solar squirrel

Last week I did the Twilight Trail 8k.  I’ve done this race the past 4 years and I absolutely love it because it’s small, on trails, and they give you pizza and beer at the finish.  I usually run this with a team, the first 2 years with ESpeed, and then last year with Bridget.  This year I guess I was on a team, but my team-mate slowed me down and made me carry her the whole way!  (’Mini’ is the nickname I’ve given her).

In order to give myself as much of an advantage as possible, I donated an extra $5 to the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center (the org. the race benefits) in order to get to start a minute early.  The weather was cool and dry - perfect for running!  We got so lucky with the weather since it has been SO HOT lately.  I was so excited to be running outside on trails!  At the start I lined up with Brittany who had also donated.  I think there were ~10 different waves and our wave was pretty small.  Even still I wanted to make sure to get at the very back so that I didn’t get in anyone’s way.  I jokingly said that I was going to win so look out and this woman was like “oh, here go ahead” and moved out of the way to let me get in front of her.  I was like - “no, I’m just kidding” and touched my stomach.  She hadn’t even noticed that I was pregnant!  It made me feel so good!  It was funny.  Anyway - they gave us the queue to start and we were off.  I felt no pressure.  No nervousness or wave of anxiety when they tell you to go. (I usually don’t get very nervous in races, but I do get a slight twinge of excitement/anxiety at the start).  When you are pregnant you don’t have to worry about this!

Monica caught up to us within a few minutes (she didn’t get the 1 minute head start) and the 3 of us ran together.  We walked up the giant hill at the start and were chatting the whole time.  It was really fun and I felt awesome other than the fact that I had to pee like crazy after only a few hundred feet.  I like to wear this belly band on my stomach when I run.  It’s real thin - sort of looks like a tube top - but it adds just enough support so that I don’t feel like my stomach is bouncing all around.  I honestly can say that I felt comfortable and didn’t have any issues other than my bladder feeling like it was going to explode.

I didn’t wear a watch, so I wasn’t sure what my time was - but I just checked the results and WOW.  What a difference it makes running when you are pregnant!!!

2010 Time (non-preggo) 38:42; (pace per mile = 7:47)
2011 Time (26 weeks preggo) 51:32; (pace per mile = 10:22)

This is absolutely amazing to me on so many levels!  I just can’t believe the impact being pregnant has had on my running speed.  Granted, the effort was less than last year, but I’m guessing even if my life were being threatened I wouldn’t be able to go more than 30 sec faster per mile max.

I brought my camera but totally forgot to take pictures - but here is one that the organizer posted:

Towards the end of the race - felt great!

I’m just so thankful for my health and for the ability to be able to run (albeit incredibly slow).  Lately I seem to have forgotten just how lucky I am (and my family is) for our good health.  Things can get bad, but in the end if you aren’t healthy nothing else matters.

I had a few rough weeks there while I was sick.  Even though I took an entire week off from running, I was still dealing w/ a dumb stuffed up nose which caused my outdoor running to be quite miserable since I was not able to breathe normally.  The past two weeks have definitely been better and I think I’m finally back on track. Here’s an overview of the past 2 weekend’s races:

Youngstown Half Marathon Recap

Went into this feeling pretty good.  I had a goal of repeating my best time on this course (1:45:38 / 8:04 pace), which I did back in 2008, before my IT band injury.  The conditions were ok, but not great - there was a lot of snow / slush / ice.  It wasn’t too bad, though.  I guess I’m just getting used to wet, slippery running!  Several of my friends were at this race, and Todd decided to tag along too.  It sure makes it fun when tons of your friends are doing a race - esp. when they are all so fast!

