Not much exciting to report. My knee was bothering me a lot at the beginning of the week (I think it might be from swimming laps), but hopefully it's nothing serious. These are my two highest volume weeks, and though I am starting to freak out a bit, I am mostly getting excited.
Monday: Bike ride with Bex on the ATT (14.5M, 56:41)
Tuesday: A little bit of speed work on the treadmill. 3.25M in 23:51, including 3x1200 (4:59-4:55-4:52), followed by 1250 in the pool.
Wednesday: Nice little 6 mile Moonberries run with Sarah (46:55) and 30 minutes on the trainer working on riding in aero and keeping a higher cadence.
Thursday: 1600 in the pool, mostly pull with a few 200s without the buoy. My evening run was 5M on the ATT in 38:30, consisting of a 15 minute warmup, 20 minutes of 1 minute fast (between 5:57 and 6:26 pace, depending on incline/decline) - 1 minute slow. About 3 minutes into my cool down I ran into a friend on the trail, stopped to chat, and didn't feel like running again after that so I walked the last mile home. This workout didn't sound that bad when Allie described it, but was a lot harder than I expected!
Friday: AM - Short and easy Rise run with Ellen (4M, 31:52).
PM - Test ride of the Ironman 70.3 Raleigh bike course with Bex. We rode about 15 miles to pick up the course at mile 7, rode the middle 40 of the course, and then veered off in order to meet Monte at his office to catch a ride home. Overall a pretty nice course, mostly rolling with no major climbs, but with temps in the 80s, it was quite a tiring ride (57.2M, 3:31:47, 16.2 mph).
Saturday: A very humid 8.65 on the ATT (1:10:11) with Caren, Karen, Jen D, and Nan, followed by cupcakes and another mile (8:02) in preparation for the upcoming Doughman eat-run relay.
Sunday: I wasn't going to run again, but couldn't say no to a Sunday Rise run with Allie, Ellen, Amy, and Alison, especially on a day with perfect running weather (9M, 1:10:00). Had planned to ride in the evening but was pretty tired after traveling to visit my in-laws for Mother's Day, so I did a really quick, difficult pace/resistance half hour on the trainer.
Weekly totals: Swim (1.73), Bike (72 plus an hour on the trainer), Run (37); 11:53:43; 6,925 calories
Monday: AM - Easy run with Ellen on the ATT (4.7M, 37:38)
PM - Walked the Al Buehler Trail with Nicole (3.1M) and then hit the pool for a 2200 pull swim (45:00)
Tuesday: AM -Another lovely Rise run with Ellen (6M, 47:41)
PM - Quick out and back from American Village with Nicki, mostly me trying to keep up! 2M easy warmup (14 mph) and then 15 a bit faster (19 mph)
Wednesday: AM - Fourth consecutive day meeting Ellen (aka my PR twin) at Rise! Liz joined us for something approaching real speedwork, which ended up as a 3.5 mile warmup, 5 x 800s in 3:20 (actual: 3:18-3:22, so pretty close to the target pace) with 400 jogs, and a 1.5 mile cool down (8.5M, 1:05:12)
PM - Nice leisurely ride on the ATT with Laura (18M, 1:10:56)
Thursday: A morning off! It was a nice change to stay in bed past 6:00.
PM - Half iron-distance open water swim at Beaverdam with Bex. It seemed like it took forever (it pretty much did, actually), but I made it without incident. I may be the last one out of the lake, but at least I am confident that I can make it! (1.2M, approx 45 minutes)
Friday: What was supposed to be a 3 mile tempo run turned into 2 miles (13:44) plus a half (3:18), but it was warm and humid, plus I have an 80+ mile ride tomorrow, so I am ok with that (5M, 37:32).
Monday-Friday totals: Swim (2.25), Bike (35), Run (37); 7:40:45; 5,096 calories
Friday, May 17, 2013
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Rockin Marathon Relay RTP
This morning I had the pleasure of running a marathon relay with Ellen, Allie, and Sarah. I haven't done much faster-than-marathon-pace running in a while, and the few attempts to do so since Boston have fallen pretty flat, so I wasn't sure what I could expect of myself. The race was supposed to be run on roads in RTP, and I thought staying sub-7 seemed like a pretty reasonable goal. A last minute course change brought the race to WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, and the loop was now a very hilly one on the cross-country course. Though not excited about the change, there wasn't much I could do about it, so off to Cary we went...
We arrived at the race and there was plenty of parking, check in was a breeze, and there was more than enough room to set up our gear... I do appreciate the easy logistics of running a super small race! After a short briefing, the race was underway. The first lap was supposed to be 0.2 miles shorter than the rest (after which each lap was 1.65) to get an even 26.2, but the race started about 200 meters in front of the finish line, so I would guess it was a little long. Allie took the lead leg because she had to take Z to tea with Miss America (isn't that what everyone does on a Saturday?), and came through in first overall right behind the lead bike. Sarah ran the second leg and kept our lead, and so I was actually the lead runner until the guy on the team that would eventually win passed me about a quarter mile in. I tried to stay with him as he went by, but redlined and pretty quickly realized that was a horrible idea. After a flat/downhill section through a field we came to the trail and hit the steepest of the hills. I passed some runners here already, which shows how fast our first two runners were! After that it's pretty much rolling until coming back into the field, which is a .4 mile incline to the exchange zone. I was definitely not a fan of the long, gradual uphill finish! I managed to (barely) keep it under 7 minute mile pace, but it wasn't particularly fun! Given our big lead over any other women's teams, I ran the next laps more like a tempo run than a race, so that really made it a lot easier and more enjoyable! My pace for the last 3 laps averaged 7:10-7:08-7:02, so not setting any speed records and once again played the role of the team turtle, but it is what it is.
We ended up finishing in 2:58:03 (turns out the mid-race team photo put us over 2:57!), good for 2nd overall and 1st among women's teams. Our prizes: a very fancy medal (not really), frosted beer mug (which the victorious men's team was nice enough to fill with beer for us), and a box of Balance bars. More importantly, of course, I got to spend the morning with my friends, who entertained everyone with a stellar rendition of Living on a Prayer (complete with dance moves).
Now that my calendar is clear of marathons for a while, I am hoping to run more short stuff and incorporate more speed work and tempo miles in hopes of getting faster. I may just not be built for speed, but I am at least willing to give it a shot... time will tell...
Splits:
Lap 1: 11:22 (6:56)
Lap 2: 11:45 (7:10)
Lap 3: 11:42 (7:08)
Lap 4: 11:36 (7:02)
We arrived at the race and there was plenty of parking, check in was a breeze, and there was more than enough room to set up our gear... I do appreciate the easy logistics of running a super small race! After a short briefing, the race was underway. The first lap was supposed to be 0.2 miles shorter than the rest (after which each lap was 1.65) to get an even 26.2, but the race started about 200 meters in front of the finish line, so I would guess it was a little long. Allie took the lead leg because she had to take Z to tea with Miss America (isn't that what everyone does on a Saturday?), and came through in first overall right behind the lead bike. Sarah ran the second leg and kept our lead, and so I was actually the lead runner until the guy on the team that would eventually win passed me about a quarter mile in. I tried to stay with him as he went by, but redlined and pretty quickly realized that was a horrible idea. After a flat/downhill section through a field we came to the trail and hit the steepest of the hills. I passed some runners here already, which shows how fast our first two runners were! After that it's pretty much rolling until coming back into the field, which is a .4 mile incline to the exchange zone. I was definitely not a fan of the long, gradual uphill finish! I managed to (barely) keep it under 7 minute mile pace, but it wasn't particularly fun! Given our big lead over any other women's teams, I ran the next laps more like a tempo run than a race, so that really made it a lot easier and more enjoyable! My pace for the last 3 laps averaged 7:10-7:08-7:02, so not setting any speed records and once again played the role of the team turtle, but it is what it is.
We ended up finishing in 2:58:03 (turns out the mid-race team photo put us over 2:57!), good for 2nd overall and 1st among women's teams. Our prizes: a very fancy medal (not really), frosted beer mug (which the victorious men's team was nice enough to fill with beer for us), and a box of Balance bars. More importantly, of course, I got to spend the morning with my friends, who entertained everyone with a stellar rendition of Living on a Prayer (complete with dance moves).
Now that my calendar is clear of marathons for a while, I am hoping to run more short stuff and incorporate more speed work and tempo miles in hopes of getting faster. I may just not be built for speed, but I am at least willing to give it a shot... time will tell...
Splits:
Lap 1: 11:22 (6:56)
Lap 2: 11:45 (7:10)
Lap 3: 11:42 (7:08)
Lap 4: 11:36 (7:02)
Friday, May 3, 2013
Ramping up the Tri Training
Though I would normally like to take more than one day off post-marathon, there are only SIX WEEKS until the Raleigh Ironman 70.3!
The optimist in me is hoping that this will go well, but the pragmatist has some doubts...
+ I know I can swim 1.2 miles in a pool without much difficulty
- The lake is a different story... drowning is still a possibility
+ I can easily ride 56 miles on the bike
- Getting in under my 3-hour time goal will require riding much faster than I'm used to
+ Running 13.1 miles... piece of cake
- After almost 4 hours of swimming and biking and potentially in 90 degree heat and humidity... not so much
I imagine the reality is somewhere in the middle, but regardless, I have a lot of work to do!
