Cherry Blossom Race

So, better late than never.

Do I look ready? I felt ready except I still didn't have a race strategy. And it was colder than I expected it to be.

 

Can you feel the cold? This was one of the few blooming trees we saw. I did see one cherry tree in bloom on the course, but I didn't stop to take a photo. Maybe a few more blooms would have distracted me a little more on the LONG second half.

But I digress. The race start was crowded beyond belief. I couldn't even get into my corral without considerable effort. I could see the 9:00 pacers but couldn't reach them. I thought I would catch up with them, but that didn't happen. They started all the corrals one right after another, so there was quite a bit of weaving and jumping over curbs for the first two miles. The scenery was gorgeous once we got going.

The back of the course along Hain's Point was windy and LONG. Are you hearing the theme? I didn't think I was ever going to see the turn-around point. But it finally came. I did like the extra touch of having the half mile markers at the end.

Oh, and the pacers, I passed them because they didn't carry the signs with them. Are you kidding me? I guess I was spoiled from the phenomenal pacers at Shamrock. So this race was much harder because I was doing the hard work of running and pacing. Oh, but I guess that's why I run races. No one promised it would be easy.

I did manage to have pretty consistent splits except for mile 2 where I was trying to get around people and find the pacers. Overall, I was very happy with my time. And yes, it was a cool morning.

All smiles at the end.

I had to throw this one in because the girl's face beside me cracks me up.

Loved the flags coming to the uphill finish. Have no idea what I was doing with my arms.

I will admit that the ITB was not happy with me, so I did find some ice and a new friend. Pam a teammate from Team Tough Chik, hence the fun team clothes.

And stick with me just a little bit longer. One of the cools things was the extra analysis they posted of your race. This was very cool for a tech nerd like me.

Overall, I'm glad I did this one, but can't say that I will be back any time soon to do it again.

 

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Shamrock Race & Results

I missed posting this before now. Since the race, work commitments have been tough, the household caught the crud, we had a freak snow storm, and we still needed to figure out Spring Break plans. Oh, and I still needed to finish training for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler and Monument 10k.

So, the morning started out early and cold, and I was glad to have packed extra clothes for layers. The temps ended up in the low 40s but the cloud cover and wind made it feel like mid 30s for the race. I have to tell you that it felt much colder than that while we were huddled for an extra 15 minutes waiting for the race to start. There was debris on the road and the police delayed the start. Just wish they heaters at the start.

My one regret of the race was that I didn't get a picture with the pace group leaders. Thanks to Mike, Sherri, and Tony for leading the way. They were awesome, even though I couldn't make the math work in my head at the end.

The first 3-4 miles flew by. The pace seemed easy and I stayed right with the 2:00 pacers. They were chatting it up with the group. No route sheets or watch checking. This was easy. I was heating up, but knew the wind would come when we turned around at the point. And did it hit. Luckily, I found a nice Scottish lad to chat a bit with and he kept me distracted when miles 7-8 hit. It was getting tougher, but over halfway there.

Right before we hit 10 miles, the pacers said we were even a little ahead, and this is when my brain failed me. I was right on target to hit a sub 2:00, but I couldn't figure out the time math to make it work. So I did what any smart person did, and I took off or tried to in front of the pacers. I did swing by a beer stop so I could say I did drink beer during the race.

My rookie mistake of the race was not knowing where the finish line was in relationship to the turn. And it was much further than I thought. I think that is when the race photographer caught my scowl on the boardwalk. I really was thinking when I saw how far we had left "You have got to be kidding me." It was cold, windy, I was tired, and the spectators were just standing and not cheering. I am thankful they were there because I know they were freezing. When I asked them for some noise, they did cheer out, and it helped. A LOT! Because I smiled across the finish line.

My first half and I beat my goal of a sub 2. And even a 8:20 for the last mile.

I loved seeing these two new stats on my Garmin page.

And I was very happy with these results. Not too bad for this crazy ITB prone injury girl.

There was lots of cool bling after the race. The blanket was very welcome as cold as it was.

We didn't stay too long in the tent after the race. Just long enough for a beer so we could get somewhere to see the basketball games.

Yes, I am shivering below.

But we did make a pitstop for real food and hot coffee. Thank you Pocahontas Pancake for hitting the spot.

All in all, my first half was a success. The knee was a little tweaky, but recovered very quickly. I think I will be signing up for another one soon.

And I will leave you with a cute sign that I saw a pregnant lady holding while waiting for her husband to finish. I will definitely agree with her on this one.

 

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Quick Shamrock Tail

This weekend was not quite what we excited temperature wise. The high today was 40 with a feels like 32-34 for most of the race and windy.

