Emerald City Half Marathon race recap

It was an epic day, an epic race, worthy only of an epic blog recap :)  I apologize in advance, as I included a ton of minute details in this one. I've also been working on it bit by bit for a week now!  Going back to work severely limits my blogging time :(  But I digress...

Things started out early, of course.  I woke up two minutes before my alarm went off, at 3:48 AM.  Since I'd gone to bed just after 8:30 AM, I had actually had more sleep than I am used to getting, and felt great upon waking.  Well, as great as one can possibly feel at 3:48 AM!  After my breakfast (half a bagel and a banana) and getting dressed...

Flat Marcie!

...I was ready to roll when Christine picked me up at 4:25 AM.  We headed to our friend Erin's house and were on the road by 4:50 AM.   Crazy early, yes, but we wanted to avoid the traffic issues from last year.

Andrea, my newest running friend, is a true sage of running knowledge. She recommended I drink a Slushie before the race in order to cool down my inner core (due to the prediction of extreme humidity, which was pretty accurate--66 degrees at race start with 94% humidity!).  I figured it couldn't hurt, so at 5 AM, Christine, Erin and I made a pit-stop at Speedway for my cherry-and-blue raspberry Slushie. Picture three very hyper, race-ready women storming into Speedway, laughing the entire time... I think the cashier, Frances, was honestly afraid of us LOL! 

Speedway Selfie!

From Speedway, we headed on to Dublin for the race.  Just as we'd planned, we were early enough that we could bypass the shuttle, and found a parking spot a mere 3 minute walk from the race start.  Score! From that point, the real fun started.  Christine pulled out her tailgating chairs, popped open the back of her van, and our friends from Moms Run This Town started to arrive.  

 

                                         Our friend Kim was the first MRTT peep to spot our tailgate!

I sipped on my Slushie, we made more than a few bathroom runs to Kroger as well as Tim Horton's, and Erin and I did a short mile or so warm-up jog around the parking lot.  Oh, and of course--pictures and selfies galore!  

Most of the moms who met up pre-race

Bathroom selfie with Erin and Heather!

The hour or so that we were there flew by, and in no time at all Erin and I decided we should head over to the race.  We did make a quick stop at the Fleet Feet tent so that I could get my pre-race hugs in from my awesome MIT friends who were all pacing the race. I was super excited to find out that my marathon-buddy Steph and I were shoe twins for the race!  It's the little things that get me pumped LOL...

Shoe-fie with Steph!

Then, the craziest thing happened on the way to the corrals... I got hit (nudged, really) by a golf cart!  It was backing up, and totally took me by surprise.  I put out my right hand (the one holding my water bottle) to stop it, which was silly, and thank God the driver stopped when he heard my scream.  My water squirted all over my leg, but other than that I was just fine.  It was more scary than anything, thinking what could've happened!  The race director was right there, and he was very concerned, but I was fine.  My angels were watching out for me, for sure, and we were able to make our way to the corrals.  Erin was in corral B, and I was in corral A, but she agreed to move up and start with me.  At most races this isn't really allowed, but this is the first year that they even had corrals at Emerald City, and no one was policing anything.  

 Erin and I in the corral!  We are soooo nervous at this point!

Our friend Amy N. found us in the corral when we got there, and after that our friend Felicia came over.  Then Jon, who I've ran several times with on Tuesday mornings with Tamara, found us as well.  A few other friends arrived--Amy H., Catherine, Tamara C.,Tiffany... I loved all of the pre-race hugs and chatter!  It made the time pass by quickly.  Last year, the race start was significantly delayed... this year, it was right on time, which was fine by me. 

So... my original race plan had me starting at 8:15-8:20 for miles 1-3.  With the weather the way it was, most of this plan had flown out the window.  I was thinking more like 8:20-8:30 for the first few miles, but I figured I would play it by ear.  Amy N. and Tiffany agreed that this sounded like a good strategy as well. Erin was unsure of going out that strong with us, but she felt really good and eventually decided to stick with the rest of us. 

It always takes me a couple of miles to really get into a run, but this race was by far the worst yet.  I felt okay during mile 1... but by mile 2, I was wondering what I was even doing.  The pace was right around what we'd said we'd stick to, and I knew it wasn't too hard for me, but for whatever reason, I felt awful.  My legs didn't feel strong.  My breathing was off.  I was so mentally just NOT into racing, into the moment, it wasn't even funny.  I listened to my music (I had one earbud in during the entire race), and I responded to my friends when they would say something funny, but mostly I just sulked inside my head.  I honestly was very scared.  How was I ever going to make it 13.1 miles if I was feeling this bad during the first few miles?  Oh, one funny thing did happen during mile 1 or 2... the course had cones along the center of the road we were running on (every 10-20 feet or so, I think).  I knew they were there, but again, I was the #1 guest at my own personal pity party, and all of a sudden, I was almost on top of a cone!  I did the most amazing hurdle to get over it.  I mean, I felt like an Olympic hurdler at that second!  I gasped in shock, and quickly looked around to see if any of my friends had seen my big moment.  Tiffany was right behind me, and she was my witness, laughing at my glee and agreeing it was really cool!  I was totally proud and had a big adrenaline rush... which lasted all of 20 seconds before I was back to feeling miserable again.  My friends chatted to me every now and then, and I tried to put on my best "race-happy" face, but all I wanted to do is run over to the side of the road and walk. The worst part was when we passed the signs where the quarter marathoners split off from the half marathoners.  How very easy would it be for me to simply turn left here, and finish my race in just a few miles?  I somehow found it in me to turn right, though, and continued on. 

