Gasparilla Recap: Part 3: My Gear

I hope you guys are enjoying reading about my first race!  If you missed my earlier posts, you can check out Part 1:  The Race and Part 2:  Preparation here.


In this post, I wanted to talk about the all-important topic of What I Wore on race day.


Accuweather was calling for temperatures in the 50's or 60's with 40 mph wind gusts so I was pretty sure I wanted to wear something that would keep me warm while we waited at the starting line.  I bought a cheap sweatshirt at a local thrift shop (it had a skull and crossbones on it to go with the Pirate theme!) that I wouldn't feel bad about leaving behind when I warmed up.  My plan was to just toss it into a trash bin or leave it on the ground so it could be collected and donated to charity after the race.

Underneath my throw-away layer, I had on a dry-fit long sleeved t-shirt (Brian's from one of his Marine Corps Marathons that he ran, I wore it for good luck!) and over that was a short-sleeved t-shirt.  I wore some running capri-length tights and my Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11's with blue Superfeet orthotics inside.  Luckily, I ended up really happy with the outfit I had chosen, it provided just enough warmth until I got warmed up enough but it also allowed my sweat to dry quickly.  

I also wore my new iFitness belt which held my cellphone (so I could take some pre, post and during-race photos) and our car keys.  I had bought the belt the day prior at the Expo after comparing it to the SPIbelt.  Honestly, I think I would have been happy with either brand but the SPIbelt folks at the Expo were sold out of their water-proof all-black belt, so I went with iFitness and I'm happy with it (and it was a few dollars cheaper).  It didn't bounce or ride up at all and it fit my iPhone and my car key fob perfectly, I completely forgot I had it on because it was really quite comfortable.  I'm excited that I bought it because I can wear it on my long walks with Hudson and have somewhere to hold the house key and my phone and still have both hands free.

At the race expo, I picked up a cute pirate Chica Band to wear during the race.  This was more cosmetic than functional but it stayed in place perfectly during the race due to the velvet backing on it.  The shop had lots of cute colors and patterns but I decided on the pirate band because after all, it was Gasparilla!

I also wore my cheap Target watch and sunglasses.  I used the stopwatch feature to keep track of my splits at the mile markers to make sure I was on target with my pace.  

I did NOT wear my Gasparilla race t-shirt because I don't know about you, but I just didn't feel right wearing it before having completed the race!  Brian didn't have any problem with it so he wore his.  So did a lot of other runners, I guess just didn't want to jinx myself (?!)

You can kinda see my iFitness belt in this photo.  Brian didn't feel weird about wearing his race shirt to the race!

I also didn't run with my iPod this time.  Brian and I were running together so I didn't think I would need the distraction for the race.  I didn't miss it, but usually when I'm running alone I have my iPod nano that I wear on an armband, it works pretty well for me.

I wore my race t-shirt on Monday, AFTER I had already completed the race.  And I love my iFitness belt for walking Hudson - I just put my iPhone in there and I can listen to music, podcasts, talk on the phone, whatever!

Well, I think that's about it.  I'm sure as I run more I will get more and more gear but for now, this stuff does the trick.  First on my wish list is a Garmin GPS watch!  But they're pretty expensive so I think I may be waiting for a while :-/

Stay tuned for my last post on the Gasparilla 8K!  I'm going to talk about recovery from the race, what I learned from the experience and my final reflections!

What is your must-have running gear?  What do you have to run with?  What gear or gadgets do you recommend?

Gasparilla Recap: Part 1 The Race

I left you hanging for what must have seemed like an eternity, right?  (Just kidding, Mom I already told you I survived it).  

Well, I did it!  I ran my first race!

I want to recount my experience in a multi-part series to share all the details.  If you have no interest in reading about it, that's totally cool, I'll get back to posting amazing clean and healthy foods very soon, I just want to revel in my runner's high for a little longer so bear with me!

For the first part in this series I'd like to talk about the race itself:  how it went, the Expo, and what I experienced on race day.  Then, I'll take a step back and talk about how I prepared for the race:  what I ate, drank and what my training looked like (Part 2).  After that, I'll devote a post to my gear and what I wore on race day (Part 3).  And last, I'll discuss my recovery and share some of my reflections on the race (Part 4).

