Emerald City Half Marathon

 

I feel like you always take a chance when registering for this race. I mean, IT'S IN AUGUST for goodness sake. Fortunately, the two years I've run, the weather has been nice (61 degrees in 2015, 54 degrees at the start this year)!! Both of those years have also been training runs for me.

 

I initially planned to just do my long run workout which was 13-14 miles with the last 6 at marathon pace (likely a 1:51-ish finish time). Marion posted on Facebook that she was looking for someone who might be targeting 1:45-1:50. I figured, what the hell, I don't mind going a bit faster if my body allows. So, I told her I'd run it with her. I'm SO glad I did!

Celebrating our pacing victory! [ME, Marion]

 

The weather was absolutely perfect! Because I wasn't racing it, I just did a measly 1 mile warm up to literally warm my body up. Standing still in mid 50's with a tank and shorts is a little chilly! With our goal pace being 8:10-8:15, we situated ourselves a little behind the 1:45 pace group. No race nerves, no pressure.

 

Of course, we started a little fast. It felt like we were CRAWLING! Mile 1 was [7:59]. Not too fast, but fast enough that we wanted to try to back off a bit. We noticed the next two miles were right on par with the first [7:58, 7:58]. At that point, we sort of decided we would just roll with it as long as we felt good. It just seemed that this was the pace our bodies were going today.

 

The next couple of miles had some incline...almost unnoticeable [7:53, 8:02]. We then entered onto the bike trails at Glacier Ridge. I believe that happened somewhere in the 6th mile [7:55]. Personally, running on bike trails doesn't bother me. I know a lot of people

that HATE it...especially during a race. The path took us through mile 11.

 

We were still going strong the next three miles [7:57, 8:00, 7:57] when Marion thought she might need to use the restroom. She was worried about me stopping, but I didn't care! It was a training run! Plus, it gave me a chance to gel and drink water. I stopped my watch during the break, but Marion kept hers going. That way, we were able to see the two different times. That mile with me stopping my watch was [7:51]...8:40-ish without stopping the watch. Only a 50 second potty break?! You go girl!

I think we passed that girl...

 

With one mile left on the trail (including that damn wooden bridge that I hate to run on), we managed to knock out another sub 8 [7:59]! We were killing it AND feeling good. We were still talking and enjoying the experience. As we were exiting the trail onto the road, I wasn't totally thrilled about this section. It always seems to go on forever. This is also where you meet up with the quarter marathoners so it gets a little congested. It wasn't too bad this year. I recall it being worse two years ago.  That mile stretch took [7:53]. We rounded the corner and headed to the finish. Marion asked me if I wanted to sprint the last section after we hit 13. I told her I would try my best! We did speed up the final mile [7:37] and averaged around 7 or sub 7 for the last little bit.

 

Flying to the finish.

 

 

My official time:

 

1:44:59!

 

Nothing to brag about there. Top 17% overall, top 8% female. Bahaha!!

 

Woo Hoo! Look at that consistency! Even though we ran 10-20 seconds faster than marathon race pace, I was super impressed by how close our splits were. I felt great minus a little tightness developing in the last couple of miles. I definitely know I need to stick to my intended race pace for my marathon in two weeks.

Bling, bling. Medal time.

 

I am SO glad I decided to run this race. It gave me the excitement and confidence boost I needed for Erie. I've been in a bit of a funk lately because I'm tired of waking up early. I didn't feel as if my training was telling me that I could accomplish the time I wanted for the marathon. The confidence was lacking. Running this race gave me that confidence back. I KNOW I can meet my goal. My body is ready for that goal...I just have to do my best on race day to make it happen!

I believe this is a pic of 4 PRs and 2 successful training runs! [Megan, Karen, Kimberly, ME, Dani, Marion]

P.S. Sad I didn't get a pic with Jen and Amanda.

 

It was so good seeing all of my friends at the race. Pre-race complaints with Amanda, last minute pep talks to friends wanting to PR, and post race celebrations. So much fun. Thanks to Marion for keeping me company and keeping me motivated during the race. Finally, thanks to friends and family for cheering us on along the course.



CSWS: Week 14

Can't Stop, Won't Stop

 

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I visited the spot where Linda Evans was killed. Ugh.

