5 miles | Blissfulbritt

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I Think I Can

Posted at 10:46 AM by Brittany, on June 25, 2012

Saturday morning I accomplished something I had never done before.

I put on my running gear, and ran up a mountain. I had completed six races prior to this one, all ranging between 3-6 miles. The mileage varied, but the terrain was always similar. Road runs with inclines and declines. It was time for something new.

Before starting this race my only concern were the slugs. I hate slugs, in fact I loathe slugs. Most people are afraid of spiders and heights..well I am afraid of slugs. I don’t exactly live in an area that accommodates this fear. By the end of the run I could have shared a Snuggie with all the mountain slimers. They were the last thing on my mind.

The weather was decent upon arrival. It wasn’t raining, but it wasn’t sunny. Typical weather for a Washington day.

I love my hot pants.

I am a big fat weenie when it comes to running up hills. I would rather donate blood. The hills I normally run up are tough, but don’t last more than a mile. This mountain had over three miles of straight incline. We climbed and climbed with a few small teasers of rest. I might have whined.. OK I whined. The run was 5.3miles total and 3+ miles were STRAIGHT uphill. My time was sLOooOwww, but I finished. The run looked something like this.

Obviously 3rd grade paid off when all I could draw was one type of NW native tree. This is what the trail looked like..I think. I didn’t see much trail because my slug radar was on, and by the time I got to mile 3 I stopped caring about the slugs and started thinking about where on this mountain I wanted to die. I was sure my heart was going to give out at any moment. I was comforted by the amount of people I saw walking up the hills. Including the marathoners. These hills were NO joke. “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.”

5.34 miles later I was done. The decline was great, though it wasn’t enough. I don’t know how it was possible to climb up more than we came down..but I swear that’s how it worked out. I am proud of my accomplishment, and can now add “trail runner” to my resume..maybe. I partied with the trail runners, these people are a different breed. I tried to fit in by getting muddy, but I am sure they laughed at my rookie attempt.

After the run it was all about refueling.

My first trip to Chipotle. A veggie bowl with rice and beans. Swoon. I must admit the run was enjoyable when the terrain was flatter, and the views were of mountains and tops of trees. I don’t see another trail run anytime soon in my future, though someday I will give it another go. For now..my focus continues to be on the Disneyland half-marathon training!! 2 weeks down, 10 weeks to go!

Q: Who out there has completed a trail run? Did you hate/like/love it? I hated the hills, liked the decline, and loved when it was over! I’d like to give a big fat thank you to my boyfriend for putting up with my complaints and pushing me to keep going.

| 45 Comments Tagged 5 miles, Chipotle, First, Race, Running, Trail Run

The Best Race I Ever Did Run

Posted at 12:42 PM by Brittany, on May 22, 2012

There has been minimal running talk here lately, but that does not mean it hasn’t been happening. I have been running twice a week, cycling twice a week, and whatever else helps to fuel my cookie addiction. Sunday I ran another race. This race counts as the May race for my, “one race a month” goal. This race was hands down the best race I have yet to run. Let me tell you why.

Reason Number One: SWAG BAG!

Now before you get your pants into an excited bunch, I did NOT run a marathon. I ran a 5 miler. The capital city marathon had three races: a marathon, a half-marathon, and a 5 miler. Due to the fact that there was a marathon and a half going on, this meant a real swag bag. None of those paper envelopes filled with a running chip and a race number. The shirt was a tech shirt, not cotton. I was in running heaven.

Reason Number Two: Spectators, Water Stations, and Course.

This was my sixth race this year, and this was the first time I really felt like a runner. There were people around every corner cheering us on, watching us, and giving us that extra boost of energy. Water stations were at every two mile mark, and I was able to snag some ~~electrolyte~~ SUGAR crack water each time. I didn’t get tired once. I wanted to keep running. The course was awesome. Through neighborhoods, and main roads..it kept winding so I never felt like I was running a straight away towards my death.

Reason Number Three: My new 5mile PR.

I’ve run 5 miles multiple times, always somewhere in the 10:00 min mile range. I never want to get too run happy and tire myself out. I tried to hold back in the beginning because the first half was almost all uphill. I held a comfortable pace and enjoyed every step. I ran a 9:38 min mile pace, and I finished 5.11miles in under 50 minutes which was my goal (and a new 5mile PR). Yay. I don’t have a picture of the PR, but it looked something like this.

Everything about this race has kept me on a constant runners high. I had such an amazing time, and I didn’t even get food after the race (aside from some PB pretzels I stole from MF.) Normally I am more excited about the food than the run, but this time it was ALL about the run. For all you foodies that don’t get excited reading posts like this, I will leave you with this valuable food information. I polished off an entire box of cookies, two chocolate bars, enough spaghetti to feed all of Italy, PB sandwiches fit for Shrek, more chocolate, more cookies, and lots of gas worthy veggies– anything to get that extra push over the finish line.

Q: What is the best swag bag you have received from a race, or from another event? For running, this was the best one. I have a new lunch bag and a comfortable new running shirt. From a different event, I once got a bag of womanly items like makeup and candy from a women’s expo. In that swag bag was a tongue scraper, to scrape your tongue and get rid of the nasty bacteria. I can’t live without my tongue scraper, toothbrushes will never do the job of the scraper.