Not Frozen, Just a Little Soggy Half Marathon

Mike and I have been planning all winter to do the Securian Frozen Half Marathon. Only a wicked wind and below zero temps would dissuade me, so I was surprised when it was over 30 degrees and it looked like we might decide against going. The forecast was for sleet and 25 mph winds, so when we went to bed we decided we would make the decision about going in the morning.

We peeked out the window and it didn't look too bad. We got dressed and decided to give it a try. I stepped out on the driveway to see what it felt like outside. It had iced over night, and the pavement was so slippery that I couldn't make it back into the garage. My feet kept slipping and Mike had to pull me back in. When we backed the car out, it just slid down the hill sideways and got stuck in the snow. When Mike stepped out of the car to assess the situation, he literally slid standing up all of the way down the driveway to the street, about 100 ft. He put on some cleats, and after digging us out twice we finally made it to the street and were on our way. The major roads were fine and we made it safely in plenty of time.

We saw lots of friendly faces right away. We saw Jenny, Guy and Diane. Then I saw Julie and went over to say hello. It was great to see her and she is just as adorable in person as you would think she is from reading her blog. She was ready for her first half marathon. Here we are:

She said she was looking for Steve, who was now over chatting with Jenny and our other friends. After introducing Julie to the whole group, we took a photo:

This is a great race because you get to park in the parking garage that is connected to the Securian office building. All of the registration and packet pickup is inside, and the start line is 25 feet out the door. I waited inside until they said that we had 30 seconds until the start of the race, I stepped out the door and lined up right behind the 2:15 pace group. It was in the low 30's and sleeting a bit.

Surprisingly, the pack moved pretty well in the back and we were able to hit our pace right from the start. Since we were moving right away, I was toasty warm and didn't mind the sleet. Wearing a baseball cap kept my face dry which made me more comfortable. It stopped sleeting after a couple of miles, and I had enough layers on to keep the moisture out for the rest of the race. The windy conditions had worried me before the race. It turns out that the wind was coming out of the south and we were reasonably protected by bluffs. There were only a few sections that I noticed the wind and it didn't effect me at all. What had looked like a nasty day turned out to be just fine.

The course is a out and back along the river, so around mile 4 I started to see the leaders heading back on the other side of the road. It was great to look for all of the friendly faces and cheer for them. I saw Steve first, then Mike, Guy, then another group of friends that included Helen, Bulent, and Kami. I saw Jenny and Julie running together and they looked awesome! I also saw Steve Quick out there giving moral support. Seeing everyone made the middle miles of the race pass quickly.

I ran pretty consistently, hitting the miles right around 10 minutes. The course had a few inclines and rolling hills, but the only challenging hill was right at the end. After the first few miles, I had left the 2:15 pace group and slowly caught up to the 2:10 pace group. I knew that they were running a little slow because I started after them and I knew I was on pace for 2:11. Sure enough, they picked it up during the last mile and left me behind. I came in at 2:10:55 which is right at a 10 minute pace. I felt great the whole race and felt like I ran the right pace to finish strong.

Honestly, being the slowest in a group stinks most of the time. The one time that it is the absolute best to be last is when all of your friends are waiting for you at the finish line. Thanks to everyone who waited out in the cold for me. I know they were freezing just standing around after running, but they were a welcome sight for me. It is also nice to have a speedy husband who is willing to run and get the camera and take everyone else's finishing picture. Here is Kami, Helen, Bulent and Guy. Guy PR'ed by 5 minutes!

Here are Jenny, Julie and Diane celebrating their speedy race. These ladies are fast! This was Diane's 10th consecutive Frozen Half.

Here I am, finally making it to the finish. Can you see that person behind me? Proof that I didn't come in last.

The Securian Frozen Half Marathon is a lot more fun when you do it in person with everyone else instead of on the treadmill by yourself. When you do the official race, you also get a super cool coffee mug. Since I don't drink coffee, I'll just have to try it out with some hot chocolate.

Dashing into 2010

It's the New Year and I had a race on January 1st, so it looks that I have three jobs to do in today's post: assess last year, set goals for this year, and recap the race. I thought blogs were supposed to be fun and that sounds like a lot of work. Let me see if I can get through the boring stuff and so I can talk about the race, which of course is the fun stuff.

Eight weeks ago, I set four goals to get me through the last eight weeks of the year. My conclusion? The last eight weeks of the year isn't the best time to be setting goals. We had our trip to IM Florida, travel for Thanksgiving, a trip to Vegas, Christmas, New Years... does that sound like a list of excuses? I knew you were smart. Here is what happened combined with the goals for 2010.

Strength Training The goal was to continue hitting the gym twice a week with the benchmark of doing three sets of 15 push ups. While I didn't make it to the gym twice each week, for some reason I can now do three sets of 15 push ups. Maybe I was fatigued before and that's why I had trouble cranking out the push ups. Whatever the reason, I somehow made my goal without doing the work. For 2010, I'll keep up with my twice a week lifting schedule and see if I can legitimately make some gains in strength that will help with with my racing and maybe keep me healthy.

Flexibility The goal was to make it to yoga six out of the eight weeks. How many times did I make it? One. My only accomplishment in this area was that I bought a yoga DVD. I haven't even taken the shrink wrap off of it, but it is in my house. I've decided that with running 4 days a week and lifting 2 days, making it to the gym for yoga one day a week is not going to happen. For 2010, my goal is to do a better job of stretching at home and to fit yoga in when I can.

Nutrition I was supposed to lose 5 pounds. What did I lose? One pound. Does that even count? I mean, I feel a little dehydrated, so I'll probably have a glass of water and be back to where I started. This is back on the list of things to accomplish for 2010. I hope to get the pounds lost before I have to wear spandex in front of a crowd again.

Running Finally, something that I said that I would do and I actually did. The goal was 160 miles and I hit 165. Yeah! Goal for 2010: run a fall marathon with no pain. Sounds like a simple goal, but there is so much that goes into making that happen. I have at least 10 months to drone on about every facet of this goal, so for now I will just leave it at that. Hopefully it will be the New York City Marathon, but if I don't get in I will find another one.

Whew! I didn't like all of that. Accountability... yuck!

