On July 10th, I finished my 6th 1/2 marathon in 6 consecutive months. It graduated me up to two moon status on the Half Fanatics...which everyone dreads because it landed me on Uranus LOL! This was the last race that my sister-in-law, Andrea, needed to qualify for the Half Fanatics and also my stepson's first 1/2 marathon in over 6 months.
We chose to go to Ocean Shores the day before and enjoy the beach. The weather was perfect all weekend so all the kids came down with me and even my father-in-law came down for the day. I have never been to Ocean Shores on such a warm day.
The downfall to bringing everyone was that we had to share beds and a room. It was tight quarters which causes me to get VERY little sleep. Bryce (my 3 year old) didn't do to well going to bed. He was up until midnight and finally fell asleep on the floor with my pillow. I shared my bed with my 12 year old, Ashley, but she moves around a lot in her sleep. Bryce had several nightmares all night and kept screaming out. Needless to say, VERY little sleep for me. I had to be up at 5:30am.
Morning came way to quick! I arose in the morning and tiptoed around Bryce. He was laying right in front of the only bathroom door. I grabbed my clothes and changed in the bathroom as quietly as possible. I snuck into the living room area and woke up Andrea and Devin. They also snuck around Bryce and we got out of the room as quickly as possible before waking anyone else up.
We hit the Tully's for water then went to the park to wait for the race to begin. I ran into a few other Half Fanatics including #10 Bullseye Bob Martin. Thank goodness we got there early because they actually started the race about 15 minutes early. The first 1.5 miles of the race were spent weaving through town towards the ocean. Very flat and nice, open spaces to run in...just the way I like it. I was hoping for a PR today if all went well. As soon as we saw the beach ahead I prepared for the worst.
The beach entrance was loose sand that filled my shoes early. Big divets made it hard to maneuver through and I spent a lot of the time just trying to bunny hop into the holes that other runners already created. Once we got to the hard packed sand, running was easier. Felt almost like a trail run (which reminds me, I need to train with the Dirty Girls more!). The best sight on the beach was about a mile into it...there was a baby seal sunbathing.
So, the total distance on the beach was 1.5 miles then back on to the soft, sinking sand until we hit the pavement again. Too bad for me my stomach was starting to act up so I hit the honeybucket. I felt my PR slipping away. :( Back on the pavement, Andrea and I kept running along. Devin passed us and as far as we could tell, he was in 12th place! Bullseye Bob high-fived us too. At the halfway mark, we turned around and started back. Andrea told me to go ahead.
The next 1.5 miles were pretty uneventful until... I almost got trampled to death by two young deer! I am not even exaggerating! They went hopping across the road like a game of tag only feet from me. My heart was beating so fast and I couldn't stop shaking. Oh no, stomach started to act up again. Must have been the terrible dinner from the night before. I hit the same honeybucket as before. When I was waiting in line, Andrea wished me luck and went ahead.
Several minutes later, I was finally back bunny hopping over the sand dunes to get to the ocean. I wish I lived closer to the beach. It was very peaceful to see and hear the waves as I ran by. The seal was still sunbathing on the beach too. Brought a smile to my face. It wasn't until I came up to the soft sand again that I finally started walking.
I was suffering from my usual leg "tingling" so I couldn't feel my right foot/leg. My stomach was killing me and my mind was starting to give in to it all. I forced myself to run again and was able to run the for a while. As I hit the bridge on the home stretch, I finally had to stop and stretch my foot out. The arch of my right foot was cramping so bad I was almost in tears. The sand had taken up any spare room in my shoe and it was suffering. No PR for me :(
I crossed the finish line at 2:15:12. Not my best, not my worst. I wish I could take off the time for the honeybuckets. That would have dropped me down to the 2:10 range, but oh well. Devin ended up finishing with a PR and 17th place overall! Andrea got a new PR as well. I was just happy to finish. I highly recommend this course to others but be prepared for the sand!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Vancouver USA 1/2 Marathon
Okay, okay...I know I said I would write more often...but I have a good excuse...the sun has finally decided to arrive in Washington and I have been taking full advantage of it! I have been avoiding my computer and my only connection to the internet is through my phone since I am outside most of the time. Okay, excuses over. Here is my recap of the inaugural Vancouver USA Marathon.
Erik and I took the 3+ hour drive down to Vancouver on Friday evening for packet pick-up and to enjoy the expo. I am so happy we did because we got to meet Bart Yasso who was MCing the race. He was such an amazing runner to chat with! A great inspiration :)
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We walked around the expo for a little while and I bought a new hand held water bottle and a magnet for the back of my car that says "13.1 Miles because I'm only HALF crazy". Yep, that pretty much sums me up :) We walked around the expo until it closed then went to the park across the street to let Bryce play. This is also where the start and finish line would be for Sunday. A little while later, we made the 3+ hour trek home.
