Bright Beginnings 5k race report

Last weekend I continued my 5k adventures with the Bright Beginnings 5k. I signed up for this race a while ago, shortly before my coach decided that it should be a team race. At first I joked that I was annoyed that the "small" race I had found was going to be filled with all of my speedy teammates (who would take all the age group awards), but really I was excited to have the chance to race with everyone.

With all the short races on my schedule this spring, I'd been debating buying a pair of racing flats. When I came across a great deal on the Nike LunaRacer+ (because of the release of the LunaRacer+3), I decided to give them a try. They arrived just in time for me to test them at a track workout before wearing them for this race.

It was pretty cold on Saturday morning, but I'd rather that than unseasonably warm. In the first half of the warm-up someone in my group commented that it seemed to be less windy than normal. On the way back to the start area we realized that wasn't true, the wind had just been at our back. This meant that we'd have a tailwind in the first half of the course and a headwind on the way back. Not ideal, but not much anyone could do about it.

I decided before the race that I would follow the same strategy that I had used at the Have a Heart for Hoffman Boston 5k the week before. Run hard and don't look at my watch. Also, if possible, avoid falling down!

The race start was delayed for a few chilly minutes as people finished picking up packets, but soon we were off. I took off and tried to run at an effort level that seemed hard, but not all out. I was with several of my normal training partners for the first half mile or so and then found myself ahead of them.

My plan of not knowing my pace was foiled by my coach, who was out at the first mile marker yelling splits. I heard 6:30-something and tried to immediately forget what he said. It was definitely an ambitious pace, but at that point the only option I had was to keep pushing. My Garmin was set on auto-lap, so it has mile 1 at 6:29.

Mile 2 was the best section of the race. I felt strong and was passing people on the way to the turnaround point. I went around the cone without falling down, though I did slow a bit more than I would like. The wind didn't feel too bad when I first headed back and I got a boost from knowing that I was halfway done. 6:39

Mile 3 was more of a struggle. The effort of the first two miles was hitting me and it seemed like the wind picked up (which probably isn't actually true). We had to go back over a small overpass, which really was hardly an incline at all, but it seemed like a giant effort at that point in the race. There was a very long straight away to the finish, which meant that I could see the finish line for a long time. This was both a good and bad thing since for a while it didn't seem to be getting any closer. 6:52

Finally I passed our cheering squad and saw the mile 3 sign. My coach started yelling the time and I did my best to pick it up for that last stretch. 49 sec. (6:17 pace for .13)

Final time - 20:47

I was definitely doubled over at the finish line, trying to catch my breath. I've yet to push myself to the point of vomiting (which seems like some kind of significant hard effort benchmark), but I was extremely happy with how hard I worked and my big new PR. Sub-21:00 was definitely a goal of mine for the spring, but I wasn't expecting to achieve it just a week after I broke 22:00 for the first time. I have no plans to stop here. There is definitely still room for plenty of improvement.

Thanks Cheryl for the race photos!

Have a Heart for Hoffman Boston 5k race report

I'm way behind on race reports. Maybe I'll get to them all eventually, but I figured I'd start with the most recent one.

Saturday was cold and rainy. Not exactly ideal running weather, but the race must go on. I signed up for this 5k a few weeks ago because of the small size and convenient location. There was no course map posted online, but I run along the trail where it was being held relatively frequently, so I knew it was pretty flat.

I tried to time my warm up so that I'd have about 10 minutes after I finished to make a quick trip to the bathroom, get rid of my jacket and switch to a dry pair of gloves. Unfortunately right as I was getting back to my car the race organizers were announcing a 10 minute delay. So I sat in my car (to get out of the rain) and checked my phone and found an exciting surprise! Cheryl and Dash had just arrived to spectate! We chatted for a bit and then it was time to get going.

At the suggestion of some of my wise running friends, I decided not to look at my watch at all during this race. At first I thought about looking at it during the first mile to keep myself relatively controlled, but I realized that during a 5k there was really no point in "control." The risk of it having a negative effect on me was greater than the potential for a positive boost. I thought I would just focus on running hard and pushing myself the whole way. I also decided to leave my watch on autolap to really take the watch completely off of my mind.

The course was an out and back on a local bike path/trail and it was slightly uphill on the way out and downhill on the way back. This wasn't a chip timed race, so I tried to place myself pretty close to the front. Not right at the front though, as the majority of the members of a fast local racing team were also there. Fortunately it was a small race, so even though the path is relatively narrow, I only felt crowded for the first 100 yards or so. I settled into a good rhythm and focused on running hard. I went back and forth with an older gentleman early on (he kept surging as I would pull even with him), but had pulled clear of him by the time I passed the first mile marker.

