Tag: half marathon

March Recap

I kind of feel like March was a runaway train. It knocked me around some and then sped off. Between 2 crazy weeks at work and then trying to give myself a concussion, I am ready to say hello April! While the month may have been insane, I did manage a few things.

Races– Wine Country 13.1 – 2:07:08 Course PR

Training– Unofficial 5K PR- 26:35

I also joined the Around the World Running Blog Relay for March and April with a goal of 200 KM (which also means I have to do the conversion each week when I send in my numbers. 🙂 )

So-

74 Miles, sweet! I’ll take it. Taking 5 days off last week put a dent it what could have been my highest mileage month ever. I had also planned on running yesterday but a crazy rain storm came in and I just could not bring myself to go to the gym instead. Daylight savings time has really spoiled me. 🙂 Instead I drove straight home. Which was probably better because between the pouring rain and water coming off the tires; visibility was crap. I was just thankful to get home.

While Saturday’s run was rough, I got in another 4 miles on Sunday. While I may brought the pace down by the end on Saturday, my legs never felt right. Sunday’s average pace was similar to Saturday but it felt so much smoother. My legs remembered how to work 🙂 Woo hoo! I had a little trouble with my Garmin, though. I thought I hit start but half a mile later I was wondering why I hadn’t felt the slow pace alert buzz. I always walk the middle part of the first mile on my neighborhood route. (Hill denial) I looked down and it had never started, boo!

I thought about starting it then but saw an opportunity. Earlier in the month I had signed up for the virtual kickoff run for the Rock n Roll Las Vegas Marathon. I have been wanting to run this race for years and any chance to win a race entry, I was taking it! I needed to run a 5K and submit photo proof as part of the deal, and it had to be in by April 2. The incident with my head had pushed my original planned run back. Since I had my Nike+ app tracking the whole run and I was planning on doing 4 miles, I didn’t start my Garmin until around the .9 mile mark. From there my only goal was to get that 3.1 in under 30, which I knew may be tough because I figured I would need a walk break or 2. It was tough but mission accomplished! 3.1 miles on the Garmin and overall 4 miles in 39:20 on my Nike+ app. Then I took a photo and a less than great selfie so I could submit my time.

Man, I have no talent at these :) — Man, I have no talent at these 🙂

My bruise has faded and the welt is gone, and so is the tightness in my head, woo hoo! I have worked out a little training plan for the next 26 days leading up the SLO Marathon and 1/2. I have 2 race options for the weekend before as well. I am deciding between a 10k on the beach and pretty tough 5k that kicked my ass last year. Decisions, decisions. I have a week or so to decide.

Also, race pictures are finally up and one doesn’t suck! In the other I look like an 80’s reject, but this one isn’t bad-

Who wants to race SLO with me? I have a discount code that’s good until registration closes on April 11. Odds are good for great weather and a beautiful course!!

Any good April fool’s pranks? Either done by you or to you? My coworkers tried this one on me today-

Apparently April is race month! Who else is racing and what are you racing?

Hope you’re all having a good week so far!

2014 Wine Country Half -Recap

Previously mentioned jitters aside, I knew going in that I was not feeling this race for some reason. I was tired, I’ve had a crazy few weeks and I just wasn’t looking forward to that last hill. I knew under 2 was a shot in the dark and was iffy about beating my previous PR of 2:05:57. I managed to get to sleep at a decent hour last night but I hated my alarm this morning. 🙂 I had everything laid out last night so getting ready was pretty easy. A plus about this race is that it had an 8AM start but I didn’t have to leave my house until after 7:20. And that was just so I could deal with parking. I hung out in my car until about 5 minutes to start time. Which was good because it was cold.

I look tired and I haven't even started running yet — I look tired and I haven’t even started running yet

I checked the weather yesterday and this morning and it said high 40’s to start, high 50’s at the end. I thought about not wearing my arm sleeves, but I put them on anyways. Which turned out to be a wise choice because the weather man lied!!! It never made it to the 50’s and the sun never came out. I never took my arm sleeves off; usually they feel too hot by mile 3. My legs were cold to the touch the entire race. When did I get so wimpy? People are running in snow and ice and I have issues with the 40’s? Sad, sad.

Took these the other day when it was sunny

Miles 1-3 felt pretty good, I tried to keep my pace around 9:00. I hit the first bigger hill around mile 2.5, it led with a down hill, so I picked up the pace down it. Mile 4 brought a slow down, I got stuck behind another runner and couldn’t pass due the line of cars driving by! There must have been 6 or 7. It was slower but I was still feeling pretty good. Miles 5, 6, and 7 were another story.