Saturday
Erik had to work so we couldn't head out of town as early as we would have liked. Once he was finally off work we took off for Lacey to stay at Andrea's house (my sister-in-law). This is her 2nd race towards becoming a Half Fanatic! We stopped for dinner at the Adriatic Grill. If you haven't eaten there, you should! DEE-LISH!
Sunday
Another early race day for us. Up at 4:45am to be out the door by 5:30am. Even from Lacey it was still a 2 hour ride to Vancouver. Erik, Andrea, and I hit the usual Starbucks stop for our black coffees and a bite to eat on the ride down. Once in Vancouver, we found close parking and went into the Hilton for a much needed potty break. We started chatting with other excited runners about the race, our past favorite and least favorite races, and just general chit chat. It turns out that one of the girls I was talking to you is running the Ragnar Relay team that I am an alternate for (Hi Lizzie!).
Race start:
It was a pretty warm morning out before the race had even began. We inched our way into the starting corral and wished each other luck. As Bart sounded the beginning of the race we all started towards the start line. Warning: What I am about to write may offend some people! Let me preface by saying I have no problem with walkers doing these events, however, there is a certain etiquette that if you plan to walk from the beginning...PLEASE line up in the back of the pack! My only pet peeve with this race was that there was a large group of walkers (I'm talking 50-100 people) lined up at the front line of the race and when the gun sounded many runners had to wiggle and weave around them to get into the open. The first 2 miles of the race were in the heart of town and having the obstacles of dodging walkers on top of it added to even greater congestion at the start of the race.
Okay, back to my recap. 1 mile into the race, Andrea and I were already sweating. It was pretty humid out and even though I was in a skirt I was still feeling the heat. We had also agreed to try and run together as long as possible today but not hold one another back. If one of us needed to back off then the other runner was free to go. We maintained a nice speed over the next few miles. I was attempting to go for a sub-2 half marathon yet again. Stay tuned to see what happens :)
At around mile 3 I got a "I'm #3" from Tony Phillippi as he went flying by me. I know I say it all the time but I love being a Half Fanatic! It's such a great group of runners who always take time to chat with one another even during a race. Andrea was saying she didn't think she could keep my pace but I convinced her to try to go to at least mile 5 before we walked. She agreed to hang in there.
Over the next 1 1/2 miles, we would joke around that every time our bodies wanted to tell us to walk, it always looked like there was a nice downhill grade ahead and we should just run through it. Andrea was a real trooper!
At around mile 4.5 Andrea finally had to back off of the pace I was going. I wished her luck and told her I would see her later. I told myself that I could take a mini walk break at the 10k marker. Lucky for me the 10k marker was up the only hill of the course! As always, a fellow runner cheered me up the hill. She saud the magic words, "You are almost there!" as I took my little walk break which made me want to run up the hill! I only walked twice here for the 2 plateaus but ran up the actual hill, YEAH ME!
At the very top of the hill was a much needed water stop. I grabbed my water, played hopscotch over the train tracks and ran as fast as I could down the longest hill of the whole course. I felt like I was flying! The next couple of miles were beautiful. The course took us out along the river and cool breeze felt wonderful on the humid morning. My next goal was to run until I hit mile 10. I was still pacing a sub-2!
At mile 10.5, I did take that walk break. It was very brief but just what I needed to regain my legs. I forgot to mention that my right leg from my knee down had been numb/asleep. This little walk break allowed me to rotate my ankle around and get a little feeling back in my foot. It stung every time I took a step while it had that numb feeling. I finally fell off my pace. At this point I was set to finish around 2:02-2:03, which is still a PR.
What is it about those last 2 miles lately? They seem to just murder me! At mile 11.5-11.7 my mind look over and convinced my legs that they had had enough. I had to alternate run/walk breaks for a while and gather my mojo. At mile 12 the worst thing happened. As I was turning a corner a volunteer yelled, "Only one more hill to go!" My mind yelled back, "WHAT?!?!" I was pretty sure that with the numb feeling in my leg and the humidity rising rapidly that there was no way I could finish at the pace I was going. I gave in and had to do the run/walk alternating pattern for the next mile. I would rather finish healthy then to hurt myself for a PR.
As I ran in town towards the finish line, my Nike+GPS told me I had hit the 13.1 mile marker. I looked around and couldn't find it anywhere! Oh man, either my calibration was off or their's was. I'm going to say it was theirs because my GPS matched all the other mile markers and Erik's Garmin and Nike +GPS also finished with the same mileage as mine :( As I approached the real finish line, I could see and hear Bart congratulating runners. I gave the camera my best double peace sign and willed my legs to carry me to the end.
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The best part after a half marathon, the beer garden!
