that's a little faster!

As I have mentioned before, I have completed the Little Miami Triathlon before in the Spring of 2010.  My partner was my sister and I pretty much twisted her arm into joining me.  She didn't really want to do it, but I begged her enough that she finally caved.  But then she ended up doing more triathlons that year and blowing me out of the water!

The Little Miami Triathlon is a little different than most tri's.  It's similar in distance to a sprint tri, but instead of swimming, the first leg is canoeing (or you can kayak) on the Little Miami river.  It's composed of a 6 mile canoe, 5.5 mile run and 18 mile bike, in that order.  Each individual leg of the race is challenging in itself, but when you add them all together, it's really a great challenge!  Of course, there are longer triathlons out there and even ironman events, but those are way above my level!

I'm still hammering out all the details of my training plan to account for both the 10K race and the triathlon, but the running portion of my training will look something like this:

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	2	rest	2	rest	2	rest	3	9 mi total
2	2	rest	2	rest	2	rest	3	9 mi total
3	2	rest	2	rest	3	rest	3	10 mi total
4	2	rest	3	rest	3	rest	4	12 mi total
5	2	rest	3	rest	3	rest	4	12 mi total
6	3	rest	3	rest	4	rest	4	14 mi total
7	3	rest	3	rest	4	rest	4	14 mi total
8	3	rest	4	rest	4	rest	5	16 mi total
9	3	rest	4	rest	4	rest	5	16 mi total
10	4	rest	4	rest	5	rest	6	19 mi total
11	4	rest	4	rest	5	rest	6	19 mi total
12	4	rest	5	rest	6	rest	7	22 mi total
13	4	rest	5	rest	6	rest	7	22 mi total
14	5	rest	6	rest	7	rest	8.5	26.5 mi total
15	6	rest	4	rest	rest	race	rest	10 mi total

The start date for this training program would be February 20, but I have already started running (on the treadmill in my basement).  My goal at the beginning of the year was just to run a mile without stopping.  Now I can do 2 miles, but I'm working on achieving a faster pace and will then work up to 3 miles.  The program I am using to track my progress (and also keep track of my training plan) is LogYourRun.com.  They have an app for the iPhone/iPod Touch, so I'm able to enter my data and see a big picture.  So far this month, I have run a total of 16.62 miles in 3hours, 10 min and 17 seconds, or an average pace of 11:44minutes/mile. :)  Not awesome, but I'm improving!  My goal for the 10K race is 10 minutes per mile and 9:30/mile for the triathlon.

In addition to the running part of the triathlon, there are obviously 2 other events to train for...canoeing and biking!  For the canoeing, my plan is to do some weight training at the local Y in order to build up my shoulder muscles a little more.  I also plan on doing a "trial run" of the canoe a few weeks before the event (maybe as a recovery event the week after the 10K).

As for the biking portion, I plan on taking a spinning class at the Y before the weather is nice enough to get outside to bike.  My training last time consisted of me hooking up the bike trailer and pulling 2 kids around in it behind me.  I'm not exactly sure how that is going to work this year since I now have 3 kids (and they won't all fit in the bike trailer!), but it was great training because the extra weight during my training rides helped me to have a better completion time.  Plus, my boys love going for bike rides!

As you can tell, the Bible reading, 10K and Triathlon all take up a lot of time and require a commitment, but I'm hoping that by putting it all out on this blog, it will help keep me motivated, on track and accountable!  My main goal is just to finish what I have started!

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