Hoka 10k 2018

Hoka 10k 2018

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

March Mileage


March started off slow. I felt good the couple of days after my first 20 miler (which counted for February mileage) but began feeling fatigued later that week. It freaked me out a little since I knew the DC half was approaching. I took it REALLY easy the week of my race (only ran twice, each run 6 miles). 

I went at it hard the last two weeks of the month and had my highest weekly totals of the year (50 and 58)! I can't imagine that my weekly mileage would ever get higher than that. My comfortable zone is 45-50 miles per week. 

Those 20 milers can really take it out of you! I'm glad I only have one left before the full. Every time I run a 20 miler, I question how much I really want to do full marathons. I'm pretty sure I'm a half kinda girl ;)

March Running Miles: 181.26

March Cycling Miles: 25.2

I also started incorporating more strengthening with the focus on hips and core. I do love arm and back exercises so I've thrown in leg/arm combo moves to give me a little of both worlds. I just have my eyes focused on the Flying Pig full...mostly to get it over with! LOL. I'm just not that excited about it yet because I know it's going to be SO HARD! I'm also completely scared to do another full. I just need to stay focused on being healthy and injury free so I can have a fair shot at a decent finishing time. 

Cheers to April and better running weather! Happy running everyone!

Saturday, March 28, 2015

My First Epic Running Fail of the Year

I know...we all have bad workouts. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. I've had a few this year but NONE as horrible as today. I feel the need to share failed runs more than good ones because, sometimes, it's nice to know you aren't the only one who has bad runs.
 
 I should have known  this would not be my best day. I woke up with a horrible attitude about the weather and was so tired from not sleeping well the night before. I felt fine when I woke up but was motivated by the fact that I was meeting some friends to help me conquer this 20 mile adventure.
 
I've always had issues making myself eat when I wake up in the morning. I know it's especially important before a long run or race. I couldn't muster up the will to eat...not even a protein bar. I took two bites and wanted to barf from the thought of eating it.
 
When we started our run, I felt fine for a few miles. Around mile 5, I thought "I'm not sure I can finish 20 today." I ate some Honey Stinger gummies in hopes it would give me a boost. Things did not improve and I felt like total crap.
 
On top of that, my body couldn't figure out if it was hot or cold. I warmed up quickly in the beginning but then got really cold again. My feet were so cold that they became numb. At one point, my right foot was tingling! I wore the same socks I usually wear when it's cold but I think it was my shoes. They were a little thinner than my others.
 
Today's math lesson:
Lack of Sleep + Not Eating + Suddenly Colder Temps = Bad Run for Lisa
 
I got to 10 miles and had to quit. I couldn't get my dang legs to move. I felt bad that I had to leave Jackie to do the last 10 by herself. Fortunately, Amanda has her 20 to do tomorrow afternoon so I won't be solo in my next attempt (and we may have others join!). Crossing my fingers for:
 
More Sleep + Food in My Belly + mid 40s = Better Run for Lisa
 
 


Monday, March 16, 2015

Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon Part 2: The Race




I decided to rep my home state during the race.

Based on all of our research, the girls and I were under the impression that this was an easy, mostly flat course with only one big hill to worry about. LIES!! ALL LIES! :)The course wasn't horrible but  I was not expecting the rolling hills.
 
Based on what we thought we knew, my strategy was to start slightly slower than my goal pace so I didn't wear myself out before the big hill. We were under the impression that it was all or mostly downhill after that point. So my plan was to pick it up for the rest of the race. Sounds smart, right?!

Bling, bling. Money ain't a thing.
 
Miles 1-5 went as planned. My pace ranged between 7:49 and 8:02. That part of the course was fine. I don't remember any significant inclines. The worst part was that it took me 4 or 5 miles to get out of the crowd (which is probably why my Garmin had me going 13.28 miles). A lot of weaving in and out of people! I would think that people in the front corrals would know proper race etiquette but there were two or three people that made a dead stop in the middle of the road to adjust things, tie shoes, etc.  In the words of Ludacris, "Move *****, get out the way!"
 
Next was the fun part. Just before the course hit 6 miles,  I started up a steady incline. I knew I was approaching "the hill" but wasn't aware of how close it really was. I was distracted by pictures which I found out later were fallen soldiers. Just after the pictures, I looked up and noticed a bunch of people lined up on the side of the road. Each one was carrying an American flag. It was, at that  point, that I connected the dots in my head...THIS IS THE HILL!!! I have no idea how to describe this thing. No words. My breathing was so heavy and I felt like I was walking as I approached the top. I just remember, before the hill started, someone say "Don't worry, there's a water station at the top of the hill." MORE LIES! One of the things that helped me survive that hill was knowing I would get water at the top. I'm pretty sure words flew out of my mouth when I reached the top and saw no water. I wanted to throat punch the lady that lied to me! LOL. Despite this crappy hill, I loved the people with the flags cheering us on and I loved the sweet relief I felt at the top of the hill. The disappointing part? When I reached the top of the big hill, I looked ahead and noticed what seemed to be a long, steady incline.
  
