Last weekend I participated in the Vibha Dream Mile 10k. I say "participated" rather than ran, because I discovered shortly into the race that I had reached that point in this pregnancy where the limiting factor is not my legs or my lungs or my energy level, but my bladder. It's a good thing it was an out and back course, because that meant I passed the 2 porta-potties along the trail on the way out and on the way back. Yes, I had to stop 4 times over 6.2 miles. By the end I was walking except when a bathroom was within sight. Amazingly, I wasn't the absolute last finisher, but suffice to say I was not competitive in the least. Obviously at this stage of the game pace isn't really my concern, but having to stop all the time is no fun. So, I went out to get a maternity support belt that should hold my growing belly in place, minimize the jostling and, hopefully, keep running for awhile. This baby and I already have a sprint tri, half mary, 15k, 5k, and 10k under our belts, and my hope is to log many more miles together while I'm a human jogging stroller if I can!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012
The Human Jogging Stroller series
Running for two
I did 2 races in June, the Playtri Festival sprint triathlon and, the following weekend, the Wounded Warrior half marathon. Both were practically right in my backyard, as they started in Las Colinas just a few miles from the house. They had something else in common too: I was running (and swimming and biking) with a baby on board! Yes, I'm expecting baby #2 early next year so every time I run now, I'm a human jogging stroller carrying the little one along for the ride.
I had signed up for those races months ago, when Honey Badger (our nickname for the little one) wasn't in the picture yet. Since I was very early in the pregnancy for last month's events, I really wasn't feeling any pregnancy symptoms and saw no reason not to do the events as planned. I exercised as much as I could throughout my first pregnancy and feel certain it played a role in helping to keep me and baby healthy throughout. I did, however, resolve to be conservative with my speed, err on the side of caution when it came to staying hydrated and taking in nutrition, and take walk breaks liberally as needed.
It's kind of a hard mindset adjustment to make. Being an athlete necessarily involves learning to be comfortable with discomfort and pushing past it. The brain is conservative and likes to send warning signals when, sometimes, we can still safely go further and faster-like a gas tank that reads near empty when it could really go another 50 miles. So, to become a runner one learns to distinguish pain from mere discomfort, and to (carefully) push through discomfort, until one day you realize that today's "easy" pace is faster than your "race" pace of just a few months ago. All fine and good, and part of improving as a runner.
But now, when that little voice in my head says "you're getting tired," "you want to stop," or "time to walk," I can't just dismiss it. Because maybe it's my brain being overprotective, or maybe it's my brain saying "this might not be good for the passenger on board." Research seems clear that for women in good health with low-risk pregnancies, exercise is not only not harmful, but actually beneficial. However, I also have to remember that my new overriding fitness goal is getting my baby and myself to our delivery date as healthy as possible, so I'm not shooting for PRs these days and will be more inclined to cut a run or bike ride short if I'm feeling tired.
So, having said all that, here's what my little one and I have been up to:
Playtri Sprint triathlon
I did this event in 2008 and 2009 so it was nice to return after a 2-year hiatus this year. After the Tri for Humanity sprint in late April I knew my run leg would be solid but I needed to improve my swim and bike legs and, easiest of all, get faster on the transitions.
Easy enough plan to determine, but it turned out not to be so easy to follow. My bike frame cracked in the TFH sprint and long story short, I finally got a replacement frame under warranty but it took them weeks to get it to me-weeks I should have been out riding but wasn't. I rode the stationary bike at the gym a few times, but I'm just not an indoor cardio person. The silver lining though is that it was just the reason I needed to finally get a tri bike like I'd wanted, so I trekked out to the Aggie-owned Tri Shop in Plano and got set up on a sweet Orbea tri bike. I only got a few rides on it before the race but that was enough to make me comfortable taking it on race day.
I did, however, get some more swim practice under my belt and every session I'd do at least 3 reps of 500 meters at a time. I knew the swim distance would look really long in the open water so I thought it would be reassuring to know I swim that far without stopping in every practice swim.
For transition practice, I laid out a mock transition area outside the garage and practiced running in from the "swim," putting on my bike gear and running out. I practiced it over and over, changing the order or layout, until I was consistently fast. Then I did the same with T2, the bike to run transition. On race morning I laid out my transition area with everything in its ideal place just as I'd practiced it.
Race morning dawned warm but pleasant enough for June. The international (Olympic) distance race started an hour and change before the sprint, but since we had to get our stuff into transition before their race started that meant I had about an hour and a half to kill before my race. I'm not fond of dead time on race mornings-who wants to get up at 5:30 on a weekend just to sit around and wait? But eventually it was time for my wave to get in the water.
Swim
The bullhorn sounded and we were off. I was reminded, again, that no amount of laps swum in the pool can truly prepare you for an open water start. You can't see in the water, you don't know how deep it is, and oh yeah, there are dozens of other swimmers around you, running into you (it's not like there are lane markers to keep everyone in a straight line) and hitting and kicking as everyone tries to make their way toward the first buoy. Partially because of all the contact, and partly to help with sighting, I found myself going to breaststroke sooner and more often than I had planned. All told, I wasn't as fast as I'd hoped on the swim, but I was still faster than I'd been before. Before my next triathlon, I want to do some open water swim practice that more closely simulates race conditions. I'm slow enough that I'd improve significantly just from more pool time, but at some point if I really want to turn this from a weakness to a strength, I'm going to need to embrace the open water aspect.
T1
After a decent but not awesome swim, a nice solid T1 was just what I needed to feel better about the race. And here, the practice really paid off. I ran over to my bike and without hesitation sat down to put on my shoes and Garmin, then stood up and put on helmet, sunglasses and gloves (I know some people skip the gloves on a short race like this, but hey, it only takes a second and it's not like I was going to podium anyway), then grabbed the bike and headed out. Really, I don't know why I've never really practiced transitions before. Just 15 minutes of practice shaved off better than half my T1 time. What a great return on that small investment of time!
Bike
This was my first race on my new tri bike, and wow, what a difference. I averaged around 20mph and didn't feel like I was having to really push to do that. In fact, I was going fast enough to have a new problem-I was passing so many people I felt like it would be easier to stay in the left lane than have to keep ducking back to the right (as etiquette and triathlon rules dictate) then moving back out to pass again. I'm not a slow cyclist, but this isn't a problem I'm used to having. Despite only a handful of practice rides in between I managed to get 2-3mph faster between the TFH race in late April and this spring in early June-I credit the magical new bike!
T2
After a fast (for me) bike leg, I dismounted and wheeled my bike back to the rack. I did T2 just as I had in practice and again, those few minutes of practice paid off. I headed out on the run feeling pretty good.
Run
Under normal circumstances, this would be where I'd push it, but the warm weather and the baby on board led me to play it a little more conservatively. I ended up finishing in around 25 minutes-respectable, but a few minutes off what I could have done at my best. As it turns out, had I dropped the hammer here I would have taken 3rd in my age group...oh well, next time!
It was a fun event and I've got my sights set on being back in shape to do it again next June. I won't be anywhere close to peak shape, but I think I'll be able to complete it-and the prospect of being cheered on by BOTH my children at the finish line is a fun one!
Wounded Warrior Half Marathon
This was my second race on the Campion Trail, aka my home trail where I do all my long runs. I knew I wasn't going to be fast, so I just tried to have fun and stay cool and hydrated. The highlight of the race was being cheered on by Kevin and Daniel at the halfway point. I don't usually have crowd support mid-race so it was fun to look forward to that.
I still wasn't really feeling pregnant at this point, but I did take it fairly easy and felt good the whole way. I certainly wasn't showing by then (and for that matter, at nearly 15 weeks now, I'm still not), but I did wear a sign announcing my little passenger:
Too Hot to Handle 15k
In mid-July I did the Too Hot to Handle 15k at White Rock Lake. I had signed up for this months ago but closer to time debated dropping down to the 5k distance instead to limit my time out in the heat. But, when we had a bit of a "cold front" that weekend that brought morning temps in the 70s and 80s I decided to stick with the longer distance. I set out determined to run as was comfortable but walk as needed and to drink plenty of fluids. I did pretty well given that, averaging around 10:30/mile. Most importantly, I felt good and had fun. Afterwards I ran into 2 friends of mine, Danny and Phil, who had both raced too. It was fun to catch up with them. Phil and his wife Lisa recently got into running and are now hooked, and he mentioned another 5k coming up that they were planning to do, the Glow Run. He mentioned that he was hoping to finish with a sub-30 minute 5k time so I told him that if I was still able to hold a 9:30ish pace by then, I'd pace him.
Glow Run "5k"
I did a test run the week before and finished a little under 30 minutes, so I told Phil I should be good to go for pacing. However, once we got out on the course we discovered that they had set the turnaround point way too early, so it wound up being only a hair over 2 miles. There was no announcement beforehand about the change or a reason for it. Worse, they were out of water at the finish line-unacceptable for any event but especially for a sold-out event in August. I can appreciate that it's easier to criticize an event than to put one on, but having run in so many well-organized events I know a poorly organized one when I see it, and wasn't shy about saying as much on the event's Facebook page. Judging from the responses, it seems I wasn't the only one who felt cheated by the experience. Given that I was pregnant and not gunning for a PR it was easier to write it off than it would have been under other circumstances, but I felt bad for Phil missing his chance to get his 5k PR. Despite the event not being what it should have been, it was fun to see Phil and Lisa and to run a race with a friend. I'm usually a lone wolf, and fine with that, but it was a fun change of pace and nice chance to catch up with old friends.
So, at 15 weeks gestation, Honey Badger has a sprint tri, half marathon, 15k, and "5k" under his/her belt. Do they make "My fetus can outrun your fetus" stickers? ;)
I did 2 races in June, the Playtri Festival sprint triathlon and, the following weekend, the Wounded Warrior half marathon. Both were practically right in my backyard, as they started in Las Colinas just a few miles from the house. They had something else in common too: I was running (and swimming and biking) with a baby on board! Yes, I'm expecting baby #2 early next year so every time I run now, I'm a human jogging stroller carrying the little one along for the ride.
I had signed up for those races months ago, when Honey Badger (our nickname for the little one) wasn't in the picture yet. Since I was very early in the pregnancy for last month's events, I really wasn't feeling any pregnancy symptoms and saw no reason not to do the events as planned. I exercised as much as I could throughout my first pregnancy and feel certain it played a role in helping to keep me and baby healthy throughout. I did, however, resolve to be conservative with my speed, err on the side of caution when it came to staying hydrated and taking in nutrition, and take walk breaks liberally as needed.
