Posts Tagged ‘races’

First off, huge props to Nick.  Yesterday he went on a 100-mile bike ride from New Hope, PA to NYC and arrived home at midnight, so the fact that he woke up early this morning (on his birthday, no less) to drive my nervous ass out to West Chester, PA was a big weight off my back.  Not to mention being photographer for the day.  Thank you, birthday boy!!

We get out there at 8am for a 9:00 race.  The weather is pretty nice, 66 and sunny, and the downtown area/race course has a lot of trees, so I know I won’t be able to blame the heat if I suck today.

I get my bib and walk with Nick to the nearest Starbucks so he can read the paper while I leave to stew in my own juices until the race starts.  I walk around some, repeating my new mantra to myself “I am fast, relaxed and strong” hoping it will somehow “take” during the race.  At 8:30, I do a couple warm-up miles with some strides thrown in, but I’m not feeling good about the strides, seems like I can’t get my usual pace on those, so I go back to the mantra and try to chill.

Gratuitous Standing-in-Starbucks-with-idiotic-hair-but-good-abs shot.
(I really do not have a mullet, but clip my hair back for running, so…eh)

The course is a 2-mile loop done twice with some uphills (not real steep, but a few blocks long) and thankfully with accompanying downhills, so I’m thinking ok, not killer but no free rides.  I don’t do the entire course because the volunteers are still walking around at this point with cue sheets trying to figure out where they’re supposed to stand, but I can see how it’ll go pretty much.

Time to line up and we’re off.  It’s a small clog at the start and I settle into my pace.  For the first half of the race, I’m behind a woman in blue, and though I eventually pass her, I realize on the 2nd loop that she’s sticking right behind me because the volunteers keep saying “great job, ladies” and I just know she’s the other lady.

I felt good this race, held back a tad on the first loop since I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I passed a lot of people, so that was a happy thing and on the second split when I saw I was a bit slower than my projected pace, I didn’t bitch at myself at all, just said “fast, relaxed and strong” a few times…and meant it.

After the last hill, just before the finish, I turn the corner and Blue Lady makes herself known, picks up the pace and speeds in front of me.  I take the challenge and stick on her heels with all I’ve got, both of us egging the other on.  She beat me but gave me a high-five the moment we stopped, saying “good race, I was following you the whole time.”  Laughing, I told her she was my carrot the whole first half.  Anyway, she’s 9 years younger, so that’s ok.

Home stretch, Blue Lady on left and me looking ever so determined to catch her ass.

My time?  30:48.  Not quite what I was shooting for, but considering I’m in the midst of some serious marathon mileage, it’s A-OK by me.  My splits per the Garmin were 7:37, 7:41, 7:20, 7:33 and 6:45 for the last .1.  Obviously, this doesn’t mesh with the clock (7:42 pace), but whatever.  They only had the one clock, so I just let the Garmin Autolap every mile.

Afterwards, Nick and I are walking to the restaurant and who should I see but that cute runner girl that had told me in passing that she reads my blog.  We finally introduced ourselves properly and I have to say, that girl’s a firecracker!  She’s doing Pfitz as well for NYC and it’ll be her 7th marathon, so I was totally impressed.  She mentioned that her Garmin had 4.1 and so did mine, so hmm…thought I was good with those tangents today, but anyway, just sayin’.

Finally the results are posted, I’m third in 40-49, but alas, only prizes for 1st and 2nd, so no goodies for me.  We meet up with Nick’s friend Marie for a birthday brunch and finally head home, me feeling good that one more race is over with, Nick dreaming of a long luxurious nap.  All in all, a fantastic way to spend a morning.

Such a lovely number, dontcha think?  I like it even better now that I’m done running it.

Got up at 5:30, had my usual bit of coffee, even had something to eat beforehand (rare occurrence)…peanut butter on a 1/2 a hot-dog bun (don’t ask).  I knew I was going to be out for a while, so figured a little something in my gut might be a good idea.

Wore my Tramp Stamp shorts which I am no longer mad at.  Now that I know where to apply the Body Glide, I’m liking them quite a bit – a gal can always use a back pocket.  I filled my gel flask with 2 gels & water and then stuck an as-of-yet-untested-flavor Power Gel Double Latte (double caffeine) in that back pocket.  Wanted to see if more caffeine at the end would be noticeable or not.  It wasn’t.

It was 73 degrees with 75% humidity when I started at 6:30, so I actually took the first 3 miles at recovery run pace – 10:07s.  I told myself that the object of today was time on my feet, and not to feel guilty if I went slower than usual.  By the end of the run it was 80, so it was a bit of a toasty morning.

