Race Report- Medved 5k to Cure ALS

For the fourth year in a row Dad and I spent the morning of Father's Day running in the Medved 5k to Cure ALS. Check out the report from last year! Here are some photos from each year, please ignore the change in waistband size, ha.

2011

2012

2013

2014

This is the first 4-peat race we will do this year and while we were running, we tried to figure out which other races will be potential 4-peats too. The next one is on July 4th so stay tuned for that race recap in a couple weeks. Since we waited until the last minute to do packet pick-up with our last race, and had some t-shirt issues because of it, I decided I would get there bright and early Saturday morning. For the second year they offered a tech shirt option which is a great option, but makes it really hard to choose the right size, especially when the tech shirts are gender specific. Apparently most running woman aren't well endowed in the chest region!! The people at packet pick-up were super friendly and they did have the correct size shirts for us this time around. Unfortunately the tech shirts are white and mine doesn't fit. I know you've heard me gripe about white race shirts in the past, why doesn't anyone listen to me!!! ;)

The race started at 8:30 so Dad & Mom picked up Rob and me and we were on our way to Frontier Field around 7:30. It was cool and cloudy and so I opted for long sleeves and capris. When I saw everyone in shorts, short-sleeved shirts or going shirtless I got nervous that I overdressed. We did our usual pre-race ritual and saw some familiar faces and before we knew it we were kissing Mom and Rob goodbye and lining up at the start. We noticed from the beginning that the field felt smaller than usual and sure enough there were about one hundred less participants than last year according to the timing results. As soon as the horn blew and we started moving, my legs felt heavy like they were working really hard. We kept moving along chatting, dodging pot holes and manhole covers and before we knew it we were at the one mile mark, way quicker than my usual speed lately. Holy cow, no wonder my legs were fighting me!! I don't think I looked at my Garmin that entire first mile. One disappointing factor about this race is that they usually run out of water at the first water stop by the time I get there. I'm not sure if they were more prepared, or if it was the cooler temps or less people, but they had plenty of water and I was really grateful as the sun was starting to come out at this point. 

This course is great because it is flat and there are lots of twists and turns and if you are facing the sun and heating up, there probably will be a turn as soon as you start to get uncomfortable. A stretch in the middle is nicely shaded by the city buildings and usually there is a bit of a breeze. We thanked the police and volunteers and wished Happy Father's Day to everyone. There are not a lot of spectators on the course, they are typically concentrated to the area around the baseball stadium but with Dad and I simultaneously talking and gasping for air, the time passes quickly. At one point we were even distracted by a nice train hauling lots of sugar tanks! I told Dad I was going to take a walk break at the train bridge and he quickly responded that the 2 mile sign was just a bit after the bridge, so I sucked it up and we walked from the sign to the next water stop. Once again there was a table full of water and encouraging volunteers.

The best part about this race is the finish, as it takes you into the outfield of Frontier Field and you finish on home plate. This year they were broadcasting the finish on the jumbo screen in the stadium, that was a fun addition I don't remember from the past races! As we approached the outfield we noticed an older gentleman who was commenting on the baseball signage along the way, he started talking to my Dad about baseball players and they slowed their pace a bit. I continued and as we rounded the end of the stands I kept moving and kept my eye on the finish line. I heard my Dad say behind me "ok, I can't let my daughter beat me, bye" or something along those lines! I saw him appear out of the corner of my eye and brush past me right before the finish. I do think we finished at the same time, but for this race they listed him ahead of me in the official results. I'll get him next next!

Photo Bombing Ya

So I was all ready to do my race recap of the ALS 5k that I ran with my Dad yesterday! As I was scrolling through the photos on my phone I realized a lot has happened in the month since my last post and I thought I'd catch you up, with a little photo bombing! So you'll just have to check back tomorrow or Wednesday for my recap but in the mean time, find out what I have been up to...

I got tenure!! Even though I have worked for Pittsford for five years, my first two years were part time and didn't count towards tenure. It was a great ceremony and my parent came into town to celebrate. I didn't think it would be a big deal, but I do feel like I am officially established in my career now and I am more happy than ever that I went back to school to get my teaching degree. I love what I do.

