Laugh and a Half Marathon - 1:43:33 - June 2014 - PR

Remember when I said I had NO idea what to expect out of this race?  And I wasn't feeling confident AT ALL.  You know how sometimes when you just relax, move any expectations, and just get out there, things end up working out.  I think back to last year how badly I wanted to PR this race, and how angry and frustrated I was when I didn't.  I think about this Saturday and how incredibly happy I felt because I was relaxed the entire time.  I had no pressure on myself, no high expectations, nothing.  Just get out there and run a race, and that was what I did!

Waking up in your own bed in your town for a race is the best ever.  I look forward to this race every year because the community support is wonderful, and it's just so easy to get up, run, and go home!  I got up around 5:15 to start waking myself up and stretching.  I had a MASSIVE bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios and a few bites of a Clif bar.  (I've been cereal-free all during and since my 24-Day Challenge, so this was a huge treat!  Cheerios have always been my go-to race and long run breakfast!)

Standard Advocare procedure, took my O2 Gold about an hour before the race, and drank my Spark/Arginine Extreme combo on the way to the starting line.  We met at a friend's house and walked up to the starting line at the high school.

I decided I was feeling confident, so I lined up towards the front...

5K, 10K, and Half Marathon all started at once.  Last year it was kind of a cluster, but this year the start seemed much smoother.  They didn't have pace markers, but they made more of a point to tell people to line up by pace.  Last year I did some serious bobbing and weaving and passing...

My mom came down and stopped along the route to take pics.  I like to wave in all of my pics.  I knew I was relaxed when I was talking to people in the first mile, and even a few miles after.  Again, a nice thing about a hometown race, you know who you are running with!  It was fun to chat it up a little.  This guy joked with me after the race about passing him!

More smiles, more waves.

I normally look like death while running, here I look alive.  Thanks to a friend for taking this pic!  I don't remember much of what went through my head during this race.  I do remember telling myself this is going fast, enjoy it!  It's funny how when you run 3+ hours in marathon training, a half marathon seems to fly by!

Here are my splits.  I ran a fairly consistent race, and dominated the last three miles!  My last mile was my fastest, and I'm very proud of that!  I'm typically a positive splitter all the way!  I was wiped out at the finish, but I do question now if I could have pushed it a little harder.  The thing is, I ran how I ran, I enjoyed it and smiled, and oh hey, I PR'ed!

1:43:33 was my official time, and it was good enough for 11th female overall, and second in my age division.

Someone asked her if she just had a baby, and she said no.  Just for the record.

I would be lying through my teeth if I said in the back of my mind I wasn't HOPING for a PR in this race and to make the podium in the age bracket for the third year in a row (out of three).  I definitely thought about both of these things, and deep down inside probably would have been disappointed if I didn't get either, BUT on the flip side that wasn't my goal at the beginning of the race.  Even during the race, I didn't look at my overall time on my watch, I didn't look at the women ahead of me, I just ran. 

It's taken me three years of running to finally get where I am.  I've learned SO MUCH.  I've made mistakes.  I've had highs.  I've had lows.  I've been proud of myself, and I've been disappointed in myself.  I'm competitive by nature, but the thing about running is you are only in competition with YOU!  If you start the race bound and determined that you have to beat yourself, it's probably not going to happen.  If you start the race focused on each moment and each mile, and smile along the way, you'll likely find the greatest reward at the finish line.  Not every race will be a PR, that's why the ones that are are so sweet.  There will always be someone faster, always be one winner, but you've won every time you laced up your shoes when you run with a smile on your face.

Brookings Marathon Pt 2 - The RACE!

I set my alarm for 5:00AM on race morning, but I woke up at 4:00 and stared at the clock.  I woke up thinking that in a few hours, all of this will be over.  All of the training, the anticipation, the fear of getting injured, everything.  Done.  I felt mixed emotions about all of it, but I was really just ready to get the show on the road!

I had a cup of coffee in the motel and started getting ready.  The race started at 7:00AM so I planned to eat my breakfast around 5:30.  My standard pre-race/run fuel has always been Cheerios and milk.  Last year it was Peanut Butter, this year, Honey Nut.  I had my cereal and a Clif bar and just a little bit of Gatorade.