Monday
AM - 4M Rise run with Ellen and Sarah (31:12). Sort of progression-ish (7:52-7:41-7:37)
Tuesday
AM - Swimming (1400 yards including 3 x 100)
PM - 60 minutes trainer including 4 x 5 minutes fast
Wednesday
AM - 6M with Ellen (47:55), including 4 x 400 (101-95-101-94)
PM - 40 minutes trainer moderate
Friday
AM - 7M with Jen and Amy (56:50), including 1-2-3-2-1-2-3 minute ladder (intervals run at 6:30 pace)
PM - Swimming (2000 yards including 800 at race pace and 4 x 50)
Saturday
Long ride at Mapleview (64M, 4:00:09). This was my longest ride to date, and other than Lystra (200 feet of elevation gain in less than a mile), I fared ok. The ride was a bit slower than what I'm hoping for in the 70.3 (16 mph; my goal is 19), but it was good to get in some extended time on the bike. Bex and I followed up the ride with a quick 1 mile run (7:30). It was tough to slow down my legs, and I definitely need to add more bricks to the schedule.
Sunday
Long run with a great group of BCTC women (12.65M, 1:40:55).
Legs were a bit sore from Saturday's ride, but I managed to make it through the run with most of miles 4-12 in the 7:40-7:50 range - mostly due to the fact that my training partners are all faster than I am and I didn't want to be left behind!
Weekly totals: Swim (1.94M), Bike (64 + 1:40 on the trainer); Run (30.7)
Monday
AM - 4M Rise run in the rain with Ellen (31:58)
PM - Swimming (1400 yds, mostly pull)
Tuesday
AM - 7M with Ellen, including 6 x 400 at 10K-half pace. Not exactly speedy and my legs feel like lead. Plus, the NC humidity is back in full force.
PM - Brick with some of the Duke Tri Club - 17M on the bike and a short transition run
Wednesday
5M easy run with Amy
Thursday
Trainer - 40 minutes moderate with high intensity intervals throughout
Friday
2000 yard (almost Half IM distance) time trial (42:30). Not fast, but it's the longest distance I've done without taking a break, so I am pleased, and feeling optimistic of getting through the swim and T1 in less than an hour.
Up next... another marathon relay! Can't wait :)
The optimist in me is hoping that this will go well, but the pragmatist has some doubts...
+ I know I can swim 1.2 miles in a pool without much difficulty
- The lake is a different story... drowning is still a possibility
+ I can easily ride 56 miles on the bike
- Getting in under my 3-hour time goal will require riding much faster than I'm used to
+ Running 13.1 miles... piece of cake
- After almost 4 hours of swimming and biking and potentially in 90 degree heat and humidity... not so much
I imagine the reality is somewhere in the middle, but regardless, I have a lot of work to do!
Monday
AM - 4M Rise run with Ellen and Sarah (31:12). Sort of progression-ish (7:52-7:41-7:37)
Tuesday
AM - Swimming (1400 yards including 3 x 100)
PM - 60 minutes trainer including 4 x 5 minutes fast
Wednesday
AM - 6M with Ellen (47:55), including 4 x 400 (101-95-101-94)
PM - 40 minutes trainer moderate
Friday
AM - 7M with Jen and Amy (56:50), including 1-2-3-2-1-2-3 minute ladder (intervals run at 6:30 pace)
PM - Swimming (2000 yards including 800 at race pace and 4 x 50)
Saturday
Long ride at Mapleview (64M, 4:00:09). This was my longest ride to date, and other than Lystra (200 feet of elevation gain in less than a mile), I fared ok. The ride was a bit slower than what I'm hoping for in the 70.3 (16 mph; my goal is 19), but it was good to get in some extended time on the bike. Bex and I followed up the ride with a quick 1 mile run (7:30). It was tough to slow down my legs, and I definitely need to add more bricks to the schedule.
Sunday
Long run with a great group of BCTC women (12.65M, 1:40:55).
Legs were a bit sore from Saturday's ride, but I managed to make it through the run with most of miles 4-12 in the 7:40-7:50 range - mostly due to the fact that my training partners are all faster than I am and I didn't want to be left behind!
Weekly totals: Swim (1.94M), Bike (64 + 1:40 on the trainer); Run (30.7)
Monday
AM - 4M Rise run in the rain with Ellen (31:58)
PM - Swimming (1400 yds, mostly pull)
Tuesday
AM - 7M with Ellen, including 6 x 400 at 10K-half pace. Not exactly speedy and my legs feel like lead. Plus, the NC humidity is back in full force.
PM - Brick with some of the Duke Tri Club - 17M on the bike and a short transition run
Wednesday
5M easy run with Amy
Thursday
Trainer - 40 minutes moderate with high intensity intervals throughout
Friday
2000 yard (almost Half IM distance) time trial (42:30). Not fast, but it's the longest distance I've done without taking a break, so I am pleased, and feeling optimistic of getting through the swim and T1 in less than an hour.
Up next... another marathon relay! Can't wait :)
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Tar Heel 10 Miler
This Saturday I had the pleasure of pacing Jen Dixon at the Tar Hell (typo but it stays) 10 Miler. It seems that every year we're out of town for this race, so this year I signed up even though I knew I'd be running Boston only 5 days before... primarily for the Duke Crash the Party shirt. I suggested that we could run it together, Jen agreed, and the goal was to run faster than what she'd finished in last year (1:24:59). I knew this wouldn't be a problem for her, and figured based on her recent half marathon at 8 minute/mile pace, we should definitely be able to break 80 minutes for the 10 miler. According to the McMillan calculator, her predicted 10 mile race time was 1:18:20, which is 7:50/mile. So I had no doubts that she could set a big PR, but I did have some doubts about my ability to function as a good pacer on legs that were still a bit sore from Monday's marathon.
A group of us met at my house at 6:15 to carpool to the race, and we arrived just in time to use the bathroom, run to bag check, run back around the stadium to the start line, duck under the rope as they played the national anthem, and take off.
My plan was to start off with a conservative mile or two, settle in around 7:45, hang on through Laurel Hill, and hopefully finish strong with Jen getting a nice PR. Given the course layout, this seemed like a pretty good plan.
There was a bit of weaving through the early, crowded portion of the race and my watch went a bit crazy as we ran through a few tunnels, but we crossed the 2 mile marker just under 16 minutes. The next miles went by in 7:51, 7:33, 7:40, 7:47, 7:44, and 7:46... just as planned. Jen was doing great, my quads were a little sore but functioning better than expected, and we had some fun running by Monte at the 7.5 mile mark (having the photographer at the end of a long hill is always helpful).
Then came Laurel Hill, which I knew would feel long and difficult, and we tried to just keep up a good effort without worrying about our pace too much. That mile ended up as a 8:23 and we were still ahead of the 8:00 pacers, so I knew we had the sub-80 in the bag. We were able to get back on pace coming down Laurel Hill and ran the last mile in 7:38 to finish in 1:18:23 (7:50 pace). I guess McMillan is pretty accurate! I was really pleased with how my legs responded in my first real run since Boston, but most of all I was thrilled to have run with Jen as she took over 7 minutes off the 10 mile PR that she set on the same course last year.
Boston Strong
After a 90 minute ride on the trainer, Jeannelle, Monte and I headed down to Raleigh for the Boston Memorial Run. This was a really nice and well-attended free event, and we were happy to drive down to Moore Square to show our support. After meeting up with some BCTC friends, we joined hundreds of other runners for a nice out and back three mile jog. It has been great to see how people around the country and in the running community everywhere have come together in support of Boston and the Boston Marathon. It has been less than a week, but it has been a long, exhausting one, and I am glad I was able to end it on this note.
A group of us met at my house at 6:15 to carpool to the race, and we arrived just in time to use the bathroom, run to bag check, run back around the stadium to the start line, duck under the rope as they played the national anthem, and take off.
My plan was to start off with a conservative mile or two, settle in around 7:45, hang on through Laurel Hill, and hopefully finish strong with Jen getting a nice PR. Given the course layout, this seemed like a pretty good plan.
There was a bit of weaving through the early, crowded portion of the race and my watch went a bit crazy as we ran through a few tunnels, but we crossed the 2 mile marker just under 16 minutes. The next miles went by in 7:51, 7:33, 7:40, 7:47, 7:44, and 7:46... just as planned. Jen was doing great, my quads were a little sore but functioning better than expected, and we had some fun running by Monte at the 7.5 mile mark (having the photographer at the end of a long hill is always helpful).
Then came Laurel Hill, which I knew would feel long and difficult, and we tried to just keep up a good effort without worrying about our pace too much. That mile ended up as a 8:23 and we were still ahead of the 8:00 pacers, so I knew we had the sub-80 in the bag. We were able to get back on pace coming down Laurel Hill and ran the last mile in 7:38 to finish in 1:18:23 (7:50 pace). I guess McMillan is pretty accurate! I was really pleased with how my legs responded in my first real run since Boston, but most of all I was thrilled to have run with Jen as she took over 7 minutes off the 10 mile PR that she set on the same course last year.