Lining up at the start I turned on my Garmin and of course I got a warning that I had a low battery!  Argh!  Oh, well - I saw a few of my friends and figured I could try to just run with them to keep my pace.  The signal to start was given and we were off.  I decided that I would focus on just doing an 8-min pace or feeling comfortable, no faster.  This strategy works well for me.  I was running relaxed and not pushing it too much.  The mile markers were completely off.  When my Garmin said we were at mile 4 the race mile marker said 3.  It went like this basically until the last couple miles.  The markers were a mile off the entire time!  I double checked w/ several people around me and they had the same error.  I just kept running with the same few people, back and forth.  The up-hills they would get in front of me, and on the flats and downhills I would catch back up.  (I have def. not been focusing on hills as part of my training).  The miles ticked off pretty easily and around mile 10 this girl tried to take me on an uphill.  I still had plenty of energy, so I didn’t let her pass me and I picked up the pace a little to create more of a distance between us.  At this point there was a girl in teal that I had been watching the whole race.  I decided I wanted to pass her.  I caught up to her and ran w/ her a little bit.  The end of this race is just mean.  It’s a lot of uphill, so I just stayed with her for the climbs and tried to get a lead during the flats/downs.  About a mile left I think I finally lost her.  I felt awesome and had plenty of energy at the end - which is good because the end is uphill too!  Finished with a PR for this course with a time of 1:43:12 / 7:53 pace.  Over 2 min faster than my best time!  I got 2nd in my age group - which is funny because the 3rd, 4th, and 5th girls were all behind me by only a few seconds.  My finishing kick paid off

Here are the splits from my Garmin:
mile 1:  7:48
mile 2:  7:44
mile 3:  7:27
mile 4:  7:52
mile 5:  7:31
mile 6:  7:47
mile 7:  7:51
mile 8:  7:44
mile 9:  7:51
mile 10:  8:08
mile 11:  7:53
mile 12:  7:36
mile 13:  7:48
Finishing Time:  1:43:12
2nd place in my Age Group

This weekend was St. Malachi, which I haven’t done for several years.  I think the last time I did it was in 2008.  I didn’t realize it, but my time this year was only 1 second slower than my time in 2008.  That’s hilarious!  I was pretty disappointed with this year’s results, not because of the time, but because of how I felt.  I had nothing left.  The first 3 miles were good, and then I just fizzled out.  I guess I don’t know how to run a 5-mile race.  I think maybe I started off too fast…not sure, but I just felt really heavy and tired.  I don’t like the new course.  I liked it better before when you got to go over the bridge and you finished on an uphill.  The footing was terrible - pot holes everywhere and ice patches.  All of my friends did AMAZING, though.  I can’t believe how fast everyone is getting…it’s pretty awesome.  I finished w/ a time of 35:16/7:03 pace.

Other than running I’ve been really keeping busy at work.  Things are moving so fast and sometimes I can’t keep track of everything that is going on.  I have to write everything down and make notes for myself or I will completely forget something.  I have a calendar that I write in and I’ve started to rely on it to remind me of different appointments and meetings that I have in addition to using it to keep track of my to do list, which has grown beyond manageable.  Thank goodness for running or I would be such a stressed out psycho mess!

Another thing that has helped w/ the stress relief is our hot tub.  I am still in love with it and go in it almost daily.

Todd hot-tubbing it!

It sure makes going out in this freezing, messy crap a lot easier when I know that when I’m done I can get warmed up and stretched out.  Of course, anyone who is willing to brave the elements and run with me gets the hot tub privilege  too!

Gonna try to post more often (at least weekly).  I feel like I have so many neat things to share (like tons of updates about the reef tanks!!!!!!), but not enough time.  Ughhhh….I’ll keep trying.

Morning of marathon - quick picture before heading to shuttles

I have just a few min to post a quick summary of how the race weekend went.  I’ll try to get a longer post in (mostly for my own sanity to try and figure out what the heck went wrong) later on in the week when I have more time.

Some background:  I ran towpath in October 2010 and had terrible stomach issues, but still managed to get a very slight PR.  (Ran a 3:37 - took about a minute off of my best marathon time).  I figured why not try again and see what I can do at a race where I don’t have stomach issues.  I was going to do Boston, but it sold out too quickly.  Then I was going to do the Winter Run for Regis 50k - but that ALSO sold out before I could get registered.  I wasn’t planning on doing AZ, but Brittany out of nowhere sends me an email asking me if I want to do a marathon.  We on a whim and in the matter of about 20 min. decided to sign up for Arizona Rock n’ Roll Marathon.

The training program that I used was already too long for me to start from the beginning (mistake #1) so I just skipped ahead to make it fit where I was time-wize.  Oh - and then there is the little problem of me only running AT MOST 3 times per week.  I think the highest mileage week I had was when I did my 20-miler.  I hit 31 miles that week, I believe.  The rest of my training (running-wize) was definitely sub-par.  NOTE TO SELF - THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR RUNNING WHEN TRAINING FOR A MARATHON!!!!!!

