A1A Half Marathon Race Recap and Hard Decisions

I think you are supposed to write a race recap pretty much right after the race. Well, that did not happen in this case. What can I say, life happens. Better late than never, I guess!

I signed up for the Shamrock Marathon in mid-November and fully committed to training in early January which meant that I would need to find a tune-up race in the mid-February timeframe. There were not a lot of options in the DC area at that time, but luckily my Mom and sister both live in West Palm Beach, FL and there was a 1/2 in Ft. Lauderdale on February 17 - the Publix Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon and Half Marathon. Perfect! Not only was there a 1/2 but also a 5k that Joc (my sister) could run the day before. 

My training had been going pretty well. I was starting to see some improvement and speed come back. I was running 60-65 mile weeks. I was training all on feel. On the track, I would wear my watch to track mileage but hardly even looked at it during the workouts. I could not tell you my exact times for any of my speedwork sessions. I knew I was in the right range though to run a sub 3:40 marathon which was my goal for Shamrock.

I was pretty relaxed going into the race. My cheerleaders - Joc and Mom - and I arrived about  two blocks from the Start around 4:45am. The race was slated to start at 6am. We sat in the warm car until about 5:30am, then they took off for the Finish. I was going to see them at about 4 miles, 7.5 miles and then 12 miles. 

The weather was near perfect, in the low 40s. It was a little windy but I was just thankful there was no humidity. My goals or plan for this race was to start at an 8 minute pace, taking it down to 7:45 by the half way point then just hold on for dear life. I thought on a really good day, I would run a 1:45. I didn't think I was in PR shape which would require me to run a 7:46 average pace for all 13.1 miles. No way. 

The first couple miles of the race were through old Ft. Lauderdale. I loved it. It was very dark out still but just lovely. I felt great. I wasn't breathing hard and felt relaxed. I looked down at my watch at the 1 mile mark - 7:32. Whoa. Race execution fail! I pulled it back after that. I settled into a 7:40-7:50 pace. It felt good, so I just went with it. The sun was rising just as I saw Mom and Joc at 4 miles, then we looped through Birch State Park which I was familiar with since that was where Joc ran her 5k the day before. Again, just beautiful running under a canopy of tropical flora. Then, the course turned back onto A1A, I saw my cheerleaders again and for about 2 miles, I ran straight into the wind. This was the least enjoyable part but I just focused on staying relaxed. It sure was nice at the turn around to then be pushed by the wind. Right after the 12 mile marker, I saw Joc ready to run the last leg with me. I really needed that too. I felt good, but was breathing hard. She made me laugh, focus and run FAST. That last mile was my fastest of the race - 7:29. She dropped me off about 400 meters from the FINISH.

Who is that person wearing 3 layers and every piece of Winter clothing she owns? Oh - that would be my thin blooded Florida sister. Ha. Most Floridans looked like this that day. It was only 55 by noon. Brrr. Oy.

Throughout the race, I was looking only at my pace per mile. I hardly even paid attention to the total time. It didn't even occur to me until about 100 meters from the Finish line that I actually might PR. WHAT!?!? 

I crossed the finish line at 1:41:38. I saw my mom and asked for her phone so I could look it up. I didn't even know what my exact PR was because I was not expecting to come even close to it! Sure enough - I PR'd by 12 seconds! THAT feels good. So good. 

I loved this race. The logistics were perfect. Weather was excellent. The course was beautiful (and VERY flat). I will do it again. Just another excuse to visit Florida!