Polar Dash Race Review

New Year's Day, the temperature was zero. Hey, let's go run a 10K race. That sounds fun! Well, it didn't sound fun, but Mike and I headed downtown with our friends Josh and Jennifer. We got there early enough to park close to the start line and then sat in the car waiting for it to get close to race time. For the hour that we sat there, I mostly irritated the group by fretting over my clothing selections. I had brought layers of various thicknesses, and arriving at the ultimate combination of layers is a science. I don't want to be cold waiting for the start, but I don't want to get hot during the race. What to wear in the cold is a big deal for me. Sorry, it's just the way I am.

With 10 minutes until start time, we jumped out of the car and snapped a couple pictures. I didn't post the one with Jennifer in it because all you can see is her eyeballs. Here we are with Josh before jogging to the start line.

Josh was running the 5K which wasn't chip timed and Mike planned to run fast, so they waded to the front. Jennifer and I found two other running friends, Lisa and Cindy, and we lined up at the 10:00 pace line. Within minutes we were off. There was no wind and the group kept us warm for the short time we were standing around.

The four of us girls ran and chatted and had a great time. All of us were just out there to have fun and to start the New Year off on the right foot. The streets were clear and the course was very nice with a few rolling hills. We stopped mid-race to snap a picture. The guy we gave the camera to was having a hard time figuring it out, and he was kind of joking around and being silly. I finally said, "Let's go, it is a race you know!" Not very nice of me, but I was getting cold and the clock was ticking. Here we are:

It's a cute picture and I should be more patient. Sorry I snapped at you, picture man.

I finished the race in 1:01:43 which is a 9:56 mile. That's not bad for taking it easy and stopping for a photo op. Here I am with Cindy heading for the finish:

Here are the girls showing off the very nifty medals. These medals are super cool and were worth braving the cold.

Both Mike and Josh PR'ed and I was very happy with my run, so it was a great day. The most important thing: my clothing choice was impeccable! I wasn't cold at the start and I was comfortable for the entire race. Of course, I noted what I was wearing and the conditions so that I can use this information for future clothing decisions.

The Polar Dash is part of a 4 race series that I am doing this year. I hope that this race is a good indicator of what is to come because it was a lot of fun and was well coordinated. Having friends to run with is hard to beat, too. I didn't get to see Julie or Amy out there. The sun was really bright and it was hard to spot the 5K'ers when they passed us on their way back. Hope to see both of them at a future race!

Welcome, 2010! So far it's off to a good start.

Vegas Race Report: Part 2

Things have been a little crazy this week, so I'm just now getting a chance write about the Vegas Half Marathon. Don't mistake my delay as a lack of enthusiasm about the race. If you have heard anything about the Vegas Marathon from years past, it might not apply any longer. This was only the second year of the new course and date, and the first year for Vegas as part of the Rock 'n Roll series.

With both the half and the full starting together at 6:15 a.m., Mike and I were up at before 4:00. My eye will still swollen from the Santa fluff incident from the day before, but I could at least see out of it and my nose wasn't running. I looked terrible but it wouldn't effect my race. Because I had broken my camera, there was no decision to make as to whether to bring it. I would just run with my race belt and some throw away clothes. We boarded the monorail at 4:45 and headed down the strip.

I'll go ahead and get my only complaint about the race logistics out of the way at the beginning. This race was conducted with a minimum of volunteers. Organizers certainly planned for this situation. The bag drop was in the same location as the bag pick-up after the race. Large tables with cups stacked three levels high were at every water stop, but there were few people actually handing them to you. The GU's at the GU stop were just sitting out on tables. After the race, you were handed a medal in the package instead of having a volunteer put it over your head. None of these things were incredibly inconvenient or effected my race, it was just something that I noticed.

The star of this race is the course. The race starts at the very south end of the strip outside of Mandalay Bay. After a short trip south, the course takes a u-turn and heads straight down Las Vegas Blvd. The strip is completely shut down for the race. Not only was it a heck of a lot of fun to run down the strip as the sun came up, but the road is completely flat. There is not a single rise of any kind for the complete 13.1 miles. After running past all of the casinos, all the way down to the Sahara and into a little residential area, a four point turn sends everyone back down the strip on the other side of the road. Marathoners turn off at 10.5 miles, but us lucky half marathoners continued back to Mandalay Bay. With few turns and no hills, this has to be one of the fastest half marathon courses out there.

The weather was perfect for running with temps in the mid thirties and virtually no wind. With 17,800 half marathoners and 5,800 marathoners, the start was very crowded. Everyone was assigned a corral and they tried to stagger the crowd out by pausing people at the start line. I decided not to try and weave around people and just take the first mile slow. After a 10:52 first mile, I was able to pick it up a little bit and get into a groove. By mile 4, I was running 9:35 pretty consistently and was feeling great.

This was my fourth half marathon and my time was my second fastest. I finished in 2:09:45 which was well under my goal of 2:15. This race was by far my favorite half marathon. My PR is from a race that I truly suffered the whole race and was sick at the finish. During the other two half marathons I was in pain from IT band issues. This race was completely different. I started easy and slowly picked it up. The course was easy and fun. I felt like I was truly running and not just shuffling along. I felt good throughout all 13.1 miles and was never in any pain. What a blast.

Since I signed up for this race just for fun, I didn't have any expectations other than to just have a good time. I certainly didn't plan on having any epiphanies, but that is kind of what happened. Having such a great day has redirected the way that I think about my body. Before I started running seriously a few years ago, I was pretty happy with my body. I don't mean the physical attractiveness of it, I mean the actual functionality of it. I've always been active and played sports, and my body never let me down. I had skied, hiked, swam and pretty much done whatever I wanted.

With running more miles, my body started to fail me. I got injured. I looked around at my peers and realized that they were more gifted, that they had been given better functioning bodies to work with. I was perturbed that my mind and personality was that of a runner but that my body just couldn't take me where I wanted to go. It didn't seem fair that I could work as hard as someone else but that I was somehow stuck running a 10 minute mile.

Running down Las Vegas Boulevard with the sun rising, I felt like I was flying. I know that others saw a middle aged, shuffling woman, but to me it felt like my legs were striding out and I was moving gracefully. I was truly thankful for this body and what it has allowed me to do. It may not be perfect, but I should appreciate it and treat it with more respect than I have in the last couple of years. So at the end, when I crossed the finish line with a big smile and in no pain, I was thankful and I will try to remain thankful for what I have, flaws and all.