Boston Strong
After a 90 minute ride on the trainer, Jeannelle, Monte and I headed down to Raleigh for the Boston Memorial Run. This was a really nice and well-attended free event, and we were happy to drive down to Moore Square to show our support. After meeting up with some BCTC friends, we joined hundreds of other runners for a nice out and back three mile jog. It has been great to see how people around the country and in the running community everywhere have come together in support of Boston and the Boston Marathon. It has been less than a week, but it has been a long, exhausting one, and I am glad I was able to end it on this note.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Recovering...
It's been a pretty stressful week, as you would imagine. The highlight was definitely the belated post-race get together, which over half my teammates who had run Boston were able to attend.
 |
| Mike, Bart, Laura, Ellen, Kara & Kate |
I've gone over Monday's events so many times that I just don't feel like talking or writing about it, but if you want to read the short version, you can find my story over at the Press Republican, or peruse the thoughtful commentaries written by Mike and Ellen.
The physical recovery is coming along as well, and over the last three days I've managed 30 minutes on the trainer, a 3 mile walk with Jeannelle and Nicole, 4 easy miles with Sara (34:07), another 4 with Allie (31:47), and a 1500 yard swim. Tonight I'll take it easy and hit the foam roller, and hopefully my legs will cooperate as I try to pace Jen D at the Tar Heel 10 Miler in the morning.
Thoughts and prayers to all in Boston...
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
2013 Boston Marathon
Wow. Well obviously there are a lot more emotions and many things far more important than the actual race than I'd planned on putting into this report, and I think I'll have to write out the end of the day separately, because I am still trying to process everything. So for now, the actual "race report" portion of my Boston experience...
Monte and I flew into Boston on Saturday afternoon. After a great carb loading pasta dinner with friends, we drove out to our hotel in Milford, which is only about 15 minutes from Hopkinton. Sunday we drove out to the start and though to that point I had mostly been nervous about my lack of preparation and in the mindset of "let's just get this over with," being at the starting line really got me excited about the race and the whole experience of my first Boston Marathon.
From there we test-drove the route that I'd mapped out for Monte to use on race day, and then took the train from Riverside into Boston. First stop: packet pickup at Hynes Convention Center. My stepdad, aunt, and uncle met us there, and my four spectators were great sports as we went through the expo, picked up my packet and checked out the marathon gear. I bought the official jacket (of course), and some sweet new Boston edition Kinvara 4s, which I might actually save for next year's race. I also ran into my teammate Nancy, who was set to start in my corral, and after discussing her pace plan - a very conservative start and then consistent miles with the goal of finishing in about 3:25, we decided we'd run together. With this new plan to have company for the run, I was even more excited and optimistic about the run. After getting lunch and visiting with the fam for a while, we headed back to our hotel and I proceeded to lay in the bed without sleeping for a few hours, as is usually the case on the night before a big race.
Staying out near the start is a bit challenging logistically, but the upside was that I was able to leave on the hotel shuttle bus at 8:30 and still make it to the start area before 9. I immediately went to the porta-john line, and then met up with Ellen, Allie, and Sarah near the bag drop bus line. We heard from Nancy, who was stuck in a bathroom line, and didn't see her at the planned meet up spot, so as we walked to the corrals, I decided to start with Ellen and Allie, who were one corral behind my assigned one. I thought they'd be going faster than what I had in mind, but figured I'd start with them and just hang in there as long as I could. After Ellen and I made one last pit stop (behind a rock and dumpster, respectively - we're classy like that), we got into the corral and got ready for the start. To our pleasant surprise, Nancy and her husband found us in Corral 5, and the five of us started out together.
It was really crowded at the start, of course, and this helped us to keep the first mile in check. Even with us all in agreement that we should start out slowly, I worried about going out too fast, but we came through the first mile in a little over 8 minutes as planned. The first few miles to Ashland were downhill and uneventful, and we stuck to the conservative start plan, coming through the 5k at 24:46. I knew this was downhill and it was so tempting to run faster, but from everything I've read, that is the worst thing you can do on this course. Keeping that in mind and following the advice of far wiser runners, I shortened my stride and tried to minimize the impact on my quads, hoping that would benefit me later.
The next 5k into Framingham were also conservative and uneventful, and we covered those miles in 24:41. We then started looking for Monte, and ran by him somewhere around 6.5. It's always such a good boost for me to see him! Still feeling good and comfortable, so we hadn't blown it yet!
I ate my first gel, and was feeling really great about my decision to run with my friends. At that point, the race had flattened out some, and we set about keeping our pace around 7:45. Right on pace again as we went through the next 5k split in 24:09. As we came into Natick around mile 10, Allie needed to make a stop and said she'd catch up in a bit, so we continued on as a group of 4.
Coming through Wellesley was really fun - reading the Kiss Me signs and feeling the energy of the crowds cheering us along. We did the YMCA, chatted, and I found myself smiling most of the way. Before we knew it, we crossed the halfway mark. 1:43:05 - right on schedule! We saw Monte again around mile 14, and were all still feeling great and having a fabulous time!
From the time I could see the Citgo sign, through the turn onto Hereford, I just kept waiting for something to go terribly wrong, and didn't want to push myself too soon. I also kept waiting for Ellen, Allie, and Nancy to go flying by with a strong finishing kick as I just held my steady pace, but to my surprise I didn't see them again. I heard Alan yell, "Go Kara" and it was so nice to know that they were there for this race, and I thought about how my mom would be cheering like crazy, and that she probably was from heaven. Definitely a bittersweet moment.
Making the final turn onto Boylston was awesome. I tried to pick it up a little, but despite my effort I only managed to go slightly faster. I concentrated on taking it all in... the crowds, the runners, the finish line of the freakin' Boston Marathon!! It was definitely a highlight of my running career, and I crossed the finish line in 3:26:02 (average pace of 7:52/mile). A PR of over two minutes on the toughest course I've run to date. And I'd run a negative split (by only a few seconds, but still!)... could not have been happier. I waited for Nancy, who came in just behind me, and then made my way though the finish area, collecting my water, gatorade, snack bag, and mylar blanket. When they put the medal around my neck, I almost cried - running Boston was such a big goal, and to have run the majority of it with my friends, finish with a personal best marathon time, and still feel relatively good... wow. I couldn't have imagined a better race day. Of course that was soon to change, but I will save that post for another time...
Congratulations to everyone who ran today - the BCTC put in some really stellar performances and came out with a bunch of shiny new PRs, and I am so proud of all of you and happy to be a part of such a great group of people.
Monte and I flew into Boston on Saturday afternoon. After a great carb loading pasta dinner with friends, we drove out to our hotel in Milford, which is only about 15 minutes from Hopkinton. Sunday we drove out to the start and though to that point I had mostly been nervous about my lack of preparation and in the mindset of "let's just get this over with," being at the starting line really got me excited about the race and the whole experience of my first Boston Marathon.
From there we test-drove the route that I'd mapped out for Monte to use on race day, and then took the train from Riverside into Boston. First stop: packet pickup at Hynes Convention Center. My stepdad, aunt, and uncle met us there, and my four spectators were great sports as we went through the expo, picked up my packet and checked out the marathon gear. I bought the official jacket (of course), and some sweet new Boston edition Kinvara 4s, which I might actually save for next year's race. I also ran into my teammate Nancy, who was set to start in my corral, and after discussing her pace plan - a very conservative start and then consistent miles with the goal of finishing in about 3:25, we decided we'd run together. With this new plan to have company for the run, I was even more excited and optimistic about the run. After getting lunch and visiting with the fam for a while, we headed back to our hotel and I proceeded to lay in the bed without sleeping for a few hours, as is usually the case on the night before a big race.
Staying out near the start is a bit challenging logistically, but the upside was that I was able to leave on the hotel shuttle bus at 8:30 and still make it to the start area before 9. I immediately went to the porta-john line, and then met up with Ellen, Allie, and Sarah near the bag drop bus line. We heard from Nancy, who was stuck in a bathroom line, and didn't see her at the planned meet up spot, so as we walked to the corrals, I decided to start with Ellen and Allie, who were one corral behind my assigned one. I thought they'd be going faster than what I had in mind, but figured I'd start with them and just hang in there as long as I could. After Ellen and I made one last pit stop (behind a rock and dumpster, respectively - we're classy like that), we got into the corral and got ready for the start. To our pleasant surprise, Nancy and her husband found us in Corral 5, and the five of us started out together.
It was really crowded at the start, of course, and this helped us to keep the first mile in check. Even with us all in agreement that we should start out slowly, I worried about going out too fast, but we came through the first mile in a little over 8 minutes as planned. The first few miles to Ashland were downhill and uneventful, and we stuck to the conservative start plan, coming through the 5k at 24:46. I knew this was downhill and it was so tempting to run faster, but from everything I've read, that is the worst thing you can do on this course. Keeping that in mind and following the advice of far wiser runners, I shortened my stride and tried to minimize the impact on my quads, hoping that would benefit me later.
The next 5k into Framingham were also conservative and uneventful, and we covered those miles in 24:41. We then started looking for Monte, and ran by him somewhere around 6.5. It's always such a good boost for me to see him! Still feeling good and comfortable, so we hadn't blown it yet!