Partway into mile 5, I noticed a tightness in my lungs. Seriously again? I was a little wheezy at City to Sea in October and then February’s Super Fun Run 5K was so cold, I had troubles breathing. I don’t think I have used an inhaler since high school, I don’t even have one anymore. I hadn’t felt like I was pushing it and I felt like my breathing was under control but I slowed down anyways. By mile 8 I was feeling a little better. There was little out and back here that I swear felt longer than last year.

In mile 9, my Garmin went wonky. Every mile leading up to 9 I would pass the race mile marker and then my Garmin would beep about 1/10th of a mile later. Mile 9 beeped but I never saw the mile marker. They were on wine barrels so I didn’t think I had missed one. Quarter of a mile later, I found it. WTH- my pace was making sense for how I was feeling but nothing was lining up. I was getting tired and my arms were chafing and it was making me fussy. I wanted to take a walk break (or 2) but I had a feeling I was walking the hill at the end so I just kept running. There was a man running with his dog, a big dog, so I used that to distract me. The dog looked like he was out for a morning stroll, he was just trotting along in front of his owner, not even running.

Mile 12 and I hit the dreaded hill. I managed to run 1/3 of the way up before saying F* it and walking. Once at the top, I still needed to walk. After about a minute of that i told myself I was almost done and to get a move on. Mile 13 was the slowest over all at 10:44. The finish line was in sight. As I got closer, I could see my mom and Zoey at the finish line. When I ran passed them, I gave her a thumbs down sign to show how I felt. I crossed the line and received my medal, I then headed over to pick up my wine glass. Finishing time- 2:07:08. Not a PR or sub-2 but it was a 7 minute course best.

Want to know what happens when you finish a race that you are half happy about, partially disappointed and just tired? You hug random strangers at the finish line. And I am not a hugger. She wasn’t a complete stranger but now I feel like a total creeper. She was a newer work colleague from another location who I have had a few meetings with in the past few weeks. How’s that for a welcome to the team- here let me share my sweat with you. Like I said- creeper status.

While a part of me wishes I had done better, but the course was nothing to be sad about. I finished it and barring a few issues, I felt strong for at least 1/2 of it. 🙂 I beat last years time of 2:14 and according to my Garmin, the overall elevation gain for the race was 1,617 feet. How accurate are these things? I celebrated with a tri-tip sandwich, and another trip to the theater to see Divergent again. This time included movie popcorn, yum! Oh and the sun finally came out-

Now it’s off to bed for me and I get to sleep in tomorrow!!! I am taking a vacation day, which will hopefully be restful.. Except I have tons of laundry to do and I should work on a paper that is due soon. And apparently I need to make an appointment to get another inhaler.

How was everyone’s weekend?

Who else raced this weekend?

Pre Race Jitters

Where did this week go? Seriously wasn’t it just Tuesday? Now it is Saturday evening, and I feel unprepared for tomorrow‘s race. I’ve picked up my bib, edited my playlist, and laid out my clothes. Since I decided that a PR is unlikely with that last hill, what do I have to be nervous about?

Taper week has been completed, probably a little too well. After Monday’s 10K, I headed back to the lake path on Tuesday, I ran a good 4.5 miles. Probably a little faster than I should have but they felt like good miles. After that the week seemed to pick up speed.

I had a meeting Wednesday morning but when that was completed I was done for the day, woo hoo!! Since I had to drive through SLO on the way home, I stopped by the Running Warehouse to exchange the handheld I had picked up on Saturday. That thing drove me batty; taking the sleeve off was a pain and I decided to just exchange it. Hopefully the Ultimate Direction handheld I chose will be better. I then headed home to change and go drive tomorrow’s race course. After getting home and changing, I checked Twitter and was ticked. Apparently Jordan Hasay stopped by the Running Warehouse like an hour after I left!!! Ugh!!!! So in the past 2 weeks, Benedict Cumberbatch comes to SLO and I miss it, Jordan Hasay shows up and I miss that too 😦 Oh and Lady Gaga was nearby a few weeks ago too. 😦

Thursday I had a business mixer after work, but the night ended fun! I met some friends for an early showing of Divergent!!! It was really good, they did a pretty good job converting it to a movie. I treated myself to In n Out before the movie, carb loading right? It was so yummy but apparently I was still hungry because 20 minutes into the movie my stomach growled. And it was loud. So awkward.

Friday I had briefly thought about getting in a 2 mile run after work but decided against it. Which turned out to be a good thing because I ended up working longer. The carb loading rationale struck again when I ate a bag of chips. 😦 Today I woke feeling a little under the weather, I have felt like that for a few days now but I am in denial. I keep telling myself that it is just nerves. I worked this morning so I didn’t get to packet pick up until later. It was quick and easy. They are using a new timing system this year so I won’t have to worry about them cutting the chip off as soon as I cross the finish line. 🙂 The shirt is cool too. This is the first time I have received a long sleeve tech tee. And I love gray.

