I bought a foam roller at Sports Authority on Friday and it is my new best friend. I would highly recommend getting one if you are somebody who works out regularly, it stretches your muscles in such a way that it hurts so bad you want to cry -yet feels so good you can't seem to stop! Wondering what the heck I am talking about? Check it out on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lLw81kGeXg
I decided to skip out on my soccer game Saturday night, which I really hated to do but was the only logical decision if I was going to attempt running on Sunday morning. It is hard to admit to yourself that you need to rest when what you really WANT to do is go be active and not let your team down. But in the end my decision is what was best for my body so I just have to remind myself of that and let it go.
Sunday morning I woke up at 4:50am- which is quite possibly the earliest I have ever had to get up to go run in a race! I headed over to Cynthia's house and we were on the road by 6am headed up to Greenlake. The race was to start at 8am and parking up there is a bit tricky so we wanted lots of time just in case. The weather was cold and cloudy but the rain held off -sound familiar? Typical race weather!
There were 5 of us girls running together- Cynthia, Tiana, Robin, Aubree and myself. I was still on the fence about whether or not I would do the 5K or the 10K, I just wasn't sure what my knee would feel like once I started running. I am also a bit stubborn so I almost didn't trust myself to admit my knee was hurting and throw in the towel after one lap if there was even the slightest ache.
There were around 2,000 women signed up to run the Iron Girl, which is a lot. Especially considering the track is not very wide. We made the mistake of starting way back in the 10 and 11 minute pace group so once we got started it was nearly impossible to get into a decent stride. I know better than that- we should have wiggled our way forward more. I blame sleep deprivation. Anyways, my knee was feeling great which I was really thankful for and around mile 1.5 or so I looked at Cynthia and said "I am just going to do the 5K, so I am going to pick up my pace". Easier said than done!
I weaved in and out and around as best I could for the last mile or so. The funny part was that after I crossed the finish line and was stretching I realized I hadn't even broke out into a sweat! I don't even remember the last time I only ran 3 miles. But I was really happy with my decision- my knee wasn't achy (well, maybe a little) but had I continued on I think I would have been mad at myself. My time was decent but I wasn't able to really run as fast as I could have if there weren't so many ladies to pass!
Here are my stats:
Time: 29:35
Pace: 9:33
Place overall: 191/1370
Place in my age division: 30/255
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| Cynthia and I- 6am, heading out the door for the Iron Girl! |
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| The Iron Girls post race-Me, Aubree, Tiana, Robin and Cynthia |
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| Posing with the Aflac Duck- Cynthia, Robin, Tiana and me |
AFLAAAAAAC! ;) good job, Tiffany! You were making the right choice in all events, to care for your health. Like we said, you want to be the chick running long into your old age, not the chick who ran a lot in her 30's and never again. I do know how hard it is to hold yourself back though. So good job! Even better, "good game". :)
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Thanks Tiana! I always run better after a "good game" from you ;) And I seriously can't look at that duck without saying AFLAAAAC!! Awesome race, glad you were racing with us this time- we missed you!
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