I ate my first gel, and was feeling really great about my decision to run with my friends. At that point, the race had flattened out some, and we set about keeping our pace around 7:45. Right on pace again as we went through the next 5k split in 24:09. As we came into Natick around mile 10, Allie needed to make a stop and said she'd catch up in a bit, so we continued on as a group of 4.
Coming through Wellesley was really fun - reading the Kiss Me signs and feeling the energy of the crowds cheering us along. We did the YMCA, chatted, and I found myself smiling most of the way. Before we knew it, we crossed the halfway mark. 1:43:05 - right on schedule! We saw Monte again around mile 14, and were all still feeling great and having a fabulous time!
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I ate a second gel, and had a little sloshing and stomach cramping, but nothing major. I noticed that we'd fallen a bit off of our pace, so I picked it up and just focused on keeping it around 7:45 until the Newton hills. Nancy and Ellen fell a little behind at that point, but I knew I'd slow on the hills and figured they would catch back up then, so I continued along.
I think the first of the Newton hills is the worst. You can see the wave of runners going up, and I thought, "oh crap, I guess the race starts now." Again I tried to use a shorter quicker stride, and slowed a little, aiming to keep my heart rate and breathing low, because there were several more hills and 8 miles left to go. Surprisingly, the hills didn't slow me down as much as I'd expected, and the 5k split at 30k was 24:13. I knew there were three hills before Heartbreak, but somehow I lost track and as we climbed another hill I noticed a broken heart drawn on the pavement in chalk. Was this Heartbreak Hill? As we neared the top, I asked a runner next to me if it was indeed that storied hill, and when she said yes I was shocked! Wow, that's it?? I'm almost to the top! On PR pace and it's all downhill? Can that be right? I'd made it through the toughest part of the course and the 35k split was 24:47.
I was definitely starting to feel it, but just in a 'my legs are tired' way, not a 'I might die, need to walk, or maybe vomit' kind of way, so that was great. I calculated that I could average a 9 minute mile and still re-qualify, and was sort of amazed given my lack of preparation for this race. Since I've been focused on triathlon training in preparation for the Raleigh Ironman 70.3, my running volume has been pretty low - staying in the 35 mile a week range - and I did only one 18 mile long run. To see a potential PR as a possibility with only 5k to go was surprising to say the least!
From the time I could see the Citgo sign, through the turn onto Hereford, I just kept waiting for something to go terribly wrong, and didn't want to push myself too soon. I also kept waiting for Ellen, Allie, and Nancy to go flying by with a strong finishing kick as I just held my steady pace, but to my surprise I didn't see them again. I heard Alan yell, "Go Kara" and it was so nice to know that they were there for this race, and I thought about how my mom would be cheering like crazy, and that she probably was from heaven. Definitely a bittersweet moment.
Making the final turn onto Boylston was awesome. I tried to pick it up a little, but despite my effort I only managed to go slightly faster. I concentrated on taking it all in... the crowds, the runners, the finish line of the freakin' Boston Marathon!! It was definitely a highlight of my running career, and I crossed the finish line in 3:26:02 (average pace of 7:52/mile). A PR of over two minutes on the toughest course I've run to date. And I'd run a negative split (by only a few seconds, but still!)... could not have been happier. I waited for Nancy, who came in just behind me, and then made my way though the finish area, collecting my water, gatorade, snack bag, and mylar blanket. When they put the medal around my neck, I almost cried - running Boston was such a big goal, and to have run the majority of it with my friends, finish with a personal best marathon time, and still feel relatively good... wow. I couldn't have imagined a better race day. Of course that was soon to change, but I will save that post for another time...
Congratulations to everyone who ran today - the BCTC put in some really stellar performances and came out with a bunch of shiny new PRs, and I am so proud of all of you and happy to be a part of such a great group of people.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Not exactly a taper...
My overall volume has been pretty low, as are my expectations for Boston, so despite the upcoming marathon I've been sticking to my half ironman plan. I'm just not sure that you need a long taper when you're only running 35 miles/week! I may regret this come Heartbreak Hill, but for now I'm feeling good and hoping for the best...
Monday: 5M (41:47) and 2M walk
I had planned to take the day off after the 50 mile ride on Saturday and 18 mile race-pace run on Sunday, but it was just too nice to stay inside! Thankfully some friends agreed to join me, and I enjoyed the beautiful (though fleeting) spring weather with a run on the ATT with Jen D, Moonberries fro-yo, and a walk around Woodcroft with Jeannelle and Nicole.
Tuesday:
AM - 1500 yard pull swim (35:00)
PM - 3M run/walk around campus with Nicole
Wednesday:
AM - 45 minutes moderate on the trainer
PM - 8M (59:19) including 4 x 1M.
I decided to run later in the day (when it was in the 50s instead of the 30s, which meant running the prescribed BCTC workout on my own. I generally have a tough time with workouts and tempo runs if left to my own devices, because it is just so easy to say "well 3 mile repeats is good enough" or "maybe I can break the last 2 into 800s," so I was happy to just get this one done! The repeats were supposed to be at 10k pace, which according to various calculators should be in the 6:45-6:55 range. I went out a little fast (downhill from Scott King) and swallowed a bug during the second repeat (the downside of warmer weather, I guess), but otherwise stuck to the plan (6:32, 6:55, 6:45, 6:50).
Thursday: 1600 yard swim (38:00) including drills and a few 100s
Friday: 8M (60:57)
Ellen has agreed to train with me for a 1:30 fall half marathon, and looking at the schedule it looks like we'll be doing a lot of miles in the 7:10-7:20 range, so for today's run we decided to throw in a few tempo-ish miles in the middle of our Rise run (7:16-7:18-7:17). This pace is not particularly challenging for Ellen, so she is able to chat and distract me the entire time, which is awesome, and I am really excited that she is going to help me through fall half training!
Saturday: MS Spring Fling 50M & transition run
This was my first organized ride, and it was awesome! Breakfast, supported aid stations, a well-marked course, police holding traffic at intersections, and lunch, plus the proceeds went to a good cause... undoubtedly well worth the $30! I started out with the BD team, and stayed with them until the first rest stop. As a group, we were averaging about 15 mph, but I wanted to push myself a bit more in preparation for the upcoming half iron, so I headed out on my own and reconvened with the team at the turnaround and then again at the finish. I averaged about 18 mph riding solo for the second half of the ride and felt pretty good, so I am feeling optimistic about my goal of finishing the 56 miles of the triathlon in under 3 hours, which requires a pace around 18.7 mph. With the ride complete (48.3M, 2:54:25), I changed into my running shoes and did a quick mile just to start re-acclimating my legs to the bike-run transition (7:20). 8 weeks to go!
Sunday: Pacing at Umstead (12.6M, 3:58:28)
I left the house around 11:30 to make it to Umstead for the midnight gate opening and started my pacer duties right on schedule at 1:45am. This is my second year pacing at the 100, and this year Val asked me to accompany her on lap 7 (miles 75-87.5!). We chatted, walked up the hills, jogged on the flat and downhill stretches, and made it through the lap without incident. I was exhausted by the end (not surprisingly considering I'd normally be sleeping during those hours), so I couldn't even imagine how Val was feeling after having completed 87+ miles. She did awesome though, and rocked her last lap to PR in her 3rd Umstead 100. I will never ever do something that crazy, but it's nice to be a part of it and support my nutso friends :)
After spending a good bit of the day lazing around, I met Jen & Jenn on the ATT for a little shake out run. We'd all had rough weekends, and I was relieved that there was consensus on taking it easy. So it wasn't far or fast (4.6M, 40:13) but at least I got my butt off the couch and ran off some of the mornings' Bojangles.
Monday: 5M (41:47) and 2M walk
I had planned to take the day off after the 50 mile ride on Saturday and 18 mile race-pace run on Sunday, but it was just too nice to stay inside! Thankfully some friends agreed to join me, and I enjoyed the beautiful (though fleeting) spring weather with a run on the ATT with Jen D, Moonberries fro-yo, and a walk around Woodcroft with Jeannelle and Nicole.
Tuesday:
AM - 1500 yard pull swim (35:00)
PM - 3M run/walk around campus with Nicole
Wednesday:
AM - 45 minutes moderate on the trainer
PM - 8M (59:19) including 4 x 1M.
I decided to run later in the day (when it was in the 50s instead of the 30s, which meant running the prescribed BCTC workout on my own. I generally have a tough time with workouts and tempo runs if left to my own devices, because it is just so easy to say "well 3 mile repeats is good enough" or "maybe I can break the last 2 into 800s," so I was happy to just get this one done! The repeats were supposed to be at 10k pace, which according to various calculators should be in the 6:45-6:55 range. I went out a little fast (downhill from Scott King) and swallowed a bug during the second repeat (the downside of warmer weather, I guess), but otherwise stuck to the plan (6:32, 6:55, 6:45, 6:50).
