Weekend Bling Report
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My second ever overall win, today, in a local 5k. I assumed I'd win my age group (50+), but no real fast guys showed up. Took home an embarrassing amount of hardware. Mug for the 50-55 age group win, a plaque for the masters win, and a pretty large "trophy" for the overall win. All that for only 18 flat.6
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1st Half Marathon Race Report (Very long...)
On October 1st, I ran my 1st Half Marathon…the Clark Gardens, “I’m Only Half Crazy” Half Marathon. It was perfect weather, sunny and temps starting in the 50’s. Part of the race was on country roads and part was on crushed limestone trail. After they blew the horn, I was so excited to race. I was running in my 1st HM, paying attention to my time so I didn’t start too fast out of the gate, Don’t Stop Believing by Journey was playing, and I was almost brought to tears of happiness, but no time for that…I had a race to run!
The following were a few interesting things along the way:- A guy was actually “drafting” me?!? Never saw his face, and I only knew it was a guy by his shadow, but he stayed right behind me from somewhere around Mile 1 until I kicked it up a notch after completing 4 miles. It was a bit irritating, and when Bodies by Disturbed came on, I imagined his body hitting the floor. LOL
- Running through the countryside means you’ll see some animals from barking dogs to horses checking you out as you go by. My faves were the goat herd that wanted to greet us and a very cute llama.
- The volunteers at the aid stations were wonderful, cheering on the runners with cowbells and of course offering water and Gatorade. Their excitement made me happy and brought a smile to my face. Thanks to all who volunteered!
- Keeping your pace early is important. I’m sure this is what allowed me to pick off 3 ladies who were ahead of me.
- "Chunking" hills definitely helped and I also used a 2 x 2 breathing rhythm going up. However, I need work in this department. I recently found a nearby neighborhood with lots of them, so I’m going to start running there more often and adding in some hill repeats. On a good note, I’m great at going downhill, and used them to pass up a few fellow racers. There was a bridge over an overpass that we had to cross 2x around 11 to 12 mile marks. The hill on that bridge seemed worse than much bigger hills earlier on. It looked pretty wimpy on an elevation chart, but was super challenging in real life.
- I was happy and loving every minute of that race until about 12.6 miles. I just had a half mile to go, but that sure was the toughest part of the race for me. I had picked off 1 last lady between 12 to 12.5 miles. That was tough, but glad I was able to pull that off. After 12.6 miles, it took everything in my will power to keep my legs going, and not throw up!!
I was so happy to see my son and husband near the finish line, cheering me on. My husband said he could tell I gave it my all, and I definitely did.
I know you aren’t supposed to set goals for your 1st race, but I’m a competitive person so I kinda broke that rule. Based on past races, I wanted to finish within 1 hour 50 minutes. So, my intent was to run the 1st 4 miles slowest, the next 4 faster, the final 4 even faster, with the fastest being over the last 1.1 miles. I knew there were some hills in the 1st half of the race though.
Miles 1 – 4: 8.14
Miles 5 – 8: 8.17 (Mile 8 was my slowest with an 8:28 avg pace.)
Miles 9 – 12: 8.09
Mile 13: 8:20
895 feet: 7:36
Overall, I came in 15th out of 140 Racers, I came in 5th for all Females, and I won 2nd Place for my Age Group!! I wanted to finish in 1:50:00 and I came in at 1:48:21 with an 8:16 avg pace, so I’m super happy with my results. After the race was over and my stomach calmed down, we enjoyed live music while snacking and drinking free beer. Not just 1 free beer either. I enjoyed several Dos Equis! I wasn’t driving so it was all good. I received a finisher’s medal, and for coming in 2nd in my age group, I received a red ribbon and a tree sapling (that I hopefully won’t kill.)
Now that I finished my 1st Half Marathon, I officially registered for my 1st marathon in February 2017. I have another HM in December that's scheduled into my marathon training plan. Hoping for good weather at both of these. You just never know what you'll get that time of year.
Pre-Race Sunrise
Getting ready to line up!
And they're off!! Can you tell how happy I am? LOL
Run Lisa Run!
Yes, I really do run for beer!
