Miles for Madison 5k Recap

April 11, 2013Leave a comment

The longer I live away from the big city, the more I love running in the country. There’s just something special about running with the rollings hills of road in front of you and not another person around. Add 600 or so other runners and the fresh smell of cows and you’ve got the setting for Saturday’s 5k. Miles for Madison 5k was in Creston, a small town in the middle of no where Ohio. I picked up my packet on Friday night, which had my shirt and free candle donated by Root Candles. I had also won free train tickets to Lodi Station, so I was able to give these back for a family with children who would really appreciate the ride.

I scoped out some of the course and noticed it was really flat, but had a bit of wind. Seemed to be a pretty easy course to run on the next day. I was really excited for the race, not only would I be hitting these country roads with speed, but this entire race was for one little girl. Madison was diagnosed with SJS last year. She’s in recovery, but it was a great way for others to learn about this rare skin disease and help raise money to a great fund. The event was put on by Medina County Road Runners and the family expected maybe 200 people to show up. They were blown away when 600+ people were there on race day. Even more awesome, many of Madison’s classmates came out to run as well. Cue the tears.

Saturday morning came and I was ready to go. I was feeling pretty good and was hoping to get close to my PR. It was a little windy, but I didn’t think it would be a big issue. After a warm up, I made it to the start line and took my place between the 8-9 mile markers. We started the race and I tried to find a pace I was comfortable with. I knew to ignore Garmin for a while so I could focus on what my legs wanted. A half mile in and I was pushing 7:50. I had no business being anywhere near that number so I quickly tried to slow myself down. I felt like I was moving in slow motion, but I hit the first mile in 8:15.

Shortly before the mile marker we turned a corner and were heading straight into the wind. I’m not sure what happened, but I slowed way down, almost to a point that I felt I was running backwards. I had a sudden change of heart, I didn’t want to run any longer, and I wanted to just sit down and stop. My legs felt heavy and it was as though I had already run 10 miles, not one. With so many 5ks under my belt, I knew that sometimes you get good races, and sometimes you get bad races. I kept going, knowing that since the race was flat, it shouldn’t be a total struggle to make it to the finish. I hit mile two somewhere around 17:xx.

With one mile to go, I focused on finishing. We rounded another turn and I could see a few rolling hills up in the distance. I didn’t expect these and wasn’t sure I’d have the energy to muster up the final half mile. All I could think about was how does someone plan to have hills in the last half mile? Obviously I still don’t love hills. I could hear my college coaches voice in my head, charge the hill, charge that hill in front of you. I told myself this over and over as I passed people and made it to the top. Half mile to go and I was at 22:xx.

There was a slight downhill that lead us to the school and around the back to the track. I started to pick up my speed and gave it all I had left in me. I crossed the line at 26:14.

I think this look explains it all

It wasn’t my best race, but I’ve done a lot worse. I was surprised with how close my time was to last week. Ok, 45 seconds may not be close, but I was pretty sure I’d finish between 27-28 minutes. It was a mentally rough day, between the brutal wind and my legs and the last few hills near the finish, but I completed the race.

Afterword I stood in line for my 5 minute massage and had my hamstrings stretched out. The woman working on me proceeded to tell me that my back was a mess and so were my hips. Thank you for reassuring me with something I already know. She gave me a few stretches and hopefully I can work these out in the future. Maybe this is what’s holding me back from running a quicker pace.

By 10:30 the awards started, I didn’t expect to win anything, but wanted to stick around and find out the fastest times. Little Madison was also handing out the awards, so I felt it was only right to stay for a while. When they got to the 20-24 age group, they called my name in third place. Completely shocked I went up to grab my award, a brick from one of the old local schools. How awesome.

3rd Place Female 20-24

I didn’t realize until I was on my way home, but it would be the last time I ran a 5k in the 20-24 age group. A bittersweet moment that will allow me to jump up to 25-29 and probably never place. But hopefully, it will push me to be a faster runner.

The race was such a great event that was put on in honor of one little girl. MCRR did such a fantastic job, and I hope that this race continues each year. I was impressed with the goodies from our grab bag too. They included a shirt, water bottle, a candle and some coupons for ice cream. Along with the grab bag, the treats after the race were all donated by local companies. They had quite the spread of chocolate milk, cookies, subway sandwiches and I think some ice cream. Seriously a community effort on this event.

Lots of goodies!

Official Results

Time: 26:14

Overall Place: 131/616

Female Overall: 39/382

AG 20-24: 3/20

Sole to Soul 5k Recap

March 27, 2013April 4, 20132 Comments

This race couldn’t have come at a better time. I was fresh off the let down of a bad 5k and I needed some kind of redemption race. I also had one of the busiest and craziest weeks in a while, and I couldn’t wait to leave it all behind me and zone out for three quick miles. The 5k was in my hometown so I knew it would be flat, and hopefully fast. I spent the previous night at my parent’s house so I wouldn’t have to drive 45 minutes in the morning. A 5 minute drive on the morning of race day seemed much more enjoyable. The race didn’t start until 9:00, but I was wide awake at 6:30 and I was able to catch this beautiful sunrise. I’ve seen it hundreds of times, but it never gets old.