Vegas Race Report: Part 1

Okay, folks, this weekend report is long enough that I need to divide it up into two posts. For those of you with a short attention span or that just can't stand the suspense, here is the Reader's Digest version: I ran a Santa Race on Saturday and I beat my time goal on Sunday. Now, for those of you that are still reading, here we go.

While Mike and I were on the plane on Friday, we struck up a conversation with two women across the aisle. It turns out that they were doing the Vegas Marathon and had volunteered at Ironman Florida. They had signed up for a Santa Race on Saturday for charity. Well, a race to Mike is like a party and heaven forbid that there be a party without him. We got the details and kissed sleeping in on Saturday morning good-bye.

The idea of the race was to try to break the Guinness World Record for the most Santas in a race. The registration fee included a five piece Santa suit to wear for the race and to keep. This was the cheapest Santa suit imaginable, so there would be no point to giving it back. Luckily, both Mike and I had packed some extra running clothes, but since we knew we would be wearing the Santa suit on top, we didn't bundle up too much. Big mistake. The race didn't start for two hours and we were freezing by the time Robin Leach gave a few words and all the Santas sang a silly song.

Here we are trying to stay warm and checking out some of the booths before the start. They actually had a lot to eat and drink which really helped.

Watching all of the Santas wandering around was pretty amusing.

In the end, there were 8,000 people dressed up as Santa and ready to run or walk. I was a little worried that I would lose Mike and that we would have trouble finding each other because everyone looked exactly the same. I convinced him to run with me, even though he didn't look thrilled that running my pace would bring down his 5K racing average on Athlinks. He didn't need to worry. This race was purely for charity purposes. There was no attempt at timing, and the 5K course was only 2.5 miles long. He was a good sport about shuffling along with me and it was kind of surreal to be running in a sea of red Santas.

Here is a short video of the start that will give you a little idea of what it was like:

It would have all been worth it to support a cause and to be a part of such a spectacle except I had two mishaps. The first was that I dropped my camera while we were waiting around. It is broken beyond repair and certainly solved my dilemma as to whether I should run with it during the half marathon on Sunday. The other bad thing was that I think some fluff from my Santa suit went up my nose. After the race I started sneezing, my nose wouldn't stop running and my right eye kept watering. I thought that maybe it was a cold, but it felt more like a needle in my sinuses. Sorry, too much information. You get the idea.

After cleaning up, walking around the Vegas Strip and having lunch, we went back to the room and I took a little nap. When I woke up, my right eye was so swollen I had trouble seeing out of it. I looked ridiculous. With a swollen eye and a nose that would not stop running, we ended up eating a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant and going to bed early. Yes, we are boring accountants. We didn't do any drinking or gambling. Cyclops lady and her husband put out clothes and gear for the race the next day, set the alarm for 4:00 a.m. and went to bed around 8:30.

I'll tell you about the half marathon tomorrow!

Thanksgiving Thank You

Apparently, all of you have not been paying attention to the strategy here at Running My Own Race. See, while all of you set goals for yourselves that you stretch and push to achieve, over here, I promote the low bar strategy. Training hard is a must, but when it comes to goals, I generally shoot for an average performance. After all, average is in the middle between the best and worst possible results, so there is nothing wrong with planning on an average performance.

No, not you guys. I ask you for help setting my Turkey Trot 5K goal, and you give me goals that are more than just a little stretch. On the one hand, I was really flattered that others have confidence in me. On the other hand, I was really feeling the pressure not to let everyone down. I said I would run my fastest, so lining up for the race this morning, I was a little nervous.

It was a great day for a 5K. It was overcast and hit 40 degrees by the start. We met a couple friends before the race. Here is a picture of Mike and I with our friend Josh who was running his first race. We talked strategy before the race: be controlled the first mile, push it the second mile, and hang on for the third mile. Congrats to Josh on his first 5K! He did great and it was so fun to watch him become a "real" runner by racing.

Since we had just talked to Josh about strategy, did I listen to my own advice? No way. You guys gave me some really tough times to match, so I ran as fast as I could from the start. Mile 1- 8:19, Mile 2- 8:30. After mile 2, I was really struggling. I was truly running as hard as I could and it was all I could do to hold on to the finish. Mercifully, the course was a little short. I think it was .05 miles short. Sure, .05 miles isn't very far, but I was so tired and hey, for me .05 miles is probably 15 or 20 seconds. My total time 25:39! Overall pace 8:16 for 3.1 miles.

The moral of the story is that your strategy of setting a stretch goal really works, because it really motivated me to try and live up to your expectations. There was one guess that was faster, but I ran faster than all of the rest of the guesses. I am taking note that a little pressure is a good thing and will keep it in mind when I set my goals for future races.

Brian Flash had the winning guess! He guessed 25:40 and I'm so excited to tell you about his blog, Team Flash. Brian lives in the west suburbs of St. Louis, MO, only a few miles from where I grew up. I love that although we never met when I lived there, we have "met" through the blogger world. This is a great time to start following him because he and his brother just signed up for Comrades, an Ultra in South Africa on May 10, 2010. He has a great sense of humor and I can't wait to follow his training and ultimately his journey. His wife, Kathy, and the rest of the family runs and they just look like they are having a blast. Thank you Brian and everyone else for your motivating goals!

I love running a Thanksgiving Day run. In my running life, I'm thankful for everyone who listens to my boring stories about training, races, and injuries. I'm thankful for everyone who shares their boring stories with me because, honestly, I don't find them boring. I'm thankful for my husband who is always the first one to tell me I can do something. I'm thankful for my friends who run my pokey pace with me and enrich my life by sharing their lives with me. Thanks for all of your words of encouragement and the smiles all of you give me by sharing your stories in your blogs and comments. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

TC 10 Mile Race Report

Shhh... Don't tell anyone about the TC 10 Mile Race. Since entries for the race are sold in a lottery system, the more people that know about it and try to get in, the harder it will be for me to get in next year. I think I'm screwed.

The TC 10 Mile is my new favorite race. I lined up with 7,000 others on Sunday and ran in perfect conditions. It was in the low to mid 40's at the start and throughout the race with just a very slight breeze. The course cuts through the Minneapolis downtown and follows the Mississippi River. After crossing the river, a couple of turns lead to Summit Avenue and its a straight shot to the Capitol in St. Paul. Although the trees aren't as colorful as they usually are, it was a beautiful fall day.

