Seaway 15k Race Report

This is the 3rd time I’ve run this course. The first time was after I had my daughter. I used the race as a motivator to keep running and lose baby weight. It was my husband and myself’s first race we ran together. He beat me of course, but it created the racing bug for him and helped motivate me.

I couldn’t have asked for better weather. I thought it might be too hot and humid but since the race was along the lakeshore, Lake Michigan to be specific, it had a nice breeze. I knew a few other people running the race including our adopted brother, Mark Robillard. No relation, just the same last name and we live not too far from each other. I also saw a student of mine that I had encouraged to enter the race so it was great seeing him follow through. I like to give as many people the racing bug as possible. I know I was hooked after my first race and know sometimes just entering one is all it takes.

I was hoping to PR in this race but I didn’t know how it would go since I was post-surgery 4 ½ weeks. I figured I would do the best I could and see what happened.

At the start of the race I felt a little sluggish but I know that sometimes it takes a couple of miles to get a good pace going and luckily that’s what happened. I sometimes have a love/hate with my Garmin. Sometimes I’m really glad I have it and sometimes I don’t want to look at it at all. I guess it depends on the race and how I’m feeling on that particular day. I love it to track my training runs and distances but for actual races it varies.

There are some days when I know it will annoy me and some days I know it will motivate me. Today was definitely a day it was going to motivate me. Maybe because it wasn’t a 5k and was a little bit of a longer distance but I did look at it and it helped kick start my legs when I went above a 10 minute mile pace. My previous pace was 10:45 and I knew I would be ok with a little faster pace.

When I would look down and see my pace was above 10 minutes, I would give myself a little pep talk and push it a little faster. During this time I actually talked out loud saying “You go, girl! You got this!”. Who knew I would turn into the crazy runner who talks to themselves? The older I get, the less I care about what others think of me and if talking to myself works, I do it.

The race course starts out in an industrial area and goes downhill to a gorgeous view of Lake Michigan. I actually ran along the bike path to the beach and the boardwalk.


I am notorious for taking very bad race photos. No matter what I do I cannot seem to take a decent one. I’m not just being critical. Some examples of past races photos is one where I just ate a packet of chocolate gu and snap! Another photo I had a contorted face in an attempt to smile. I was actually looking for the cameras this time and had the idea in my head when I saw them I would smile and put my arms in the air.

Well, I saw the camera but it was snapping away as I was taking a drink (still trying to briskly walk/run) from the aid station. See? It’s not in my destiny to take a good race photo. To make matters worse the cups were really full so I ended up spilling half the drink on my face/shirt. It felt good but doesn’t make for a good photo. Oh well, something to strive for I guess.

About a mile from the finish I tried to give it all I had. I pushed harder and luckily it was mostly downhill which made things even easier. I sprinted into the finish with an overall time of 1:31:18 with a pace of 9:45. I was so proud of myself. I managed to shave off 8 minutes from my previous best race time.

I really credit doing more cross training, some speed and hill work and my new favorite – swimming! It’s such a different workout and focuses you to concentrate on your breathing. I know in the short time I’ve been doing it that it has helped my running already. I haven’t done a lot of any of these things and I’m excited to increase them all and see how that helps my overall fitness and speed.

At the end of the race, we met Mark (who is also one of the affectionately called “Michigan Crew from Mind the Duck’s 12 hour) to take a picture. Mark makes me laugh because he does things that only he can get away with. Only 3 out of the 4 Michigan crew were there so he decided to ask a perfect stranger to stand in as Jesse. More funny than the actual picture that was taken was the look on the stranger’s face when Mark asked him to stand in. When Mark’s mom first tried to take the picture she had to ask stand in Jesse to move closer to us. I joked and said “Yeah, he gives us that serial killer vibe too” which probably didn’t help matters. We got the picture nonetheless!


Lastly, we had a great time hosting Ken Bob when he was here for his workshop. He is a totally humble and generous person. We attended his work shop along with his wife and dog Herman. Herman is one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever met. He’s pretty big in stature but all sweetness. If he can put up with our 3 kids you know you have a winner!