AFTER THE RACE

Well, in typical Jessica fashion, after the race I just didn't give my body enough time to recover. The day after the race, I flew back to DC and did not run anything intense and even got a massage with Scott on Monday. I just started running a lot of miles. 10 on Tuesday, a double on Wednesday (8 in the AM and 5 in the PM) then on Thursday, I went out for another easy 10 and IT happened. At mile 5 I started to feel some tightening in what I thought was my inner calf. I tried to run through it but could not without significantly changing my gait. I stopped at mile 8 and walked the rest of the way in. Sigh. I went to see Dr. Beck that evening. He worked on me, but mentioned it might be a medial shin splint. What?! No. I was supposed to do my last 20 miler on Sunday! It was swollen and tender still by the time the weekend rolled around. Instead of the 20 miler, I did 2 hours in the pool. By Wednesday, it was feeling about 80% better so I went out for a short run. Bad idea. I screwed up the healing process and was back where I started. I just decided not to run until I felt nothing. That was longer than I thought it would be. It was the first week in March, I had to make a decision. Cross train (which would include hours and hours and hours in the pool by myself) or defer the race until next year. I chose the later. I just started a new job and frankly, Shamrock was not important enough to me to simply finish and possibly injure myself running a 4+ hour marathon. No thanks. That would have been defeating and if I had to sit the Spring out, I would have been really bummed. I had a great Half Marathon that I was super proud of so all of the training I put in was not for nothing. 

Moral of the story - I can not just jump back into training after a race. My body needs time to heal. These injury occurrences are no longer "flukes"...they happen after every race. I have discipline to run. I need to apply that same discipline to heal and recover.

Race Recap: Frostbite 15k

The Frostbite 15k. This race has been on my radar for awhile. I knew I had to get a few races under my belt before Shamrock and there are not many options in January and February in the DC area so I headed down to Richmond for the weekend. Track workouts and long runs are certainly a good indicator to me about where my fitness is but there is no better way to truly gauge than to race. 

I can honestly say that although I was excited to race again, I wasn't expecting too much out of myself. The longest tempo run I have done in the past couple months is a 5k and sometimes breaking 24 minutes is tough in those workouts! I have many fears, questions and uncertainties about running and racing in general right now. I set all those aside, took a conservative approach to the race, decided to stop thinking/analyzing/worrying and just do it. My plan was to run the first mile in 8:10, then slowly bring it down to 7:45 by mile 4 or 5, then hold on for dear life. Ha. 

I saw Rich (who came in 2nd place overall with a time of 52:54) at the Start and we chatted for a bit. He talked more about the course and told me that it was so hilly that he would be happy if he ran it in the time he ran the Cherry Blossom 10-miler. I was still holding on to my pacing plan, but had that in the back of my mind. My 10-miler PR is a 1:14:35. 

The race started at 9am sharp at Clark Springs Elementary school. The weather was near perfect - sunny and 40 degrees. There was a little wind, but it wasn't too bad. It was a nice, quiet, low-key race (in general) and start. After the first mile, I threw my pacing plan out the window. The first mile was slightly downhill. I felt good, relaxed, in control and my breathing was calm. I wasn't too upset about going out a little too fast because in hindsight, 8:10 may have been too slow. I was so thankful for the hill workouts over the next few miles. I was bounding up the hills while others around me visibly and audibly struggled.

Throughout the miles that followed, I just concentrated on staying relaxed. I will tell you that I looked at my watch. A lot. Probably a mistake, but I did NOT want to run slower than an 8 minute pace if I could help it. I saw my teammates around the half way point and cheered them on which always gives me a boost of energy. I am always so proud to see them leading the races and chasing after their competitors. I see how hard they push, day after day, week after week and they deserve to be rewarded and honored for all their hard work. Also, their cheering for me means so much. The last stretch is uphill. I saw Rich at the top of the hill, just before the turn to the Finish. I had been leap frogging with this woman for the last mile. Hearing his encouraging words gave me the rush I needed to pull past her during this stretch as well as another guy. THAT felt awesome!

Thanks for the picture and the words of encouragement, Rich!

All things considered, I am pretty happy with this race. It was a confidence booster. Two months ago, I struggled to run a sub-8 minute mile average 8k. Today, it was comfortable and controlled. Don't get me wrong, I pushed it - HARD - but I had a lot of doubts whether or not I could do this and now those have been squashed. This makes me happy. 

PACING/SPLITS:

Mile 1: 7:45
Mile 2: 7:51
Mile 3: 7:51
Mile 4: 7:50
Mile 5: 7:59
Mile 6: 7:55
Mile 7: 7:59
Mile 8: 7:58
Mile 9: 7:44
Additional .44: 3:12
TOTAL TIME (according to my Garmin): 1:14:06

OFFICIAL TIME: 1:14:02
35-39 Age Group: 4 out of 45
Females: 33 out of 234
Overall: 111 out of 457

Best teammates around!