Because the TC Marathon starts an hour later, the course is stocked with water stops and fans cheering along the way. I felt a little bit like a cheater when our course intersected the Marathon course at mile 19 of the marathon. By that time we had only run 3 miles and it felt kind of funny to run through the ALARC Wall while I was still feeling so good. Eh, I don't feel that guilty about it. It was fun to run the same course that I ran in the marathon last year and actually be able to enjoy it and look around at all of the beautiful trees and homes along Summit. Cresting the hill and running down to the Capitol was a blast.

This race was even more special because my husband and our 14 year old son ran it together. Here we are staying warm in the Metrodome before the start:

Have you seen Men In Black 2? Will Smith tells Tommy Lee Jones that he is "New Hotness" and that Tommy Lee Jones is "Old and Busted". Mike put these shirts together at 10 p.m. the night before the race. He and I thought they were really funny, but I'm not so sure what the 14 year old thought. He humored his dad and they ran the whole way together. They finished in 1:18:53 which is a 7:54 mile. At the beginning of the race I told my husband to not hurt the child, but I think the next race I will be telling the child to not hurt his dad.

Okay, okay. What was my time? It was 1:38:47 for an average pace of 9:53. Yeah! The weather was a huge factor in me beating my time goal for this race. My legs felt strong the whole way and the cool temps helped me keep my heart rate under control. The last mile was my fastest at 9:25 and I finished feeling good. I had a little trouble bending my legs enough to get my sweatpants on afterward, but I felt great during the race.

So I beat my time goal, but what about not frying my hamstrings? Well, they certainly didn't bother me during the race. After the race, we had just enough time to hobble to the car, get home, shower and go to a wedding. All of the sitting was causing my hamstrings to tighten up. I didn't worry too much because I had planned to go to yoga on Monday and that would really help to loosen them up.

But... about a half hour after we got home from the wedding I got a terrible headache and chills. I was running a fever of 102 and immediately had to go to bed. My son got the same thing a couple hours later and he and I are home sick today. This is not helping with my post race recovery. I'm pretty stiff and sore from lying down all the time, but I don't have much choice. Of course, I medicated myself enough that I could tell you all about it, but when I'm done I'm going back to bed.

Now, I know everyone else out there is a serious runner. You don't need to be messing around with some piddly 10 mile race. You should sign up for the full marathon. That will be great for both of us, because then there will be a better chance that I will get in the 10 mile next year and then I'll cheer for you during the marathon. See? Now I have to go to bed so that I can get well enough to run again soon.

Corn Days

One thing I've grown to love about Minnesota is all of the summer festivals. Although we are only 20 minutes west downtown Minneapolis, we are on the edge of the suburbs. Just a few miles to the west of us is rural, Midwest America. Just about every weekend during the summer you can jump in the car and within an hour find yourself in a town center packed with locals enjoying the fruits of the season. My husband, Mike, and our son have ventured to a few of these to run their 5k races. They have a lot of fun collecting t-shirts and have even brought home a medal or two since the races tend to be small.

This weekend our local festival, Corn Days, was held at a church just a mile or two from our house. This morning, Mike, our son, and myself headed over for the Corn Days 4 Mile Run. With the exception of a few days in June, most of this summer has been cool and breezy. This weekend, though, has been hot and humid. Having not acclimated at all, I just struggle in these conditions. I completed the 4 mile, hilly course but that is the only good thing I have to report about my performance. My time was pitiful even though I ran my best. The worst part, though, was when Mike and two other people later in the day asked why I was limping. Hey! I'm an athlete! People are supposed to say, "Wow, you look so strong and agile!" not, "Are you in pain?" I guess some ART therapy or some deep tissue massage is in my future.

After the race we filled up on pancakes in the church hall. A t-shirt and a pancake breakfast, now this is my kind of race! After a quick trip home to shower, we rode our bikes to the Corn Days Parade. Our daughter was on one of the "floats", which consisted of people walking behind a flat bed truck. This was comparable to the other floats in the procession. The most professional entertainment was the high school band. Mostly it was local businesses, the fire department, and kids organizations throwing candy on the street. It was adorable. We had a great time and saw lots of familiar faces. I gathered our daughter after the parade and we went to the festival. We ate lots of junk food, listened to a local band, visited with friends and then walked home.

What a great day. The icing on the cake was when I got a call this evening that a running vest that I had bid on in the silent auction was mine for a great price. I even fit shopping in somehow! Thank goodness small town, middle America is alive and well.

Running All Over Addiction

A few months ago, my husband I agreed to run as a team in the Running All Over Addiction event held this last Saturday. The run was created and hosted by a friend of ours to raise awareness and money for organizations that help people along the path to beat addictions. This is such a great cause that we didn't hesitate to commit ourselves to it. In the spirit of the cause, the run was 28 miles. The 28 signifies the number of days in many recovery programs.

Yes, 28 miles. Yes, that is farther than a marathon. Since we signed up as a team, each of us committed to running 14 miles. At least I had enough sense to know that I could never run 28 miles. When I agreed to run 14 miles, it was right after my last marathon and, frankly, 14 miles just didn't sound that far. 14 miles? Hey, I can crank that out any old time. No big whup. Oooh... I deserved something bad for getting cocky about my running.

As I've been lamenting all summer, my running since the marathon hasn't been the best. Only in the last few weeks have I been able to put together some 6-7 mile runs at a reasonable pace. I was starting to panic that about the 14 miles. Since the event was a run and not a race, I knew I could walk a lot of it, but that was just not appealing. I'm getting ready for my next triathlon in just two weeks and I was counting on this week to get some good training in. Hobbling around for several days recovering from the run just wouldn't work for me.

As any good mother of a 14 year old son would do, I talked him into running 7 of the miles for me. See, teenage boys are good for a lot of things: mowing the grass, reaching things on tall shelves, and running for their old lady. I was off the hook. I could stay in my comfort zone and our team would still get their 28 miles. Problem solved. Until... his best friend invited him over for a birthday party/sleep over. No matter how desperate I was to avoid running the whole way, I just couldn't ask him to miss that. Now I was on my own.

