Run Like It's Midnight (Comments Welcome)

Crushed it! Definitely flying there at the end. Congrats on the new PR and looks like your kids have the same determined look on their face as mom as they approached the finish line. Well done everyone! :thumbsup2

I can say that when I'm pushing at my near maximum for 200m (~5:30 min/mile), I'm not even running 200m as fast as the elites run 26.2 miles?!?! So yea, perspective is humbling and impressive sometimes.
 
Great run!! Congrats on your PR. Your girls are adorable and they look like they also did a great job on their runs.

Love your skirt too. I have that one as well and it's one of my favorites.
 
Crushed it! Definitely flying there at the end. Congrats on the new PR and looks like your kids have the same determined look on their face as mom as they approached the finish line. Well done everyone! :thumbsup2

I can say that when I'm pushing at my near maximum for 200m (~5:30 min/mile), I'm not even running 200m as fast as the elites run 26.2 miles?!?! So yea, perspective is humbling and impressive sometimes.

Thanks! The older one has a pretty relaxed attitude towards racing - she's perfectly happy to run her own race at her own pace. The little one - look out! - she pushes herself to pass anyone she can at the end!

Ahem. DH called me out after a race last year. Said I claimed I wasn't competitive (playing games or whatever - I'll do my best but don't worry about winning). He said watching me finish proved me a liar as I pushed myself to pass those around me. :blush: While I'm generally racing against myself, chomping others is definitely extra motivation at the finish. :D

Definitely impressive and mind-boggling. I can't even imagine moving that quickly for even a short distance.


Great run!! Congrats on your PR. Your girls are adorable and they look like they also did a great job on their runs.

Love your skirt too. I have that one as well and it's one of my favorites.

Thank you! It's nice to see the girls enjoying running.

It's my first sparkle skirt (of only 2 - I'm behaving!). It's pretty tame compared to the ones my kids were suggesting at the expo, but I'm not too adventurous with the patterns!
 


Greater Hartford Quarter Marathon - April 1, 2017

Race week again. The Sunday before I tried a new yoga video someone on the running thread recommended. I convinced my younger daughters to do it with me, but they said it was booooor-ing. While slow-moving to them, it was plenty challenging for inflexible me. Monday was a rainy, miserable day. I got up and found I had tweaked something in my right glute, presumably during yoga. We were out all day for extra classes and when we finally got home the fog was extreme. I bailed on my run. I would play it by ear whether I would fit it in on Thursday or not.

Tuesday was better and I ran as scheduled. I'm normally a quiet runner, but during this run my right foot was just slapping the ground. Even focusing on it I could not land quietly. My right glute was still a bit uncomfortable, but not painful. Wednesday was a bit better, but the top of my right foot hurt. It felt like my shoe was tied too tightly even though it was loose. Ugh. Race week. I decided it was best that Thursday was a rest day. Friday's short run was better.

Weather - crummy forecast again. Everything was predicted - 5-8 inches of snow changing to sleet and rain. The race has very little parking, so they shuttle people in from a nearby lot. Because I wouldn't be able to get my bib then wait in my car until start time, I decided to go out of my way to pick up my bib Friday night. After picking up my daughter from her volunteer position it should have been another 15 minutes farther from home. Except it was rush hour and we sat in traffic aggravating that right glute that I was hoping was better. An hour later we finally made it! 2 minutes to get my bib and shirt, then 45 minutes back home.

Race morning there was a few inches of snow on the ground and it was raining. Staying home crossed my mind, but I am far too cheap to forfeit my race fees for comfort. I had extra pants and a raincoat for over my running gear while waiting. The race was on a mostly paved path at the reservoir, and they had done a good job of clearing the slush. Right around race start the rain changed to sleet for a short while and then light snow. Much better than the rain while waiting!