My week had a rough start. I got to sleep a LITTLE later than usual on Monday, but still had to wake up before 5 a.m. Then I had a follow up with my PCP who increased the dosage of my meds (Lexapro). He said it would likely make me feel those awful side effects all over again...nausea, headaches, drowsiness, potential diarrhea. Oh boy! I felt the symptoms throughout the week, but I'm hoping they'll subside as I enter this coming week.

Also, I had what felt like an awful workout on Tuesday, but my attitude turned around after a redemption speed workout on Thursday and a great training race on Sunday.

 

 

• 8/21: 5.01 miles, 9:19/mile. Thank goodness I had an easy run! I met up with Lisa B and Sarah K in our hood for some easy miles. It was a great start to my Monday. (Until our sliding van door didn't close, AAA brought it to the shop, and we received an estimate of $1500)
  

  

• 8/22: 8.01 miles, 8:12/mile; Legs/Yoga, 30 minutes. Today was tempo run day. In my training program, my tempo pace is defined as 7:21-7:37/mile. The goal was to run 3-4 miles in that pace range. I always go for the higher number. So, I had it in my head that I was going to try for 4 miles in the pace range. It was a scary thought, but I was going to try my best. I met Amanda at the wee hour of 4:45 a.m. Yay. It felt like a rough start. Maybe my warm up miles were a little fast, but the air was just thick. I just didn't feel great. As I was getting ready to start my faster miles, I felt like I needed to poop. I ignored it the best I could (that method worked because it didn't bother me too much after that). When we started the faster miles, I couldn't seem to get my legs to move. I finally found my stride and managed a 7:39...close enough...I wanted to barf, though. I told Amanda I didn't think I could run four, or even three, in a row at that pace. I decided I would do another fast mile, a recovery mile, and attempt a third fast mile. My second fast split was 7:36...in my range, but felt like complete crap. I actually stopped after that mile thinking I was going to throw up. I did my recovery mile and ended on a good note with a 7:18. I'm glad this one is over. It was rough!
  

  

  [ME, Amanda]

• 8/23: Shoulders, 30 minutes; Core Power Yoga, 1 hour. Today was a running rest day. I hit up the gym for a shoulder workout and went to a free yoga class later that evening. I was shaking like crazy during some of the yoga poses because I was fatigued from my shoulder workout!
  

  

• 8/24: 9 miles, 8:09/mile. This should be my last hard workout until my race. Woo Hoo! Workout: 2 mile warm up, 5 x 1600 with 400 recovery, 1 mile cool down. Since I felt so awful on Tuesday, I knew I had to nail this workout to give me a boost of confidence. I was supposed to progress from 7:45 to 7:25 for the intervals. I had it in my head to target 7:45, 7:40, 7:35, 7:30, and 7:25. My first fast mile was 7:21. I tried really hard to slow it down for the next one and get back to my target paces...7:18. Crap. When the next one was 7:20, I could tell my legs had one pace range for the day. My next two were actually pretty close to my target paces: 7:27 and 7:24. I'll call it a success and enjoy the rest of my running week!
  

  

  Asics Gel Hyper Speed.

• 8/25: 6 miles, 9:08/mile. Initally, I was going to rest today and run this on Saturday. We have way too much going on that day, and the thought of potentially sleeping in Saturday morning trumped resting today. I was able to sleep until 6:25 and help the hubs get the kids ready for the sitter. As he left to take them, I set off for my run. The last time I ran this time of day during the work week, I got run over by a vehicle. I couldn't help but think about this the whole time I was running. The experience is still so vivid in my mind. Anyway, the weather was awesome...slightly crisp. I could tell my body was a little tired from yesterday, but hopefully this run helped to work some of that out.
  

  

  Oh how I love coffee in a mug at home on my couch.

• 8/26: REST. Complete and total workout rest. I did spend the day keeping the kids away from the house and my husband so that he could be alone all morning to get his mind ready for CPA exam #1.
  

  

  My baby girl at Creekside.

  
  

  

  My handsome big boy.