I was a little concerned because my legs were pretty tight still from Yoga, so I made sure to do some extra stretches. After a random granola bar and some water, I was ready to go. I got to the park and wondered if I’d see anyone I knew. The first person I saw was one of my high school coaches. She didn’t recognize me or acknowledge me, but it wasn’t too surprising. If you weren’t number one on the team, you just didn’t matter.

That aside, I picked up my bib and shirt, ate a few Sport Beans, ran a bit of a warm up and was ready to go. We lined up, got ready and suddenly we were off. A lot of people sprinted, and I was passed by a ton of runners. I kept reminding myself not to go out too quick, I didn’t want another race like last weeks. 7:50, 8:05, 8:15, I was forcing myself to slow down but at some point, I just couldn’t get past 8:20. A half mile in I decided to forget about my watch and just let my legs lead me. I wasn’t running a half marathon, if I forced myself to go at a 9:00 pace, I’d never get any faster. And I certainly wouldn’t be happy about my time. So through the wooded street and into a familiar development, I hit my first mile at 8:16.

I was feeling good, picking people off, one by one. I could tell who went out too quickly and hoped I wouldn’t be joining in their pain. We ran through a newer housing development, and I could remember doing mile repeats and pre-race shenanigan filled runs. I was excited to be on my home turf, and more excited to show my once high school coach that I could still run. I was able to stick with a pretty decent pace and kept my attention on a women ahead of me. We headed to the turn around point and as I passed the half way mark I was at 12:47. I started to run the numbers and forced the thought quickly from my mind. I wanted to use time as a check point, not let it control my race.

The second half of the course would be what we just ran, easy, flat, and hopefully no issues. I was still feeling good, no pain at all, but could tell my breathing was a little loud. My legs were a little tight, but I figured it was because they weren’t used to going this fast. I made it out of the development, and knew I’d have a short distance on a side street, following the main road before turning into the park for the finish. Unfortunately I became a little distracted when a much older gentleman decided to drive down the middle of the street behind the runners, tailing each one. It was clear he was too close to everyone for their safety. I got out of the way and kept my eye on him until he turned off. This slowed me down a bit, but the last thing you need on the course is an accident.

I turned on the main road and knew I had less than a half mile to go. I could see the three mile mark up ahead as my legs started to extend. My pace opened up and I could taste the finish. 24:48 at the three mile mark. I wouldn’t break 25:00, but I knew I could definitely break 26:00. I rounded into the park and pushed it as I crossed the line. 25:37 for a new adult PR. A whole 2:05 off of last week’s horrible 5k. I was thrilled! Even with my less than perfect training all week, I was able to zone out on everything and really focus on my running.

I did a short jog back and forth to the car to keep my legs loose. Once all of the runners were in, they announced the winners of the race. I was shocked to hear my name called under 2nd place in my age group. I didn’t expect it, and was grateful that I had done better than I thought.

Fun shirt and medal

I truly enjoyed this race. Hermes always does such a great job managing races that it makes for a fun time running. I hope that I’ll be able to run this race again to improve on my time and hopefully see the race grow. If you need a flat, fast 5k in March, definitely keep this one on your radar for next year.

Loving this medal

Official Results:

Garmin Time: 25:37

Age Group 20-29: 2/12

Female Overall: 15/61

Overall: 50/130

Irish Jig & Jog 5k Recap

March 20, 20131 Comment

Being about the only person who didn’t run St. Malachi, I opted for a flat 5k on Sunday morning. Over the past couple weeks I had thrown the idea around for a St. Patrick’s Day race, either the Lakewood Irish Jig & Jog 5k or the Shamrock 5k in Woodridge. Knowing that the Shamrock 5k would be all hills and I haven’t had a chance to tackle some in a while, I decided to keep it easy. Lucky for me, I spent the weekend up in Avon, so I wouldn’t need to drive far on race morning. The race was put on by Peace Racing, and it was the second year they’ve held the event. I had never run a race by them, but I was excited to see how it would go.

My pre race ritual wasn’t my along my normal plan. I spent Saturday night at a concert with my sister, had sloppy joes for dinner, and managed about 6 hours of sleep when I woke up Sunday morning. To follow that up, I had a gross protein bar the morning of, and still hadn’t decided if I was fully committed to running, or crawling back in bed. But knowing I had miles to get in, I figured it’d be easier with a couple hundred other people than just myself braving the cold.

Because I was on the fence all week about racing, I registered day of. This meant I wouldn’t be getting the long sleeve shirts, and unfortunately, the woman working my line didn’t let us know we needed timing chips. I found this out at the start of the race, with less than a minute to go an announcement was made to make sure your timing chip was on your shoe. I looked around, and luckily I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t told, about a third of the runners around me didn’t have a chip. I also learned that some day of registrants got shirts. I was obviously in the wrong sign up line.