At 6:00AM I took my O2 Gold and drank Spark and Arginine Extreme on the way to the race.

Gotta have a pre-race, motel bathroom selfie right?

I stretched and finished pinning on my bib and tying my shoes, and we were out the door.  We planned to leave the motel around 6:15 to make it to the park around 6:30.  It ended up only taking us about 10 minutes to get there.

It was a bit chilly, I had gloves, but ended up ditching them before the race started.

We had to pose and show off our guns

We hung out around the porta potties like cool people do and warmed up and stretched.  Then the announcement came that it was time to line up!  

I left my headphones out the first maybe half mile just to soak everything in.  I was in shock that this was actually happening, oh, and that I have 26 miles ahead of me.  I had to put my music on pretty quickly!

The course was fantastic.  There were lots of turns, lots to see.  The route went through the college campus, as well as a couple parks and a golf course.  Most of the streets we were on were residential, there wasn't much traffic going by.

The first 5 miles went fairly quickly.  I was in a zone, and I never once thought about how far I still had to go.  It was one of those running days where everything clicks.  Your brain and your legs are on the same wavelength, and it's just effortless.

Mile 5-6 is when I caught up with Heidi.  We ran side by side for about a mile and a half.  We have a strict "no talking while running" rule, and we stuck to it.  It was nice to just run silently together for a while.

Mile 7 I took my first Gu.  I carried my shot bottle filled with orange Powerade Zero.  This has always worked well for me.  I can't drink out of the cup at water stations to save my life, and I don't like to have to stop and deal with the crowds around them.

Mile 9 we entered the back side of a park, and there was the dumbest hill I've ever seen in my life.  It was the steepest hill of the entire course, but it was a tiny bike path, and it was just steep.  The downhill was actually worse than the uphill.  I had to almost completely stop to hold back downward momentum and not fall on my face.  I saw my mom for the first time at mile 9 and waved for her to refill my bottle.  She left the Powerade in the car, so that meant she was headed to mile 12 to meet me again.  I'm lucky to have such a great race assistant!

Mile 11 the half and full marathoners split off.  That was exciting to me.  That meant it was getting real, and I could also gauge who my competition was!  The nice thing about this race are the different bib colors to designate half, full, and relay runners.  It was nice to know the person sprinting past you was a relay runner!

Mile 12 I stopped for a second in the road to get some more Powerade from my mom and kept trucking along.  I hit the half mark at 1:52 something.  I don't know what happened after that, my body just took off.  My next miles were my fastest of the entire race.  8:15 and 8:08 came out of the blue.  I knew I needed to calm down a little and slow back down, but it was a serious rush at that point.

The miles after the half way point were out in a rural park and on a trail.  The wind had picked up quite a bit at this point and it seemed to be more of a struggle.  I really wanted to get back into town and feel more protected.  I took my second Gu at mile 14.

Mile 19 was the next marker I was focused on.  I knew it would be around a church we drove by the night before, and I knew my mom was planning to be there.  I refilled my bottle again and kept on going.  I focused on hitting mile 20 and taking my last Gu.  

I really had no idea what to expect that last 10K.  I hit 20 around 2:51, so I knew that even 10 minute miles the rest of the way got me sub 4.  But I knew I had faster miles left in me.  I kept waiting for "the wall".  I'm sure this was a rookie marathoner once in a lifetime kind of thing, but I NEVER hit it.  I never once felt like I couldn't keep going mentally or physically.  I slowed down quite a bit, but my slowest two miles were 9:20s.  I stopped at a water station around mile 23 and took a drink of water.  I had some Powerade left, but I felt like I needed water.  My lips were sticky with Gu, and I felt my face and lips getting sun and wind burned.

Mile 24 I realized I only had two more miles, and that I should just soak this all in.  I remember taking deep breaths and looking around and just enjoying the view.  I couldn't believe this was almost over.  Mile 25 the rush of what I had left in me hit, and I took off.  I passed about 3 guys in that last mile, which makes me smile.  I was on the last loop right before turning back into the park towards the finish line and I started swearing... I was just in shock this was real.  I couldn't believe it.  I said holy... to things that aren't holy... I'm pretty sure people had to have heard me!