Post race pic with Jackie. Amanda wasn't there because her kiddos needed to get out of the rain and cold.
 
I assumed this would be the last challenge before the downhill section of the course. Sometime in the midst of this part of the race, my Garmin beeped to give me my mile split...9:07!!! What?! I flipped out. How did I go from 8 and sub 8s to 9:07?! This totally psyched me out, at first.  I guess it just speaks to the intensity of that hill at mile six. It was at that point that I remembered something my friend, Kimberly, told me the week of the race. She told me not to look at my watch so much and just run with my heart. So I did. I didn't look at my watch for the rest of the race and finished better than I had expected.
 
After the first half of the race, it started raining harder. It wasn't too horrible leading up to that point. I was soaked and my feet started feeling heavy but at least the rain was light at the beginning of the race. Not only was it raining hard, at this point, but the wind decided to get a little crazy. I tried to embrace the elements but, damn, can't a girl catch a break on her last attempt at 1:40 (side note: planning to get pregnant this year so I'm under the assumption that it will now be a couple of years before I can attempt 1:40 again!)?!
 
The second half of the course was all rolling hills, some worse than others. So, technically, there were downhill sections but the second half of the course was NOT DOWNHILL. Now that I was running with my heart and not my watch, I decided I would use my fellow runners to help me up. Whoever was beside me at the time, I would say "O.k., we can do this. Let's get up this hill!" And we would, together...pushing each other to the top. Then I would run as fast and controlled as I felt I could down the wet hills. This was me for the rest of the race. It was the only thing that could get me through the course and elements (pace ranging 7:54 to 8:04 for miles 8-11).

Here she is! Don't kill me, Amanda ;) Our freshly showered, warm, and smiley selves post race.
 
Outside of the hill, mile 12 was the worst for me. I almost wanted to give up. I knew I was SO CLOSE but my brain started telling me to slow down because I wasn't going to meet Goal A. It wasn't until I evaluated my paces afterwards that I realized I ran 8:24 that mile. Very fitting for my attitude! Once that mile was complete, something came over me. I knew I had friends and family waiting on me to finish. People I wanted to make proud. People and family not present that I did not want to disappoint. Mile 13 was my fastest mile of the entire race...7:45. I'm most proud of that mile because I let it all go. I ran for the joy of running. I ran for those supporting me. I ran with my heart.
 
There's not much to say about the post race. It was raining, I was freezing, soaking wet...everything I've complained about already!

Starbucks never tasted so good! Always a good reward for a great performance.
 
I just want to thank everyone from family to friends and my hubby for supporting and encouraging me through this process. I wanted a 1:40 and didn't get it...and that's ok. I came to terms with that knowing the situation wasn't the best. I can honestly say that I was never disappointed with the result. I was OVERJOYED that I beat my personal record by over three minutes! I still have a smile on my face thinking about it! I'm just so thankful to run. It felt so awesome to get back out there today and feel good after such a tough race. Next up, a FULL MARATHON. Holy crap. Flying Pig, here Lisa comes...
 
 
 
 
 

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon Part 1: Pre-Race Events

WOW! What an awesome experience! I dealt the good, the bad, and the ugly all in one race. This was my first destination race. I thought it would be perfect since my parents live about an hour or so outside of DC. I didn't plan to race this early in the year. I usually wait until late April or so to start my racing season...BUT, peer pressure was a factor here! 
Back in December, Amanda posted something on Moms Run This Town (MRTT) about wanting someone to join her in DC for the half marathon. In a matter of 3 or 4 hours, I was registered! I revealed the news to Jackie and, in a matter of a few more hours, she was registered! HA! If that's not peer pressure, I don't know what is.

Just two months prior, I ran my PR half marathon (1:50:13) at the Run Like a Girl Half in Columbus. When I registered for DC, I had no idea what my goal would be. My running had changed tremendously in the recent months so I had no idea what I was capable of running. A few days after Christmas, I did a 12.05 mile test run with Jackie and Amanda (we averaged 8:02). If we had run another 1.05 miles, I would have done a sub 1:45 half! Amanda, being the friend that pushes me to the edge (in a good way), convinced me that I was capable of a 1:40. With much doubt, that became my goal. Training for this couldn't have gone better. Of course, I had some bad days but, overall, I was on course to run a 1:40...or at least REALLY close to it.

