Well, it's been awhile! I have been super busy both with training, a race (yay!) and work. But I need to get an update on here before I lose my thoughts. It's been a critical time in training.
Sunday, June 30th I did my very first triathlon!! It was, in a nutshell, awesome. There were some lessons learned, and clearly I wasn't "race fit", but it didn't matter. It was fun.
I got there pretty early. I hate panicking about time. Oh wait; first I should back up and say that first I got into my tri suit. That is a feat in itself. And of course I had to pee twice after being in the suit, so I got to get into it for a total of three times :)
Back to the race site. It was a nice setup. I racked my bike near the exit, in the middle. Soon after that I saw Holly who I used to work with at Lux. It was really nice seeing a friendly face. After setting up my stuff, and mentally reviewing everything to make sure it was all perfectly placed, I went to the bathroom (trip #2) and then hung out with Greg, drinking water and listening to the peppy dance music blaring from the speakers. I didn't want to get tired, which is something that happens to me after I've been up for a little while. So I moved around and swung my legs and stretched.
Soon the speakers were announcing for the women to head to the pool area. We headed over and queued up by how fast we thought we'd swim. I was toward the back. I saw Holly again and she was wet! I didn't realize we were allowed to warm up in the pool. Looking back, that may have saved me from having to learn my big lesson of the day the hard way.
The line was slow to move, which gave me plenty of time to be nervous. Someone mentioned how we have to hoist ourselves out of the water at the end and that made me nervous. I was SO NERVOUS. I didn't even realize how nervous I was until the next day. As it became my turn, I stood on the matt and chatted with the man who was spacing us out 3 - 5 seconds each. Then he told me I could go. I jumped in and my breath was taken away. I think it was the cold, though I also remember it not being that cold. Then I tried to swim, except I just couldn't. Instead, my chest heaved back and forth spastically and I was hyperventilating! Crazy. I panicked, my eyes growing wide. What was going on? Why couldn't I swim. I stuck my head in the water and tried to go, except my chest did its own thing, quickly pumping back and forth, making me take in water. I switched to the side-stroke. I was bewildered and confused and not happy. I felt like a loser in the swim (there were some people walking in the pool. WALKING. And I didn't want to be associated with these "non-swimmers" who weren't even trying. I was trying, trying hard. But I just couldn't swing it. I side-stroked my heart out and probably made about the same time as I would have free-style.
As I climbed out of the water, which wasn't bad like I thought it'd be, I heard Greg say "the worst part is over, Steph." Those were the truest words. I couldn't believe how the swim went. My head was spinning with bewilderment as I trotted to the bike. But I had made it at least.
Bike! My favorite part! I was so happy to get on my bike. I threw on my shoes without socks and trotted out to the mounting line. Then I started an easy spin out of the park. When on the road, I tried to pick it up. But my breathing was still crazy. I climbed a steep hill and then kept climbing for quite a bit as the course wound around the back side of a golf course. It wasn't until the second lap that I could focus and get faster. My cyclometer is off, so my pace wasn't showing accurately. I ended up averaging 19.5 mph, but thought I only did 16. Not bad for only a couple times on the bike!
Back in transition again, I found my feet were wet still, and it was hard to get my socks on for the run. Slow transition, but I jogged out and took some water. On the bike I managed one Gu, but couldn't stomach another. I was wondering if I'd conk out on the run. I started slow and steady. I have been reading about taking the first 10 minutes to get in a rhythm, so that's what I tried. Slowly increasing my effort. I picked people off left and right, which was kinda fun.
I could see Holly up ahead, but didn't think I'd catch her. I knew we were about the same running pace. However, about half way through I noticed the gap was closing. So I decided to try to speed up and get her. I waited until I wasn't on a hill and then went by, saying a breathless "hey Holly!" She said she was wondering when I'd catch her ;)
At the end, I felt like a rock star. It didn't matter that I was finishing back of the pack and slow (turns out it was more mid-pack...that's right. ME. MID PACK.) I was sooooo happy with myself. I loved being in my little race bubble zone, pushing...hurting...figuring things out, etc.
Triathlon is different from duathlon. And it's different from the marathon. Despite the terrible swim, I really really enjoyed it and I can't wait to do another one! I'd like to do another one before September, so I can get in the water and be comfortable swimming in open water.
Showing posts with label Race Reports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Race Reports. Show all posts
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Monday, October 22, 2012
Columbus marathon race report
Well...we finished.
We had a much faster race in us, but it just didn't work out on marathon day. That's kind of a difficult thing to stomach when you've spent so much time training and knew a better race could have/should have happened. But at the same time, that was also a nice thing to remember. The training was real and good. And improvement was marked. Those accomplishments don't change just because of the race not lining up for us on the day.
