Women's Half Marathon Recap!!

Today I ran the Women's Half Marathon for the third time. This run is amazing and I will continue to run this race as long as it is here. Everything from the expo to the finish line is so organized it makes for a stress-free/totally fun weekend!

RunningFrida and I went to the expo after our bike 60 mile bike ride yesterday- spandex and all. It was a really fun expo- we bought stickers and tried the free (vegan) chocolate samples. It was definitely a party! ;)

Race morning I woke up and met RunningFrida at ASU to catch the free shuttle to the starting line, since it was a point to point course. It was dark the entire time until we actually got into line for the pink port-a-potties. (Ever since Vegas, pink port-a-potties are EVERYWHERE!)

RunningFrida's sister and niece also did the half with us! Her niece is TEN years old and it was her first half marathon! Talk about incredible! (She killed it too! So proud of her!!)

We got into our corral (#2) and waited for the National Anthem and the countdown. I thought it was perfect because we were right next to the 2 hour pacer-girl. I figured if we could just stay with her, we'd be able to break 2 hours. Right?!

The start line (and the first coral in front of us)

Well, the first corral goes off and we're on deck. we were literally right next to her when we started. Then- she took off like a freaking rocket ship! I'm not even kidding! One second she was right beside us and the next she was 100 yards ahead!!

I started to panic and RunningFrida said as long as we keep her in sight we would be fine. That worked for a few more minutes but then she was out of sight. So then I really got worried- were we really running that slow?! I felt like we were sprinting!! Why was she running so fast?! HOW was she running so fast?

We came up on the first mile marker and we had ran the first mile in 8:29! We were sprinting!! I don't think I've ever ran a mile that fast in my life! And where the heck was the pacer?! We decided to forget about staying with her (since there was no way we could hold that speed for another 12 miles!) and go off of my GPS watch. Which was working very well- and since we ran the first mile so fast we had a little time in the bank.

I was totally feeling it and really hoping to break 2 hours. At around mile 5 me and RunningFrida split up. I turned on my iPod- which was actually 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter's'. I was trying to hold the quicker pace, but as the miles came, I slowed down- the hills didn't help either. ;) When there were three miles left I had 23 minutes to hit my goal of breaking three hours. I tried to push the pace but just wasn't fast enough.

I officially finished in 2:03:59. Not quite the 2 hours I was hoping for, but still a PR by 7 and a half minutes. Definitely happy with that!

Next year I'm determined to break 2 hours at this run! Can you believe only 14 days until Ironman Arizona?! AHHH!! I'm really starting to freak out!

How many of you think I need this sweater for winter??!

Last long training weekend...

This weekend was my LAST long weekend of training before my tapering begins. From here on out my training slowly starts to wind down leading up to Ironman. Can we just take a moment to realize that Ironman is 21 days away!! 21!! holy cow! 

Yesterday, RunningFrida and I did my last 100 mile bike ride... I think it was 97 or 98 miles but close enough! ;) It was an extremely eventful day for us!

We met at 7:45ish and wanted to start riding by 8. Well, I decided it would be fun to lock my keys in my truck and so we tried (and tried) to fold my seats down (to get to the trunk) and couldn't- apparently you have to fold the seats down using a string in the trunk? Go figure.... So I moved my valuables to RunningFrida's car and called 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' for the number to a locksmith for later.

We finally got started a little before 9am. It was SUPER windy and hard- the wind was so bad I thought I was going to blow over!

We finally hit the turn around point and saw an ALIVE tranchula just walking across the road! (We've seen our fair share of 'wildlife' out there- including dead tranchulas, but we've never actually seen one still alive!) So that helped us pick the pace right up! ;)

Once we were about 10 miles away, I called the locksmith (on speaker phone from my bento box), gave him my information and he said he was on his way. We rode into the parking lot right as he pulled up- it was perfect timing!

It look him a couple of crazy attempts BUT he got my keys out of the crack of my trunk! I'm still not sure how he did it but he did! 15 minutes and $70 dollars later- I was good to go! ;)

These signs are now up all over town and every time I see them it really makes it sink in that Ironman is coming!

Then this morning I woke up and had a 19 mile run scheduled. SCARY! I met my friend, Vari at Tempe Town Lake (this place is really becoming a second home to me!) and we ran the first 5 miles together. It is always so, so nice to have company on long run like today. Anything to help pass the time and miles- plus catching up with good friends- win/win!!

