New Personal Best!

I need to get this blog post written because I can already feel myself replaying the race and trying to figure out where I could have done better.  I wanted this race recap to show how great I feel about what I accomplished and not allow any of that second guessing to come into it. 

So let me start by saying that I am SOOO happy that I beat my time from the Baltimore half marathon!  I was doubtful that I could do that.  So the fact that I did it puts a huge smile on my face.  I didn't break 2 hours.  That time goal kept popping into my head and at the halfway point, I was right where I wanted to be as far as my overall time and pace were concerned.  Unfortunately that's exactly the point when I tend to fall apart and today's race was no different.

The race was a GREAT event!  I am so proud of OC Tri Running for putting on a great race.  From my perspective, the race went off without a hitch.  I'm sure there were problems that popped up during the day, but as a runner I was so happy with the race experience in general.

The start was hectic and crowded.  That's always my least favorite part of the race - 1600 people trying to all start running at the same time.  I really hate having to battle for position and so many slow runners insist on starting in the front of the pack.  Why would you do that when you're just going to be in someone's way???  But that's a blog entry for another day...

I felt great from the start.  I was feeling fast, running right on my goal pace and I felt awesome.  The first 6 miles were right on my goal pace of 9:15.  I was hoping to run the 2nd half of the race at a 9 minute mile but unfortunately I slowed a little bit after the water station at mile 6.  I just couldn't get my stride back.  The next few miles were 9:30 and 2 miles were at a 10 minute pace.  I could feel the 2 hour goal slipping away from me.

The end of the race was just a mental challenge.  I knew that as long as I could keep my head focused, I could finish with a personal best.  I had let 2 hours go at this point.  It just wasn't the day to break that goal.  I was OK with it.  But it was a day to hit a new personal best.  What an accomplishment!  That desire kept me going when my legs and feet started to hurt.

I was smiling as I crossed the finish line and looked down at my watch.  Race photos will be posted as soon as my personal photographer downloads the shots he took.

Chip time 2:05:19
Garmin time 2:05:23

Fastest mile 9:12
Slowest mile 10:09
Average pace 9:30

3 Days to Go!

So it's the Wednesday before the Half Marathon and I'm being a total spaz.  One minute I'm freaking out about being sore from the squats we did on Monday, the next minute I'm worried about how tired I am, the next minute I'm thinking I should have done more speed work...ugh.  I hate the week before a big race!  It's the worst.

I have acknowledged that I'm not in a physical or mental place where breaking 2 hours is a reality.  That makes me a little bit sad but I would rather go into this race with a realistic mindset instead of being disappointed on the finish line.  This race is going to be FUN!  I am running with so many friends, I am volunteering to help with registration so I am actually a part of putting on this race and I'm going to enjoy a 13.1 mile run.  Whatever happens on the clock is just a small part of the experience.

This race is also a 1 year anniversary of my first half marathon!  So that's a BIG deal!!!  I am so goal oriented that I want every race to be a progression from my last race.  I want to set a new personal best every time I'm out there.  That's just not reality.  I am going to focus on just being in the moment.  I'm going to finish the race with a smile on my face and celebrate the fact that I'm able to run 13.1 miles!!!  There are so many people who can't...there are so many people who won't...I am one of the few who can and will!  So clock be damned.  I'm in this for the joy of running.  And if I happen to set a new personal best, well that's just icing on the cake!!!

Weekend Struggles

Friday's workout was a really good one.  Sandra really pushed me...I couldn't let her beat me too badly!  So that kept me motivated to work really hard.

Saturday I met the run group at 7:30 am at the bagel shop in Ocean Pines.  It was a rainy morning.  There was never a pouring rain, although several times during the run there was a steady rain.  From the first step it was a struggle.  Barry was convinced that I could run an 8:45 pace and he was going to make sure I did it...although the first half mile was at a 7:45.  No way in the world I could have held that pace so we slowed down.  I don't know if it was the too fast start, the rain, the bottle of wine I had the night before or just pre-race jitters that caused me to struggle but it was a tough run.  Barry stayed with me for most of the run but he added some fartlek sprints in so that he could get a decent workout.  My pace faltered and I ended up somewhere between 9:30 and 10 for most of the way.  At some points, I was struggling to keep a 10:30.  Ugh...tough run.