All four of us (all but baby) got a Ken Bob t-shirt. Mine is
tie-died. Ken Bob even wore the Guinness World Record t-shirt from Jason’s World Record attempt in May. The shirt we sent him was white and he tie-died it orange which I thought was so cool.

We chatted about everything from the obvious barefoot running to eating a vegan diet to various marathons he has run. I forgot he was originally from Michigan too so we talked about local events as well.

All in all, it was a great race and clinic. We might be lucky enough to host him again in a week on a stopover clinic visit from Chicago.

Busy weekend ahead

A few things that are happening this weekend. My husband gets to meet and attend a clinic of one of his barefoot heroes, KenBob. The clinic is at a local park tomorrow and he's very excited. He's actually staying at our house Saturday night so that should be interesting with our 3 kids, dog and house guest. Hopefully my kids don't scare him too much!

We are also running the Seaway 15k tomorrow morning. It will be my 3rd time running it. I'm hoping for a PR but since it's only been 4.5 weeks post surgery I'm not sure what my time will be. I've struggled with my longer runs and I'm sure I'm still healing and adjusting to my hormone levels but I'm stubborn and impatient. I have done some hill and speed work so we'll see how much that helps my overall time. My previous times weren't fast by any means so I'm hoping that works in my favor. I love this run because it goes along Lake Michigan and we get to run along the beach and through parts of the boardwalk. I'm not sure I'll be able to take pictures before but I'm going to try my best. It's also the first race that Jason and I signed up for together after we were married.

We've had a busy first two weeks of summer with appointments, swim lessons, gym and various other things for the kids so I'm really looking forward to some down time next week. Hopefully we can make it out the the beach with the kids for the first time and check out a few local fairs and farmer's markets.

Lastly, next week we are signing up for a Cross Fit program where we train with a local trainer for an hour in exchange for Jason providing a clinic at their gym. I am really looking forward to this. I love their workouts because they are fun and challenging at the same time. I hope they push me hard because I respond better to that type of instruction. I like being pushed and my competitive spirit comes out and I don't like to quit. This might be the best shape I've gotten into so far! The best part is I get to do it together with my husband.

I'll be posting how the 15k and clinic went on Sunday!

Thoughts that occupy the space in my head

I am thoroughly enjoying the first few weeks of summer. I love having no set schedule, working out more, playing with the kids and trying new things.

The first new thing is I have a running partner! I have wanted to find someone to run with for a while. Group runs for me are ok, but not as personalized as finding someone you really enjoy running with. Sharon is my photographer and I knew liked to run. Her husband runs ultras and she was just getting back into running. She ran the Irish Jig 5k with me and recently a 10k. Since it’s summer and my schedule is a lot more open, I asked her if she would like to run with me sometime.

Luckily, she said yes. She lives about 1.25 miles away from me so she suggested I run to her house and meet her. I thought that was such a great idea. I love thinking about running as actual transportation instead of driving to her house. Plus, it forces me to get in extra miles there and back.

From her house, we ran a 3 mile loop. The first time we ran together she was feeling so good she ran with me partway down my mile run and turned around. At the end of my run, I had logged 6 miles. The first time we ran together we both felt really good and felt like we could run forever. I was worried about finding someone who ran the same pace as me because I am not a fast runner but we matched each other’s paces very well.

We both have 3 kids but hers are a little older than mine. We are both laid back runners and had lots to chat about. The second time we ran together neither of us wanted to run. It was rainy and our families were sleeping in but since we committed to it we both followed it through. It’s amazing how much more quickly the run went having someone to pass the time with.

I’ve found out recently I’ve become much more of a social runner. I still like to run by myself but more and more I’m enjoying running with others. I’m still not a big fan of huge running groups but finding the right combination for me is key. The longest race my new running buddy has run is a 10k. She has been toying with the idea of running a half marathon in October. I told her selfishly I want her to sign up because then I will have a running buddy! I think it’s worked. We’re both having so much fun running together and motivating each other to run when we don’t feel like getting out there.

I also signed up for a boot camp in July with her. It’s one night a week, meets in a local park and uses lots of fun stuff like bands, kettle balls and sprints. For me, it’s very helpful to have that accountability of a group when exercising because I can so easily talk myself out of a good workout.