The beginning of the race was super. We easily clicked along at 10:30 - 10:25 pace. My breathing was effortless. Everything felt pretty good, though I can't say I felt really ready for the race. I was tired and felt heavy/sluggish. I also was having a hard time concentrating on running. But I figured if we could hold that pace, we'd be set up pretty well for making it around 4:30. Our spectators were awesome. Shawn, Greg and Jannelle had a boombox and were dancing Gangnam Style when we saw them. It was so fun - everyone loved them. I was relieved they were having so much fun and helping to make the day great for so many people.
Somewhere in German Village, my knee started hurting. I kept finding the flattest parts of the road to not put extra strain on it. It was a very faint "hey...I'm here" kind of hurt. I was worried though. By mile 13, it was a full on, debilitating hurt, like the way it hurt at the end of our first 20 miles. I was really mad. Why now? I expected it at mile 20 and I was fully prepared to suffer for 6.2 miles. But at the half? My mind was yelling at me: you can't limp for 13 miles. So then I just decided to ignore it. I thought, the pain is here, but there's nothing I can do about it except pretend it's not, so let's see if that works. It didn't really work. I stopped to stretch, and while stretching felt good, it didn't help the knee. Grimacing and wincing, my pace slowed. I was so mad and disappointed. And I was upset to slow down Casey and Jenny. I resolved that I'd walk every water stop, but that wasn't enough. I tried different shuffling/running strides to try to make my knee loosen up, but it never did. There were just waves of it hurting more at some times than others. On top of that, I had a weird nausea thing happen. My jaw and neck tightened up as if I was going to throw up. I shuffled along wide-eyed, thinking about what it would be like to vomit in front of all the people along the course. Then my stomach cramped and I tooted a bit...and totally thought I did more than toot. Ug. Soon after that, my hip tightened up, from all of the limping/odd running stride I had taken on thanks to my knee.
Meanwhile, Casey's chest cold started to wreak havoc on his breathing. He had to stop to walk to catch his breath, and it just got worse. I imagine there was a lot of pain and uncomfortable struggle to breathe properly. And I can't imagine what it was like trying to run 26.2 miles with that cold! I wish he had been able to go into the marathon feeling a lot better than he did.
And so we continued our slow trek to the finish line :) I remember wanting to drop out. I remember also thinking that there was no way I could go another mile back at mile 13 but realizing I had made it 3 more at mile 16. And what finally brought me to my senses was the thought of crossing the finish line. Eventually we started playing the running walking game. Let's run to that stoplight. Ok now let's walk to that traffic cone... This got us through a couple of miles. Then we saw Shawn, Greg and Jannelle around mile 25. Shawn ran with us, carrying the boombox blaring Gangnam Style. That lifted spirits a lot. But we still had to stop before the final half mile. I think we ran the entire final half...I remember getting to 26. Only 2 more minutes... :)
Thankfully the final stretch is downhill and lined with people. My name was still sticking to the front of my shirt in medical tape and quite a few people yelled it. They sounded so genuine...I think people do have a sense of what the 5 hour plus marathoners are going through! We shuffled our way down the hill at what felt like a decent clip and finished in 5 hours and 21 minutes. That was way off my 4:30 goal and slower than my first marathon that I was less prepared for. But. We finished a marathon. That's a huge accomplishment!
I am in more pain now than I've ever been in post any race. I can't walk far before I start limping. Everything in my legs hurts. But I'm sure it will get better soon. I'm hoping to spin Thursday...easy. I was hoping to convince Jannelle to walk with me tomorrow instead of yoga but I'm not even sure I'll be able to do that, which is crazy. This race really beat me up.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
But of course, because I'm me, I'm already thinking about what's next.
I thought I'd want to do the Pig in the spring. I feel like I'm in such great shape right now and thought I'd just keep it up. I do...but in a different way. This race has kinda made me want to work on some other running things rather than distance right now. I'm not saying I'll never do another marathon. But I want to get faster right now. That's what has been so fun. Throughout the 22 weeks, I have gotten quite a bit faster. Figuring out the asthma was huge, as was my calf knots. I didn't really work on speed during the marathon training. I worked on consistency, and that in turn made me a better runner who got faster. Well...now it's time for some work on speed within that consistency. I'd like to see what I can do. Maybe even race some people :) I am so competitive...I'd LOVE to be able to be competitive doing something I love!
So...first rest rest rest. The remainder of the week will be trying to be able to walk again. And then hopefully spinning easy on Thursday followed by more walking.