Then I set off alone for the remaining 15 miles. I did another loop and felt great! Passed a couple friends out there and kept a good pace. Then when I started my third loop, there was some sort of walk going on and I was like a rock in the river trying to run the opposite way of all the walkers! I ran in the grass and ignored all the "you're going the wrong way" chuckles I got from the younger walkers. I went a different way back on the loop (to avoid the walkers) and I think it just mentally threw me off. I got back to my car and refilled my water bottle.

I was exhausted at this point and wanting to quit. I quickly called 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and told him I was at mile 15, had 4 miles to go, and I didn't think I could finish it. He responded with "so why are you calling me?" I told him I needed motivation from him to finish- something, anything! His response was "No, finish your run. And now run an extra mile for stopping and calling me!" It definitely was not what I wanted to hear- but it was really what I NEEDED to hear.

It hit me so hard I almost started crying- right there in the parking lot. Ironman is not going to be easy- and I sure as heck am not going to be able to call him up when the race gets tough and ask him for some motivational quote. I needed to finish this run (just like Ironman) by myself. I have to be able to find the motivation in myself to push through.

I am happy to report that I not only finished my 19 miles but I ran an extra 1.2 miles making a grand total of 20.2 miles! (I would love to say I'm a badass and ran the extra 1.2 miles because of what 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' said, but reality is I went a different route and over estimated how far out I was and it took me an extra 1.2 miles to get back to the car. I was going to walk once I hit 19 miles but it was hot and still a ways-away, so running it made it go faster! haha!)

This is my exhausted smile... LOL!

So glad to be done and to officially start my tapering.! Although it makes me extremely nervous that it is coming up so close! Three weeks from today!

What gets you through your long training? 

Do you like to run/workout with music? 

Soma Race Recap!!

My second half Ironman is in the books! It could not have gone more perfectly and it felt a million times better than the first (Remember Deuces Wild in May? Hard and painful!)

And remember these cool peeps from the  Mountain Man Race? All 4 of us did the 70.3 today!

David, RunningFrida, me, and 'Mr. Spinkles and Glitter''

Both RunningFrida and I had a goal to finish under 7 hours (considering it was her FIRST half ironman and I did my last one in 7:42- it was a pretty big goal for us.) But we've been training SO hard, I really thought we would both do it.

'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and I got there early and went our separate ways as always. I found RunningFrida and she had SO much good stuff for me- Gummy Bears, Dr. Pepper, and snickers! (I know, amazing- right?!) I love me some Gummy Bears so I took a handful and put them in my bento box on my bike- along with my Luna bars and HoneyStingers, for the ride. YOLO! ;)

Transition closed early and we made our way towards the water. David was in the first wave and 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' was in the second. We saw them both start and then found some friends to chat with while we waited. Next thing you know, we're at the front of the best wave, jumping into the water.

Apparently I'm giving a thumbs up and hugging myself....? 

The swim went great- I felt good, stayed focused, and didn't have any problems. I did have to stop a few times because the people around me were swimming side to side? not swimming straight and kept cutting me off. So I would just stop and let them pass me (headed back to shore there, buddy) and then keep going again. It happened quite a few times but I'd rather stop and let them by then get hit or accidently hit them.

Finished the swim and quickly made my way to the wet suit strippers. I held on to my shorts for dear life and everything went smoothly. (The 'stripper' (I don't know what else to call them?) even complimented me on my speed and form!) I made the trek into transition- (which always seems like it's close to a quarter mile) and hurried to get out and on the bike.

The bike ride was the same loop 3 times- talk about a party! The first loop was great! Everything was new and exciting... then all hell broke loose on the second loop. At the start of the second loop, we headed down Rio Salado and at one of the intersections it has 2 very large cracks/bumps that are so big you will see riders slow down and hold onto their waters bottles to they don't fly out. (You also will see a lovely collection of stuff that did fly out on the side of the road.)

I knew the cracks/bumps and I was prepared. I stopped pedaling and held onto both my water bottles. *bump-bump* Still feel my water bottles- everything's great. That is until I feel my Luna bar and HoneyStinger sliding down my leg. I tried to do anything to catch them- but when your feet are clipped in and you only have 1 hand, there isn't much you can do.

I immediately went into panic mode. I knew without both of those I would not have enough calories to get me through the rest of the bike and then the 13.1 mile run. I passed another aid station and shouted out for a Gatorade at the last minute. I figured if I could drink the entire Gatorade and finish off the remaining ShockBlocks and Gummy Bears that I had I should be OK until I got back into transition and could grab a Luna bar. (THANK GOSH for those Gummy Bears!!))

Back to the actual bike riding- I saw our friend Veronica on the first loop and she had a sign for RunningFrida. When I saw her again on the second loop I was going to joke with her about not having a sign for me- but then she held up a "GO KIM!" sign and started cheering for me! She is awesome (and doing her first triathlon in a week!)!