But the real thing that matters is that I finished my first half marathon and broke two hours thanks to smart training and a flat and fast course. There are many other people and things to thank, but I will get to those in another post.

So, for now, a couple quick pics.

 

Official time was 1:58:21.

After an early wake-up, 13.1 miles, lots of other walking, cheering two basketball teams to a loss, room exchange debacle at the hotel, finally a shower, and dinner, this girl is ready for bed at 9:30.

Glad I'm not working until 5 pm tomorrow.

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Frostbite 15k 2013

Why is it when you have actual content to blog about, you don't have time to blog? So, lets see what I can do to get back on track.

What does any sane person do when they are missing their long run due to be out of town? They sign up to hit a new long distance at a race. Why not? We headed down to Chapel Hill on Saturday to watch the TarHeels beat up on Maryland. Go Heels!

I talked my running buddy to sign up for this with me. She has already ran one half, so no new mileage milestones for her, but she is awesome for playing along. My other buddy picked up my race bib for me. Since the race was only a 9.3, I planned on meeting L a little early so we could warm-up and I could hit 0.7 miles. I AM OCD, but I really wanted to hit the magic 10.

Let's do this.

Warm-up 0.75 miles/7:36

It was chilly but not too cold and bonus for the gym being open so we could stay warm. The course is an out and back, and take note, not my favorite thing for a 9 mile course. Somehow I forgot some of the hills we ran down on the way out. How do you like that foreboding?

They were rolling little inclines, but were tougher than I thought. My goal was to run this closer to 10 min miles since I am inching up the mileage. Did I meet that goal? Fail.

I told L to go at the turn-around because I knew she was cruising along. I felt good, but didn't want to push this. With the exception of mile 6, I stayed pretty consistent in the 9:40s.

And a race picture I may actually buy, for a race that I didn't race. I love that big cheesy smile, because everything is clicking.

Overall results: 1:29:58

10 miles was tough, but I've got this. 11 for this weekend, if snow doesn't shut the city down.

 

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Amazing weather day & a new record

So what do you do on a cloudy but warm day? Head out for a 4 mile recovery run along a scenic riverside route. And what do you know, by the time we got there, the sun came out. 65 degrees in January. I will take this, especially after last week's run in the mid-20s.

Families were out walking, and we passed many smiling runners coming and going on this out and back course. They are replacing a bridge nearby, so we had to go off-road and a little mud sliding through a construction zone. But all in the name of fun.

Yes, I am that tall. ;) How is this for an amazing stretch spot, and with awesome views.

4.03 miles in 42:49. It's hard to slow down for these recovery runs, but getting better at it.

Which gives me a new record. 22.14 miles in a week. I'm not sure why Daily Mile is showing a week 54.

I am trusting the plan, and it is working. So excited to tackle 10 miles this next weekend.

 

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First Day 5k 2013

I talked my hubby and BF to run a 5k with me on New Year's Day. Lucky for them, it didn't start until 11:00 am. So we should have enough time to recover from the previous night's festivities.

I had no idea of a plan for this race. The 3 mile distance for the week was supposed to be sprints, so faster would be ideal. But how fast should I try. Now that I have been hit with a few PRs, I want to be careful to not aim for a new one every time I race. My last 5k was a PR at 25:40. Since I haven't run that fast in the last month, a new PR would be a challenge and I don't want to get hurt.

On the way there, hubby predicted 24 minutes to which I responded absolutely no way that would happen. It was in the mid 30s and the rain was holding, and the longer we waited, the more I bounced around.

I made my decision to run fast, but to try to stay comfortable. This course was relatively flat, where my last 5k was mostly downhill for the first half and almost all uphill for the second. So comfortable was the plan ... until the starter said go. My hubby said he saw me take off and start weaving through the crowd.

It ended up fast (for me) and not quite comfortable, but doable.

I stayed consistent with my speed and my cadence. Double win! And a new PR. My official race time (no chip) was 25:10. Good enough for 6th place in my age group.

Woohoo! Now to slow down and build up some miles.

And an added bonus #5bythe5th done and miles for #TeamGiraffe in the #chillychallenge.

 

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2012 Recap

• Best race experience? Definitely the Richmond HCA 8k in November. I ran healthy and fast ... for me. My BF's text was "All I have to say is HOLY #%*#, you rocked it!!!"
• Best run? Hitting 7 miles for the first time with my running coach and her husband in October. I was great to have her enthusiasm for hitting a new distance.
• Best new piece of gear? I’m loving this Target top. Sleeves long enough for my arms, thumb holes, a little longer in the back, and a pop of pink-purple.
• Best piece of running advice you received? Keep running my own pace. I averaged 172 steps per minute across all runs for 2012. A major improvement from 2010 and 2011.
• Most inspirational runner? I have started following several running bloggers over the last year. I am amazed at their journeys and honesty. I am thankful to have people who are willing to share which helps me with my running and life balance.
• If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be? Commitment to the plan.