From mile one to the turnaround point, I thought about staying steady and was looking forward to using the slight downhill on the way back to my advantage. The field was pretty spread out, but had my eye on a woman in a bright pink hat who was not all that far ahead of me. The turnaround was a cone in the path. I didn't want to lose all my momentum turning around, so I swung a little wide, started to turn and then I was hitting the ground. Hard. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I must have hit a particularly slick spot and my foot slipped out from under me.

I have no idea how long as I was down, but as soon as I processed what had happened, I was scrambling to get up. Fortunately I didn't take anyone else out, but the guy behind me slowed to ask if I was okay. I nodded that I was and he said something like "you were looking strong" and took off. I was running again pretty quickly and tried to get back on pace. I tried to keep up with the guy who had just passed me, but he was flying.

I figured that at this point a PR was probably out of the picture, but I still wanted to finish strong and keep running hard. So I did. My right knee took the brunt of the fall and it hurt when I first got started up again, but after a minute or two I didn't notice it. In some ways the fall was a good distraction. I was pretty relaxed with any pressure for a PR gone and all I could think was, "I just fell down. In a race. How ridiculous is that?" I was laughing at myself more than I was upset or disappointed. During the last half mile or so I started to close on a guy in front of me and conveniently passed him right in front of my photographer.

I felt strong in the homestretch and was shocked when I could finally see the finish clock and it showed a low 21. That was just the motivation I needed to really kick it in to the finish. Despite my wipe out, I finished with a 35 second PR!

21:27 (6:59/6:59/6:43/.12 in 6:05 pace)

I've got a couple more 5ks in the next few weeks, so I'm excited to get another shot at this distance. Preferably without a fall in the middle. Still, regardless of how it happened, this was my first race with a sub-7:00 average pace. And I'm pretty excited about that. It's definitely a goal that's been in the back of my mind for a while.

Three Things Tuesday

1. Back in November, I mentioned that I had put my name in the lottery for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge swim. Unfortunately, although there were four lottery rounds before the race filled, I was not selected. This leaves a rather sizeable hole in my early summer race schedule and means my spring training schedule is somewhat up in the air. One of the reasons that I decided to focus on short running races this spring was that I knew I'd need to leave myself plenty of time for swimming. Even a half marathon seemed like it would require too much running time if I needed to swim 3-4 times a week. So the question becomes, what to do now? Do I look for a replacement swim in the 5k range or add to my running schedule?

2. My swim motivation is currently MIA. This is obviously in large part because I won't be doing the bay swim. I had also tentatively planned to make the trip to Indianapolis in May for USMS spring nationals, but now that isn't going to happen either. With no big swimming events on the horizon, I have absolutely zero motivation to go to the pool and get myself back in shape. Last spring, with the SWIM OF THE YEAR on the horizon, I had no problems sticking to a 2x a week schedule. I loved being in reasonable swimming shape and competing again. Yet despite that knowledge, I can't get myself in gear. It also doesn't help that many of my swim buddies have moved away. :( I know, I know. Excuses.

3. I could blabber on for a very long time about my love of marathon training. I love the high mileage, long track workouts and 18-21 mile long runs. I look forward to doing it again in the fall, but right now I couldn't be happier to NOT be marathon training. It's nice on easy days to run 4-5 miles and be done. No need to cram in 8+ miles before work or to double up. Instead of miles, I'm focusing on challenging myself in workouts and getting more experience racing. There will be lots and lots of racing.

Shooting Starr 6k race report

On Saturday I headed up to Silver Spring for what was advertised as a 4 miler. However, I noticed earlier in the week that the website wasn't exactly sure what distance the race was going to be.


Given that last year's race was a 6k, I figured that was the more likely distance, but that wasn't confirmed until race morning. It didn't really matter to me what the actual distance was, I just wanted to know ahead of time so I could plan properly. Also, it was a double loop course so I figured that in a worst case scenario I would know by halfway!

I had convinced Dash to join me for the race, and we ran into Caroline in the middle of our warm up. I knew that it was probably going to be a hilly course and this was confirmed as we ran through the neighborhoods around the school where it started and finished.

As advertised, the course was a double loop, with an extra out and back section the first time around. I figured this was an excellent opportunity to experiment with pacing and decided to stay controlled the first time around and really try to pick up the pace for the second loop. Unlike the New Year's Day 5k, I didn't want to go out as fast as possible at the start. I do a pretty decent job of starting slow and finishing fast when doing tempo workouts at the track and I hoped to do that here. I don't know if it reminded me somewhat of being at the track, but the double loop really helped with this mentally.

Dash, Caroline and I lined up together near the start, but were quickly separated when the race started. The first section was a relatively steep downhill on a sidewalk (low-key race means no closed roads!) and then a short section across grass to get onto a paved trail. It was definitely crowded early on and I spent most of my time on the trail trying to weave around people. This got a bit more complicated when we reached the out and back section and fast runners were already coming back.