I realized my time was going to be 3:48 something and I just couldn't believe it.  This was what I wanted SO BADLY for so long.  It was so surreal.  I tried to throw my hands in the air, but I think my arms were too tired!

At that second, I was convinced that was the greatest moment of my entire life.  It doesn't get better than this.  But it did...

Wisner Fire & EMS Leprechaun 5 Mile Run - March 2014 - 36:56

First race of 2014!!! And a 5 mile PR!

Heidi and I got there about an hour before the race started.  It's a 12 o'clock noon race, which is a little odd to me, but hey, it works.  The town has their St. Patty's celebration going on, so there are lots of people out and about.  We stretched and warmed up before the start.  It was cooler than I thought it would be, and pretty breezy.  Ok, windy...

I had my usual Spark and Arginine Extreme combo and a banana since I ate breakfast early.  I also took two O2 Gold about an hour before the race.

The 5K, 5 mile, and 2.2 mile race all start and end at the same location, just different turn around points.  We lined up in front of the fire hall and headed out.  I ran this race last year, so I knew what to expect.  There is a slight hill right at the turn around point for the 5 mile, but whenever there's an up, there's always a down.  The turn around was of course back into the wind, just like last year's race.  It was windy, but nothing like last year.  The temp was perfect, and I guess the wind was just like a big fan!

I'm going to be honest about my racing strategy.  It's probably not the best one, and it really goes against everything they ever teach you about racing, but I like to go out too fast.  I like to start at the front, and haul balls (pardon the expression...) until I'm out away from the pack.  I run a lot of fairly small races, so my success rate has been surprisingly high.  I was passed by two women the entire race, and a couple of guys that turned around at the 5K.  The two women led me the rest of the way until I caught them around mile 4.  We kind of hung close for a bit, then one bolted, and one fell back.

I finished second female overall, and first in my age group (19-29).  I'm pretty happy with that considering I wasn't super confident coming in.  I've been running long, and not necessarily fast lately.  So I was happy my legs could still pick up the pace when they needed to.  Splits: 7:00, 7:31, 7:27, 7:46, 7:11.

Heidi PRed and placed second in her age group!!  She rocked it!  I love racing with her!! She gives me so much support and encouragement!  Running friends = best friends!

After we got our medals, we headed to Subway for some delicious chopped salads!  And we wore our medals in Subway...

Definitely riding the runner's high on this one!  Race season finally feels real again!

Harvest Hustle 10K - Oct 2013 - 47:14 - 1st Female

I ran this 5K race last year, and it was wicked cold.  Today was gorgeous!  It was about 40 degrees and sunny, but the wind was starting to pick up.  This course is just stupid hilly.  Hill, after hill, after windy hill.  But I knew the course, knew what I was in for, and laced up anyway.  I finished first place female in the 5K last year, and had every intention of doing so this year in the 10K.

To save the suspense, I did.  I finished first female, second overall.  This was a SMALL race.  My time wasn't stellar, but given the hills and the wind, I was ok with it.  I need to find a flat 10K sometime to maybe bust out a killer PR :)

The race was at 9AM so my morning started with some toast, PB2, and half a banana.  My usual Advocare routine, which makes me feel AMAZING.  2 O2 Gold about 8:15, and my Spark/Arginine Extreme combo in the car on the way (about 20 minutes til race time)

 

Gotta love the awkward mirror selfie.  (I almost ALWAYS take these pre-race selfies before I put my hair up, it makes me feel better)  Gear was an Under Armour long sleeved shirt, Lincoln Mile t-shirt (I didn't run this race, but have a shirt.  Go figure) My lucky 10K Nike Tempo shorts, and black Pro Compression.  They were having some random contests at the race, like best outfit, best socks, etc like in a Halloween sense.  The girl at registration told me I could sign in for the sock part.  Uh no, my Pro Compression is not for decoration, it's medically necessary.  Thanks for asking. ;)

Splits : 7:05, 7:35, 7:52, 7:41, 7:19, 7:57, and some change for the last .2

YEAH positive splits... I don't think I've ever ran a race with negative splits.  Dang adrenaline from the get go shoots me in the foot every time.

