Frederick half marathon

Boston Strong laces.

Sunday I ran the Frederick half marathon. I was pumped for Frederick- last year this race was my very first half marathon. I loved the course and had a blast. My training was not as good as it should have been in the last 6ish weeks since Shamrock but I still felt good and was coming off of my awesome run last weekend. My back has actually been acting up a little more the last couple of weeks, but it’s usually okay while running. My ankle has been good and I iced a couple of times the last week or so. Saturday though.. ugh. I was watching the Caps (win!) and my vision was getting all blurry.. a sure sign that a migraine is coming. I haven't had one in a year+ but of course I get one the night before the half marathon. I think I caught it early enough so it never turned into a full blown migraine. I took Tylenol extra strength and had a diet coke. I was in pain the rest of the night, but not full blown migraine bad I was very worried about the migraine hangover the next day though. LUCKILY- I woke up Saturday morning feeling good!

 

My support crew.

I went into the race with the 2:30 pace group. My Shamrock half time/PR was 2:28, but I knew going in that Frederick is hillier (meaning any hills at all) and it was a warmer day- both things that would work against me. I figured I would start with the 2:30 group and then push it at the end.

About 2ish miles in I got bored of that.. they were walking through water stops and I just kept going. I was feeling SO GOOD. I was having fun, smiling, enjoying myself and just cruising along. My pace was actually in the 10:47 range (um hello I am usually around 11:30-12 on a regular long run), and I had to keep telling myself to slow down so I didn’t burn out at the end. Pace for a 2:30 finish is 11:27 and the 2:20 group pace is 10:40 so I was on track for a PR.

I kept up the under 11 minute pace for 9 miles actually and there was no slowing down. My legs were doing awesome, I was having no breathing issues- it was another one of those elusive runs that I never have. I was on fire- I couldn’t keep the grin off my face knowing that I was on a huge PR track.

Love the colorful view of thousands of runners in front of me.

Around mile 9 though I got this wicked stomach cramp- not a poo poo cramp.. I don’t know what it was. I’ve never had heartburn, but it felt like my upper stomach/lung area was on fire and there was a crampy feeling too in the middle of my stomach area. I have no idea what it was from- I ate my normal food, was hydrating and fueling the same way I always do. Unless it was just from my speed? Who knows. All I do know is that I had to slow way down- 11:30- 12 minute paces. I kept trying to pick it up to push through- there was only a few miles left! Every time I sped up the cramping got worse and I was a little afraid of puking on the side of the road. I would rather slow down and still finish than puke and not be able to finish.

I finished at 2:27:43.. still a PR, but not the huge 2:23 or so that I was shooting for- I lost about 4 minutes on time when I had to slow down the last 4 miles. Boo that. I do know that I can do it though- so now I need to push for it! I doubt I will get it at Zooma Annapolis though- that is supposed to be a wicked hilly course. 4 weeks to go!

Another half marathon PR in the books!

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Shamrock Half Marathon

In March I ran the Virginia Beach Shamrock half marathon. We got to the beach on Saturday before and it was supposed to be raining all day, but it wasn't! It was chilly and overcast, but I was still able to get my feet in the water!

The race was on Sunday, so Saturday we ate supper out and then hung out, heading to bed early so I would be ready for the early wake up call.

A goal: 2:30
B goal: beat my previous PR of 2:42
C goal: finish without dying (I am getting over a sprained something in my back and I have tendonitis that keeps flaring up alongside my ankle)

 I went out with the 2:30 group, knowing it was a bit of a stretch- I could hang with them for at least 10 miles if I didn't have a BAD day- didn't know how far I could go with them on a good day. The pacers were actually pretty consistently 15-30 seconds ahead of pace. I stayed with them until mile 8 or 9 and then kept with the prescribed pace of 11:27 but let them get ahead of me- I was afraid of pushing too much and burning way out.

You guys, for the first time I ran the whole thing other than 3 water walks (ran/drank from my belt other times). At mile 12.5-13 or so the pacers must have realized how ahead of schedule they were because I blew past them without any extra effort. I kicked up the pace for the last mile (down to 10:49 from 11:30s!) and finished in 2:28:45! I beat my A goal and got a 14 minute PR! I admit I got a little teary at the end
because I knew I was going to completely skip the 2:30s.

 Afterward I felt GOOD! I could have kept going- my ankle and back held out!

So now I have a new half marathon PR to chase. I am running another half this weekend (ahem.. took me awhile to get this recap up) and am still aiming to beat the 2:28 PR, even though the course this weekend is slightly hillier and it will be warmer. Now that I know I can do it, I just need to remind myself to keep pushing harder.

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That Run

On Sunday a bunch of my running girls were in a local half marathon, so Lucy and I went out with our signs to cheer them on at 6:30 AM. We saw them at mile 3 and 10- I figured their family/friends were at the very beginning and end to cheer them on and they would need some pep in the middle bits- I am usually struggling around mile 10.

I am SO GLAD we went- it was AWESOME to be crowd support for once. I got to see the speedy girls in the front of the pack, all of the middle and then the girls rocking the end and sticking with it. The two places we saw everyone were very bare- no crowds to pull them through! I hope there were more folks on the course that we didn’t see- it is so hard to run those long races without crowds.

I love reading the signs, so I made one for some course entertainment (all women’s race- appropriate, no?).

After the race, Lucy and I headed to a local lake/park with trails and went for a run.

When I first started “running” I couldn’t run for more than seconds at a time. I would come back to the house and tell John that I ran “two mailboxes” that day. Meaning.. I was able to run from one mailbox to two more. At least they were country mailboxes so they weren’t right next to each other? As I started Couch to 5k I would think that I couldn’t wait for the day that I could run for miles on end without being in pain- my lungs, legs, etc. You always see those runners who are just gliding along effortlessly, at fast paces and not breathing heavy… I wanted to be them.