Me and my Race Bling:
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My bling report:
Both races are local
Carrboro 10K (Saturday, October 1st):
This is part of a race series called Le Tour de Carrboro (which calls itself the Paris of the Piedmont). I ran the 4-miler in this series back on July 4th.
I had one simple goal for the 10K; to run at 8:00/mile. Not faster (or even much faster) and certainly not slower than 8:02/mile. Why? To use the time as a corral qualifier in a race in April 2017. In my current race history, it would be a PR for me (when I was younger, I could run the 10K in a little under 43 minutes and 48-49 minutes was a walk in the park...but it was also when I was in my 20's, nearly 40 years ago).
The weather was cool and foggy (100% humidity), so it did present a bit of a cooling challenge during the run. The air was cool, but the high humidity meant that it was harder for the sweat to evaporate. It is also a relatively flat course in this area with lots of hills. So, just after 8:00 AM, the race started under a misty sky.
My time was 49:40 (gun time, no net chip time in this race). That time rounds up to 8:00/mile. When I came around the final turn on the track where the race ended, I could see the time was just passing through 49:35 and I ran just a little faster to cross the line. I felt good and not particularly tired. I chose not to run faster because I had a half-marathon to run early the next morning with a different set of goals.
I was 77th out of 405 overall. In my age group of "old geezers," there are some very fast people. My neighbor won the age group at a 7:00/mile pace. I was only 6th out of 14.
Inaugural Historic Hillsborough Half-Marathon (Sunday, October 2nd)
First off, as an inaugural race, this one was very well executed. The race started at 7:00 AM, just before local sunrise under partly cloudy skies. It was cool with the temperature in the mid-50's. We had a little sun at sunrise and then a layer of low clouds and fog moved in.
About half of this race was run along the River Walk which has been built along the Eno River. Portions are asphalt and portions are sand and gravel base. The other half was on roadways. I know the town and so the first climb through the historic district was not "unexpected" having driven through and walked through these neighborhoods over the past couple of decades. Although not the worst set of hills, the first series of climbs and drops from the river can be challenging. The total elevation gain was over 700 feet over the course of the race in three distinct climbs. The long climb from mile 4 to mile 6 was tough not so much for its elevation gain as it was its length. Active management of pace, breathing, foot placement and running the tangents were all necessary to successfully run that section. When I made the turnaround at mile-6 and saw the people running (or struggling to run) up that long grade I realized how well my training has helped. I haven't done specific hill training (e.g., hill repeats), but I have the hilly terrain to run all the time.
My goal for this race was to run at marathon pace, not half-marathon pace, on a course that has much more hill climbing than the marathon I am running in a couple of weeks. That range of pace is somewhere between 8:45/mile and 9:15/mile depending upon conditions. Since I had managed my pace the day before, I was running on legs that weren't feeling tired. I found that I was running a bit faster in the starting crowd and carefully dialed the pace back by the time I was half-mile in. This is what the practice was all about. Some of these people I would pass later in the race.
My slowest mile was mile-4 in one of the steeper climbs (9:10) and my fastest was on mile 8 (8:18) on the return downhill from the out-and-back portion of the course. My overall pace was 8:51/mile for a time of 1:56:03 (a new PR). Note that based upon my managed 10K pace, McMillan predicts my MP at 8:54/mile. It also says that theoretically I could run the half-marathon in 1:50:43.
From about mile-9 through mile-12 there was a group of four of us that were running single file down the narrowest portion of the trail. When we entered the narrow portion we were probably spread out over a 30 meter distance. We closed to about a 10-15 meter range and ran together over the old Occoneechee Raceway. I don't know why that mile shows up as the second slowest (9:07, though there was a slight climb out of the old race track), but I figure it was due to the fact that we were just running as a mini-pack and the person in the lead slowed slightly.