It's kind of a hard mindset adjustment to make. Being an athlete necessarily involves learning to be comfortable with discomfort and pushing past it. The brain is conservative and likes to send warning signals when, sometimes, we can still safely go further and faster-like a gas tank that reads near empty when it could really go another 50 miles. So, to become a runner one learns to distinguish pain from mere discomfort, and to (carefully) push through discomfort, until one day you realize that today's "easy" pace is faster than your "race" pace of just a few months ago. All fine and good, and part of improving as a runner.
But now, when that little voice in my head says "you're getting tired," "you want to stop," or "time to walk," I can't just dismiss it. Because maybe it's my brain being overprotective, or maybe it's my brain saying "this might not be good for the passenger on board." Research seems clear that for women in good health with low-risk pregnancies, exercise is not only not harmful, but actually beneficial. However, I also have to remember that my new overriding fitness goal is getting my baby and myself to our delivery date as healthy as possible, so I'm not shooting for PRs these days and will be more inclined to cut a run or bike ride short if I'm feeling tired.
So, having said all that, here's what my little one and I have been up to:
Playtri Sprint triathlon
I did this event in 2008 and 2009 so it was nice to return after a 2-year hiatus this year. After the Tri for Humanity sprint in late April I knew my run leg would be solid but I needed to improve my swim and bike legs and, easiest of all, get faster on the transitions.
Easy enough plan to determine, but it turned out not to be so easy to follow. My bike frame cracked in the TFH sprint and long story short, I finally got a replacement frame under warranty but it took them weeks to get it to me-weeks I should have been out riding but wasn't. I rode the stationary bike at the gym a few times, but I'm just not an indoor cardio person. The silver lining though is that it was just the reason I needed to finally get a tri bike like I'd wanted, so I trekked out to the Aggie-owned Tri Shop in Plano and got set up on a sweet Orbea tri bike. I only got a few rides on it before the race but that was enough to make me comfortable taking it on race day.
I did, however, get some more swim practice under my belt and every session I'd do at least 3 reps of 500 meters at a time. I knew the swim distance would look really long in the open water so I thought it would be reassuring to know I swim that far without stopping in every practice swim.
For transition practice, I laid out a mock transition area outside the garage and practiced running in from the "swim," putting on my bike gear and running out. I practiced it over and over, changing the order or layout, until I was consistently fast. Then I did the same with T2, the bike to run transition. On race morning I laid out my transition area with everything in its ideal place just as I'd practiced it.
Race morning dawned warm but pleasant enough for June. The international (Olympic) distance race started an hour and change before the sprint, but since we had to get our stuff into transition before their race started that meant I had about an hour and a half to kill before my race. I'm not fond of dead time on race mornings-who wants to get up at 5:30 on a weekend just to sit around and wait? But eventually it was time for my wave to get in the water.
Swim
The bullhorn sounded and we were off. I was reminded, again, that no amount of laps swum in the pool can truly prepare you for an open water start. You can't see in the water, you don't know how deep it is, and oh yeah, there are dozens of other swimmers around you, running into you (it's not like there are lane markers to keep everyone in a straight line) and hitting and kicking as everyone tries to make their way toward the first buoy. Partially because of all the contact, and partly to help with sighting, I found myself going to breaststroke sooner and more often than I had planned. All told, I wasn't as fast as I'd hoped on the swim, but I was still faster than I'd been before. Before my next triathlon, I want to do some open water swim practice that more closely simulates race conditions. I'm slow enough that I'd improve significantly just from more pool time, but at some point if I really want to turn this from a weakness to a strength, I'm going to need to embrace the open water aspect.
T1
After a decent but not awesome swim, a nice solid T1 was just what I needed to feel better about the race. And here, the practice really paid off. I ran over to my bike and without hesitation sat down to put on my shoes and Garmin, then stood up and put on helmet, sunglasses and gloves (I know some people skip the gloves on a short race like this, but hey, it only takes a second and it's not like I was going to podium anyway), then grabbed the bike and headed out. Really, I don't know why I've never really practiced transitions before. Just 15 minutes of practice shaved off better than half my T1 time. What a great return on that small investment of time!
Bike
This was my first race on my new tri bike, and wow, what a difference. I averaged around 20mph and didn't feel like I was having to really push to do that. In fact, I was going fast enough to have a new problem-I was passing so many people I felt like it would be easier to stay in the left lane than have to keep ducking back to the right (as etiquette and triathlon rules dictate) then moving back out to pass again. I'm not a slow cyclist, but this isn't a problem I'm used to having. Despite only a handful of practice rides in between I managed to get 2-3mph faster between the TFH race in late April and this spring in early June-I credit the magical new bike!
T2
After a fast (for me) bike leg, I dismounted and wheeled my bike back to the rack. I did T2 just as I had in practice and again, those few minutes of practice paid off. I headed out on the run feeling pretty good.
Run
Under normal circumstances, this would be where I'd push it, but the warm weather and the baby on board led me to play it a little more conservatively. I ended up finishing in around 25 minutes-respectable, but a few minutes off what I could have done at my best. As it turns out, had I dropped the hammer here I would have taken 3rd in my age group...oh well, next time!
It was a fun event and I've got my sights set on being back in shape to do it again next June. I won't be anywhere close to peak shape, but I think I'll be able to complete it-and the prospect of being cheered on by BOTH my children at the finish line is a fun one!
Wounded Warrior Half Marathon
This was my second race on the Campion Trail, aka my home trail where I do all my long runs. I knew I wasn't going to be fast, so I just tried to have fun and stay cool and hydrated. The highlight of the race was being cheered on by Kevin and Daniel at the halfway point. I don't usually have crowd support mid-race so it was fun to look forward to that.
I still wasn't really feeling pregnant at this point, but I did take it fairly easy and felt good the whole way. I certainly wasn't showing by then (and for that matter, at nearly 15 weeks now, I'm still not), but I did wear a sign announcing my little passenger:
Too Hot to Handle 15k
In mid-July I did the Too Hot to Handle 15k at White Rock Lake. I had signed up for this months ago but closer to time debated dropping down to the 5k distance instead to limit my time out in the heat. But, when we had a bit of a "cold front" that weekend that brought morning temps in the 70s and 80s I decided to stick with the longer distance. I set out determined to run as was comfortable but walk as needed and to drink plenty of fluids. I did pretty well given that, averaging around 10:30/mile. Most importantly, I felt good and had fun. Afterwards I ran into 2 friends of mine, Danny and Phil, who had both raced too. It was fun to catch up with them. Phil and his wife Lisa recently got into running and are now hooked, and he mentioned another 5k coming up that they were planning to do, the Glow Run. He mentioned that he was hoping to finish with a sub-30 minute 5k time so I told him that if I was still able to hold a 9:30ish pace by then, I'd pace him.
Glow Run "5k"
I did a test run the week before and finished a little under 30 minutes, so I told Phil I should be good to go for pacing. However, once we got out on the course we discovered that they had set the turnaround point way too early, so it wound up being only a hair over 2 miles. There was no announcement beforehand about the change or a reason for it. Worse, they were out of water at the finish line-unacceptable for any event but especially for a sold-out event in August. I can appreciate that it's easier to criticize an event than to put one on, but having run in so many well-organized events I know a poorly organized one when I see it, and wasn't shy about saying as much on the event's Facebook page. Judging from the responses, it seems I wasn't the only one who felt cheated by the experience. Given that I was pregnant and not gunning for a PR it was easier to write it off than it would have been under other circumstances, but I felt bad for Phil missing his chance to get his 5k PR. Despite the event not being what it should have been, it was fun to see Phil and Lisa and to run a race with a friend. I'm usually a lone wolf, and fine with that, but it was a fun change of pace and nice chance to catch up with old friends.
So, at 15 weeks gestation, Honey Badger has a sprint tri, half marathon, 15k, and "5k" under his/her belt. Do they make "My fetus can outrun your fetus" stickers? ;)
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
3 race reports in one: the ugly, the good, and the very good
It's been a busy few weeks for me: a half marathon one weekend, a 5k the next, and a 10k the next. I've got a weekend "off" then I have a sprint tri, a half, and then my first obstacle race, then about a month of nothing planned. I knew this would be a busy stretch and it has been. I've enjoyed it but with the temps rising I'm looking forward to a bit of a break.
Heels and Hills Half
2 weeks ago I did the Heels and Hills half marathon. It's a women-focused race on the Campion Trail, where I do all my long runs, so I was looking forward to the chance to race on my home turf. For a number of reasons though, it wasn't a great race for me.
For starters, it was hot. I knew going in that the heat might slow me down, but I still went in with hopes of reaching that elusive 1:50 finish. Also, as would be become painfully clear as the day progressed, I was not really mentally prepared for this race. This was partly because of an event outside my control-Kevin had knee surgery to reconstruct a torn ACL just a few days earlier, and taking care of both him and Daniel took its toll, even with my mom there to help. But it was also my own fault-I hadn't really taken the time to think about and anticipate this race, lulled to complacency by having done so many other races and knowing this course so well. I would pay for that as the day unfolded.
Backing up a bit, it was nice to have a short, familiar drive to the race start area in downtown Las Colinas, a mere 2 miles away. But once I got there I found a long line for the port-a-potties. Really, you thought 15 potties was enough for several hundred women? The line took so long, in fact, that I missed the start of the race and by the time I got to the start line the 3:00 pace group was headed out. Not wanting to get stuck behind slower runners I did a fast first mile to catch myself up to the 1:55 group. I can't think that fast start did me many favors as the day went on. Right from the start, I had deviated from my plan. Further complicating things was that I was having issues getting my Garmin started as I rushed from the start line. I knew my time was a few minutes off because of that but couldn't know how far off I was. I just guessed 4 minutes to be conservative and added those moments as I looked at my elapsed time.
The day quickly turned warm and try as I might, I realized I couldn't hold my goal pace. The 2:00 pace group overtook me and I struggled to get back in front of them. And I found it hard to focus on anything besides how hot it was. This was where the lack of mental prep hurt. Without something else to focus on, I spent too much time focusing on discomfort, and just like being on a treadmill staring at the numbers, thinking about the heat just made the run feel hotter and longer.
Long story short, I finished in 2:04 and change, well off my goal pace and PR, but not terrible considering the heat. But, I believe with better mental focus and a smarter start I could have managed a sub-2:00 time. I'll get the chance to test that theory out in a few weeks: the Wounded Warrior Half is on the same course. Between now and then I'll also invest in a Fuel Belt. My 10 oz handheld flask works great for short races and cooler temp halfs, but I was having to stop at every single water station to refill, which sort of defeats the purpose of a handheld. So, we'll see if a better hydration strategy and better prep result in a better hot half.
