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.
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