Next week I'll see about running a mile. I don't want to injure myself like I did after my first marathon. It took a few months to get back to it after that which was horrible. I'll try a mile and see how that goes. Then make it up to 2. Then 3. Once I feel normal running again, I'll run 3's consistently for a while.
Then, maybe by December, I can start some speed work. Maybe I'll do a 5K test to use as a benchmark. Map out a 3.1 mile run and run it as fast as I can one weekend, or do the Jingle Bell run. Also what I KNOW will be key is I need to do strength. Must must.
So that's the loose plan for now!
The marathon... it was a fantastic time, despite its challenges. Another wonderful marathon memory has been made, and it's a very very happy one.
We had a much faster race in us, but it just didn't work out on marathon day. That's kind of a difficult thing to stomach when you've spent so much time training and knew a better race could have/should have happened. But at the same time, that was also a nice thing to remember. The training was real and good. And improvement was marked. Those accomplishments don't change just because of the race not lining up for us on the day.
The beginning of the race was super. We easily clicked along at 10:30 - 10:25 pace. My breathing was effortless. Everything felt pretty good, though I can't say I felt really ready for the race. I was tired and felt heavy/sluggish. I also was having a hard time concentrating on running. But I figured if we could hold that pace, we'd be set up pretty well for making it around 4:30. Our spectators were awesome. Shawn, Greg and Jannelle had a boombox and were dancing Gangnam Style when we saw them. It was so fun - everyone loved them. I was relieved they were having so much fun and helping to make the day great for so many people.
Somewhere in German Village, my knee started hurting. I kept finding the flattest parts of the road to not put extra strain on it. It was a very faint "hey...I'm here" kind of hurt. I was worried though. By mile 13, it was a full on, debilitating hurt, like the way it hurt at the end of our first 20 miles. I was really mad. Why now? I expected it at mile 20 and I was fully prepared to suffer for 6.2 miles. But at the half? My mind was yelling at me: you can't limp for 13 miles. So then I just decided to ignore it. I thought, the pain is here, but there's nothing I can do about it except pretend it's not, so let's see if that works. It didn't really work. I stopped to stretch, and while stretching felt good, it didn't help the knee. Grimacing and wincing, my pace slowed. I was so mad and disappointed. And I was upset to slow down Casey and Jenny. I resolved that I'd walk every water stop, but that wasn't enough. I tried different shuffling/running strides to try to make my knee loosen up, but it never did. There were just waves of it hurting more at some times than others. On top of that, I had a weird nausea thing happen. My jaw and neck tightened up as if I was going to throw up. I shuffled along wide-eyed, thinking about what it would be like to vomit in front of all the people along the course. Then my stomach cramped and I tooted a bit...and totally thought I did more than toot. Ug. Soon after that, my hip tightened up, from all of the limping/odd running stride I had taken on thanks to my knee.
Meanwhile, Casey's chest cold started to wreak havoc on his breathing. He had to stop to walk to catch his breath, and it just got worse. I imagine there was a lot of pain and uncomfortable struggle to breathe properly. And I can't imagine what it was like trying to run 26.2 miles with that cold! I wish he had been able to go into the marathon feeling a lot better than he did.
And so we continued our slow trek to the finish line :) I remember wanting to drop out. I remember also thinking that there was no way I could go another mile back at mile 13 but realizing I had made it 3 more at mile 16. And what finally brought me to my senses was the thought of crossing the finish line. Eventually we started playing the running walking game. Let's run to that stoplight. Ok now let's walk to that traffic cone... This got us through a couple of miles. Then we saw Shawn, Greg and Jannelle around mile 25. Shawn ran with us, carrying the boombox blaring Gangnam Style. That lifted spirits a lot. But we still had to stop before the final half mile. I think we ran the entire final half...I remember getting to 26. Only 2 more minutes... :)
Thankfully the final stretch is downhill and lined with people. My name was still sticking to the front of my shirt in medical tape and quite a few people yelled it. They sounded so genuine...I think people do have a sense of what the 5 hour plus marathoners are going through! We shuffled our way down the hill at what felt like a decent clip and finished in 5 hours and 21 minutes. That was way off my 4:30 goal and slower than my first marathon that I was less prepared for. But. We finished a marathon. That's a huge accomplishment!
I am in more pain now than I've ever been in post any race. I can't walk far before I start limping. Everything in my legs hurts. But I'm sure it will get better soon. I'm hoping to spin Thursday...easy. I was hoping to convince Jannelle to walk with me tomorrow instead of yoga but I'm not even sure I'll be able to do that, which is crazy. This race really beat me up.
 |
| Casey, me and Jenny...the marathon finishers! |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
But of course, because I'm me, I'm already thinking about what's next.