Run Like A Mother 5k
A few months ago I was searching active.com for races to do and came across this race. A women-only race on Mother's Day morning? What's not to like about that? I'm sure most moms looked at Mother's Day as a chance to sleep in and be pampered, but there were 217 of us for whom it was a great day to race with our families there to cheer us on.
When I made my schedule for the late spring months I planned around trying to peak for this race. I had done well enough in 5ks before when they were training races that I decided to throw in more speedwork and see how fast I could be if I focused on the shorter distance. I felt pretty good going into the day and set a target of 23 minutes.
I took my spot in the first few rows and got off to a pretty fast start. As we pulled away from the start line and approached the trail I saw just two women in front of me. I passed both within the first mile, and realized I couldn't see any other racers in front of me. It seemed surprising that I might be in the lead-I'm fast enough to compete for age group awards, but there are definitely faster runners, and usually you can count on there being at least one or two speed demons who can knock out a sub-20 5k. But, without knowing if I was in the lead or not, I stuck to my plan of going as hard and fast as I could manage.
After the halfway point turnaround I could tell there was another runner right behind me. She never made a move to pass but I could hear her behind me and see her shadow. A racer with more experience frontrunning might have run through a bag of tactics to either lose her or wear her out...having never faced this issue before I wasn't sure what I should do, so I decided to just go as fast as I could and try to finish strong. I had a feeling that she'd pass me at the very end. Even expecting it though, I still couldn't prevent it. With about a tenth of a mile to go I saw her sprint ahead. I sped to a sprint myself to try to catch her but ended up finishing in 23:01, a second and change behind her and my goal.
Oh well, I thought, I still got second. Then Kevin told me that the winner had finished a few minutes ahead of us (she shot right out to the front in the first hundred yards, and I never saw her again), so I had actually finished third.
On the one hand, it was disappointing to come so close to my goal finish time and a 2nd place finish. But on the other hand, 216 other women ran this race, and I finished ahead of 214 of them! It feels like one that got away, but I'm still happy with a 3rd overall finish. And I earned myself a new PR by over a minute. I'm still convinced I can get faster, but I'm happy with my 23 minute time. First and foremost I race against myself, but in hotter temps PRs get harder to come by so I use pole position as another measure.
I'm also happy with the nice award bag I won which included, among other things, a $100 gift certificate to a local store which sells designer clothes. That means my first pair of designer jeans are in my future.
Triumph Over Pain 10k
This past Saturday I did my first 10k since January after claiming a free race entry from Active.com Advantage (note: the Advantage membership pays for itself). The race was in the Craig Ranch area of McKinney, a northeastern suburb of Dallas. I showed up hoping to break 50 minutes, or better yet, 48 minutes, but given the 9:45am start time in late May, I knew that was unlikely. So, I hoped to at least beat my 52:20 PR.
The 10k race started at the same time and the first half used the same course as a 5k. I lined up right in the front row, intending to stay in the lead. As we started I noted how many women passed me. Within the first mile 2 or 3 women passed me, but I didn't know if they were doing the 5k or 10k. I finished the first mile around 7:50, but couldn't get below 8:30 the rest of the way. Still, I had no one close behind, and just a handful ahead of me, so I decided to hold a strong but maintainable pace for the middle miles with the intention to speed up in the final mile.
As I passed the 5k finish line I could only see a few guys way ahead of me, but couldn't see any women ahead and just one within a minute of me. I figured I was either the lead woman or the leader was so far out I'd never catch her, so I resolved to hold whatever position I had. I looked back periodically to see if the woman closest behind was gaining on me but she never closed the gap.
As I closed in on the final turn I found the energy for a decent kick to finish strong at 53 minutes and change. I hadn't met any of my time goals but I felt fairly certain I had at least placed in my age group. So, I was quite pleased when the results were posted and I saw that I was not only the 7th overall finisher, but the 1st female finisher! Not only did I outrun all the other women, but I "chicked" most of the guys too. And while I wish I had PR'd, I'm happy that despite it being twice as hot as January, it only took me an extra minute and a half to finish. I feel confident a much faster 10k would be possible in cooler temps but I'll have to wait awhile to find out. I think it could be a competitive distance for me though.
One swag bag and one trophy later, I have to say the last 3 weeks went pretty well.
Heels and Hills Half
2 weeks ago I did the Heels and Hills half marathon. It's a women-focused race on the Campion Trail, where I do all my long runs, so I was looking forward to the chance to race on my home turf. For a number of reasons though, it wasn't a great race for me.
For starters, it was hot. I knew going in that the heat might slow me down, but I still went in with hopes of reaching that elusive 1:50 finish. Also, as would be become painfully clear as the day progressed, I was not really mentally prepared for this race. This was partly because of an event outside my control-Kevin had knee surgery to reconstruct a torn ACL just a few days earlier, and taking care of both him and Daniel took its toll, even with my mom there to help. But it was also my own fault-I hadn't really taken the time to think about and anticipate this race, lulled to complacency by having done so many other races and knowing this course so well. I would pay for that as the day unfolded.
Backing up a bit, it was nice to have a short, familiar drive to the race start area in downtown Las Colinas, a mere 2 miles away. But once I got there I found a long line for the port-a-potties. Really, you thought 15 potties was enough for several hundred women? The line took so long, in fact, that I missed the start of the race and by the time I got to the start line the 3:00 pace group was headed out. Not wanting to get stuck behind slower runners I did a fast first mile to catch myself up to the 1:55 group. I can't think that fast start did me many favors as the day went on. Right from the start, I had deviated from my plan. Further complicating things was that I was having issues getting my Garmin started as I rushed from the start line. I knew my time was a few minutes off because of that but couldn't know how far off I was. I just guessed 4 minutes to be conservative and added those moments as I looked at my elapsed time.
The day quickly turned warm and try as I might, I realized I couldn't hold my goal pace. The 2:00 pace group overtook me and I struggled to get back in front of them. And I found it hard to focus on anything besides how hot it was. This was where the lack of mental prep hurt. Without something else to focus on, I spent too much time focusing on discomfort, and just like being on a treadmill staring at the numbers, thinking about the heat just made the run feel hotter and longer.
Long story short, I finished in 2:04 and change, well off my goal pace and PR, but not terrible considering the heat. But, I believe with better mental focus and a smarter start I could have managed a sub-2:00 time. I'll get the chance to test that theory out in a few weeks: the Wounded Warrior Half is on the same course. Between now and then I'll also invest in a Fuel Belt. My 10 oz handheld flask works great for short races and cooler temp halfs, but I was having to stop at every single water station to refill, which sort of defeats the purpose of a handheld. So, we'll see if a better hydration strategy and better prep result in a better hot half.
Run Like A Mother 5k
A few months ago I was searching active.com for races to do and came across this race. A women-only race on Mother's Day morning? What's not to like about that? I'm sure most moms looked at Mother's Day as a chance to sleep in and be pampered, but there were 217 of us for whom it was a great day to race with our families there to cheer us on.
When I made my schedule for the late spring months I planned around trying to peak for this race. I had done well enough in 5ks before when they were training races that I decided to throw in more speedwork and see how fast I could be if I focused on the shorter distance. I felt pretty good going into the day and set a target of 23 minutes.
I took my spot in the first few rows and got off to a pretty fast start. As we pulled away from the start line and approached the trail I saw just two women in front of me. I passed both within the first mile, and realized I couldn't see any other racers in front of me. It seemed surprising that I might be in the lead-I'm fast enough to compete for age group awards, but there are definitely faster runners, and usually you can count on there being at least one or two speed demons who can knock out a sub-20 5k. But, without knowing if I was in the lead or not, I stuck to my plan of going as hard and fast as I could manage.
After the halfway point turnaround I could tell there was another runner right behind me. She never made a move to pass but I could hear her behind me and see her shadow. A racer with more experience frontrunning might have run through a bag of tactics to either lose her or wear her out...having never faced this issue before I wasn't sure what I should do, so I decided to just go as fast as I could and try to finish strong. I had a feeling that she'd pass me at the very end. Even expecting it though, I still couldn't prevent it. With about a tenth of a mile to go I saw her sprint ahead. I sped to a sprint myself to try to catch her but ended up finishing in 23:01, a second and change behind her and my goal.
Oh well, I thought, I still got second. Then Kevin told me that the winner had finished a few minutes ahead of us (she shot right out to the front in the first hundred yards, and I never saw her again), so I had actually finished third.
On the one hand, it was disappointing to come so close to my goal finish time and a 2nd place finish. But on the other hand, 216 other women ran this race, and I finished ahead of 214 of them! It feels like one that got away, but I'm still happy with a 3rd overall finish. And I earned myself a new PR by over a minute. I'm still convinced I can get faster, but I'm happy with my 23 minute time. First and foremost I race against myself, but in hotter temps PRs get harder to come by so I use pole position as another measure.
I'm also happy with the nice award bag I won which included, among other things, a $100 gift certificate to a local store which sells designer clothes. That means my first pair of designer jeans are in my future.
Triumph Over Pain 10k
This past Saturday I did my first 10k since January after claiming a free race entry from Active.com Advantage (note: the Advantage membership pays for itself). The race was in the Craig Ranch area of McKinney, a northeastern suburb of Dallas. I showed up hoping to break 50 minutes, or better yet, 48 minutes, but given the 9:45am start time in late May, I knew that was unlikely. So, I hoped to at least beat my 52:20 PR.
The 10k race started at the same time and the first half used the same course as a 5k. I lined up right in the front row, intending to stay in the lead. As we started I noted how many women passed me. Within the first mile 2 or 3 women passed me, but I didn't know if they were doing the 5k or 10k. I finished the first mile around 7:50, but couldn't get below 8:30 the rest of the way. Still, I had no one close behind, and just a handful ahead of me, so I decided to hold a strong but maintainable pace for the middle miles with the intention to speed up in the final mile.
As I passed the 5k finish line I could only see a few guys way ahead of me, but couldn't see any women ahead and just one within a minute of me. I figured I was either the lead woman or the leader was so far out I'd never catch her, so I resolved to hold whatever position I had. I looked back periodically to see if the woman closest behind was gaining on me but she never closed the gap.