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Erik and I took the 3+ hour drive down to Vancouver on Friday evening for packet pick-up and to enjoy the expo. I am so happy we did because we got to meet Bart Yasso who was MCing the race. He was such an amazing runner to chat with! A great inspiration :)
Saturday
Erik had to work so we couldn't head out of town as early as we would have liked. Once he was finally off work we took off for Lacey to stay at Andrea's house (my sister-in-law). This is her 2nd race towards becoming a Half Fanatic! We stopped for dinner at the Adriatic Grill. If you haven't eaten there, you should! DEE-LISH!
Sunday
Another early race day for us. Up at 4:45am to be out the door by 5:30am. Even from Lacey it was still a 2 hour ride to Vancouver. Erik, Andrea, and I hit the usual Starbucks stop for our black coffees and a bite to eat on the ride down. Once in Vancouver, we found close parking and went into the Hilton for a much needed potty break. We started chatting with other excited runners about the race, our past favorite and least favorite races, and just general chit chat. It turns out that one of the girls I was talking to you is running the Ragnar Relay team that I am an alternate for (Hi Lizzie!).
Race start:
It was a pretty warm morning out before the race had even began. We inched our way into the starting corral and wished each other luck. As Bart sounded the beginning of the race we all started towards the start line. Warning: What I am about to write may offend some people! Let me preface by saying I have no problem with walkers doing these events, however, there is a certain etiquette that if you plan to walk from the beginning...PLEASE line up in the back of the pack! My only pet peeve with this race was that there was a large group of walkers (I'm talking 50-100 people) lined up at the front line of the race and when the gun sounded many runners had to wiggle and weave around them to get into the open. The first 2 miles of the race were in the heart of town and having the obstacles of dodging walkers on top of it added to even greater congestion at the start of the race.
Okay, back to my recap. 1 mile into the race, Andrea and I were already sweating. It was pretty humid out and even though I was in a skirt I was still feeling the heat. We had also agreed to try and run together as long as possible today but not hold one another back. If one of us needed to back off then the other runner was free to go. We maintained a nice speed over the next few miles. I was attempting to go for a sub-2 half marathon yet again. Stay tuned to see what happens :)
At around mile 3 I got a "I'm #3" from Tony Phillippi as he went flying by me. I know I say it all the time but I love being a Half Fanatic! It's such a great group of runners who always take time to chat with one another even during a race. Andrea was saying she didn't think she could keep my pace but I convinced her to try to go to at least mile 5 before we walked. She agreed to hang in there.
Over the next 1 1/2 miles, we would joke around that every time our bodies wanted to tell us to walk, it always looked like there was a nice downhill grade ahead and we should just run through it. Andrea was a real trooper!
At around mile 4.5 Andrea finally had to back off of the pace I was going. I wished her luck and told her I would see her later. I told myself that I could take a mini walk break at the 10k marker. Lucky for me the 10k marker was up the only hill of the course! As always, a fellow runner cheered me up the hill. She saud the magic words, "You are almost there!" as I took my little walk break which made me want to run up the hill! I only walked twice here for the 2 plateaus but ran up the actual hill, YEAH ME!
At the very top of the hill was a much needed water stop. I grabbed my water, played hopscotch over the train tracks and ran as fast as I could down the longest hill of the whole course. I felt like I was flying! The next couple of miles were beautiful. The course took us out along the river and cool breeze felt wonderful on the humid morning. My next goal was to run until I hit mile 10. I was still pacing a sub-2!
At mile 10.5, I did take that walk break. It was very brief but just what I needed to regain my legs. I forgot to mention that my right leg from my knee down had been numb/asleep. This little walk break allowed me to rotate my ankle around and get a little feeling back in my foot. It stung every time I took a step while it had that numb feeling. I finally fell off my pace. At this point I was set to finish around 2:02-2:03, which is still a PR.
What is it about those last 2 miles lately? They seem to just murder me! At mile 11.5-11.7 my mind look over and convinced my legs that they had had enough. I had to alternate run/walk breaks for a while and gather my mojo. At mile 12 the worst thing happened. As I was turning a corner a volunteer yelled, "Only one more hill to go!" My mind yelled back, "WHAT?!?!" I was pretty sure that with the numb feeling in my leg and the humidity rising rapidly that there was no way I could finish at the pace I was going. I gave in and had to do the run/walk alternating pattern for the next mile. I would rather finish healthy then to hurt myself for a PR.
As I ran in town towards the finish line, my Nike+GPS told me I had hit the 13.1 mile marker. I looked around and couldn't find it anywhere! Oh man, either my calibration was off or their's was. I'm going to say it was theirs because my GPS matched all the other mile markers and Erik's Garmin and Nike +GPS also finished with the same mileage as mine :( As I approached the real finish line, I could see and hear Bart congratulating runners. I gave the camera my best double peace sign and willed my legs to carry me to the end.