Thursday: 1600 yard swim (38:00) including drills and a few 100s
Friday: 8M (60:57)
Ellen has agreed to train with me for a 1:30 fall half marathon, and looking at the schedule it looks like we'll be doing a lot of miles in the 7:10-7:20 range, so for today's run we decided to throw in a few tempo-ish miles in the middle of our Rise run (7:16-7:18-7:17). This pace is not particularly challenging for Ellen, so she is able to chat and distract me the entire time, which is awesome, and I am really excited that she is going to help me through fall half training!
Saturday: MS Spring Fling 50M & transition run
This was my first organized ride, and it was awesome! Breakfast, supported aid stations, a well-marked course, police holding traffic at intersections, and lunch, plus the proceeds went to a good cause... undoubtedly well worth the $30! I started out with the BD team, and stayed with them until the first rest stop. As a group, we were averaging about 15 mph, but I wanted to push myself a bit more in preparation for the upcoming half iron, so I headed out on my own and reconvened with the team at the turnaround and then again at the finish. I averaged about 18 mph riding solo for the second half of the ride and felt pretty good, so I am feeling optimistic about my goal of finishing the 56 miles of the triathlon in under 3 hours, which requires a pace around 18.7 mph. With the ride complete (48.3M, 2:54:25), I changed into my running shoes and did a quick mile just to start re-acclimating my legs to the bike-run transition (7:20). 8 weeks to go!
Sunday: Pacing at Umstead (12.6M, 3:58:28)
I left the house around 11:30 to make it to Umstead for the midnight gate opening and started my pacer duties right on schedule at 1:45am. This is my second year pacing at the 100, and this year Val asked me to accompany her on lap 7 (miles 75-87.5!). We chatted, walked up the hills, jogged on the flat and downhill stretches, and made it through the lap without incident. I was exhausted by the end (not surprisingly considering I'd normally be sleeping during those hours), so I couldn't even imagine how Val was feeling after having completed 87+ miles. She did awesome though, and rocked her last lap to PR in her 3rd Umstead 100. I will never ever do something that crazy, but it's nice to be a part of it and support my nutso friends :)
After spending a good bit of the day lazing around, I met Jen & Jenn on the ATT for a little shake out run. We'd all had rough weekends, and I was relieved that there was consensus on taking it easy. So it wasn't far or fast (4.6M, 40:13) but at least I got my butt off the couch and ran off some of the mornings' Bojangles.
Monday: 5M (38:58) and 2M walk
Did the usual Monday Rise recovery run with Ellen, and for the first time this year it was warm enough for shorts at 6:30am! After work, I met up with Nicole for a little walk on the ATT and it was actually hot outside... Hurray for spring!
Tuesday:
AM - 1800 yard pull swim (37:00)
PM - Speedwork with Jen D (6M, including 4 x 2 minute and 2 x 1 minute intervals)
I realized that a Wednesday workout would mean running every day this week, which isn't really ideal with Boston less than a week out, so Jen agreed to a last minute change of plans and instead of just easy miles we added in some 2 minute and 1 minute intervals. I think I was supposed to run the intervals between 10K and half marathon pace and I tried to run at what felt like a challenging but sustainable pace, but somehow they ended up around 0.3M/2 minutes (6:40 pace). Despite the odd time of day for a workout and the heat (82 degrees - I think we just skipped right over spring), I felt great. And we ended the run with Moonberries fro-yo, so I really have no complaints!
Wednesday: 45 minutes moderate effort on the trainer
Thursday: 45 minutes easy on the trainer
Saturday: Quick 3 mile shake out with mile 2 at goal marathon pace, and off to Boston!!
Wednesday: 45 minutes moderate effort on the trainer
Thursday: 45 minutes easy on the trainer
Saturday: Quick 3 mile shake out with mile 2 at goal marathon pace, and off to Boston!!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
In like a lion, out like a lamb
This weekend was pretty great, with a nice half century ride at Mapleview Farms on a lovely Saturday afternoon and a terrific Easter long run, despite the pouring rain. Of course the 50 mile ride was a little tough on the backside and I have some soreness in my shoulders, but nothing too terrible - a pleasant surprise considering I hadn't done more than 30 yet this year. And though my longest run going into Boston was today's 18 miler, we ran it about 5 seconds/mile under my goal pace, so I'm actually feeling much better about that too. Hopefully this solid end to March will set the tone for the rest of the year, and things will start looking up!
Monday: 2 mile walk with Nicole
Tuesday: 20 minutes on the bike trainer and a bit of core work
Wednesday:
AM - Easy run with Ellen (8M, 1:04:13)
PM - 40 minutes on the trainer with a few hard intervals thrown in
Thursday:
AM - 1200 yd swim, including 4 x 50 fast
PM - Third Fork Creek Trail with Caren and Karen (6M, 47:11)
Friday: Frigid (23 degrees!) tempo run with Ellen (9M including 2 x 12 minutes around 7:00/mile pace; 1:08:16)
Saturday: Sick again :(
Sunday: 90 minutes on the trainer with a few hard intervals throughout
Monday: 8M with Lora (1:08:56)
Tuesday: 6M with Sara (48:51)
Wednesday: 60 minutes moderate on the trainer
Thursday: 4M Pub Run with Tim (31:51)
Friday: 40 minutes on the trainer
Saturday: 50M ride with Bex and the BD team (3:12:11)
Sunday: 18M run in the pouring rain with Ellen, Sarah, and Caren (2:22:47)
March totals: 28:59:49
Run: 141.7 miles, 18:28:32, 15,783 calories
Bike: 7:22:11, mostly on the trainer
Swim: 2 miles, 1:19:00
Monday: 2 mile walk with Nicole
Tuesday: 20 minutes on the bike trainer and a bit of core work
Wednesday:
AM - Easy run with Ellen (8M, 1:04:13)
PM - 40 minutes on the trainer with a few hard intervals thrown in
Thursday:
AM - 1200 yd swim, including 4 x 50 fast
PM - Third Fork Creek Trail with Caren and Karen (6M, 47:11)
Friday: Frigid (23 degrees!) tempo run with Ellen (9M including 2 x 12 minutes around 7:00/mile pace; 1:08:16)
Saturday: Sick again :(
Sunday: 90 minutes on the trainer with a few hard intervals throughout
Monday: 8M with Lora (1:08:56)
Tuesday: 6M with Sara (48:51)
Wednesday: 60 minutes moderate on the trainer
Thursday: 4M Pub Run with Tim (31:51)
Friday: 40 minutes on the trainer
Saturday: 50M ride with Bex and the BD team (3:12:11)
Sunday: 18M run in the pouring rain with Ellen, Sarah, and Caren (2:22:47)
March totals: 28:59:49
Run: 141.7 miles, 18:28:32, 15,783 calories
Bike: 7:22:11, mostly on the trainer
Swim: 2 miles, 1:19:00
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Publix Georgia Half Marathon
This race did not go as well as I'd hoped, so I am not thrilled about writing this report, but here goes...
Expo and packet pickup:
The race was sponsored by Publix, so there were a ton of free snacks and beverages at the expo. It wasn't particularly crowded, and I picked up my packet without any wait and was pleasantly surprised by the race shirt (gender-specific, v-neck, and not hideous) and my corral assignment (1st corral out of 16, with preferential access).
Lodging:
We stayed at the Ellis hotel, which was only a half mile from the race start/finish. Our room was ready early, the hotel and room were really nice, the rate was very reasonable, and the location couldn't have been better. I'd definitely stay there again if I ever decide to attempt this race for a second time.
Race morning:
I didn't sleep very well, as is normally the case on the night before a race, and got up at 5:00. Went through the usual morning routine and headed down to the race around 6:20. Only corrals A and B were allowed to access the start via Centennial Olympic Park Drive, so I figured I'd have no problems but went straight over to check it out. There was no crowd at all, and getting to the A entry was really easy, so that was nice. I'm not sure how it was for the 10,000+ runners in C-O, but it was very well organized up front. After another mile or so jog around the park, I found a spot in the middle of my corral between the 1:30 and 1:40 pace groups, thinking that I would shoot for something around 1:35. The disabled athletes started at 6:55 and at 7:00 we were off.
The race:
My plan was to try to run around 7:15 pace, but after checking out the elevation profile and reading some race reports from last year, I knew that running an even pace might not work out so I decided to try to run even effort instead, hoping to stay at what felt like a challenging but sustainable effort and relying less on my Garmin than usual. This seemed like a good idea until I passed the first mile marker at 6:43. Even with the mostly downhill start, I knew that was way too fast so I reigned it in a bit and used the Garmin to settle into a pace in the 7:10-7:15 range. I saw Monte just after the first mile, and he actually got some awesome photos (my vizipro orange singlet really does glow in the dark), but they were accidentally deleted. It's too bad because I felt great at that point, but that feeling was soon to be forgotten...
We came through the first aid station around mile 2, and a drank a few sips of Powerade. I guess I need to go back to practicing fluid consumption on my training runs, because from then on everything was sloshing around in my stomach and I just did not feel good at all. I tried to distract myself from the discomfort by focusing on the runners around me (it was actually not that crowded for a pretty big race) and scenery, and it seemed to work temporarily though my stomach continued to bother me. I ran through the 4 mile aid station without taking any water or gatorade, just hoping that I would finally absorb what was in there and go about my race. By this point, I had slowed a bit, and it was all up and down, with very little flat, but nothing crazy either. As we came through Inman Park, we had a really nice view of Midtown during sunrise, and I tried my best to appreciate seeing the city this way.