Did I jump into the run committed to running the whole way? No, are you crazy? I asked our friend/run organizer if I could drop after 7 miles and catch a ride to the finish. Seriously. She very nicely said yes. Now, keep in mind that many of the other people running were doing the whole 28 miles and some were even tacking on more mileage as training for marathons and ultras. This was an impressive group. Was I embarrassed that I was going to be the only quitter? No. I was committed to not overdoing it and doing what was best for my body.

It was a beautiful, cool morning with a breeze. It was a point to point run on a flat trail, the Luce Line, so the wind was at our backs the whole way. I ran the first 6 miles with a great group and we went at a leisurely pace, even for me. None of us was in a hurry and we were just enjoying the day. The rest of the way I ran with my friend and she very nicely ran my pokey pace with me and we chatted non stop. We reached 8 miles and I totally forgot that I was going to drop. Now I would have to wait until the next stop around 10 miles to catch a ride. I got to mile 10 and I felt really good. On to mile 12. At mile 12, I was tired but doing surprisingly well. Heck, now we are only 2 miles from the finish. Might as well go the whole way.

Despite all my worrying and planning for the worst, I made it! I had been in this funk lately, and I had it in my mind that I just couldn't run more than 7 or 8 miles right now. This run showed me that, if I take it slow, that I can still run long. I felt fine yesterday and did an easy bike ride. Today was the official start of my TC 10 Mile training and I did a tempo run. I hit my time goals and got the training off on the right foot. I really feel like the 14 mile run has gotten me over a mental block. On Thursday I'll do my first long run for the training cycle, 7 miles. I'm looking forward to it now and know that I can do it if I just do it at my own pace. I'm even more excited about the TC 10 Mile and am even thinking about signing up for a half marathon for the late winter or early spring. I hope that is the last I see of this running funk for a while... it was stinky.

Race?

The race schedule on the right says I was supposed to run a 10k this weekend. A last minute tournament came up for my daughter, but I was hopeful all week that I could still make the race. The tournament was actually closer to the race course than my house and the race started at 7:30 a.m., so I kept my fingers crossed that I could get the race in before the day full of games started.

It didn't happen. She had an 8 a.m. game, so the race was out. The race volunteers were nice enough to switch the registration at the last minute to my son and he run with my husband. I was sorry to miss the race. I'm also sorry that I don't get to wear the super cool t-shirt that my son will be proudly sporting.

Since the tournament was special, the team stayed at a hotel for a couple nights even though it was only 45 minutes away from home. I still needed to get my run in, so I woke up at 5 a.m. on Saturday to get 5 miles in before we had to get ready for the day. While I hate having to get up so early, once I'm up I love running on the quiet streets all alone. It was just getting light as I headed out. We were near the airport, so the planes were coming in low with all their lights shining. It was quite a sight. While I wished I would have been racing, running with the planes over head and the sun rising was enough to put a smile on my face for the rest of the day. I didn't get a cool t-shirt, but I did get some quality time with my daughter and that's pretty cool.

Rochester Olympic Triathlon Report

I've been sitting here for a few minutes, trying to put a label on my Rochester Olympic Triathlon experience today. Sometimes we do things that are obviously good, fun, or successful. Sometimes we fail, have a hard day, or know we could do better. Well, I can't quite boil Rochester down to just "good" or "bad", so I'll just tell you about it and maybe by the end I will figure it out.

There were only 62 women doing the Olympic distance, and they were an impressive group of athletes. All 62 were in one wave and everyone looked like they had seriously trained. I lined up with Natalie and Amy, both looking well trained and ready to race. I was able to get into a regular swim stroke right away and didn't have any serious bumps or problems. We did two loops in the lake, with a little beach run over a timing mat between the laps. I swung out and went too wide during the long straight away on both laps, which added extra distance. The .93 mile swim was my longest open water swim yet and I finished in 31:27. This is slightly faster than the pace I swim at the pool, so I'm satisfied.

You may remember my constant complaining about removing my wetsuit at the last race. Oh, ya, I also complained about the open wound on my neck from my new wetsuit. Well, no complaining today! The race had "strippers", so I sat down and the nice man ripped the wetsuit off in two seconds. Yeah! I also solved my neck problem with two applications of New Skin followed by plenty of Sport Shield. My neck came out of the race with no chaffing or pain. Two thumbs up!

Not to digress too much, but let's talk geography for a second. My understanding is that icebergs came across the northern part of Minnesota and scraped it flat. This is the reason why there aren't many big hills where I live. Well, apparently the icebergs stopped in Rochester and deposited all of the dirt into great big hills. Gee whiz! Not only was the bike course unbelievably hilly, but the wind was fierce. On flat parts of the course where I should have been cruising easily, I was working hard just to maintain forward momentum. When my chain fell off around mile 9, I was actually happy because I got to get off the bike for a couple minutes. When I had to stop to fix the chain, I lost the gaggle of people that were my speed, so I rode the rest of the 24 mile course with very few people in sight and no spectators. I was a lonely and it was a very tough ride. I finished in 1:38:26 which is right at 15 m.p.h. Again, I would say that I was satisfied given the conditions and that I had no one around to chase down or keep up with.

Somehow I came through Transition 2 without my race number belt. When the race was over, it was gone, so I think someone took it and that is why I didn't see it and think to put it on. I wouldn't have minded except I had a GU on the belt. I was really wishing I had it about a mile into the run. My legs felt okay but I felt sapped of energy. I ran the first mile and ran/walked the rest of the 6.2 miles, finishing in 1:06:05, or about a 10:36 pace. While the run wasn't one of my prouder efforts, I was tired and I feel lucky that I was able to manage anything less than 11 minute miles.

Mike did the race, too, as well as our friend Brian. Here we are afterwards:

I guess, in my ideal world, I would judge a race on whether I did my best and how my performance compared to my training. In that world, I would say that the race was difficult but that I still finished each leg of the race in the time that I would have guessed given my training. When I think that way, I am satisfied.

When I look at the race results, I finished 52 out of those 62 women. In my division, I finished 13th out of 13. Hmmm... that doesn't feel so good. Does that mean that I'm not good at this and that I didn't try hard enough? I wish I was faster and that I could say that I came out at the top of my division. I'm coming to grips with the idea that it's just not going to happen for me. I'm training two hours a day, 6 days a week. I think I'm going to have to be satisfied with the idea that I lined up with those other women and that I was proud to be a member of that group. I'm still working on that line of thinking... to be honest I wish I had placed a little higher in my division.