Sunday was a beautiful day but very hot.  I made the decision not to run for several reasons.  Mostly I was still sore from Friday, but also because I was a little worried that I would struggle again.  I need to get my head in the right place considering I'm 5 days away from the half!  I need to get the confidence I had going into Baltimore...where is it???

Taper Madness

Ask any runner who has trained seriously for a long distance event about the last 2 weeks leading up to the race and you will hear the same phrase "taper madness".  Taper is when you start to shorten your runs so that you are fresh on race day.  The idea is that you can't under-do it but you can overdo it leading up to the race. 

I hate taper.  I am a girl who likes a routine.  One of my favorite expressions is "Some may call it a rut...I call it a groove."  So for me, taper represents a change in my routine.  Today I have a cold.  I feel crappy all over.  I skipped the gym this morning.  That's twice this week I didn't go.  When my routine is messed up, everything tends to be messed up.  I'm blaming it on taper, but really it's my own fault.  Taper shouldn't interfere that much with my routine.  I'm still going to the gym and I'm still running.  It's just not quite as much as it was 2 weeks ago.  So why do I have such a hard time with the last 2 weeks before a race?

As I develop into a better runner, maybe I will figure out why I have such a hard time with taper.  Maybe not.  But I hope that one day I can enjoy the 2 weeks leading up to a race!

As the Little Ponytail Bounces

Apparently it's genetic.  This is a picture that was taken of Ella at daycare the other day as she was running from one side of the yard to the other.   

Dreams of Boston?

OK, quick weekend recap.  No run Saturday.  I worked a double waitressing though, so that has to count for something.  Sunday I met up with Colleen and Michelle and we ran 10 miles on Coastal Highway in OC.  The first 6 miles we all stayed together.  At mile 6, something hit me and I just took off.  Up to that point we were running at a 10 - 10:30 pace.  I decided to book it for the last 4 miles and see how long I could hold a 9 minute pace.  It wasn't the easiest thing to do...I have already blogged about how horrible I am at keeping a steady pace...HOWEVER, I was pretty successful at keeping somewhere close to a 9 minute pace.  I could feel when I was slowing down and just mentally decided to pick it back up...and I did!  This has to be the first successful negative split run I've had (for you non-runners, that's when the end of the run is faster than the beginning).  I am going to try that strategy during the half...run a slower pace to warm up for the first few miles then kick it into my race pace.  It might not get me to break 2 hours but at least I'll be able to gauge how I feel.

Yesterday was the Boston Marathon.  I am so awed by those individuals who train for a marathon in the hopes of qualifying for the ultimate marathon.  Several of the bloggers who I read on a regular basis were running in the Boston Marathon yesterday.  I am so anxious to read about their adventures on the course! 

I have never really wanted to run a full marathon when I think about all the time and effort that goes into the training.  I am overwhelmed with the training for a half marathon right now!  The thought of doubling that is just too much for me to think about.  But I have to admit that I was fantasizing about being in Boston for Marathon Monday yesterday.  Maybe someday when my kids are older and my life is a little more stable, I will consider attempting to run a full marathon.  I would love to add this to my car:

I already have this!!!

Maybe someday...for now it remains a fantasy.

What Does SB Stand For?

Here was today's workout:

100M SB Waiter Walk
20 SB Squats
200M Run
10 SB Burpees
6 Rounds for Time

So what does SB stand for?  The real answer is sand bags.  Not this kind of sand bag:

this kind:

So a waiter walk is holding a 30 lb sand bag or (in my case thanks to Colleen a 35 lb bag) overhead for 100 meters.  Honestly I don't know many waiters who carry their trays overhead with both arms locked, but if that's what you want to call it, fine.  My shoulder has been hurting for the past 2 days thanks to Sandra's beat down on Monday so I had to modify the workout.  I got to hold the sandbag like a baby for the waiter walk and I did up/downs instead of burpees...BUT again thanks to Colleen...I had a heavier bag.  Before we started the workout she suggested that since I got to modify the workout that I had to have a heavier bag.  Lisa agreed and said she was actually going to make me carry a heavier bag anyway, but I fully blame Colleen!  (Colleen - you know I love ya but watch out for paybacks!)

