Bill Beauchamp 10k Race Report

It was another beautiful day to race in Hawaii!  I knew I was under-trained, so my expectations were low.  The only thing I did differently from last month's Ford Island Bridge 10k was to wear both water bottles instead of just one.  I was glad to have both!  I was especially under-trained for the heat since it was in the 40s while we were home and it was in the 70s at the start yesterday morning.

It's funny how I can't remember a lot of details from my 10k races.  They kind of go by in a blur of pain.  Marathons are so long you can split them up in segments.  While the 10k isn't over that quickly, it doesn't seem like I had time to take in too many details.  Just keep running.  The scenery was pretty bland - we ran by a refinery and a homeless encampment - twice, since it was an out and back route!

This was not the scenery of my race!

I ran near a young man the entire race.  As I came in to the finishing area Les was there and ran along beside me videoing with his phone.  The video shows me just running along and a quick blue blur going by!  It was the young man, Kyle.  He is from Hawaii but is currently living in Oregon.  He beat my 3 seconds, but when I learned he was 28 to my 52, my feelings where hurt a bit!

After my last race being a bit short, this one was long!  I had 6.35 miles on my watch and my overall time was 1:02:34, 9:51 pace.  Official was 1:02:46, 10:06 pace. (This race was gun time only.)   Still good enough for second in my age group!  21/38 females, 47/89 finishers.

I learned that Kamehameha schools have certain PE requirements for their high school students.  Freshmen are required to run a 10k or swim 3k.  Sophomores must complete a 1.5 mile run/650 yard swim biathlon.  Juniors and seniors must complete two timed events - they must choose their event(10k run or 2k swim) and work with a staff member to design and follow a ten week training plan.  As you can imagine, with the school year coming to a close there were some procrastinators in the bunch!

Next up?  Vacation!  As far as running, I really want to find a 10k that I put on my calendar and actually train for!

Give me the scoop - what's your secret 10k training plan?

To Interval or Not to Interval. Plus, I Get to Run, And Why

While we were finishing up our stay in Hawaii last week one thing I was really looking forward to was coming home to cooler temps.  I kept seeing low 60s in the morning.  That's pretty much perfect.  I got up this morning and checked my weather app:

Oh wait!  That's Honolulu... we're home in Simi Valley now:

This is a cruel trick of Mother Nature!  California hasn't gotten the memo that it's Fall now.  The highs have been in the 90s everyday since we got home and this morning was the warmest yet.  My schedule was intervals.  Mile repeats.  I was ready mentally until I saw the temperature.  That was warmer than last Friday when I started getting heat exhaustion.  I knew it would be a mile by mile decision.  I did my 2 mile warm up then hit the lap button to start running my first interval.  I started pushing the pace and felt okay for about a half mile when my heart rate started ramping up and I started feeling nauseated, again.  I'm really trying to be smart without being a major wimp, so I backed off and just ran easy for 7 miles.  I had water with me, but I think my body is sending early warning signals at this point.

This was a tough decision for me.  I really wanted to see improvement.  I wanted to feel like I was flying again.  But 79 degrees is not the day to find out if heat training has helped.  I got home to an email from MapMyFitness.com.  "6 Highly Effective Habits of a Consistent Runner."  It was exactly what I needed!  Point number one was on point:

1. Listen to your body.
Tweaks, niggles, whatever you want to call them … if your body is warning you that something may be off, don’t ignore it. Often times, when runners fear missing out on training, they’ll run through the pain, which, unless they are some sort of genetic freak, will almost always lead to injury. I prefer to take the cautious route and give any issues time to heal before I hit the road again.
By now, I know my body well enough to decipher between a serious threat and a minor issue. But even so, I’m not hesitant to tend to the sore area for a few days, cross-train, foam roll, get a massage. Sitting out of a workout or two can be frustrating, yes, but it’s a far better option than being forced on the sidelines for months further down the road.

So I'm not the only one who is cautious?  This was written by longtime runner and triathlete, Sarah Wassner Flynn.  I've DNF'd my share of training runs but I've never had a long term injury or stress fracture.  (Knocking on wood here!)  I need to remember this when I'm feeling like a wimp and realize that maybe I'm being smart instead.