I thought I'd want to do the Pig in the spring. I feel like I'm in such great shape right now and thought I'd just keep it up. I do...but in a different way. This race has kinda made me want to work on some other running things rather than distance right now. I'm not saying I'll never do another marathon. But I want to get faster right now. That's what has been so fun. Throughout the 22 weeks, I have gotten quite a bit faster. Figuring out the asthma was huge, as was my calf knots. I didn't really work on speed during the marathon training. I worked on consistency, and that in turn made me a better runner who got faster. Well...now it's time for some work on speed within that consistency. I'd like to see what I can do. Maybe even race some people :) I am so competitive...I'd LOVE to be able to be competitive doing something I love!
So...first rest rest rest. The remainder of the week will be trying to be able to walk again. And then hopefully spinning easy on Thursday followed by more walking.
Next week I'll see about running a mile. I don't want to injure myself like I did after my first marathon. It took a few months to get back to it after that which was horrible. I'll try a mile and see how that goes. Then make it up to 2. Then 3. Once I feel normal running again, I'll run 3's consistently for a while.
Then, maybe by December, I can start some speed work. Maybe I'll do a 5K test to use as a benchmark. Map out a 3.1 mile run and run it as fast as I can one weekend, or do the Jingle Bell run. Also what I KNOW will be key is I need to do strength. Must must.
So that's the loose plan for now!
The marathon... it was a fantastic time, despite its challenges. Another wonderful marathon memory has been made, and it's a very very happy one.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Heart Mini Marathon Results
Steph:
Overall 1644.
146/281 age group.
769/1615 female.
5K - 31:56 (10:15 pace)
10K - 1:04:15 (10:22 pace)
FINAL - 1:37:47 (10:31 pace)
Casey:
Overall 814.
94/173 age group.
518/1158 male.
5K - 26:46 (8:38 pace)
10K - 55:08 ( 8:54 pace)
FINAL - 1:24:52 (9:08 pace)
This was a tough race...but I'm pretty pleased with how I did. It was what I expected I could manage, after figuring out the breathing issues. It was amazing running without the struggle to breathe. I'm just still amazed an kind of in shock about the whole asthma thing.
The hills are what got me. They always do. Torrence was mentally defeating. I ran up it all the way, trying not to check too often for the turn-around. Then the hill after Torrence really sucked the rest of the life out of me.
For most of the race I was just bored. It is boring not running with anyone.
My splits:
Mile 1 - unknown (watch wasn't syncing, so I didn't start until the first mile marker)
Mile 2 - 10:38
Mile 3 - 9:51
Mile 4 - 10:12
Mile 5 - 10:12
Mile 6 - 11:12 (Torrence!!!)
Mile 7 - 10:31
Mile 8 - 10:28
Mile 9 - 11:07
Mile 9.3 - 10:33
Sooooo....I only had a couple miles over 11's and those were ones with HUGE hills. I'm pretty pleased. But I know that I need to do a lot more work before the Pig. Hill repeats. And more running. The spinning is great, but I need to run more. I need to work it back into my morning schedule. That's it plain and simple.
I'm all hyped up and excited about it...I will probably make a rough schedule for the weeks to come before the Pig tonight :) I'm a dork like that.
Overall 1644.
146/281 age group.
769/1615 female.
5K - 31:56 (10:15 pace)
10K - 1:04:15 (10:22 pace)
FINAL - 1:37:47 (10:31 pace)
Casey:
Overall 814.
94/173 age group.
518/1158 male.
5K - 26:46 (8:38 pace)
10K - 55:08 ( 8:54 pace)
FINAL - 1:24:52 (9:08 pace)
This was a tough race...but I'm pretty pleased with how I did. It was what I expected I could manage, after figuring out the breathing issues. It was amazing running without the struggle to breathe. I'm just still amazed an kind of in shock about the whole asthma thing.
The hills are what got me. They always do. Torrence was mentally defeating. I ran up it all the way, trying not to check too often for the turn-around. Then the hill after Torrence really sucked the rest of the life out of me.
For most of the race I was just bored. It is boring not running with anyone.
My splits:
Mile 1 - unknown (watch wasn't syncing, so I didn't start until the first mile marker)
Mile 2 - 10:38
Mile 3 - 9:51
Mile 4 - 10:12
Mile 5 - 10:12
Mile 6 - 11:12 (Torrence!!!)
Mile 7 - 10:31
Mile 8 - 10:28
Mile 9 - 11:07
Mile 9.3 - 10:33
Sooooo....I only had a couple miles over 11's and those were ones with HUGE hills. I'm pretty pleased. But I know that I need to do a lot more work before the Pig. Hill repeats. And more running. The spinning is great, but I need to run more. I need to work it back into my morning schedule. That's it plain and simple.