We started the race and like always I went out way too quick. I was right around 8:15 pace and tried to slow myself down, but people kept passing me. For the next half mile I battled with slowing down and being pulled ahead with everyone else. I finally got my pace down and completed my first mile in 8:43, still too fast. The course was really flat, and a little boring. It started at Madison Park and went into two neighborhoods on either side. My office is right down the street, so I knew the area wouldn’t have any hills, and hopefully this meant I could go fast the entire time. The first mile was a loop around one neighborhood and then we passed Madison Park again to an out and back.

As we started the out and back, the first couple of runners were coming by and they were quick! I normally hate running an out and back, but it helped to boost my spirit and I started to pick up my pace. I hit the hairpin turn at the halfway point and I was around 13:xx, knew I was on pace to an awesome finish. On the way back I noticed that the cold and slight wind were starting to catch up with me, my breathing was getting heavier and at some points my legs felt like they were moving backwards. I kept with it, and hit the two mile mark at 17:xx.

Curious to where the last mile would lead, I began the loop that we ran for the first mile. By this time my body was slowing down and questioning why I went out so quick in the first mile. My pace dropped drastically and I struggled some to finish the last half mile. I also started getting a cramp right near my heart and I began to panic. This instantly made me slow down and I became over cautious as I was finishing the race. I did see Bill from Second Sole cheering me on at the finish, so I tried to sprint as much as I could to the line. It was nice to have one familiar face in the crowd. I crossed the line at 27:42 on a course that was at 3.02.

I had a mix of feelings after finishing the race. I was upset that I went out way too quick and ruined my pace for the rest of the race. I was also upset that the course was short by so much! I was glad I was done, but I didn’t feel that I got everything out of it that I paid for. However, I couldn’t be that upset with myself, I wasn’t mentally prepared for the race and my Saturday night didn’t help either. I was glad I got the miles in, but it definitely wasn’t my favorite race.

Frosty 5k Recap

February 12, 20131 Comment

Sunday morning I had the pleasure of running my first race in my new city! The rec center held it’s annual Frosty 5k and I figured this would be the perfect way to kick off a new year of running. I took a lot of time off after 3M and had just started getting into a normal routine within the past week. I wasn’t expecting much and just wanted to use this race as a way to get some miles in. Plus, a race in Medina only happens once a month, if that, so any race that I don’t have to drive at least 30 minutes to get to is a big bonus these days.

I started the morning with my regular Clif bar and arrived at the rec center around 8:30. I picked up my bib, did some stretches and waited inside until we were ready to start. They should have changed the name to Freezing 5k, because it was down right cold, right around 20 degrees. The race was hosted by the rec center, so it was only open to rec members, bringing the field to about 70 people. Not bad for a cold Sunday in February.

Once we all lined up, the race directer yelled the old fashioned, On your mark, get set, Go! And just like that about 30 people sprinted ahead and I found myself being pulled with them. I checked the Garmin and we were at a 7:40 pace. There was no way I’d be able to keep this up for the whole race, or even the first half mile. I slowly started to ease myself into a better pace and settled right around 9:00. I was feeling good and had already passed one person. Then again around a mile in, I passed my second person.

The course was set throughout housing developments, so it was pretty much the same scene over and over. Lucky for me, these neighborhoods were new to me, so I kept checking out the houses and daydreaming of my own dream home. Then I suddenly realized that this was the longest mile ever. Where was the mile marker? I checked my watch and we were already at 1.25 miles. No mile markers, but not to worry, I’ll just go with it. (Apparently there were kilometer markers, but I missed those completely) The next 2 miles were pretty much the same, nice neighborhoods, a decent pace and just a few spots of black ice. The only difference was the hidden gradual inclines. They weren’t really that bad, probably the “flattest” area in all of Medina. Remember this for future runs.

The last half mile was fun. I really hadn’t checked my time at all during the race, instead just focused on my pace. I was feeling good and was able to pass my third person. I never pass people, so this was exciting. And then I had my biggest challenge…an 11 year old boy. I think I surprised him when I starting running next to him, so he quickly sped up. But the finish is uphill, so he couldn’t really get away from me. We went back and forth and I couldn’t help but smile, I was fighting a child for the finish. My final surge of energy came when a little 4 year old held out his hand right before the finish. I gave him a high 5 and crossed the line. As for the boy I was racing, we tied.

Overall I thought it was a great race. Besides being completely freezing half of the time, we had great weather even with a little bit of black ice to watch out for. I never felt like I was over pushing myself and I kept a pretty decent pace most of the time. It’s also great running without pain, something I hope to keep going for a long time this year.

After the race, everyone hung out inside waiting for the results to be posted. Because I signed up after January 31st, I didn’t get a shirt, but no problem, I managed to score one when I got second place in my age group! Complete shock, but awesome because I got a long sleeve shirt, a $5 certificate to go towards a class of my choice and two free guest passes to the rec center. Road trip to Medina anyone?

This was a great way to kick off the new year and the last of my “off season”. This week I’ll be starting a 12 week training cycle for the Flying Pig Half Marathon, which will include a new way of training. I look forward to sharing more of this with you all!

Course Elevation:

This is “flat” Medina

Garmin Time: 27:51

Age Group 20-29: 2/11

Gender Place: 7/39

Overall Place: 27/72

Second Place Winnings

Did you race this weekend? Have you ever raced a kid to the finish line?