I had a good run!  Did the museum loop and the Schuylkill riverwalk, then went back the way I came, detoured onto Smile Hill at around 15.5 for a single up-and-down (I won’t kid you, I was happy to see I only needed to do it once to make the correct mileage to get home), then 4.5 back home.

I lucked out, didn’t have one red stop light the whole run, so I never stopped the clock, the only physical stopping was 1:20, the amount of time it took to refill my water bottle 4 times.  Avg. for the run: 9:32, pretty much smack dab on Pfitz’s prescribed pace with the last three miles averaging 8:48.

Btw, don’t know if your city has them, but Philly is putting those fab new walk lights at almost every main intersection now, they give you the actual time left before the lights change, which is soooo helpful.  No more kamikaze running across to beat the light, I can actually see I’ve got 6 seconds left and speed up accordingly.  Really cool.

In other running news, I’m pretty excited because my schedule calls for an 8k-15k tune-up race next weekend but there isn’t anything local, so I was going to do a time trial.  But I found a 4mile race for Labor Day in a town about 45 minutes away, so I’m going to do it!  OK, it’s not 8k (aka 5 mile race), but it’s better than a 5K and I’ll be able to give it a proper race effort, which a time trial wouldn’t have been. I’m scared though!! I don’t race enough to be used to them yet, which is all the more reason for doing it (and one of the reasons Pfitzinger puts them in the plan in the first place).

And now, I’ll leave you with this link to a hilarious Usain Bolt spoof.  He’s the guy that set new World Records at the Olympics in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.  But in the 100m, Bolt showed an unfortunate lack of good sportsmanship when he looked around, then beat his chest in self-congratulations before the race was even over.  Hah, this video is perfect.  Enjoy, and I’ll see you back here later.

Been thinking about the race, mulling over some bits I left out.

Something I didn’t want to admit because it touches a self-conscious nerve, especially because there’s a thread going on about this in the Marathon Race Training forum…

Well, you know how I’ve been placing in some local races? I get a few rows back, but not too far, because in a non-chipped race it’s the gun that counts.

So this was a fast race runner-wise, faster than any I’ve been in, though I didn’t know it at the time. As one of the fastest local Masters said in his blog, he never found the course to be as fast as advertised, but the competition is. His 16:45 (the guy did a Half the preceding weekend) got him 44th place. There were 9 sub 15s, 15 sub 16s – and this with 623 finishers.

Anyway, getting back to my shame, Lara and I lined a good clump of rows back, there were women in front of me that looked like they had a plan, and enough who didn’t behind me, so that’s pretty much how we ended up.

The gun goes off and with it a time lag before movement is even possible. Within a second or two some big guy, I’d say in his 50s, comes charging from the back and hits me outright, knocking me sideways into some people (as he does everyone in his path), yelling angrily about getting out of his way.

Lara, who was until that point, next to me, was oblivious to what happened, and while I’m falling, the runners he pushes me into get mad, thinking I’m just carelessly barreling ahead. I’m apologizing while scrambling to right myself, then have to surge to get back up next to Lara. It was really fucked up.

I mean, truth be told, I felt really really bad, like I’d totally messed with this guys race and therein lies my shame. However! Why did he stand so far back? There was a good clump ahead of us and no one was able to move before he came charging through. Then again, I should have known this was a fast race and gone farther back myself. But yet, I did not need to be hit, the guy was an asshole. Good cop, bad cop. Aaargh.

All I know is, that’s a really shitty way to start a race – tense and panicky. And as I’m writing this, I’m beginning to put two and two together, because I’m remembering my arms. Throughout the race, my arms felt incredibly heavy. I carried so much tension in them that they actually hurt and I shook them out a couple times. That’s a new one on me – usually it’s my jaw and shoulders. I think the breathing thing relaxed my upper body so I transferred the tension to my arms, that or I was still in defense mode from being pushed. It was weird.

So that was the negative thing that happened. On a good note (besides the fun time I had overall), I did not once feel like puking, which I usually do near the end of a race. Also, the horrendously ugly green tech shirts they gave us (which, as usual, are in mens sizes so way too big for most women…why must they do that?) was diminished by the fact that Brooks was there giving away free black tech shirts (cute ones!) that came in XS, so I got a wearable shirt out of it after all.

Then the other cool thing was that Lara informed me that we need to do Powerball because the jackpot was $275 million. So when we get back to Philly, we go to this neat place called “Check Cashing.”

If you’ve never been in a Check Cashing store, yes, they are as disgusting as you imagine; smoky, wads of trash on the floor, miscreants everywhere and you know it’s a house of addiction when the lady behind the bullet-proof window giving out the tickets is, at the same time, filling out her own lottery cards. I mean, she’s there the whole damn day. Must be an expensive job.