I'm all hyped up and excited about it...I will probably make a rough schedule for the weeks to come before the Pig tonight :) I'm a dork like that.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Mason Half Marathon Race Report
Sunday I "ran" my 6th half marathon. And, while it wasn't the worst half I've ever done, it was pretty horrendous :) But I'm not at all surprised, since I didn't train properly for it.
Greg ran the 5K. Casey, Elizabeth and I ran the half. Saying I ran the half is a bit misleading. I ran about half of it and then went into survival mode :) Completed is accurate. I did finish.
I am very happy with my first 7 miles. I was clipping along around 10:30 pace, and it felt very easy...
Mile 1- 9:52
Mile 2- 10:34
Mile 3- 10:20
Mile 4- 10:28
Mile 5- 10:34
Mile 6- 10:19
Mile 7- 10:37...
After Mile 7, the wheels fell off. I was so very tired, very unmotivated and even bored. I tried to keep pushing, staying behind a group of 4 very chatty friends running together, a man and three women. They were my entertainment. But my breathing got worse and I felt out of gas. As soon as it became hard to keep up with them, I was discouraged too. I started walking hills and just told myself I was just going to have to get through it.
Mile 8- 11:37 (ug!)
Mile 9- 12:33
Mile 10- 13:08 (yikes!)
Mile 11- 12:01
Mile 12- 13:16 (survival...)
Mile 13- 13:15
.1- 9:24 pace...I was trying hard.
And that I did. I walked hills, took my last gel, hoped my IT bands would behave, and couldn't wait to be done. I walked a bit before the end where the race finished so that I could be sure I was running across the finish line :) A part of me hoped Casey, Greg, Elizabeth, Jannelle, Roman and David would be inside staying warm and I could slip across the finish line with no fanfare. My time was sooo horrible, it was embarrassing. But, with about 75 yards to go, Elizabeth's voice rang out through the very quiet parking lot: "GOOOOO STEPHANIEEEE!!!!!" I forgot that she is a cheerer! :) It was awesome. It didn't matter about my sucky running time. The enthusiasm I heard matched the enthusiasm I had in me despite the fact that my body couldn't produce it in running performance. It felt fantastic.
I crossed the line and then sat down, pretty exhausted. After half a banana and some questionable pancakes, we all reconvened for Skyline... YUM.
So...overall, I am very happy about my first 6 miles. My legs only hurt a little bit, for probably not even a mile, so that makes 2 runs in a row with no pain!! And my breathing and gait felt strong for those 6 miles. I'm not surprised I got tired when I did because I simply didn't train enough. Today I am extremely sore. My knees feel like they have thick fluid in them and ache. My ankle hurts (around mile 1 something popped and hurt for a while but ended up being ok, though maybe it's not). I think my quads are sore, but the pain in my knees and IT bands is trumping any muscle pain. Again: Soooo not prepared for this race. I had no business running it, but I'm glad I did. Something that crossed my mind while I was out there slogging along is how much I enjoy running well and doing well at it for myself. It makes me feel so confident and just me, if that makes any sense. It is hard to explain. There I was, barely running, feeling like crap, doing terribly...but somehow I was so happy and pleased with myself. There wasn't a negative thought, and I have been having so many of them lately. Some crazy running euphoria I guess. Maybe it was because I didn't have expectations and just still liked being out there? Or that this was bottom and all I can do from here now is go up? I don't know. Confusing.
Next up: recovering, then back to training, eating better, losing some weight, and finding some motivation (which I think this race performance helped to provide a start). The next half marathon will be lucky number 7, and I'm determined to break my 2:09:49 PR...maybe even by a lot.
Greg ran the 5K. Casey, Elizabeth and I ran the half. Saying I ran the half is a bit misleading. I ran about half of it and then went into survival mode :) Completed is accurate. I did finish.
I am very happy with my first 7 miles. I was clipping along around 10:30 pace, and it felt very easy...
Mile 1- 9:52
Mile 2- 10:34
Mile 3- 10:20
Mile 4- 10:28
Mile 5- 10:34
Mile 6- 10:19
Mile 7- 10:37...
After Mile 7, the wheels fell off. I was so very tired, very unmotivated and even bored. I tried to keep pushing, staying behind a group of 4 very chatty friends running together, a man and three women. They were my entertainment. But my breathing got worse and I felt out of gas. As soon as it became hard to keep up with them, I was discouraged too. I started walking hills and just told myself I was just going to have to get through it.
Mile 8- 11:37 (ug!)
Mile 9- 12:33
Mile 10- 13:08 (yikes!)
Mile 11- 12:01
Mile 12- 13:16 (survival...)