As the race went on, I figured it would not be wise or feasible to keep up my pace without drinking anything at all, so I tried a little more Powerade at the halfway point. Shortly after that, the marathon and half marathon courses split, and we started on what I knew would be a fairly long downhill part of the course. I am not a fan of hills, but running downhill definitely has it's advantages so I figured I'd push the pace a bit. Big mistake. Let's just say that red Powerade is not better the second time around. Anyway, I thought at least I would feel better after that, and though the sloshing was drastically reduced my stomach was still not quite right. It was really frustrating because I was not really breathing hard and my legs felt fine, but I just could not go any faster. I thought about my mom, who had planned to travel to Atlanta to watch the race, and wondered if she was watching. Not wanting to let her or myself down, I tried to suck it up and just kept plugging along, but I really wasn't having much fun anymore.
The majority of the climbs in the race are in the last 4 miles, and at mile 9 we started up a hill that lasts until about 10.5. Though I had been thinking "I feel great cardio-wise and my legs are not even tired!" to that point, by about 9.5 that last consoling thought was long gone. A bunch of runners around me started walking, and though it seemed like a really fabulous idea, I knew that if I started to walk it would be really hard to get going again, so I made some calculations and realized that if I could keep my pace under 8:00/mile I could still break 1:40. I think I looked at my Garmin about 100 times from that point until the "1/2 mile to go" sign. So much for not using it. But I had to think about something other than how bad I was feeling, so I put all of my focus on keeping that number under 8:00. I felt like I was barely moving, but somehow I managed to keep it in the 7s. As we headed up the final hill toward the finish, I tried to kick it in but it all just felt really pointless and disappointing. Final time: 1:38:32.
Only a year and a half ago, I would have been thrilled with this finish time (my half marathon PR was 1:45:00 until October 2011) and I finished 78th out of 4,954 women (top 2%) despite all of the setbacks of late, so I have been telling myself that I should be satisfied but it's just not working. It was definitely a very draining race, both physically and emotionally, but hopefully I can get it together enough to get through Boston.
Expo and packet pickup:
The race was sponsored by Publix, so there were a ton of free snacks and beverages at the expo. It wasn't particularly crowded, and I picked up my packet without any wait and was pleasantly surprised by the race shirt (gender-specific, v-neck, and not hideous) and my corral assignment (1st corral out of 16, with preferential access).
Lodging:
We stayed at the Ellis hotel, which was only a half mile from the race start/finish. Our room was ready early, the hotel and room were really nice, the rate was very reasonable, and the location couldn't have been better. I'd definitely stay there again if I ever decide to attempt this race for a second time.
Race morning:
I didn't sleep very well, as is normally the case on the night before a race, and got up at 5:00. Went through the usual morning routine and headed down to the race around 6:20. Only corrals A and B were allowed to access the start via Centennial Olympic Park Drive, so I figured I'd have no problems but went straight over to check it out. There was no crowd at all, and getting to the A entry was really easy, so that was nice. I'm not sure how it was for the 10,000+ runners in C-O, but it was very well organized up front. After another mile or so jog around the park, I found a spot in the middle of my corral between the 1:30 and 1:40 pace groups, thinking that I would shoot for something around 1:35. The disabled athletes started at 6:55 and at 7:00 we were off.
The race:
My plan was to try to run around 7:15 pace, but after checking out the elevation profile and reading some race reports from last year, I knew that running an even pace might not work out so I decided to try to run even effort instead, hoping to stay at what felt like a challenging but sustainable effort and relying less on my Garmin than usual. This seemed like a good idea until I passed the first mile marker at 6:43. Even with the mostly downhill start, I knew that was way too fast so I reigned it in a bit and used the Garmin to settle into a pace in the 7:10-7:15 range. I saw Monte just after the first mile, and he actually got some awesome photos (my vizipro orange singlet really does glow in the dark), but they were accidentally deleted. It's too bad because I felt great at that point, but that feeling was soon to be forgotten...
We came through the first aid station around mile 2, and a drank a few sips of Powerade. I guess I need to go back to practicing fluid consumption on my training runs, because from then on everything was sloshing around in my stomach and I just did not feel good at all. I tried to distract myself from the discomfort by focusing on the runners around me (it was actually not that crowded for a pretty big race) and scenery, and it seemed to work temporarily though my stomach continued to bother me. I ran through the 4 mile aid station without taking any water or gatorade, just hoping that I would finally absorb what was in there and go about my race. By this point, I had slowed a bit, and it was all up and down, with very little flat, but nothing crazy either. As we came through Inman Park, we had a really nice view of Midtown during sunrise, and I tried my best to appreciate seeing the city this way.
As the race went on, I figured it would not be wise or feasible to keep up my pace without drinking anything at all, so I tried a little more Powerade at the halfway point. Shortly after that, the marathon and half marathon courses split, and we started on what I knew would be a fairly long downhill part of the course. I am not a fan of hills, but running downhill definitely has it's advantages so I figured I'd push the pace a bit. Big mistake. Let's just say that red Powerade is not better the second time around. Anyway, I thought at least I would feel better after that, and though the sloshing was drastically reduced my stomach was still not quite right. It was really frustrating because I was not really breathing hard and my legs felt fine, but I just could not go any faster. I thought about my mom, who had planned to travel to Atlanta to watch the race, and wondered if she was watching. Not wanting to let her or myself down, I tried to suck it up and just kept plugging along, but I really wasn't having much fun anymore.
The majority of the climbs in the race are in the last 4 miles, and at mile 9 we started up a hill that lasts until about 10.5. Though I had been thinking "I feel great cardio-wise and my legs are not even tired!" to that point, by about 9.5 that last consoling thought was long gone. A bunch of runners around me started walking, and though it seemed like a really fabulous idea, I knew that if I started to walk it would be really hard to get going again, so I made some calculations and realized that if I could keep my pace under 8:00/mile I could still break 1:40. I think I looked at my Garmin about 100 times from that point until the "1/2 mile to go" sign. So much for not using it. But I had to think about something other than how bad I was feeling, so I put all of my focus on keeping that number under 8:00. I felt like I was barely moving, but somehow I managed to keep it in the 7s. As we headed up the final hill toward the finish, I tried to kick it in but it all just felt really pointless and disappointing. Final time: 1:38:32.
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| Highlight of the day: Post-race St Patty's Celebration |
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Off to Atlanta!
Well, two-race Saturday went pretty well considering my level of fitness and level of effort (more than a training run but not all out like an A race), but I just don't know what to expect in this half marathon on Sunday. I've been reading race reports and it sounds like the course is quite hilly, with the majority of the climbs at the end of the race. But I've done what I can, and all I can do now is hope that will be enough to at least come out of this with a respectable time.
My other concern is the emotionality of it all... my mom and Alan had planned to travel to Atlanta for this race, and knowing that they should be there but I won't see her smiling face and hear her cheering for me along the course really makes me sad. I am hoping I can take those thoughts and use them to channel my energy into running faster, but sometimes I just burst into tears uncontrollably and that will obviously not help with my race experience or finish time. So for now I am just telling myself that she may not be there but she will still be watching, and hopefully that will help to get me through this one.
This is really my only 'race' of the season, even though I have quite a few things on my calendar. Boston will be just for fun, I'm pacing a friend at the Tar Heel 10M, and the goal for both the Tour de Cure 104M ride and Raleigh Ironman 70.3 triathlon is simply to finish. So I really have no excuse to do anything other than leave it all out there and give my best effort, and that is exactly what I intend to do.
The weather forecast looks pretty good - Saturday night low of 52; Sunday high of 72; Partly sunny with a 10% chance of rain and 70% humidity. A bit warmer than I'd like, but the race starts at 7:00 and sunrise is not until 7:45, so hopefully I'll be finished by the time it really warms up.
Georgia Half Marathon Goals:
Level 3 goal (what I think I can do): 1:37 (7:25)
Level 2 goal (what I hope I can do): 1:35 (7:15)
Level 1 goal (best case scenario, PR): 1:32 (7:05)
Training update:
Monday: Swim 1K with 8x25
Tuesday: 6.3 miles with Ellen and Sarah
8:04, 7:34, 7:32, 7:30, 7:26, 7:36, and 8:10 for the last .29.
2 mile walk with Nicole
Wednesday: BCTC Track - 14 x 400 (95-96-95-94-92-93-95--91-92-95-94-93)
Was supposed to be 10K pace, but each was in the 6:09-6:22 range, which is faster than my 5k pace. And I was still the track workout caboose. Oh well...
1500 pull swim
Thursday: 8M with Sara (64:12)
Friday: 3.5M with Ellen (26:25)
Due to time constraints, this run was shorter than planned. Middle 1.5 at 7:05.
Sunday: 10M with Jason K (1:15:48)
Joined Jason for the last part of his 22 mile training run. My schedule called for goal pace + 20 seconds, so we did exactly that (7:35).