The Expo

The Gasparilla Distance Classic was a full weekend-long event starting with the Fitness Expo on Friday and Saturday, a 5K and a 15K which were run on Saturday morning and then concluding with the Half Marathon and the 8K on Sunday morning.  There was a distance for everybody, and some (amazing) people even did 2, 3 or all 4 of the races.  

The Expo itself was a mixed experience.  I had read the experiences of some local running bloggers who attended the Expo on Friday and they walked away with all kinds of freebies and cool swag so I was really expecting it to be awesome but unfortunately when Brian and I went on Saturday morning, there were barely any samples left!  That seemed like a pretty big oversight on the part of the vendors since the Expo was supposed to go all the way until Saturday evening at 6 pm and we were there at least 8 hours before the end.  I guess I'm just peeved because I had heard there were gelato samples from Talenti but when we came to their booth, the girl (smugly) informed us that they were out of samples.  Harumph.  I still took a coupon for $1 off though.  

At the Expo.  Didn't notice this til now but I think I'm doing the "Angelina Jolie Leg".

I had also read that Nike+ was going to be there doing gait/stride analysis which I thought would be really cool to hear their opinion since I've had so many lower extremity biomechanical issues lately, but we walked all around and couldn't find it anywhere :-/

Some cool things at the Expo:  I got to try on some Newton running shoes, which I really liked.  I tried the Lady Isaac"S" (stability shoe, because I pronate) and felt so springy and like such an efficient runner.  I could tell I was running with a forefoot strike.  I guess the Lady Isaac's are the "beginner" Newtons, they have beveled lugs under the metatarsals to help gently encourage pose running without being as drastic as some of the other Newton shoes.  I really liked them but I would still like to try out some other shoes before committing to something so different.

True story.

We also picked up our race bibs, race t-shirts, reusable tote bags and snagged a few freebies: a couple of Detour bars - lower sugar protein bars, kind of like ThinkThin, a cool fridge magnet and some low-calorie sports-drink mixes.  I also purchased an iFitness belt (I'll talk about this a little more on my post about Gear and What I Wore) and a headband to wear for the race:  it had skulls on it which went with the whole Gasparilla/Pirates theme :-)

     

Even though the vendors were out of most of the samples, I still had a good time at the Expo.  The mood was one of excitement and it helped me get amped up for the race to come.

Outside the Tampa Convention Center, psyched for the run tomorrow!

The Race

I have heard from locals that Gasparilla is always a really well-organized race and that they do such a great job with everything from the Expo to all of the races.  That being said, it's still a "local" race so you just have such a great crowd, Tampa has a very active community which is really cool and one of the things I love about it here.  

The Gasparilla 5+3K started at 9 am yesterday morning and exactly 44 minutes and 13 seconds later it was over, for me at least.  I was able to run the whole race, all 4.9 miles without stopping which is the farthest I have ever run without stopping to walk.  And I was able to maintain a sub-9 minute pace for the entire run which was my goal when I started training back in January.  

At the starting line!

As of Friday and Saturday when I checked accuweather.com, the forecast for Sunday morning was iffy with a cold front coming in overnight and bringing thunderstorms, possible hail, rain and 40 mph wind gusts.  It made me a little nervous but since I knew I would only be running in it for an hour or less, I figured I could deal with it for such a short amount of time if I had to.  The rain and hail, thankfully, never materialized so on Sunday morning the temperature was around 58-60 degrees and totally dry but those 40 mph winds were definitely there.  I'm used to running on Bayshore with some fairly high winds so it didn't bother me too much (I think I was running on a LOT of endorphins!) but I know a lot of people had trouble with it.

The temperature felt really really cold (because of the crazy wind!) on our walk from the car to the convention center where the race was starting, and really cold as we were waiting at the starting line but I had bought a throw-away sweatshirt knowing that I wanted an extra layer until my body warmed up.  I actually was able to ditch the sweatshirt pretty quickly, about a quarter mile into the race, because the sun broke through the clouds and helped warm me up from the outside while my effort warmed me from the inside.  

From the race, this was probably around Mile 1.

The whole race itself was an awesome experience:  the vibe from other runners and the spectators was totally positive and encouraging.  It meant so much to see people out there along the race course cheering for anybody and everybody.  There were a ton of other runners (thousands!) of all different shapes, sizes, ages and ability levels so there was NO judgement:  we were all out there to do our best, whatever that might be.  I had been worried about being one of the slowest but I definitely wasn't, not even close! Some people even walked the entire race and that was totally fine too!  I just didn't know what to expect and my experience just blew me away.  