3M Half Marathon Recap

January 23, 20137 Comments

It’s taken me a week and a half, but I finally have my race recap of the 3M Half Marathon. This race was a different experience to me in more ways than one. I had a lot of factors, some on my own terms, that made this weekend a challenge. But for once, my emotions and my personal experience had no impact on my overall thought of the race. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

Before I dive in, let me catch you up. I was in Austin Friday through Sunday, and I promise a post of my visit will appear soon. During this time I was lucky enough to have a bit of the flu. So. Much. Fun. And my training? Non existent.

Sunday morning was race day, and since the race started at 6:45, wake up was at 5:00am. I was sharing a hotel room with Courtney and Luke, and somehow we had a pretty smooth morning. Nerves weren’t too much of an issue, but I was starving. We were out the door by 5:30 and headed downtown to find a parking spot. There was some wind and the temperature had dropped 20 degrees from the previous day. Coming from Ohio, 40 degrees in January isn’t bad, especially considering it’s in the single digits now! We were thankful that it wasn’t raining. All week there was a good chance we’d be running in pouring rain.

We got in line at the port-a-pots, dropped off our bag and made our way to the start. We were part of the few crazy people wearing shorts, everyone else was bundled up in cold weather gear. I won’t lie, this made me feel tough, or maybe completely stupid.

Right before bag drop.

Courtney and Luke were way up front. I stood by the 2:10 pacers knowing it wouldn’t be a fast day. Just before we started, my stomach turned. I already knew it’d be an interesting race, but my new race plan was to make it through without embarrassing myself.

The first mile was rough, we ran straight into the wind and everyone was still pretty close together. Once we got closer to the second mile, things started opening up and it was a little brighter out. There were a lot of water stops along the way, probably every 1.5 miles, which was perfect because that meant a lot of bathroom stops. My stomach held up pretty well, but I kept myself at a slower pace. I was averaging 9:58 pace per mile. I knew that if I kept it slow I had a better chance of making the entire distance. My goal was just to finish the race now that I had been able to start it.

I made it to mile 5 without any problems, I had been drinking a sip of water every couple of minutes and I hadn’t felt hungry enough to use any Sport Beans yet. At this point, I made a precautionary stop at the bathroom. And then I spent 10 minutes waiting in line. 10 minutes! Any chance of a good time was now gone. I then made the smartest decision of my entire race. I would no longer check my watch and I was just going to enjoy the experience.

My favorite thing about running new or out of town races is that I have no idea where I am, I just follow the course, check in at the mile marks and take in what’s around me. Austin is the perfect place to do this. We ran through industrial areas, housing developments and shopping areas. Each section was unique in it’s own way, something I saw throughout the weekend visit.

I managed to keep a decent pace going until mile 8. I started to do the walk jog thing, running more than walking. The course was pretty easy, and mostly down hill. Even a small incline was nothing and I kept my feet going in the right direction. Around mile 10 I started to get really hungry, and realized I hadn’t snacked all race. I started popping Sport Beans and was quickly back up to my normal self. I was even greeted with some Lemon Lime cup of Heaven shortly after this, which gave me a sign that I could do this. I only had three miles left. What I didn’t realize is that these three miles had hills.

All downhill, until the end

It happened to be move in weekend and the University of Texas, so instead of running through the campus we ran around it. Which wouldn’t have been bad if there hadn’t been hills with false summits. This also caused us to hit a strong head wind right at the finish. But instead of letting that ruin my finish, I went with it. It was tough, but what race doesn’t make you work.

I finished those last couple of miles with heart and gratitude. I looked around and saw the most beautiful views of Austin (still kicking myself for not taking a picture). I was finishing my 10th half marathon in under two years and running in my third state. I had run the race without checking my Garmin every two seconds, I wasn’t stressing about my splits, and I wasn’t nervous if I’d miss my PR. I was happy that the friends I had running on the course were doing amazing things. I was enjoying the 40 degree, beautiful Sunny weather. I was running, something I had separated myself from for the past couple of weeks. I was back doing what I loved.

Lucky number 10

Official Results:

Time: 2:36:27

A hard earned medal

I finished far from my PR and breaking 2:00, but I was ok with that. I had an amazing experience that I couldn’t have enjoyed more. Not every race is going to be perfect or even good. You encounter those tough courses, race plans, and injuries to make yourself stronger. I’ve run 10 half marathons and at least three other 13 mile runs during my marathon training. That distance can bring something different each and every time.

I honestly have no complaints about this race. It could have very well been the perfect race. The start went smooth, water stops were plentiful and the spectators along the course were wonderful. The grab bag was packed with great items, the t-shirt was unique and the medal was neat. This is a great race to PR and I would completely recommend this race to any runner looking for something fun. I plan on coming back down someday to run 3M again. And there is no doubt that I will be breaking 2:00 on those same streets of Austin.

13.1 on 1.13

2013 Race Calendar

January 2, 20138 Comments

It’s a new year, which means it’s time to reveal the new race calendar! As I mentioned in my year review, last year was the year of races. But towards the end of the year, I was burnt out. Not a total surprise after non stop training for 12 months and the addition of the holidays and busy schedules. This year I want to make sure I enjoy every run. I want to fall in love with running more than I ever have.