Despite the weaving, I felt pretty good in the early going. Somewhere shortly after mile two we headed up off the trail and ran up a pretty long hill through a neighborhood. During this section we were able to run on the street which was nice after the crowding earlier. I could see the "top" of the hill where everyone was turning and was disappointed when I finally got there, turned, and saw that we were still going up. We were also back on the sidewalk, which lead to a few close encounters with rogue bushes. Then there was a nice downhill before a short hill back up to the school.

I was feeling strong as I started the second loop and used the downhill to pick up my pace. It was also encouraging to know that the second time around wasn't quite as long as the first. I did a good job of speeding up until hitting the long hill a second time. Fortunately, I managed to stay relatively steady and didn't slow down all that much. Amazing what a slower start can do for you at the end!

For much of the race I was jockeying back and forth with a woman dressed all in black (not the woman in the picture above) and I surged past her on our second time up the big hill. I kept waiting for her to come back, but I stayed ahead ahead on the downhill. Unfortunately, she went flying ahead of me in the last 200 meters and I just didn't have the kick to keep up with her. I congratulated her after I crossed the finish line and she thanked me for pushing her. I love the camaraderie of runners!

Final time: 26:37
Splits: 7:12/7:11/7:02/5:10 (7:11 pace for .72)

This spring is all about racing and I plan to experiment a lot and test out lots of different strategies. The goal for this race was to use the double loop course to my advantage for pacing and hold back a little bit the first time around. I'm very happy about how I executed this strategy and I think it worked out really well. It's crazy how much better you feel in the middle and the end when you haven't broken yourself with a 6:30 something first mile!

2012 Goals revisited

It's probably not a good sign when the only time you revisit the goals you set for the year is at the very end of December (or, um, early January). So, let's see if I managed to meet any of them even while I had no real idea what they were.

It turns out, my 2012 goals were:

1. Run more
This is the one goal I remember setting. Perhaps because it was first on the list?

I wasn't too concerned about mileage early in the year as I came back from my lazy glute issue and then struggled with energy issues (eventually discovering I was anemic). But after I sorted out the anemia and took a break after my May half, I really made an effort to ramp up my weekly mileage. I had very solid running months in June and July and that base helped me head into marathon training in August feeling strong. I decided to attempt to peak at 60 miles a week (after a previous weekly high of 51) and was able to achieve this by making Wednesday a double day. I actually really liked this routine and came through those high mileage weeks feeling good. I also had my first months over 200 miles in September and October. I set a rough goal of 1400 miles, but ended 2012 with 1648.

2. Pick up the pace on long runs
I actually vaguely remember setting this goal as well. This was another success. During marathon training my average pace was generally about a minute faster than it had been when I trained for Philly in the fall of 2011. Unfortunately I didn't have a similar drop in pace between long run average and actual marathon pace this year, but I think that will come with time. I'm a lot more comfortable running miles that start with an 8 during long runs and I think it will only become more routine with time.

3. Get back to swimming
Definitely didn't remember this goal, but I did actually do it! I was very consistent about getting to the pool through the winter and early spring as I prepared for my leg of the triathlon relay and some other open water races. I didn't swim quite as much after that, but I did maintain a pretty good routine through the summer and early fall. Unfortunately, once marathon training really heated up, swimming fell off my schedule. I didn't swim once from early October until mid-December.

4. Core/weight training
Since I know myself, I labeled this an optimistic goal from the beginning. And then promptly forgot about it. This is still something that I know I should do, but struggle to find time to fit it. Or, more accurately, I sit on the couch and watch TV at night instead of a short core routine. There's time, I'm just not using it.

My lazy glute and time in PT early in the year did force me into a good routine of glute and hip stretching and strengthening. I did a semi-decent job of continuing a simple routine for the rest of the year. I would be diligent for a while, feel good, get lazy, notice issues with my form and glutes, get back in a better routine and then repeat the cycle again. I'll count that as progress.

I did also start going to yoga in the late summer/early fall (motivated by an expiring Groupon). I noticed that that "forced" stretching really did make me a feel a whole lot better, so I tried to make to a class at least once a week during marathon training.

As for weight training, I can say that I didn't touch a single weight in 2012. I'd say, "maybe next year," but I know myself too well.

I'm undecided on whether or not to set any goals like these for 2013 (and we're already two weeks in). Clearly they didn't influence my behavior all that much since I forgot what they were almost immediately after writing them down.

Reston New Year's Day 5k race report

The first half of 2013 is going to be all about working on speed, so it seemed appropriate to start the year with a 5k. I was interested to see what kind of turnover was left in my legs after marathon training. I knew that the last few lazy weeks hadn't really affected my fitness, but I had pretty low expectations for my speed. I was hoping to be within 45-60 seconds of my PR, which would have put me in the high 22/low 23 range. Since this was going to serve as a baseline race, I may have even joked beforehand that a poor showing would make improvement over the next few months just that much easier.