As part of Girls on The Run this year, the girls conducted a community impact project. I was so proud to be a part of this special project, which the girls created and executed all on their own. They chose to collect items for Lollypop Farm and I was so excited to drop all of this off on their behalf. They did a great job!!

The biggest thing to happen in the Warchol household is that we bought our first house!!! Which will explain most of the photos that follow, haha. We are so excited to be getting out of our cruddy apartment and to have a place of our own. It has been a dream of mine since before we got married and really paved the way for the type of wedding we chose to have and I am so happy with the way everything is unfolding.

We were out to dinner when we found out we got the house and I thought this was pretty cool and so of course I photographed it. No more meals out ever... we can't afford it now! ;)

Commencing house planning and idea photo roll, how did people plan for stuff without iPhones?!?!

Just adding in some cuteness in case you are bored with my photo bombing thus far...

One of the best parts about being a teacher, turning the calendar.

I have the best colleagues on the planet and they already surprised us with a little house warming gift.

The beginning of June means the end of Girls on The Run and Molly and I put together some goody bags and enjoyed a celebration with the girls for their accomplishments. $100 bucks goes a long way at Five Below, great store.

My last Canal Days as a Fairport resident, at least for now. I tagged along with the Klus family and got to enjoy some lunch with my favorite niece and nephew. At least he looks comfy...

Girls on The Run ends with a 5k race and some pre-race festivities. The 5k is held at MCC and we spend about an hour with the girls writing on each others shirts, coloring their hair and getting them ready for the race. It was a wonderful night and seeing them finish and smile and knowing that I helped them to get there, is the best feeling on the planet.

Stay tuned for my ALS 5k race report. It is the first 4-peat race that Dad and I have done!

Race Report- Lilac Run 10k

My running began over 3 years ago, that is crazy to think about! I wont go into my whole story, if you haven't read it already you can check it out here. It was in February of 2011 that I downloaded a Couch to 5k app on my iPod and jumped on the treadmill at the local gym. That first run was horrible, I was just embarrassed and figured everyone was watching me. I slowly got better and eventually was doing more running then walking, so I decided to sign up for my first official race the Lilac Run 5k.

May 2011

Since most of my running had been done on a treadmill in a lovely air conditioned environment, I struggled with the rolling hills around Highland Park and the heat & humidity. I roped Dad and Rob into joining me and even though I was poorly dressed and walked more then I thought I would, I was hooked!

May 2012

In 2012 I returned to the Lilac Run and completed both the 5k & 10 races. I think this is a great feature about this race. The 5k starts at 8am and the 10k starts at 9am so it is totally possible to do both races and if I remember correctly they even give you a little discount if you do both! Last year I was bummed that I wasn't able to do the race for a 3rd year in a row, especially because this was the one that started it all, but as you know I was participating in my first marathon!

I was super excited to sign up for the race again this year and after much deliberation, we settled on running the 10k. Since I'm a sucker for tradition, I waited to do packet pick-up until my Dad was in town on Saturday. I had a bad feeling that waiting until close the end of packet pick-up would mean t-shirt issues and sure enough I was right. We arrived at Medved around 4pm on Saturday and they were out of all of the sizes we had asked for. Now in the race info it said the first 2000 runners who signed up would get a t-shirt. After getting our bibs we were told to go over and get the t-shirts ourselves. This made me wonder if not enough of each size was ordered, or if people took sizes that they didn't actually register for, since pick-up wasn't being monitored. Or maybe they allowed anyone who registered, even beyond the 2000, to take a t-shirt. I am not hugely disappointed since the t-shirts are white and I really hate when race t-shirts are white!

On the way home I sent Molly a message to see if she got a shirt. She had gone to the store and registered for the race the day before. Sure enough she did, which proved my theory that they must have just let everyone take a t-shirt even if they weren't the first 2000 to register. Oh well!

Evan & Molly

We received an email saying that most of the grass parking lots would be closed due to all of the rain we had last week. We thought since parking may be an issue, we would just go really early to ensure getting a spot and watch the 5k. It was prefect weather, very cool and sunny. We had fun watching the 5k runners come in and the time went pretty quick.