I decided that I would slow down to a very easy jog during each water stop, taking two cups of water and throwing one over my head and drinking the other.  I quickly began to live for those water stops, where I knew I would a) cool off, and b) get a short reprieve from keeping the pace that seemed so grueling to me.  By around mile 4, my friends were all a good 15-20 yards ahead of me.  I kept them in my sights, but realized that I just didn't care if they finished ahead of me that point.  My only thought at that point was, I just hope that I can finish.  I saw Erin take her first GU gel at 4.6 miles, and decided it would be as good of a time for me as any to take my first GU.  Eating that gel ended up being the best thing that had happened during the race thus far.  Within a half-mile or so, I felt the surge of energy that the gels tend to give me.  I still felt hot and sweaty, but my discomfort with the pace started to fade a bit.  I realized we were getting close to the halfway point (6.55 miles), and I started to actually believe I might be able to continue on at my current pace for the rest of the race. 

 Maybe starting to feel a LITTLE better?!!  I do love cameras LOL!

I passed Amy at around the halfway point, and Erin at around mile 7 or so.  Erin and I ran together for a short period, but I definitely had started to hit my groove (at last!) and decided to go with it and push the pace a bit.  I was still counting down the minutes to each water stop, but I no longer felt that finishing strong was out of my capabilities.  I actually started to look at my splits, and make finishing time projections for myself.  I realized that a sub-1:50 was actually still do-able.  My half split was a 55:23.  I figured I could at least maintain that pace and get a 1:50, but as the miles ticked by, I knew that I had more in me.  I took my second GU at mile 9.3, and by mile marker 10 I was feeling the rejuvenating effects.  Andrea and Erin had both told me prior to the race that in a half marathon, the last 5K is all about racing, and I told myself that it was indeed time to let myself actually race.  I didn't want to take off too quickly, though, and die in the last mile.  

I caught up with the 1:50 pacers at mile 11.  The conversation went something like this...

Me: "Good to see you guys!" (there were 2 male pacers and a crowd of men running with them, plus one lone female).  "I've been looking for you!"  

The lead pacer: "We've been here all along."

Me: "No, you've been far off in the distance!" (Then, after about a minute of running with them...) "I'll see you guys at the finish line!" (running ahead)

The lead pacer: "You do know we have a rule?  Once you pass us, we can't pass you again!"

Me: (nervous smile) "Umm... okay!"

At some point in the next mile or so I passed my friend Carolyn's husband Steve.  This gave me great confidence, as Steve is a super runner and a great guy.  I said hi as I went by, noticing that just up ahead was my friend Tiffany, one of the women I'd started the race with.  She'd taken off at around mile 5 or so, and I hadn't seen her in ages.  I felt a surge of energy.  The twelth mile was my best mile by far, both time-wise as well as how I felt physically and mentally.  I felt strong as I gained ground, reaching Tiffany right at the 12 mile marker.  She gasped at my hello. "Come on!"  I said.  "I know you have a sub-8 mile in you!"  She agreed that she did.  "We'll finish together," I said to her as she picked up her pace to run along side me.  I started feeling not as strong during this final mile, but having Tiffany by my side was motivation, and I wanted to finish with her.  Every tenth of a mile or so, my right calf would twinge like it was going to cramp up on me.  I would do a short stutter-step, which would relax it enough to keep going.  I kept thinking to myself, "PLEASE don't do this.  Not with less than a mile to go."  I do remember glancing at my watch when it read 13.1 miles and seeing 1:48:02, and I mentally made a note of that time, as I knew my final time wouldn't reflect the actual distance (typical in a race where there are a lot of turns and tangents to run).

We caught up with the quarter marathon walkers during our final mile, and it was a bit tough to get around all of them, especially the ones running 4-5 abreast.  We turned the final corner after what seemed like an eternity, and I was never so happy as to see that final stretch to the finish!  That last mile was sooooo long!  As we ran by the cheering crowd, I heard one of Tiffany's friends cheering for her, "You can get her, Tiffany!"  I realized they were talking about her getting ME, which of course spurred me on even more. I know I had friends cheering for me as well at the finish, but I tuned everything out at that point.  My friend Kim took two amazing pictures of our race to the finish...

Tiffany and I hit the timing pad under the finish arch at the exact same time. Tiffany's friend Vanessa captured this cool shot of me reaching back to her just after we finished. 

