Weekend Bling Report
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Ran a new PR in the 5K this morning (finished before the wind really started blowing hard). Finished in 24:11, 90th overall (out of 1693) and 2nd in the M60-64 age group. Beat my previous PR by 1:21. I wasn't running at full race pace because I have a marathon tomorrow. I get an additional "remix" medal for running the 5K and either the HM of FM.
It's going to be a cold start tomorrow.0 -
Garden Spot Half Marathon
Snow started about an hour before the race. By the end we had more than 2 inches of wet snow on the grass and some slush on the road (making it slick in some spots).
And, if you love hills, this is the race for you!!!
Chip Time: 2:00:35.7
Gun Time: 2:00:57.8
Overall Place: 253 out of 809
Age Group Place: 20 M 45-49 out of 44 total participants in the Male 45 to 49 age group
Chip Time: 2:00:35.7
Pace: 9:12/M/mile
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5K Our Way to Puerto Rico... 3rd overall, 1st male 50+. Small race, 36 finishers. About a mile of single-track trail, wasn't expecting that.
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Ran the Rock n Roll Raleigh Marathon last weekend.
It was only slightly warmer than predicted at the race start (29°F).
I had predicted a 4:00:00 last year when I signed up.
I figured that, in the wake of an attempt to BQ, that I'd be able to run the hillier course in 10-15 minutes slower than a BQ race.
Knew that was unlikely after a couple of missed weeks and some injuries (which did not reappear in the course of the race).
No run/walk in this one. Only time I walked was through water stations and a couple of strategic points in the steepest of the hill climbs.
Hydration and fueling plan worked fine and I had a really good run with plenty left in the end where I was not worn out.
I could have run on to complete a 50K...no problem.
Ran a negative split and was accelerating towards the end of the race.
My only goal was to run well throughout the course and to beat my times in the previous two RnR-Raleigh Marathons.
I did beat my best RnR-Raleigh time by more than 20 minutes on a tougher course than last year.
My time was 4:37:20. My average heart rate was 148 bpm, the lowest it has ever been while running a marathon.
This was the first marathon where I did not feel beat up towards the end. I was running smoothly and under power the last 5 miles
And I was walking easily Sunday afternoon and every day since then.
A coworker saw me past mile-23 and called out to me. He just happened to be there with his wife for a reason unrelated to the race.
He saw me approaching, wearing my Marathon Maniacs shirt, and called out to me. I waved and ran on.
He told me later that I looked really strong and was running smoothly (I was).
Of course, he was also comparing my running to how he felt at this same point in the previous two years and he was just hanging on.
That's why he did not run it this year. I'm already signed up for next year.
Most importantly, I am really looking forward to the next few weeks of recovery leading into the next training cycle.
I've seen a glimpse of what is possible on a flatter course for the next marathon in October and that excites me.
I'm glad that I reassessed my readiness to attempt a BQ race pace. Another year and I think I'll be ready to give it a shot.
I'll include pictures in my blog rather than here.
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@STrooper -Congrats on a solid race. My last marathon felt this way, including the negative splits, and it was such a great feeling to finish strong. You will surely hit your BQ goal next year!0
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Boston Marathon: 3:23:01 missed all my time goals, but earned me the right to come back in 2017. Good first 23 miles, somewhat disastrous last 3 miles.
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I FINALLY got a marathon PR--it took awhile. I broke 3 hours at Boston yesterday, clocking in with 2:58:20. I was 5th in my age group and 64th woman. Running a sub 3 hour marathon was on my list and I am thrilled it happened at Boston. It was a little warm at the start, but I don't mind the heat. Winds picked up and temp dropped the closer I got to Boston, so it wasn't bad. I love this race and love every part of the weekend.
Mile 17ish. I knew my husband would be around here somewhere, but I never saw him. There are so many people--it is near impossible to find anyone!
After the finish.
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Boston Marathon: 3:23:01 missed all my time goals, but earned me the right to come back in 2017. Good first 23 miles, somewhat disastrous last 3 miles.
Congratulations! I was thinking of you while I sitting at home dealing with a plugged left ear from all the pollen, dust and mold we stirred up on Sunday working in the yard. At least I got to watch part of the race on TV. The elite racers were interesting to watch.0 -
I FINALLY got a marathon PR--it took awhile. I broke 3 hours at Boston yesterday, clocking in with 2:58:20. I was 5th in my age group and 64th woman. Running a sub 3 hour marathon was on my list and I am thrilled it happened at Boston. It was a little warm at the start, but I don't mind the heat. Winds picked up and temp dropped the closer I got to Boston, so it wasn't bad. I love this race and love every part of the weekend.
Mile 17ish. I knew my husband would be around here somewhere, but I never saw him. There are so many people--it is near impossible to find anyone!
Congratulations, Wendy. SImply awesome! Particularly the sub-3:00:00. What an accomplishment! You must have been running according to my "there is no hill" adaptation from The Matrix...
"Do not try to overcome the hill, that's impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth...there is no hill. Then you will see that it is not the hill you overcome, it is only yourself."3 -
This past weekend I ran a 5k on Friday/ 10k Saturday and half marathon on Sunday at Disney for dark side challenge! It was a blast!