5k runners heading to the finish line

Our crew: Evan, Me, Dad & Molly

After some photo ops and getting Mom to her spectating spot we were ready to go! We all spread out quickly but I got into a pretty good rhythm. I was going slow, but consistent. Around mile 2, amongst the rolling hills, I started thinking that I wished I had signed up for the 5k!! Before I knew it we were turning on Monroe which has a nice downhill, but is also fully exposed to direct sunshine. I started to heat up on this section but I still feel like I dressed properly. As we were going through 12 Corners in Brighton we saw lots of familiar Fleet Feet faces cheering everyone on, then we turned on to Elmwood so the sun was now behind us.

We weaved around some neighborhoods off of Elmwood and there were lots of families out cheering, this area was shady and there was still a cool breeze once in a while. By this point my Dad and I were going pretty evenly with one another, Evan was no where to be seen since he is so speedy and Molly was not too far behind us. We turned out on to Elmwood and passed Laura's house where she and her family were cheering from the driveway!! We paused long enough to drink some bottled water they had gotten ready for us and we were on our way. Thanks Laura!! With one giant hill back up, we returned to Highland and were in the home stretch. Along the rolling hills again, Dad and I picked mini landmarks to run and walk to. Once we could see Goodman in our sights we booked it, back up hill, to the finish line. Along the way we smelled lilacs and hot dogs and lots of people cheered us in! Even though Dad and I finished at the same time, I was listed first in the results, so I did technically beat him.

A year ago today...

I was driving to Cleveland to run my first full marathon! One of the things I love about this journal is looking back and reflecting on my accomplishments and how far I have come and what in my life has changed. Since this whole blog was created to track my training for my first full, I figured it might be a nice time to look back and remember how challenging and fun it really was. I really want to get on that path again to training and running another marathon or even try my first ultra, looking back for me is really inspiring.

If you are new to the blog or are interested in going back in time to one year ago today, start here!

I am also excited to say that my race report for the Stars and Stripes 5k held on Veteran's Day each year, caught the eye of the race directors and they asked if they can use it to present to potential sponsors, how neat is that!

Lilac Fest 10k tomorrow with Dad, Molly & Evan, can't wait to tell you all about it.

The Start of a New Season

Has it really been six months since my last post? Six months and 15+ pounds! I tried for most of last year to get some inspiration back for running. After the marathon I had a hard time getting into training consistently, mostly because I didn't want to train consistently, if that makes any sense. I had nothing major I wanted to accomplish, combine that with a freezing cold winter and I was pretty lazy with both my exercising and healthy eating.

One of my last posts mentioned trying to get the funk out... well I think six months later, maybe, I have done just that!! A change of the seasons helps. Both having the weather improve and the summer race season approaching, has put a spring in my step. My "runiversary" is coming up and I got inspired big time this past weekend for a couple of reasons. I'll get to that later. Now don't get the wrong idea, even though I haven't been blogging I have still been running, sporadically. I did quite a few late fall and winter races and my total race mileage for 2013 was 115. Not too shabby considering I was only 5 race miles down from 2012 and I wasn't really trying for most of the year!

Turkey Trot 2013

I decided to sign up for the Lake Effect Half Marathon again hoping that would keep me running through the winter. Well at least February, who knew winter would continue into April! I knew since I PR'd last year and had only done a long run of ten slow miles that my time wouldn't compare. I just tried to not have it be my worst time and that worked. Thanks goodness for the train wreck that was Oak Tree 2012!

Awesome spinner medal this year!

March came along and found my Dad running his first half marathon! I went back and forth on running with him, especially since I liked this race so much and finally we both came to the conclusion that I would spectate. So I went all out! I made tons of signs, drove around like a crazy person beeping and yelling, and totally teared up at the finish line. I am so proud! Can't wait to run one together. We also tried another race in Syracuse for the first time, The Shamrock Run. This was so much fun and we will be returning for sure!

One of many signs...

Before...

After!

I did set a goal at the beginning of the year to try to run 3-4 half marathons throughout the year so I would have reason to keep doing some long runs. In April, I did my first major race 3-peat by completing the Flower City Half Marathon. This was the first long distance race I did and I met some amazing people, who I still run with today, at HFM training in 2012.

