Today was the Buffalo Old First Ward Shamrock Run. The mood was festive. The pack was large. The wind was cold. Really really cold. Had it not been for the wind it may have been a great mid-winter kind of day, but the wind was just absolutely brutal. Holy cold. It was the kind of wind that literally takes your breath away and I had big problems with it. There were times that I was running with my head sideways trying to catch air without sucking in huge gusts.
I am not making excuses, but I am relatively sure that the strong winds contributed to the nasty side stitch I caught probably around half a mile or three-quarters of a mile in. It was the worst cramp that I have ever had and for a minute or two absolute nausea swept my gut. I thou gt I was going to lose it. I stopped and walked a bit trying to take deep breaths in and really exhaling as long and hard as I could. That does help, but it also adds time to the clock, which I didn't want to do. I am thinking that I added at least 45 seconds to my time (probably more) trying to rid myself of the nastiness. I shoved my knuckles into my side trying to get it to go. I did finally manage to lose most of it and then faced a hill. It came back, but not as strong as initially. That pretty much just sucked.
I had my Nike+ with me and was happy to learn that it really was pretty accurate. At the two mile mark, I hit my middle button and it spit out that I had run 2.04 miles. I consider that to be pretty darn close. The actually race is an 8K (4.97 miles) and my Nike registered it as 5.09 miles. Considering that it registers distance by foot strike, I am considering that decently accurate. It throws the pace time off a bit, but I can deal with it. I will just make sure that I run an extra .02 per mile that I want to run. If I am planning a 5-miler, I need to run 5.15 miles to be sure I did get the actually mileage. Can deal with it.
I really do enjoy running outside and need to do it more often. In Wellsville I had a great route that I enjoyed running, but in Auburn I haven't found anything longer than 2 or 2.5 miles that is safe. Running outside is completely different, no matter how often you run inside trying to prepare. Treadmills aren't the same and tracks aren't the same. You can't factor wind. That freakin' wind.
I was really hoping to beat Katie today - not that I am competitive. I'm not. But in all of the runs that we've done, Katie has always dusted me. The bitch did it again today (and I mean that in the most affectionate way). We were running together and then before I knew it, I was birthing a cramp and trying to run a steady pace (which my Nike+ says I did) and Katie was gone! She came across the line something like three minutes before I did. I am going to work my ass off to not be so far behind at the Hornell Shamrock Race. Now it is probably on because she will know my race strategy. Pretty sure it won't make a difference anyway! I think that she would run with a broken foot and still push to the end. She has more determination and probably guts than a lot of people I know. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't like to cross the line before her someday, though! Oh...and I will....I hope...
Overall, I was pleased with how I ran today considering the wind, the cold air that my lungs aren't used to and the hills that my legs aren't used to. It isn't like the hills were enormous, but they had a decent distance to them (they were entrances to a bridge). It was enough to expend a little more energy. I was a little bummed because I had no idea where the finish was and I could have pushed a little harder a little earlier had I known that it was as close as it was. It's okay, though. I finished 406/1436. Not too bad. At least I was in the top half of the pack! Granted, there were walkers and probably some drunks, but again...who cares?
I would like to give special thanks to the following for pulling me through the run:
Queen - Fat Bottomed Girls
Spiderbait - Black Betty (twice!)
Pat Benator - Heartbreaker
Kid Rock - Bawitdaba
Miranda Lambert - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Jay-Z - 30 Something (because 30 IS the new 20)
Def Leppard - Let's Get Rocked
AC/DC - Thunderstruck
P. Diddy - Tell Me
Random and bizarre mix. Not really a classic rock kind of girl, but apparently I am when running!
I am seriously pooped from being out in the cold. When I got home I took Mags out and then came in, poured a glass of wine, and hopped into a bubble bath with John Mayer. Enjoyable. I always finish a bath with a shower to get the gunk off (aka soap). So, here I am in the shower and I hear a pounding on my door. I am trying to enjoy my shower. Maggie is barking and the banging isn't stopping. I get out, try to dry off and head to the door to peek through the peep hole to see who it was. The downstairs neighbor. Thankfully, the FEMALE downstairs neighbor.
She proceeds to tell me that she has water gushing through her ceiling. I have no idea why. I didn't overflow the bathtub, although I did have it as full as I could without it all draining out the top drain. I can't imagine that there was that much water that leaked, but apparently so. So, here I am in the hallway with a towel on my head and mismatched jammies trying to figure out what's going on in the middle of a small crowd that has gathered at this point.
The female downstairs neighbor is very nice, by the way. I am not sure what she is doing with el jerko, but to each their own, I guess. Just for good measure as she was walking away I was sure to ask if we were being quiet enough and if the music was too loud. She said, "Shoot girl! I love your music! You make my day! You keep on playing your music!" Okay then. I guess I will.
So here I sit on the couch - clean, warm, and with a glass of wine. Pretty good day, overall, I would say!
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