The third loop I was ready to be done. I tried to push the pace a little and finished feeling great. Back into transition I immediately started eating a Luna bar and grabbed another handful of Gummy Bears for the run. What? Gummy Bears make great fuel! ;)

I started the run and asked one of the first volunteers I saw what time it was- just after 11am. I did the math and realized that I could definitely hit my goal of beating 7 hours! Running felt amazing! I wasn't sore at all and felt like I held a pretty steady pace throughout the entire run.

The women behind me ran by me the whole time and I kept trying to make conversation with her- it wasn't until we passed her husband that I realized she didn't speak English! AWESOME! 

I ran with a water bottle and at every aid station I just kept asking for cups of ice to put in my bottle. I was SO impressed with the volunteers at the race! The literally went above and beyond for every single participant! As I was coming up to an aid station that had a lot of athletes stopped- waiting in line for the port-o-potty, eating, filling water bottles, etc. I shouted out for 'ice" and all the volunteers were busy with other athletes so I wasn't able to get any. Oh well, that's OK- I'll get some at the next aid station. Then I hear someone running up behind me and it was a young volunteer handing me a cup of ice and said I got you girl!  Seriously?! BEST. VOLUNTEERS. EVER! Then at another aid station- where all the volunteers were dressed up as hula girls- including the boys- same situation happened. Busy with athletes and no one was able to hand me ice (at this point, I knew there was another aid station close by- so I wasn't too concerned). But a few yards once I passed the aid station I hear the swishing of a grass skirt and someone running in coconuts. A guy came up to me and had TWO cups of ice and a cup of water. Not only was I dying laughing, but I was extremely grateful!

When I started the second loop I looked into the transition area and randomly saw 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter'!! Made my day! I screamed at him and laughed as he ran right/ran left/ran towards the fence to try to get out of transition but there was no way out. So he just shouted at me from there- I was glad to know he finished (that's the hardest part of both of us racing- not knowing how the other person is doing).

For some reason I felt like the second loop went a lot faster than the first and I was feeling great. When I knew about a mile away from the finish I gave it everything I had. I saw 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' right before the final turn who ran with me for a second and told me to leave nothing in the tank- at this point I was sprinting around the final corner. Everyone started cheering, shouting to 'FINISH STRONG!'. I finally saw the finish line and ran through it- waving my hands in the air like I don't care. 

Not the right time...

My official time was 6:40:22- I beat my goal time by 20 minutes and my last 70.3 time by 1 hour and 2 minutes! I was so beyond happy! I quickly found 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and we were able to see both RunningFrida and David finish!

Such a good photo of both of them finishing!! 

Doesn't she look so great for just finishing her first half IRONMAN!? And so happy too! :)

So proud of her!

RunningFrida finished in 6:50!! Which mean we BOTH crushed our 7 hour goal!! We've been training so hard and it all paid off. Such a great feeling! 

We did it! We all finished! :)

Can you believe there are only 29 days until Ironman Arizona? That makes my stomach drop every time I hear that. Time is flying by!

Did anyone else race this weekend? 

Who's doing Ironman Arizona? Have you ever done an Ironman before?

1st 100 miler!!

I did it! I completed my longest bike ride ever today! To say I am extremely happy would be an understatement!

SO glad to be done!

@runningfrida and I started at 6am at Tempe Town Lake- this place is beginning to feel like my second home! ;) We road the Ironman Arizona route up to Shea Blvd and kept going to Bush Highway. We turned around and came all the way back to Tempe Town Lake and then went back up to Shea Blvd for the last 40 miles.

I know it only looks like a couple inches but THAT is what 100 miles looks like! (loops of it anyway ;))

It took us 6:40 minutes- that's with all the stops at street lights,etc. I'm pretty happy with that time. I felt good the entire time and am still in shock we rode 100 miles!!

After the ride, I came home and 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' watched a million episodes of 'Breaking Bad'-- we just started watching it on Netflix and we are OB-SESSED! Such a good show! Anyways... we had a date planned and we were going to get all dressed up and everything for it.

A hundred mile bike ride ('Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' rode 100 miles today too!) and million episodes later... we still went out on our date, we just ended up in race shirts and sweats! ;)

Another lovely iPhone picture! I'm not sure why I look so white either?

We went to Porkopolis and it was amazing! Always a great time with this guy!! Love him!

What's the longest you've ever biked before? 

Anyone have fun weekend plans?

"Barbara"

Today was a CrAzY training day! After work, I hurried and met runningfrida at San Juan- which is a road that leads up part of South Mountain. it's 8 miles to the top, no cars, and I swear at points its like you're climbing STRAIGHT up Mount Everest- it makes everything burn!