I was so exhausted at this point, and I just wanted to tell her how awesome our finish was. My watch read 1:49:23.  Sub-1:50... an HUGE PR... what a phenomenal feeling!

Tiffany and I got some water and food and walked around the finishers' area for a bit.  We ran into my friend Kim, who I was so very excited to see, as well as my friend Jon from corral A.  I called Jen to let her know how my race had gone, and then I searched for Erin.  We finally found each other; she had finished just a minute after me, with a 4-minute PR for herself!!!  I was thrilled for her.

We decided to do a cool down jog, but after a few minutes it was clear that it wasn't going to happen. I was already so very sore, and had to keep stopping to walk during our job, so we just stopped.  Erin left with her husband and kids at that point, and I decided to try to find my MIT friends.  I was so happy to see Steph and Linda!  

 
We cheered for the racers a bit together, and we watched the firefighter relay finish, which was totally awe-inspiring.  

We ran into a few more friends, exchanging sweaty hugs, before I headed back to Christine's van, where she was waiting.  After donning my 110% compression sleeves and ice pack inserts, we were on our way back to Westerville.  Such a fun, amazing morning! 

So, how did this crazy race split out?  Here is what my Garmin said (I had to include the crazy humidity graphic as well):

I know for a fact that my watch went wonky at around the 8th mile.  I looked at it during the race and it read 9:30-something, which was totally inaccurate. We were in the woods at that point and it clearly wasn't picking up the satellites.  I think mile 5 might have been off too.  Overall, though, I think it was a pretty well-split race.  If I were to do it again, I might have slowed down at the start a bit.  I think the humidity affected me more than I expected it to. I figured with hydrating so much prior to the race that I'd be just fine, but I definitely wasn't feeling well at first.  I'm so glad I got into gear eventually and was able to pull off a 5-minute PR. My final results...

So... what's next, you might ask?  Of course, I'm deep into the throes of marathon training.  Taper the week before the race plus a recovery week this past week equals lower overall mileage for the past two weeks, but I will resume my higher mileage again this coming week.  This half marathon gives me some confidence for my upcoming full marathon, but not as much as I'd like.  I would have to maintain the same average pace that I ran at this half marathon for another 13.1 miles in order to qualify for Boston with 3:40.  The race conditions will be much different, of course, with the biggest thing being the temperature/humidity differences in October.  Columbus's course is a little less hilly than the Emerald City course, also.  That being said, I'm just not sure that that I'm ready to put it all out there in less than 2 months.  I will get in some good solid training over the next 7 weeks, and decide before the race what my plan is going to be.  Meanwhile, I have a "fun race" tomorrow (a 4 miler) that I don't plan on racing at all... just going to run with friends and enjoy myself!  I also am running in half marathon in Akron with Jen in a month that will be a training run, similar to what I did in Xenia three weeks prior to my first full.  Lots of miles coming up with my super-awesome friends, and I plan on fully enjoying the training leading up to my next full!

God, grant me the serenity...

We all know how the prayer goes. God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  I can be a bit of a control-freak... okay more than a bit LOL, so I struggle with this at times.

Tomorrow is my half marathon.  The one I've been pointing to all summer as my "checkpoint" in my road to my 2nd full marathon in October.  I've made no secret that I have huge goals for both of these races.  This half marathon was going to be my benchmark, letting me know if I was on the right track.  With the training that I've been doing, I truly felt like I was going to blow this race out of the water.  As I mentioned in my last post, I ran a PR by 2 minutes during the first 13 miles of a 16 mile training run.  My goals that I set in that last post totally seemed within my reach.

I forgot to take into effect the one thing that is truly out of my control: the weather.  For over a week now I've been stalking it.  It's changed frequently, as Ohio weather tends to do, going from rain to thunderstorms to clear.  What has not changed, though, is the prediction for heat and humidity.  We've been so very lucky to have a relatively cool summer this year.  Sadly, it came to an end about a week ago, and the typical hot and humid temperatures made their presence.

Tomorrow's forecast currently calls for 67 degrees at race start (7 AM), with humidity at 93%. Yep, you read that right, 93%.  Humid weather does not bode well for fast running, especially when, here in central Ohio, we've really only had to deal with it for a couple of weeks.  Our bodies are just not acclimated to breathing in all that moist air, and also sweating just doesn't happen when the air is overly humid, so the body can't cool itself.  The race organizers sent out an e-mail the other day, warning all participants to hydrate often in the days leading up to the race and of course while racing.  They'll have extra water at the water stops, and icy cold towels at the finish. 

