Another Unlikely PR--Half Marathon!

You have to admit, I hang out with pretty awesome people. In this group there is an amazing trail runner and aspiring ultra runner, a spin instructor, a multiple- triathlon and road race veteran, and one who races 5Ks to 50Ks. And I'm not telling who's who. And then there's me...who was getting ready to take on half-marathon #5. But I think it's obvious...I hang out with cool people. And on this day, one did the 8K race and the other four (myself included) did the half-marathon.

You will notice my socks...I had just returned from camping and had about 50 mosquito bites all over my body, so those socks served a purpose. Plus, they are my daughter's old fast pitch socks, and they feel like compression socks. I now believe they make me faster--ha!


This race was not on my to-do list for the summer; however, on this day I was supposed to do my 12 mile run as my last long run before my half marathon on Aug. 3rd. Well, what's one more mile, right? So I decided I was in, and I would treat this as a training run. After my debacle at the local half just three weeks prior, (the dehydration run as I remember it), I was very nervous. At the starting line I told one friend that if this was a disaster, I may never run a half marathon again. My strategy was to just run a slow and steady race and not bonk out like I did at the 10K the previous weekend. I would also utilize all water stops, which I did--except the last one. I had been awake since 1:30 am...I wasn't sure how this would go.

So the race started, and already, I had to pee. Seriously? I just went! I've been told I drink too much coffee before a race, but on this day, there was no way I could function without my coffee. After the first mile I saw a lady come out of a door...ah, three doors there, all bathrooms. All locked. Well, shoot...I wasn't waiting. That mile ended up my slowest of the day, all because I went back to check those doors. At that point, I decided I'd gut it out as long as I could.

There were some long inclines, but really only 1 or 2 hills that I can really remember, and they were doable. I continued running between 10:20-11:00 min pace the entire race. My old PR was 2:22:04, and I bonked at mile 9 at that race because I started too fast. But on this day, I remember looking at my watch at mile 7 and thinking, wow...I actually feel pretty good! But between mile 9-11, it's a blur. I know I slowed way down, and I lost some time on a hill. Somehow, I missed the sign for mile 10, and I got a little disoriented. I checked my watch, and I was at 10.5 miles! Wow...I was looking at a PR if I could keep this up. I wouldn't hit the 2:20 or under, but I could come in under 2:22. At mile 11, it was all downhill, thank goodness! At mile 12, it was flat, and I was DONE. I hadn't run past 11 miles in my training, and today was supposed to be 12 miles, and truly, I would have been OK with that. So I think I shed some tears and gutted out that last mile, and I finished.

My time was 2:20:58. Another unlikely PR. Two of my friends also PR'd that day. I'm definitely the slowest of the half-marathoners, but they keep me around anyway; and for that I am thankful, humbled, and blessed.

And yes, it was a good day, and yes, I will run another half-marathon. In one week actually...yikes!

An unlikely 10K PR!

It's been awhile since I've posted, but I had to tell the story of today's race. It was just me against my own limits.

Just to back up a bit, after my April bronchitis, I started back at mile ONE. Yep, started all over. My pace was slower (and still is) and my leg strength was gone. Add to that it was fast pitch season, t-ball games, piano lessons and recital, and just end of the school year stuff PLUS two birthdays for my kids, and my aunt passed away. Yep, May/June--total blur, plus climbing my way back from being sick.

I did have a great 12K race, getting 1:17:01 for time on a very hilly course, average pace about 10:15. I was very happy with that!

I got a nine-mile long run in with an average pace of 10:26 (but I had to stop and pause my garmin once) and on a Monday I decided to do a local half-marathon that upcoming Saturday. I decided I'd treat it like a training run. Well, Tuesday night food poisoning kicked in, and let's just say I didn't recover well. By Saturday, I was still dehydrated (muscle cramps that week too--which I never get). I ran the first 5 miles and actually had to STOP running. Really, I was done. DONE. BONKED OUT. I walk/jogged the rest of it, so when the course was actually a half mile short, I was feeling relieved. My time is just sad...for where I am at this point...but I learned a lot about the effects of dehydration. It's real stuff.

The following weekend my long-run training goal was 11 miles in under two hours. I did it in 1:56, average pace of 10:34! I felt like I had a mental victory, proving to myself I can still run distance, even if it's slower than I'd like it to be, I can still do it.

WHICH BRINGS ME TO TODAY....

Today was a local race for a small town in my county. My good friend was helping organize the race, and she told me it was a flat and fast 10K. Before I got sick, I just knew this would be the race that I would finally get my 10K in under an hour. But with my paces lately being in the 10:15-10:30 range, I knew this was not possible. So here were my goals:

Goal 1: 10:15 pace average, finish in 1:03-1:04ish time
Goal 2: 10:00 pace average, finish in 1:02

I honestly didn't think anything under 1:02 was realistic for me at this point.

So the race starts, and it's a downhill. My feet are moving as fast as I think is necessary. By one mile, I was feeling good, and the time was 9:36. I knew this was fast for me, so I told myself to slow down. Mile two was 9:39...again, needed to slow down, but I was feeling really good. Good enough to maintain it? I didn't know. At this point, the elevation starts to become just a very slight incline, nothing drastic, just slow and steady. Mile 3 was 9:51, and at this point I'm at about 29 minutes. Now I'm starting to think...can I keep this up? Maybe I can get under 1:02?

So I'm half way through the race, and I keep pushing. Mile 4, 9:50...OK...not bad at all, I feel OK, and I realize that under 1:01 is definitely a possibility, and I'm headed for a PR if I can do that!

Mile 5 9:52. OK, I'm at 49 minutes...HOLY ______ (fill in your favorite word here)...IS UNDER AN HOUR A POSSIBILITY? I know I have 1.2 miles to go. If I can run 9ish minute miles, I've got this...my brain says... So I push. I push hard, and at 5.7 miles....I'm sucking air, so I stop. I think I stopped for about 50 seconds to catch my breath. And I look at my watch, and I pretty much watched the under 1 hour possibility slip away. But still, under 1:01 and a PR is definitely a possibility still, so I push hard. Mile 6, 9:52 (and remember, that's with a stop) and I can see the finish line, so I push on....

FINAL TIME: 1:00:35. I forgot to stop my stupid watch, so on my Garmin it says 1:00:51, but I know what my real time was. A VERY UNLIKELY PR!

Now I'm thinking, maybe I'm not too far off from a 10K in under an hour after all? What if I hadn't pushed so hard at mile 5 and instead kept it steady? I'll never know, but I'll keep learning and trying.

Now next week is supposed to be a 12 mile training run...but I'm doing a half marathon instead. I should be able to run the whole thing. I figured it's only 1.1 miles more than I was supposed to do anyway, so why not go for it? I'll keep you posted!

Thanks for reading!