Discipline

"Discipline is doing what you don't want to do so you can do what you want to do."

Jeff Fisher

I get up at 5am every morning during the week. Sometimes this is easy. Like last week. I hopped out of bed with a smile on my face and some pep in my step. Sometimes this is not so easy. Like this week. But, I still drag my butt out of bed, lace up my running shoes and I am out of the door by 5:40am.

Luckily for me this week, there is a lot of easy running on my schedule because I am racing the Frostbite 15k on Sunday, but I did have a hard hill workout on Tuesday. This was the last CAR hill workout until the summer and I wanted it to be fun. I wanted to do 8 hill repeats. I was determined to do 8 hill repeats. I envisioned myself bounding up the hill like a gazelle. Last week's 7 hills were so great! After the first repeat on Tuesday, the gazelle visions were gone and replaced with a sloth. I just felt, well - blahhh.  I was trying to gauge what was going on with me throughout the next couple intervals. Nothing hurt. That is GOOD! My body was kind of tired, which is understandable. I ran 61 miles last week but that was not it either. It was mental. I was sure of it by the 6th hill repeat. One of my teammates asked me how many more I was doing after that 6th one and I tersely replied, "#%@#!*! EIGHT" Then, under my breath, "...even if I have to power walk up this silly hill." I wanted to wimp out. I wanted to call it a day after one. I am so happy I did all 8. I didn't necessarily finish feeling strong or confident but I felt accomplished knowing that I pushed through a hard workout and I will be stronger because of it.

Why did I feel compelled to keep going? Because I have a goal. Two months from right now, I will have my toes in the sand, a beer in my hand and a shiny new Shamrock marathon medal around my neck. The marathon is hard and although I love it, training is not always a walk in the park. This is not just because of the distance but because it's such an emotional roller coaster. During the race, for example, miles 15 and 16 can be awesome - smooth sailing - and then here comes mile 17 and things get hard. (Heck - it can even be mile 3 when things get hard!) The negative thoughts will start creeping in my mind: 

• This is a stupid hobby.
• Why do I do this?
• I am never doing this again.
• I hate running.
• I am tired.
• I am too hot.
• I am thirsty.

But, I push through and by 17.5, I am happy again. This can happen a lot over the course of 26.2 miles. I figure, if I can emulate those hard times and push through them in training, I just hope it will make those moments in the race so much easier to tackle. They will come.

I have two months to go. I know I won't want to run some days or go to a workout, but I will. I will keep giving 110%. There is no other option for me. I will keep pushing.

Guest Post: Race Recap - South Florida Fair 5k

Unlike Jessica, I am not a runner. I am the type that only signs up for 5k’s if I am guilted into it. I only have good running shoes because my sister convinced me that the pair I purchased at Costco were probably doing me more harm than good. In fact, last December, she marched me into the local running store for a fitting and bought them for me too. Most long runs (defined by me as more than 400 m) bring out my inner-honey badger, which can only be suppressed by listening to booty shaking music during the run. However, like Jessica I am stubborn, competitive, and I’ll do something I don’t want to do (like running a 5k) if it is for a good cause or if it will mean something to someone else, like my sister.

So I am sure you are wondering how a non-runner placed 3^rd in her age group and came in 19th out of 249 females at the Second Annual South Florida Fair 5k. My sister signed me up, knew my goal was a sub 25 min, paced me, and yelled at me to hurry it up when the finish line was in sight because she believed in me. 

I WON A TROPHY!
Not just ANYONE gets to get a picture with the President of the South Florida Fair!

I averaged a 7:55/mile pace and shaved 1:37 off my former PR. It felt great to start and even better to finish, but everything else between mile 0.5 and 3.1 pretty much sucked. Because my sister is a runner, I know it is not cool to wear headphones during a 5k, but I did anyway (to keep you-know-who in check). My running coach (Jess) told me to run the 5k hard, and she specified that I want to feel like I have to puke at the end. (Kitty say what?!?) So that is what I did. My only regret was that Jess stopped to wait for me about 0.1 mile from the finish line (yes, she was that far ahead of me). She would have won our age group, but sacrificed the glory so that she could pace me to the end and make sure I accomplished my goal.

Champions!