One of the many thoughts going through my mind while I was running was, "I get to run."  Running isn't my job, I won't lose a paycheck because I didn't do today's intervals.  PRs and medals are cool, but running is much more than that to me...

On April 27, 1990, I celebrated my 26th birthday (I'll save you the math and tell you I'm 51 now.)  On that same day my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.  She was 50.  She fought an 8 1/2 year battle and we lost her on October 10, 1998.  My mom gave birth to four children in five years.  She loved her family and put taking care of us ahead of herself.  She struggled with obesity for years and lived a sedentary lifestyle.  I started running about a year before we lost her.  I knew that the odds for me were stacked because of Mom's breast cancer, but I also knew a healthy life style could make a difference.  (I've had annual mammograms since my 30s and they've always been fine.)

Mom's High School Band picture in 1956

I thought a lot about my Mom during this morning's run.  It's been 17 years and I always think about her even more during Breast Cancer Awareness month.  I may never win any races, there are plenty of people who are faster than me, but I still get to run and my number one "why" is for my health.  I'm dedicating the rest of my runs this month to her memory.  She's totally bald in the picture below, wearing a hat that said, "Another Bad Hair Day!"  She never let cancer take away her sense of humor.

What's your "Why" for running?  
Do you run through pain or are you on the cautious side?

M4T W12 Results

I'm four weeks away from marathon #4!  Two long runs in six days time made this an interesting week.  I've done a ton of recovering and walking!  The pictures in this post were all taken during this morning's run. We fly home tonight and I'm looking forward to cool morning temps again.

You can go anywhere on Oahu, just take Tha Bus!

Sunday - Rest Day
Results:  Ran 14.67 miles in 2:47:56, 11:27 pace
The Brio Ice Cream 25k!
Followed that up with a walk to Les' company picnic and back - 2 miles.

Diamond Head

Monday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Results:  Rested
Walked 3.94 miles

Tuesday - Intervals - 10-11 miles
Results:  Walked 7.18 miles
I knew I wouldn't do my intervals this close after a race.  My legs were still feeling pretty sore.  I walked 3.4 miles first thing in the morning, then ended up wandering through the Waikiki strip for a while.

The Fountain at Kapiolani Park

Wednesday - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Results:  Rested
We were up really late Tuesday night and I decided to sleep in.
Walked 2.03 miles

Thursday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Results:  Ran 3.12 miles in 33:43, 10:49 pace
I was ready for a run but wanted to take it a little easy with my long run planned for Friday.
Also walked 3.75 miles

The sunrises here...

Friday - Rest day
Results:  Ran 9.2 miles in 1:44:40, 11:23 pace.  Plus walked 2.8 miles for my cool down.
My legs felt so good this morning.  I started off really strong and had an average pace of 10:45 at the five mile mark.  My average heart rate was 149 and I knew I was working hard.  I stopped to top off my water about that time and started feeling nauseated again like I did during Sunday's race.  I ran/walked for the next couple of miles and noticed when my HR was under 140 I felt okay, but when it started climbing so did my symptoms.  I finally stopped my watched at 9.2 miles as I was really suffering.

After a little research, I think I may have been on the verge of heat exhaustion.  One type of heat exhaustion is salt depletion - signs include nausea and vomiting, muscle cramps, and dizziness.  I had both nausea and dizziness.  I probably didn't drink enough early on and even though I was taking Endurolytes, I must have needed more.  Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are not something to play around with, it is dangerous to vital organs so continuing on would not have been good.  I also know passing out in Waikiki would have been a really bad idea.

As soon as I got home, I ate a bunch of pretzels and drank a bunch of water.  Normally I would have a protein shake, but that didn't sound good at all, so I finished off the last of our Brio Ice Cream!  I figured I would benefit from all the nutrients provided.  I feel fine now and going home to cooler temps is sounding very appealing right now. 

According to Suunto, I spent 28 minutes at hard effort (127-144 bpm), 1:07:04 at very hard (145-162 bpm) and 1:36 at maximal (above 162 bpm.)  About 8 minutes at easy or moderate. I knew I was working hard.

Saturday - LSD 12 w/6@ tempo (10:35-10:50 pace)
Results:  I know I'll be resting.  Our flight is scheduled to land at LAX at 7:40 a.m. and I'll be a zombie all day.

Total planned miles 37
Actual:
Running 26.99
Walking 25.09
Total 52.08