Now I don't recommend my training plan, but I didn't run for the entire month leading up to the race. For one reason or another life just got in the way. I decided, after chatting with another runner, that I would go into the race with a run/walk method, and see how I felt going forward. I would run 2 miles and then walk 1. I also figured I would walk some of the major hills. When I started I felt great, I should have since my legs were very fresh! The weather was perfect and the race went so well for me. Yes I was super slow, but I found that  I didn't even need my run/walk strategy, my walk breaks were usually short and I had such a great time overall. I also saw lots of familar faces that I hadn't seen in a while and it helped me to remember why I love running and participating in races so much!

Accidental twins, me & Katie at the
Flower City Half Marathon

During the Lake Effect half Marathon I found myself running around the same pace as a girl Kaitlin. Turns out she is from Rochester too! We had a great time running and chatting and even though she smoked me at the finish line, I was secretly hoping we would run together again some day. Thank goodness for social media and my good memory, because I found Kaitlin on FB and we actually got together for a run this past Saturday. We messaged back and forth and I created a route based on where she wanted to start and how many miles she needed to do. Kaitlin had 10 miles on the schedule, she is training for her first full, I said I would join her for 5 so I found a loop. I felt like I was back to my old self planning routes and looking forward to running.

Turns out it was pretty sunny and warm Saturday morning but it was a beautiful run. There were tons of people out, it was sunny with a breeze and we had so much fun. It went by so fast and our pace matched pretty well. We made it back to our cars and I headed home and Kaitlin went back out on her own for some more miles. After I went home and got ready for the day I decided to head over to North Ponds Park in Webster to check out the Mind The Ducks 12 hour race. I could only stay for an hour or so, but I had so much fun cheering on my running friends and watching then accomplish this amazing acheievement. It got me thinking could I run for 12 hours on a 1-mile loop, I'm not sure but I think I want to find out!

This Sunday marks my "runiversary" with the Lilac Festival races. It was the first 5k race I trained for and began this whole running journey. In 2011 I ran the 5k, in 2012 I got cocky and ran both the 5k and the 10k, last year I was in Cleveland running my first full marathon and this year I plan to return to run just the 10k. I'll have a race report on Sunday or Monday.

And you thought you were done having to read my blog, I'm just getting started...again!

Twist it up Tuesday

In an effort to get out the noise, get out the funk, I decided to switch up my Tuesday routine yesterday and try something different and (kinda) exciting. Since I sat in the hot tub at the Perinton Rec Center last Tuesday and watched Molly and Rob do laps, I got inspired. No, no... not to don a teeny bikini, but to take advantage of the work out facilities while my peeps did their thing. In a weird coincidence, Evan just happened to be working out while we were there and so he and I decided to go together this week. Which was a good thing, because it was freezing and snowy out. I need to grow my extra fur layer for winter running, it hasn't come in yet.

Sitting in the hot tub sounds way better then
running in the cold, right?

So Molly and Rob were set to do laps and Evan & I would work out. Since lap time started later, I picked up Evan and Rob & Molly were supposed to come separate. Evan and I started on the  treadmills, which have their own TV's!!!

The view also overlooks the pool area and we got to watch all the cute babies taking their swim lessons. Nothing like some soggy diapers to make you want to jump in for a round of Marco Polo. We decided to do 30 minutes.

Woah, I have no neck from this angle,
I have to work on my selfies.

Then I quickly remembered why I hate the treadmill so much! Even though Evan and I were thoroughly engaged in an episode of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, how has he never seen this before, I was bored and wanted to be done five minutes into it.

Evan was having a great time.

When the torture was over I realized my results were lack luster. I needed to redeem myself so we headed over to the Erg.

Evan is  a Crew-ber, not sure if that is a term, but he is a member of Fairport's crew team. So the erg is NBD. That's text talk for "no big deal" for you grandpa's out there. I strapped in and got to work. Taking some breaks here and there, this rowing stuff is hard, in the end I did ten minutes and really enjoyed it. While I was finishing up (ie. catching my breathe and trying not to faint) Rob walked down the stairs with his swim stuff. He actually seemed kind of impressed with my erg stats, and since he loves rowing at CrossFit I felt great!!

So even though I have a gym membership and could have just gone to the RAC, I thought having a different workout partner and switching it up would keep me interested, it definitely did. But I still hate that treadmill.

Did my post on Lululemon get your yoga pants in a bunch? Check out the latest...