Mile 13- 13:15
.1- 9:24 pace...I was trying hard.
And that I did. I walked hills, took my last gel, hoped my IT bands would behave, and couldn't wait to be done. I walked a bit before the end where the race finished so that I could be sure I was running across the finish line :) A part of me hoped Casey, Greg, Elizabeth, Jannelle, Roman and David would be inside staying warm and I could slip across the finish line with no fanfare. My time was sooo horrible, it was embarrassing. But, with about 75 yards to go, Elizabeth's voice rang out through the very quiet parking lot: "GOOOOO STEPHANIEEEE!!!!!" I forgot that she is a cheerer! :) It was awesome. It didn't matter about my sucky running time. The enthusiasm I heard matched the enthusiasm I had in me despite the fact that my body couldn't produce it in running performance. It felt fantastic.
I crossed the line and then sat down, pretty exhausted. After half a banana and some questionable pancakes, we all reconvened for Skyline... YUM.
So...overall, I am very happy about my first 6 miles. My legs only hurt a little bit, for probably not even a mile, so that makes 2 runs in a row with no pain!! And my breathing and gait felt strong for those 6 miles. I'm not surprised I got tired when I did because I simply didn't train enough. Today I am extremely sore. My knees feel like they have thick fluid in them and ache. My ankle hurts (around mile 1 something popped and hurt for a while but ended up being ok, though maybe it's not). I think my quads are sore, but the pain in my knees and IT bands is trumping any muscle pain. Again: Soooo not prepared for this race. I had no business running it, but I'm glad I did. Something that crossed my mind while I was out there slogging along is how much I enjoy running well and doing well at it for myself. It makes me feel so confident and just me, if that makes any sense. It is hard to explain. There I was, barely running, feeling like crap, doing terribly...but somehow I was so happy and pleased with myself. There wasn't a negative thought, and I have been having so many of them lately. Some crazy running euphoria I guess. Maybe it was because I didn't have expectations and just still liked being out there? Or that this was bottom and all I can do from here now is go up? I don't know. Confusing.
Next up: recovering, then back to training, eating better, losing some weight, and finding some motivation (which I think this race performance helped to provide a start). The next half marathon will be lucky number 7, and I'm determined to break my 2:09:49 PR...maybe even by a lot.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Day 2 after running 13.1 miles, and I'm not as sore as I was yesterday - woohoo! I can get up now without having to stabilize myself for a few seconds.
A quick recap of the Pig Half:
• 2:33:something. Which is a slow pace. I didn't want to go that slow. It was a slower pace than I ran my marathon! That says a lot, lol.
• Felt great in the beginning. Got a bad side stitch mile 4 but I ran through it by grabbing my side and making what had to have been a pretty hilarious face.
• Fell apart on the hills; they wiped me out. But I'm not surprised, as I wasn't very well trained. I need a hill plan. Hills and me aren't friends right now. They bully me! I need to learn how to fight back ;)
• Races are a lot more fun when you are properly trained for them. While I was willing to have a suffer-fest, I just couldn't move any faster than a shuffle at times.
• I am very very very happy that my joints never hurt during this race or afterwords. My hips hurt afterwords, but that pain went away the next day. I am so thankful for this - it's a good sign. My IT band didn't hurt either, though it was sore to rub after the race. But it didn't make my knee hurt. All good stuff.
• I looked at this race as a really good workout, kicking off a new phase of training for some fun times ahead!
I put some race ideas/options in a tab up top, mostly 5Ks. Just have to see what people want to do! I love running with friends! And I have some goals for myself this summer.
A quick recap of the Pig Half:
• 2:33:something. Which is a slow pace. I didn't want to go that slow. It was a slower pace than I ran my marathon! That says a lot, lol.
• Felt great in the beginning. Got a bad side stitch mile 4 but I ran through it by grabbing my side and making what had to have been a pretty hilarious face.
• Fell apart on the hills; they wiped me out. But I'm not surprised, as I wasn't very well trained. I need a hill plan. Hills and me aren't friends right now. They bully me! I need to learn how to fight back ;)
• Races are a lot more fun when you are properly trained for them. While I was willing to have a suffer-fest, I just couldn't move any faster than a shuffle at times.
• I am very very very happy that my joints never hurt during this race or afterwords. My hips hurt afterwords, but that pain went away the next day. I am so thankful for this - it's a good sign. My IT band didn't hurt either, though it was sore to rub after the race. But it didn't make my knee hurt. All good stuff.
• I looked at this race as a really good workout, kicking off a new phase of training for some fun times ahead!