As I closed in on the final turn I found the energy for a decent kick to finish strong at 53 minutes and change. I hadn't met any of my time goals but I felt fairly certain I had at least placed in my age group. So, I was quite pleased when the results were posted and I saw that I was not only the 7th overall finisher, but the 1st female finisher! Not only did I outrun all the other women, but I "chicked" most of the guys too. And while I wish I had PR'd, I'm happy that despite it being twice as hot as January, it only took me an extra minute and a half to finish. I feel confident a much faster 10k would be possible in cooler temps but I'll have to wait awhile to find out. I think it could be a competitive distance for me though.
One swag bag and one trophy later, I have to say the last 3 weeks went pretty well.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Tri for Humanity sprint tri
Last Sunday I did my first triathlon in almost 3 years, the Tri for Humanity sprint distance race in McKinney. I signed up for it when I got a Schwaggle coupon, reasoning that it would make a good tune-up race for the Playtri Festival sprint tri in June that I hope to peak for.
A triathlon, for the uninitiated, involves first a swim leg, usually in open water like a lake, then the transition from swim to bike (T1), a bike leg, a transition from bike to run (T2), and finally a run leg. Going into this I had swam about 3 times in the last month (and almost none that I can recall in the 2 years prior), biked a handful of times, and of course run quite a bit over the past 8 months. So this was a test to see to what extent running could overcome a lack of sport-specific training for the first 2 legs. I expected to be slow to middle of the pack on the swim and bike but pretty fast on the run. That prediction turned out to be pretty accurate.
The day before a race I always make sure to lay out my race clothes, attach the bib to the race belt, get my water and salt tabs ready, make sure my Garmin is charged, etc. I've got the drill down to a science for running events but triathlon is a whole different ballgame with a lot more to think about. Instead of running shorts and singlet I was laying out my tri shorts and top and packing goggles and a swim cap. Then there was the bike. I aired the tires, lubed the chain and cable housings, and prepped my water and nutrition. (What I did not do: check the frame all over for cracks. This becomes relevant post-race).
Sunday morning I got up at 4:30, dressed, grabbed my gear, and headed out for McKinney, a 45 minute drive despite absolutely no traffic. Eventually I made it there, parked, and headed in. First came body marking-my race number was marked on my left arm and hand and my age (as of year's end, per triathlon rules) on my right calf. Then I set up my transition area-bike hanging on the rack, my gear laid out on a towel below. Then I walked over to scope out the swim area. Before long, it was time for the pre-race meeting to discuss rules, then we headed en masse toward the swim start area.
Swim
The race started in 3 waves: men under 40 in the first wave, the older men in the second, and all the women and the Clydesdale and Athena racers (aka, the "bigger-boned" male and female racers, respectively) in the third. Looking around I realized 2/3 of the other racers were wearing wetsuits. This told me two things: 1) they were going to be faster than me because of the buoyancy of the suits, and 2) they did enough tris to justify the investment in a wetsuit, and thus were going to be faster than me. Plus, 400 meters sure looks farther in a lake than it does doing laps in a pool.
Finally, my wave got in the water, which while invigorating was not as cold as I expected. Then the gun went off and so did we. The first 100 meters or so of a triathlon are an interesting experience-lots of bodies all thrashing around in close proximity, and all of us unable to see in the water. I got kicked and elbowed several times and no doubt did the same to those around me. Eventually we got it all sorted and found some space, though at one point another girl swam into me and our arms locked. (I think I was on course and she was at a weird angle, but what do I know?) I wasn't fast on the swim (in fact, at 11 minutes, I was on the slow side) but I was able to hold my pace fairly well and didn't tire out.
What I would do differently next time: train more so I can swim a faster pace; eventually, invest in a wetsuit
T1
After I reached the exit I got out, ran into transition, and prepped for the bike. I expected to be faster here but took 3 minutes-way too long.
What I'd do differently next time: not bother drying my feet or putting on socks, put my helmet, glasses and gloves on the bike rather than the towel, eat my gel and start the Garmin on the bike rather than in transition. I may try to practice leaving the shoes clipped into the bike pedals and putting them on while on the go.
Bike
The bike course was 2 loops in roughly a square. There was some wind and a few hills but overall a decent course. I took 44 minutes and averaged about 18mph-not blazing fast, but a decent pace for me. I made it a point to ride with my hands in the drop handlebars as much as possible but need to practice this to be able to comfortably hold the position longer.
What I would do differently next time: more training so I can hold a faster pace, spend as much time as possible in the drops
T2
After the bike leg I ran the bike into transition, changed into running shoes, put on my running hat and belt, grabbed my handheld, and headed out. This took 1:40. Not bad, but room for improvement.
What I would do differently next time: change shoes then grab the rest and do it on the run
Run
I expected this to be my strongest leg and was not disappointed. I reasoned that the 5k run leg was roughly equivalent to the final 3.1 miles of a half marathon, so based on recent HM finishes I figured an 8:15ish pace was doable. I didn't worry about holding back any on the swim or bike legs, reasoning that 5 half marathons in 5 months had given me ample endurance for the run leg. I started strong and got a little faster mile by mile, even though my legs were tired from the bike. I passed at least a dozen people and not one person passed me.
I finished this leg in 25:16, for a total overall time of 1:25:28. For perspective, my first 5k time in December was 25:12.
What I would do differently next time: nothing. I rocked the run.
Overall takeaway from the day
The fast run time is great on the one hand, as it means I can throw down a really fast run leg despite tired legs. On the other hand, it also means that improvement on my triathlon times will have to come from the other legs. My standalone 5k PR is only 24:06, and that's without having swam and biked for an hour beforehand. Yet even if I were to do the run leg this fast (highly unlikely), that would only take a minute off my time.
So if improvement can't come from the run leg, where can it come? The low-hanging fruit is the transitions. Just practicing these a few times a week can probably translate to several minutes saved. Transition doesn't involve being particularly strong or fast, just practiced and purposeful. I can do that.
Then there's the swim leg. I've swam so little that just getting more time in the pool between now and the next race, even with little or no speedwork, should make me a little faster. But the biggest change can come on the bike. The bike takes about half the race time so an improvement in pace will have the biggest payoff there. The good news is, like with the swim, I've spent so little time biking lately that just getting saddle time will benefit me.
The bad news? That bike time will be a little harder to come by for awhile. When I took my bike in for the mandatory pre-race inspection, the bike shop guy recommended I take the bike in soon because the back wheel was a little loose. He said it was still fine to ride for the tri, but that I needed to get it fixed soon after. So with my bike rack and bike already on the back of the car I decided Sunday afternoon was an ideal time to take it in.
When I went to the local bike shop (not the one which had checked it pre-race) the technician looked for a minute then called me over to look. The good news: there was nothing wrong with my wheel. The bad news: the seat-stay was cracked. I don't know if it was broken before the race, during, or after, but finding that out hours post-race was like biting into an apple and finding half a worm. I was lucky to have discovered the problem in the shop rather than mid-ride. The manufacturer warrantied the frame for 5 years so I'm now in conversation with them to get a new frame. One catch: they don't make these bikes anymore, so they may not have a comparable women's road bike frame to give me. No definite word as to what they'll give me if they can't replace the frame, but I see the purchase price of the bike as a reasonable starting point in negotiations. We'll see...I just hope to have a bike to ride soon, one way or another.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
The happiness of pursuit
I saw the phrase "the happiness of pursuit" in the Dallas Morning News' running blog a few weeks ago and it immediately stuck in my head. What an apt description of running (and other athletic pursuits). When I set out for a training run or race I always have a goal in mind, whether distance, time, both, or something else. The end result is often satisfying, but the effort itself it always rewarding, no matter the outcome. Achieving a goal is great, but just having the goal and working toward it is fun too. So much of life is about making things easier, sometimes it's nice to deliberately seek out the hard way. Thus, the happiness of pursuit. And thus, a name change for the blog.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Big D Half Marathon: PR in the rain
Big D Half Marathon
Dear rain,
I take back the negative things I've said about you and when I've wished you would go away. I'm sorry. It turns out when your buddy cold weather isn't there, you make a lovely running companion. You're welcome to attend all my warm weather races with me from now on.
Sincerely,
Ellen
Yesterday I did my 5th half marathon in 5 months and recorded my 4th PR. All things considered, it was not a day I'd have expected to PR, so I'm pretty surprised and pleased that I did.
Going in, there were several factors working against me. First, I was only 3 weeks removed from the Rock n' Roll half. I had not planned my training to peak for this race, and the last time I did a half only 3 weeks after another one, in Austin, I spent much of the race overcoming knee pain. That race had a lot of hills, and I knew this one was fairly hilly too. Second, I spent the better part of the last week playing the classic Texas springtime game I like to call "is it a cold or allergies?" I had decided it was just allergies, but worried that exerting myself might push me over to the "cold" category. Third, the forecast promised high chances of rain and possibly thunderstorms. Before Sunday I had run in the rain exactly once, for the White Rock Half, and I wasn't looking forward to doing it again. Finally, I didn't sleep too well the night before, and had a series of dreams that involved first oversleeping and missing the race and second, running it, getting lost, and somehow managing to get behind Kevin, who was not only running but had already finished way ahead of me (ouch!).
Given all that, I nevertheless went in gunning for a PR first and a 1:50 finish second, but was prepared for something less. A 1:50 finish translates to an 8:23 average pace, but my intention was to negative split, starting about 10 seconds above that pace for the first third, running right around the average for the middle third, and speeding up to about 10 seconds faster than average for the final third.
I drove through steady rain that morning to get to Fair Park and sported a stylish trash bag poncho before the race start as I walked through light rain. It had felt like unwarranted optimism to slather on sunscreen and stick my sunglasses on top of my cap before leaving home but as we lined up to start the race it was dry and the sun was peeking through the clouds. At first I thought it was a good thing that we had avoided the rain, but after several warm, muggy miles I was actually relieved to see the sky growing darker and when it finally started raining around mile 8 it felt wonderful. Now I'm actually hoping it rains for all my warm-weather races!
Taking an idea from a friend, I decided to dedicate each mile of the race to someone or a group of people, so I'll describe the race by those mile markers:
Mile 1: Gave this one to God, first because it's only by His grace that I have the health, ability, and leisure time to run and second, because I was doing this race instead of going to church. I spent the first mile reciting my daily morning prayer devotional (in my head) . I finished this mile in 8:32, right where I wanted to be.
Mile 2: This one was for Daniel. The experience of giving birth to him gave me the confidence to take on my first half marathon, and I hope he'll be proud someday of Mommy the runner. I pictured him in several years standing at the finish line of a race holding a sign and hearing the excitement in his voice when he sees me coming and thought, if he were at the end of this block, I would speed up to run fast for him. Then, I imagined cheering him on at his own soccer and tee-ball games, and maybe someday doing races together. This mile took 8:37 and I felt pretty good.