The race went well. Had a pretty steady first four miles. Partway through the first loop I took off my gloves and shoved them into my waistband, not noticing that one dropped. Thankfully a woman behind me saw and picked it up for me. Another mile or so and I came around a curve straight into the wind and my hat went flying off. I was willing to let that one go (super cheap) but a guy behind me caught it! I slipped it over my wrist - I wasn't going to cause any more race hazards with my clothing! The course was two loops around the reservoir, rolling hills with a nice downhill leading into a flat finish. By the second loop I was feeling the hills and slowed down a bit for mile 5, but picked it up on the last downhill. Finished in 1:01:12 which was a PR by 1:13.
 
Hogsback Half Marathon - September 30, 2017

This was a last minute addition to my racing calendar. I added it the week before I ran the Gulf Beach Half Marathon on September 16th. Gulf Beach was my "A" race for the cycle and I figured I could just do this one for fun.

Unfortunately I did something to my back the Monday before Gulf Beach. Sore lower back, went to stretch - ouch! Man, just 3 days ago I forked over money for another half marathon! Ended up applying lots of heat, took Mon/Tues off from running. Seemed better though a little stiff - easy runs Wed/Fri went okay so I did the half. Short version (maybe I'll write it up eventually, but I don't have a good track record :P) the race felt good through mile 10, then my right hip started bothering me (same side as the back issue). I slowed, then switched to run/walk. Happy news - I finished Gulf Beach in 2:08:42! While far from my goal of 2:04:53, it was still a PR by 3:41. While I felt the day could have gone better without the last-minute injury, it certainly could have gone much worse!

Now 2 weeks until Hogsback. Took off Mon/Tues for recovery, did easy runs Wed/Fri, and a 6 mile long run on Saturday. Felt okay.

One week to go. Monday is a crazy day for me, bringing kids to 3 activites one after the other spanning from 8:30am-6:30pm. I am not a morning person, so my run was going to be during activity 3. I had packed everything I thought I needed - got out at #3 and almost died from the heat. It was still 93F, full sun. While I brought my big water bottle, I hadn't packed one I could carry on the run, and I forgot sunscreen. I debated for a moment and then said forget it. The weather was supposed to cool off by the weekend and I was not going to suffer in the heat! Well, that heat lasted through Wednesday and I was full of excuses. My only run that week was any easy 3 miles on Friday. Well, we'll see how it goes!

Race morning was cool and overcast. I arrived at the venue at 7:45 for a 9am start - plenty of time to collect my bib, use the port-o-lets, and do my warm-up run (or so I thought). Park, walk down the loooong hill to get my bib. They had posted numbers ahead of time and when I told them mine, this is what they gave me.

bib.jpg

Hmmm, I registered late so I wasn't supposed to get my name on my bib. They told me to go check with the timing tent to make sure the number was assigned to me. They had this happen to someone else earlier - probably had something to do with people changing to the early start and them reassigning the bibs. Okay. But wait - look at the bib more closely. Is this a sign? If I run with this bib will I be channeling
@DopeyBadger ?!

Nobody at the timing tent, they had already gone up the hill for the early start but should be back in 15 minutes. Okay. Well I can't do my warm-up because I'm not wearing my running shoes. Those are in my car at the top of the hill - near the start. I'm not walking up that hill an extra time. I'm glad I brought a jacket, but should have thrown in gloves - my fingers were cold! The area was pretty - country roads and lots of trees. We finished across the top of a dam and this is a view from there.

view.jpg

Timer still not back, another trip to the port-o-let. As I come back and see there's still nobody at the timing tent I hear, "Is bib 253 still here?" Apparently the timer's not coming back, so she had me fill out my info and told me she'd make sure 253 was assigned to me. William would get another bib if he showed up. I was running with Billy!