In the end, I guess I would characterize myself as being satisfied with my race. I now realize that the Olympic distance is much more difficult than the Sprint. During the Sprint race I was able to keep myself going on adrenaline, but the Olympic course is a mental and physical challenge. I'm glad that I did it, but I'm also relieved that my next two races are shorter. I've only been training in all three sports for a couple months, so doing the Olympic early in the season was a probably overly optimistic. I'd like to try another Olympic next summer, after I've had a full year of training like this. Hopefully next time I'll be a little bit faster and have a little more fun. For now, though, this is just fine.

Fargo Wrap Up

Now that the Fargo Marathon 2009 is over, I wanted to share a little bit about the race.

I guess I should start with the only negative experience that I had with the race. When we got to the expo at the Fargo Dome, they were in the midst of running all of the kids' races. Unfortunately, this really ruined the expo experience for us. It was congested, little kids were running around everywhere, annoying announcers were screaming into the PA system. I usually love milling around the expo, checking out all of the booths and shopping. It was all we could do to get our packets, buy a sweatshirt and get out of there. If we do this race again, we will check when the kids' races are running and avoid them at all costs.

Now, on to the good stuff!


Above is the beautiful poster for this year's event. The same artwork is on the medal and the back of the race t-shirt. It really is a lovely piece of art that depicts one of the main streets on the course. I love both the shirt and medal and have given the shirt Favorite T-shirt Status.

Because of the flooding, the race was changed to a two loop course. The course could not have been flatter, which was wonderful. Last year, the course was packed with spectators the entire way. Given the weather conditions, it was good that they were only spread out over half the distance this year. I think some of the course would have been lonely if it had been one loop. The spectators were wonderful and supportive. The marathon was also a celebration of their victory over the flooding, and it was wonderful to see them smile and party.

I heard some other runners mention congestion during the first mile or so of the race. I started back with the 4:30 pace group, and this is the first race that I did not have that problem. It could be that the pacer with the balloons was effectively a breaker for the rest of the group. I also noticed a lot less pushing at the start. I think racers are getting smarter, knowing that if they hurry over the mats that they will just end up walking after their time has started. This year, we walked pretty slowly up to the start and only started running right before the mats. No problems with congestion for me this year.

There were plenty of hydration stations on the course. All of them had water and Powerade. There was a GU handout station, so we hit that twice. Lots of bathroom opportunities. There were also lots of medical personnel on bikes checking in with the runners. This marathon had excellent race course support and I can't say enough good things about it.

Finally, I am so glad that I ran with a pace group. I wish I had done this in earlier races. While I did chat with a few other people in the group, I really didn't socialize a whole lot. There were a few people that ran and talked with the pacer the whole way. They did not seem to be working hard at all and looked like they were just out for a fun, casual run. If you are looking to socialize during a race, the pace group would be a good way to go. There were plenty of us, though, that were just busy doing our thing and that was fine.

The pacer walked through all of the water stops. I really can't run and drink at the same time, so I was relieved when I saw that this was his strategy. Towards the end of the race, I tend to walk to much and procrastinate getting going again. Having to keep up with the pacer kept me moving.

The best thing was that following the pacer meant I could mentally relax through the first 20 miles. I didn't have to look at my Garmin and constantly adjust my pace. Since I wasn't looking at my watch, I didn't look at my heart rate and worry if it was too high. I just watched the guy with the balloons and kept up. The next half-marathon or longer race that I run, I will use a pace group again.

Fargo is in the books! I'm feeling good and recovering well. I've been in the pool and on the spin bike a couple times this week. Most importantly, I've taken a nice, long nap each day. My first run will be an easy 3-4 miler on Friday. I'm going to be interested to see how my legs feel. I'm excited about getting ready for my first triathlon. It's only 3 weeks away. Nothing like a little pressure!

Fargo: Race Report

After eating whatever I wanted for dinner last night at Friday's, dessert at Dairy Queen, and breakfast at McDonald's today, I guess I have thoroughly celebrated my calorie burning day at the Fargo Marathon. I'm ready to tell you all about it!

Right before we left to drive to Fargo, the McMillan Calculator and I had a serious discussion. With all of my determination to not worry about my time, I still needed to figure out if the 4:30 pace group was the right group for me. Since I've already done some racing this spring, I have some current times to put into the calculator. No matter what I put in, it kept spitting out 4:40 as a marathon finish time. That sealed it for me. I would start with the 4:30 pace group and hang with them as long as I could.

For all of my worrying about the weather, it couldn't have been better for running a marathon. The temperature was probably 36F for the start and couldn't have gotten too much over 40 by the end. It stayed cloudy with light winds. There were a lot fewer spectators than last year, when temps in the 70's and high humidity brought out the crowds. I love the spectators, and I felt sorry for them in the cold, but I couldn't have been more thankful for the weather yesterday.

Within a few miles, I knew I was in the right group. The pace was challenging enough that I didn't feel like I was going too slow but not so fast that I didn't think I could keep up for a good part of the race. I found another runner to chat with on and off and cruised through the first 13.1 miles feeling like I figured I was supposed to be feeling: tired but not struggling.

Each mile after, I just concentrated on keeping the pacer right in front of me. By mile 16, I knew I was going to have to lose him eventually. By the 17th mile marker, my Garmin said 17.44 miles. Being part of a large group, it wasn't possible to take the turns very tightly, so I'm sure this added distance. Because of the added distance, we were actually running closer to a 10 minute pace instead of 10:18. At mile 18, I made the conscious decision to slow down a little. At the mile 19 marker, the pace group was still only 20 yards ahead of me. You would think I would be happy, right? I was more like a scorned lover. I was done with them, knowing that I couldn't keep up. I didn't want to think about them any more. Having them ahead of me was a visual reminder that I was falling behind. By mile 22, I couldn't see them anymore and I was happy.

Miles 24 through 26 I ran around a 10:50 pace. I was tired. It was all I could do to keep myself running. I was thankful that there were many water stops along the way, often with more than one per mile. I walked through these and then got myself going again. I just wanted to be done.