Mile 3: This mile was for Kevin, because without his support and encouragement I couldn't do all the events I do. My races wouldn't be nearly as much fun if I didn't have him the promise of him and Daniel cheering me on at the finish line, so I imagined them being there. I did this mile in 8:20, feeling okay.
Miles 4-5: For my parents, who have always encouraged and supported me in everything I've done. I clocked in at 8:37 and 8:43 for these miles. I was trying to go a little faster but felt like I was having to work pretty hard to keep that pace. The humidity made it feel a lot harder, and this stretch had some hills. I was torn between holding to my planned pace and holding back to make sure I didn't run out of gas.
Mile 6: For my mother-in-law. She's facing her medical challenges with a positive outlook and will face much harder challenges than running 13 miles. I thought, if she can do that, I can run this. I managed 8:37 for this mile-an OK pace, but I knew it was time to speed up if I wanted to hit my goals. The mugginess and hills were making me work though.
Mile 7: For my friend Nicole. First, for inspiring me by running a marathon. Second, through her brave and long journey to motherhood. She's a great inspiration to anyone who knows her, so she deserved a mile. This was my slowest mile, at 9:30, as I took a brief walk break and water stop. The darkening skies held the promise of rain though, which I was now thinking must be better than warm and humid weather.
Mile 8: For all my athlete friends who have inspired me. Many of you don't know you were inspirations to me, but whenever any of you signed up for or completed a marathon, half, or triathlon, I watched admiringly and thought "if s/he can do it, I can too." Did this one in 8:59. I was trying to get back to my goal pace but had to walk through another water stop and a side stitch slowed me down. At this point I had resigned myself that 1:50 wasn't going to happen, but still hoped I could speed up and get a PR. Then the rain finally started and it felt wonderfully refreshing. That put an extra spring in my step.
Mile 9: For the people I might be inspiring by my example to take on their first event. When I got to this point I thought, sure I'm tired, but if all of those people were lined up watching me right now, I'd run fast for them, so I did. (And if any of you do decide to do your first event because of me, I'd love to hear about it.) I did this mile in 8:41, but this would be my last slow mile.
Mile 10: For everyone who has ever believed in me, and for those who have doubted me. Both have pushed me to achieve more. By now the rain had cooled everything down and I knew the end was close, and while 1:50 was out of the picture, a PR was still possible. I did this mile in 8:11.
Mile 11: For the wonderful volunteers who got up this morning and braved the weather, not for their own enjoyment but so that I and the other runners could have a fun, safe event. Without them there is no event. I kept a strong pace here, 8:15. By now I knew if I could hold this pace or better, I would still PR despite the slow start, humidity, and rain.
Mile 12: For everyone who isn't able to do events like this, whether because of their health, finances, or lack of leisure time. Thinking of these people helped put the race's challenges into the "first world problems" category where they belong, and thinking of the finish line drawing closer led me to drop the hammer and run the mile in 8:03.
Mile 13: This one was for me. I told myself that this mile was the culmination of 7 months of training in all conditions, running first thing in the morning and late at night. I knew that a hot meal, cold beer, and change of clothes were less than a mile away. I repeated my favorite line from my favorite poem, "Fill the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run," then did just that. I finished strong with 8:02. Coming into Fair Park I passed the spots where I had finished White Rock in December and Rock n' Roll last month and sped up to claim my next finisher's medal.
My final time according to my Garmin was 1:51:57-still awaiting official chip time but it will be in that vicinity. I finished 12th out of 215 women in my division and 223rd out of 2031 overall.
Overall, I'll remember this as a tough race because of the humidity, but I'm proud that despite that I still PR'd. Even though I didn't feel great for much of the race, I finished roughly a minute faster than at Rock n' Roll, when I had felt really strong. And it looks like I negative split by about a minute. Obviously the improving weather had a lot to do with that, but it also speaks to my conditioning and pace strategy that I was able to finish strong. All those training miles have given me a good base.
This race also leaves me convinced though that under better conditions, a 1:50 finish is within my grasp. Give me cooler weather and a flatter course and I think I could shave 2 minutes off that time. My next half is almost literally right in my backyard, on the Campion Trail, in a few weeks...will that be the one? We'll see. It's certainly a nice, flat course. Maybe I'll do a rain dance the day before and hope for a cooling shower to help me along.
Dear rain,
I take back the negative things I've said about you and when I've wished you would go away. I'm sorry. It turns out when your buddy cold weather isn't there, you make a lovely running companion. You're welcome to attend all my warm weather races with me from now on.
Sincerely,
Ellen
Yesterday I did my 5th half marathon in 5 months and recorded my 4th PR. All things considered, it was not a day I'd have expected to PR, so I'm pretty surprised and pleased that I did.
Going in, there were several factors working against me. First, I was only 3 weeks removed from the Rock n' Roll half. I had not planned my training to peak for this race, and the last time I did a half only 3 weeks after another one, in Austin, I spent much of the race overcoming knee pain. That race had a lot of hills, and I knew this one was fairly hilly too. Second, I spent the better part of the last week playing the classic Texas springtime game I like to call "is it a cold or allergies?" I had decided it was just allergies, but worried that exerting myself might push me over to the "cold" category. Third, the forecast promised high chances of rain and possibly thunderstorms. Before Sunday I had run in the rain exactly once, for the White Rock Half, and I wasn't looking forward to doing it again. Finally, I didn't sleep too well the night before, and had a series of dreams that involved first oversleeping and missing the race and second, running it, getting lost, and somehow managing to get behind Kevin, who was not only running but had already finished way ahead of me (ouch!).
Given all that, I nevertheless went in gunning for a PR first and a 1:50 finish second, but was prepared for something less. A 1:50 finish translates to an 8:23 average pace, but my intention was to negative split, starting about 10 seconds above that pace for the first third, running right around the average for the middle third, and speeding up to about 10 seconds faster than average for the final third.
I drove through steady rain that morning to get to Fair Park and sported a stylish trash bag poncho before the race start as I walked through light rain. It had felt like unwarranted optimism to slather on sunscreen and stick my sunglasses on top of my cap before leaving home but as we lined up to start the race it was dry and the sun was peeking through the clouds. At first I thought it was a good thing that we had avoided the rain, but after several warm, muggy miles I was actually relieved to see the sky growing darker and when it finally started raining around mile 8 it felt wonderful. Now I'm actually hoping it rains for all my warm-weather races!
Taking an idea from a friend, I decided to dedicate each mile of the race to someone or a group of people, so I'll describe the race by those mile markers:
Mile 1: Gave this one to God, first because it's only by His grace that I have the health, ability, and leisure time to run and second, because I was doing this race instead of going to church. I spent the first mile reciting my daily morning prayer devotional (in my head) . I finished this mile in 8:32, right where I wanted to be.
Mile 2: This one was for Daniel. The experience of giving birth to him gave me the confidence to take on my first half marathon, and I hope he'll be proud someday of Mommy the runner. I pictured him in several years standing at the finish line of a race holding a sign and hearing the excitement in his voice when he sees me coming and thought, if he were at the end of this block, I would speed up to run fast for him. Then, I imagined cheering him on at his own soccer and tee-ball games, and maybe someday doing races together. This mile took 8:37 and I felt pretty good.
Mile 3: This mile was for Kevin, because without his support and encouragement I couldn't do all the events I do. My races wouldn't be nearly as much fun if I didn't have him the promise of him and Daniel cheering me on at the finish line, so I imagined them being there. I did this mile in 8:20, feeling okay.
Miles 4-5: For my parents, who have always encouraged and supported me in everything I've done. I clocked in at 8:37 and 8:43 for these miles. I was trying to go a little faster but felt like I was having to work pretty hard to keep that pace. The humidity made it feel a lot harder, and this stretch had some hills. I was torn between holding to my planned pace and holding back to make sure I didn't run out of gas.
Mile 6: For my mother-in-law. She's facing her medical challenges with a positive outlook and will face much harder challenges than running 13 miles. I thought, if she can do that, I can run this. I managed 8:37 for this mile-an OK pace, but I knew it was time to speed up if I wanted to hit my goals. The mugginess and hills were making me work though.
Mile 7: For my friend Nicole. First, for inspiring me by running a marathon. Second, through her brave and long journey to motherhood. She's a great inspiration to anyone who knows her, so she deserved a mile. This was my slowest mile, at 9:30, as I took a brief walk break and water stop. The darkening skies held the promise of rain though, which I was now thinking must be better than warm and humid weather.
Mile 8: For all my athlete friends who have inspired me. Many of you don't know you were inspirations to me, but whenever any of you signed up for or completed a marathon, half, or triathlon, I watched admiringly and thought "if s/he can do it, I can too." Did this one in 8:59. I was trying to get back to my goal pace but had to walk through another water stop and a side stitch slowed me down. At this point I had resigned myself that 1:50 wasn't going to happen, but still hoped I could speed up and get a PR. Then the rain finally started and it felt wonderfully refreshing. That put an extra spring in my step.
Mile 9: For the people I might be inspiring by my example to take on their first event. When I got to this point I thought, sure I'm tired, but if all of those people were lined up watching me right now, I'd run fast for them, so I did. (And if any of you do decide to do your first event because of me, I'd love to hear about it.) I did this mile in 8:41, but this would be my last slow mile.
Mile 10: For everyone who has ever believed in me, and for those who have doubted me. Both have pushed me to achieve more. By now the rain had cooled everything down and I knew the end was close, and while 1:50 was out of the picture, a PR was still possible. I did this mile in 8:11.
Mile 11: For the wonderful volunteers who got up this morning and braved the weather, not for their own enjoyment but so that I and the other runners could have a fun, safe event. Without them there is no event. I kept a strong pace here, 8:15. By now I knew if I could hold this pace or better, I would still PR despite the slow start, humidity, and rain.
Mile 12: For everyone who isn't able to do events like this, whether because of their health, finances, or lack of leisure time. Thinking of these people helped put the race's challenges into the "first world problems" category where they belong, and thinking of the finish line drawing closer led me to drop the hammer and run the mile in 8:03.
Mile 13: This one was for me. I told myself that this mile was the culmination of 7 months of training in all conditions, running first thing in the morning and late at night. I knew that a hot meal, cold beer, and change of clothes were less than a mile away. I repeated my favorite line from my favorite poem, "Fill the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run," then did just that. I finished strong with 8:02. Coming into Fair Park I passed the spots where I had finished White Rock in December and Rock n' Roll last month and sped up to claim my next finisher's medal.