• 8/27: 14.15 total miles (1 mile warm up, 9:23/mile; 13.15 race miles, 7:55/mile-turned off during friend's bathroom break!  8 min/mile with bathroom break). I ran the Emerald City Half Marathon with friends today. Perfect weather for a race! Of course, I will write a recap.
  

  

  Emerald City Half.

 

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Overall, I suppose I can't complain about my week. That last speed workout and the race gave me a lot more confidence for my upcoming race.

CSWS: Week 13

Can't Stop, Won't Stop

 

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My two little loves.

Thoughts as I entered this week:

1) Am I really less than a month away from running a marathon? It feels like I haven't raced in forever so the feeling seems foreign to me.

2) My mileage is FINALLY decreasing! I think I got the message across that I'm over these 4:30 a.m. runs.

3) More sleep in my future! See point #2.

4) Rest for my hard-working body. Realistically, I still have some tough workouts in my future, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

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• 8/14: 8.03 miles, 8:56/mile. Track Day! I took my fartleks to the track with Meggie who had some 1000's to run. Three mile warm up, 12 x 1 minute hard then easy, 2 mile cool down. I felt good overall...getting tired, as I should, towards then end of the workout.
  

  

• 8/15: Chest/Back workout, 30 minutes. Running rest day with just enough time to hit up the gym after work. 
• 8/16: 8 miles, 8:31/mile; Core Power Yoga, 1 hour. Steady State Run. I told Elizabeth I would help her with her speed workout this week. I was pleasantly surprised to see Katie and Amy! I'm glad Amy took over my roll of helping Elizabeth because I was perfectly happy with my steady state pace! Katie and I knocked out some low to mid 8s while those ladies rocked it out a little faster.
  

  

  [Elizabeth, Amy, Katie, ME]

• 8/17: Bis/Tris/Glutes/Yoga, 1 hour. I did 40 minutes of strength training followed by a 20 minute yoga practice. Looking forward to my weekend miles!
  

  

  Stretching that left hip of mine!

• 8/18: 8.03 miles, 9:00/mile. Well, I did it again. I was supposed to run 9 miles but let myself be happy with 8. I met up with Amanda, Elizabeth and Anna. We did about 3.5 with E and Anna, when Amanda asked if I'd speed up a bit because she wasn't feeling well (we also had more mileage). Amanda needed 8 miles so I just stopped with her. I just wasn't feeling like doing one solo. Call me a lazy ass. I will need to make up for this missed mile so I can get 50 for the week!
  

  

  [Amanda, Elizabeth, ME, Anna]

• 8/19: 18.01 miles, 9:09/mile. LOVED this run! There were six of us with varying distances. Katie, Brandi, and I set off at 6:30 a.m. for 4 miles then came back around to pick up Noemi, Brittaney and Lisa B. We then did a 6 mile loop. I was feeling good with only 8 to go! We did a 5 mile out and back to get Brandi her miles. Then Katie, Noemi, and I set off to finish off our miles. I loved running this in segments. It kept my mind focused and made the miles fly by. I think the highlight of the run was the last 3 mile section. We explored a part of Westerville I had never been to. Highland Lakes, maybe?  I just remember Katie saying we might want to kill her when we see the incline we had to go up. LOL!! I'm not sure what came over me...I was just feeling awesome. I wanted to tackle that hill. I marched up that thing with purpose and loved every second of it! Since the other girls had two additional miles, we parted ways for my last 1.5 miles. I ended my run with an 8:28 and 8:05 mile! The conversations we had were so full of positivity. On top of that, we had a nice refreshing sprinkle in the middle of our run. Great, great run.
  

  

  Had to get a pic of my bunny buns.

• 8/20: 8 miles, 8:44/mile. I wanted to allow myself an extra morning to sleep in (and Jimmy had church rehearsal so I'd have to go extra early). I opted for an afternoon run...too bad Ruthie had me awake at 6:15!! UGH. I decided to head to the trails in Gahanna to give me a little shade in this brutal heat. It provided me at least 3 miles out of the sun.
  

  

  Had lots of fun on this toasty run!

 

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Since I cut my track workout by two miles AND my Friday run by one mile, I added a mile to my Sunday run so I could get 50 for the week. There was no way I was going to be happy with 49! That's a weird number.