I know I had something to do with it too. I’ve dedicated a lot of time over the last year to getting my biscuit in shape. When I did my first cross-fit class at BGI Fitness about 14 months ago, the 400 m warm-up lap nearly killed me. I had not run that far in probably a decade and I was sure my lungs were about to explode. And then there was the actual workout… but I love it and I balance out the tire flips and wall ball shots with heated vinyasa yoga at Yoga Palm Beach a few days a week. About 6 months ago I also added a 3 mile run in the workout schedule for the week. Don’t get me wrong, burpees and Utkatasana can ignite my inner-honey badger as well, but not like racing a 5k.

What motivated me to get into better shape? In November of last year (2011) I was fed up with chronic back pain. I have a herniated disc between L3 and L4. Our family was going through challenges as well. I became inspired with my sister’s quest to train and complete the JFK 50-mile ultra-marathon. What was she thinking to get herself in the best shape of her life at age 36? Well, if she could do it, then I could do it too (just to be clear – no – I’m not talking about training for an ultra). I learned a lot about training from her blogs and found myself finishing the run for those who can’t. I have also integrated concepts from my yoga practice into runs and cross-fit workouts. Everything is a breathing practice and I try not to let the exercises or distance distract from that. Rowing for 20 breaths is easier to me that rowing a 250 meter sprint. I set an intention for each workout and stick to it. Finally, when things get tough I dedicate my practice, run, workout, or even those last few reps to someone meaningful to me... past or present. This got me through this 5k. Trying to keep up with her was a constant reminder of how blessed I am to have her in my life. 

Celebrating the night after the race

One Step At A Time

It's pretty obvious that my blog post frequency and motivation to run tend to go hand in hand. It's not that I haven't been running. I have been averaging 40 miles per week over the past month. It's just that my runs have all been lackluster, at an easy pace and basically boring. I don't feel great when I am running; I don't feel great once I finish. I just feel cranky. It is not a physical thing at all. My body feels awesome. I have about 95% of all the strength back in my right leg. It's 100% mental. The only thing that has been getting me out there is looking forward to spending time with my friends.

Today was a different story though. Today was the first hill workout of the Spring training cycle. To say that I was dreading it would be an understatement. I had a pity party for myself last night and kept getting depressed thinking about what good shape I was in last year at this time and how far away from that I am now. This is never a really productive or motivating activity. Nor is looking back. I am where I am. I know where I want to be. It's not going to be easy but I have to start somewhere. I had to mentally prepare myself to know that I would be far behind the pack I normally run with today. I have not done any speedwork since August 24 - again, to reach my goals, I have to start somewhere.

But guess what? That somewhere turned out to be pretty great.  Why?

• I did everything I could to set myself up for a good workout. I drank a lot of water yesterday; I got 7.5 hours of sleep, ate a healthy dinner, and a little snack before the workout.
• I saw some faces I see all the time and some I haven't seen in awhile who inspire and motivate me.
• I wasn't alone at the back of my pack. I didn't let anyone know I was feeling this angst - but she knew. She stuck with me. She could have blown me out of the water today, but she pushed and pulled me up and down that hill. That warms my heart. Thanks, Steph.

Was I feeling slow? Yes. Did it hurt? Yep, my lungs were burning. But I left feeling invigorated and have a renewed sense of confidence which I did not have when I arrived at the workout this morning. 

Baby steps...one workout at a time...I will get it back.

HCA Virginia 8k

The 8k is becoming one of my favorite distances. I have only run two of them. The first in July and then the second this weekend in Richmond, VA - the HCA Virginia 8k. This is a fun, fast course. As I was running it, I was really wishing I was in better shape (well for many, many reasons) but mainly because this would be a really fun place to run a PR. It didn't happen for me today, but I didn't expect to anyway. This was my first "speed work" since late August. I need to get my legs moving faster again and I thought this would be a good way to kick it off. My plan was to start at an 8 minute pace and gradually get faster each mile. 

There were only two of us from CAR running the 8k. Pam and I ran into Maria, Angela and Cheryl before we did our warm up. 

Thanks for snapping this pic, Maria!