Who would have guessed what happened next? By looking at the picture above you wouldn't be able to guess I was totally exhausted and fatigued, right? Well, I crossed the finish line and grabbed my water. As I started going towards the girl handing out medals my stomach started to act up. The poor girl kept trying to put the medal around my neck but I finally took it from her hand and walked as fast as I could towards the side of the road. That's when the humidity took it's toll...I began vomiting all over. Ughhh! How embarrassing. A guy runner came over to me and asked if I need the aid car. I said no. Then he asked if he could help. I said, "Can you open my water please?" I washed myself off with the water, thanked him and headed towards the crowd to find Erik.
Andrea finished about 9 minutes after me for a new PR! Erik (in his first 1/2 since injury) didn't get a PR but finished with an amazing 2:02:01. As for me, here are my stats:
Chip Time: 2:08:32
Age Place: 37/142
Overall Place: 516/1418
Sex Place Overall: 201/912
So that means according to the chip time I missed my PR by 32 seconds. On the plus side: mine and my husband's GPS's showed that the mileage was off by .16 miles...I guess I will secretly count it as a PR =D
Age Place: 37/142
Overall Place: 516/1418
Sex Place Overall: 201/912
So that means according to the chip time I missed my PR by 32 seconds. On the plus side: mine and my husband's GPS's showed that the mileage was off by .16 miles...I guess I will secretly count it as a PR =D
Here are my splits per mile as well:
| 1 | 9:44 | 9'44"/mi |
| 2 | 19:15 | 9'31"/mi |
| 3 | 28:49 | 9'34"/mi |
| 4 | 37:48 | 8'59"/mi |
| 5 | 47:05 | 9'16"/mi |
| 6 | 56:24 | 9'20"/mi |
| 7 | 1:07:11 | 10'47"/mi |
| 8 | 1:16:21 | 9'10"/mi |
| 9 | 1:25:57 | 9'36"/mi |
| 10 | 1:35:42 | 9'45"/mi |
| 11 | 1:45:48 | 10'06"/mi |
| 12 | 1:56:08 | 10'20"/mi |
| 13 | 2:06:43 | 10'35"/mi |
The best part after a half marathon, the beer garden!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
I've been slacking!
On my writing...but definitely NOT on my running! I haven't had a lot to write about lately. Most of my recent runs over the last month have been short and sweet due to being sick. Dr. Rice diagnosed me with Chronic Cryptic Tonsillitis. Having a swollen throat/neck/tonsils made any long runs nearly impossible so I focused on speed work.
I stuck to a plan of treadmill running throughout most of this time. I did speed intervals that focused on .75 miles of jogging at 6.0-6.4mph then running .25 miles at 7.0-8.2mph. Another workout I did repeatedly was short (2 mile) runs at quick speeds. Usually maintaining around 7.0mph.
On my outside running excursions, I ran with a neighbor, Gianna. We are signed up together for the Race for a Soldier 1/2 Marathon. She has never ran that far and asked me to join her so she could start upping her mileage. Of course, I am happy to help!
Today, the hubby and I got out and ran our furthest outside run in a while. For me, it was my longest run since the Capital City 1/2. For him, it has been since his injury in February. We busted out a great paced 10.7 mile run all around our neighboring areas. Our average pace was 9'13"/mile! Looks like that speed work may be paying off!!!
Next up, Vancouver USA 1/2 Marathon next Sunday. Wish me luck!
I stuck to a plan of treadmill running throughout most of this time. I did speed intervals that focused on .75 miles of jogging at 6.0-6.4mph then running .25 miles at 7.0-8.2mph. Another workout I did repeatedly was short (2 mile) runs at quick speeds. Usually maintaining around 7.0mph.
On my outside running excursions, I ran with a neighbor, Gianna. We are signed up together for the Race for a Soldier 1/2 Marathon. She has never ran that far and asked me to join her so she could start upping her mileage. Of course, I am happy to help!
Today, the hubby and I got out and ran our furthest outside run in a while. For me, it was my longest run since the Capital City 1/2. For him, it has been since his injury in February. We busted out a great paced 10.7 mile run all around our neighboring areas. Our average pace was 9'13"/mile! Looks like that speed work may be paying off!!!
Next up, Vancouver USA 1/2 Marathon next Sunday. Wish me luck!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Run It Forward, Bridge 2 Bridge
Despite still being sick and being on antibiotics, I was signed up for yet another race. Erik and I ran the Run It Forward Bridge 2 Bridge run in Bremerton on May 28th (which also happened to be Erik's birthday).
Erik had went out the day before and bought us matching tech shirts...aww cute. The only downfall to the cute shirts were that they were both tank tops, not the best thing on a chilly Saturday morning in the Pacific Northwest. I still chose to wear the tank along with my running skirt. I knew that I would get warm once the race started so I threw on a lightweight jacket and hoped for the best.
We got to packet pickup really early and went over to Starbucks to enjoy some coffee and heat before the race. We had a lot of fun chatting with the barista and another runner at the bar. I recognized the shirt the runner was wearing as a You Go Girl shirt from last year's race. We talked about our plans for this year's races.