 

Although this coming week has decreased mileage (only 42!!!), I have two harder workouts that terrify me. On a positive note, I get to run the Emerald City Half as my long run for the week! Hopefully being out there with thousands (or hundreds) of runners will keep me on task for my race pace miles. I'm also hoping it will get me in the race spirit. I haven't raced since July 4th!

CSWS: Week 12

Can't Stop, Won't Stop

 

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This week was all about the birthday girl!

Week 12 means the end of my third block of training. ONLY FOUR MORE WEEKS UNTIL RACE DAY! The legs are certainly feeling the effects of training and mileage. Any time you get to the point when a 5-7 mile run seems measly, you know you're in the thick of it. LOL.

 

Last week into this week, I struggled with a bit of burnout. Not so much running burnout, but waking up early burnout. As I mentioned last week, I started a new medication. That seems to be when my sleep frustration began. From here on out, I'm going to try to take advantage of any opportunities I have to run later than 5 a.m. Those moments may not happen often, but I want to take them if I can.

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I will openly admit that I was a lazy ass this week. I let my busy schedule take over and didn't make strengthening a priority. UGH. I'm so pissed at myself. I didn't do one strength workout...NOT ONE! I didn't even get to go to a yoga class. I can't take any of it back so I'll just have to move on and hope for a better week in that area.

 

• 8/7: 8.01 miles, 9:22/mile. This was supposed to be my hill repeat day. Katie and I met at the dam for a 5 mile warm up followed by hill sprints. When we arrived, there were 4-5 cop vehicles at the dam. The police were using their flashlights to search for someone or something. It freaked us out a bit so we decided that we didn't want to do the repeats since the hill was located in a wooded, dark area. As we set off for our miles, we saw more cops down the road searching for the same person. We asked if we should be scared, but they said they were searching for a child. No matter the case, it was enough for me not to want to do the creepy hill in the dark. Hell, my next race is flat. Missing one hill workout won't make or break me!
• 8/8: 10 miles, 8:18/mile. Today's workout included 6 miles progressing from marathon pace to half marathon pace (goal 8:15 to 7:45). I've been so burnt out on waking up early, and work presented me with the opportunity to run in the afternoon. I got 8 hours of sleep the night before!! My body didn't feel that awesome when I started, but it warmed up fairly quickly and I was ready for those faster miles...very happy with this workout.
  

  

• 8/9: 1 mile, 9:09/mile. Today was supposed to be a rest day, but I was in the middle of a 68 mile run streak. I had a crazy work day, so I ran my mile as soon as I got home. Otherwise, it wasn't going to happen.
  

  

  Post birthday dinner at Pies n Pints.

• 8/10: 9.01 miles, 9:23/mile. Just a medium pre-long run run. I did 5 solo then met Sarah K for the other 4. I was so freaking tired. I just couldn't get my leggies to move the way I wanted them to. This made me a little nervous about my long run.
• 8/11: 20.01 miles, 8:55/mile. Another Friday long run. I was throwing a birthday party for Ruthie on Saturday and knew I would likely be stressed about it. I thought it would be a good idea to get the 20 miler out of the way so I could wake up on Saturday to set up for the party. I ran the first 7 miles with friends. Just enough so that I didn't have to run in the dark by myself. I then set off for another 13 miles. I had no route planned, so I just turned when I felt like turning. I didn't look at my watch because I was afraid I was going too slow. I thought it would get in my head if I saw that I was out of my pace range. I couldn't believe my average when I stopped. I thought for sure I would be in the mid 9s.
  

  

  I won't see this number again until race day!

• 8/12: REST. Complete and total rest. It was Ruthie's big birthday party so I intentionally scheduled a rest day so I could prep for and host the party. It was a success, and we made lots of memories!
  

  

  You gotta have watermelon at a watermelon themed party!

  
  

  

  Birthday perfection.

  
  

  

  Fun with the cousins.

• 8/13: 6 miles, 8:30/mile. My plans fell through when my friend got strep. I then found another group to run with, but my ass didn't want to get out of bed when my alarm went off at 6:15. I messaged a friend to tell her I wasn't coming and went back to sleep. I didn't get out of bed until 7:45!! Thank you, husband, for allowing that to happen!! I set off for a late afternoon run after the hubs got home from volleyball. It was toasty, but I loved every moment of it.
  