My final time according to my Garmin was 1:51:57-still awaiting official chip time but it will be in that vicinity. I finished 12th out of 215 women in my division and 223rd out of 2031 overall.
Overall, I'll remember this as a tough race because of the humidity, but I'm proud that despite that I still PR'd. Even though I didn't feel great for much of the race, I finished roughly a minute faster than at Rock n' Roll, when I had felt really strong. And it looks like I negative split by about a minute. Obviously the improving weather had a lot to do with that, but it also speaks to my conditioning and pace strategy that I was able to finish strong. All those training miles have given me a good base.
This race also leaves me convinced though that under better conditions, a 1:50 finish is within my grasp. Give me cooler weather and a flatter course and I think I could shave 2 minutes off that time. My next half is almost literally right in my backyard, on the Campion Trail, in a few weeks...will that be the one? We'll see. It's certainly a nice, flat course. Maybe I'll do a rain dance the day before and hope for a cooling shower to help me along.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Rock N' Roll Dallas Half Marathon
This past Sunday was the culmination of my spring training, the Dallas tour stop of the Rock N' Roll Half Marathon. I signed up for this race just a few weeks after running White Rock and trained to peak for it.
Going into Sunday I had several goals. My first was just to beat my previous PR of 1:58:15. My second goal was to finish under 1:55, and my "best case scenario" goal was to finish under 1:50. Beyond finish time though, I wanted to finish with a negative split-a faster second half than first half, getting stronger and faster as the race went on. As I planned out my race strategy the week before, I realized 1:50 was probably not a realistic goal to shoot for. Instead, I planned out my splits for a 1:53 finish.
My post-Austin training had gone well and I went into the race feeling strong and confident. But I was concerned that the warm weather might slow me down. I just started running in September so I haven't done much running above 60 degrees and the forecast called for a starting temp in the low 60s increasing to the low 80s by late morning.
As usual, I set out all my gear the night before and ate my spaghetti dinner. In anticipation of the warm temps the next day I also drank a chia fresca as the chia seeds retain water. Sunday morning I got up at 5:15, dressed, ate, and was out the door by 6.
This race, unlike the others I've done, was a point to point race, starting in one place (downtown Dallas by City Hall) and ending in another (Fair Park). So, all racers were instructed to park at Fair Park then take a shuttle bus to the start line. I've consistently found I-45 to be the best way to get to Fair Park, but for some reason that day I decided to try I-30. Bad idea. Traffic was backed up for that exit for at least a quarter mile. After waiting about 10 minutes and barely moving I decided it would be faster to turn around and head back to 45 so I did and got parked fairly quickly. Then the bathroom and bus lines were long once I parked. All told, I wound up making it to the start village with just enough time to go to the bathroom and get to my start corral with a few minutes to spare. While I was otherwise quite impressed with the race organization, this definitely needs improvement for next year.
The race started and off I went. I set my Garmin for an 8:35 average pace and as the early miles ticked by, I was hitting my splits almost to the second and it felt like a comfortable pace. My plan was to stay at or slightly over that pace for the first 5 miles, hold it through about mile 10, then speed up for the final 5k. As it turned out, I did just that, though in consideration of the heat I ended up stopping at several water stops and one salt packet handout in the second leg. And when a stranger was handing out dixie cups of beer around mile 10 I thought, well why not?
As the miles went on I kept looking down at the Pacetat on my forearm showing the splits I needed to finish in 1:52:30, so I knew barring the unexpected I was looking at a PR and then some. The final stretch of the race takes place within Fair Park, so once I entered the Park area I knew the end was very close, and that Kevin and Daniel were waiting there to cheer me on. What's cool is that we also passed the area where the White Rock Half was staged, so I remembered back to that cold, rainy day in December when the finish line drew close and I got a lump in my throat as I realized I was just seconds from becoming a half-marathoner. It made for a nice inspiration at the end of this race almost 4 months later.
I crossed the finish line at 1:52:54, besting my previous PR by more than 5 minutes. I didn't achieve my reach goal of 1:50, but I felt strong throughout the whole race and paced myself better than I have in my prior halfs. In fact, I only missed an even split by 5 seconds-take out one water stop and I might have negative split. I feel confident that I ran the best race I could that day and didn't leave much if any time out there.
One of the most rewarding things about running is that all the "measurables" provide lots of benchmarks to see improvement. My average pace Sunday was 8:37/mile, more than a minute/mile faster than my White Rock pace and almost 30 seconds faster than my 10k pace in November-a race less than half the distance.
Heading into the spring (I almost said "the rest of the spring" then realized it's only technically been spring for a week-it just feels like it's been spring for months) I'm planning to tweak my training a little bit to add more speedwork during the week. And, I've got 2 triathlons on tap too so I'll add in some swim and bike workouts. It's too soon to know what my time goal will be heading into future races, but I do plan to work more on my pacing, shooting for even or negative splits. RNR was a great experience, and definitely gives me confidence going forward, but I hope sometime in the next few months I'll be writing about the day I beat my RNR time to set another PR.
Going into Sunday I had several goals. My first was just to beat my previous PR of 1:58:15. My second goal was to finish under 1:55, and my "best case scenario" goal was to finish under 1:50. Beyond finish time though, I wanted to finish with a negative split-a faster second half than first half, getting stronger and faster as the race went on. As I planned out my race strategy the week before, I realized 1:50 was probably not a realistic goal to shoot for. Instead, I planned out my splits for a 1:53 finish.
My post-Austin training had gone well and I went into the race feeling strong and confident. But I was concerned that the warm weather might slow me down. I just started running in September so I haven't done much running above 60 degrees and the forecast called for a starting temp in the low 60s increasing to the low 80s by late morning.
As usual, I set out all my gear the night before and ate my spaghetti dinner. In anticipation of the warm temps the next day I also drank a chia fresca as the chia seeds retain water. Sunday morning I got up at 5:15, dressed, ate, and was out the door by 6.
This race, unlike the others I've done, was a point to point race, starting in one place (downtown Dallas by City Hall) and ending in another (Fair Park). So, all racers were instructed to park at Fair Park then take a shuttle bus to the start line. I've consistently found I-45 to be the best way to get to Fair Park, but for some reason that day I decided to try I-30. Bad idea. Traffic was backed up for that exit for at least a quarter mile. After waiting about 10 minutes and barely moving I decided it would be faster to turn around and head back to 45 so I did and got parked fairly quickly. Then the bathroom and bus lines were long once I parked. All told, I wound up making it to the start village with just enough time to go to the bathroom and get to my start corral with a few minutes to spare. While I was otherwise quite impressed with the race organization, this definitely needs improvement for next year.
The race started and off I went. I set my Garmin for an 8:35 average pace and as the early miles ticked by, I was hitting my splits almost to the second and it felt like a comfortable pace. My plan was to stay at or slightly over that pace for the first 5 miles, hold it through about mile 10, then speed up for the final 5k. As it turned out, I did just that, though in consideration of the heat I ended up stopping at several water stops and one salt packet handout in the second leg. And when a stranger was handing out dixie cups of beer around mile 10 I thought, well why not?
As the miles went on I kept looking down at the Pacetat on my forearm showing the splits I needed to finish in 1:52:30, so I knew barring the unexpected I was looking at a PR and then some. The final stretch of the race takes place within Fair Park, so once I entered the Park area I knew the end was very close, and that Kevin and Daniel were waiting there to cheer me on. What's cool is that we also passed the area where the White Rock Half was staged, so I remembered back to that cold, rainy day in December when the finish line drew close and I got a lump in my throat as I realized I was just seconds from becoming a half-marathoner. It made for a nice inspiration at the end of this race almost 4 months later.
I crossed the finish line at 1:52:54, besting my previous PR by more than 5 minutes. I didn't achieve my reach goal of 1:50, but I felt strong throughout the whole race and paced myself better than I have in my prior halfs. In fact, I only missed an even split by 5 seconds-take out one water stop and I might have negative split. I feel confident that I ran the best race I could that day and didn't leave much if any time out there.
One of the most rewarding things about running is that all the "measurables" provide lots of benchmarks to see improvement. My average pace Sunday was 8:37/mile, more than a minute/mile faster than my White Rock pace and almost 30 seconds faster than my 10k pace in November-a race less than half the distance.
Heading into the spring (I almost said "the rest of the spring" then realized it's only technically been spring for a week-it just feels like it's been spring for months) I'm planning to tweak my training a little bit to add more speedwork during the week. And, I've got 2 triathlons on tap too so I'll add in some swim and bike workouts. It's too soon to know what my time goal will be heading into future races, but I do plan to work more on my pacing, shooting for even or negative splits. RNR was a great experience, and definitely gives me confidence going forward, but I hope sometime in the next few months I'll be writing about the day I beat my RNR time to set another PR.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
A trio of 5ks
Today I ran the Rock 'n' Roll Dallas Half Marathon (writeup forthcoming). My last major race was the Austin Half Marathon. In the 5 weeks between those 2 distance races, I did 3 5ks: the DCFA Form Follows Fitness 5k, the LALA Esparanza 5k, and the Dash Down Greenville 5k.
DCFA Form Follows Fitness 5k
This was in downtown Dallas the Saturday after Austin. Kevin, Daniel and I did this race together as a family, so the focus was on fun, not speed. I was a week removed from Austin and pushing D in the stroller, but poor Kevin's shoes didn't fit well (turned out, as I suspected, they were the wrong width), so I was not the one slowing our party down. Even given the ill-fitting shoes though, Kevin had a solid outing in his first foot race and we finished in 31 minutes and change. It was a fun morning. Usually I go to my races solo and only meet my boys at the end, or at home later, so it was fun to share the experience with them. And Daniel's running career is off to a much earlier than mine or Kevin's: a good 32 years earlier. It's fun to think that someday we'll do races together...and then, someday, we'll start races together, then he'll lope ahead of me and be waiting at the finish to cheer me on.