Back out to the same narrow path we had just run with 1.1 miles to go, the pace picked up progressively towards the finish. It was tough passing because now the bulk of the runners were coming directly at us. However, I went from the back of the group of four to the front and this running pack broke apart. I was accelerating and passing where I could. I could see other groups in front of me through the trees. When I approached the corner at the mile-13 marker, I was running alone. Another little group in front of me had disappeared through the s-turns at the finish area. They all finished within one-second of each other but I couldn't see that. The person in front of me also disappeared around the turns. He finished 11-seconds in front of me. The footsteps I heard behind me with about 600 meters to go fell behind me as I gradually accelerated away. I just reminded myself that this was just like any 800m VO2 max repeat I had run on most Tuesdays. I know my close-out pace is about 7:10-7:15/mile and I just let my stride float to this level.
I crossed the line with a time of 1:56:03, was 130th out of 396 and second in my age group out of 7. The guy who won the age group is a triathlete and he crossed the line about 19 minutes in front of me. The guy who was behind me for third in my age group finished in 2:03:11.
In addition to the finishers medal, I received the trophy pictured. It is an aluminum rendering of the clock tower of the courthouse in Hillsborough with the 7:00 start time (Hillsborough is the county seat for Orange County). It has a unusual looking perspective in the picture, but it is rendered as if looking up from the ground level towards the clock.
I feel really good. No injuries except chafed nipples, which held up until the last mile. Fortunately, I had a dry long sleeve shirt in my car that I could change into after the race. The hamstring muscle which was giving me a little twinge has been sufficiently rolled out and it didn't bother me at all during or after the race.
Now, it is on to Venice.
In theory, I could BQ that race if I could sustain the pace I just ran the half-marathon (which was a very dialed back pace). I don't have any illusions about commitment to doing that because I see this as a "sightseeing" race.
Finish by gsaun039, on Flickr
IMAG0014 by gsaun039, on Flickr 5 -
Thanks for the report @STrooper ! Great races. I feel sorry for you guy runners, having to deal with nipple chafing. I just get blisters on my toes, but they aren't the painful kind.0
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@BeeerRunner Great report and race. The dude who was drafting you was probably using you as a pace buddy.
I do that if I find someone going along at my pace or just a smidge above it.
But I usually do it from a "respectful" 20-40 ft back so that I am not in the draft or in "dirty old man" chasing.
I call it keeping the shoes in sight.
Love that you run for beer.
To prevent Nipple Chafing I use a strip of KT tape cut in half and strategically placed in an X pattern.2 -
@juliet3455 ... First of all, thank you! Yeah... the drafter was running annoyingly close. I don't run that close unless I'm about to pass. There were times when I'd cross from the right side of the road to the left and back again either due to slope or shade, and he'd follow right along with me. It was like a game of Follow the Leader. I thought it was kind of humorous yet kind of annoying. Lol!0
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Race Report: Maine Marathon, 10/2/2016
I went into the race generally feeling good, but with the usual nagging mental concerns. Did you train enough? Do enough speedwork? Are you nuts…four years ago you couldn’t run a 5K at the pace you expect to run this! A few physical ones…lower back sore on-and-off (mostly off since discovering a trigger point and dealing with it) and the once-in-a-while left foot soreness with some swelling on top. It comes and goes, but has not stopped me from training. Right upper hamstring popped while stretching about 8 weeks ago. It hurt to sit on but had no impact on running. It has pretty much faded away.
I knew the distance base was good. Over the summer I started from a typical weekly long run of 12-15 miles (+/- 40 MPW) and ran an 18 miler. Two weeks later, 21. Two weeks after that, a 24. Caught in a heavy thunderstorm around mile 16 but gutted it out. For speedwork I did several weeks of Yasso 800s every other week, alternating with the long runs. I like the Yassos and will plan to do that again in the future. I was careful to work in enough rest as a concession to aging if nothing else. Then a three week taper from a peak of 50+ MPW. This was to be marathon number two. The first was here at Maine as well...in 1993.
Race morning (Sunday, October 2, 2016) was overcast and chilly. The hourly forecast called for no rain until at least noon. Fifty degrees…pretty decent for a 0745 start. I elected to wear my short sleeve Maine Track Club (“Run with a Friend”) tee shirt with a pair of throwaway gloves (note: foreshadowing).
Got to the start area just before 0700 and was able to use the porta-pottie before the lines formed. And I was able to sneak back in at 0730 with no more than a minute’s wait.