I indulged with a little nap today too. 🙂 Then I went through the swag bag to see what was there-

Now I am in my comfy chair relaxing. Well trying too, I am still antsy for some reason… I have gone through the list a few times and I swear I have everything ready. I can’t shake the feeling that I forgot something. Guess I will find out tomorrow. now if I can just get to sleep at a decent hour tonight…

How was your Saturday?

Anyone else ever get that antsy feeling?

Wine Country Nostalgia

When I line up at the starting line this weekend, it will be for my 4th Wine Country 1/2 marathon and my 6th 1/2 overall. It has been making me feel a little nostalgic.

I ran my first 5K in the fall of 2010 and then turned lazy. I drove NikeC down to run the Surf City 1/2 in February 2011 and watching all the runners, I noticed that they didn’t look like the stereotypical runner. Sure, some of them did, but a lot of them looked like average joes; like me. I decided “I can do this”. So I started “training” and ran my first 1/2 marathon in April of 2011. It was only my second race. I say training lightly because according to an old training log, I only ran/ walked 12 times before that 1/2 marathon. Oops.

On race morning I had no idea what I was in for but that also gave me the benefit of not being that nervous. I broke so many running rules that day. I borrowed NikeC’s iFitness belt that I had never used before. I also ran in a cotton t-shirt and heavy tennis shorts. I really had no clue what I was doing.

My only goal for that day was to finish under 2:30:00. I paced my run by song intervals. Run 1 song, walk 1 song, and so on. I remember that C’s husband was running as well but I didn’t really know him that well then. He passed me at mile 5 and I never saw him again. This was also the point that I learned how the HOB Fun Run (my very 1st race) had spoiled me. As I was running, I felt a looming presence behind me. Sure enough, there was a semi truck coming up the road. Holy crap, the roads weren’t closed!!! To this day, HOB is the only race I have run with closed roads. Truthfully much of this race is a blur. I know that by mile 10, I was feeling pain in hip muscles that I didn’t know existed. My feet also felt so bruised and that feeling stayed for almost a week after. I think my interval plan had faded to run 1 song, walk 2 but I really don’t remember. The course is all rolling hills, and the one at the end was steeper and I was so tired. As I rounded the last turn to the finish line, a volunteer yelled out that I should run faster; that I only had a little way to go. Didn’t she know I couldn’t move any faster?! I didn’t meet my goal but I was proud of what I had accomplished. NikeC and my mom were waiting at the finish line for me.

Finish time- 2:37:50.

My running after that was hit and miss. I ran a few more races that year and then winter started. I returned to Slacker status. In 2012 I signed up for Wine Country again. I trained slightly better for this one, 26 runs before race day. 🙂 However they were all pretty short. Then 2 weeks to race day, I woke with the worst stomach flu I can remember. Like I was so sick I called in sick to work for 2.5 days. This was the first time in almost 5 years that I had called in. I managed 2 short runs over the next 2 weeks and still felt like crap. To make matters worse, that lovely time of the month (sorry boys!) started the day before the race. Race morning was wet and rainy and my ankle hurt. Maybe I should have DNS’d but I headed out with the goal of just beating the previous years time, even if by just 1 second.

They changed the course from a loop to and out back. I learned just how demoralizing out and backs could be. I was barely at mile 5 when the runners were already passing me on the way back. Waah. I pushed on but I was miserable. I had no idea what my pace or time was because my Nike+ app had malfunctioned and I didn’t realize until a mile and a half in. Adding insult to injury, the clean up crew was picking up the mile markers on the other side of the street while I was on the return portion of the race. Ouch. Then at mile 12, I think I scared a race volunteer. He was trying to be supportive and cheer us on, but he also said that it was 10:30. The race started at 8:00. There was no way I was running the last 1.1 miles in less than 7:50. I burst into tears, loud caterwauling sobs and visible tears. He had no idea what to do, I wish I could go back and apologize to him now. The last mile was partially on a dirt path leading to the finish line, I cried off and on the entire mile. Crossing the finish line, I realized that the race had started late and if I had pushed just the tiniest bit at the end, I would have hit my goal. They also switched from medals at the finish line to wine glasses this year.

Fall of 2012 is when I started to get serious. I broke :30 for a 5k and finally got under 2:30:00 for a 1/2 (City to the Sea). My goal for 2013 was to get under 2:15:00 in a 1/2. When I registered for Wine Country, I was glad to see that website said they were going back to the loop course of 2011. I also knew that with how hilly the course was 2:15 was unlikely so I was shooting for 2:20:ish. I lined up at the start line feeling nervous like usual. 5 minutes to start, they announced a course change. Instead of the little killer hill at the end, we would be going all the way down to another street and then up. This street was the little hill x10. My car doesn’t even like going up the street. WTH?! Not cool!