6 rounds of this torture is a lot!  I can't tell you how fast we went because at the end of it I really didn't care.  The whole workout I kept coming up with different things that SB could stand for.  Here are some of the ideas:
Suck Bag
Sucks Big-time
Son of a B*tch
Sh*tty Bag

I'll stop there since it just continued to get progressively worse as the workout continued.

I'm looking forward to a good weekend hopefully.  Tomorrow I'm going to try to fit in a quick run at some point, although that might be a challenge considering my schedule.  Then Sunday I'm meeting some of the running group in OC for a 10 miler.  This will be our last double digit run before the half!  We are 2 weeks away!!!  Holy crap...really?

Running Group Update

It was a big week for several of our Running Group members.  Lisa and Barry completed the Tough Mudder in PA. I am in total awe that they were able to not only finish but to totally kill it!  I am so proud of you guys!!!

We are also getting to the point in our training plan where we are doing some really long runs.  So a lot of the running group put in a lot of miles this week.

Michelle and Colleen have done a great job with getting together the website for the Ocean City Running Club.  Here is the link http://www.eteamz.com/oceancityrunningclub/ and the best part is that they have a link back to my blog!  Thanks girls!  I am so excited for the formalization of the running club.  And thankful that Colleen and Michelle are willing to put in the time to do the website since I have very little time right now.

So here is the tracking chart updated for the past week.  I apologize to Dana.  I can't figure out why the chart is not showing the goal miles for whoever is at the bottom.  I will figure it out hopefully before I post next week's chart.

12 Mile Run...Almost

I can't believe it's already Tuesday!  Time flies...

Sunday morning a group of us met at PowerHouse Gym for an easy 12 miler.  Haha!  There's nothing easy about running 12 miles.  But I went into it with the mindset that pace didn't matter and I just wanted to complete the distance.  I even said this to Colleen several times.  HOWEVER, Don showed up.  Don is an awesome pacer because he is so consistent.  Every time I've run with him, he helps me to naturally keep the same pace.

So we took off with Don and I running together and Colleen and Michelle running together.  We stayed pretty close together for the first couple of miles.  We ran a modified version of the half marathon route.  I felt really good for the first few miles.  Don and I kept the pace right around 10 minutes per mile.  Of course I want to run faster than that for the race but for a long run, I was pleased with that pace.  I think it was about 5 miles in when Don decided that he needed to go...of course I had expected this...he is MUCH faster than me.  I really appreciated the fact that he stayed with me for so long.  Once Don took off, I struggled to keep a steady pace.  I still felt good but my pace was all over the place.  I really need to figure out how to stay at a consistent pace on my own!

The bridge into Assateague falls at the 12 mile mark of the half marathon.  After 12 miles of flat running, this is an intimidating sight...

In our modified course, it fell at about 9 miles into our run.  At this point, I decided that I would take the opportunity to use the visitor center's bathrooms.  It was a much needed break, although it had a really bad effect on my run.  As I started to run again, my lower back and my leg muscles all seized up.  I continued to run until I hit the 10 mile mark, at which point I decided that it was not worth risking injury in order to continue.  I was about a mile from the spot where we were meeting Keith who was so nice to volunteer to pick us up and take us back to our cars.  So I walked the mile back to the parking lot.

I really wanted to complete the 12 miles, but I think I made the right decision.  Had I kept going, who knows what kind of damage I could have been doing to my body.  The half is less than 3 weeks away and I'd rather not finish a 12 mile training run than not finish the 13.1 mile race!

Great Workout!