Chatted with some folks at the starting line…the major topic seemed to be runners doing back-to-back marathons (NH Marathon 10/1, Maine 10/2). Incredible. Also had the usual discussions about my Vibram 5Fingers. (Yes, I like them. Yes, I wear them all the time. No, they may not work for everyone but they work for me.) I did notice some people eyeing me a bit oddly. It started to make sense when after a comment or two I realized that since I was issued race bib number 12 some folks probably were trying to figure out if they should recognize me. No, sorry, not an elite runner, just a guy who registered shortly after registration opened. I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night either…it was a Super 8.
Started to feel a bit cold but knew once we got moving it would be fine.
The cannon fired at 0747 and we were off to Yarmouth.
I planned to start at an 8:10-8:15 pace. Was able to do it but I noticed my lower legs felt very stiff and I realized that standing around in the cold had stiffened them up. I could tell they were loosening so I didn’t worry too much about it.
Had to hold back a bit as I didn’t want to get dragged along faster than I intended. Around the 1M mark, I noticed a fair amount of laughter and chatter behind me. Then I was passed by a dude in a penguin suit. He was waddling along at about an 8:00 pace. Great…all these years and I still can’t run faster than Penguin Man.
Settled in at +/-8:10 pace for a few miles. Tossed the throwaway gloves around mile 4.
Around mile 7 the alarm bells went off…the “Tom, you have to pee” bells. Damn. Zipped off course into the woods and took care of it. Too much race left to try to hold on. Did not pause the Garmin.
Around mile 10 the runners had thinned (half-marathoners turn around at mile 7) and a guy came up behind me. He said he had been right there since the start and we were running at the same pace. We struck up a conversation for a mile or so. He had run Maine 14 times. I mentioned that I was starting to feel a bit cold, and he said I would feel better after the turnaround. I remember thinking, “I hope so.” Then…as we talked…the alarm bells again. Only this time it wasn’t the “you have to pee” alarm. It was the big one…or actually 2. Quick mental gymnastics…can I gut this out? Shortly it became clear the answer was no. Had to let my new friend in on the secret and started looking for a port-a-pottie. Found one shortly thereafter and said goodbye. I regret not catching his number so I could look him up later. Climbed in the port-a-pottie and resolved problem number 2. That’s when I knew a BQ was not happening today…but I was strangely OK with that.
The overcast had turned to a heavy mist. Started to notice I was pretty wet. Then the chill set in. My hands were very cold and I regretted not hanging onto the gloves for a while longer. No wind to speak of.
Mentally things were OK but the cold was starting to bother me. Never got to the point of shivering but I was close.
Hit the turnaround at halfway/13.1M and almost immediately started to feel better both physically and mentally. I think the change of direction helped…although I didn’t notice any wind it because obvious that there was a slight headwind going out and it now was a tailwind. Started to feel a bit warmer. It was also a big mental boost. I heard the timing chip beep as I crossed the mat.
Mile 15 and the alarm went off…time to pee again. At least on the return I knew where to expect the port-a-potties. Jeez.
Mile 20…one more alarm. WTF?!? Power of suggestion? At least at this point I had pretty much thrown any time goals out the window, although I felt much better than I expected to at this point.
At mile 21 there was a marathon relay hand-off point. I had stayed as far away from those as I could figuring I didn’t want to get hung up in traffic. As I approached this one I thought I saw a friendly face wearing a reflective vest and working the transition …sure enough it was a local man who organizes many local races. He looked up in time to see me and I got a “Go, Tom!” along with a high five. I had seen him the weekend before when I ran in one of his 5Ks just to get some miles in. (Southern Maine locals…it was Bob Randall). It was a nice pick-me-up.
As the mile markers went by I found myself smiling a bit. As they did I knew this was going to happen. I was pleasantly surprised with how fast they seemed to come up on me after about mile 17. I was even more surprised that I felt like I still had a lot of energy and there would be no death march to the finish. Leaned into it a bit and tried to pick up the pace a little after the 21M marker. By this point we had rejoined the half-marathon course so I was very familiar with it. We were also returning to civilization as we moved from the more residential areas toward downtown Portland.