First place female finish got me a SWEET gold medal AND a $25 gift certificate to Mocha Tan! AWESOME!

This was a small, local race, and it was great to support their cause.  I will probably always keep it on my fall schedule. I headed home to run 4 easy cool down miles (32 min) to make 10.2 miles for the day.

 

I LOVE the Mary Decker quote!! I saw it on Instagram right after the race, and it gave me goosebumps!  I related to Mary after my hip issue, and her dramatic fall.  But it's all about getting back up and simply loving to run!

Governor's Run 15K Lincoln NE - Oct 2013 - 1:10:52

This was my first ever 15K race.  I was a little bit nervous about it, and I posted my pre-race thoughts last week.

I had no clue what to expect running a race at 3:00 pm.  At the starting line, a guy behind me was expressing his concerns to a friend.  "I only run early in the morning with no fuel."  Yeah, don't we all... anyway, it ended up working in my favor, and I felt strong and didn't have any um, GI issues.

Here's how it went down... Heidi and I left town leasurely around 11:00 and stopped for lunch about half way.  We each had a turkey sub at Subway, and literally ordered the exact same sandwich.  We know for next time we can split a footlong!  We each had some Baked Lays and a Vitamin Water as well.  We arrived in Lincoln plenty early, and got to the starting like about an hour and 15 minutes ahead of time.  We grabbed our packets and did some walking around to get limber from the drive.

I didn't take as many pictures as I should have... it was a GORGEOUS day.  Absolutely perfect!! Temps were maybe 60s?  It was overcast and a little wind, but not bad.  The Governor's Mansion was right across the street, and the back side of the state capitol was where we gathered.  We hung out inside the capitol to stretch and go to the bathroom.  I hadn't been in the state capitol since I was in the 4th grade!  It's such a neat place, and is exciting to be in, even all these years later.

With about 40 minutes til show time, I had my two O2 Golds.  And about 25 minutes out, I had my Spark and Arginine Extreme combo.  I took a Gu about 15 minutes before the race.  The fuel combo was perfect!

This course was so beautiful.  Everything about it was awesome!! Lincoln has some beautiful neighborhoods, and this definitely highlighted them!  My mile splits looked like this:
6:55 (OOPS), 7:33, 7:33, 7:37, 8:10 (WALL!), 7:42, 7:35, 7:32, 7:33.

Well, started too fast.  DUH.  I hit a major wall about halfway through, and was beating myself up over how poorly I executed this race.  Luckily, something got through to my legs, and I regained my composure.  I am pretty happy with these splits.  I like seeing all those 7s! :)

Seriously could not have asked for a better day!! SO much fun!  I would definitely do this race again!  Very well organized, good support.  The Lincoln Track Club knows how to put on races that's for sure!!

Papillion Half Marathon - May 2013 - 1:47:44

This recap slipped through. This is my last recap of the races of I’ve done so far! Papillion was my second half of 2013 and the race was the middle of May. This was my favorite race weekend because I got to spend it with my cousin Michele! But it was probably my least favorite race of any I’ve done.

Michele and I at her sister Crystal's wedding

 
Saturday afternoon I headed to Omaha to stay with Michele. We went down and picked up our packets and ate at the free pasta dinner. This was the first time I’d ever eaten at a pre-race pasta dinner. You know how they say “never try something new right before a race…” It didn’t turn out in a bad way for my tummy, don’t worry, but I do think I over carbed… The meal was amazing, so we loaded up with pasta and salad, and then hit Hy-Vee on the way home for Powerade and frozen yogurt! 
 
I didn’t sleep much at all that night. There were thunderstorms going through, and I was pretty paranoid about the weather for race time. (Think waking up every hour and checking the hourly forecast on your phone paranoid). I got up early to have a cup of coffee and have some breakfast. We made our way to Papillion in time to wait in the porta potty line and then get lined up for the race. Michele was running the 10K, which started about 15 minutes after the half. Michele is crazy fast, and she ran the River Rat half last year, but decided to stick to the 10K for this race. 