This morning at the gym we did the following workout:
Prowler/Sled
15 Wall Balls
20 Weighted Lunges
As Many Rounds As Possible - 30 mins

There were 6 of us so we staggered our starts.  Colleen and I started with the Wall Balls.  I was feeling great and really liked the workout.  Other than not going low enough on my last set of lunges (fatigue had set in at that point), I think I did all the exercises with good form.  I actually had to wait for the Prowler or Sled on most rounds so I probably could have fit one more round in.  It was a fun workout and a good ego boost to see how fast I was able to do the rounds. 

Lisa made the comment that I must be eating right again.  While my diet is far from perfect, it is A LOT better than it was when I posted about my workout fail.  I can definitely see a difference in my energy level and endurance in workouts.  Food matters people!!!  (Yes, Lisa and Dave...you were right all along!) 

Windy Wednesday

The running group met at the inlet only to decide that the wind was way too ferocious for us to run on the Boardwalk.  So we all hopped in our cars and drove up to The Grand Hotel and ran in their parking garage.  On the south end of the garage we still got hit with a wall of wind, but otherwise we were pretty well protected.

The training plan called for 6 400's.  Since our Garmins don't work in the parking garage, we decided to do our own version of the speed work and it actually seemed to work out well.  Colleen, Ryann and I ran hard up 2 levels, jogged 1 level, then ran hard up the remaining 2 levels, then jogged back down to the bottom.  We did 3 rounds of that in addition to a warm up and cool down jog up and down the garage.  We estimated that we ran about 3.5 miles. 

23 days until the OC Half Marathon!  The countdown is on.  I still don't feel as prepared as I was for Baltimore, but my last few long runs have really given me some confidence.  Colleen and I are running 12 miles on Sunday which will be a great indication of how well I can last for that distance.  

Weekend in Review

Saturday morning I ran the Still Pond to Betterton Tree Run.  It's a point-to-point race that starts at the old Still Pond store and ends at Betterton Beach.  Ryann and I ran this race for the first time last year.  This year I was solo...Ryann decided to be a cheerleader instead of a participant.  It was cold and rainy...not a steady rain but definitely a solid sprinkle.  Instead of shirts, we got visors.  Normally I would prefer a shirt over anything else, but a visor was awesome because I absolutely love running in a visor!  So I plopped it right on my head and wore it for the race.  It helped to keep the rain out of my face.

The first mile of the race was really challenging for me because I was having a hard time finding my pace.  They were giving splits at the 1 mile point and I ran 8:07 for the first mile.  Way too fast!  I was mainly worried about the hills since I have not been training hills at all.  Luckily I had a really good mindset and was able to attack the hills instead of letting them intimidate me.  I gained several spots on the hills.

Overall I felt really strong.  I finished in 31:21 which is an 8:43 per mile pace.  I was also the 6th overall female finisher!  YAY ME!  Here is a picture that Stephen took as I'm entering the town of Betterton.

The family was standing outside the church cheering for me.  There was about a quarter mile left in the race at this point.

Sunday was an absolutely gorgeous day.  About 10:30 in the morning I decided to head out and go for a solo run.  I have never been good at running by myself.  My head really tends to get in my way on solo runs.  The first mile was a warm up and I didn't worry about my pace.  After that, I tried to keep my pace around a 9:30.  At mile 4 I made a pit stop at Dave and Lisa's house.  I dropped off my jacket (definitely dressed too warm) and drank a glass of water.  Thanks guys!  The last mile was a struggle to maintain my pace but other than that I felt really good.

I loved the run.  It gave me confidence that I'm in better shape than I thought.  I had really been doubting my fitness level and my readiness for the half marathon.  But based on how good I felt at the race and on the solo run on Sunday, I have much more faith that I can finish the half in a decent time.  I still may not beat 2 hours, but I have let that go!!!

I have never wanted to be a redhead but I had my hair done on Friday and it turned red.  Should I call this blog "As the Red Ponytail Bounces"???

Tracking Chart

I just realized that I haven't posted the weekly tracking chart in awhile.  Sorry everyone!  Here is the latest chart. 

Michelle is still way in the lead in terms of total miles as well as % to her goal.  Great job Michelle! 

Everyone is doing a fantastic job in working towards their goals.  Keep up the great work!!!