I had worked on a plan during my long runs to have a light breakfast (cup of nonfat Greek yogurt) about 60-90 minutes prior to heading out. That seemed to work well. It was combined with a Gu at various intervals. I settled on a Gu at 10M, 15M, and 20M for the last long run. That seemed to work so I decided to go with 10M, 15M 19M, and 22M during the race. (FYI…a Jet Blackberry first, then two Chocolate Outrage and a Peanut Butter). Water…is an issue. I generally don’t drink water during a run until it gets over 15M or so. But I stashed water on the long routes beyond that and would drink most of 12 ounces at a time. That worked out OK, but I knew during the race they would be giving out small paper cups of water worth no more than a gulp or so. I made the decision to hit every other water stop and try to get at least some in me. I slowed pretty much to a walk to make sure and that seemed to work well.
Around mile 22 I caught up with a fellow Beast Pacer who was running a leg of the marathon relay. We were able to talk for a while and she gave me a bit of a pep talk, noting that I still looked strong and she had followed my training on Strava and knew I was ready. It was nice to hear. I lost her at a water stop.
Mile 23 went by…I did a quick body scan and noticed my legs still felt pretty good. My feet were starting to feel it, and my lower back was sore. I could clear that up by adjusting my lean a bit, which I did.
Mile 24 and into Payson Park. It was in Payson Park that my pace picked up enough so that I abandoned my rhythmic breathing technique. I knew I could make it from here even if I had to crawl. Starting to smell the barn. Starting to rack up some kills. (For the uninitiated, a “kill” is when you pass another runner. Also known as “going fishing”—reeling them in.) Broke into a smile at the right turn onto Baxter Boulevard for two reasons. The first…it’s the last turn on the course. Just a quick jaunt along Back Cove to the finish, which I have done many times before, including several runs this summer on the Back Cove Trail. The second…one of the runners I passed on the turn was the guy in the penguin suit. I. KILLED. PENGUIN MAN. I almost laughed out loud.
Baxter Boulevard has a pretty severe cant to it. I tried to stay toward the middle and at the same time run the tangents as best I could. I looked at my Garmin and tried to do some math in my head. If I pushed it appeared I could break 3:50. Hammer down. Legs still feel OK.
As I concentrated on maintaining my line and passing people (there were also early start half-marathoners walking the course) I became aware of an increase in the ambient noise level. I realized the finish was right around the corner. Couldn’t help but smile…and I had the presence of mind to wipe the drool off my chin as the photographers were lining the course. I did notice one of them seemed far out into the middle of the road…that would be my wife.
I think I heard the race announcer mention me as I approached the chute. I crossed the line and heard the timing system beep to register my finish. Hit stop on my Garmin.
Chip time 3:50:07. Damn those pee breaks. Gun time 3:50:23. Overall place 197/728. All Men 143/383. Age group 17/43. Pace 8:47/Mile. But...3:46:24 without the bathroom breaks. Grrrr. I really was able to drop the hammer in the last few miles…last 2.5 miles at a pace of 8:22, 8:22, 7:35.
Another quick body scan in the chute…still all systems go. No acute pain, just overall tiredness. A volunteer said “congratulations” and put the finisher’s medal around my neck. I thought I was hallucinating as it was blinking at me. No, it actually was. The medal design includes a lighthouse and the light actually works. Cool.
Then I did something I’ve never done before…another volunteer offered me a Mylar space blanket and I took it. I’ve never actually used one before. I immediately felt warmer. Another offered me a bottle of water. I couldn’t open it. That’s when I realized my fingers were stiff and numb from the cold. I handed it back and asked her to open it which she did.
Kept moving and left the chute. Katja caught up to me at that point and I got a hug…which was great for a number of reasons but not the least of which was because she was warm.
Did a bit of walking around the finish, and got a few slices of pizza. That tasted really good. Unfortunately the coffee was gone.
Walked to the parking garage to my truck and then across the street to the USM gym for a shower. That hot shower may have been the best thing EVAH. Brought me right back to life. And, no chafage.