The other new thing I’ve tried is swimming and I can’t believe how much I truly enjoy it. Even though it kicks my butt and I have no idea how to properly do all the different strokes yet, it’s been so enjoyable. The water is relaxing and even thought it’s a tough workout it feel so good on my body when I’m sore from lifting or running.

I’ve been going with another friend of mine who has been swimming for 7 months. She’s been so helpful in teaching me different movements in the water. It makes me think that maybe a triathlon isn’t so unthinkable in the future.

The last thing on my mind is a warning. Of course I should know better but I had a recent friend request. I get friends of Jason’s requesting me and are either barefoot or minimalist shoe runners. I had a friend request and didn’t think much of it. I saw a mutual friend and the profile picture looked like someone wearing a pair of Vibrams.

Note to self: Always check out their wall and click on their picture BEFORE accepting friend requests. I normally do this but I was in a hurry. After I accepted, I was scrolling through status updates and I noticed this new friend “liked” sucking on toes. Ok, now I was starting to wonder if this was truly a runner or not.

I clicked on his profile and the picture I thought was Vibrams was actually ladies feet inside this guys underwear. Oh my! The small picture I saw looked like a pair of Vibram Classics. During this process, the new friend sent me a message asking if I had pictures of my bare feet. Eeeww! Needless to say I removed him from my friend list and felt a little icky afterwards! So a warning that not everyone out there is interested in just running barefoot : )

Rectifier 5k for us and a 1k for the kids

Our start to summer vacation was very busy. I always forget that the first couple of weeks is a transition for the kids and takes a little getting used to. Probably more so for my second child, Reese. He's very routine oriented and changes always throw him off a bit.

We signed up for a different kind of 5k which would be a European style cross country race. It went through woods, we had to jump logs and finished by running through a mud pit, climbing a sand hill and then running through water again. It also had a 1k for the kids that started before our 5k.

The kids were excited about being able to run a race. The course went around a field, over two hills and through the same mud pit we would go through at the end of our race. My daughter ran all by herself and my son had his dad as a running partner. It was so much fun seeing them lined up at the start of the race and watching them run and get their finisher's ribbon. Of course, my son said he won the race but in actuality he was closer to last.


The race director was an avid runner and started this race 25 years ago to get kids excited about running and to make it fun. He also set up the the kids age groups into 2 year blocks so that a 12 year old wouldn't be competing with a 19 year old. I thought that was such a great idea. He said he can remember his first 5k when he was 14 and was grouped in with college freshman so he wanted to make it a more fair age grouping.

I had a friend who was watching her husband run the 5k so I asked if she wouldn't mind watching my two kids while Jason and I ran. I only brought the older two and had someone watching the baby because I thought it might be a little tricky trying to race and get someone to watch him too. It turns out my 4 year old was not very happy about me leaving. I told my husband to go ahead because if anyone was going to race I wanted it to be him. He was racing barefoot and I know very excited about the course.

I tried to talk to my son and use all my old tricks but nothing was working. He was cranky and overtired so I knew there wouldn't be much I could do to talk him into wanting to stay with my friend. I knew if he cried it wouldn't be for too long but I also would feel really bad asking my friend to watch him when he was crying. She also has 3 kids and told me to go on and that she would be fine.

I saw Reese throw himself on the ground crying. At least he's got flair! I decided if I could still hear him at the start I would turn around. Momma's guilt is so strong. Luckily, I saw him get up and start talking to his sister.

This race started in a hayfield and I was at the very back. The race starts when the first dog barks. It took a while but eventually one of the dogs barked. (Dogs are encouraged to race with owners). Running through the hayfield was tough. I can't believe my husband ran it barefoot. I felt sticks poking through my Vibram's and wondered how his feet felt. It was a course that was really hard to pass anyone, especially from the back where I started. I was running for fun so I didn't really care what my finishing time was. I did see two other runner's wearing Vibram's.

It was a hot and humid day so my pace was very slow. The course itself was alot of fun. We went through the hayfield, into the woods, I got to jump over logs and the best part was running through the mud and water at the end. It was first of all tons of fun but very refreshing since it was so hot outside.