Trudge up the hill, change shoes, shed jacket. Cell service was bad in the middle of nowhere, and I usually stream my music - will it work? Hmm, I'm getting it now, so I decide I'll try it even though it may cut out. Go to put my earbud in and discover the ear hook is snapped. Why do I not have a spare in this case? Okay, no music. Should I wear my water belt? I don't really want to. It's not hot. I should, because water stops every 2 miles isn't enough water to go with my sports beans. Nope, don't want to. Okay then. One last pit stop and then shuffle in just in front of the 2:10 pacer.

So my initial thought when signing up for this race was to just run it for fun. It was 2 weeks after my last half and, though feeling better, I had a back/hip that were recently giving me issues. Then they posted the bib numbers. These were sortable, so I could see exactly how many people were signed up in my division (running Athena, not age group). You could tell who was running early start (estimated finish >2:30) because those bibs were >1000. There were only 6 of us running general start. sigh I can tell my husband I'm not competitive until I'm blue in the face, but the truth is - I want to win. I am not fast. I am not age-group competitive. But every once in awhile, in a race that has the Athena division, I just might have a chance to place.

So I researched those 5 other women the best I could. If I had the right people three were in the 2:11-12 range, one 2:05, and one who hadn't done a half but her recent 10 mile calculated out to a 2:01. Two weeks before I PR'd with a 2:08 on a flat course. From the map this one was downhill at the start, flat-ish in the middle, and uphill at the end. Well, smack in the middle of possibilities. I'd run what felt good, but I wasn't going to start out at a "just for fun" pace either. I'd do my best and see how things turned out.

Start time temp was about 51F, overcast, T+D=100 (compared to 70F, T+D=138 two weeks before). This was a small race, so no congestion problems - plenty of room to run. A little bit of flat at the beginning before a good downhill portion, leveling out to a slight downhill until about the halfway point. After that gradual uphill until just a half mile left when the hill got steep. I starting out running what felt comfortable. I did glance at my watch, but didn't make adjustments based on that. My half tempo pace for the cycle was 9:32.

The first few glances confirmed I was faster than that, but I felt comfortable and thought it wasn't surprising based on the downhill. As long as I didn't start going crazy-fast I was just going to keep going. Up until about mile 7 I could see the 2:00 pacer about a quarter of a mile ahead of me. There was no question of me catching up - I knew I couldn't sustain that - but still being able to see them that far along was a weird feeling for me. First 7 miles - 9:21, 9:06, 9:01, 9:09, 8:57, 9:14, 9:00 Wow! It felt good, but I from the map I knew the uphill was to come.

The fade started with the slight uphill grade but there was a lot of self talk going on. Just keep pushing on, don't take the easy way out. Your back and hip are not bothering you, you're just tired. If you want it, PROVE IT! Miles 8-10 - 9:22, 9:24, 9:41 Definitely slowing, but still not bad - within HM tempo range. Then around here is when my hip started aching. Not as bad as during the race two weeks before, but definitely uncomfortable. Just do your best. Keep moving. Don't walk unless it absolutely necessary!

This is also about the time I passed someone who said she liked my skirt - a fellow SparkleSister who did early start. "Thanks, I like yours too. You got this!" She said, "Thanks for the encouragement. I was beginning to doubt it." I'm an introvert. It is very rare that I will ever initiate an interaction with people I don't know. I'm glad she commented, because that opened the door for me to encourage her. It was also a reminder that I should put myself out there once in awhile. I know how it's made me feel when someone encourages me when I'm clearly struggling. I need to pay it forward.

Mile 11 & 12 - Just keep running. There are now very few people around me. Just keep running. Curvy country roads - run the tangents - do not waste a single step. 10:02, 10:06 A little over a mile to go, somewhere during mile 12 it started sprinkling. Just past 12.5 - there's the hill. Ugh, my hip. It really didn't like the hill. I had to walk some. Run a bit more. Walk. One person a bit ahead of me, noone else in sight. Now it's raining. There's one lone cheerleader at the top of the hill. "You can do it! It's the last hill! Keep running! Come on!" Run some more. Ugh, walk. "You're almost at the top! The finish is just around the corner!" Run again. Finally crest the hill. Pick up the pace a little bit. Mile 12 - 11:14 Just a bit to go. On top of the dam, a little bit faster, just a little bit farther. Finish - 2:05:26! Wow. Way better than I expected coming into the day. Another PR - beat two weeks ago by 3:16.