LALA Esparanza 5k
This race was on the same morning as another race that featured the newly-opened Margaret Hunt Hill bridge near downtown Dallas. The chance to be one of the first pedestrians to step foot on the new bridge was tempting, but I ultimately opted for Esparanza instead even though it was a further drive. I liked the fact that the race was put on by a church and that all the proceeds went toward a charity in Mexico that helps the disadvantaged, and that finishers would receive a ceramic finisher medal handmade by one of the people the group-a nice way to make the charity personal. So, that morning I headed northeast to Plano. The day was nice, as good a weather as any race I've run. I started strong and felt good throughout the race, even though I forgot my handheld water bottle and had to stop for water halfway through, and finished with a PR of 24:10. Most races do their ave divisions in 5-year increments but this one did 10-year increments. I knew awards were only 3-deep in each division, so with such a large division I didn't expect to place, but I was pleased to discover I had finished 3rd out of 85 women in my division. I got a nice trophy for my efforts, which joins my Cupid's Chase trophy. Overall this was as well-organized a short race as I've done, and the family carnival afterwards was fun for Kevin and Daniel.
Here I am with Daniel and my trophy:
Dash Down Greenville 5k
I've lived in the Dallas area for more than 10 years now, and have learned that Dallas does St. Patrick's Day in a big way, specifically on Greenville Ave. This year I learned that the St. Paddy's Day festivities also include the Dash Down Greenville 5k. I debated whether I ought to do a 5k for speed just a week before the Rock 'n' Roll half that I had set my whole spring training schedule up to peak for, but in the end I talked myself into it. It was the biggest 5k I've done so far: 8,000 runners, with hundreds more spectators lined up along the sides getting an early start to the festivities. I started solid and, despite oppressive humidity, managed to finish with a PR by 4 seconds. While I didn't medal, I did finish #8 out of 500+ women in my age group, so I was pretty happy with that.
DCFA Form Follows Fitness 5k
This was in downtown Dallas the Saturday after Austin. Kevin, Daniel and I did this race together as a family, so the focus was on fun, not speed. I was a week removed from Austin and pushing D in the stroller, but poor Kevin's shoes didn't fit well (turned out, as I suspected, they were the wrong width), so I was not the one slowing our party down. Even given the ill-fitting shoes though, Kevin had a solid outing in his first foot race and we finished in 31 minutes and change. It was a fun morning. Usually I go to my races solo and only meet my boys at the end, or at home later, so it was fun to share the experience with them. And Daniel's running career is off to a much earlier than mine or Kevin's: a good 32 years earlier. It's fun to think that someday we'll do races together...and then, someday, we'll start races together, then he'll lope ahead of me and be waiting at the finish to cheer me on.
LALA Esparanza 5k
This race was on the same morning as another race that featured the newly-opened Margaret Hunt Hill bridge near downtown Dallas. The chance to be one of the first pedestrians to step foot on the new bridge was tempting, but I ultimately opted for Esparanza instead even though it was a further drive. I liked the fact that the race was put on by a church and that all the proceeds went toward a charity in Mexico that helps the disadvantaged, and that finishers would receive a ceramic finisher medal handmade by one of the people the group-a nice way to make the charity personal. So, that morning I headed northeast to Plano. The day was nice, as good a weather as any race I've run. I started strong and felt good throughout the race, even though I forgot my handheld water bottle and had to stop for water halfway through, and finished with a PR of 24:10. Most races do their ave divisions in 5-year increments but this one did 10-year increments. I knew awards were only 3-deep in each division, so with such a large division I didn't expect to place, but I was pleased to discover I had finished 3rd out of 85 women in my division. I got a nice trophy for my efforts, which joins my Cupid's Chase trophy. Overall this was as well-organized a short race as I've done, and the family carnival afterwards was fun for Kevin and Daniel.
Here I am with Daniel and my trophy:
Dash Down Greenville 5k
I've lived in the Dallas area for more than 10 years now, and have learned that Dallas does St. Patrick's Day in a big way, specifically on Greenville Ave. This year I learned that the St. Paddy's Day festivities also include the Dash Down Greenville 5k. I debated whether I ought to do a 5k for speed just a week before the Rock 'n' Roll half that I had set my whole spring training schedule up to peak for, but in the end I talked myself into it. It was the biggest 5k I've done so far: 8,000 runners, with hundreds more spectators lined up along the sides getting an early start to the festivities. I started solid and, despite oppressive humidity, managed to finish with a PR by 4 seconds. While I didn't medal, I did finish #8 out of 500+ women in my age group, so I was pretty happy with that.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Austin Half-Marathon 2/19
"And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within."
A few weeks ago I ran the Austin half-marathon. It was an interesting experience. While I had my slowest half time to date, 2:12 (14 minutes over my PR), I'm reasonably satisfied with that time, given the challenges involved that day.
This was my first race outside the cozy confines of the Metroplex, but it was still familiar territory as I grew up in Austin. And with my parents still living there, I was looking forward to a bigger cheering section than my usual (and much-appreciated!) 2-man crew. So, it seemed like a good first away race.
The plan was for Kevin, Daniel, and my parents to cheer me on at the finish line...at least, that was the plan up until 4am on race day, when Daniel woke up screaming, vomiting, and running a high fever. At that point we made a new plan for Daniel to sleep as late as he could, with Kevin staying home with him so my parents could come out to the race. I never got back to sleep so I went into the race on an hour less sleep than planned.
I had been a little nervous about the parking situation for a race this size, given the lack of public transportation options, so when my mom graciously offered to drop me off I was happy to accept and got dropped off just a few blocks from the start line. It was fun to walk around the Capitol grounds before the race. I always enjoy the pre-race moments surrounded by other runners, knowing that we all worked hard to get to that moment and enjoying the chance to see a familiar location in a new setting.
A few minutes before the 7am start I made my way to the start line. Unlike the White Rock Marathon, Austin doesn't put runners into corrals and do a wave start, but the runners self-seed according to expected pace and then do a mass start. I was a little skeptical of this arrangement but to my surprise it worked quite well. Despite the 14,000-person field, I crossed the start line only 5 minutes after the gun went off-23 minutes earlier than I crossed the White Rock start line. Maybe White Rock could learn something from that.
We started out heading north from the Capitol then made a few quick turns so that we were headed southbound on Congress. One of the things I really like about big races is the opportunity it provides the runner to see parts of the city in a new way. When else can you run down the middle of a major street like that? I passed the office building where my dad's firm was for over 20 years, then its new offices, and several others I remember visiting from my summer spent working as a courier for Trammell Crow. Then we went over the Congress bridge and past the eclectic shops on South Congress, which included some gentle but steady uphills.
While all of the sightseeing was great, trouble was brewing. I was beginning to feel IT band pain on the outside of my left knee by about 3 miles in. I had started out intended to stick with the 1:55 pace group but quickly realized I needed to ditch my time goals to make it to the finish line. So I slowed down a little and felt better.
Around 5-6 miles in we turned and headed back north on South 1st Street, giving back the elevation we had just gained in the first part. While it felt easier, I think this part was harder on my knee as the downhill portions work the lower legs more than the uphills. For one stretch I had a really uncomfortable stitch in my side, but that passed and I carried on.
Once we reached the bridge over Town Lake to approach downtown again though, about 8 miles in, the wheels came off. My knee was killing me. I'd try to run but only get a few steps before the pain forced me to walk. I had the briefest thought that if I was going to drop out, this was the place to do it where I couldwalk hobble over to the finish line to meet my family.
But then I remembered the amputee I'd seen earlier in the race. He had a prosthetic leg and would take a step with his good right leg then swing the prosthetic left leg into place, step after step, mile after mile. That guy would have given anything to trade places with me. So if he could do this race on one leg, I could certainly do it on two. I wonder how many people he inspired just by his presence that day. And with this race being sponsored by Lance Armstrong's Livestrong foundation, I saw many runners wearing signs designating them as cancer survivors or listing the cancer patients they were running in honor or memory of. I thought of my friends who have survived cancer and how if they could battle through cancer and its painful treatments, I could finish this race.
Fortunately the crowds were heavy in this section and I was going slowly enough that many of the watchers saw my name on my bib and called out encouragements to me by name. That was pretty nice....I felt like I owed them at least a few steps of running for that. And whenever I passed a kid in the crowd I'd make sure to give them a high-five, and I hope someday when Daniel's out cheering me on that other runners will do the same for him. With a heavy dose of walking and stretching, I made it through this leg and turned north on Winsted and headed for Enfield.
I knew that Enfield included a few more small hills then one huge uphill, and I was prepared to walk all of it if need be. But somehow I got my second wind and flew up the hill, passing many people on my way up. Even though I live in an area called Las Colinas ("the hills") my training runs are all pretty flat so I don't get much opportunity to practice hill work, but I discovered that the uphills were easier if I leaned into them and moved my arms like I was pulling myself up a rope. I pulled my way up Enfield and my knee and I were still getting along okay. After that I knew the finish line was just a little over a mile away, so I kicked it into high gear to finish strong.
I was already over 2 hours when I hit the big hill so I knew my chance for a PR was already gone, and probably even the chance to beat my White Rock time of 2:08. But I'm proud of my 2:12 finish time even though it's well below my planned pace. I didn't finish that race because I was fast or having an ideal day, I finished because I had the determination to do so. This finisher's medal was hard-won and one I'll enjoy showing Daniel one day and telling him about how I earned it.
A few weeks ago I ran the Austin half-marathon. It was an interesting experience. While I had my slowest half time to date, 2:12 (14 minutes over my PR), I'm reasonably satisfied with that time, given the challenges involved that day.
This was my first race outside the cozy confines of the Metroplex, but it was still familiar territory as I grew up in Austin. And with my parents still living there, I was looking forward to a bigger cheering section than my usual (and much-appreciated!) 2-man crew. So, it seemed like a good first away race.
The plan was for Kevin, Daniel, and my parents to cheer me on at the finish line...at least, that was the plan up until 4am on race day, when Daniel woke up screaming, vomiting, and running a high fever. At that point we made a new plan for Daniel to sleep as late as he could, with Kevin staying home with him so my parents could come out to the race. I never got back to sleep so I went into the race on an hour less sleep than planned.
I had been a little nervous about the parking situation for a race this size, given the lack of public transportation options, so when my mom graciously offered to drop me off I was happy to accept and got dropped off just a few blocks from the start line. It was fun to walk around the Capitol grounds before the race. I always enjoy the pre-race moments surrounded by other runners, knowing that we all worked hard to get to that moment and enjoying the chance to see a familiar location in a new setting.
A few minutes before the 7am start I made my way to the start line. Unlike the White Rock Marathon, Austin doesn't put runners into corrals and do a wave start, but the runners self-seed according to expected pace and then do a mass start. I was a little skeptical of this arrangement but to my surprise it worked quite well. Despite the 14,000-person field, I crossed the start line only 5 minutes after the gun went off-23 minutes earlier than I crossed the White Rock start line. Maybe White Rock could learn something from that.