Black Pro Compression, Nike tank and shorts both from Gordmans!

 
It wasn’t raining when the race started, but it was really humid. The course started with a patch of gravel, and then winded through residential streets and park trails. It was HILLY. I really wasn’t a fan of this course… at all. I had some pacing issues, blame it on the hills? 

Mile 10 things got hairy. I just ran out of gas. I completely stopped to eat some sport beans and gulp some water, hoping that would get me through. Then it started to rain. Down pour actually. I could barely see where I was going at one point. I sucked wind hard all the way to the finish. The last mile contained one more lovely hill on your way back to the high school. The finish line was on the track of the high school. I spotted Michele as I came back into the stadium, as she had already blazed through her 10K, and had gone back to the car to get our bags and a blanket. 
 
We grabbed some food and waited under an awning in our blanket for the awards. Michele WON HER AGE GROUP in the 10K! She’s FAST and awesome. They called her name on the field, she got her award. Her time was 46:52

A picture frame… we were standing there giggling because we are that mature, when a lady came up behind me. “Hey, can we ask you a couple questions?” Right as I said “well sure” BAM a CAMERA in my face. News camera. She was a reporter with one of the local news stations, and they were doing a story on the race. Great day to not wear makeup and run in the rain right?! It was pretty cool to be on the news though, and the video link was online so everyone could see it. I felt pretty important. I gabbed about the race support, which was great. The aid stations and volunteers were great, and it was a very organized race. 

It was great to be able to spend the weekend with Michele and it was fun, but the course wasn’t memorable and the hills sucked. I would recommend this race since it was smaller and was still really well organized. It’s a great May race option if you couldn’t get into the Lincoln half. I don’t think I will make this one a regular race, but I would do it again eventually.

Omaha Half Marathon Sept 2013 - 1:44:05 Current PR

PERFECT day!  Temps were in the 50s at the start, little breeze, overall perfect running conditions.  I had every intention of breaking my 1:47 PR today, and I did just that!  

This was my first time running Omaha.  This was also the first year that the Omaha Marathon was put on by HITS Endurance.  The route was brand new for 2013, and was labeled fast and flat.  In prior years, the Omaha course was infamous for being hilly.  This year the course started and finished at the TD Ameritrade Ballpark.  Runners actually ran the outfield on the last maybe half mile to loop back out of the park to the finish line on the street.

My thoughts on the event.  Um, pricey.  Maybe not worth the $$.  I don't know, of course every race is worth it, especially PRs.  But this half (I signed up late too) was $85.  Plus the processing fee at the checkout put this in the $90 price range.  For a HALF.  In the past the race wasn't as expensive.  They plan to grow this race over the next few years.  I think they have several kinks to work out before this can happen.  And they should look at the price... So for the price, you didn't even get a packet bag.  Just your shirt and bib.  I was really bummed, my shirt was hella small.  They offered both men's and women's sizes... oops.  Pasta dinner I believe was extra... (not positive)  Parking was not free.  There were some major issues at the starting line as well, getting everyone lined up.

ANYWHO, onto MY race!  I lined up with a 1:45 pacer.  I ended up ahead of him the whole race.  I decided to make sure I went with my pace once I got in the groove.  I felt great, took a GU at 7.5 only because I made myself.  I carried my beloved hand held Nathan shot bottle this race.  I missed it dearly in Sioux Falls when I went without it.  I didn't stop at any aid stations, which helped my pace, as I always have to stop to drink my water out of the cup, otherwise it's on my shirt and not in my mouth.

Heading to the starting line!

Mentally and physically I felt strong all race.  There was good crowd support and entertainment along the route.  The course was an out and back.  I personally was thrilled about this.  All of my training runs at home are outs and backs, mentally that is how I run best.  The loop through the stadium was cool, but I was huffing pretty hard by this point and just wanted to get out to the finish line! 

Waving to Mom in the stands!

I was pretty darn happy with this race, in the PR sense.  I worked hard all of 2013 to fall short of the marathon.  This was my fifth half of 2013, and I finally had something to show for it!  I am more driven than ever to a) get faster and b) burn down that spring marathon.

Posing with my awesome glass finisher's medal!