Even though I was tired and hurting, I was not in pain. At TC Marathon, I was in pain, the kind of pain where you know your body is telling you something. Throughout this whole race, though, I was so happy that all of my parts seemed to be working. No back pain, no foot pain, not knee pain... I couldn't believe it. It made me so happy. All of the stretching and visits for ART have actually resulted in a pain free marathon. I don't mean that those last 6 miles didn't hurt, because they most certainly did, but it hurt like a marathon should. I came in at 4:34:35 with a smile!

So, I guess it's time to stack up the race against my goals. I did not shart myself. I did not worry about having to take a bathroom break, although I was thankful that I didn't have to. I talked with some other runners along the way and chatted with a couple of women that I had met at the Ron Daws 25K. I did not practice my race day phoblography, but only because I trusted my camera to my kids who promptly forgot it in the car. Oh, well. Most importantly, I felt like I ran the race that the day and my training brought me. It was hard, but I was happy. I know for certain I crossed that finish line with a big smile on my face.

Since we didn't have a camera at the race, here is a picture of me after we got back to the hotel. It had been a cold race, so you can see my lips are still purple.

Here is another one of Mike and I before I gorged myself at Friday's:

Next time I'll tell you what I thought of the Fargo Marathon as a race and whether I liked running with a pace group. Thanks for muddling your way through this long post and for all of your kind words and encouragement!

Far- GO!

With so much to tell, so many body aches, and two kids that are anxious to go out to dinner, I'll have tell you the whole story when I get home tomorrow. But for now:

Finish Time: 4:34:35
Mood: Very Happy!

Good luck to everyone who is running tomorrow and speedy recovery to everyone who ran today. I'll get the full race report posted Sunday or Monday. Have a great weekend!

We Have a Winner!

Mike and I ran a 5K on Saturday at St. Thomas University. It was a race put on by the Young Alumni Association to raise money for scholarships for St. Thomas students. Now, Mike and I are neither young nor Alumni of St. Thomas, but Mike works with Abby, who happens to be young and an Alumni. She also happens to be one of the organizers of the race, so Mike and I signed up. This was the first year for the race, so that made it a little extra special for those volunteering and running.

The race had about 100 people sign up to run and another 20 or so to walk. Mike kept joking with Abby by telling her that she needed to have age groups for the race, preferably with an age group of 42 to 42 and a half. She may be young, but she wasn't born yesterday. There were no age groups, but they did have a free Sun Country airline ticket for the winning male and female.

Mike and I arrived in plenty of time to get our numbers, timing devices, and t-shirts. We milled around one of the student buildings to stay warm. It was a little colder than we had expected, so we walked out just right before the start.

I had already decided that I was going to take it easy for this race. I had just run my 20 miler on Thursday and my legs were still feeling less than energetic. I moved to the back of the pack and Mike moved up to the front. Being that there was only 100 people and that it was chipped timed at the beginning and end, it was a nice, relaxed start. I ran the first mile with two women who were talking triathlons, and we discovered that we were all interested in doing the same race in August. We separated after a little bit and I settled into 9:10ish miles. That was fast enough that I felt like I was giving it a good effort, but not so fast that I was struggling.

The race went down Summit Avenue, then turned left and went down along the river. About one and a half miles into the race, I saw the police car leading the lead runners back towards the start/finish. There was Mike, my husband! A young woman was leading the group, followed by a youngish man who looked like he wasn't going to make it much further, and then there was Mike! I was so excited to see him with the lead group.

Shortly after I saw him, he passed the other two runners and took the lead. There was another man behind him, a very fit 50ish runner who tried to keep up. Mike was able to hold him off and he won the race with a time of 20:46. Pretty nifty! He said it was very exciting to have a chance to lead a race and run behind the pace car. While he knows that his time wouldn't be fast enough to win a larger, more established 5K, it was still quite a thrill and was a PR for him. Here he is after the race, awaiting the grand prize:

This may have been a small race, but the organization and freebies were first rate. The race was chip timed at the beginning and end. The course was beautiful and very accurately marked every mile and kilometer. There were free St. Thomas bags and water bottle cozies for everyone, as well as Cliff bars and bananas. Of course, we can't forget about the t-shirt. All great stuff!

We will have to sign up for this race again next year. It's for a worthy cause, put on by a great group of young people, and of course Mike will have to defend his title. If word gets out about how nice this little race is, I'm guessing that it will attract some talented runners. Maybe we should try to keep it quiet...

Ron Daws 25k- Race Report

I had a 20 mile long run on my schedule this week, so my coach suggested I run the Ron Daws 25K race. I didn't know anything about Ron Daws before today. He was a marathoner from this area in the 60's and 70's. He ran on the Olympic marathon team and was inspirational to a lot of runners in Minnesota. The course today covered some the training routes he ran and there were some testimonials before the race about his impact on others and the sport.

I had to get in an extra 5 miles to get the full 20, so I went to a nearby trail early and got them in before the race. I knew there would be no way I would have the energy to do it after. I got to the race and changed into some dry clothes: my marathon outfit contender. Jenny and Guy met me there. Here is a picture of Jenny and I before the start:

It was pretty chilly at the start, maybe low 30's, then warmed up for a little bit when the sun peaked out. It was cool again later when it clouded up, so I'm glad I wore something long sleeved over my UA tank. Another reason I was thankful I had my long sleeve top: the tank chaffed my underarm so badly in the 4 miles that I had the long sleeve off that it is still hurts. Ouch! I didn't put on any Body Glide, so I guess I was asking for trouble. All in all, though, I was happy with my clothing choice. I think some Body Glide will remedy the situation. Outfit approved!

This race was unlike any other race I have been in. For starters, the entry fee was only $4. There was no race t-shirt, only 3 water stops with just water, and I counted only 3 people cheering along the route. What it did have though, made up for what it was missing. The caliber of athletes there was truly astonishing. I ran an average pace of 10:13 per mile, and I seriously think I only beat 5 or 6 people. It wasn't only the athletic prowess of the participants, but also their attitude that impressed me. I've been at races that are an out and backs and, usually, all of us people in the back cheer on the leaders as they pass us. Today, when the leaders passed me, most of them had something encouraging to say. I was really touched by that.