How does this affect my plans?  Well, I've got the wisdom right now--I can't change the weather, and I've accepted this.  I've also accepted that I likely won't be able to pull off that "A" goal of a 1:45.  Who knows how I will feel during the race... I honestly can't even predict a time. Therefore, I've set a non-time goal to keep my goal-oriented self satisfied.  I want to figure out how to run without a fuel belt.  I ran my first marathon using my FuelBelt, which holds two 10-oz. water bottles, as well as my GU energy gels.  I've decided that I won't be wearing my belt for my 2nd full marathon, and I figured this would be a good race to try out drinking on the run.  During my first full, I did get water from a few of the water stops, but I relied mostly on my belt.  So during this race, I'm going to run with my handheld bottle (mostly because it's going to be so darn hot, otherwise I would carry nothing but my FlipBelt holding my GU gels), but I will rely mainly on the aid stations. There are 9 of them, so I should be okay if I get drinks at each one.

The main thing is that I don't want a recap of this.  Thus, I'll be monitoring myself closely to make sure that I'm not having symptoms of heat exhaustion.  I've promised my friends that I will walk if I feel at all bad.  That all being said... I'm psyched to race!!!  And I haven't forgotten my newly adopted mantras... stay in the moment, be content. Run like the wind, run with joy!

Being content with where you are... and some goals

Last night my friend Jennifer (yes, that Jennifer, the one who was essentially my running coach for my first full marathon this past spring, the one who trained for a marathon without actually racing one just because she's that awesome of a friend, the one who was my cheerleader during my race) had what she called a "motivational meeting" for about 30 of the moms in our Moms Run This Town chapter.  Jen had seen a need for such a meeting as she read the posts on our message board... "I'm too slow to run with you"... "I'm too heavy to wear that brand"... and as a therapist by trade and of course a runner herself, she decided to do something about it.  Thus was born the motivational meeting.  A congregation of women, all of whom had come to learn something, to figure out the answers to their negative self-talk, to learn to embrace the run.  

Obligatory "selfie" at the meeting

Jen did not disappoint... the meeting was, of course, phenomenal.  From talking about racing mantras to body image issues, it was two hours of pure love for ourselves and our sport.  Everyone seemed to leave with a genuine feeling of renewal.  At least, I did.  I knew I wanted to be at the meeting, if only to support the person who has supported me for so many months.  I wasn't sure about how much I would take away, though.  After all, Jen and I have ran together for hundreds of miles, accumulating hours upon hours of conversations.  I call it my "free therapy," and I'm eternally grateful for it.  I am a work in progress, however.  My years as a competitive swimmer have ingrained in me a huge sense of perfectionism, of needing to beat my previous times and improve.  Because of this, I do have a good deal of negative self-talk that goes on in my head.  Not the body image variety, although I can always find flaws there.  No, it's the running... the comparing... the not wanting to disappoint the inner me, my own worst critic.

  
Jen said the following to me in a message on Facebook a few days ago when we were having a conversation, and it was a huge talking point last night as well.  "You need to be content with where you are right now."  Hearing the words said out loud last night resonated even greater with me.  The idea of not always needing to stretch for a goal, to reach for something more.  To finish a race and realize that hey, it's okay, regardless of the outcome.  To be happy with the moment, and not be thinking abouit the next step.  This is a huge thing for me to even think about.  I am a big believer in working hard and reaping the results.  If I train hard for a race, I expect to do well.  The idea that I won't upsets me greatly.  That's where I am right now, with training for both the Emerald City half marathon (in 10 days) and the Columbus full marathon (in just over 2 months).  I have huge goals, goals that scare me more than I can say.  But what is the worst that will happen if I don't reach those goals?  Truly... nothing.  It just means that I wasn't meant to do it on that day.  Not that it won't ever  happen... but what I need to do is be grateful that I can run, be content with what I did on that day. 

So this is my personal goal, to start reshaping my whole view of running and racing.  I've been running with Jen's friend Andrea for a few long runs, and recently a tempo run as well.  Andrea is amazing... super fit, Boston Qualifier multiple times, and one of the most knowledgeable runners who I know.  Jen hooked us up because of my need for a faster training partner, and I have loved our miles together thus far.  

Andrea and me after a 16-miler this past week

Andrea has the most amazing mantra, one that I have begun to adopt for myself.  Jen actually put it on the cake last night!

Andrea's mantra

So that is what I want to do for these upcoming races. Stay in the moment, be content, run like the wind, run with joy.  That all being said... it wouldn't be me if I didn't enter a race with a plan, with goals.  So, here goes nothing... my Emerald City goals.

C goal (the one that I really should accomplish unless it's 90 degrees out and I'm sick): A PR.  Now a personal record/best time is no joke.  However, I haven't truly raced a half marathon since last November.  I paced a friend to her own PR in April, but that wasn't me going for a time, it was me helping a friend achieve her own goal.  Last weekend Andrea and I ran 16 miles, chatting the entire way and not really pushing it till the final mile or so. The first 13.1 miles were finished in 1:52 and change (and our paced actually got faster after that).  My PR is a 1:54.  So a PR is definitely in the cards :)

B goal (the one that I will be happy with, that I am fairly sure I can do): Running under 1:50.  A 1:50 half marathon is averaging 8:23/mile.  That's speedy quick.  But I have been feeling really comfortable running in the 8:30-8:40 range, so I am thinking that I will be able to race in the 8:20's and beat this goal.  I will be very happy with a sub-1:50.