One thing I experienced was that there was quite a bit of congestion at the start of the race where we were running super-close to other runners but I don't have any other races to compare this to, so I don't know if Gasparilla was better or worse with the bottleneck at the beginning.  It didn't seem like it took too long for things to open up though and I was just in such a great mood that I didn't care about being shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the other folks out there.

"Brian, let's hold hands and wave!"

The race was held on Bayshore Boulevard, a flat stretch of road along the Tampa Bay where Brian and I love to go running.  It started downtown by the Tampa Convention Center and ran straight down Bayshore until a little past Bay to Bay Boulevard where the course made a buttonhook to turn around and come back the same way.  I loved running a familiar course and especially one that is so scenic, with water views in one direction and mansions in the other.

There were at least 3 or 4 hydration stations, which I didn't use, since I have never trained with water before.  There seemed to be plenty of volunteers (wearing plastic gloves) handing out cups of water so the water-stops seemed to run pretty smoothly for those who did choose to use them.  I was also impressed with their effort to keep things sanitary for the runners, as well.  I don't know if that's common practice for the volunteers to wear gloves, but I thought it was pretty smart.

I look like I'm walking...DEFINITELY not walking!

Also set up along the course were tents with musicians performing live music and some sound systems playing upbeat songs to keep the runners motivated.  I appreciated that little gesture and I'm sure others who weren't using mp3 players did too.  There were also at least 8 or more photographers set up along the course and at the finish line on both sides of the road taking photos so most people probably got at least a couple of (dorky-looking) photos of themselves taken.  

Something else cool was that as you crossed the finish line, a guy with a microphone said your name!  Unfortunately, since I gave it 150% and sprinted out the last few hundred meters with every ounce of strength I could muster, I passed a bunch of people and didn't get to hear my name called.  It's OK though, I was just so glad it was over!

Sprint to the FINISH!  Even though the clock says 45:46 my official time per my Chronotrack Tag was 44:13 because I was near the back of the pack at the starting line.  

Once you finished, you just kept walking and you were immediately handed your finisher's medal which is AWESOME, definitely one of the coolest keepsakes I will treasure for a long time.  Just past that were more photographers who would take your picture wearing your medal, people handing out the foil blankets (which I initially refused because I was so hot, but luckily Brian grabbed one because he knew I would eventually cool down and need it!), and some post-race fuel:  nice ripe bananas, fruit cups, bottles of water, cups of gatorade, plain and whole wheat bagels and even a local cuban restaurant The Columbia was serving bowls of their rice and beans.  There was also a table with cups of soda and one with bottles of 5-Hour Energy which I was pretty irritated by actually.  (Um, why would someone who probably cares about their health and wellness who just ran a race want to do that to their insides?!  Anyway, I'm sure there were plenty of people who were into that kind of thing, it's just not for me.)

I was actually feeling kind of nauseated right after the race ended, probably because I pushed myself so hard and was starting to come down off of my adrenaline rush.  I did manage to down a bottle of water but I had no interest in eating anything and just wanted to stretch and get somewhere out of the wind.

After the race, realizing it's actually kinda cold outside.

I'll save a full recap of my reflections on the race for another post but I'll just say I feel proud of how I did especially considering my recent issues with painful tendonitis in my left foot, a painful bunion on my right foot and the several weeks of rest I had to take from running in the last month.  Luckily, the tendonitis and the bunion didn't bother me in the least yesterday and I was able to run pain-free the entire race (not sure how much of that was due to the endorphins blunting my pain perception,?!) All I know is, for a girl with asthma who just took up running last November, I surprised myself with how well I did!

If you're interested in the rest of my experience with my first race, make sure to check back to read Part 2:  Preparation, Part 3:  What I Wore/My Gear  and Part 4:  Recovery and My Reflections.  

What makes a good race, in your opinion?  What were the best races you have ever done and what is your favorite distance?  

Race Weekend

Well, the big day is (almost) here!

Tomorrow I'll be running in my first race, The Gasparilla Distance Classic 5+3K.  It's 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) along Bayshore Boulevard here in Tampa, Florida.  It's a flat, down and back course that I am very familiar with since Brian and I often run along this particular stretch of Bayshore.  It's actually a very scenic run I highly recommend for anyone visiting the Tampa area!