Given the relatively small size of the race, my teammate and I lined up close to the front to avoid getting caught in a bottleneck when we hit the W&OD trail. My strategy was pretty simple. Run hard from the beginning and don't hold back at all. I plan to race a lot this spring and I hope to blow up as much as possible. I need to figure out how to keep pushing when that happens and run in that uncomfortable zone without backing down. So I took off at the start and tried to settle in as much as is possible in a 5k.

I had my Garmin set to show current mile pace and distance, but tried not to focus on it too much. My goal of all these short races is to race and not worry about holding back. And if I need to a watch to tell me I should be picking up the pace later on, well, I'm not doing something right.

I had to do a bit of weaving in the early sections on the trail, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared it might be. I was feeling surprisingly good for not having done any speed work in at least a month and felt like I was cruising all the way out to the turnaround. Of course, just a minute or two after thinking "this feels really good," it started to feel a lot harder.

I knew I was slowing during mile 2, but it was never that "about to die" feeling. Hard to explain, but more like my turn over rate just gradually slowed because my legs weren't used to sustaining that kind of effort.

Mile 3 contained most of the uphill sections of the course as we came back up to the town center from the trail and did another loop around and up before a slight downhill to the finish. I continued to slow and was, unfortunately, passed by a number of people in this stretch. I tried to rally by attempting to catch back up to one guy in particular, but it didn't happen. I think I probably had it in me to make the final push a bit sooner, but I wasn't familiar with the course layout to know how much was left (and I never trust Garmin in these situations).

I did know enough to recognize when we were making the final turn onto the straightaway for the last .1 and was able to sprint in to the finish.

When I was finally close enough to see the clock, I was shocked to see that it still said 21. I had no idea that I was even close to a PR, and assumed that I wasn't given the progression of my splits. I was pretty sure that I hadn't snuck in under 22:00, but it was going to be very close to my PR. (22:02). Turns out it was about as close as you can possibly be.

Final time: 22:03
Splits: 6:37/7:08/7:36/:44 (last .13, according to Garmin) 
2nd in AG

This is probably the happiest I have felt after a non-PR race in a really long time. Perhaps it was because I entered with low expectations, but I was thrilled with this performance. While in most circumstances I would find those splits discouraging, I actually am extremely encouraged by them here. I know I faded because I'm not used to running fast (and am coming off a bit of break), not because I had bad race execution or fell apart mentally. I feel confident that with more speed work and consistent training under my belt, I can take it out like that and maintain that pace. I couldn't have asked for a better kickoff to my "spring of speed." Now it's time to get to work.

Thanks Dash for all of the photos!

2012 in Pictures

2012 was a year filled with running and swimming (and, thankfully, not a single minute on the bike). More importantly, very few of these athletic adventures were solo. This year reminded me how great it is to have friends who share these interests and are always up for another crazy workout or race.

January

Goofy Challenge

February

Lots of time in PT rehabbing a lazy glute.

You can understand why I felt no need to take a single picture.

March

Spectating National with Dash

April

Cherry Blossom 10 miler and my first swim meet in years

May

Lots of swimming (and the discovery that I was anemic)

June

10 year college reunion

(with a trip to the pool to swim with my old teammates)

July

More swimming and a track mile

August

Hood to Coast

September

New half PR in Philly

October

5k PR in a marathon tune up race



November

New haircut, cross country road trip (oh, and a marathon DNF)

December

Rehoboth Beach Seashore marathon

Rehoboth Beach Seashore Marathon race report

The morning after the Richmond marathon, I woke up feeling sorry for myself. I knew that dropping out was the right decision and that there was probably nothing I could have done to prevented my bad day, but it still hurt. I had just spent fourteen weeks training and knew that I had been ready to run a huge PR.

I didn't know if I really wanted to try again, but by mid-morning I was on marathonguide.com browsing December and January marathons. Turns out there aren't all that many. Or at least that many that don't require a flight. I ran the Rehoboth Beach Seashore Marathon two years ago (also after another bad marathon), so I knew it was probably the best option. But that time I had eight weeks to prepare and after Richmond there were only four. I wasn't feeling too strongly about it until I noticed that there were only three spots left. I talked it over with Lauren and realized that I would probably be disappointed if I waited because I wanted to think about it and the race sold out. So after a quick call to my coach, I registered, booked a hotel and committed myself to four more weeks of training.

I spent most of that first week "recovering" by driving across the country. When I got back, I jumped back into training and it wasn't easy. My motivation was all over the place, but I told myself to push through the next few weeks. Shortly after I registered, I learned that a teammate of mine, John, was also running. John is a marathon machine who tends to run one or two marathons a weekend (he's done all 50 states and is almost to marathon #100). I knew that he had paced other teammates at races during the fall, so I asked if he had any pacing plans for the race or if he was planning to attempt a PR. The answer to both of these questions was no and he said he would be happy to run with me. With this plan in place, it was just up to me to decide the goal time.