I had a great running year.

4 5ks (2 virtual), 1 8k, and 1 10k. I also got partially over my fear of the bike. 227 miles completed on the bike. It was some great cross-training over the summer, and added perk was time spent with my husband while biking.

I also made the big plunge into half marathon distance. I know this is no big deal for many of you, but after battling ITB pain for almost 3 years, it is scary to ramp up the mileage. I have been doing it slowly and carefully, but have found my legs like to go a little faster. To compromise, I run once a week with a group that is a little slower than I would normally. I don't mind slowing down if I had good company to chat.

These stats have me thinking of a number for 2013. Should I aim for 1000? The Type A in me says yes, but the doesn't want to be injured part says no. I would like to make sure I include yoga, strength training, and biking. I should also learn to swim, so a triathlon could be a maybe down the road. 800 running miles is the goal.

Looks like it's going to be a great year. A new PR on day 1 (more on that later). And slowly increasing the mileage. I'm aiming to tackle a tough 9 miler this weekend. So excited for this year.

 

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HCA 8K Race Report

I could sum this race up with one word for me = AWESOME!

I was ready and excited after last week's great run where I knew I had a little speed in my legs.

The weatherman was calling for 32 at the start on Thursday, but thankfully changed to 40 by Friday night. I hate the cold, and it takes me forever to warm up.

Of course, I tossed and turned trying to sleep. We had guests coming in for the weekend and they wouldn't be getting to our house until close to midnight. Thanks to hubby for staying up to greet them. Then I was afraid I would oversleep, so I woke up early.

So once I was up, temps looked promising. I quickly dressed and downed a slice of PB bread and some coffee before heading out. The race starts three blocks from my office, so I had a plan for parking which can be a little crazy for the race. As I headed outside, I saw a person walking down the street in a short dress and flip flops. I kept looking and realized it was my best friend (who lives across the street) to come wish me luck. She is AWESOME, and she snapped this picture for me.

I am crazy conservative and wore this wild outfit. I love how running has done that to me.

I met up with the Mother Runners for a group photo.

K and I are standing in the back. K is so cute and she was nervous about the race, but I knew she would do great. The plan was for me to stay with her as long as I could, but not hold her back because she is speedy for a new runner.

We jumped into the back of the first corral (never thought that would be the right place for me, but it was perfect). And we were off. The course takes you right down Broad Street through the VCU campus (go Rams). I was hanging with K as we zig-zagged through slower runners. And my Garmin started yelling at me for a heart rate alert ... way too high. I think I was super amped trying to figure out if I could stay with K (we were running 8:40) and I was panicking if I could run 5 miles at that crazy pace. It felt tough but good, but I had never done that for more than a mile.

So, I let K go and my HR dropped. Good decision because then it was just me doing what felt right for me and not worrying about holding her back.

Now my secret goal time was 44 but I told everyone I was hoping for 45. The course is an out and almost back with a strong downhill finish, and I am always slower on the downhill due to my ITB. So I started planning that if I could keep up with mid 8s, I could bank time to slow at the end (I know, most people speed up but I'm weird).

I turned on my iPod at about 1.5 miles to go and it was the perfect mix of songs to pep me up. I kept checking my cadence and I was hitting 90 or above, AWESOME. And then we hit the downhill. I checked my time, and wondered what in the heck was going on because I was way faster than I planned. Note to self: train on more downhills. This course led you right down to the river, and I was afraid I would fall (and tear the knees on my wild pants).

I actually got faster with my pace and turnover on the downhill.

What the heck, I couldn't believe this time as I was crossing the finish line. And I could see K just ahead of me. My official time was 42:34 (26th in my age group), and I couldn't have been happier.

And I can't believe I didn't take a single picture at the end. I think I was too surprised to think clearly. And I had NO knee pain = AWESOME.

I cheered on some other runners from my group and wondered around a bit with some friends before finally heading to the car and in search of a Starbucks. I was ready for coffee and my spinach wrap.

And what does any obsessed runner do when they get home? Upload the Garmin to over analyze my running and start planning for the next race. An almost 15 minute improvement from last year. I am so ready to tackle that half marathon. Now, which one do I pick?

And just because (one more time) AWESOME.

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