Monday: 4M Rise run with Ellen, Sarah, and Jeff in the morning (30:41 - once again not the easy recovery pace I was hoping for) and another 4.5M with Sara in the evening, including a test run of Laurel Hill, which is included in the upcoming Tar Heel 10 Miler (36:24)
Tuesday: Easy run with Nicole around campus after work (3.1M, 28:53)
Wednesday: 8M (62:12) including 5 800s with 400 recovery jogs. It was supposed to be half marathon goal pace (7:15, or 3:37 per 800), but they ended up a bit faster - 3:27, 3:26, 3:27, 3:32, 3:30.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Double the races, double the fun?
Two races in one day... a 10 miler in the morning and an 8K in the afternoon. It seemed like a good idea at the time...
Florence Forth 10 Miler
1:14:00
11th Female
3rd F30-39
Run Green 8K
37:48 - just for fun!
34th female of 1,338
Florence Forth 10 Miler
1:14:00
11th Female
3rd F30-39
Run Green 8K
37:48 - just for fun!
34th female of 1,338
Friday, March 1, 2013
Trying to get back on track
Taking a few weeks off while I was home with my family, eating too much take out while renovating my kitchen, and struggling to find motivation to go out in this cold weather has me feeling fat, slow, and blah. The good news is I'm starting to get back into a routine, my kitchen is done, and the weather will hopefully be getting better soon!
That said, I dove back into running upon my return to NC. Thanks to my great running friends who came out to keep me company and help with my crisis in motivation, I was able to knock out 38 miles in my first week back. Most of these were at a pretty slow/comfortable pace, with the exception of 4 miles in the freezing rain when I did my best to keep up with Sarah and Ellen (despite agreeing to an easy run, they seem to pace in the 7:20s), and I've just been easing back into things. Wednesday marked my first track workout in a while, and though the team had a good workout on the schedule, I realized my fitness was just not where it should be and decided to run mile repeats instead. Not breaking any records, but stayed pretty consistent (6:49-6:46-6:46) around what I figure is probably my 5k pace. Could be worse.
I also managed to get in a few swim workouts, a little cycling, and some yoga. Though I am nervous about being the last one out of the lake in the half iron, I am feeling less concerned about the prospect of drowning, so I guess that's good...
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Heavy heart
I know this is generally a training and racing blog, but sometimes other things take precedence. Sadly my mother passed away on February 15, and training rightfully took a backseat to spending time with her in her last days and grieving her loss. It has been an incredibly challenging 10 days, and I miss her so much. Running has still come up though, with many of her friends telling me how she had been so proud to tell them about my marathons, and even more so with the unbelievable outpouring of support I have received from my friends in the running community. Like most mothers, my mom wanted me to be healthy, happy, and surrounded by good people. Running has contributed significantly to all of that, and the thinking of the happiness and pride that she felt because of it means a lot to me. She had planned to travel to my half marathon in Atlanta in March and the Boston marathon in April, and though she cannot be there physically, I will carry her in my heart and that gives me even more incentive to work hard and run well.
I love you, mom, and I hope I will continue to make you proud of me.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Massacre Marathon Relay
I was going to write a race report for this, but my fast and fabulous teammate just sent hers out to the BCTC and it so perfectly summarizes the day that I've decided to post that here as a recap of yesterday's marathon relay. So without further ado...
Yesterday Kara B., Bex, Sarah Swiss and I took on the Valentine's Massacre Marathon Relay in Greensboro. As Kara so eloquently put it, we were there to have fun... and to win. My personal goal was to average around 6:30 per mile for each of my legs, the first of which was 2.2 miles. The other 3 were 1.6 miles.
Leg 1: I was the first runner up for our team. I started in the very front which I think might have been a mistake, but I relished the feeling of being the lead women for a fleeting moment. Then 1 girl caught up to me and we settled in to a reasonable-feeling 6:30 pace and chugged along together for a bit. Presently, the course headed up pretty big-ass hill, and at about that same time 2 other girls came out of nowhere and passed us. The girl I was with charged off after them, and I considered doing the same, but upon glancing down at my watch and noting my sub-6 pace I decided to let them go since I was already feeling as though I was pushing the limits of my capabilities, and oh yeah, I still had to do this 3 more times. I was maybe 10 seconds behind the lead pack of women when I handed off to Kara.
Leg 2: By the time my 2nd leg rolled around it had become evident that the battle for the #1 all women's team was between us and some high school kids wearing cotton t-shirts decorated with puffy paint. We were dressed head-to-toe in fancy pink Brooks apparel courtesy of Sarah Swiss, so there was no way we were letting some Busch League high school kids beat us... Team Puffy Paint was ever so slightly ahead of us when Bex handed off to me, but I (barely) managed to catch their runner on my leg and hold her off through my hand off, although I didn't put much space in between us.
Leg 3: The battle between Team Puffy Paint and the BCTC women is now in extra-high gear. Mad trash talk is happening on the sidelines... Once again they had pulled slightly ahead of us since my last leg, but I managed to catch their runner very early on. At this point I was feeling a little tired, so I made my goal for leg 3 to do only the amount of work it took to hold her off and nothing more. Mission accomplished as I handed off to Kara, although I instantly regretted not pushing harder as Puffy Paint pulled into the exchange zone only seconds behind me.
Leg 4: Despite the most badass kick I've ever seen in my life from Bex as she hauled in to hand off to me, Puffy Paint had finally gained some significant ground on The Mad Women of BCTC. Sigh. I knew catching them was highly unlikely at this point, but as I took the baton from Bex, I vowed to leave it all out there trying. And that is exactly what I did. Although Little Miss Puffy Paint continued to increase her lead on me in our final leg, I shaved a good 10 secs off my previous splits for the first mile and 8 secs off my total lap time vs my previous lap.
In the end Team Puffy Paint took the win, but I doubt they had as much fun as the fabulous Mad Women of BCTC, and they most certainly were not as well dressed. Had there been a post-race photo-shoot-off, we would have schooled their perky high school asses in that as well.
All things considered, I had an absolutely awesome time with Kara, Sarah, and Bex, and I couldn't have been more proud of our performance, unless of course, we had actually caught the puffy paint girls. ;)
Our final total time was 2:51:03, which comes out to 6:32 pace, and is surely the fastest marathon time my humble name will ever be associated with. My personal splits are as follows: Leg 1 (2.2 miles): 13:52 min, 6:18 pace. Leg 2 (1.6 miles): 10:13 min, 6:23 pace. Leg 3 (1.6 miles) 10:18 min, 6:26 pace. Leg 4 (1.6 miles): 10:04 min., 6:18 pace.
"We're Just Here for Fun... And to Win."
BCTC Women vs. Some High School Tramps in Puffy Paint Shirts
BCTC Women vs. Some High School Tramps in Puffy Paint Shirts
Yesterday Kara B., Bex, Sarah Swiss and I took on the Valentine's Massacre Marathon Relay in Greensboro. As Kara so eloquently put it, we were there to have fun... and to win. My personal goal was to average around 6:30 per mile for each of my legs, the first of which was 2.2 miles. The other 3 were 1.6 miles.
Leg 1: I was the first runner up for our team. I started in the very front which I think might have been a mistake, but I relished the feeling of being the lead women for a fleeting moment. Then 1 girl caught up to me and we settled in to a reasonable-feeling 6:30 pace and chugged along together for a bit. Presently, the course headed up pretty big-ass hill, and at about that same time 2 other girls came out of nowhere and passed us. The girl I was with charged off after them, and I considered doing the same, but upon glancing down at my watch and noting my sub-6 pace I decided to let them go since I was already feeling as though I was pushing the limits of my capabilities, and oh yeah, I still had to do this 3 more times. I was maybe 10 seconds behind the lead pack of women when I handed off to Kara.
Leg 2: By the time my 2nd leg rolled around it had become evident that the battle for the #1 all women's team was between us and some high school kids wearing cotton t-shirts decorated with puffy paint. We were dressed head-to-toe in fancy pink Brooks apparel courtesy of Sarah Swiss, so there was no way we were letting some Busch League high school kids beat us... Team Puffy Paint was ever so slightly ahead of us when Bex handed off to me, but I (barely) managed to catch their runner on my leg and hold her off through my hand off, although I didn't put much space in between us.
Leg 3: The battle between Team Puffy Paint and the BCTC women is now in extra-high gear. Mad trash talk is happening on the sidelines... Once again they had pulled slightly ahead of us since my last leg, but I managed to catch their runner very early on. At this point I was feeling a little tired, so I made my goal for leg 3 to do only the amount of work it took to hold her off and nothing more. Mission accomplished as I handed off to Kara, although I instantly regretted not pushing harder as Puffy Paint pulled into the exchange zone only seconds behind me.
Leg 4: Despite the most badass kick I've ever seen in my life from Bex as she hauled in to hand off to me, Puffy Paint had finally gained some significant ground on The Mad Women of BCTC. Sigh. I knew catching them was highly unlikely at this point, but as I took the baton from Bex, I vowed to leave it all out there trying. And that is exactly what I did. Although Little Miss Puffy Paint continued to increase her lead on me in our final leg, I shaved a good 10 secs off my previous splits for the first mile and 8 secs off my total lap time vs my previous lap.