Positives:
• Long runs/strength training seem to be on point, endurance was not an issue.
• Fueling strategy worked. No bonking and fast finish.
Areas for improvement:
• More speedwork
• Resolve the bathroom issue
• Dress for the weather
A good learning experience. Now, on to recovery…
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3u5FWs772rTM01FNFdVa05sU00/view?usp=sharing3 -
I ran the Chicago Marathon yesterday and just squeaked under 3 hours with a time of 2:59:41. It was a great race with fantastic fall weather. The course is just as flat as promised! Chicago also has the American Development program which I got to be part of (women need to submit a time of less than 3:01). We had our own heated tent with amenities, plenty of bathrooms, and a gated off area to warm up. We share the warm up area with the elites. I was blown away as a group of Kenyans ran towards me warming up. I saw so many elites! We then get escorted to our corral right before the race--no standing around forever in the cold! There were some rules such as only our gun time counted (no chip time) and lots of instructions to stay away from the elites and media coverage (I think this was directed to the men in the program and the women elites)!
I finished 87th woman overall and 9th in my division. I should have PR'd but got lazy toward the end.
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@Wendy98 Congrats on your sub 3 performance at Chicago. Sounds like a great race. Your race times never cease to amaze me. Awesome job!
Yesterday was a perfect day for racing here in Ohio as well. I ran the Dayton River Corridor Classic. I thought I could PR (previous PR was 1:43:56), but I thought that my goal of sub 1:40 was not going to happen because I had been having some hamstring issues which resulted in a series of crappy training runs over the last several weeks. But the race went well and with 2 miles left I was on target to hit right around the 1:40 mark. The last two miles may have been one of the toughest efforts I have had to put forth in a race, but I kept running as fast as I was able and managed to sneak in just under the mark with only 2 seconds to spare. Official chip time was 1:39:58, which earned me 9th female overall and 2nd in age group. I was super happy with that, especially knowing that I gave it all that I had.4 -
lporter229 wrote: »@Wendy98 Congrats on your sub 3 performance at Chicago. Sounds like a great race. Your race times never cease to amaze me. Awesome job!
Yesterday was a perfect day for racing here in Ohio as well. I ran the Dayton River Corridor Classic. I thought I could PR (previous PR was 1:43:56), but I thought that my goal of sub 1:40 was not going to happen because I had been having some hamstring issues which resulted in a series of crappy training runs over the last several weeks. But the race went well and with 2 miles left I was on target to hit right around the 1:40 mark. The last two miles may have been one of the toughest efforts I have had to put forth in a race, but I kept running as fast as I was able and managed to sneak in just under the mark with only 2 seconds to spare. Official chip time was 1:39:58, which earned me 9th female overall and 2nd in age group. I was super happy with that, especially knowing that I gave it all that I had.
Congrats on a fantastic race! Way to push at the end when that is the hardest time to dig deep. We hit the race weather lottery this weekend! My friend did Portland marathon yesterday and my cousin did a 15k in upstate New York. Both had cold, rainy, miserable conditions!2 -
Great race @Wendy98. I am in awe of your time. Fantastic performance. You look great too!
@lporter229 awesome job as well!
I also had great weather for my HM on Sunday. Nowhere near top of any kind of division, but I finished under my personal goal and had a great time (except for the last about 1.5 miles which was not what I'd call fun, but I did it!)
Bling!
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I ran the Hokie Half Marathon in Blacksburg, VA on October 9. This was my second half marathon, and a "bucket list" race for me as a Virginia Tech alum. I was really worried about the weather since this was the weekend of Hurricane Matthew. Fortunately, we were far enough from the storm that we only got light rain on Saturday, and it stopped before the race on Sunday morning. The weather was clear and cool, about 45 degrees at the starting line and warming up to about 60 degrees by the time I finished. I was worried about dressing for the weather, but I wore a tank top and my warm weather capris, and was comfortable for most of the race.
