Sunday, September 11, 2011

5K race report - my little sister's first race!

"Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must first set yourself on fire.”
Fred Shero
Before I begin, let me say that we all took the time to think of the significance of running a race on 9/11...our thoughts were with the many victims and their families, as well as with all our friends from the U.S.

Congratulations to my little sister, Iz, on a great first race. She was definitely on fire! This was a family event, well attended by many members of the "Lacets Rouges". That's the Red Shoelaces for those who don't understand French. 
Here we are before the start, check out our shoelaces :)

Everything was perfect. The weather was beautiful, the organisation excellent, the company couldn't have been better, and Iz was in great form. Plus, her kids were there to greet her at the finish line. 

During our pre-race family dinner last night...
...Uber H asked Iz what she hoped her time would be for her first 5K. "What would make you really happy, what would be okay, and what would you be disappointed in?" were his exact words. Iz considered this seriously and then responded with, "35 min I'd be thrilled; 37 min I'd be happy; 40 min I'd be disappointed, because I ran it in 39 min in training." 

She did it!!! 34m31s...with negative splits to boot!

Everyone did great, my niece ran her 5K in 24m24s, she's a natural! My Super SIL and my brother both got  amazing PRs on the 10K. Following a post-race massage, we then all went and enjoyed the spaghetti lunch that was included with this awesome race.
We've got our red "Lacets Rouges" t-shirts on and we're ready for lunch!

My foot: Although I actually felt mild irritation in my foot throughout the 5K, I don't feel that running made it any worse. I iced when I got home and will be taking an anti-inflammatory this week and maybe even into next week to make sure that everything continues to heal well. I biked instead of ran this week and got some acupuncture treatments from Iz.  
It definitely feels better.

At this point, I don't plan on turning back. After looking back on my training schedule, up until last week's 32K, I had only missed one run. Plus, I rocked that 32K! I am ready for this marathon and I will be on the starting line in two weeks. I do hope that the foot continues to improve at the rate that it has been improving. There is only very mild and totally bearable pain left, but I know that ideally, I would be completely pain-free at the start of the marathon. It only makes sense...but, after reading blogs for the last two years, I know that that is not always the case...at all. So, the plan remains! :) 

Cheers!

18 comments:

Kate Geisen said...

Congratulations to your sister! Awesome job!

Your plan sounds smart. Frustrating to train so strong and then be dealing with even a small injury near the end, but all that consistent training can carry you through a temporary cutback.

Claire said...

Congrats all the way around!!!! Sending wellness vibes for the foot girl!

ajh said...

Looks like a fun family dinner before the race.
Good luck with the continued marathon training. You will rock it.

Jill said...

Wow, that is awesome for your sister, she ROCKED it! I know how proud you are of her, and all the family members! Happy to hear the foot behaved and marathon training continues on!! :)

RunningFromCancer said...

What a wonderful experience for your sister! She did great!
It is soooo nice that your entire family gets involved.

And yes you will be on the starting line and crossing the finish line of a marathon in 2 weeks! So excited for you.

gba_gf said...

Ice that foot and relax! Try not to think about it. Lots of sleep, the body heals when it's sleeping...

I just wanted to say how proud I am of you. In all this, the exhausting training (which it is) you've been so positive and a ray of light. I love struggling through your dailymile posts. (only a struggle because french isn't my first language and I have to REALLY think about what i'm reading). So proud of you & all you've done.

You're going to be great. 2 weeks? Wow. Just. wow.

Char said...

What superlative do you use when you better the time that you'd be thrilled with? What a great first race for your sister!!

Will Cooper said...

don't worry about the injury. it will be gone by race day. Rock it!

Une femme en santé said...

Hey quelle belle activité familiale que vous faites de la course !
Bravo à ta soeur, bravo à toi et à tous ceux qui ont participé.

Fais attention à ton pied !

Gaspegirl said...

What a great weekend you had! I love that you do things as a family... we have that in common too. I am thinking about you and your foot and I pray that it heals fully for your marathon.

Take care and make it a great day!

Teamarcia said...

Congrats to Iz! fabulous 1st 5k!
I love that racing is such a fun family affair for you.
Big woot for the marathon in two weeks--you've GOT this one!

Unknown said...

What a great race! Your sister is a natural! I really loved your outlook on getting to a race without pain...or not. Usually, it's "or not." Right? Rest up and I can't wait to hear about how it goes!
PS, I loved the quote you posted!

Amy said...

Congratulations to you sister! How fun that you all get together for running - I love that!

Giorgio said...

You sister really did a great first race! Glad to hear that your marathon training is going well :)

Average Woman Runner said...

Sending you healing thoughts.

Johann said...

Congratulations to your sister, that is awesome! Well done to all the Red Shoelaces!
I can't believe the marathon is so close. You are ready and the foot will be fine. Take care the next few days and just relax. You've done what is needed.
Just confirming: are you getting Running Flag of Friendship from Alanna?

Anabela (Bela) Neves said...

Congrats to your sis, she did amazing!

I hope your foot behaves ;)

Black Knight said...

Congrats to the running family.
Post race massage and spaghetti lunch are the perfect conclusion of a wonderful morning.
I am sure that you will be ok the day of the marathon.