The whole feel of the race reminded me alot of going to Jason's ultra races. Everyone was so nice and laid back. The awards were really cool. They had a first and second place pet bowl for the fastest dogs (and owners), one award for someone who finished and was a smoker (no he didn't smoke while running) and the muddiest finisher.


The whole race took place on the race director's farm which had dogs, chickens, turkeys and lots of fun stuff for the kids. They also had a sack race after the 5k. My speedy husband placed 2nd in his age group! Of course my daughter wanted his trophy which was a handmade ceramic bowl. She got to fill it with strawberries picked right from their farm...yum!

Reese was still a little volatile that day but he did have fun kicking up dirt. He reminded me of Pig Peg with his little swirl of dirt around him. It took a lot of scrubbing and q-tips to get all the dirt off at home.

It was one of the most fun races I've run and I think we'll have to make it an annual event for the family. I'll just have to make sure the kids are well rested!

3 Things

I have a hard time coming up with topics so I will post 3 things I'm currently thinking about:

1. My friend Shannon and I are planning a girls trip to Chicago in August. This will be the first time in a long time I have had a girls weekend. I think the last time would be pre-kids. I'm looking forward to seeing the sights, eating at new places and am up for any adventure. Since we'll be going 2 weeks before my first trail marathon I thought I would try and sign up for a race in the Chicago area....but I looked up the schedule and didn't see any during that weekend. My plan B is to run along the lakeshore because it will be close to where we're staying. I'm hoping to coordinate a run with my friend Sherie who lives in Chicago and has been running in Vibrams.
2. I took off the tape that was over my incision scar. It doesn't look bad at all. They match up the incision with your natural neck line to minimize any scarring. It's still swollen but they said that was normal and would take a while to go down. The first day back to school, I got to show the bandage off to students. They might not have wanted to see it but I thought it was cool. I still have a hard time raising my voice, which I'm sure my own children love.
   
3. Only two more days until summer break. I'm really excited about not having a set schedule, getting up when I want (ok, when the kids wake me up) and spending more time with my kids. It will be a little tricky with my 1 year old. I notice he's getting more and more bored with some things and very attracted to dangerous things (like concrete steps). We do have a nice lake near our house that is good for younger kids. There are no waves and the lake also has a water park for the older kids to enjoy. I can get a season pass for $40 for the whole family so it will be quite the bargain too! I'm hoping to do more day trips with them and venturing out to new places this summer.

Below are some pictures from our adventures last year!

My first goiter-less run

Ok, it wasn’t my first but second didn’t sound as good...and my first was a test run of a mile. I would have run a little more than a mile on Thursday but the trail I was on was really buggy. If anyone has encountered deer flies you know how aggressive, mean, and how much it hurts when they bite. Since I had to pick the kids up shortly that’s as far as I ran. That was the first day I was on my hormones post-surgery so I didn’t feel totally like myself but I did much better on that run than I expected.

Today I wanted to take a little longer run. I wasn’t sure on how far to go but I thought I would like at least 6 miles and I’d listen to my body and see how I felt and decide from there.

My husband and I started on roads and I felt surprisingly good. I had restless leg syndrome during the almost 2 weeks of non-running. It felt so good to be moving. My pace wasn’t fast by any means but it was faster than I thought I would be capable of.

We headed down the bike path and noticed a mobile speed tracker (not sure what the actual name is but it’s to show drivers how fast they’re going). I told Jason he should run in front of it to clock his speed so he did. He ran in the middle of the road waving his arms (thankfully no traffic in sight) but it didn’t pick anything up. Yes, we’re dorks!

I wanted to run to the same park I ran at before the surgery because they scenery is gorgeous and has so much variety in terrain. Once we got there we were on trails, followed by stairs. This was a big question mark for me. I wanted to attempt to run them but I was going to be smart about it. I didn’t want to risk my health but if I felt like I could do it I wanted to give it a try.


The first set of stairs I was really winded so I stopped to catch my breath at the top of the stairs. The next set of stairs I adjusted my breathing to breath more deeply from my diaphragm and amazingly that worked. I took deeper and longer breaths and I felt better going up the next set of stairs. It made me wonder about how I was breathing before th surgery and will be something I think about as I continue to heal.