I put some race ideas/options in a tab up top, mostly 5Ks. Just have to see what people want to do! I love running with friends! And I have some goals for myself this summer.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Asha for Education 5K
Official Time: 29:25, a 9:30 min per mile.
It was a humid morning. The sun was hot. Casey and I warmed up, which I am very glad happened. But my legs still started in a bad state. The first mile felt very smooth and I was trying to settle into a breathing pattern. The first mile went by in 8:45, which I was happy with...but it was awfully difficult. I was trying to ignore my stiff legs which were hurting pretty bad. My shins were yelling at me. Everything was tight for some reason. The course wound its way through the park, and each elevation change was painful, especially the downhills. I knew I was slowing down and urged Casey to go on, because it was getting pretty ugly for me. There was a pretty significant downhill before we turned to go up hill and head back to Mason-Montgomery Road. I winced in pain with each foot strike. Damn legs!
After passing the two mile marker, I slowly realized I only had a mile left! As painful of a race as it was, it was flying by pretty quickly. We were climbing a long hill that really wasn't that steep, but for me that day, it was pretty bad. I saw a woman on the hill walk. Then she started running very slowly again and I passed her. I decided I wasn't going to let her pass me back. This became the goal for the remainder of the race. I figured since it was sucking so bad, at least I could maybe "race" someone and have some fun that way. I heard her breathing behind me – it was just as erratic and awful sounding as my gasps. I'd hear her close the gap and would speed up a little. I hoped she didn't have too much left in her because if she decided to start really running, I didn't think I could go much faster than I was going.
In the last .25 miles, she started her kick. We rounded a corner and I saw her shadow. Crap! I started the slow communication process with my legs to go faster, and they finally started moving a bit. I was pretending that Casey and I were running the usual Wednesday morning route and were doing the final push. It hurts, but I can always do it. She and I were side by side for a moment, but I managed to somehow stay right in front of her. It felt like a LONG push. I thought I was going to puke. I crossed the line 2 seconds before her, according to the race results. I don't know how much she cared about it, but I was very glad to have beaten her. Even though I didn't run as fast as I had wanted to, that was a very fun way to end it. And now that I think about it, I've never done that before – "raced" someone across the line.
Overall, I'm disappointed with my time. But it was hot, and hillier than I thought it would be. We'll see what the next race course has in store for us...and I would really like to come close to my PR of 26:36. I think I might start doing Yasso 800s at track again. Even though those are used for marathon training, I think the long pushing is really beneficial for me and my breathing. It always seems to be more about my breathing than my legs.
It was a humid morning. The sun was hot. Casey and I warmed up, which I am very glad happened. But my legs still started in a bad state. The first mile felt very smooth and I was trying to settle into a breathing pattern. The first mile went by in 8:45, which I was happy with...but it was awfully difficult. I was trying to ignore my stiff legs which were hurting pretty bad. My shins were yelling at me. Everything was tight for some reason. The course wound its way through the park, and each elevation change was painful, especially the downhills. I knew I was slowing down and urged Casey to go on, because it was getting pretty ugly for me. There was a pretty significant downhill before we turned to go up hill and head back to Mason-Montgomery Road. I winced in pain with each foot strike. Damn legs!
After passing the two mile marker, I slowly realized I only had a mile left! As painful of a race as it was, it was flying by pretty quickly. We were climbing a long hill that really wasn't that steep, but for me that day, it was pretty bad. I saw a woman on the hill walk. Then she started running very slowly again and I passed her. I decided I wasn't going to let her pass me back. This became the goal for the remainder of the race. I figured since it was sucking so bad, at least I could maybe "race" someone and have some fun that way. I heard her breathing behind me – it was just as erratic and awful sounding as my gasps. I'd hear her close the gap and would speed up a little. I hoped she didn't have too much left in her because if she decided to start really running, I didn't think I could go much faster than I was going.
In the last .25 miles, she started her kick. We rounded a corner and I saw her shadow. Crap! I started the slow communication process with my legs to go faster, and they finally started moving a bit. I was pretending that Casey and I were running the usual Wednesday morning route and were doing the final push. It hurts, but I can always do it. She and I were side by side for a moment, but I managed to somehow stay right in front of her. It felt like a LONG push. I thought I was going to puke. I crossed the line 2 seconds before her, according to the race results. I don't know how much she cared about it, but I was very glad to have beaten her. Even though I didn't run as fast as I had wanted to, that was a very fun way to end it. And now that I think about it, I've never done that before – "raced" someone across the line.