This race felt better than the previous ones. Even though work had cut into my training, (changing offices, longer hours) I felt more prepared. Nike+ worked fine this time and even though I went out faster than I should, I maintained for the first 8 miles. I slowed as the miles went on and I remember being jealous when the girl in front me had the energy to jump in the air for the photographer at mile 11. I managed a ~~smile~~ grimace. I hit the final hill and crawled up it. But at that point with what Nike+ was telling me, I knew I could walk and still get under 2:20. And walk I did. According to Nike, the elevation gain was 200+ feet in .15 miles. I am not sure how accurate it is. Maybe it wouldn’t have felt so rough if it wasn’t 12.5 miles into the race. I then walked a bit more at the top to get my heart rate back down. I was so pumped to cross the line this time.

Finish- 2:14:04- woo hoo!!!

I drove the course today, both to refresh my memory and take some pictures of the course. The beginning seems hillier than I recall and the middle stretch longer. With the last hill, I would have to hit mile 12 at 1:45 in order to break 2:00. While I would absolutely adore doing that, I am not going to injure myself to do it. I have another 1/2 in 4 weeks, so I have to keep that in mind as well. As of right now, there have been no course changes announced this year. The race did announce that half marathon finishers get a medal and a wine glass this year. Yay!!! It’s the little things right?

Anyone have nostalgia for a particular race?

Happy Wednesday!!!

Well, that was a hot one

Happy Daylight Savings Time!!! You know, I hated this day before I was a runner. Not I count down the days until it comes. 🙂

Not only was Friday a rest day but it was just one of those days. It started with a 4:30 AM text and went on from there. It left me feeling harried all day and that can sometimes make me crave crappy food. And I indulged. A few too many of these ↓ followed by pizza for dinner.

I had planned my long run for Saturday morning, I had been thinking 9-11ish. I was giving myself 2 hours to run 10 miles; I knew I wouldn’t use the full 2 hours but I wanted to make sure that I took it easy. Well, 9 turned into 9:40. I have been trying to train myself to sleep differently and it’s not going so well. 🙂 I finally headed out the door after making the last minute decision to lose the long sleeves.

The first 3 miles were solid even if my body was telling me that it did not appreciate the pizza for dinner the night before. It was warmer than I had expected so I was glad I was running in a tank and shorts. I planned my route the night before but as I passed the cemetery the first time I saw that they were setting up for a service. I try not to run by when they are having a service, sometimes I can’t avoid it, so then I slow down to a crawl and try to be super quiet. Today though, I could see it so I knew I had to change my route. I had planned on doing a hill loop twice so instead I added a third. By the third pass I was getting tired, it was getting hotter and I was only at 6.5 miles. One of my former co-workers lives on that street and the first 2 times I ran down, her husband was outside. I thought about saying hi but figured he would have no idea who I was. Third time back down, she was outside too. Yay for a break!!! I stopped and we chatted a bit. It was a good little rest.

After saying our goodbyes, I headed off to finish my run. Of course, stupid pride makes you run faster when you think someone you know is watching, haha!!! I was also still trying to figure out the route in my head so I threw in another half of the same hill loop; 3/4 of the way up, there is another option for coming back down. I then headed back towards home. It was hot and it was getting rough. By mile 9 I was done. I ran out of Gatorade at that point as well. I have never run out water or Gatorade before. I dragged myself through mile 10 and shut off my Garmin. I was still half a mile from my house and was trying to remember if the grocery store 2 blocks away had a water fountain.

The weather had started in the low 60’s but by the end of my run it was almost 80. I have run in much hotter temps before but for some reason, I was not prepared for yesterday. It kicked my butt. It also burned through my sunblock, my back is a lovely shade of red. I made it home and went straight for the water. Then a little chocolate milk and 2 bottles of Nuun.

I then managed to clean my car, finally. My mother had a tennis match yesterday and she wanted to show her team the puppy. So I picked up the puppy and took her for a ride. She was a little confused at first, but overall very well behaved. She wasn’t prepared for stop signs though, and tumbled off the seat at the first one- oops!!!

I rounded out the day by doing the usual errands and topped it all off by watching Catching Fire, again. Today was mostly chill, I took the puppy for another puppy jog- 3 miles in 56 minutes. She was a little slower today but much better behaved. She only barked at one car. 🙂

I am excited for the daylight time to run this week after work. It’s also inspection time at work, so I may have the need to run off some stress. 🙂 And my first half of the year is just two weeks from today!

How were your weekends?

Ever had a run turn out to be way warmer than planned?