In my first half marathon, I made it 9 miles before needing a walk break, and I finished in 3:06. So my goals for this race were to finish without any walk breaks, and to finish in under 3 hours. The race started at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center. We were on roads for the first 5k as we took Route 460 to the mall in Christiansburg, the next town over. There was a small group of spectators in the mall parking lot. Behind the mall, we turned onto the Huckleberry Trail, which follows a former rail route used to transport coal from southwestern Virginia. I maintained about a 10:50 pace for the first 10k, which was faster than my previous 10k PR of 11:11 min/mi.
We followed the Huckleberry for its full six miles (plus a detour for construction) back into downtown Blacksburg. The trail had a few rolling hills, but I didn't find it too difficult, and the route was beautiful. I finished a packet of orange Probar Bolt chews and picked up a strawberry banana Gu at the mile 8 aid station, which I ate later in the race. I appreciated that they provided no caffeine Gu for folks like me who don't handle caffeine well. (After the race, I realized that I was used to eating for a much slower pace, and might not have needed the Gu--oh well!)
The route took us through neighborhood streets in Blacksburg before turning onto South Main at mile 11.5. That was nice for about half a mile, until the steep hill at mile 12. At this point, though, I was so close to finishing and so determined not to walk that I plodded up the hill at barely more than a walking speed. This was by far the hardest part of the race, and the weather was getting warmer. I felt nauseous from the exertion, but I made it up the hill! The rest of the route was all downhill.
I finished in 2:39:02, 26 minutes faster than my previous half marathon time. I had definitely known I was on track to finish with a big PR, but I hadn't realized how much I had improved over the summer. Weight loss probably helped as well--I'm about 10 pounds lighter than I was in my last race (though still 15 pounds from my goal weight) My legs started to cramp badly almost as soon as I finished the race, which rarely happens to me, but I was able to walk/stretch it out. There was chili at the finish line, as well as sweet Hokie Bird medals to make all of my fellow alumni jealous.
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katharmonic wrote: »@juliet3455 - you are a crazy person! Sounds like you had a great time on a seriously insane course.
@katharmonic I am over a month behind in replying to your comment about my Roots and Ruts race on September 23. Where I said Race Report -
10km Roots and Ruts Trail Race. On some Deliciously Insane - Muddy - Swampy - Narrow Single Track. Yea I had Fun - even though I did not have a spectacular run.
After the race I went to a Local Café that sells a small collection of Cards made by Local Autistic children in one of the programs they have. Added a few Personal Notes of Thanks to the Race Director and Volunteers for being brave enough to Host-Organize such a unique and awesome event.0 -
I ran my first 10K race today! After 2 previous 5Ks with 3rd place group finishes, I was spent the last 4 month training for this and hoping to place in my group (male40-44) again. It was clear, 55 degrees and zero wind. Perfect conditions. I got up at 5:30 and began stretching and ate a light carb breakfast, had some coffee and some tylenol and some some more stretching. I did the 1mile fun run as a warm-up.
At race time I was bouncing and ready to get going. I had the MapMyRun app going to keep tabs on my pace. My plan was to run about 10 for the first mile, 9:30 for the second and then sub 9's for the last 4 to finish the race in 57:00 or less. First mile I was right on track, second mile I was running a little slow so I picked up the pace. Unfortunately my app crash on me after mile 3, but my wife (who was tracking me on the app) said I was at 8:53 average when it stopped. Mile 3 is when the hills began kicking my butt. I kept pushing and refused to walk. The last half mile was downhill (of course after running up it!) so I pushed it all out at the end. I was happy with the effort, I honestly don't think I could have given it more than I did. My legs were rubber as soon as I finished the raced and stopped.
It was worth the effort! I didn't hit my goal of 57:00 but I did finish at 57:37. The only people who beat my time were the high school track team (and I still beat 2 of them). I think the first couple kids needed to be checked for hidden rockets, they finished in 34 minutes! I finished 1st for my age group and 8th over all, so I'm happy.
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Inaugural 7 Peaks & 7 Pubs Challenge. A Brief re-cap of my previous post. Then a long Winded post with pics.
No official time clock, No bibs, No medals, No tech T-shirt, No Aid Stations, No official mapped route ( I know a few x-country shortcuts) just a local challenge.