At race start we were all herded like sheep to the meeting spot under the ferry terminal. Good thing we followed, I would have never looked under there for the start of the race. The Bremerton High School football coach and the Bremerton mayor said some nice opening comments then they sounded the whistle. We began the run by going through the new tunnel. It's very beautiful in there...but the GPS doesn't work AT ALL! As we came out of the tunnel, we made a sharp 90 degree turn onto Burwell.
On Washington, the runners started to spread out. Thank goodness! The sidewalks here were all in disarray. I was averaging a good pace for the first mile but knew I wouldn't be able to keep it the whole way through. My throat was starting to swell up. We crossed over the Manette Bridge and made the turn towards the first big hill. Average pace: 9'05"/mile
At the Bremerton YMCA, I had to finally stop and take my jacket off. I also pulled a cough drop out of my pocket and enjoyed some relief on my throat. Erik was kind enough to walk with me through this pit stop. I told him to keep going but he insisted on waiting for me. Up, up, up the long steady hill...slow and steady. I kept telling myself, "This is what you train for! This is where others stop and you can gain on them!" It was true. I passed others that had slowed to a walk. I may not have been going very fast but it was faster than walking. Average pace: 9'25"/mile
I finally convinced Erik to keep running his pace because I knew I was struggling. He kept going and looked great! This was his first race in months and he felt good. As I approached the Warren Avenue Bridge, I knew there was one last hill to conquer. My throat was so swollen at this point despite the cough drop and I was really struggling to breathe. I took the hill in intervals. I would run light post to light post, then walk light post to light post. This was the last time I saw Erik until the end of the race. Average pace: 9'50"/mile
Once I got onto Warren Bridge...I ran! It was a wonderful downhill grade with a nice breeze. The cough drop was finally doing it's job and I had an airway. I cruised along and headed towards the home stretch. As I made the turn towards Evergreen State Park, I passed a father and daughter. The daughter was only 9 years old and she looked so upset that she was walking. I encouraged her as I ran by and she started to pick up the pace.
One last hill to get up then it was back onto the bad sidewalks of Washington and back to the ferry terminal. I kept telling myself, "Finish strong! You can rest when it's over!" My body must have been listening because I ran with everything I had. I could see the race clock and it was counting towards 40 minutes. I wanted to finish in under 40 so I ran! As I crossed the finish line, my average pace on my GPS said 7'33"/mile.
The race clock said I had finished at 39'54". I wonder what it will be like to run a race healthy again? I know I have more in me and I hated having to walk in a 4.4 mile race. On the plus side, That is just over 5 minutes more than my very first ever 5K so... I can't complain too much. To be able to run almost 1.5 miles more in almost the same time shows progress. That is what really matters to me.
Erik finished the race 4th in his age group and 33rd overall. I finished 7th or 8th in my age group and 49th overall. I'm sure if Erik wouldn't have stayed with me in the beginning he would have easily been in the top 3 in his age group but he is a great husband who is always thinking of others first. Next year, I plan on being healthy and kicking this race's butt!
Erik had went out the day before and bought us matching tech shirts...aww cute. The only downfall to the cute shirts were that they were both tank tops, not the best thing on a chilly Saturday morning in the Pacific Northwest. I still chose to wear the tank along with my running skirt. I knew that I would get warm once the race started so I threw on a lightweight jacket and hoped for the best.
We got to packet pickup really early and went over to Starbucks to enjoy some coffee and heat before the race. We had a lot of fun chatting with the barista and another runner at the bar. I recognized the shirt the runner was wearing as a You Go Girl shirt from last year's race. We talked about our plans for this year's races.
At race start we were all herded like sheep to the meeting spot under the ferry terminal. Good thing we followed, I would have never looked under there for the start of the race. The Bremerton High School football coach and the Bremerton mayor said some nice opening comments then they sounded the whistle. We began the run by going through the new tunnel. It's very beautiful in there...but the GPS doesn't work AT ALL! As we came out of the tunnel, we made a sharp 90 degree turn onto Burwell.
On Washington, the runners started to spread out. Thank goodness! The sidewalks here were all in disarray. I was averaging a good pace for the first mile but knew I wouldn't be able to keep it the whole way through. My throat was starting to swell up. We crossed over the Manette Bridge and made the turn towards the first big hill. Average pace: 9'05"/mile
At the Bremerton YMCA, I had to finally stop and take my jacket off. I also pulled a cough drop out of my pocket and enjoyed some relief on my throat. Erik was kind enough to walk with me through this pit stop. I told him to keep going but he insisted on waiting for me. Up, up, up the long steady hill...slow and steady. I kept telling myself, "This is what you train for! This is where others stop and you can gain on them!" It was true. I passed others that had slowed to a walk. I may not have been going very fast but it was faster than walking. Average pace: 9'25"/mile
I finally convinced Erik to keep running his pace because I knew I was struggling. He kept going and looked great! This was his first race in months and he felt good. As I approached the Warren Avenue Bridge, I knew there was one last hill to conquer. My throat was so swollen at this point despite the cough drop and I was really struggling to breathe. I took the hill in intervals. I would run light post to light post, then walk light post to light post. This was the last time I saw Erik until the end of the race. Average pace: 9'50"/mile
Once I got onto Warren Bridge...I ran! It was a wonderful downhill grade with a nice breeze. The cough drop was finally doing it's job and I had an airway. I cruised along and headed towards the home stretch. As I made the turn towards Evergreen State Park, I passed a father and daughter. The daughter was only 9 years old and she looked so upset that she was walking. I encouraged her as I ran by and she started to pick up the pace.