We started out heading north from the Capitol then made a few quick turns so that we were headed southbound on Congress. One of the things I really like about big races is the opportunity it provides the runner to see parts of the city in a new way. When else can you run down the middle of a major street like that? I passed the office building where my dad's firm was for over 20 years, then its new offices, and several others I remember visiting from my summer spent working as a courier for Trammell Crow. Then we went over the Congress bridge and past the eclectic shops on South Congress, which included some gentle but steady uphills.
While all of the sightseeing was great, trouble was brewing. I was beginning to feel IT band pain on the outside of my left knee by about 3 miles in. I had started out intended to stick with the 1:55 pace group but quickly realized I needed to ditch my time goals to make it to the finish line. So I slowed down a little and felt better.
Around 5-6 miles in we turned and headed back north on South 1st Street, giving back the elevation we had just gained in the first part. While it felt easier, I think this part was harder on my knee as the downhill portions work the lower legs more than the uphills. For one stretch I had a really uncomfortable stitch in my side, but that passed and I carried on.
Once we reached the bridge over Town Lake to approach downtown again though, about 8 miles in, the wheels came off. My knee was killing me. I'd try to run but only get a few steps before the pain forced me to walk. I had the briefest thought that if I was going to drop out, this was the place to do it where I could
But then I remembered the amputee I'd seen earlier in the race. He had a prosthetic leg and would take a step with his good right leg then swing the prosthetic left leg into place, step after step, mile after mile. That guy would have given anything to trade places with me. So if he could do this race on one leg, I could certainly do it on two. I wonder how many people he inspired just by his presence that day. And with this race being sponsored by Lance Armstrong's Livestrong foundation, I saw many runners wearing signs designating them as cancer survivors or listing the cancer patients they were running in honor or memory of. I thought of my friends who have survived cancer and how if they could battle through cancer and its painful treatments, I could finish this race.
Fortunately the crowds were heavy in this section and I was going slowly enough that many of the watchers saw my name on my bib and called out encouragements to me by name. That was pretty nice....I felt like I owed them at least a few steps of running for that. And whenever I passed a kid in the crowd I'd make sure to give them a high-five, and I hope someday when Daniel's out cheering me on that other runners will do the same for him. With a heavy dose of walking and stretching, I made it through this leg and turned north on Winsted and headed for Enfield.
I knew that Enfield included a few more small hills then one huge uphill, and I was prepared to walk all of it if need be. But somehow I got my second wind and flew up the hill, passing many people on my way up. Even though I live in an area called Las Colinas ("the hills") my training runs are all pretty flat so I don't get much opportunity to practice hill work, but I discovered that the uphills were easier if I leaned into them and moved my arms like I was pulling myself up a rope. I pulled my way up Enfield and my knee and I were still getting along okay. After that I knew the finish line was just a little over a mile away, so I kicked it into high gear to finish strong.
I was already over 2 hours when I hit the big hill so I knew my chance for a PR was already gone, and probably even the chance to beat my White Rock time of 2:08. But I'm proud of my 2:12 finish time even though it's well below my planned pace. I didn't finish that race because I was fast or having an ideal day, I finished because I had the determination to do so. This finisher's medal was hard-won and one I'll enjoy showing Daniel one day and telling him about how I earned it.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
A new branch on my blog tree
I started my original blog to keep our family and friends updated on our family life with kids, but now that I've started running I like to do post-race writeups to track my progress and keep notes. I decided that's enough of a tangent off the original blog purpose to merit its own blog. Occasionally the topics will overlap, often they won't. And with that...here are a few writeups to bring myself up to speed.
I started running last fall in preparation for the White Rock Half and found I enjoyed it so much that even before I finished that race I was already looking forward to my next one. I decided to take advantage of the training base I had already built up and the fact that Texas winter weather is actually nice for running (or at least, until today...more on that in a minute) to pack several races into this winter and spring.
Here's my schedule to date:
11/12/11 Salute American Heroes 10k--writeup here
12/04/11 White Rock Half--writeup here
12/21/11--Jingle Bell Run 5k
1/07/12 Bold in the Cold 15k
1/14/12 Snowman Shuffle 10k
1/28/12 Texas Half
2/11/12 Cupid's Chase 5k
And here are the ones I'm already registered for in the future.
2/19/12 Austin Half
3/25/12 Dallas Rock'n'Roll Half
I'll probably add a few more 15k and shorter distance races in the next few months but no major races planned after R'n'R. We'll see what I want to do once we get to that point. I may be ready for a break or to mix in some triathlons, or I may be adding to that calendar.
Cupid's Chase 5k
Today I did the Cupid's Chase 5k at Bachman Lake in Dallas. I had been wanting to do more 5ks to see if I can improve on my Jingle Bell Run time and I thought it would be a good training run ahead of Austin next week. With only 3 weeks between the Texas Half and Austin, I decided to treat the interim period as primarily recovery/taper with a little speed work and a few long runs thrown in.
This run looked good on paper-a week out from Austin, close to home, mid-morning start so I didn't have to get up early, and our weather had really been pretty mild all winter. Well today, it seems winter finally arrived in north Texas-high 20s/low 30s with a 15-20mph wind=felt super-cold outside. This called for a change from my normal race strategy.
I'd rather be cool than hot so for every previous race I've worn shorts and a tank top, reasoning that I'd rather start cold and spend most of the race comfortable than start warm and overheat. In fact, the one time I wore a long sleeve layer, at Bold in the Cold, I had to shuck the top layer after just a few miles. Today however I wore tights, a tank, long sleeve top, and earmuffs. Not only was I not hot, my legs felt numb for the first mile and I spent most of the race wishing I had worn gloves too.
First my hands were really numb, so I started clenching them into tight fists to warm them up. Eventually they got reasonably warm, but in between numb and warm was the painful regaining-feeling step that feels like having bamboo shoots stabbed under the nails. Note to self: next time it's cold and windy, wear gloves!
There was also one other mitigating factor that I think affected my speed today. I donated blood at my office's blood drive this past Tuesday, and red blood cells carry oxygen to the muscles. So, less red blood cells in my body=less oxygen to the muscles=heavy legs feeling. For having not run since Saturday my legs sure felt heavy today.
All that being said...going into today my main goal was to improve on my prior 5k time of 25:19, and my reach goal was to finish at or under 24:00. The bad news is I did neither of those things.
The good news is...I was still fast enough to place. I was the 2nd female finisher and 5th overall finisher. The whole race I was thinking, there aren't too many people in front of me (granted, with only 100 or so runners in the whole race, I guess there weren't too many people behind me either), so I stuck around for the awards ceremony feeling confident I had at least placed in my age group. As the announcer started talking and said he'd start with the overall winners I thought, hurry up and get to the age group, I'm cold! So I was quite surprised to hear my name when he announced the 2nd overall female finisher.
And I won my first trophy! Sure it was a small field, but only 4 people walked away with a trophy, and I was one of them.
It was great to get the hardware, and I'm satisfied with my finish given the circumstances, but I stillthink know there's a better 5k time in me. I'll give it another shot soon...there are a few that look interesting in the next month or so. In the meantime, I'll savor my first overall-placing finish.
I started running last fall in preparation for the White Rock Half and found I enjoyed it so much that even before I finished that race I was already looking forward to my next one. I decided to take advantage of the training base I had already built up and the fact that Texas winter weather is actually nice for running (or at least, until today...more on that in a minute) to pack several races into this winter and spring.
Here's my schedule to date:
11/12/11 Salute American Heroes 10k--writeup here
12/04/11 White Rock Half--writeup here
12/21/11--Jingle Bell Run 5k
1/07/12 Bold in the Cold 15k
1/14/12 Snowman Shuffle 10k
1/28/12 Texas Half
2/11/12 Cupid's Chase 5k
And here are the ones I'm already registered for in the future.
2/19/12 Austin Half
3/25/12 Dallas Rock'n'Roll Half
I'll probably add a few more 15k and shorter distance races in the next few months but no major races planned after R'n'R. We'll see what I want to do once we get to that point. I may be ready for a break or to mix in some triathlons, or I may be adding to that calendar.
Cupid's Chase 5k
Today I did the Cupid's Chase 5k at Bachman Lake in Dallas. I had been wanting to do more 5ks to see if I can improve on my Jingle Bell Run time and I thought it would be a good training run ahead of Austin next week. With only 3 weeks between the Texas Half and Austin, I decided to treat the interim period as primarily recovery/taper with a little speed work and a few long runs thrown in.
This run looked good on paper-a week out from Austin, close to home, mid-morning start so I didn't have to get up early, and our weather had really been pretty mild all winter. Well today, it seems winter finally arrived in north Texas-high 20s/low 30s with a 15-20mph wind=felt super-cold outside. This called for a change from my normal race strategy.
I'd rather be cool than hot so for every previous race I've worn shorts and a tank top, reasoning that I'd rather start cold and spend most of the race comfortable than start warm and overheat. In fact, the one time I wore a long sleeve layer, at Bold in the Cold, I had to shuck the top layer after just a few miles. Today however I wore tights, a tank, long sleeve top, and earmuffs. Not only was I not hot, my legs felt numb for the first mile and I spent most of the race wishing I had worn gloves too.
First my hands were really numb, so I started clenching them into tight fists to warm them up. Eventually they got reasonably warm, but in between numb and warm was the painful regaining-feeling step that feels like having bamboo shoots stabbed under the nails. Note to self: next time it's cold and windy, wear gloves!
There was also one other mitigating factor that I think affected my speed today. I donated blood at my office's blood drive this past Tuesday, and red blood cells carry oxygen to the muscles. So, less red blood cells in my body=less oxygen to the muscles=heavy legs feeling. For having not run since Saturday my legs sure felt heavy today.
All that being said...going into today my main goal was to improve on my prior 5k time of 25:19, and my reach goal was to finish at or under 24:00. The bad news is I did neither of those things.
The good news is...I was still fast enough to place. I was the 2nd female finisher and 5th overall finisher. The whole race I was thinking, there aren't too many people in front of me (granted, with only 100 or so runners in the whole race, I guess there weren't too many people behind me either), so I stuck around for the awards ceremony feeling confident I had at least placed in my age group. As the announcer started talking and said he'd start with the overall winners I thought, hurry up and get to the age group, I'm cold! So I was quite surprised to hear my name when he announced the 2nd overall female finisher.
And I won my first trophy! Sure it was a small field, but only 4 people walked away with a trophy, and I was one of them.
It was great to get the hardware, and I'm satisfied with my finish given the circumstances, but I still
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)