Day of the race I was feeling good.  I had energy and didn’t anticipate any stomach issues.  I started off not even looking at my watch, just running on feel to make sure that an 8-min pace was comfortable.  It was, and I was averaging around 7:54 for every mile and feeling good.  Breathing was relaxed and the pace felt easy.  I think I drank too much water before the race started and so around mile 9 I stopped to use the bathroom.  At this point I was ahead of the 3:30 pace group, but by the time I was out of the bathroom they had gotten in front of me - but only by about a minute or 2.  HERE IS WHERE I MADE BIG MISTAKE #2 - I tried to catch up to them.  I thought it would be easy because they weren’t too far ahead.  Well - that was super super SUPER dumb.  Even though I only picked it up a little bit, I think I messed myself up.  I had about 2.5 miles where I went a little faster than I should have.  I think the times were 7:22 and 7:12.  I caught 3:30 pacer around mile 12.  I stuck with them until 18 and then I slowly started to fade farther and farther away.  By mile 20 I decided that I would just try to keep a steady pace on my own and gave up on a 3:30.

Here is where it ALL fell apart.  My back was KILLING ME.  Lower back hurt so bad and the pain was radiating around to my lower abs as well.  I have no idea what was wrong, but the pain was insane.  I didn’t even realize it, but I started to walk.  Then I stopped and bent over to try to stretch.  I probably stopped about 10 to 15 times between miles 20 and the finish.  Around mile 23 I was SOOOOO tired - I stopped to get water and stretch and I was so out of it that I threw my used cup in what I thought was the garbage - but then when I got a concerned look from the volunteer I realized that I had accidentally thrown it in their clean water that they were using to fill the cups!  Ooops!  I apologized and told them I was really tired.  They were nice about it at least.

I think the lowest part of the race was mile 25 where I thought either my toenail fell off or the top of my toe just decided to come off of my foot.  It was the most intense sharp pain ever!!  It stopped me to the point where I couldn’t even walk right.  I sat down on the side of the road and took off my shoe and sock, expecting to see a ripped off toenail - but it was just a giant blister that had popped.  (sick, I know).  At this point the 3:40 pace group had already passed me and I didn’t care what my time was - I just wanted to be DONE.  I was thinking I probably wasn’t that far off from Bridget, so I would just sit there and wait for her and we could finish together.  Well - I sat there for a while…watching all these people pass by.  Then I guess I had a moment of realization [HELLO YOU ARE AT MILE 25!!!!!!!] and picked my sad self up and hobbled for a bit and then just gritted my teeth and squeaked out probably the slowest mile of my life to finish with a chip time of 3:46.  BLAH.

I told myself at mile 22 or 23 that I would never do another marathon again.  Well - I think that this has now turned into a challenge.  I am frustrated and mad and DETERMINED.  I am going to get a PR this year.  I am going to actually train and do some high mileage and get the time that I am capable of getting.  I will do that in 2011.  No more fooling around.

I had SUCH a great time with Brittany and Bridget.  I think the only way we could have had a better time is if we would have all done great at the race.  We had so much fun laughing at ourselves and commiserating, though.  We all had bad races, which made it easier to accept.

I now have focus and determination, which I didn’t quite have before.  I’m excited to see what I can do!

First Place woman (Janet) and 3rd Age Group (me)

Yesterday was exactly a year since doing my last triathlon.  I did the Munroe Falls sprint triathlon last year as one of my last races before succumbing to my IT band injury.  It’s fitting then that I’m using it (hopefully) as my entry back into the running / triathlon scene and as a CLOSURE to my IT band problems.

On Friday I went to see Dr. Keyes for my last scheduled ART session.  He told me the IT band was doing great - no more scar tissue and nice and loosened up.  Unfortunately I’ve developed a new problem - when I try to fully extend my knee there is discomfort and pain.  He told me this was likely my meniscus.  Argh!  How did my meniscus get messed up?  Possibly just from the jolt into running again without having tons of scar tissue - he said it may be irritated due to the new way I’m running (sans scar tissue and ITB issues).  The good news is that he said it should go away and that it’s not severe.  He did this thing where he straitened my leg and then pushed it to either side and asked me if it hurt.  Well, it felt uncomfortable, but not super painful…  So anyway - IF ANYONE OUT THERE HAS ANY FAMILIARITY WITH MENISCUS ISSUES CAN YOU SEND ME SOME INFO?  Tim said to work on strengthening my hips/legs, which I’m working on doing, but it’s just soooooooo frustrating!  I want to finally be pain and injury-free!!!!