I also really enjoyed the course today. It had a little bit of everything. Some of it was roads through subdivisions, some was a flat rails-to-trails path, some was a gently hilly path with the feel of a trail run, and some was a paved path in a park. There were some really big hills, but it was always interesting and that helped the time pass.

There were also some great people in the back of the pack. For a couple miles, I couldn't see anyone in front of me or hear anyone behind me. I really thought I might be in last place. I was okay with that since I was running according to my plan, but I was getting a little lonely. Then, on a really big hill, I ended up walking about 25 yards. About 5 people passed me. I'm usually not excited about being passed, but today it made me happy. The 5 of us encouraged each other and keeping them in my sights kept me going. Jenny ran back for me at the end which made finishing a lot more fun.

All in all, I was really happy with my miles today. I ran 5.2 miles before the race and the race ended up being 15.6 miles. My average pace for both runs together was 10:11 which I thought was about right for me. The difficulty of the hills during the race kind of made up for the little break between the runs. When I ran the Bear Water 20 miler before the TC Marathon, I ran all out and was just completely dead at the end. It kind of threw me psychologically because I knew the marathon would be even tougher. Today, I ran slower than I did at that race (10:11 vs. 9:41 for the Bear Water Run), but I felt like I was pushing myself plenty. I felt like I could have run at least a couple more miles. Honestly, I'm happier running a little slower and smiling at the end instead of going a little faster and wanting to curl up in a ball and cry for the last two miles. I think I'm finally learning that smiling is good. I hope I remember that on Marathon Day!

St. Pat's Day Human Race Report

Today was the Human Race in St. Paul. It is billed as the season opener for the racing season with a 5K and an 8K, or for Super Humans, the option to do both. I can see why it is such a popular race. The race is very well organized with chip timing at the start and finish. The course is along Summit Avenue, a beautiful boulevard with lovely historic homes and beautiful trees. I ran this same stretch during the Twin Cities Marathon, but I have to admit that, since it was very late in the race, my mind wasn't totally functioning and I didn't appreciate the beauty as much as I did today.

My two kids, Brady (14) and Katy (12), ran the 5K which was held first and Mike and I ran the 8K. Here is Mike with the kids after we picked up our numbers and shirts. Katy and I decided that we would dress for St. Patrick's Day, so she is sporting a green tam.

The packet pick-up and after race snacks were all held in the University of St. Thomas' Field House. It was nice to get in out of the wind and have a place to relax before and after the races. Here's Katy and I sporting our festive hats together. I swear that I am not a drug addict... I just cannot keep my eyes open when someone takes my picture with a flash. (It must be genetic, because Katy appears to have a similar problem.)

The kids ran first and did a great job. The official results aren't posted yet, but Brady ran around 22 minutes and Katy around 33 minutes. I'm glad they got out there and had a great time. I'm also happy to report that they take after their father more than their mother when it comes to running. I spotted both of them with both feet off the ground at the same time while they were running. This is a feat that I have yet to accomplish.

While we were lining up for the 8K, I recognized Jean from his blog. It was so nice to meet him in person. He is just as charming in person as he appears to be in his blog. Hopefully we'll get to meet up with him again at the Ron Daws 25K or at Fargo.

It sounds like Sunshine was out there too, but I didn't see her. Sorry, Sunshine!

I was pretty happy with my race. I had tried to do a short run on Friday, but my legs were just too tired from the 19 miler on Thursday. Today I just went out and figured I would go with the flow and see how I felt. Happily my body decided to cooperate with my mind today and I found myself racing along just fine.

My Garmin had the race as 5.07 miles long, so my 44:07 finish time was a 8:42 pace. I got a little faster each mile, with the first mile coming in at 8:59 and the last mile in 8:17. It helped that the first half was slightly uphill and into the wind, so coming back was slightly downhill with the wind to our backs. Mike ran well, but due to operator error his watch didn't start. He thinks his finish time was around 34 minutes. Here we are after the race.

It was a really nice, family day for us. Everyone was happy with their race, the temps were great, and although it was a little windy, it was certainly nothing to complain about for March in Minnesota. I wish I had some funny story about some big gaffe that I made, but everything was nice and boring. I can live with that!

Valentine's 5K- FFFK Results

As I wrote a few days ago, I committed to running a 5K today in honor of Non-Runner Nancy whose freakish flexibility has forced her to give up running. Thanks again to USJogger for hosting the Freakish Flexible Five K in her honor.

Since USJogger said the rules were a little flexible, Mike and I decided to run a real 5K instead of staging our own virtual race. We ran the Valentine's 5K around Lake Harriet this morning along with several hundred other hearty souls. And, as an added bonus, we will be able to use our times in The 2009 Shave Your 5K Challenge over at Half-Fast. (Can you tell I just learned how to hyper-link?) In these tough times, you have to get value out of every race!

Here is the start and finish area at Lake Harriet. As you can see, it was a cloudy and cold morning. Temps were in the low teens and it was a little windy.

Here are Mike and I in the car before the race. We were able to park on the side of the road directly behind the start line. We stayed in the toasty car until a few minutes before the start. Then we just hopped out and lined up towards the front of the pack. We just ignored those nasty looks from those who weren't smart enough to park in such a great spot. Hey, if they had slipped us a few bucks (or given us a pitiful look) we would have let them sit in the car with us!

It was snowing a little, but all of the sidewalks were perfectly clear. After the first quarter mile or so the crowd broke up enough that I could run at my own pace. The sun came out and I was thankful for the cold temps since I was sprinting my little heart out! I despise being hot when I run, so once I got going I was glad for the breeze and the cold.

Here we are after the finish. Mike cruised in at 21:53, not a PR but pretty good given the crowd and that it is the first race of the season. I finished in 27:07. Even though it is almost 2 minutes slower than my PR, I was really happy. My plantar fasciitis flared up this week and my legs have been feeling heavy during my training runs. I was honestly thrilled that I was under 30 minutes.

We were able to meet up with Kris, a friend and fellow runner who was there with a couple friends all training for a marathon in May. Here are Kris and I:Yes, she looks very cute in her Valentine-ish pink Target top. Why didn't I think to wear something red or pink?

There was no official timing, but they did give us a very nice, long sleeved technical shirt and heart shaped cookie at the end. Gotta love a cookie after a race! Happy Valentine's Day and loving thoughts to Nancy!