Taper brain left me feeling less than confident about my abilities at the beginning of race week, but on Wednesday I suddenly became strangely calm about the whole thing. I ended up telling John to pace me to a 3:45 (the original Richmond goal) and decided to wear my watch, but not look at it at all. I wanted to have the data afterwards, but wanted to let John set the pace. So I set my display screen to show distance and heart rate (and I wasn't wearing a monitor). While I know that I am capable of running a 3:45, this decision was mistake #1 of the day (more on this later).

I was more nervous about this race than I've been for a marathon in a while. I slept very poorly on Friday night and had trouble eating my normal pre-race breakfast. I think my biggest fear was a complete Richmond repeat. If it was another really bad day would I stop again? Or would I finish regardless? To me, one DNF was a fluke, but two was a pattern.

Fortunately the race day logistics were a breeze and didn't add any stress to my day. My hotel was just two blocks from the start and I had no problems meeting up with John. After a few minutes of chatting with our amazing spectators, we were off and running.

The first few miles went by quickly. I had been hoping for a lot colder day, but at least it appeared that it would remain overcast and there wasn't much wind, so I tried to be thankful for what we had. John and I chatted for a while and he would periodically check in with me and try to assess how I was feeling. I was relaxed early on and hoped that I had a good day ahead of me. Around mile five I ate for the first time. In Richmond, I had first known that things were going wrong when I started burping up my first gu. I've always had a somewhat difficult time getting gus down, and with that memory still fresh in my mind, I made the decision to stick with Honey Stinger chews during this race. I would eat on the same schedule, but three chews instead of a gu. Mistake #2. For some reason, I had it in my head that three chews was about the same number of calories as a gu. I would learn after the race that it is actually about half.

My stomach was not perfect on this day either, but certainly much better than it had been in Richmond. All of the nerves before the race meant my stomach was churning. I was burping a bit, but it wasn't awful and I could get the chews down. I got to see my spectators around mile 4 and it was nice to wave and give them the thumbs up as I went by.

Miles 1-6: 8:48, 8:40, 8:39, 8:39, 8:37, 8:32

Around mile 7 we headed onto a crushed gravel trail that we would stay on for the next few miles and we picked up the pace slightly, as per the plan. I remembered really enjoying this portion of the race when I ran it back in 2010, but recent rain made it a bit more challenging this time. There were a lot of giant puddles which required weaving around and a lot of concentration on foot placement. It was also somewhere in this section that I started to feel like it was going to be a tough day. In theory, we weren't yet running at marathon pace and I was definitely working hard. I said as much to John, but tried not to focus on it, and kept pushing along. He pointed out that I wasn't drinking enough and told me I needed to finish the bottle I was carrying before we saw our spectators again, which would be somewhere in the 11-12 range. So I ate my chews again and focused on drinking.

Miles 7-11: 8:38, 8:36, 17:20 (8:40 pace, missed the mile 9 sign), 8:32

I swapped out water bottles when we passed our cheering squad and got a big energy boost from seeing them. However, when Jess asked how I was feeling, the best response I could come up with was, "Eh." It was already harder than I would have liked and I knew it was only going to get worse.

I got a bit of a second wind in miles 12-13 and started to feel more positive about the fact that I could hold this pace and maybe even pick it up a bit. At halfway we passed the only clock on the course and it read 1:53 (turns out our actual split was 1:52:05). Since up until this point I had no idea how I was doing, seeing the clock was an encouraging sign. If I could just stay steady in the second half, my goal was certainly within reach.

However, as we wound our way through the state park and took on the only "hills" on the course, I really started to struggle. John was encouraging, telling me to just stay steady up the hills, and take advantage of the brief downhills. Still, I knew that I was in trouble and was slowing down. It wasn't particularly warm (50s), but it was incredibly humid so I started dumping cups of water on my head at every water stop. This seemed to help a bit. John told me to make sure I finished my water bottle before we got back to our friends (around 20) and encouraged me to eat more. I listened to the water advice, but stubbornly insisted that I was eating enough. Hey, I was on my regular schedule! I was also still burping and eat more frequently sounded extremely unappealing. He could tell how much I was dragging and perhaps if I had listened, things would have been better.

Miles 12-19: 8:36, 8:37, 8:47, 8:40, 8:52, 9:02, 9:10, 9:10

We came back over the bridge to our cheering spectators and I swapped out water bottles again. They were so encouraging, which was good to counteract the dread in the pit of my stomach. I was feeling pretty terrible and I still had 10k to go.

To be honest, I don't remember a whole lot about the next few miles, other than the fact that I was miserable. John was running slightly ahead, trying to get me back towards marathon goal pace. I didn't work (at least in terms of picking up the pace), but I just focused on his back and told myself to keep moving. He would ask me how I was doing or encourage me to eat and drink more and my only response was a death stare. Sorry about that John! You're the best, really! I was wondering why in the world I had ever thought marathons were fun. Why did I need to prove myself and finish one this fall?

