Shamrock Race Recap 2014

Well, it's all over. Four months of preparation, and it's done in the blink of an eye!

I didn't achieve a personal record, but the important thing is that I finished. Even though I am now 35 pounds heavier (thank you, thyroid disease) and only did about half the training as I did the first time I ran this race (thank you, injuries), I finished within five minutes of my previous time.

On Saturday I headed down to the Virginia Beach Convention Center to pick up my race packet. I got to meet Bart Yasso, who is the Chief Running Officer of Runner's World magazine. His stories were inspiring and hilarious. I'm really glad I was able to catch his speech and meet him. He is an amazing man who knows everything there is to know about running!

Bart Yasso speaking at the expo

Bart Yasso and I

Then came race day. Up at 4:30 a.m. to drive down to Virginia Beach and find parking. I actually lucked out this year and ended up getting a spot real quick, and it was close to the finish line. Bonus! Last time I felt like I had to walk another mile to get back to the car, which of course was the last thing I wanted to do after running 13.1 miles.

My favorite part of any race is the couple minutes before the gun goes off. The excitement is high, my heart is pounding, everyone is pumped up, and it is such a major rush to be part of something so huge. The moment I have been training and working so hard for, worrying about, and stressing over for the past four months is finally about to happen. There's a million things running through my mind in those last few seconds. And when the gun goes off, there is no turning back.

 Just minutes before the start. Let's do this!

My Corral: #6

There is always so much stuff going on during the race that at times I forget that I am even running. The spectators, bands, DJ's, water stops, talking to other runners, and of course checking out (and laughing at) people's costumes makes the time absolutely fly by. There was one couple I ran next to for a while that was singing songs to eachother but mixing in their own words. It was hilarious! That kept me entertained for a good mile or two. It really made me wish I had a running buddy to do silly things with to make the time go by.

Beautiful Ocean Sunrise

The last half mile of this race is soooo awesome. The finish line is right on the boardwalk overlooking the ocean. A beautiful way to end an amazing race!

Almost done, I look exhausted! LOL

I made it! Love the Finisher's Beach Towel, I will use it this summer!



Of course, I promoted my blog while running this race :)

Bling, Bling!

My stats:

Official Chip Time: 2:35:33

Overall Results: 6565 out of 8936 finishers

Age Group (30-34) Results: 678 out of 984

Gender Results: 3685 out of 5510

~Fluffy Girl~ 



Wait, I'm not ready!!

So.....I am totally not ready for this half marathon on Sunday. I haven't run a single step in 15 days because I've been trying to nurse my IT Band, but it doesn't seem to be getting any better.

My entire winter training season has been hell this year. First it was shin splints/stress fractures in both legs, then I was laid out with a massive cold/sinus infection for almost 3 weeks, then my knee was bothering me, my thyroid disease has destroyed my energy level and is causing weight gain and major fatigue, and finally the IT Band injury reared its ugly head about a month ago. I'm really glad I made the decision to downgrade my race from the full marathon to the half marathon--there is absolutely no way I could have finished the full.

I'm still going to do the race on Sunday and hope for the best. The PR I was aiming for is probably not going to be possible, but I'm just gonna have to get over it.  There will be plenty of other opportunities to reach those goals in the future.

Once this race is over, I'm really going to focus on just getting myself healthy again. The main factor that needs to be addressed is my thyroid disease because that is what causes most of my problems (weight gain, fatigue, muscle aches, depression, hair loss, dry skin, etc etc).  I'm going for a blood test this week to see where my levels are at for the first time since going on the new medication three months ago. I'm really interested to see the results and decide if I should stay on it or go back to the synthetic stuff.

As I am working on getting all of that under control, I'm also going to incorporate some strength training and pilates into my workout routine. I know I should have started strength training a long time ago to help prevent running injuries, but I didn't...and now I'm paying the price. Lesson learned!

It's amazing how much time, work and effort actually goes into being a runner if you do it correctly. It's more than just running--there's cross training, strength training, stretching, foam rolling, icing, finding the right running shoes and other gear, keeping your motivation, and then of course the actual running! And it is all totally worth it. Running has taught me to push myself in ways I never would have imagined before I started three years ago. I love it!

Stay tuned for a race recap after the weekend. Until then, happy running :)

~Fluffy Girl~