A goal (the one that is my pie-in-the-sky, ultimate dreaming goal): Running a 1:45.  A 1:45:00 is averaging 8:00/mile.  That pace scares the crap out of me!  Up until recently, I had never even averaged sub-8's on a shorter run.  I did a 6 mile tempo run with my friend Tamara a couple of weeks ago though, and did just that.  It was not easy.  Not for a second.  But it did give me a huge amount of confidence.  Maybe, just maybe, with rest, these legs can push it out. 

I won't lie, I'm afraid.  I will have to push the doubts and the pain more than I ever have before.  But I am up for the challenge.  I will run with joy.  And regardless of the outcome, even if I don't PR, I will do my best to be content with where I am. 

Challenge Olympic Triathlon relay race recap

I am so sad to see this summer winding down.  I have gotten the chance to make cross-training (swimming, Body Pump, core class) an integral part of my training, and I have honestly loved it.  With school starting up, I am very worried about fitting in even a quarter of what I've gotten to do this summer.

I won't dwell on that, though. I actually had a race this past weekend!  I competed in my first triathlon as a member of a relay team!  My best runner friend Jen asked me back in the spring if I'd be interested in competing on a team as the swimmer, with her husband (who is a super speedy sprint triathlete) as the cyclist and her as the runner, and I immediately said yes.  I knew I'd need some time back in the water, as I hadn't swam in almost two years, which is why I signed up for the adult swimming fitness class at the rec center this summer.  I only got in two open water swims (one in the lake in Delaware, and one in Lake Erie on our vacation last week), which worried me a teeny bit, but I figured I could wing it.  My sweet runner/triathlete friend Melissa let me borrow her wetsuit for the race, so it was nice that I truly felt like a triathlete at the start!

There were storms predicted for the morning of the race, but thankfully it turned out to be a gorgeous sunny day, at least for the swim portion.   

Alum Creek Beach at sunrise

The race start was overwhelming for me.  I've never even watched a triathlon, so to see all of the people... all of the bikes racked in transition... it was exhilarating!  Jen dropped her husband Curt off at the lake because it was a point-to-point race, meaning I'd swim, then he'd bike to her, then she'd run a loop to the finish. 

Pre-race selfie, before Jen left to drive to transition 2

Curt was a fantastic "tour guide", telling me everything I needed to know about triathlons.  He is such a cool person and loves the sport so much.  I really enjoyed watching the many waves of athletes start their races. The best part was watching my sweet childhood swimming friend, Meredith Kessler, who is a professional triathlete.  She competed in the half Ironman race that day, and just to chat with her for a minute before the race, and then cheer her on through transition 1--totally inspiring!!!   Another friend from my swimming days was also competing in the half as an elite amateur; I got to talk for a bit with Amanda Wendorff at the expo the day before.  I love seeing my former swimmer pals! 

Back to the race, though.  I was in the very last wave of athletes to start, since the half Ironman competitors went first, and the Olympic distance ones went second.  They had the Olympic relay participants in the final wave, along with the mens 50+ age group.  I made sure to position myself at the front of the pack for the start so that I wouldn't get caught up and dragged down by slower swimmers.  It was almost surreal when the race began... I haven't raced in swimming in almost 16 years!  I was confused when, after around 200 yards, I started catching several women.  Then I realized it was the wave that had started 3 minutes before me--the women's 35+ age group.  The rest of the race was spent trying to keep the buoys on my left, and not swimming over top of the people I was passing.  That was totally the hardest part of the race--all of the passing!!!  I estimate that I passed at least 50-70 people.  Other than that, though, things felt great and soon enough, I saw the final buoy and the transition area.  I ran up the beach through the transition, and found Curt easily.  I had to pass off a velcro anklet that had our timing chip on it, and he was on his bike and racing within a minute or so.  I chilled for a bit in transition and was lucky enough to see my marathon friend Stephanie come in from her own swim and head out on the bike. Then I headed to my car to wait in the long line of vehicles headed to New Albany, where the bike portion of the race would end, and the runners would start and finish.  It was an adventure in and of itself getting there, but I made it eventually and found Curt, and we watched Jen finish the race.  Jen knew that we were one of the top relay teams, and we found out shortly after she finished that we were the #1 co-ed relay team.  Woo-hoo!  I was super excited to find out that we'd placed. We all came back later on in the day to receive our really cool (and heavy!) champion medals.  My split time was a 29:02 for the swim (1500 meters).  I have no clue still if that is any good, but I am just happy that we came out on top and that I had such a fun time!

Getting our cool medals for 1st place!

All in all, it was an amazing experience.  I had a lot going on during the weekend with my oldest son Hunter, who was at the hospital dealing with a behavior crisis, but I was able to channel my anxiety into my race, with him on my mind constantly as an inspiration.  I really would like to do an individual triathlon, but it probably won't happen till next summer.  As a former swimmer, I have an advantage over other athletes... it's just the bike portion that will be my stumbling block. 