Somewhere right before mile 24 John had pulled ahead again and I just couldn't will myself to keep moving. I slowed to a walk. I could see the mile 24 sign in the ground ahead and told myself I would run again when I got there. John turned around to see me walking and got really concerned. I managed to grunt out that I would run again at the mile marker and he walked with me to that point. I did start running again, though it was not at all quickly. There was a water stop around mile 25 and going into it I told John that I was going to get a Gatorade, walk to drink it and then I would run all the way to the finish.

When we started running again, John asked me if I wanted to know our overall time. I immediately said no. I knew that my 3:45 goal was far out of reach at this point and I was afraid that I wasn't going to break 4:00. I knew that if John told me I needed to run a fast last mile to get there, I would feel totally defeated. I think that even if he had told me I needed to run a 10:00 mile, I would have been worried that I couldn't do it. It was better not to know and just get myself to the finish line. He was encouraging me to pick up the pace for the last mile, but I really just didn't have it in me.

Miles 20-26: 9:08, 9:08, 9:36, 9:47, 10:33, 10:18, 9:30

Finally after passing the 26 mile sign, I managed to muster some sort of kick. I couldn't wait to stop running, but I was also dreading seeing the clock at the finish line, as I had convinced myself that it was going to show a time starting with a 4. So it was actually a pleasant surprise to turn the corner to run the last 200 feet and see 3:55. I was so ready to be done that upon crossing the first set of timing mats, I almost came to a complete stop. Fortunately, John yelled at me that I needed to cross the second set and I managed to keep moving.

Last .2: 1:46 (7:56 pace)
Final time: 3:55:45
(second half: 2:03:41)

I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that my initial reaction was disappointment (well, after the absolute bliss of standing still and NOT RUNNING ANYMORE). I know that I should have been thrilled to run my first sub 4:00 marathon, but I knew I was capable of so much faster than 3:55. I think that it wasn't the time I was disappointed in as much as the way that I ran the race. I had blown up in the second half and I should have run a smarter race than that. I also completely gave up in the last 10k and without John there with me, I don't know what would have happened.

Fortunately after a hot shower and lunch (and beer!) with friends, I was in a much better mood.

Given the extended season, and my motivation issues for those last four weeks, and the weather (so humid!), I ran the race that I had in me that day. 3:45 was always the goal and I gave it my best shot. I may have fallen short, but I still PR'ed (by six minutes!). And, most importantly, my marathon time no longer starts with a 4!

Now, two weeks later, I know that a six minute PR on a day that I made several big mistakes is a big achievement. The most debilitating mistake was my fueling. Normally I will eat five times during a marathon and one of those times will be chews. This time I only ate chews, essentially cutting my calories in half. No wonder I was dragging in the second half! I need to figure out a gel solution and maybe it is not Gu. Let the fueling experiments begin! I also think I would have been better off telling John the goal was 3:50. He was spot on with his first half pacing for a 3:45, but think that a few minutes slower to start would have made a big difference for me in the second half. However, that's one of those decisions that easy to second guess post-race and going into the race I didn't want to sell myself short.

I can say with confidence that I have come nowhere close to my marathon potential. I can't wait to give it another shot, though I'll be waiting until the fall to do so. Spring 2013 is going to be all about teaching myself to race and figuring out how to stay in that uncomfortable zone when my brain is screaming to ease up. Bring on the 5ks!

I would be remiss if I didn't end this recap without expressing my thanks to everyone who made race weekend as great as it was. Thank you to John for pacing me to a new PR and putting up with my horrible attitude (and death stares) for the last 90 minutes+ of the race. Thank you to Amy, Jess, Steph, Lauren and Lauren for being the most amazing spectators ever. Knowing I was going to see you (and then seeing you), made such a big difference. The end of the year always leads to reflection and I feel so thankful to have such great friends and to be a part of such a great team.

Spring 2013 plans?

On Monday I took a step towards determining my spring 2013 race plans, by throwing my name in the hat for a race lottery.

It's not as much of a commitment as it seems since no credit card was involved. If I'm selected in early January, I'll have 48 hours to handle over my money and register. I'm not quite sure if 2013 is the year to do this race, but I do know that I want to do at least once in my life. It's been in the back on of my mind since high school, when a girl from my club swim team did it. So, for now, I'm leaving the door to 2013 open.

Post "marathon" fun

In anticipation of enjoying the off-season to the fullest, I had a lot of things planned for after the Richmond marathon. Of course the race didn't go quite as planned, but I didn't let that stop me from enjoying myself!

I spent two fun days with Lauren, celebrating her birthday and doing lots of BIG THINGS.