One last hill to get up then it was back onto the bad sidewalks of Washington and back to the ferry terminal. I kept telling myself, "Finish strong! You can rest when it's over!" My body must have been listening because I ran with everything I had. I could see the race clock and it was counting towards 40 minutes. I wanted to finish in under 40 so I ran! As I crossed the finish line, my average pace on my GPS said 7'33"/mile.
The race clock said I had finished at 39'54". I wonder what it will be like to run a race healthy again? I know I have more in me and I hated having to walk in a 4.4 mile race. On the plus side, That is just over 5 minutes more than my very first ever 5K so... I can't complain too much. To be able to run almost 1.5 miles more in almost the same time shows progress. That is what really matters to me.
Erik finished the race 4th in his age group and 33rd overall. I finished 7th or 8th in my age group and 49th overall. I'm sure if Erik wouldn't have stayed with me in the beginning he would have easily been in the top 3 in his age group but he is a great husband who is always thinking of others first. Next year, I plan on being healthy and kicking this race's butt!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Capital City 1/2 Marathon
I just realized it's been a while since my last post...sorry.
Here is a recap on yesterday's race!
To start off with, my 3 year old has been tremendously sick over the last week. He had double ear infections and 103.9 temperature. He was also kind enough to share his nasty cold with his momma before this race. Friday evening I felt the crud coming on so I knew I was pretty much doomed.
Saturday, my sister-in-law Andrea, came and picked me up and we went to the expo to pick up our racing bibs. The tech shirts that they handed out are by far my favorite shirts I have received from a race yet. Red, long sleeved with thumb holes, 1/4 zip tech shirts...AWESOME! Also, the bag that they came in was a great reusable runners bag. It's the race's 30th anniversary so they had nice giveaways. At the expo, I also scored some wonderful new Brooks Adrenaline GTS shoes for $20! Another bonus :)
Here is a recap on yesterday's race!
To start off with, my 3 year old has been tremendously sick over the last week. He had double ear infections and 103.9 temperature. He was also kind enough to share his nasty cold with his momma before this race. Friday evening I felt the crud coming on so I knew I was pretty much doomed.
Saturday, my sister-in-law Andrea, came and picked me up and we went to the expo to pick up our racing bibs. The tech shirts that they handed out are by far my favorite shirts I have received from a race yet. Red, long sleeved with thumb holes, 1/4 zip tech shirts...AWESOME! Also, the bag that they came in was a great reusable runners bag. It's the race's 30th anniversary so they had nice giveaways. At the expo, I also scored some wonderful new Brooks Adrenaline GTS shoes for $20! Another bonus :)
That evening, I started my new pre-race ritual...coconut water. I kept hearing how wonderful it was, tried it last week and loved it. So I drank a coconut water, carb loaded (like always), took some cold medicine, and went to bed early. I didn't sleep well because I wasn't able to breathe well but oh well, I never sleep well before a race day.
The next morning I woke up at 5:30am. The rain was already pouring down (quite the difference from the day before which was 65-70 degrees and sunny). This was going to be my first race in the rain...and did I mention I was totally sick?!? I changed my plans on my attire. Originally, I was going to wear my Half Fanatics shirt and a running skirt. Instead, I wore my Half Fanatics shirt, capris, a jacket and a hat (which thankfully Erik brought for me at last minute). I had two pieces of toast, more coconut water and we were off to the race.
I knew going into this race that it was very doubtful that I was going to PR. I decided early that since I was sick my only goal was to just finish. I made a deal with Andrea that I would pace her and run with her through her second half marathon (she is also on her way to becoming a Half Fanatic). I told her that I was there to support her and if she needed to stop, we would stop...if she wanted to run, we would run.
The lines for the honey buckets before the race were actually wrapped around the street corner so I didn't get my pre-race potty break :( We agreed that we would hit a honeybucket during the race. Since I wasn't attempting to PR, I was fine with that agreement.
It was a crowded race start. The totals showed 1200+ people ran the 1/2 marathon. I know to most that isn't a lot but for this race the pack never seemed to separate. Andrea and I started the race with a nice pace. Nothing to hard. We were also soaked within minutes from the rain and the other runners splashing water up from the puddles. Average pace: 10'20"/mile.