My next race is in less than 4 weeks. I'm running in the Emerald City Half Marathon.  Last year I raced the quarter marathon at this race, and that was my plan this year as well.  However, I decided last month that I really want to get in a fast half marathon before I run in my next full in October.  I have a half in late September, but it is only 3 weeks from my full, so I won't be racing it--just running it for fun.  As long as the weather cooperates, I will use Emerald City as a way of seeing if I'm on track in my training for the Columbus full.  I've got big goals... those will come up in my next blog post, though!

Westerville Rotary 4th of July 5K race recap

I kind of feel out of practice with race recaps... it's been over 2 months since I last donned a bib!  This was my second year running the Westerville Rotary 5K race, held each year on July 4th.  Last year, it was my 2nd-ever 5K.  I came in with big goals, and I was stoked to accomplish them.  My big goal was sub-25:30, and I went a 25:21. It was a huge PR for me (by 2 minutes and 44 seconds!), and I felt awesome about my race.  I placed 89th out of 435 runners, and was 8th in my age group (30-39 year old women).

Less than a month later, I ran my 3rd-ever 5K in 24:21, and that's where my PR has stood for almost a year, as I haven't touched a 5K race since then.  I just don't enjoy running 5K's.  They're too short and too fast for this lover of distances and negative splits.  That being said, I was really looking forward to today's race, for many reasons. One: several of my awesome friends were going to be joining me.  There was a huge representation from the Moms Run This Town group that I run with, and we arranged to meet up before the race for a picture.  A few of the mamas even met at my house and walk/ran to the race start with me!  Also, a couple of my "marathon buddies" (Stephanie and Carolyn), who I picked up during the full at Toledo, were going to be there too. I love seeing friends, it makes it more like a party than a race! 

#tbt The Glass City Marathon with Steph, Carolyn, and Elisa!

Two: the weather today was amazing.  I mean, couldn't ask for better. At race start it was 61 degrees, with 75% humidity.  Pretty much perfect for a July race.  And three: I had huge plans for this race. I have been training really well, and I just knew I was going to run well.

I had a pretty good night's sleep, and woke up 2 minutes before my alarm went off at 6:18 AM.  I had my banana, did my usual dynamic stretching routine, and before I knew it, it was 7:00 AM and my friends Laurie, Andrea and Christine had arrived.  Just like last year, I had planned to walk a mile, then do an easy 1-mile run, to the start of the race, which is almost exactly 2 miles from my house.  My friends thought that sounded like a great plan, especially since parking isn't so great at the race start, so they joined me.  It's so much more fun with people coming along!  We chatted our way to the start, and met up with some more moms from our MRTT group.  There were actually a total of 13 of us running in this race, so this picture doesn't include everyone.

 Love my MRTT mamas!

After our pic, I did a few more dynamic stretches and some quick strides (short sprints) to get my legs moving.  I felt good. Nervous, but good.  I headed up to the race start where I was stoked to find Carolyn and Stephanie.  Carolyn had forgotten her watch, so she planned on hanging with me for the first mile at least.  The race start kind of snuck up on me (I was having so much fun chatting with my friends); all of a sudden, Steph's husband Nate said the race was starting in 30 seconds and I was shocked!  But again, I felt ready.  Carolyn and I took off, and my friend Jen (our honorary MRTT cheerleader for the day) was right there cheering us on.  I love to hear her voice during a race! 

The first mile pretty much went perfectly.  I had told Carolyn that I wanted to go around 7:15, and that is exactly what we went.  I lost her right at the 1-mile marker.  I felt pretty good, although I could tell when we were about halfway into the race that my plan of negative-splitting this race (going faster each mile) wasn't going to happen.  I tried my best to keep my eye up ahead on Andrea, who is Jen's super-speedy friend.  She wasn't too far in front of me, and watching her kept me focused.  Mile two clocked in at 7:15 again, which I was surprisingly fine with.  I felt I could push mile 3 and end up with a strong finish.  

It was at around mile 2.1 or 2.2 that I realized that I just didn't have it in me.  My pace was inching up.  I started to have trouble regulating my breathing, which isn't usually a problem for me.  I kept telling myself that there was less than a mile to go, that I could do this, but I just couldn't go any faster.  I still was passing people, but my pace wasn't where I wanted it to be.  Mile 3 ended up being my slowest, at 7:21.  I was able to push the final 0.18 of the race (it was a bit long, probably due to the winding trail we ran on), finishing that part of the race in a 6:41/mile pace.  I definitely gave it my all at the end there, and I knew that I was going to be close to a sub-23, which was my "A" goal for this race.  Jen was cheering for me at the finish, and I just kept hoping it would be over soon! 