BIG THINGS like chopping off all my hair.

probably should have stopped here because this is a great look

Then I headed on a three day road trip with friends, to help someone move to Colorado

 self timer focus fail

I spent the weekend in Boulder, and reaped the benefits of 48 hours at altitude. I figure I'm looking at least a minute per mile off all my times.

 

I made it back East just in time for a short work week and Thanksgiving, which is my favorite holiday. Lots of eating and no need to go shopping. What more could you want? It was good to spend time with family and friends that I don't see often enough.

Isn't this how you would want to spend the day after Thanksgiving?

Now it's back to life as "normal," but the past two weeks were just what I needed. 



Richmond Marathon race report

Sometimes you have the day that you've been dreaming of, the one that's always in the back of your mind during every track workout and long run. The one where running at goal pace is hard, but manageable, and you execute the race plan just the way that you laid it out beforehand.  And other times you find yourself someplace you hoped you'd never be.

I did not finish the Richmond Marathon on Saturday. My legs just felt a little off from the start and I started burping up my first gel shortly after taking it at mile five. I was still right where I wanted to be at that point, holding a nice relaxed pace for the first 10k. So I tried not to be worried and hoped I would settle in soon.  There was a nice long downhill shortly after the 10k mark that made it pretty easy to pick up the pace. But when I reached the flatter and rolling sections after that, my pace started creeping up. I tried Honey Stinger chews at mile 10 when the thought of another gel made we want to gag and barely managed to get them down. I felt like I was working significantly harder, but was running slower than I had in the first 10k. It's one thing to feel that way in the 20s, but at 10 it was rather concerning. I spent the next few miles debating my options and trying to pull myself out of what I hoped was just a rough patch. But by the time I hit halfway, I was pretty sure that I was done. I decided to get to George and the CAR cheering squad at 17 before making any final decisions, but I more or less knew what I was going to do.  An excruciatingly long mile 16 on the Lee Bridge only further cemented my decision and dropped out just after mile 17 when I reached George.

Obviously I was extremely disappointed, but I know that continuing on for those last nine miles would have been even worse than stopping. I've done that before in a race I knew that was over at halfway (in Baltimore in 2010) and run/walking the second half, while watching my pace get slower and slower, was not an experience I wanted to repeat.  I didn't cry and while watching the rest of my teammates finish I never once wished that I was finishing too. Dropping out was the right decision on that day.

I could spend hours trying to figure out what happened or if there was anything I could have done to have prevented this, but in the end that's not worth my time or energy. It was simply a bad day with extremely unfortunate timing. We all have them during every training cycle and it just so happened that this one fell on race day. I know that it says nothing about how I trained this fall or my abilities. Nor does it make me a quitter. Sometimes things just don't break your way.

Richmond Marathon Training - Week 13

Monday October 29
Elliptical - 60 minutes
The rain from Hurricane Sandy had already started on Monday morning and the pools were closed, so I opted to take advantage of the fact that the gym was open to get in an hour of cross training. It was nothing special, but I was glad to be able to do something.

Tuesday October 30
Run 7.4 mi
1600 (7:00), 1200 (5:05), 800 (3:24), 400 (1:35)
An impromptu afternoon track workout. We were lucky that Hurricane Sandy didn't cause major damage in the DC area and by Tuesday afternoon it was still raining but the wind had died down. Since many of us ended up with the day off, a group got together mid-afternoon to do the interval workout for the week. The 1200 was a bit fast, but other than that I was happy with how I executed the workout.

Wednesday October 31
Run 8.0 mi - AM
I've really enjoyed running with the CAR morning group this training cycle and I headed out for one last run with them. It was also nice to cut it a bit short and turn around early.

Yoga - 75 min - PM

Thursday November 1
Run 5.15 mi
I fit in the run commute that I would have normally done on Monday. It had been so long since I'd taken the shorter five mile route to work that I almost forgot what it was!

Friday November 2
Run 6.2 mi
5k tempo - 22:36 (7:21/7:14/7:09)
This was exactly the tempo workout I needed to end this training cycle. It was dark and cold the entire time, but I just focused on putting in a hard effort and slowing picking up the pace.
Saturday November 3
Run 9.5 mi (avg pace - 8:50)
Last "long" run before the marathon!

Sunday November 4
Rest

Week 13 - 36.25 mi
Ah, the second week of taper. The time when my brain finally realizes that it isn't getting enough workout time and the crazies begin. All in all, I think I held it together pretty well. I'm hoping that my legs are busy recovering and will be fresh and ready to go on race day!

October Recap

Miles: 234.7 (+ ~6 miles in the pool)

X-Training: 10 (1 pool runs, 1 swim, 2 elliptical sessions, 6 yoga classes)

Rest Days: 4

Race(s): There's No Place Like Home 5k - 22:02

Ice cream flavor of the month: Peanut Butter Caramel Brownie (for some reason this one has been forgotten in recent recaps. I'm bringing it back!)

New gear: A new pair of Brooks Ghosts for the marathon and a pair of neon orange Nike Pegasus for feeling fast.