Overall, I'm disappointed with my time. But it was hot, and hillier than I thought it would be. We'll see what the next race course has in store for us...and I would really like to come close to my PR of 26:36. I think I might start doing Yasso 800s at track again. Even though those are used for marathon training, I think the long pushing is really beneficial for me and my breathing. It always seems to be more about my breathing than my legs.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Caesar Creek Duathlon
Unofficial results from Greg's stopwatch:
5K Run1: 30:22 --- 9:48 min/mile
T1: 1:49
22K (13.6 miles) Bike: 50:22 ---- 16.22 mph average
T2: 1:46
Run2: 34:27 --- 11:07 min/mile (WTF!)
Overall, it was a very fun day, made incredibly wonderful by spectating friends!!!!
However, after everything from the race has sunk in, I've found myself pretty disappointed with how I did. I guess it was just one of those days where my body rejected me trying to convince it to go any faster or harder. But that always leaves you feeling bummed when there isn't really a clear explanation for the performance. I know I can't make a direct comparison of this race to the Tri for Joe because the courses were a lot different. But still - I should have done way better on the runs, at least the first one. I don't know why I didn't. If the very hilly bike course shredded my legs for the second one, fine. But 9:48 min miles for the first 5K?!? When I felt like I was pushing at a race pace?? I don't get it.
I suppose I'm satisfied with the bike portion. I checked my clock a lot and was usually going 18 - 20 mph on flats. There weren't many flats though. According to my computer, my top speed down hills was 35 mph and I know that up the long climbs I was going as slow as 5 mph, usually 8 or 10 on the shorter climbs. It was a very challenging bike ride. Aside from the overall feeling that it just wasn't my day while I was out there, I'm ok with it. If I did indeed average 16 mph on such a hilly course, then that is an improvement compared to my du's of previous years.
The last run. Awful. It became a "just get through this" kind of run. I'm very bummed that I never felt happy with how I was doing.
I don't mean to sound negative - just being honest with how it's all shaken out of me. As I mentioned, overall the day was great! I still had a lot of fun out there. It is just more fun when I feel like I'm doing well and see that I'm doing well when I look at the numbers on my watch. I always learn something from these races. I think today I learned that it is a whole different kind of race when you have pressure on yourself. When I've done duathlons in the past, it was really just for fun and to see how I would do. Now that I did the Tri for Joe and saw the biggest improvement for myself ever, with a 5K PR to boot, "racing" feels different.
Going forward... here's where this wonderful blog comes into play with some accountability and perhaps motivation. I need to work harder. Period. I would like to start seeing some improvements: weight loss, strength, speed, etc. I know that I am going to have to work harder to get any of that.
5K Run1: 30:22 --- 9:48 min/mile
T1: 1:49
22K (13.6 miles) Bike: 50:22 ---- 16.22 mph average
T2: 1:46
Run2: 34:27 --- 11:07 min/mile (WTF!)
Overall, it was a very fun day, made incredibly wonderful by spectating friends!!!!
However, after everything from the race has sunk in, I've found myself pretty disappointed with how I did. I guess it was just one of those days where my body rejected me trying to convince it to go any faster or harder. But that always leaves you feeling bummed when there isn't really a clear explanation for the performance. I know I can't make a direct comparison of this race to the Tri for Joe because the courses were a lot different. But still - I should have done way better on the runs, at least the first one. I don't know why I didn't. If the very hilly bike course shredded my legs for the second one, fine. But 9:48 min miles for the first 5K?!? When I felt like I was pushing at a race pace?? I don't get it.
I suppose I'm satisfied with the bike portion. I checked my clock a lot and was usually going 18 - 20 mph on flats. There weren't many flats though. According to my computer, my top speed down hills was 35 mph and I know that up the long climbs I was going as slow as 5 mph, usually 8 or 10 on the shorter climbs. It was a very challenging bike ride. Aside from the overall feeling that it just wasn't my day while I was out there, I'm ok with it. If I did indeed average 16 mph on such a hilly course, then that is an improvement compared to my du's of previous years.
The last run. Awful. It became a "just get through this" kind of run. I'm very bummed that I never felt happy with how I was doing.
I don't mean to sound negative - just being honest with how it's all shaken out of me. As I mentioned, overall the day was great! I still had a lot of fun out there. It is just more fun when I feel like I'm doing well and see that I'm doing well when I look at the numbers on my watch. I always learn something from these races. I think today I learned that it is a whole different kind of race when you have pressure on yourself. When I've done duathlons in the past, it was really just for fun and to see how I would do. Now that I did the Tri for Joe and saw the biggest improvement for myself ever, with a 5K PR to boot, "racing" feels different.
Going forward... here's where this wonderful blog comes into play with some accountability and perhaps motivation. I need to work harder. Period. I would like to start seeing some improvements: weight loss, strength, speed, etc. I know that I am going to have to work harder to get any of that.
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