Jen's pic of me at the finish

Sure enough, I passed under the finish arch in a 23:02 on my Garmin, and that was also my official race time.  I can't be upset with a 1 min 19 sec PR, right?!!  I'm happy with the PR, but I honestly felt like I'd go faster today.  I was even more bummed when I found out that I just missed out on an age group award (the top 2 girls in my age group were 1st and 3rd overall, so I was 4th in the age group awards).  Final place was 6th out of 88 in the 30-39 women, and 64th out of 607 total runners.  Looking at those numbers, compared to last year's, I really have improved a ton.  I am not an experienced 5K runner, so I know I can only get better.   I already have a goal of placing in my age group next year--I want a Fleet Feet (running store) gift card! 

After milling around chatting with my friends, watching people finish, and taking more pictures together, we got some food (bagels, bananas, and of course Cheryl's Cookies!).  We stayed for the awards ceremony as Andrea had won 1st place in her age group (40-49), and then Jen dropped off Andrea, Christine, Laurie and me at my house.  It was a really fun race, and I'm so glad that I did it.  I need to be proud of that shiny new PR!  I just know that I've got bigger things in store, and that fire in my belly grew a bit stronger after today.

My blog-iversary!

Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of my foray into blogging!  Last summer I made a conscious effort to blog daily.  I knew it wouldn't last once school started, of course, but I did enjoy the daily writing.  I do love to write, and blogging is a great outlet for me. 

This summer, I've turned that energy into finding new ways to improve my running.  I do a lot of reading and researching.  I'm cross-training much more.  I've been working on fine-tuning my training program for my upcoming marathon.  And, of course, I have been trying to keep up with my hoodlums children.  Naps are mostly a thing of the past for the twins, so it's go-go-go from 7 AM till almost 9 PM every day.  We have been having fun at the pool and the parks around our city.  Otherwise, though, it's been a low-key summer.  We do have a week-long vacation up to a cottage on Lake Erie planned for the third week of July.  The kids are super-excited, and I am stoked to hopefully get some open-water swimming done, as coincidentally the trip is the week before my triathlon relay!

A brief update on my training... things are going swimmingly well ;)  Yes, that was an intended pun.  I've been swimming twice a week since the start of the month, and I really can feel that it's making me stronger, both in my arms (hi, triceps!) and in terms of cardiovascular fitness.  There is another former collegiate swimmer in the class, and we've had a great time motivating and pushing each other.  I know that I do need to get to Alum Creek soon so that I can get some open-water swimming in before my race, but for now the pool has served its purpose well.  It has actually worked out perfectly, as I run 5 miles at 5 AM on Tuesdays with a group (anywhere from 2-6 of us meet up at the community center), and then I go right inside for my swim class at 6 AM.  I usually just swim on Thursdays, but I ran and swam yesterday as well.  These little "bricks", as triathletes call them, have been really good for my confidence as a possible triathlete someday.  Now if I only had a bike...

 Very blurry selfie of one of our biggest 5@5 groups... up front are Tamara, 
Erin, me and Steph. In the back are Jon and Kimmie.

In other news pertaining to cross-training, I joined DK Fitness this month.  They have an awesome summer deal right now.  My running friend Erin introduced me to DK, as she's a spinning instructor there.  I've been to a few Body Pump classes now, as well as one of her spinning classes.  I loved it all, and I wish I could go more frequently!  Once a week is about all I can manage with kids, swimming and running, though.  I've been to a couple of the Sunday morning core fitness classes offered at Fleet Feet as well, and these are also lots of fun (mostly because my marathon pal Steph is there, and she keeps me laughing the entire time). I plan on keeping up with both of these at least through the end of August, and then when school starts I'll have to be a bit more choosy due to lack of time.

My running has been pretty amazing lately.  I have been able to incorporate some faster running with some easier running, and every.single.run for the past 7 weeks has been with one or more friends.  That's what I call awesome training!  I seriously love my running friends so much.  I finally got to run with Jen's super-speedy friend Andrea, and we had a great fast 10 miles together.  I'm excited to start to run more often with her as my marathon training begins.  I ran 5 miles yesterday with Tamara K. and was shocked to average sub-8:00/mile!  My final mile was actually almost a sub-7:00/mile, which just amazes me (even though it was mostly downhill LOL). I'm really pleased with how my speed has improved over the past year, and especially since my marathon.  It's giving me great confidence for my upcoming 5K, which is just one week away!  I did the same race last year, the Westerville Rotary 5K, and was super happy with the race and how I did at it. A PR by close to 3 minutes!

Last year's post-race selfie :)

I am so ready to smash my current PR there!  I have some lofty goals, but as usual I will go ahead and set my A, B and C goals.  

Goal C (the one I really should be able to easily make, based on my training): A PR time. My PR is 24:21 from my last 5K, which was almost a year ago.  I have no doubt I can accomplish this.  It's an average pace of 7:51, and my average pace yesterday on our training run was 7:52.  But a PR is a PR, so I'm always good with that.

Goal B (the one I know is a bit of a reach, but not too much): Anything in the 23-minute range.  That is a huge range, of course, from a 7:24 to a 7:43 per mile.  Again, I do feel like this is in my reach, based on my training runs.  In fact... my final 5K of yesterday's run was a 23:16.  Granted, it was downhill/flat for all but the first half-mile of that stretch, but still...