I’ve taken a step back and added mostly 5k’s to the schedule this year. They’re short, fun, and if I feel the need to run more that day I can always add on extra miles. I also have a handful of half marathons I’m interested in, including two out of state races. The only thing missing? A marathon. I’m taking this year off from the marathon, at least for now. But 2014 I will definitely try my hand at it.

Here’s my tentative 2013 schedule…

January 13, 2013 – 3M Half Marathon

February 10, 2013 – Frosty 5k

March 2013 – 4 for Friends 4 Mile Run

March 23, 2013 – Sole to Soul 5k

April 6, 2013 – Miles for Madison 5k

April 2013 – Buzzard 3 Mile Run

April 20, 2013 – Run to the Beach Half Marathon

May 3, 2013 – Run4Fun 5k

May 5, 2013 – Flying Pig Half Marathon

May 11, 2013 – Lightning Bug Run 5k

May 18, 2013 – Wadsworth Bookin’ 5k

June 16, 2013 – Canton Half Marathon

July 4, 2013 – Twin Sizzler 5k

July 20, 2013 – Lodi Corn Fest 5k

July 21, 2013 – Double Trouble 10k

August 2013 – Ledges to Lake Adventure Race

August 17, 2013 – Wooster Heart & Sole Half Marathon

September 7, 2013 – Tunnel to Towers 5k

October 20, 2013 – Detroit Free Press Half Marathon

October 26, 2013 – Montville PPA 5k

October 27, 2013 – Buckeye Half Marathon

November 2013 – Devil Dash 5k

What races are you looking forward to in 2013? Are we running any of the same races?

Tour de Ashland Half Recap

December 6, 2012December 6, 20123 Comments

Where do I even begin with this recap? Let’s start with a month before when looking for races for 2013. I found this one, it was close, it was a challenge, and I thought it would be good for next year. Next year. And then a week before the race I decided why not try it this year. I wasn’t completely sold on the idea, but I had a free weekend, registration was cheap and I needed a long run. I think I spent the entire week worrying about the elevation chart they provided….

This my friends would be a hilly race.

Their elevation chart

And so the day before the race, as I was scrolling through the website, I noticed that they alerted runners that there would be no port a potty stops along the course. Umm what? I’ve never run a half that didn’t have bathrooms. Que instant stomach ache and fear of 13 miles of stomach issues. But it was ok, because there would be water stops every two miles in case something really bad happened. And the weather would be warmer, so all would be just right.

I woke up at 6:30, packed my bag and ate a quick snack before heading down to Ashland. It was a 45 minute drive and my stomach was turning with nerves. Once I got there, I picked up my bib and tried to stay warm in the car. I was still nervous about the hills, and wasn’t sure if I was ready for 13 miles. The longest I had run since the marathon was 6 so I knew it would be an interesting race.

I went over to the start line and found Molly! I knew she’d be running and it was so good to see a familiar face. It calmed my nerves, and reminded me of the hills of Muskingum that we’ve both run many, many times. If we can handle those, we could handle this course. We began the race, and I struggled to find a good pace. There were pacers for each group, but the 2:00, 2:05, and 2:10 pacers sprinted ahead. I kept checking my Garmin to see we were at a 8:30 pace, I knew this was way too quick and backed off. After the first mile, I found my groove and was ready to take on the hills. We already experienced a few rolling ones, but I knew the hardest part was yet to come.

At three miles the 5k runners, who started ahead of us, turned to the finish. We came across the first water stop, as well as the pace leaders role change. The 2:10 pace leader threw his sign and sprinted ahead. Apparently we would not be using them for the rest of the race.

We started on our loop around town and were heading up and down side streets, I was feeling pretty good, and felt I was keeping a pretty good pace. And then we hit mile 5. I remembered from the map that this was a big hill, and it was. I powered through at a slower pace, but I never felt the need to walk. I was going to beat these hills and prove to myself that I don’t hate them, at least as much as I used to.

After the hill I was still feeling good. I hadn’t taken any sport beans yet and there hadn’t been any water stops. Luckily I had my handheld and made sure to keep hydrated, I wanted to listen to my body to find the perfect hydration strategy. Mile 6 and I came in under and hour, 56 minutes I think. Still on a decent pace, but no thoughts of a PR or a time in general. I just wanted to run for the miles.

And we would run, up hill. These next few miles were brutal. The next three miles would be a constant up hill battle. We would change streets so you could never see exactly what was coming next, hoping for some sort of plateau to stretch. Mile 7 had a relay exchange zone and a water stop, the first one since mile three. We were in an industrial part of town, running with traffic, with limited volunteers, runners or anything. Cars didn’t have to stop, they didn’t know there was a race. For the first time, I didn’t feel safe. I was also hurting. The hills were doing a number on my knees and I hit my wall. I didn’t feel like running anymore. I was over the hills, and over the race. If I stopped to stretch, I didn’t know if I would begin running again.