It has been so hot here, even in the morning lately that I have been getting a bit nervous about how that might affect my ability to run tomorrow. I just checked Accuweather and it says there will be a possible morning shower tomorrow and the temperature at the starting line should be about 61 degrees - perfect running temperature!  It also calls for 20 mph winds at 9 am (starting time) and since Bayshore is right on the water, prime location for wind gusts, I think this may affect a lot of people who were hoping to PR.  I have run Bayshore with 20 mph winds before and let's just say it doesn't make it easy.  Here's hoping it's a crosswind!  Or that we have a tailwind on the return leg!

Today, in preparation for tomorrow's run I have several items to keep in mind:

First, and foremost HYDRATION!  I'll be drinking good old water all day today 'til the cows come home (what does that expression even mean?!) If there is one thing I have learned in my short running career, it's that I MUST be hydrated if I expect to be able to run AT ALL.  I am incredibly affected by lack of proper hydration, so I'll have my trusty water bottle in hand all day today.  Let's just hope I'm never too far from a restroom :-)

FUEL!  I have gotten advice from many people NOT to eat a big, crazy pasta dinner the night before the race (unless I want to have to pay a visit to the port-a-johns during my run!).  I'm sure that's especially true for me because I don't really eat pasta very often at all anyways, and when I do it's in small amounts.  Basically, the advice I have gotten is to eat normally in the days leading up to the race but just a slight bit more than I might ordinarily, as opposed to eating one big meal the night before.  I don't know exactly what I'm having for dinner tonight, but it will be a good mix of macros:  carbohydrates, protein and fat to fuel my run tomorrow morning.  (I do however have tomorrow night's lunch planned for after the race:  a burger and fries.  It has been so long since I have eaten a hamburger so I'm rewarding myself with the promise of a nice juicy buffalo burger and some crispy fries afterwards.  Can. not. wait.)

MOTIVATION!  Running really is a mind game.  Probably especially for me because I live inside my head so much of the time and frequently doubt myself, in a lot of aspects of life, not just running.  I am SO LUCKY that Brian is going to be running with me tomorrow.  He could run 5 miles in his sleep so it's really not going to be a challenge for him, but he has offered to help pace me to victory and provide some moral support and motivation during the race if I need it.


That said, the motivation has to come from within too, I can't just rely on Brian to push me along tomorrow.  Tina's post this morning could NOT have come at a better time.  She posted some motivational quotes for getting inspired about working out.  Here are a few of my favorites:

source

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Check out Tina's site to see the rest of her motivational quotes, and also check it out just because it's awesome!

And last, but not least, BREATHE!  Sometimes I need to remind myself to just relax and take a deep breath.  It's all going to turn out OK.  Whether I run the whole race or have to walk part of it, whether my tendonitis acts up or not, whether I have bunion pain or I don't, whether there is a 20 mph headwind for the entire duration of the race or there isn't...everything is actually going to be OK.


Breakfast this morning was a half a pink grapefruit, some papaya and a breakfast burrito.  The picture I took is actually Brian's plate (I could never eat that much, my portion was about 1/2 the size).

The burrito was filled with scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, black beans, red and green bell peppers and onions.  And I drizzled a little Mrs. Renfro's Salsa Verde inside too. Delish!  Of course I had 2 big glasses of water and two cups of coffee too.  

We're off to the Fitness Expo to pick up our race bibs and check out the freebies!  So excited for my first RACE expo :-)

Dynamic Warmup for Runners

Try this great warmup before your next run!

Stars and Stripes

This morning I was seeing stars on my run...at least at the end of my run, I was so tired.  It's amazing how quickly your body loses conditioning when you are injured.  Today I set a goal of running 2 miles (comfortable pace for me is around 9 min/mile) and I completed it.  My foot and ankle felt stiff the whole time but I didn't have any pain, so I feel pretty good about that.  I'll still ice it and take the anti-inflammatory meds because it couldn't hurt.

I was a little slower than my regular pace of 9 minute miles (I ran 2.1 miles in 19:26 - definitely need to get one of those fancy Garmin watches eventually.  Maybe next birthday?!) BUT I finished it and that was the longest I've been able to run since the tendonitis started.

Breakfast will be a big GREEN smoothie!  After all of the fair food I ate yesterday (I'll talk about that later) my body is just BEGGING for some fresh, raw fruits and vegetables.  I'm thinking baby spinach, frozen blackberries, banana and vanilla protein powder...