But anyway, we got our tickets then went next door to the huge Asian market that recently opened where, at Lara’s advice, I bought some White Rabbits, yummy asian candy that I can only hope are not laced with battery acid or antifreeze or whatever the Chinese are exporting in food these days.

So there you have it, a little fleshing out of the day. Oh, and for the record, neither of us won Powerball – but there’s always a next time.

So my chance at Zenfullness will have to wait – the beer fun run I mentioned in the previous post has been canceled due to crappy weather this weekend. It’s been rescheduled for next weekend, but I have the Adrenaline 5K that day, so I can’t do it. I’m excited for the race though, so no real loss, just some Zen points (and brewskies) missed.

I need your help though. Lara is just on the edge of saying she’ll do the Adrenaline 5K with me which would be fabu since the only race we ever did together was my first 5K, back in April. She’s joining me for the anniversary of that race next month, but I’d love to have her also join me for next Saturday’s race, too.

How can you help? Post a comment to either:
A) excite her into doing this race
B) guilt her into it
C) embarrass her into doing it
D) use whatever means you have to try and talk her into it

I should mention, we get an ugly kelly green tech shirt and neither of us will likely place because there are preternaturally speedy women who enter this race.

OK, have a go kids…

P.S. I just had a fabulous easy 9.14 in the rain today @ 8:43/mi. Totally off subject, but it’s my blog so I get to do non sequitur shit like that.

That’s me. After that fabulous snowy run in the cold 2 days ago, I am officially sick. That afternoon I started getting chest rumbles, coughing and gooey stuff, then yesterday I had zillions of errands to do in the pouring rain so by the end of it I was a miserable phlegmy, hacking mess.

So, I didn’t run yesterday or today and tomorrow looks out, too. The good thing is, it falls on what should be a cutback anyway, so it’s not that big a deal.

It’s also well-timed because we’re having a big-ass party this weekend (Nick and my first with about 30 guests, gulp) and while I’ve been told I’m a great party guest, as a Hostess I’m insane, stressed and horrible. Think Linda Blair’s head spinning around. So everything but running is freaking me out right now.

I’ve never hosted a party this size, just small game-nights and what makes this one even more stressful (but wonderful), is that I invited 5 dear friends from NYC who will be staying with us. However, one is allergic to cats and we have a 20 lb. Maine Coon who sheds so much, it could fill a comforter.

Another friend is dealing with a final bout of radiation so needs a good bed and rest, so needless to say…I’m terrified!

But, on the other hand, I’m excited beyond belief to finally introduce my NYC friends to my Philly friends. Now people will know who I’m talking about and parts of my life will finally come full circle. That’s what’s keeping me from drinking Drano.

If all this wasn’t enough, I am also quite a nervous cook – feeding people doesn’t come naturally to me, so I’ll be making some easy dips and wraps, but relying on my good friend Trader Joe to pick up the slack. Unfortunately, our allergic-to-cats friend and his mate are Martha Stewart personified so I’ll have to make sure they are otherwise disposed while I stealthily open up boxes of appetizers from the freezer.

Major props to Nick, btw, who is making his downstairs office a perfect guest room for our allergic friend, including painting, re-organizing, installing a new toilet seat (not to mention suffering through my panicked bitchiness). My, but I love that man!

So, that’s the scoop. Wish I had some running news for you…oh wait, I do!!

I signed up for another 5K today, moving my race schedule up a bit. It’s the Adrenaline 5K in Haddonfield, NJ on March 15th. But wait, there’s more!

I’m also going to be doing the first Schuylkill Mile Time Trial on April 6th and will be joined by my fabulous forum friends (Hi Matt!) and possibly Lara, though I’m not betting on that one . This should be a wild run because I’ve never tried to run a mile as fast I can, ever! The good part is, it’s on a stretch I’m extremely familiar with and it’s mostly downhill. You can bet I’m going to be doing intervals every week from here on in.

But back to reality…no running tomorrow, then company comes on Saturday, so I’ll try to run before they get here. Otherwise, it’s more cleaning, shopping for supplies and hopefully no freakouts about missed mileage. After all, that is the least of my worries.

Long story short: Started running in Feb. 2007, had a breakthrough season in Spring 2009 but after that Fall, got stuck in a 1½ year plateau.  I switched things around last winter/spring, increased the mileage to 90mpw for a few months and thanks to that, got a new Half PR in September.  Alas, a tweaked muscle grew into a stress reaction, ending my season early. By mid-January 2012 I was back to 90mpw and by March, in the best shape of my life.  But then shit happened (details below).