After the stairs, we chose to go into some dunes/more rustic trails. The dunes kicked my butt so I walked up the sand. Even before my surgery I have a hard time running the whole time. These will be something I will conquer over the summer! On the trails, I was also winded on the steeper hills so I took it easy and walked up them.

The trails open out onto the beach so our next leg of the run was along the beach. This section of the beach is hardly ever used so we had it all to ourselves. I was still feeling good but wanted to head back. As much as I’m craving a long run I didn’t want to do too much on my first longer run.

I finished with 7 miles at a good pace (for me). I was happy with all the variety of the run and feel like I got a great workout. I’ve only been on thyroid hormones for 4 days but I can tell what an immense difference they have made. I feel more energetic and like my old self. I’m also looking forward to my next long run which I'm hoping will be 15 or more miles.

One of the things I want to ask the surgeon when I see him for my post-op appointment is what the actual goiter looked like. My husband and I have a bet going so I want to see who’s right. I think it will be more like tendons and fibrous. He thinks it will look more like liver. I really wanted to ask my doctor this in the hospital but I thought he might think I was still loopy from the medicine. Either way he might think I’m crazy. I guess I know where my kids get their curious natures from.

I told Jason if I end up becoming a faster runner I am going to credit it all to the fact that I no longer have a goiter. I’m more aerodynamically efficient. My neck has never looked leaner : )

Next weekend Jason and I are taking the older two kids to a 1k for them and a 5k for us. It’s called the Rectifier 5k and the course description is: European Style Cross Country Course. No Pavement! All Farm Land and Wooded Trails. This course is mostly flat with obstacles: Water (Mud) Jumps, Ditches, Haybales, Logs, Etc. Unique awards for youngest, oldest, heaviest, final finisher and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, dog (on a leash), and first time racers.

It will be our first race of this kind and sounds like so much fun!

Food for Thought

This last year I made a bigger effort to eat more healthy foods all around. As a result, I’ve lost 10 lbs and I feel great. I found I have become a little faster as a runner and I don’t complain about feeling fat which my husband loves!

Lately though I’ve been thinking that I would like to try and lose 10 more lbs which would be difficult because I have a few vices but I wondered if it will make me a better runner. I would like to try and see if I can do it and if it helps. I know when my husband trains for his ultras he gets down to a lower weight and he says it definitely helps.

I currently weight 160 lbs and am 5'8" tall. I don’t think 150 is an unreasonable goal for me. I wear mostly size 8 clothing but an occasional 10 or 6 thrown in depending on good ole vanity sizing. I think I weigh more than I look if you were to guess my weight. It’s funny how numbers are so misleading like that. I figure if I didn’t like how I looked (which I find a weird thing to say about losing weight) it’s so much fun and easy to put the weight back on.

My current vices are wine, bread and any salty treats. I’m not a huge sweets person. If it’s put in front of me I will eat it of course but I don’t struggle with that temptation as much as I do things like fries, chips and hot buttered rolls. While I think I’ve been much better about limiting myself and portion control I think I could do a better job. I don’t want to cut anything out totally because I don’t want to do anything extreme when it comes to my diet. I believe everything in moderation is a good strategy for me.

With that said, some of the things I found helpful when losing the 10 lbs I lost were:Drinking more water. Instead of eating something when I feel hunger I drink a glass of water first and wait. I’ve found many times I’m really just thirsty and not hungry.

• Eating more fruits and veggies. I am so happy summer is here because that means even more tasty farmer’s market produce. I love roasting veggies in the oven. It gives them such a wonderful flavor.
• Eating less processed food and making more things from scratch. While time consuming it tastes so much better and is so much better for you.
• Eating breads that are higher in fiber and more filling. A local health food store has sprouted wheat bread which is only 60 calories per slice but high in protein and fiber which I find to be very filling.

I know weight loss is calories in versus calories out but I feel like I’m in a rut. I wanted to pick anyone’s brain about what they found that worked for them. Specific foods, recipes, tips, snacks or anything at all that might spark some new ideas for me. I’m not a picky eater and don’t mind making my own food. While the Internet is a great source for recipes it can sometimes be overwhelming for me to search and find things I know will work and are also tasty.

So any ideas, thoughts or tips would be most appreciated!