We usually bike it 2 times- it's HARD! Well, tonight, it was starting to get dark early but we were still hoping to do it twice. We started our first round and when we got about half way- right when the sun was beaming directly into our eyes, and there was a guy on a beach cruiser and he just kept circling on his bike? He saw us coming and really didn't move out of the way- weird, right?! Well, once we got closer to him (literally about to pass him!) he shouts "LOOK OUT!" and I quickly look down and notice there is a rattlesnake in the middle of the road- like less than a foot away from my bike tire! Thanks for the last minute heads up dude...

I quickly swerved away (almost hitting @runningfrida!) and thought I was going to have a heart attack! We made it to the top and the sun had set, so we didn't have much light left. I was terrified heading back thinking we were going to run into 'Barbara' again. (I named the rattlesnake 'Barbara'-- it makes her less scary if she has a name like Barbara. I feel like I could take a Barbara if I had to... just saying...;)) It probably didn't help that the whole way back I was asking @runningfrida if she had signal on her cell phone in case I got bit to call 911 or what the freak do I do if I get bit and Barbara doesn't let go!? Can you shake off a snake? I'm pretty sure there is no way I could pull a snake off of me...yeah, there is definitely NO way I could do that...

This isn't our Barbara- maybe like a distant relative? And she wasn't this dramatic either- she was just chilling on the road, trying to slither away. (Which is weird that the guy was circling her and not letting her get to the other side of the road?)  

We finally made it back to the cars and @runningfrida asked if I wanted to go again- I told her I was WAY to chicken to go again and we decided to head to her gym and finish our bike ride and run there.  



Too dark for me!



Holy Moly! Her gym is amazeballs! We both go to LA Fitness but hers in a million times nicer/better than mine! They had so much more equipment and it was all brand new!

We headed into a spin class (that was half over) and then did another 10 minutes after. Look how nice the cycle class room is! My gym's cycle class is super small and only has 2 rows of 10 bikes.

Great picture, right?!

Once we finished biking, we headed out to the nicest treadmills I have ever ran on! They each had individual TV's on them, plug ins for your iPods (so you could charge it AND listen to it at the same time!), and super good fans! I got all set up with the TV and my music and started looking around for a recliner or something and then realized 'oh yeah, I'm here to run...'

We ran for just over 40 minutes and I got 4.6 miles in. Between the hair blowing in the wind, my music blaring, and the TV- I was so pumped I kept increasing the speed and was FLYING by the end! (I'm going to need to go to her gym and workout more! It's more like an-awesome-pace-to-hang-out/ forget-I'm-working-out type of place than a gym! Loved it!

Another great, non-blurry picture!

We finally finished and headed home. It's days like today I am SO grateful to have friends like @runningfrida to keep me company (and motivated) on long training days like today!!!

Do you like to train with someone or alone?

Have you ever seen a rattlesnake in person? 

Meeting Grumpy Cat!!

 So after the race, we went to a nearby bar/restaurant to meet some friends, get some food, and watch some football. While we were there, I got the craziest text ever from my good friend:  

 ((Apparently, Grumpy Cat lives in Arizona and had some new books coming out (did you know it had books?!) and was on tour. My friend got a ticket through her work (she's a teacher) and it was for her and one guest. The ticket was $15 dollars! I was so shocked when I found that out- but all the money gets donated to animal shelters so I thought that was pretty cool. ))

 

Of course, I freaked out when I saw the message and wanted to go! My friend said she was in a ridiculously long line and I had plenty of time to get there. We finished our lunch and I for sure thought it was too late- nope! She was STILL in line. I hurried and dropped 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' off at the house and then hauled booty to the bookstore. (There was no time for showering or changing at this point!)

 

I got there and my friend was NOT joking when she said the line was insane! You had to have a ticket and then were put into groups of about 30. We were in group Y.... The groups started at A and went all the way through the alphabet and then to GG. The line was wrapped around the shopping center! I got there when they were at T. So we still had a while to wait together as weaved our way through the book store.

 

Pretend it's not blurry! ;)

These signs were EVERYWHERE in the bookstore reminding everyone not to touch her. (Grumpy Cat is a female and her real name is Tatar Sauce.... I might be grumpy with a name like that too! ;))

 

 

 We finally got up there and there was a couple right in front of us and they each took separate photos with the (sleeping) Grumpy Cat. We handed the worker our camera and asked to get separate photos as well- she told us we only had one ticket so we could only get one photo. ....ooook.... So we hurried over and huddled around the sleeping (super-freaking-tiny/ I-thought-it-was-a-kitten!!) Grumpy Cat and the security guy who... was also dressed us as Grumpy Cat? Not awkward at all...
 