Onto the race.  This one is nice because it’s only about 20 min from where we live.  I love LOCAL races!!  Got there early and had plenty of time to setup.  While getting my things setup in transition, someone said hi to me that I didn’t recognize - she told me her name was Suzanne and she reads my blog!  I was so flattered that someone I don’t know reads my rambles and complaints about training.  I told her I would try to keep my blog more updated since now I know there is one extra person reading!

It was HOT and I didn’t see many people wearing a wetsuit.  I saw Adam and was chatting with him and he corrected me when I accidentally thought he was wearing one.  What he was wearing is apparently a SPEED suit.  Sheesh…I’ve been out of the scene for so long I don’t even know what type of gear people are wearing!!!  I opted not to wear the wetsuit (I was going to ask Janet what she was doing, but I couldn’t find her).  I don’t really think it mattered either way.  The swim was over so fast and I just kept getting kicked and punched (accidentally) by people.  I thought that sticking to the side ropes would be a good idea - BAD MISTAKE - people who are afraid of the swim apparently also stay by the ropes to hold onto them and then cause you to have to try to get around them.  So the swim wasn’t a great performance, but I definitely felt like I could have done better if it weren’t for getting stuck behind so many people in the log jam.

Coming out of the swim I felt good and was ready to get on the bike.  Uneventful transition except for the fact that I accidentally ran the wrong way out of transition and had to go back around.  (ooops!)  The bike was fine - the windy road out of the park is annoying because I am not good on turns and so I couldn’t really build up any speed.  I already had looked at the course online so I knew exactly where to go.  It was a big rectangle with 2 loops.  Some rolling hills, but not too bad.  Looking at the results compared to last year I did better (mph) this year.  T2 was good - didn’t take off my bike gloves (which I like because then I can use them to wipe the sweat off of my face during the run) and DID remember to start my watch for the run!  The run was the toughest part and I sure can tell I’m not quite in running-shape.  I just kept thinking to myself thank goodness this is only a 5k or I would DIE!!!!  I am SO HAPPY with my run, though!!!  Way slower than most sprint triathlons I’ve done, but I ran the whole thing and felt strong the entire time.  (AND NO KNEE PAIN!)

This race was just what I needed to give me the added confidence and boost to keep me training.  They also told me I was 3rd in my age group which was SUPER AWESOME!!!  (I hope it wasn’t a mistake!)

Swim (400 yards):  8:01
T1:  2:04
Bike:  37:01 (19.5 MPH)
T2:  (not sure - have to subtract from overall run time)
Run:  watch said 7:40 pace; T2+run = 25:42 / 8:01 pace
Total:  1:12:50

Here’s a link to the results:  http://champracing.org/files/2010SUMMITRI2.HTM

Last week (Sunday) I ran the Youngstown Half Marathon.  Good news:  my IT Band held up (I used my compression strap)  This is really great because this is a pretty hilly course and the best test for the IT band is to run down hills.  Bad news:  My time was basically horrible.  The past two years I’ve had a little over an 8-min pace:  2008 2009.  This year I was over a 9-min pace (1:58:49).  Considering this is the farthest distance I’ve ran since July I guess I should be happy I was even able to finish!  It’s just frustrating to have to start over again.  But running is something you typically have to work at in order to do well.  I gained weight, too, so it’s not just being out of shape, but also being heavier and having less muscle mass.

I’m working on getting rid of the flab though, and I’ve already seen a difference in the way my clothes are fitting.  (For a while there I couldn’t wear some of my dress pants for fear the seams would rip apart when I sat down - I am not exaggerating - I had visions of meeting with a client and having my fat explode out of my pants!!!!!)  In addition to running I’ve been getting to the gym more regularly during lunch hours and recently joined Lifetime Fitness.  Janet was raving about it and it’s literally right down the street from my office so I checked it out a few weeks ago during my lunch break.  I was so impressed I decided to sign up right then and there!  The place is HUGE and they have classes during lunch - including a really sweet cycling studio.  I also plan on using the outdoor pool in the summer to swim laps during lunch.  I CAN’T WAIT!  It’s great to look forward to going to the gym.  For a while I didn’t go to the gym (Bally’s) because it was just too dirty and disgusting - and forget about using the pool unless you want to get chlorine burns.  Sick.  I could only go during lunch because I knew it would be tolerable and less crowded.  Bye-bye Bally.