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Flower City Challenge Half Marathon: 1:36:50 official time, 1st of 27 in the M 60-64 age group by 49 seconds, 107th of 2111 overall. More importantly, I didn't run it as a race. I held myself to MP for the distance. 6 days after Boston, the steeper downhills were still a challenge; but remembering the training for Lower Newton Falls really helped. It's amazing how much better I feel after a half when I run it 20 seconds per mile off race pace, and not having any fast 60 year olds show up was a bonus.
The big medal is for finishing. The little medal that looks incomplete is piece #2 of the 4 part medal for the Four Seasons Challenge. The mug and the peanut butter are for winning the age group.
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I ran the last of my currently scheduled spring races on Saturday: the Tar Heel 10-Miler. This year was the ninth year of this race and it has grown and sold out in recent years. I have run this race three consecutive years. I limped through it last year after surviving the Rock 'n' Roll Raleigh Marathon with an injured right hip flexor.
I had a simple goal to run the race at 9:00/mile and maintain that pace over the entire distance. That would set a new PR for this distance and course of about six minutes. There is a huge hill climb in the last two miles of the race. That hill really challenges the ability to maintain pace at the end.
It rained the evening before and things were still damp as there was a thin fog hanging in the air. Although pleasantly cool, the fog wasn't going to allow for easy evaporation and cooling during the race. The sun burned through the fog layer pretty easily. I live about 2.5 miles from the start and used the distance to do a slow jog/walk to warm up before the race started. As I arrived near the starting grid, the 4-milers were released on their race (the share a small portion of the same course and their race started 30-minutes before ours).
The course was laid out differently this year. Previously the race left the UNC Campus Bell Tower and headed toward the east end of campus and the residential areas on that end of the campus. Those streets are very narrow and with 3,000-4,000 runners trying to go through at the same time, there has been a lot of congestion in those first couple of miles. This year, we went the other direction and followed some wider streets for the first couple of miles before we finally started running through the residential streets and that helped the congestion issues immensely. This course has about half of its total elevation gain in the last 1.5 miles. The Laurel Hill Challenge has its own set of timers and awards for the fastest climbers. My GPS this indicated 586 total feet of climbing this year (slightly less than was registered last year on a slightly different course).
More importantly, it allowed more runners to get up to pace sooner than in previous years. I ended up completing the race in 1:26:02.21 at an average pace of 8:37/mile. My average heart rate was 165 bpm over the course (peak of 180 near the finish. My lactate threshold HR is approximately 174 BPM) and my average leg turnover was 195 steps/minute (something I've been working on over the past year).
My GPS based times were as follows (1:26:03, 10.02 miles):
(Distance) Pace/ Avg HR
(1) 8:45/ 160
(2) 8:34/ 157
(3) 8:22/ 166
(4) 8:34/ 166
(5) 8:13/ 167
(6) 8:33/ 167
(7) 8:04/ 164
(8) 8:07/ 168
(9) 9:28/ 168
(10) 8:59/ 169
(.02) 7:11/ 177
I finished 617 out of 1651 males, and 6th out of 34 males 61-65 (my neighbor came in first). The overall results haven't been posted yet. I had wings on my feet (see pictures).
Race Pictures by gsaun039, on Flickr
Race Pictures by gsaun039, on Flickr
Race Pictures by gsaun039, on Flickr 4 -
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It was Flying Pig weekend, my favorite weekend in Cincinnati. As much as I would have loved to do the full Marathon or the half, it was too soon after Boston. I am old and it takes longer to recover!
I was invited to compete as an elite in the one mile race Friday night. Omg, that was hard! I am not a miler and have some bone issues going on. It was a blast though and I met some awesome and FAST women. I ended up 5th with 5:47. I have run training miles faster than that!
That was a late night and then I had to get up early the next day. I decided to do the 10k event of the Pig. I love that distance. Ended up first overall with 39:05. My 12 year old also ran it alone and got a PR. Then I ran the 5k right after with my 9 and 6 year olds. That was more a run/walk recovery. It was an awesome weekend.
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I did it, I did it, I did it!!!! Ran my first marathon (San Luis Obispo Marathon) on Sunday. It was such a great experience that I'm already looking for my next race! I finished upright and with a smile on my face - I even ran all of the hills (and there were lots of them) despite doing no formal hill training. The only time I walked was through the water stations.
I attribute my success to all of the great advice I've gotten by this group - thank you!!!
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I ran the Wisconsin Marathon this morning. It was my 5th full marathon. My time was 5:49:40. That is a new PR for me. I couldn't quit smiling. Last year I got a 6:06 something and the years before that was a 6:28 something and a 6:30 something .
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I ran my first half marathon race today (Harmony Genève Semi-Marathon for Unicef) - and it was amazing, I had such a great time!
My official finish time was 2:17:16. My watch showed me 21.32 km in 2:17:23 - I might have started it a few seconds too soon and stopped it a bit after passing the finish line, and I didn't always run the perfect tangents, so that seems about right. The temperatures were a bit warmer than I would have liked, and I didn't manage to slow down enough to stick to my planned pace, so it should have been a desaster, but instead it was awesome from the first minute to the last. I am absolutely going to do this again!
Bling for the race was the medal, a shirt and a sweatband. All of those just say "Geneva marathon" instead of half marathon. Now I feel a little like I might have to run a full at some point this year to earned the right to wear these
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