Mile 2-3 was the first hill that we came across. It was a steady, gradual, uphill climb that went on for almost 3 miles total. We along with many of the runners were laughing about the fact that we were swimming upstream and that this race should really be called a triathlon. We expected bikes to waiting at the finish line. :) The one downfall to this whole race was this leg of it. The portion of the road was open to traffic and people were driving like maniacs. Not cool man. Average pace: 10'02"/mile and 9'58"/mile
Mile 4-5 We finally stopped for the honeybucket. Too bad many of the runners had the same idea! That little detour took 3 minutes of our time. Darn! Still running well and breathing well. My sinuses finally opened up and I could breath easier than I had the first 5 miles. Average pace: 10'03"/mile and 14'07"/mile.
Mile 6 Lack of oxygen started setting in (or so Andrea likes to refer to it). We really started laughing and having fun at this point. I was running with my iPod on speaker so Andrea and I were rocking out to my "beer/drinking" songs. We got passed by the 3 lead marathon runners. Did I mention they were on mile 19 at this point and we were on mile 6.5? There were lots of cowbells for the next 7 miles and every time we ran by someone with one, Andrea and I would yell out, "We need more cowbell!" Average pace: 10'17"/mile
Miles 7-9 Still plugging along. Laughing, puddle jumping, and almost no walking! Bring on the cowbell! I really enjoyed running with Andrea. She is a lot like me in the fact that we enjoy the race. We take time to thank the volunteers, spectators, and just enjoy the sights. People were standing out in the rain cheering us on and we would always take the time to say thanks as we ran by. Erik was amazing through the last half of the race as well. He joined us at around mile 8.5 and paced us and encouraged us for the remaining miles. Average paces: 10'38"/mile, 10'29"/mile, and 10'14"/mile.
Mile 10...Grrr...the final hill. This one took it's toll on us. We alternated between walking and running up it. The rain was still coming down but the wind had picked up on this portion of the course and it was not a lot of fun. Average pace: 10'47"/mile
Mile 11 Fatigue started to set in for us. The support of the crowd and Erik were so helpful and it really helped push us through. Average pace: 10'37"/mile
Mile 12 My stupid cold gave me the vomiting feeling. Stupid post-nasal drip. Had to walk for a moment but otherwise I was good to go. Average pace: 10'17"/mile
Mile 13 I was so happy to finish still standing! We were laughing at a couple of funny things going to the finish line. There was a woman standing outside her house with her own "volunteer" table set up with a sign and dixie cups that said "Ice Cold Beer"...AWESOME! As we approached the finish line there was an ambulance waiting with it's doors wide open, which I exclaimed, "Oh good, my ride is here!" Andrea started to slow down a little and I told her, "Come on girl, you got this! Don't stop now!" She sped up and finished side by side with me. It was great! Andrea had friends waiting at the end of the race with signs up and my father-in-law even showed up to cheer us on! Average pace: 10'14"/mile
So there you have it. Another race in the books. That was #4 for the year. Sick or not...I am still a smiling runner. =D
I love my amazing family!
My Nike time showed 2:18:51 (I never stopped the clock BTW)
The race results showed: 2:20:43
Overall place: 821/1212
Age place: 88/143
Female place: 427/741
P.S....I went to the doctor today. Yep it's a sinus infection and possible tonsillitis/strep throat. 10 worth of antibiotics for me :) It was worth it!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Tacoma City Marathon
What a great last minute decision! I got invited to run on a relay team with the Dirty Girls (a local group who does trail running). The race was divided between 5 legs that varied between 3.9 and 6 miles. My leg was leg 2 and it was 4.8 miles long.
I got up at 4:30am to get ready and go meet my team in Gig Harbor. I drove to Starbucks for my usual pre-race tradition...bad news, they weren't open!!! Ugh. I tried Cutter's Point...no go. I even tried Fred Meyer...same thing. Apparently, nothing opens by 5:30am in Gig Harbor on a Sunday morning. I guess I was running the race with no food or coffee. Thank goodness my leg was less than 5 miles.
Oh yeah, this was our ride for the race:
I was pacing in the high 8 minute miles for the first 4 miles. Then as I passed through the tunnel something bad happened. I'm not sure if it was the fumes, the sounds, the motion of the speeding car flying by me, or the fact I hadn't eaten but I got out of the tunnel and started gagging! Uncontrollably!!! Ugh, I hate my stomach sometimes. I continued to walk but it definitely slowed my pace for about 30 seconds to a minute. Once I was finally able to catch my breath, I started running again. The final hill was a doozy. I passed people who were walking up it and turned the corner. There were my Dirty Girls cheering me on! I willed my legs to sprint and finished as strong as I could and tagged Gwen so she could take on the 5 mile drive leg though Pt. Defiance.