So for the past two weeks I’ve been doing pretty well with my workouts.  The IT band started to act up when I did my tempo run, but after a few min of slowing down it went away.  I think it’s just going to be something I have to deal with for a while.

Work is going great and life in general is pretty good.  Sometimes I don’t want to think about how great everything is going because I’m scared it’s going to go away…but it’s all in how you perceive things I guess.  I could dwell on the negatives or look for the bad in things, but life is so much more enjoyable when I focus on what is going well.  So for now I’m going to keep thinking that everything is awesome, try not to judge others, and live life to it’s fullest!

This past weekend was the Akron Marathon.  For the past few years I’ve been on a team of 5, and the past couple have been all women teams.  This year Daisy coordinated an awesome team and still included me even though I am a broken out of shape joke of a runner.  (Ok, that was a bit rough)  Luckily for me this year they changed the distances a bit and the shortest leg was now 2.8 miles - a waste for any of my other team mates - but PERFECT for me, since my ITB issues have caused my fitness level to decline dramatically and my longest run this past month has been a little over 3 miles.

AkronRelay2009

I had the 4th leg which was conveniently located walking distance from Todd’s house on Sand Run Parkway.  I got to sleep in and walk to my relay point!  Our goal was to try to come in top 3 as we’ve done every year before (Kent State always beats us!!), but worst case was just have fun.  (Can I just repeat the fact that I am so happy to have such easy-going fun running friends?  No way would some of the people I know allow for an INJURED SLOW team mate to compete with them).  I figured my slowness would only cost us a few min. since my leg was so short.  I got to the start around 2:50 pace and got to see all the fast runners.  I saw Frank and he looked awesome.  I saw a few relay teams, but it seemed as if we were going to be in the top 3 spot.  I was a few seconds late seeing Christina because they announced the number as 296 and I was anticipating them saying the entire number.  Luckily I was watching for her so I knew it was her without hearing her number.  We had a bit of a clumsy handoff of the 80’s snap bracelette and I was off!  I felt awesome the first mile - catching the female relay runner ahead of me.  She was tall and thin and like a gazelle and I felt like a stomping elephant running next to her.  We had a pretty good pace ~6:35 for the first mile and then the hills started coming and the fact that I’m out of shape caught up with me.  I was so happy that I only had to run 2.8 miles!  The AMAZING thing is that my knee didn’t hurt AT ALL!!!!!  I slowed down and she had about 20 sec. on me when I finished.  I was excited to see Jen and I handed off to her and told her to catch the girl in front of me.  Garmin said I had a 7:34 pace which I’ll take given the circumstances.  I took the bus back to the stadium to watch the finish and had an awesome time hanging out with my running friends.  (And yes - we got 3RD PLACE!!!) How I YEARN to be back into running shape!!!  This was just the thing to keep me motivated.

The relay was Sat.; Sunday I ran my weekly Sunday run w/ Katy and my knee hurt, but not too bad.  (This was the first time I’ve done 2 days in a row).  Monday I swam and yesterday I biked.  I feel like I’m seriously on the road to recovery now.  I just need to stay focused and humble and not try to do too much too soon.  I want 2010 to be my best fitness year EVER.

Last Sunday I did the Planet X sprint triathlon - I went into it knowing I was not in the best shape and would be happy with just finishing but I ended up feeling really good the whole time (except during the swim - thank goodness I brought my wet suit!!) I felt good on the bike and I was talking to people - I scared one person when I said hi to her!  Then on the run I was able to run w/ Daisy, until the end where she pulled ahead and beat me.  It was fun and the weather was perfect!  I ended up w/ 3rd female overall - with Mel and Daisy taking 1st and 2nd.  (And wouldn’t you know it - the 3 of us are part of the Akron Marathon relay - LOOK OUT!!)

This was just what I needed to motivate me to get my butt in gear and start a more regular workout routine.  After Sunday’s good turnout, I managed to get in a track workout on Tue, a trip to Westbranch for some mountain biking on Wed, spin class on Thurs, and a solid 12 miles running w/ SERC today in Solon.  Now, for many people I know 4 days of workouts is a joke - but compared to what I’ve been doing this is PHENOMINAL!  I plan to slowly get myself back to 7 days/week.  (Using my swim day as a rest day).  At least for the summer I should be able to handle this, but once school is back in session I’ll likely fall apart again.