I made it to mile 8, and stopped. I stretched, took some sport beans and tried to walk the negative feeling out me. I started counting down the miles. 5 more to go, I had to do it, there was no one out there to pick me up if I stopped. So I kept going, hill after hill, each one getting harder, but I kept going. Around mile 10, the hills broke and it was more of a rolling elevation. All that was left was a 5k, easy. My pace was still decent, and I knew I’d break 2:15, this was a confidence booster on my already broken spirit.

Mile 11 and all I could think about was Cleveland, and how long those last two miles always feel. I knew I was getting close, we were starting to get near the track and the start line. A half mile later, I had my breaking point. I was attempting to cross a fairly busy intersection, and traffic wasn’t stopped. Two lanes of traffic in each direction passing by, the officer in the middle had her hands up trying to stop people. I started waving at the lane next to me, yelling at them to stop. I was furious. No one was stopping, and no one was paying attention. I nearly got hit by a man texting and driving. Finally traffic started to slow, and eventually I had a path to run through. I told them they were all a bunch of idiots. I was so fired up, my pace quickened as soon as I could start running again. I wasted so much time at the intersection and I was so close to the finish.

I kept going and hit mile 12, I came up behind the pacer that threw his sign and sped up from earlier. I passed him and never looked back. Despite my pace, the last mile was hard. I was upset about being stopped and my body was begging to be done. I came up on the track and knew I had a lap left before I could finish. It was the longest lap of my life, but it never felt so good to be finished. My time was 2:11. It wasn’t my best time, but despite the hills, the stops and the negative attitude I acquired, I was pleased. I don’t think I’ve ever worked so hard for a half or beat myself up that much during a race.

Afterward I went home and collapsed on my bed accidentally taking a 2 hour nap. I awoke to hunger, and pain. Not only were my legs feeling torn up, but my chest felt heavy. It was the worst I’ve ever felt after a race, even worse than the marathon. This feeling stuck around for quite a while, and is something I’ll discuss in my weekly training recap.

As for the elevation, the true course wasn’t far off what I had expected. Tour de Ashland can now be named my hilliest half, and my hardest.

I love hills…said no one ever.

Results:

Overall – 155/191

AG – 13/19

Gender – 43/61

With that my 2012 race season is over, and my 9th half marathon is in the books.

Half Marathon Number 9

Turkey Burner 5k Recap

November 27, 2012December 6, 20122 Comments

I’m thankful for hills. At least that’s what I kept telling myself as I ran the Turkey Burner 5k in Hinckley over Thanksgiving. This post is a little delayed, but I think we’re all moving slow this week. Thanksgiving plans weren’t confirmed until about Wednesday night, so I hadn’t pre registered for any race. Luckily Hinckley had a 5k that was close and relatively inexpensive. I tried to get there early so I could register, get a good parking spot and find out where I was even running.

I got there around 8:20 and went right away to register. Unfortunately they didn’t have any shirts left, and had run out days ago. Bummer, it was a pretty nice long sleeve shirt and I was looking forward to adding another to my growing collection. It was freezing and I regretted not bringing a headband, so I spent most of the time before the race in my car. The race was set to start at 9:00, but at 8:55 they let everyone know they were going to start at 9:10. It ended up being 9:15 by the time we started, and there was no send off. I looked up and saw people running and started on my way.

I was still freezing and was hoping to use the first mile to warm up, get my pace and use the last mile to speed things up. I was wrong. A quarter mile in a hill started, and it kept going and winding up, and up until we reached the first mile. A tough start to the race and many were dropping behind or walking already. I powered through, but my pace was not impressive, I came in at the first mile around a 10:00 pace. But with an incline, comes a decline and we were heading down hill to the water stop. I passed and just kept going. We then had two smaller hills, not as bad, but they were still hills. Around mile 2 was the last hill. It was a steep one, and I struggled with this one, but I knew we were almost done and hopefully the rest would be easy. Everything after that was a slight down hill followed by a quick turn into the finish. I crossed the line at 27:40, not bad for 4 hills.

Four hills, why not?

Overall, it wasn’t a bad race. There weren’t any mile markers, so I was glad to have my Garmin, but my pace was all over the place. I averaged a 9:03 pace, but was up to 10:00 going up hills and down to 7:40 running down hill. Unfortunately I can’t find results, and don’t think they’ll be posted. It was a beautiful course around Hinckley Reservation, probably the most scenic 5k I’ve done. I wish I had my phone so I could have taken pictures along the way. I’m hoping to get back out there sometime and really do some damage on those hills. If anything it was a good course to get my run in for the day, with a few hundred other people.

**Official results posted***

Overall -152/502

AG -4/15

Columbus Marathon, Part 2

October 25, 20129 Comments

Saturday, I was nervous. Sunday, I was ready. I tossed and turned all night, feeling pretty awake by 5am. I was up by 5:35 and full of anticipation, ready to take on Columbus. I spent the next hour pacing the hotel room, trying on different clothes, and forcing myself to eat. I knew I had to eat a decent amount to have enough energy for the entire race, but with each bite I thought it was going to come right back up. I managed to get down a Blueberry Clif bar and part of a blueberry bagel. I made my way down to the the start line and was right at my corral by 7:00.