  

 

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As this week ends and the next begins, all I can think about is getting more sleep. I hope this attitude flips to a more positive one before race day.

CSWS: Week 11

Can't Stop, Won't Stop

 

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This week's stress was increased by the fact that this boy had VBS every night and didn't go to bed as early as he usually does...but he's so cute!

This week has been a struggle. I started taking a new medication last Friday knowing it would give me some not so desirable symptoms (hence, why I started taking it after my 20 miler!). After I started taking it, I would feel nauseous, get headaches, and it would jack up my sleep. That combined with life responsibilities and a full time job didn't do me any good at the beginning of the week. Even so, I had to keep on keepin' on.

Fortunately, after a conversation with my doctor, I changed the time of day I was taking my medication, and that seemed to diminish the symptoms. My sleeping seemed to be back on track by the end of the week.

Monday marked the end of the month which means monthly mileage totaling party. I had my highest month EVER!

 

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• 7/31: REST. You know, the kind in which you do absolutely nothing.
• 8/1: 10 miles, 8:56/mile. Track day! Workout:4 mile warm up, 7 x 3 minute fartleks with 2 minute recovery, cool down to 10 miles. My friend Amy D. met me at the track to help motivate me through the intervals. Fortunately, she has a fancy watch that beeped when we needed to speed up and slow down. It was nice not having to look at my watch the whole time. I got to strap on my new pair of ASICS Gel Hyper Speed 7's and enjoy a speed sesh.
  

  

  Wide awake at 2-something and could not fall back asleep.

• 8/2: 8.01 miles, 8:37/mile; Bis/Tris, 30 minutes. My workout called for a steady state run (8 miles total with 6 @ 8:22-8:32). Elizabeth was looking for a partner, and our workouts were similar enough that we just made it happen. Some of my miles were faster than my goal range, but that's life. My legs were a little tired from yesterday's workout, so I was looking forward to another rest day!
  

  

  Early morning at the dam. [Elizabeth, ME]

• 8/3: Legs, 30 minutes. Another running rest day for me. I did a good leg workout at The Y and spent some time rolling my glutes.
• 8/4: 8.01 miles, 8:31/mile. I was supposed to meet Amanda in the morning, but our start time was in line with the brief bout of lightning and rain. Fortunately, I had a short work day that allowed us to meet up around lunch time. Although I felt ok in the moment, I probably ran a little too fast for an easy day. Oops.
  

  

  [Amanda, ME]

• 8/5: 17.01 miles, 8:43/mile. Today's workout was supposed to be 17 miles with the last 7-8 at marathon race pace. I met up with a group of ladies for my first seven miles then split off to do the rest solo. I could tell in the warm up phase that the race pace miles would be tough. My friend, Karen, gave me a little pep talk before I went solo that helped get my mind focused. After 9 miles, I sped up in attempt to get all 8 of the remaining miles between 8:12-8:15. The first 5 were [8:12, 8:10, 8:06, 8:07, 8:10]. At that point, I needed a recovery mile. My legs were toast! I had side stitches almost the entire run and doing these faster miles seemed to make it worse. I ran the next mile in 9:15 and decided I would run the last two the best that I could, trying to get them under 9 minutes. My next mile was [8:30]. With only one mile to go, I knew I had to try my best to knock out one more race pace mile. I was oh-so-close with an [8:16]. Man...that was a tough run. I really had to convince myself to keep plugging away.
  

  

  My favorite part of Saturday mornings...post run coffee and time with my kiddos.

• 8/6: 7 miles, 9:15/mile. I ventured to Dublin for a few miles with Theresa then finished the rest solo. The pace was perfect for recovery, and the legs felt much better today.
  

  

  I haven't run with this lady in AGES! [Theresa, ME]

 

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A local runner, Linda Evans, died in a hit and run accident earlier this week after being struck by a vehicle while she was on a training run. Such a sad story about such an inspirational woman. The only way I could think to pay tribute to her through running was to do a 68 mile running streak (she was 68 years old and training for her 68th marathon). A few friends liked the idea so they are either doing a 68 mile or a 68 day streak. I started on Friday, so I have completed 32 of 68!