I only did about a mile warm up which probably wasn't enough but I got my heart rate up and felt good. I should have done some strides, but I ran out of time. The corrals looked like they were getting crowded and I REFUSE to hurdle a fence to get to my corral. I have almost twisted my ankle one too many times doing that. It's really the last thing I need. Ha. I was a little nervous before the race, but it was more excitement than anything. I wasn't feeling any pressure. There was a 1/2 marathon and a full marathon that started 30 minutes and an hour after my race, so much of the focus of the weekend were on my CAR teammates running those races. That was good for me. 

The National Anthem was gorgeous, Bart Yasso did the countdown and we were off at 7am sharp! My legs felt springy and good. I didn't even know if I was gong to see the CAR cheer squad on the course because I knew they had to get to their 1/2 and full marathon cheering areas. I was pleasantly surprised to see Jess C, Cheryl, Angela, George and Maria about .4 miles into the race. That was a good way to start!

Smiling. That is good!

The course basically went down West Broad Street for 2 miles, then we turned an ran about 2 miles back on Grace Street, finally making a turn a little past the 4 mile mark and ran straight down hill towards the water front, finishing at Brown's Island. 

I felt pretty good the entire race. I was pushing it, but not too hard. Every time I felt more discomfort than I felt comfortable with, I would pull back. (I need to get over that...btw.) In any regard, at 3.5 miles, there was a girl who kept surging and dropping back.  I could tell and hear that she was physically struggling. On one of her surges, she asked me how many miles were in an 8k. Seriously? This isn't something you figure out before you are more than half way through? It made me laugh. I wished her luck as my competitiveness kinda kicked in and I decided to start picking it up. Right after that, I saw my the CAR cheering squad - Cheryl, Maria, Melissa and Angela. We made the turn and the downhill finish was beautiful. I just rode it down to the water. So pretty! 

Thanks for the photos, Cheryl!

Out of all the races and distances I run, the only ones I seem to be able to execute properly (so far) is the 8k. For some reason I feel very much in control of an 8k - unlike a 5k or 10k. I know, it doesn't make sense. Spilts:

Mile 1: 8:02
Mile 2: 8:01
Mile 3: 7:51
Mile 4: 7:43
Mile.96: 7:33

CHIP TIME: 39:10
Place 13/371 in the Female 35-39 age group; 89/3,587 Overall

I am happy. I wish I ran faster but I did the best I could do today. I will get faster. One does not get faster by running 35-40 easy miles per week, so I am going to start adding speed into my workouts this week. I am planning on doing the Jingle All the Way 8k in DC on December 9 so it will be exciting to see how much fitness I can build in a month as I gear up to start training for the Shamrock Full.

Thanks to all the CAR cheerleaders! It was also so inspiring to see so many great, inspiring performances from my CAR teammates. Check out these results: WOW! Each one earned by grit, determination, discipline, great coaching and having a team support them 110%. We couldn't do this without each other. 

Three Things Thursday #4

1. Men shouldn't wear running capris...or probably capris in general. 
I LIVE in my running capris in the Fall and Spring. They are the perfect thing to wear when it is too cold for shorts and too warm for tights - low 40s to 60s. I do feel bad that men don't have this option. Well, they do have the option, but they shouldn't. ;) I saw a guy with them on this morning and it just looks weird. I won't judge you too harshly if you  wear them but you may want to reconsider...especially if you are a single guy looking for hot babes. Haha.

2. I love the first of the month.
No, not the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony song. (I only know that because they are from Cleveland. Ahh. The1990s were fun.) It feels good to start fresh and new. I don't normally run on Thursdays but I felt like I needed to start this month out on the right foot. The air was crisp and the company was positive and refreshing. I couldn't have asked for a better start!

View after my run this morning. This never gets old.

3. I am running the Shamrock Marathon.
I am ready to commit. I have been dealing with my right leg issues for the past 2+ months and it has been a really tough road for me. I am a better, happier, more beautiful and positive person when I am running consistently. Having that taken away from me was really hard. I am finally able to run 30 miles per week without breaking down. That feels good. This month, I will gradually increase my mileage so that I am running 40-45 miles per week, building a strong fitness base so that I can start back at the track with tempos and intervals in December - making a smooth transition into Shamrock Marathon training. It's time and I am ready!