Surprisingly I wasn’t nervous. I kept looking around, amazed by how many people were out here. I chatted with a few people, but as the air started to get colder, all I wanted to do was get going. Every couple of minutes the cannon would go off followed by fireworks, and each time it would take me by surprise. We were moving closer and closer to the start line, and soon it would be my time to start. I left my headphones out so I could take in every sound. With every step I was getting closer to running and with each step I had more tears flooding into my eyes. I knew if I cried right away I wouldn’t be able to get my breathing under control, so I kept thinking of other things, like how cold I was and how crazy it was that all these people were out here to support the runners they knew. I put my headphones in, started my Garmin, and began my journey of running 26.2 miles.

Mile 1: 10:43

I was cold, it was crowded and my teeth wouldn’t stop chattering. I was having trouble getting my breathing into a normal rhythm from my teeth shaking so much. I needed to figure out what would be my best pace so I looked around to find the closest pace group. I quickly found the sign with “4:45” on it. I picked up my pace and settled right behind the sign. At this point, it was my best guess at how to manage the giant crowd and how I wouldn’t let myself go out too quick. 25 miles to go, this isn’t so bad.

Mile 2-4: 10:34, 10:38, 10:37

I started to warm up and I got into a pretty comfortable pace. It was still pretty crowded so we would slow down or speed up at times, but overall I felt good. My music was playing songs I didn’t think I had on my iPod, but I tried to ignore it and focus on the race. By mile 3 I pulled out the iPod and changed the playlist, I instantly felt better having my “go to” music playing. I saw a fellow Second Sole RR runner from my summer runs with the group. I took my first set of Sport Beans at mile 4, with a plan to take them every four miles. I saw Elayna along the course and quickly sprinted across, gave her a hug and thanked her for coming. It meant a lot to have support along the way.

Mile 5-6: 10:37, 10:33

I kept going, feeling pretty good. I made sure to stop at every water stop to keep myself hydrated, mixing water and lemon lime Gatorade (my fav!) The weather was warming up a bit, but I held onto my gloves because I knew I’d need them for later when I’d probably be freezing. At mile 6 I decided I’d go ahead of the pace group. I had no intention of sprinting to catch the 4:30 group, but I wanted to give myself a time gap to fall into.

Mile 7-10: 11:09, 11:06, 10:57, 10:57

I started to remember this part of the course from last year. We went through Bexley, German Village and by Capital University. Lots of crowd support and some wonderful signs to put a smile on my face. I was a quarter of the way done and did a quick check on how I was feeling; legs were good, breathing was good, my mindset was good. I took my first Clif shot around mile 8, because at this point, I was already hungry. I was thankful that I was in a much better place mentally for this race than previously. I was at a steady pace and I had yet to walk.

Mile 11-13: 14:23, 11:05, 10:51

At mile 11 I had to break my pace and stop at the port-o-pots, I was definitely drinking lots of water. I spent a while waiting for one to open up, but it was ok, I wasn’t in a rush, I still had a long way to go. We were now getting close to the half way point, and there were more spectators and a great energy. I couldn’t help but be excited that my race wasn’t over yet. I asked myself, could I do that again? Sure, I felt like I had only run a few miles, I would feel good for at least another 5.

The closer we got to the the turn off point, the more I was surrounded by half marathoners. I panicked thinking I forgot to take a turn, I couldn’t see a single marathoner anywhere near me. Right then I saw the sign for the turn off, followed by Darren on the sidewalk taking pictures as I went by. I smiled, I felt good, I was so glad he made it to the race. I was running the second half. I was running a marathon.

Feeling great!

Mile 14-16: 10:54, 12:17, 13:32

After the half marathoners turned off I felt alone, most of the runners disappeared as well as the crowds. I felt like High Street was going on forever and I had no idea how long it would take to get to the Shoe. I stopped to stretch, and take some more sport beans. I could feel my body starting to tighten. It was starting to wear down a bit as I got closer to mile 16, and I knew this would be a turning point. The next miles would be my longest run ever, distance and time wise. My pace slowed down, but I wasn’t too worried yet. In mile 16 I suddenly felt weak, my hands started shaking and I felt that if I continued to run a few more steps I would pass out. I stopped. I drank a bunch of water, ate some sport beans and ate the only Gu I had left in my FlipBelt. I didn’t know if I would get to the finish.

Mile 17-18: 12:58, 12:11

I started to do a walk/jog combination for the next couple of miles to get my energy level back to where it should be. As long as I was moving, I would be ok. At this point in the race we were approaching the stadium, and I was excited for my chance to run through it. We came around campus and over a bridge to a winding path around the side. It was an amazing feeling come into the Shoe, but it was a short run through. Darren was there somewhere, but I didn’t look around. I just had to keep going. As soon as we entered, we left and would enter the darkest miles of the race.