All things considered, I had an absolutely awesome time with Kara, Sarah, and Bex, and I couldn't have been more proud of our performance, unless of course, we had actually caught the puffy paint girls. ;)
Our final total time was 2:51:03, which comes out to 6:32 pace, and is surely the fastest marathon time my humble name will ever be associated with. My personal splits are as follows: Leg 1 (2.2 miles): 13:52 min, 6:18 pace. Leg 2 (1.6 miles): 10:13 min, 6:23 pace. Leg 3 (1.6 miles) 10:18 min, 6:26 pace. Leg 4 (1.6 miles): 10:04 min., 6:18 pace.
Cheers to a fantastically fun day of racing with a truly fast and fabulous group of ladies!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Training update - February 8
Trying to get a little speed back...
Monday: Not feeling great and the weather was cold and drizzly, but thankfully I had Ellen to keep me motivated (5M, 39:29). Hopefully it won't take long to feel better, or to get back into my normal routine.
Tuesday: Morning progression run with Ellen. I stick felt sick but managed to suck it up and make it through most of the miles as planned. The goal was 8-7:45-7:30-7:15-7:00-6:45 and a 2 mile cool down. I was ok through 5 but opted for a second 7 min/mile instead of the 6:45 because I just couldn't bring myself to run faster. In the end it was 8:06-7:44-7:27-7:14-7:03-7:04, and 8 miles total in an hour flat.
PM - Back to back cycling classes
Wednesday: Cycling at Sync
Thursday: Met Jen D and Jen L for a little speed work on the ATT. We jogged about a mile and a half warmup, then 2 x (5x100) with a minute rest in between sets, 2 miles at tempo pace, another 2 x (5x100) and a short cool down jog. I didn't take splits on the individual 100s, but I felt like I was working hard and I think that was the point.
Friday: Still sick... really over this stupid cough. Converted the BCTC workout from minutes to even mileage, and ran with Ellen on the ATT. The plan was 2M warm up, 1.5M at half marathon pace (Goal: 7-7:15, Actual: 7:01) - .5 recovery - 1M at 10K pace (Goal: sub-7, Actual: 6:48) - .5 recovery - 1.5 at half pace (Goal: 7-7:15, Actual: 7:02). The repeats at half pace felt relatively comfortable, and given that I'm sick and have been feeling really slow lately, this workout went better than I could have expected.
Saturday: Left the house at 3am to drive out to Uwharrie and volunteer at the Mountain Run. After sitting outside in 20 degree weather for 5 hours, I didn't manage to get a Saturday workout in.
Sunday: 14 mile Rise run with Bex, Lane, and Sarah. Bex was recovering from the race at Uwharrie so the pace was a little slower than usual, but it was nice to get it done and of course to follow it up with a Rise fritter, donut, and biscuit (I couldn't decide, so I had one of each... oops). Ended the day with a Superbowl-themed cycling class at Sync. Overall a decent week (40 miles and 4 cycling classes), despite the bronchitis.
Tuesday: 8 miles with Ellen, with 5 miles at 7:05 pace. The weather was warmer than expected (40 instead of 30), and I am finally feeling better, so it actually went pretty well. Ellen took off at the 4th working mile so I ended up doing the last two solo but stuck to the pace plan (working miles 7:03-7:03-7:05-7:08-7:02). PM - back to back cycling classes.
Wednesday: My knee was bothering me a bit, so I decided to take the day off. I should have gone to the pool, but I am having a really hard time motivating to swim when it's freezing outside. I'd better get over that pretty quickly, or I am going to be in big trouble come June 2.
Thursday: My first TRX class in weeks. It felt good to do some strength training, but I am really going to feel this one, especially in the glutes thanks to some one-legged squats, lunges, and glute bridges, among other things...
Friday: Because we are racing this weekend, we decided to try to get some longer mileage in on Friday instead of the usual Sunday long run. The plan was to run 14 miles with Ellen, but some serious muscle soreness from yesterday's TRX class was literally a pain in the butt and I decided to call it a day early and only run 8. Hoping the 110% compression shorts (with built-in ice packs) and foam roller have me ready to go by Sunday!
Tuesday: Morning progression run with Ellen. I stick felt sick but managed to suck it up and make it through most of the miles as planned. The goal was 8-7:45-7:30-7:15-7:00-6:45 and a 2 mile cool down. I was ok through 5 but opted for a second 7 min/mile instead of the 6:45 because I just couldn't bring myself to run faster. In the end it was 8:06-7:44-7:27-7:14-7:03-7:04, and 8 miles total in an hour flat.
PM - Back to back cycling classes
Wednesday: Cycling at Sync
Thursday: Met Jen D and Jen L for a little speed work on the ATT. We jogged about a mile and a half warmup, then 2 x (5x100) with a minute rest in between sets, 2 miles at tempo pace, another 2 x (5x100) and a short cool down jog. I didn't take splits on the individual 100s, but I felt like I was working hard and I think that was the point.
Friday: Still sick... really over this stupid cough. Converted the BCTC workout from minutes to even mileage, and ran with Ellen on the ATT. The plan was 2M warm up, 1.5M at half marathon pace (Goal: 7-7:15, Actual: 7:01) - .5 recovery - 1M at 10K pace (Goal: sub-7, Actual: 6:48) - .5 recovery - 1.5 at half pace (Goal: 7-7:15, Actual: 7:02). The repeats at half pace felt relatively comfortable, and given that I'm sick and have been feeling really slow lately, this workout went better than I could have expected.
Saturday: Left the house at 3am to drive out to Uwharrie and volunteer at the Mountain Run. After sitting outside in 20 degree weather for 5 hours, I didn't manage to get a Saturday workout in.
Sunday: 14 mile Rise run with Bex, Lane, and Sarah. Bex was recovering from the race at Uwharrie so the pace was a little slower than usual, but it was nice to get it done and of course to follow it up with a Rise fritter, donut, and biscuit (I couldn't decide, so I had one of each... oops). Ended the day with a Superbowl-themed cycling class at Sync. Overall a decent week (40 miles and 4 cycling classes), despite the bronchitis.
Tuesday: 8 miles with Ellen, with 5 miles at 7:05 pace. The weather was warmer than expected (40 instead of 30), and I am finally feeling better, so it actually went pretty well. Ellen took off at the 4th working mile so I ended up doing the last two solo but stuck to the pace plan (working miles 7:03-7:03-7:05-7:08-7:02). PM - back to back cycling classes.
Wednesday: My knee was bothering me a bit, so I decided to take the day off. I should have gone to the pool, but I am having a really hard time motivating to swim when it's freezing outside. I'd better get over that pretty quickly, or I am going to be in big trouble come June 2.
Thursday: My first TRX class in weeks. It felt good to do some strength training, but I am really going to feel this one, especially in the glutes thanks to some one-legged squats, lunges, and glute bridges, among other things...
Friday: Because we are racing this weekend, we decided to try to get some longer mileage in on Friday instead of the usual Sunday long run. The plan was to run 14 miles with Ellen, but some serious muscle soreness from yesterday's TRX class was literally a pain in the butt and I decided to call it a day early and only run 8. Hoping the 110% compression shorts (with built-in ice packs) and foam roller have me ready to go by Sunday!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Turks & Caicos
I had really great intentions for exercising over vacation, and though I fell a bit short on running, it wasn't the complete failure to exercise of vacations past!
Wednesday: 4 mile beach run (32:43), roughly half a mile ocean swim. It was my first attempt at swimming in the ocean, and it was a lot harder than I'd expected!
Thursday: Quick lap swim in the pool, 3 mile walk on the beach with Monte
Friday: 4 mile beach run. It was high tide, so the sand was really soft and tough to run in. I averaged just under 9 minute miles, but it certainly felt a lot faster!
Saturday: 4 mile walk on the beach with Monte
Sunday: 5 mile beach run, again at high tide.
Grace Bay Beach is 8 miles long, and there are tons of restaurants along the beach, so there was no need to get a rental car, and we walked quite a few miles just going to lunch, dinner, the grocery store, etc. Lots of relaxing, but not completely sedentary, so I guess that's good. Most importantly, we had a really nice time, and Monte had a good birthday. It was just hard to come back to the cold NC weather!
A few pics from our trip...
Wednesday: 4 mile beach run (32:43), roughly half a mile ocean swim. It was my first attempt at swimming in the ocean, and it was a lot harder than I'd expected!
Thursday: Quick lap swim in the pool, 3 mile walk on the beach with Monte
Friday: 4 mile beach run. It was high tide, so the sand was really soft and tough to run in. I averaged just under 9 minute miles, but it certainly felt a lot faster!
Saturday: 4 mile walk on the beach with Monte
Sunday: 5 mile beach run, again at high tide.
Grace Bay Beach is 8 miles long, and there are tons of restaurants along the beach, so there was no need to get a rental car, and we walked quite a few miles just going to lunch, dinner, the grocery store, etc. Lots of relaxing, but not completely sedentary, so I guess that's good. Most importantly, we had a really nice time, and Monte had a good birthday. It was just hard to come back to the cold NC weather!
A few pics from our trip...
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| Brought my camera along on a morning run |
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| The birthday boy |
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| Sunset |
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| Photos by Tropical Imaging |
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| Making the most of our last day on the island |
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