This morning Brian and I are running out the door to plant flags in our neighborhood to welcome home a US Marine who was severely wounded in Afghanistan.  Corporal Michael Nicholson will be returning home to his parents house tomorrow and all of the neighbors will display the American flag on their lawns.  I'm so excited to welcome this young warrior home. 

http://www.facebook.com/MichaelNicholsonFund

Lemonade out of Lemons

Nope, I don't have a lemonade recipe to share, but I thought that title was appropriate for the situation I've found myself in for the last week.

After realizing last week that I have a pretty significant injury to my left foot (I have self-diagnosed it as peroneal insertional tendonitis or possibly a stress fracture in my foot) I have had to take an unwanted break from my previous fitness training schedule.  At this point I don't want to dwell on how or why it happened - for a few days last week I was so miserable, trying to figure out exactly what could have lead to it, analyzing every possible mistake - I just want to accept it as a fact and move on.

It's so disheartening, feeling like one of your goals may be slipping away.  I know I shouldn't feel that way, I keep reminding myself that it's way too early to say I won't be able to run my 8K a month from now.  There is still a chance that my injury won't be as serious as I fear and the doctor will tell me I can get back to running sooner rather than later.  And even if I do have to miss it, I made Brian promise to run it without me so that at least I can cheer him on from the sidelines.  I know there will be other races, the Gasparilla Distance Classic isn't the only one.  There will be many more in my future, whether or not I am back on my feet in time to run this one.  But it still hurts, knowing that on March 4th, I may not be out there running my first race on beautiful Bayshore Boulevard.  

So yeah, last week kinda sucked.  I hated not being able to run do anything physical on my feet.  I hated popping Advil like skittles and icing my foot 3 times a day.  I sulked every time Brian laced up his sneakers and went out for a run, without me.  I literally could feel my ass getting fatter every day I sat still.  The only good part about last week was that Brian, my sweet, dedicated husband, rubbed my foot and calf every single night, despite my crappy attitude and almost constant whining.  That's love.

This week, I've decided that it's time to make some lemonade from what feels like a dump-truck sized pile of lemons at my door.  I am going to focus on some of my other goals besides running for now, until I'm given the OK to start back up again.  I'm going to choose alternative methods of cardio (to prevent ass-amplification).  I'm going to start up a new weight-lifting routine (mostly upper body, for now, since I certainly don't want to worsen my foot injury.  I'm going to adjust my caloric intake to account for my decreased activity level (boo!).   I'm going to finally get that French language program I've been wanting to start.

And most of all, I am going to remind myself daily how lucky I am for all of the other good things in my life, and be grateful for those things.  Because they can be taken away in an instant.  And I am going to keep in mind that no matter what, I will run again.  Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next week.  But I will run again.

Arrrrgh ya ready to run?!

I did it!  I signed up for my very first race!

Remember my 2012 Goal to run a 10K?  Well, I'm not quite there yet BUT I'm on my way!  I signed up for the Gasparilla Distance Classic 5+3K on March 4, 2012, that's exactly 6 weeks from tomorrow.

Here in Tampa each January we celebrate the Gasparilla Pirate Festival. It is, well, how do I explain this?  Hmm..

(Going off on a tangent here for the purpose of explaining Gasparilla....)  It's a pirate festival where every year a "Mystic Krewe" of Pirates takes over the city.  The Spanish Pirate, Jose Gaspar, and his crew land their ship in Tampa Bay near downtown and then invade (or actually, parade) down Bayshore Boulevard.  Apparently it's a little like Mardi Gras, but I've never been to either.  Drinking and debauchery ensue.  We're looking forward to attending our first Gasparilla Pirate Parade next weekend!

Anyway, Gasparilla is a big thing here in Tampa and as part of the festivities there is always an annual Gasparilla Distance Classic.  Well, the big news is, Brian and I are registered to run the 5+3K (basically, an 8K) or 4.97 miles!

I regularly run 3 mile distances so I know I could have run a 5K easily by the first weekend in March so I wanted to really push myself to do a further distance than I can now run.  I wanted something to really train for.  I've set myself a speed/time goal and it's definitely going to be a challenge for me but that's exactly what I need!

I've got a training schedule and everything.  Today was speed drills.  Sooo glad to be done with that until my next next speed workout a week from today!

Wish me luck as I start training for my very first race, I am so excited!