Okay and the big one... Goal A (the one that I know is a stretch but I really do feel I can do): A sub-23.  Based on (again) yesterday's run, this is totally do-able.  I just need to convince myself of that mentally!  I need to go out hard and strong, and not plan on huge negative splits like I do when I run distance races.  Fortunately, I won't be alone.  My three wonderful marathon friends, Elisa, Stephanie and Carolyn, will all be there--it will a reunion of awesomeness!  Their 5K's are all in the sub-23 range, so hopefully I can ride their coat-tails in for a super-fast race. 

Look for a race recap, and then it will be on to marathon training!

Happy "Runiversary" to me!

2 years.  24 months.  730 days.  17,520 hours.  That’s how long it has been since I first laced up a pair of (then extremely cheap, off-the-Kohl’s rack) running shoes and headed out for a run.   Yes, my friends, tomorrow, June 15, 2014, is my “runiversary”—the anniversary of my first-ever run.   Obviously I ran prior to that day, but never with a true goal in mind.  I ran because my gym teacher said we had to.  I ran because my swim coach told us to.  But running for the sake of running?  I never had a desire to do so, until just over two years ago.  It was June 13, 2012.  I put it out there on Facebook… I was tired of being in the worst shape of my life.  Tired of the extra 8 pounds from my pregnancy with the twins that I hadn’t been able to lose (which, I’m very happy to say, have disappeared along with several more due to an intense winter of marathon training!).  I was tired of being… tired.  I knew what I needed, and that was something to get me moving, both literally and figuratively.  Swimming was where my heart lay; it was such a big part of my life for so long... but I just wasn’t sure how I’d fit in workouts, plus gyms with pools aren’t cheap.  I had heard of the Couch-to-5K (C25K) program from a few people on Facebook, and thought that running might be something that I could do. 

Two days later, on June 15, 2012, I completed C25K Week 1, Day 1, which was a ”brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.”  I felt pretty darn awesome after that first run, especially in those off-the-rack pink Asics from Kohl’s!  Oh, to know what I know about running shoes ;)
My first major setback as a runner occurred just five weeks after beginning C25K.  My ankle started to hurt during Week 4, Day 3.  I ran through it for Week 5, Day 1, but took a few days off after that.  I attempted Week 5, Day 2, but had to almost crawl home in pain.  I had my first visit to MaxSports a few days later, and the subsequent bone scan showed a stress fracture to my lower left fibula, right at my ankle.  I was so disheartened, but in retrospect, I believe that injury only made me want to run even more.  It’s like when something is taken away from you, then you truly realize how much you wanted/needed it!   

Or 8 weeks!

 

I spent a long 8 weeks swimming and using the exercise bike at the gym, which were the only two forms of exercise approved of by my doctor.  I also had to spend 4 weeks in a special air cast.  Finally, in September 2012 I was cleared to begin the C25K program again.  I chose to start from Week 1, Day 1, as I still felt like a very new runner and wasn’t sure if I was ready to start up with Week 5, Day 3 (which is a 20 minute run with no walk breaks!).  That was on September 9, 2012, and I honestly haven’t looked back since.  My first 5K was on November 18, 2012—the Hot Chocolate 5K in Columbus, Ohio.  I went out fast and died, but had a blast!  I still wasn’t yet sure that running was my thing, though.  I kept at it, and joined a gym with a treadmill so that I could run through the winter.  My runs slowly increased in distance, and I decided that I was ready to go to the next level and train for a half-marathon.  My first half was on May 4, 2013, and all together in the past two years, I’ve ran in three 5K’s, one 4-miler, one quarter-marathon (6.55 miles), four half-marathons (13.1 miles), one 15-mile race, and one full marathon (26.2 miles).  A total of 11 races in two years.  This is a low number when compared to many of my friends, as I am not a huge fan of racing.  In fact, in the past 10 months, I’ve only raced 5 times.  I’m such a competitive person, but racing brings me back to swimming competitively, and I start to feel a ton of pressure.  I love running so very much, and much prefer a nice long training run with friends to racing any day!

It’s kind of ironic that on my runiversary I will not be running.  Yes, tomorrow is actually a rest day for me.  I’ve learned so much over the past two years, and one of the biggest things is that I need to honor each rest day.  My body, at almost 36 years young, protests if I run too frequently.  I stick to 4 runs per week, although I’ve now figured out that I can successfully add in a couple of days of cross-training without too much of a struggle.  I had a "double" today (8 mile run followed by an hour of Body Pump), and after a hard track workout yesterday morning, I know that I need to take a day off tomorrow.  I do wish I could run tomorrow, however.  Most of my runs (about 90-95% of them now) are happily done with my new runner mama friends, but if I were going to run tomorrow, I would choose to do a nice easy few miles by myself.  Just to remind myself of why I started running.  For me. 

(although I do love PRs!)