Look- it's face is the same size as the one of the book! SOO tiny!

It all happened so fast, we then made our way to a counter and got a free poster- that they were offering to stamp with a her paw print!). HAHA! I hope one day I am so famous that people pay $15 dollars and wait in line for hours to see me sleeping on a pillow in a bookstore! Craziness!!

 

 

Have you ever met a celebrity? If so, who??

Nathan's Race Recap!!

I was a little worried how the race would go today since it was so ridiculously hot yesterday. Luckily, the weather was amazing and could not have been more perfect for the race. I woke up and there was a slight chill in the air and it was extremely cloudy. I got ready and headed down to Tempe Town Lake by myself- 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' decided to meet me down there later on (closer to the start time) so he could get a little more sleep. ;)

I got down there, and made my way back into transition where I dropped my bike off the day before. I got everything set up and went to get body marked. After that, I waited. I ate another Luna bar, helped RunningFrida set up her transition (she was running late), and then found a spot to sit and wait some more.

You see, at all of these races they have a certain time before the first wave starts that the transition area closes- no one is allowed back in, so that it is empty for athletes coming in when the race starts start. Makes sense, right? Well, that's all fine and dandy- unless you're like me and start in Wave 13. That means 12 waves go off before you- WITH 4 minutes (or more) between each wave. That's a lot of sitting around and waiting!! (Which is probably why 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' chose to drive himself and get an extra hour and a half of sleep! ;))

Once 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' got there, it was close to our start time. We waited in line and slowly inched towards the swim start. (The best part about being in the 'Females 0-30' group is we definitely have the most energy! Girls were dancing in line and we sure made it known we were ready when the announcer told us we could get in the water. Then when we all got in the water and up to the start line, we heard one final "30 second warning..." from the announcer- to which we all erupted in screams, cheers, and 'wooohoo'ing-- immediately followed by lots of laughter of our own ridiculousness!) LOVE this part of racing!!

The 'cool' crowd ;)

After the laughter, we all got serious and took off on the 1500meter swim. The swim went well- I got hit in the face for the first time and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I think I got hit by a flying elbow right on my check bone and it hurt- but nothing I couldn't handle- hopefully I never get a foot to the face!! I finished the swim in 36:39. I again, was hoping to be around 30 but it just didn't happen.

I quickly made my way out of the water, back into transition- it felt like I had to run a quarter mile to get back to my spot!  I hopped on my bike and took off. I knew the course and felt prepared. It was two loops with NO bee stings or dropped water bottles! Impressive- I know! ;) I think I was most happy with my bike for this race- I finished the 24.8 mile bike ride in 1:23- averaging 17.8 miles per hour.

So happy to see 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter'!!

Before I knew it, I was back in transition heading out for the 6.2 mile run. Right as I left transition, I saw my old friend, Claren, from soccer. We both looked shocked to see each other and quickly said hi as we passed each other. Not long after that, I saw 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and his friend. It's always so, so, SO good to him when I'm racing.

About a mile into the run, I heard someone behind me say "Come on Kim, pick it up!" and I turned around and it was my new friend Jason. He was already on his second loop of the run and I completely hated him for it. ;) He took off like the speed demon he is and left me trotting along... on my first loop...

My first loop was boring and slow. I don't know what happened, but when I started my second loop and saw 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' again, I got my second wind and was able to pick it up. I pushed the pace the entire second loop and felt good. I was telling everyone I passed (or that passed me) 'good job' and that they were doing great.

When I finally got close to the finish and made the final turn, it felt like the whole crowd was saying "GO KIM!" so I smiled and waved and tried to sprint to the finish as fast as I could. I had no idea who all these people were that were cheering for me, but right before I reached the finish line, I heard a large group of them shout "GO TIM!" not Kim.... TIM! Yup, there I am waving and smiling at strangers- who aren't even cheering for me! But hey- the way I look at it is: they got a two-for-one cheering deal! ;)

That would be "Tim"

I finished, found 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and was able to immediately see my results on this new APP that they had up on a bunch of iPads- it was crazy awesome! Although, I was hoping to PR and be under 3 hours-- I finished with a time of 3:08- not so awesome.

The answer is no- I really don't ever brush my hair...

Afterwards we headed to a nearby bar to meet some friends, get food, and watch football. I also an amazing text from a friend that lead to me meeting a 'celebrity'.... I use that term loosely. ;) Stay posted for the details in the next post!!


Congrats to anyone who raced this weekend!! 

Have you ever met a Celebrity? If so- who?