1. Mr. CEO apologizes for blaming the female body for the breakdown of their product.

2. Lululemon is so resourceful (or cheap) that they took their recalled (see through) yoga pants and just added mesh and extra fabric to them and put them back on the rack!! Dubbing them the "Second Chance Pant". They did give you a six dollar discount, now they only cost $92 bucks.   

Race Report- Stars & Stripes Veterun 5k

I first heard about this race in 2011, which also happened to be its inaugural year! Rob works for Clark CSM and created the logo you see above. The first year I ran with him and his boss Glenn. Rob actually wound up being my rabbit and I PR'd, even though the course is challenging with lots of rolling hills. This year I was way slower, but I am getting ahead of myself here!

Rob & Me - 2011

Glenn & Rob- 2011

I signed up for the third year in a row thinking that Rob would run with me again, but he couldn't. According to their FB page, the race is organized by 5 or 6 families from the Honeoye Falls area, with a ton of help from their friends and the Rochester community. The families all have ties to the military in some way and really wanted to draw attention to the true meaning of why we have off of work or school for Veterans' Day. Proceeds from the race entry and sponsors go to support Honor Flight, which is a program to honor those who served by flying them to Washington DC to see the monuments created for them. According to their FB page they were able to donate $21,050 from the first two years of the race.

This years shirt was by far my favorite.

In addition to supporting a great cause, I love that I can take part in a community event that feels like a small town family fun run. They have always started the race by thanking the Veterans in attendance and they discuss the experience of Honor Flight, which I didn't even know existed until I started participating in this race. This year they also read a poem written by a veteran who was able to participate in the Honor Flight program. I would be lying if I told you I didn't tear up and think about my own family members who have served. I also enjoy that they tend to have young people sing the National Anthem and then everyone walks en mass to the start line and the gun goes off. There is something very ceremonial about the start of this race and I just love it! I feel like I am part of something bigger.

Inside the lodge keeping warm.

The fireplace is a nice touch!

Rob's logo- awards I assume.

I realized when I was pulling into Mendon Ponds that I forgot my Garmin and we all know that when you don't record it on your Garmin, it might as well have not happened, so I was bummed! I also know how hilly this course is and so I was worried about not being able to keep my pace in check. 

Listening to the MC

So cool, and he kicked my butt!

The gun went off and I started running, up hill. I felt like I went out too fast and when I got to the 1 mile mark there was no one reading splits, I am not sure if anyone was supposed to be, but this just reminded me how dumb I was for forgetting the Garmin. I continued on to the rolling hills and slowed at the water station. I also pulled over a little after that because I had a rock in my shoe. I feel like this happens more and more to me, especially at Mendon Ponds. Since the course is an out and back eventually the leaders zoomed by in the opposite direction and I was able to cheer on some familiar faces. There was definitely more walking breaks on the way back and I just tried to make sure I stayed even with the people in front of me and tried to not let any one pass me. This worked really well until I was going back and forth with these two young girls and they totally killed it on the downhill towards the finish line. Oh well. I officially clocked in my worst Veterun 5k time, but I am not in the same running shape compared to the previous two years. If anything, it is fantastic motivation to try to improve for next year!

I love the downhill finish, kinda makes
up for the uphill start, kinda! 

Happy to be done and have another 3-peat race!

The Tom Wahl's food truck was there this year and every runner got a free lunch! It smelled so good. I decided to skip the line and meet Rob for a healthier lunch. Even though Mendon Ponds is a killer course it pales into comparison to what a lot of service men and women have experienced in training and combat. So I can suck it up for a wonderful cause. This race is so well organized and truly feels like a family/community effort. I love that most military members represent their branch in clothing or uniform and that the race results even list their branch and time served, really cool. 

One more thing that really hit home for me was when it was mentioned to go up and thank and shake the hand of any Veteran that you may see out at the grocery store, post office or out to eat. The speaker said that will make their day more then we understand. I witnessed this over the Summer when I was at Dunkin Donuts, because where else would I be. I saw a gentleman go up to a man who was wearing a hat saying he had served in one of our wars. He thanked the gentleman for his service and shook his hand. In that moment you could just feel how proud that Veteran was and he just beamed. When I witnessed that, I thought how much a simple, easy gesture can really make someone's day.