**********

We drove to my parents' house Thursday evening, and they took me to the metro station outside of DC on Friday. An hour later, I was at the airport to pick up Amanda. I was pretty proud of myself for only messing up on one metro transition! We checked into the hotel where we sized up our competition (I kid, I kid..I'm the least competitive person ever!) and met up with Jackie and her hubby.
First order of business: checking out "the hill" we kept hearing about (hence, the ugly). There is no picture that can give you the slightest idea of this incline. It was crazy to look at but even crazier to run. The worst part of the hill was about a quarter mile but there was a slight incline leading up to it. When we saw it, all we could do is laugh:
Literally, you can see us laughing ;) 

We followed this up with the expo where we learned there were more than 30 corrals in this race! Holy Moly! I'm glad we were in 6 (superstar Amanda in 1). 

The highlight of the expo had to be the big boobed blonde at the chocolate milk station (I'm blonde so I can make fun, right?). She asked if I knew how chocolate milk could help me post run. I was going to let her tell me her spiel but all she said was " Omg. It really helps you when you finish." So I thanked her and took the flyer. I really wanted to hear a physiological explanation! I looked over to Amanda and said "I'm pretty sure that girl's not a scientist." 

After returning to our rooms that evening, we checked the weather and debated what to wear in the rain. It's SO hard to decided what to wear when you're racing in rain! If it's a light rain, no big deal; a heavy rain, ugh! It wasn't until the next morning that we made our final decisions based on how fast the windshield wipers were moving on the cars in the street!

The morning of  a race is always so weird! I could not eat (only ate a Kind bar) and I used the bathroom a bazillion times. Jackie met Amanda and me in our room before the race. I checked out for a moment because I needed my belly to calm down. I listened to Carrie Underwood singing "How Great Thou Art" and T-Pain's "Booty Wurk." Quite the variety, I know! 

We headed out to the gear check area. We wanted to check some dry clothes in case we were freezing when we finished. The area was poorly organized. It was hard to see the signs to know which names went with each line. I stood in the wrong line twice and it was only 5 or 10 minutes from the start time! I panicked and threw my bag in the appropriate truck rather than wait in line! We jogged to the start and made it just in time.There was only one minute or so between each corral so we didn't have to wait very long. The rain was light at the start and it didn't feel too cold. I was hopeful.

Then it was our corral's time to start...


Wednesday, March 4, 2015

I Have Random Thoughts...You Will NOT Gain Any Form of Knowledge From This Post

Things on my mind:
  1. DC finish: I was thinking this morning about how lost I felt at the 2014 Nationwide Cbus Marathon. I couldn't find Jackie at the start and freaked out. I also couldn't find her or my family after finishing even though I was standing under the "D" sign (D=Davis!). Apparently it was insanely unorganized compared to past years (I can only speak for two years prior and I remember it being much better then). I vowed not to make the same mistakes again. I have already typed out a directional itinerary of sorts so that me and my girls can meet up and go to the start TOGETHER. We also made plans to meet at the letter 'X' following the race in hopes that it won't be a popular letter to hang out post race.
  2. Booty shorts and tanks: The weather is leaning closer to promising for the race. The 10 day forecast for DC is showing 50s up to 61 as race day approaches! There is some rain predicted that Friday but anything can happen in 10 days. Because of this, I've been testing out some warm weather clothes that I haven't used in a long time. Things fit me differently post baby so I'm doing some treadmill workouts in my booty shorts and tanks to see how comfy they would be for racing.
  3. My imagination: I think I'm psyching myself out a little with this race approaching. I'm super excited but, because I have a lofty goal, I have some nerves coming into play. I've been extra aware of how my body is feeling the past week or so and I think I'm making up aches and pains. I'll feel these minor things in my body and wonder if it's something more. Psyching myself out!!

Sunday, March 1, 2015

February Mileage


February brought 3 less days, illness, and stupid weather days that had a lot of us inside on the treadmill. For those of us racing, it also meant taper week. Here are my totals for February:
 
Running Miles: 160.26 (compared to 200 for January)
 
Cycling Miles: 26.3 (compared to 61.5 for January)

Good thing I got that 20 miler yesterday to up that mileage! March and April are looking to be more moderate months as well. I'm racing the DC half in two weeks which means a decreased long run this coming Saturday and taper week next week. Then it's 7 weeks to the Flying Pig full. I'll have 5 hard weeks of training then slowly taper over the last two weeks (I even have vacation mixed in there).

Looking forward to March (mostly because I'm hoping this crap weather will end)!!