Red=PR
DNS = Did Not Start
DNF = Did Not Finish

2012 Races:
3/4/12 NERRC Winter 10K – 43:36 (#1 AG. A “training through” rustbuster in a high mileage week)
3/17/12 Adrenaline 5K – 20:45 (#1 AG)
April 10 Edit: Couple days before I was to fly to Cali for Carlsbad 5000, I went to the Emergency Room because my legs had stopped letting me run.  They kept me in the hospital for 8 nights and am now dealing with a liver specialist to get to the bottom of it. (this is where it starts)
4/1/12 Carlsbad 5000 (DNS)
4/15/12 Dash for Donor 10k (DNS)
4/21/12 Clean Air 5k (DNS)
5/6/12 Broad St. Run (10-miler) (DNS)
9/14-15 Reach The Beach New Hampshire (DNS)
Fall 2012…we’ll see

2011 Races:
1/23/11 Carlsbad Half Marathon – 1:35:57
9/18/11 RNR Philadelphia Half - 1:32:10
Er…I scheduled a bunch of races but got injured so Did Not Start (except for one I was stupid enough to do anyway).  I kept ‘em here so you can see what I had intended for the rest of the season.
10/1 (5k DNS, injured)
10/9 (5k DNS, injured)
10/15/11 Breakout 5k – 21:28 (#1 AG, injured)
10/22 (4mi DNS, injured)
11/4  Finally got diagnosed with a stress reaction so no running for 2 more weeks then a slow rebuild.
11/6/11 (10k DNS, injured)
11/19/11 (8k DNS, injured)
12/4/11 Las Vegas Half (1:59:56…yeah, Baby!)

2010 Races:
2/20/10 Frostbite 5-miler – 35:41(#3 AG)
3/21/10 Shamrock Half Marathon – 1:35:02 (#1 AG and #1 Open Womens Team)
4/19/10 Boston Marathon – 3:28:29
5/30/10 Teal Ribbon 5K – 21:39 (#1 AG)
6/13/10 Strides For Stroke 5K – (Heat Stroke collapse)
9/19/10 RNR Philadelphia Half – 1:36:13 (yet another collapse)
10/02/10  Runnin’ On The River 5K – Short course, estimation is 20:xx (#3 female OA)
10/16/10  Breakout 5K – 21:05 (#2 AG)
11/7/10 Run The Bridge 10K – 43:11
11/21/10 Philadelphia Half Marathon – 1:34:40 (#5 AG, wouldn’t mention it but awards go 5-deep)
12/18/10 Haddon Holiday 5K Heart Run- 20:57 (#1 Master and AG)

Done in 2009:
1/24/09 Pickle Prediction (3.08 miles) – 21:46
3/1/09 NERRC Winter 10K – 44:48 (#1 AG)
3/14/09 Leprechaun 5M – 35:28 (#2 AG)
3/21/09 Adrenaline 5K – 21:11 (#2 AG)
4/19/09 Dash for Donor 10k – 42:40 (#1 AG, 2nd Female OA)
5/3/09 Lehigh Valley Half – 1:35:42 (#2 FMasters)
5/24/09 Teal Ribbon 5K – 20:56 (#2 AG)
6/14/09 Strides For Stroke 5K- 20:25 (#1 AG, 2nd Female OA)
6/28/09 Running For Cover 5K – 21:29 (#3 Female OA)
9/20/09 Philadelphia Distance Run -  1:33:51
11/22/09 Philadelphia Marathon – 3:33:59 (bonked)

Done in 2008:
3/2/08 NERRC Winter 10K- 49:28 (#2 AG)
3/15/08 Adrenaline 5K- 23:29
4/19/08 Clean Air Run 5K – 23:06 (#2 AG)
5/4/08 Broad St. Run (10-miler) – 1:19:23
9/1/08 Labor Day Classic (4-mile) – 30:48
9/21/08 Philly Distance Run (Half) – DNF
10/12/08 Steamtown Marathon – 3:51 (my first and a BQ, baby!)
11/2/08 Run The Bridge 10K – 48:39
11/29/08 Haddon Township 5K Turkey Trot – 22:14 (#2 AG)
12/20/08 Haddon Holiday 5K Heart Run – 22:31

2007 Races
4/21/07 Clean Air Run 5K – 29:08* (first race ever!)
9/16/07 Philly Distance Run (Half) – 1:52:10
9/29/07 Runnin’ On The River 5K – 24:14 (#1 AG)
10/14/07 Northwest Philly 5 Mile Run – 38:54 (#2 AG)
11/04/07 Run The Bridge 10K – 49:23 (team Got The Runs, yay!!)
11/18/07 Philadelphia Marathon (Half) – 1:50:50
11/24/07 Haddon Turkey Trot 5K – 23:30 (#2 AG)

*Published time on Clean Air 5K was 28:29 but alas, the course was measured short so 29:08 is the corrected time.