Hogsback-Half-2017web.jpg

Water, medal, sit for a minute, walk around. The timing tent was printing results slips...

slip.jpg

I did it! Third place in the Athena division!

They had a nice spread of food - salad, pasta, meatballs, baked chicken, lots of homemade desserts, bananas, oranges, watermelon. Still steady rain though. I don't usually do well eating right after a race but I managed some salad, and a couple of meatballs. It was nice that they were warm. I felt great in my tank and skirt for the race - perfect clothing choice, but now I was getting really chilly. My jacket was at the top of the hill in my car. Due to rain they canceled the awards ceremony and were just handing out prizes when you showed your results slip so people could get home. I was shivering at this point, so I trekked up the hill to my car and blasted the heat on the way home, then a soaked in a nice hot bath.

swag.jpg

Division winners got a cool piggy beanie and a frosted pig sugar cookie (that didn't make it into the photo). Very cool.

Once again a huge thank you to Billy! My @DopeyBadger training plan worked again. When I looked at the training plan and saw that at the end of 12 weeks I would be aiming for a 2:04:53 half marathon (pace 9:32), I had my doubts. This race was only off by 33 seconds! (net elevation loss of 100 feet) And if you look at my Garmin data, I ran 13.22 miles (not bad on the tangents) in 2:05:26, or an average pace of 9:29/mile. Boom!
 




Hmmm, I registered late so I wasn't supposed to get my name on my bib. They told me to go check with the timing tent to make sure the number was assigned to me. They had this happen to someone else earlier - probably had something to do with people changing to the early start and them reassigning the bibs. Okay. But wait - look at the bib more closely. Is this a sign? If I run with this bib will I be channeling
@DopeyBadger ?!

:scared1:

Guess I was with you in spirit!

So I researched those 5 other women the best I could. If I had the right people three were in the 2:11-12 range, one 2:05, and one who hadn't done a half but her recent 10 mile calculated out to a 2:01. Two weeks before I PR'd with a 2:08 on a flat course. From the map this one was downhill at the start, flat-ish in the middle, and uphill at the end. Well, smack in the middle of possibilities. I'd run what felt good, but I wasn't going to start out at a "just for fun" pace either. I'd do my best and see how things turned out.

I'll admit it, I do this very often in smaller races too.

If you want it, PROVE IT!

::yes::

I did it! Third place in the Athena division!

Congratulations!

Once again a huge thank you to Billy! My @DopeyBadger training plan worked again. When I looked at the training plan and saw that at the end of 12 weeks I would be aiming for a 2:04:53 half marathon (pace 9:32), I had my doubts. This race was only off by 33 seconds! (net elevation loss of 100 feet) And if you look at my Garmin data, I ran 13.22 miles (not bad on the tangents) in 2:05:26, or an average pace of 9:29/mile. Boom!

I did the easy part. You said you wanted it. I gave you what was necessary to get it. Then you went out and PROVED IT. Kudos!

Keep up the great work!
 
Awesome recap!!! I was so excited for you reading every mile time. And the bib name is just too funny of a coincidence!

Congrats on the third place and the fantastic time. If I won a sugar cookie I don't think it'd make it into the picture either :)
 
Congratulations!!!! :yay: Billy was definitely with you in spirit. Loved reading your recap and really appreciate the self-talk section. "Just keep pushing on, don't take the easy way out. If you want it, PROVE IT!" (Copying and pasting these for safe keeping.) :D
 
Congratulations on a great race and a third place finish! Loved reading your recap and love that you got the chance to encourage another runner. Great job!!
 

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