I stopped running and tried to catch my breath. I then realized I had forgotten to stop my watch. So my GPS said I finished in 44:10. I think with the gagging and forgetting it really was about a minute less than that. We didn't have far to drive for the next hand off. I was able to stretch in the van and enjoy some Gatorade. At the next hand off we decided to goof-off a little and take some pics.
When Gwen came out of the park she tagged Kjerstin. We all hopped in the Dirty Van and took off to Cheney Stadium. It's amazing how much territory we covered! At Cheney, Nichole was able to get out and stretch. She did all the driving leading up to this point so she really wanted to focus here. We were watching the volunteer at the water station struggle to get the cups filled. There were only 2 volunteers at this stop. One for the Gatorade and one for the water. Gwen and I stepped in and helped him fill cups. Another guy from a relay team also jumped in to help. Between the 3 of us, we were able to help him get the 3 bottles emptied and fill an entire table with cups of water.
At the final leg, Kjerstin tagged Nichole and we hopped in the Dirty Van to head back into downtown. Our plan was to finish as a group. The only rule was that Nichole had to cross the finish line before any of us or else it would register a false time. We didn't have a lot of time because this leg was only 3.9 miles but we made it in time. We saw Nichole running hard! I gave Alexa my jacket and we all finished as a team. :) It was so much fun!!!
I got up at 4:30am to get ready and go meet my team in Gig Harbor. I drove to Starbucks for my usual pre-race tradition...bad news, they weren't open!!! Ugh. I tried Cutter's Point...no go. I even tried Fred Meyer...same thing. Apparently, nothing opens by 5:30am in Gig Harbor on a Sunday morning. I guess I was running the race with no food or coffee. Thank goodness my leg was less than 5 miles.
Oh yeah, this was our ride for the race:
We got to the art museum and met up with the rest of the other Dirty Girls Relay Team #1 for a photo shoot. Alexa Martin wrote a book called "Girl Wonder" and Gateway was taking photos for it. :) It was a lot of fun to be a part of this wonderful group. Especially since I really didn't know anyone leading up to today. They were very kind and greeted me like I had known them forever!
Jina Benson took leg 1. It was 5.7 miles long. We stood at the start line and cheered her on as she took off. As soon as she was out of our sight, we headed to our leg 2 hand off destination. It was here that we decided to add some warrior paint to ourselves. Why not? Let's make this race fun! As we were standing at the hand off spot, I saw a few people I know come running by and was able to cheer them on. I saw my online friend Claudia, 4:15 pacer Ginger, several people from the Route 16 crew, and of course tons of Marathon Maniacs and Half Fanatics! Then around the corner we saw Jina! We yelled for her and she finished so strong. She did awesome! We tagged off and I took off!
My leg was flat and pretty! I ran along the water on Ruston Way for several miles. It's funny running in a relay, you have fresh legs so you are able to pass people when they are tired. It's a good and a bad feeling. Good because you feel even stronger and you push harder...bad because you know you haven't been running nearly as long as them :) I was able to pound up the first hill rather quickly passing several men along the way. The funniest sight here was the police man with the speed gun faced at me! Also, as I ran along Ruston I had several people calling out, "go Sexy Girl!" becuase of my war paint on my face :)
I stopped running and tried to catch my breath. I then realized I had forgotten to stop my watch. So my GPS said I finished in 44:10. I think with the gagging and forgetting it really was about a minute less than that. We didn't have far to drive for the next hand off. I was able to stretch in the van and enjoy some Gatorade. At the next hand off we decided to goof-off a little and take some pics.
When Gwen came out of the park she tagged Kjerstin. We all hopped in the Dirty Van and took off to Cheney Stadium. It's amazing how much territory we covered! At Cheney, Nichole was able to get out and stretch. She did all the driving leading up to this point so she really wanted to focus here. We were watching the volunteer at the water station struggle to get the cups filled. There were only 2 volunteers at this stop. One for the Gatorade and one for the water. Gwen and I stepped in and helped him fill cups. Another guy from a relay team also jumped in to help. Between the 3 of us, we were able to help him get the 3 bottles emptied and fill an entire table with cups of water.
At the final leg, Kjerstin tagged Nichole and we hopped in the Dirty Van to head back into downtown. Our plan was to finish as a group. The only rule was that Nichole had to cross the finish line before any of us or else it would register a false time. We didn't have a lot of time because this leg was only 3.9 miles but we made it in time. We saw Nichole running hard! I gave Alexa my jacket and we all finished as a team. :) It was so much fun!!!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
A new PR!
Today with the help of my amazing hubby, I set a new PR for the 5K! 25:34!!! Before today, my fastest time was 27:04 so it was great to take almost a minute and a half off of my previous time. Erik is recovering from an injury so he is rebuilding his mileage right now. He wanted to go for a 4 mile run and wanted a running partner. I gladly accepted that task. I am so happy I did! Thanks for pushing me to go faster than ever before. It's nice to have a running partner who is faster than you. =D
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