Workout goals:
Run a lot - Done! October ended up beating out September as my highest mileage month ever.

Recover well - After feeling some tightness towards the end of September, I made sure that I did my PT stretches almost every day in October. I only skipped them when I went to yoga since I figured that gives me plenty of stretching time. I did a good job getting 64 (or more) oz of water a day and for the most part got enough sleep. Swimming suffered a bit, but it will be back post-marathon.

I feel confident that I did what I needed to do in October. I put in lots of miles, started taper and set a new 5k PR. I managed to keep up with my PT stretches, yoga, hydration and sleep, so hopefully I've done everything necessary to get myself to the start line on November 10 ready to race. I still find it hard to believe that the training is done and race week is here, but I'm working on getting my mind in the right place.

November Preview

Workout goals:
Marathon PR - I know that I've put in all the work I need to run a PR in Richmond. Now I just need to rest, believe and execute.

Yoga, swimming, and anything that isn't running - I plan to take some time to be completely lazy after the marathon, but after that I want to do whatever I feel like doing on a given day. I'm hoping to get to yoga more than once a week and get myself back into the pool on a more regular basis.

Races: Richmond Marathon - November 10

There's No Place Like Home 5k race report

Last year I raced an 8k two weeks before the Philadelphia Marathon and I thought it worked out very well. So I had it in my head that I would probably do a race last weekend from the beginning of the training cycle. Saturday happened to be my brother's wedding day, so it was also appealing to only have to fit in a 5k in the morning, rather than 14-15 miles. I found a two different options and as wedding weekend plans came together and I knew I'd be heading up to the Frederick MD area on Friday afternoon, I signed up for the There's No Place Like Home 5k in downtown Frederick.

This was the third annual race, so I checked out the results from 2010 and 2011 and knew that it was a relatively small race and I would most likely have a shot at being one of the top women, assuming the race wasn't crashed by a high school cross country team. The race wasn't chip timed, so I started right on the line.

When the race started a handful of guys took off ahead of me, as well as one woman (in green to the right of me in both pictures). I debated trying to match her early pace, but I could tell it would require picking up the pace more than I was ready to do at the beginning of the race. I hoped that I could keep her lead to a reasonable distance and reel her in later on.

When I warmed up I previewed miles 1 and 3 of the course, so I knew that the first mile was flat or downhill and so I tried not to worry about being too fast at the beginning. Within about a half mile I passed one or two guys who had clearly gotten sucked into starting out too fast. I could see the first place woman about a 100 meters ahead of me, but I wasn't making any progress. I left my watch on auto lap because I wasn't sure how well a small race would be marked and my Garmin actually beeped after I had passed the mile 1 sign. 6:52

The second mile was a loop that I'd cut out of my warm up and involved some rolling hills through a pleasant neighborhood. Definitely a lot more up than mile one and lots of speed bumps, which occasionally made for some awkward stepping. I could still see the first woman, but she was getting slightly farther ahead. The road was pretty windy and after I few minutes I realized I shouldn't be following the road as much as I was and should be at least trying to run the tangents. I avoided looking at my Garmin as much as possible and focused more on running at a hard effort. This time my Garmin beeped well ahead of the mile 2 sign. 7:07

By this point I was pretty sure that my goal of reeling in the first woman in the third mile was probably not happening. She was gaining ground on me and not showing any signs of faltering. So I just tried to pick up my pace and get back to sub 7:00. I knew that there was a longer hill in the middle of the mile, so I had it in my head that once I crested that I would really go for it. I'm not sure how successful I was, but I tried! I never saw a mile 3 marker, but once I heard that Garmin beep I tried to pick up my turnover even more. 6:58

I could see the clock for the last long straight away and watched the seconds in 21 minutes ticking away. I was trying my hardest and thought I might make it, but I saw 22 right before I crossed the line. 1:08 (.17 - 6:51 pace)

Final time: 22:02
2nd woman
6th overall

When I finished the race I felt like it had been relatively hilly. Not steep hills, but lots of rollers. I will note that when chatting with the winner afterwards, I kept my mouth shut when she mentioned how hilly it is running in Frederick and that it was nice to run on such a flat course. Garmin data backs her up and shows I totally distorted reality. Total elevation gain was 33 feet.

I talked with the winner and her friend for a while after the race and they tried to convince me to run another 5k that was being held a few blocks over at 2pm. When I mentioned the wedding at 3:00, they told me the faster I ran, the sooner I could get there! While this was tempting, I didn't see my brother or new sister-in-law being too thrilled with that idea. Perhaps if I had raced in my bridesmaid dress...

The other highlight of this race was breaking out my new neon orange Nikes. They just look speedy and I have never gotten so many compliments on a pair of running shoes. Big round of applause for Nike for making the Pegasus in so many fun colors. I wish other shoe companies would follow their lead.