Planet X results:

Swim (1/4 mile):  7:12
Bike (11 miles):  36:12 - 18.2 mph
Run (5k):  23:04 - 7:26/mile

At the finish - still feeling good!

Thanks Joey for the pictures from Planet X!  Someone told me they saw pics of me from it and I was thinking it had to be from Joey playing photographer!

My blog needs updates…but I’ll get to it on a day that I don’t have a million other things to do.  For now all you need to know is that my newest goal is to run a 3:30 at Towpath.  (and not die doing XTERRA this year…)

Sunday was our SERC running club banquet and the Youngstown Half marathon.  Last year I did pretty well - finishing 10 min faster than the year prior.  I approached this year knowing that I would probably be slower due to the fact that it’s been difficult to get a regular running routine down since being laid off.  I know that doesn’t make any since at all, but it’s really hard when each week is different than the last.  I’m balancing an incredibly intensive course-load this semester - 3 classes that all require TONS of work outside of class.  Adding to that are random interviews, career fairs, networking events, etc. that require prep. time and travel time.  I never know what my schedule is going to be from week to week.  It makes it difficult to plan a regular workout schedule.  I’ve been putting tons of miles on my car driving back and forth to school, interviews, networking events, presentations, lectures, class group meetings, class interviews, and class presentations.  My time on the phone has also increased.  I had to increase my monthly minutes from 450 to 900 because I’ve been on the phone so much trying to nail down things for my class projects and getting tons of calls from recruiters who I wish would not bother me.

Side note on recruiters:  I hate you all.  You don’t care one micron about helping me find a career - you only care about getting your freakin’ money.  You are worthless and don’t understand software.  You mispronounce industry terms and don’t say acronyms correctly.  You are totally and completely without credibility or tact.  You are nothing but a poorly trained telemarketer who is lacking social skills and industry knowledge.

Anyway - needless to say I’m having issues staying focused on training.  Sunday at Youngstown I was reminded that I need to start putting more miles in.  I was only a few min. slower than last year - but I was really sore afterwords.  I’m still sore today - 2 days later.  My finish time was 1:47:13 (8:11 pace).  I’m not too terribly disappointed with this, but I would have like to have been faster or equal to my time last year.  In order to do that I need to run more - but I DREAD running by myself.  I just can’t do it.  I’ve only gotten better as a runner because of running with others.  Running alone is like running on the treadmill - I don’t like it one bit.  I used to religiously run Tue and Thurs with work friends at lunch.  I don’t have that anymore and boy do I miss it.  I can’t tell you how much I miss it.  It’s like a part of me is missing.  Ugh.

So here’s the good news:  It’s going to stay bright later now that the time has changed so I can start going to the track again Tue nights.  I’m planning on going tonight.  Bad news is that I’m moving out of Solon because I don’t have an income and my sister and I both don’t have jobs.  Solon is a great place to live if you’re a member of SERC because that’s where the Sunday runs are and we do track workouts at Solon High School.  What am I going to do in April when I don’t live there anymore?  I guess I’ll just enjoy these next weeks that I have while I still have them.  Hopefully I’ll get a job near solon so that I can at least still do track workouts after work without a long drive.  I know I won’t do them if I don’t have anyone to do them with.

Well kids, if you hadn’t heard this past Sunday I qualified for Boston for the first time!

Thanks to Elizabeth for catching this action photo!

I woke up early and had already had planned what I would have for breakfast - a turkey burger on a whole wheat bun with ketchup.  I know it sounds weird, but when I was training for the winter 50k earlier this year I had a turkey burger for breakfast and I had great energy and no stomach issues.  Todd and I both had our turkey burger breakfasts and were prepared for a good run!  One thing I’m going to have to change for the next marathon I do is that I will need to figure out what I can eat during the race.  The only nutrition I took in during the marathon was a swig of my stashed Heed at mile 15 and 2 salt tablets- one after about the first hour and a half and the second at about 2.5 hours.  I think this could have been the reason why I started to fade at mile 22…

My plan was to run just fast enough to qualify for Boston.  I didn’t want to risk running too fast and then bonking.  That meant that I needed to run a 3:40 at the slowest, 8:24 pace.  That was the plan for all 3 of us.