Starting from the Java Domain Cafe We plan on doing all Seven Hills that are in town and then hit all 7 pubs - after the run. Estimated distance 37.5 km - just shy of a Marathon - but when you add in the effort of the hills its more like a mini-ultra. I have a feeling I would be walking the last 2 or 3 hills. We have 2 rabbits in our club ( 3:10 Marathon ) so we will use every trick we know to leapfrog-shortcut them on the trail/route in 2 places. Just promises to be an epic day. Rough kms to the summit of each peak are below.
•0 Java Domain
•3 JUDAH
•9 12 FOOT
•16 PAT'S CREEK
•22.5 KAUFMAN HILL
•28 TIM'S HILL
•32 GEORGE
•34 MISERY
•37.5 Tim Hortons
Yes that's it. The Garmin Profile of our 7 peaks. It looks like 6 peaks - A little summary.
1st Peak is called Judah's Hill - Paved HiWay
2nd Peak 12 Foot Davis - Gravel Road
3rd Peak Pats Creek Park - Dirt Trail. The easiest of the Big Climbs.
4th Peak Kaufman Hill - Gravel Road
. This is where I experienced a Run Ending Calf Cramp on the descent. Had to Walk - Hobble down.
5th Peak Tim's Hill - Paved Walking Trail ( Tim Horton's that is - Canadian know) The Shortest Climb with a mean little Grade Kicker at the Top.
6th Peak Georges Hill - Paved HiWay
7th Peak Misery Mountain - Dirt Trail.
Even though the Garmin Profile only shows Six Peaks - if you look closely at the 6th peak at the 400m level there is a little flat spot that is approximately the same peak elevation as Tim's Hill. This is where the George's Hill Road Ends. A hard left turn into the bush and the Misery Mountain Dirt Trail Starts.
Garmin claims Pat's Creek is the highest, then a tie for Kaufman and Judah. It was quite the day.
I completed 4 of 7 hills, approximately 26km, 3:06:16. I had dropped my truck at the bottom of Pats Creek Park with a flat of water and some Snacks in a cooler in the Back of it as an Aid Station. So I actually had a 2km run to get to the start line at Java Domain but this was a saviour for me as it was a 1km Hobble to my truck rather than a 3 km Hobble back to Java Domain. It also allowed me to pick up one of the other runners coming off the bottom of Pats Creek who called it a day. 12 Starters 7 Finishers. 3 had only planned on 3 Hills, 2 Injury retirements.
Judah Hill descent, 12ft - Pats and Kauffman visible in the upper Right corner
12ft Descent - Just below the 50m Stair Climb to the Peak. Me in the Blue
Top of 12ft - You can see Misery Mtn across the River in the background
Pats Creek was a Muddy Shoe Grabbing Battle. Probably contributed to my Calf Cramp
Faces North so early season snow stays around.
Top of Misery Mtn. Missing 1 Running Participant - they had turned and burned and 1 friend who did it on his Mountain Bike.
Then we went to all the Finest Social Establishments. Ironically a total of 7 Pubs & Lounges in our small town.3 -
wow, that makes my legs hurt thinking about all those hills. Good job!0
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Harrisburg Marathon is in the books. It didn't go quite according to plan. I was cruising just under my expected pace (8:30) for the first 20 miles when my legs decided they had enough. My left calf cramped causing me to run funny which in turn made my knee hurt. I hobbled to the finish line over 22 minutes slower than my worst anticipated time and went straight to the medical tent. After some fluid and a massage I was able to stumble across the river to my car. I now have a year to fix this mess and get back out there.
Officially I finished in 4:08:53 which was good enough for 361st place (out of 782 finishers).
The only 'bling' came from the shiny needle in the medical tent.
But the first 20 miles were terrific. If you ever want to run a great 'small town' marathon along a river and in a small and friendly city, come to Harrisburg. The course is flat and it is a Boston Qualifier.
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I never posted my medal and time from my Half last Saturday. I PR'ed with a 1:35:55 which was 25 OA and 2nd in my AG.
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Finished the Texas Bridge Series for the third year in a row by running the La Porte By The Bay Half-Marathon, which goes over the Fred Hartman Bridge. Love this race and series.
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