I’ve completed 4 half marathons and will complete my 5^th this weekend.. but I still have not reached the “effortless” level. 9/10 runs is a struggle- my breathing hurts, legs get tired, I’m still SO SLOW and I have to mentally fight myself every run to stay out there (or to even GET OUT there). Once in a blue moon I have an effortless run. Those (and the racing high) are the ones that keep me running. 

I had one of the awesome runs on Sunday. I was actually not really looking forward to it because the couple of times that I have run with Lucy she pulled so much that it was 3x the work for me to run and just miserable. I used the Gentle Leader on Sunday and we had some of the best 7.5 miles I’ve ever had (though definitely not the fastest!). My breathing was good, we kept an okay pace, my legs felt fresh, the weather was perfect. It was just really enjoyable and I wanted to keep going. If I wasn’t with Lucy and running the half in a week I probably would have.

Halfway through we stopped and fueled up (Gu Chomps for me, peanut butter for Lucy), Lucy got some fresh water, and swam around a little to cool off. The way back was just as fun. She did start slowing down the last few miles, so we cut out 8 miles short to the 7.5. Still a win.

Looks like I have myself a marathon training partner.

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Disney Princess Half Marathon

I did it! A year and a half ago I decided I really wanted to run in the Disney Princess half marathon- I downloaded Couch 2 5k, worked my way through the program, kept running, completed two local half marathons and then a couple of weeks ago.... I finished the Princess Half!

The training was all worth it. It was my worst overall half marathon time, but I stopped to take it in, and to take some pictures and get my picture taken.

I woke up after a good 4 hours of sleep at 2 am so that I could have my pre-run bread with peanut butter and coffee. Around 3:30 we left for the race- I'd heard to be prepared for bad traffic. We didn't hit any traffic and got right there. After hanging out and looking around for a half hour or so, John and I split up so I could get into my corral. He hopped right on the monorail to head into the Magic Kingdom so he could catch me there.

The race started with awesome fireworks for each corral, we took off and then ran for over two and a half hours. Two and a half hours of awesomeness.. how can it not be- we ran down Disney's roads that had various characters (Pirates ship and dudes for pictures, all the princesses, Bugs Life), by the Contemporary, by Disney's race track (Lighting McQueen was available for pictures), into the Magic Kingdom and then.. down Main Street to the castle.

We ran around the castle to the back side and then through it! I stopped for my picture in front of it and then headed toward Frontierland and then out the side of the park through a behind the scenes area. And then I saw her... CINDERELLA! She was there with Prince Charming for pictures. Before the race I told myself that I would only stop for character pictures if I saw Cinderella. I hopped myself in line and waited for probably 5 minutes. Then.. they swapped her out with Sleeping BEAUTY! WHAT!? I don't think I've ever even seen that movie. I spent all that time waiting for her and didn't even get that stupid picture. Ugh. I was so sad.

After leaving the Magic Kingdom we headed out back roads, past the Grand Floridian and Polynesian and then a bunch of roads that were so boring. This was the worst part of the race for me- no spectators, no characters I cared to look at and I was getting tired. Eventually we made it to EPCOT and the finish line was getting close.

In EPCOT before the end I saw John for the first time. I switched out my water bottle and threw my arm warmers at him. He rushed to the finish line (and so did I).

Finally, FINALLY, a year and half in the making, I finished.

I had the moment that I first started even running for.

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Hershey Half Marathon

Hershey half marathon complete. 

Quick recap in photos:

Obligatory Enter Sandman before the race.

Apparently I do a weird thing with my hands while I'm running.

Chocolate aid station at mile 11.5 Reese's Fast Breaks!

John's favorite sign for the day.

And finishing as the world's slowest runner.

Done. With a temporary tattoo on my wrist, a medal around my neck and protein bar in my mouth.

Overall this was a fun race, but pretty darn hilly. Plus, my garmin said I ran 13.42 miles! Jeez! That is more than a little off. Lots of people on the facebook wall said that they had further distances too. So my official time is 2 minutes slower than my last half, but my average pace was only :01 off from the last one. My time makes it look like I was A LOT worse than I was.

I made the terrible mistake of going out too fast. I kept telling myself to slow down, and I thought I was, but apparently not. I slowed pretty hard at the end.

My next race is a Thanksgiving day Drumstick Dash, then I have a 5-miler lined up for December. I might add a Candy Cane Dash 5k in the beginning of December too. After that... DISNEY! I am planning on joining a half training group for my early spring half (Virginia Beach Shamrock Marathon/Anthem half). Hopefully they have speed training tips...

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Will Run for Chocolate

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Color Run 2012

Last weekend the Color Run came to DC! I got up bright and early and met up with Lindsey and her husband to travel down to the National Harbor (technically in Maryland still) to join thousands of others.

Before.

While the overall experience was fun, I will admit to being frustrated at a lot of the walkers. I understand that it is a fun thing and lots of families do it and it isn't a requirement to run. BUT. The majority of the people were walking and they would walk like 5 people wide so that if anyone wanted to pass them you had to squeeze by. Or some people would straight up just STOP in front of you without paying attention. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people don't pay attention to their surroundings.. so yeah.

After.

Anywho. I had a good run and felt good the whole time, even though the first half was all up hill. The color stations were awesome, but I don't really think I got as colorful as I was expecting. Oh well.. still a fun thing to do on a Sunday morning! I've checked it off the list, but don't think I will do it again.

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