Janet, Bridget and I started off together, but Bridget was recovering from bronchitis so she didn’t do as well as she could have so after the first few miles it was Janet and I.  Wow were we consistent and Elizabeth was right - the first miles felt SO easy - it was incredible, my legs felt so fresh and I didn’t even feel like I was running, or walking even.  Even though I felt good I knew better than to try to pick it up - I forced myself to go at the planned pace, which Janet and I decided should be somewhere between 8:10 - 8:24.  The first half marathon was a piece of cake and as we made the turn around point at about mile 20 I still felt decent.  At least good enough that I knew that I would be able to keep running at my planned pace of no slower than 8:24.  The weirdest thing happened around mile 22, though.  I walked through the aid station to drink some water and then my dumb legs didn’t want to start running again!  I was tired and knew I had to start running soon because Janet was getting further and further away and I didn’t want to run alone especially when I was so spent.  I forced myself to pick it back up and got back to my pace, but wasn’t able to catch Janet or the posse of people that was running with Mel.  The one guy (I can’t remember his name) was so awesome, though, he slowed down and waited for me to catch up to him and was so encouraging!

When I got to mile 26 I looked at my watch and saw 3:37 and knew I only had 3 min to run .2 of a mile so I was cutting it close, but I made it!  My final time was 3:38 and I even managed to get 3rd place in my age group.  (Mel beat me by 2 seconds at the very end!!  Way to go, girl - I didn’t even realize I had caught back up!)  I got this cool little picture of the towpath as a prize.  I love stuff like that.

I am so happy that I had Janet to run with.  She basically talked the whole time and it made the miles go by so easily and quickly.  I really loved the course and the volunteers.  The weather was perfect and afterwords we just hung out and chit-chatted.  My legs were sore and I was tired but definitely didn’t feel awful.

Here are the splits!

1    8:18
2    8:13
3    8:16
4    8:20
5    8:18
6    8:16
7    8:12
8    8:11
9    8:13
10  8:13
11  8:15
12  8:12
13  8:08
14  8:14
15  8:11
16  8:24
17  8:15
18  8:17
19  8:12
20  8:16
21  8:20
22  8:18
23  8:14
24  8:25
25  8:28
26  8:20
.2   3:23

Total time:  3:38
Pace:  8:18

Boston, here I come!

The past few days have been action-packed and full of fun.  Here’s a quick review:

My weekend started on Thursday night because I decided to take Friday off of work.  I got out of class and took my time getting home and when I got home I stayed up later than usual laying around and watching episodes of The Office that I’ve rented on Netflix.  I slept in on Friday and got some errands done and then around 7pm got ready for my own personal ’spider walk’ with Todd.  Todd does a spider walk for the public every year, but I had to miss it this year because of class, so Todd promised me my own personal spider walk.  I decided to invite Joe F. from work and his family since they didn’t get to make it either.  We had a fun time wandering around the park in the dark and finding spiders:

This one is an Argiope that is actually pretty common.  Elizabeth took this picture today, but we found it on Friday during our walk.  It’s so fat!  We even got to see it poop!  I didn’t even know spiders pooped!  LOL!  Friday night ended pretty early because Todd and I had to get up super early (4:30 a.m.!!!) for the Akron Marathon.  Todd did the full marathon and I was part of an all female 5-person relay team - Five Fast Femme-Fatale Freaks.  I was hoping for our team to come in top 3 (we got 2nd place last year).  I had the 3rd leg - a 10k - and I was hoping for around 7-min miles.  For some reason I wasn’t thinking strait and Janet got there earlier than I was expecting so I had to hurry up and drop my stuff and sprint to the relay exchange point.  (Seems to be a common theme for me this year…)  Anyway - my 10k went pretty well.  I was hoping to be sub 7 pace, but it wasn’t happening and I ended up with a 7:04 pace - which IS a new PR for me!  We took 2nd place female team overall and celebrated by hanging out in the awesome weather and drinking the free beer.  Todd looked awesome at the finish and had negative splits the 2nd half.  (I Think his time was 3:27 - and he felt great and didn’t even try).

I’m finishing up this post 2 weeks late but stay tuned for the Tow Path marathon recap coming soon!!!!!