The Shoe

Mile 19-21: 14:31, 17:57, 14:06

I honestly struggled from mile 17 to mile 21. But mile 19-21 were my slowest miles for sure. I went back and forth between walking and running. I felt like I was going to get sick, and wasn’t sure if I was better off running or walking. I felt miserable. Running a marathon was miserable. And it was hard. I was exhausted, hungry and in a lot of pain. I kept counting down the miles until I would finally be done. But I never once wanted to quit. I knew I had to keep going, I wasn’t going to give up. Right around mile 20 I stopped at the port-o-pots again, I felt over hydrated, but I clearly wasn’t. I thought I was going to get sick and didn’t know if I’d have energy to get me through the last 6 miles. I looked in the mirror and told myself to get it together. Yes, it was hard. But I signed up for this. And I wasn’t alone, there were plenty of other people that were hurting. I couldn’t give up now.

Mile 22-24: 15:26, 12:26, 12:15

Somehow, someway I got to mile 22. Because I don’t know Columbus very well, I never knew where I was in relation to the map or the city. I took more sport beans and told myself I had four more miles, just four more! I started to find a pace that was decent, I was feeling good all things considering. I kept going, and going. I felt almost free, a second wind. Everyone around me was walking, but I didn’t want to, I didn’t need to. I tried to figure out how I would approach the last couple of miles. I stopped at one of the water tables and filled up my hand held, I knew I would need as much water as I could get. I spoke with a gentleman who was also struggling. It was his first marathon and he was having IT problems, we shared the same thought that yes this was hard, but we’ve had a good day weather wise and the course was pretty flat. We had two miles left, and we were going to make it.

Mile 25-26: 12:53, 16:23

I took my ear buds out at mile 25. I wanted to cherish that last 1.2 miles of the race. I had come this far, I wanted to make sure I remembered the finish forever. I saw finishers walking to cheer others on with the medal around their necks, I wanted that. A half mile to go and the sun was shining. I took my last sport bean to have just enough energy to get me across the line. I could see the amount of spectators growing. The closer we got the the louder everything became. I started to get teary eyed, I was working myself up and I had to calm down. As I was approaching the turn, I heard my name called and let out the tears. I was going to finish a marathon! As soon as I turned the corner, I had to stop. I was going to get sick, not once, but twice. Nothing. I told myself to stop it, this is embarrassing. You’re fine, and you’re going to get up and finish this race. A few hundred feet from the finish, I had the energy of someone who had fresh legs, I picked it up and sprinted. I crossed the line. I finished. I finished a marathon.

Courtesy of @cbusmarathon

I was crying and smiling. A volunteer placed a medal around my neck and told me congratulations. I heard my name called, it was Darren. I went to the fence and as he reached over for my hand, I saw tears, something I’ve seen only one other time. He told me how proud he was of me. It was the absolute best moment, such an incredible feeling. I walked towards the food, got my picture taken and let out a big sigh of relief. I was officially a marathoner.

26.2 Done!

I grabbed a small snack and got a massage. I was in a lot of pain, but at that moment I felt nothing. I wasn’t tired, I wasn’t sore, I was in a daze. I stood around to take in everything. I was an hour off my goal time, but I finished. I gave it everything I had and left it all on the course.

My biggest fan

Official Time: 5:28:10

Columbus Marathon, Part 1

October 23, 20123 Comments

Saturday felt just like Christmas Eve. Excitement, anxiousness, nervousness; all of those feelings kept rushing through my head and turning my stomach. To say I had butterflies was an understatement. I packed everything the night before, but I was still worried I had left something behind, what could be worse than leaving your shoes at home. Once I was ready to go, we started the long drive to Columbus. I dropped Darren off with some friends so he could watch the Buckeyes, and I went straight to the hotel for a few hours. The plan was to get to the expo, relax for a while then have some dinner, keep the day easy and get plenty of rest for the race. Luckily, I was able to meet up with some fellow Muskie alums to check out the expo. We all ran cross country and track together, so it was good to have some familiar faces with me on this experience.

Muskies!

I’m going to run this!

Personally I didn’t think the expo was as good as last year. There was no wall of names with bib numbers, the official gear from Nike and Second Sole was limited to a few items in XL and the whole space seemed to be much smaller. It was a little bit of a low point, but I quickly got over it and spent probably too much on things I didn’t need. But you only have one first marathon, why not go all the way. I was lucky enough to score some great deals and walked away with a handful of shirts, a fleece jacket, some bondibands, some amazing new shoes and a few other things.

Asics GT-2000, Heaven for your feet

After the expo I headed out to have dinner with a high school friend who was also running her first marathon. We’ve been running together since we were 13, so there was no other way to prepare for the night before a race than having a home cooked meal and some cupcakes for good luck, just like we did in middle school and high school. It was a great way to get our minds off the race and catch up on life.

Soon after dinner I left to pick up Darren and headed back to the hotel. The hours before I’d be waking up on race day were now limited to minutes. I made sure to set everything out, changed my race outfit about twenty times and had a good talk with my dad before I went to bed. Everything was becoming real now, the next time I woke up I would be running a marathon, and hopefully becoming a marathoner a few hours later. I struggled with sleep, tossing and turning, waking up every hour thinking I’d slept in, reassuring myself that my alarm was set, I wouldn’t miss this race for anything….

Masher Runs

I am a runner and I am getting stronger

Category: Races