Columbus Marathon

It was a beautiful day for running in Columbus, OH yesterday.  It was huge 4,279 marathon finishers and 9.887 half marathon finishers. 

So this marathon was so different for me.  Jim, my husband and Malachi, my son traveled with me as well as Kristen and her family.  My youngest sister lives in the outskirts of Columbus with her family and so we stayed with them.  Then my Mom came up from Lancaster, my hometown.  They were all at the race at some point along the course to cheer me on.  It was so cool to have families faces along the route.

Jim and Kristen went to the start at 6am with me.  I got in the port-a-pot line with 40-45 minutes to wait for the start.  The line was like being in line for a Black Friday deal. I was still at least 20 people out with 5 minutes before the fireworks start. I had to go so I decided I was staying in line for however long it took me to get there because my time would not start till I went across the line.  So I ended up getting it done and finding my corral 1 minute before the gun went off.  HAHA!  I wore a large trash bag to keep the cold wind off of me until I started and met a 75-yr old man that got in line behind me and complimented my fashion.  It was because he had the same fashion.  :)

So the band was playing loud downtown at the start and continued to play until everyone crossed the start line.  There were over a 100 music acts along the way.  This was awesome to have.  My goal was to try for 9:30 per mile pace.  Her is the breakdown of my times.  My 10K split was 58:30; I was feeling awesome thru mile 10, which is where I saw Kristen's husband, my Mom, my sister, and brother-in-law.  We ran with the half marathon through mile 12.75.  I was slowing down after that big hill and the left side of the ball of my foot was having pain so I slowed down.  SO then I was a 2:03 at 13.1 miles.  Kristen and Jim were here looking for me but I missed them and they me.  So then they were worried.  My 15 I had a blister bandaid that I decided to put on the ball of my foot to add some cushion there.  It was all I had on me that I could think of.  I kept moving but my pace was slower and then at mile 18 I fell apart.  My left knee, on the outside edge got a sharp pain, and I had to walk.  I had not had this pain since my 25K in 2010.  I was angry, sad, and hurting.  I would finish though because that is what I came to do.  So my 9:30 goal had slipped and I was now determined no matter what I would have to walk or run the pace I could to get in under 5 hours.  My prior marathon PR was 5:01, which Jen and I had ran in the  Twin Cities (Minnesota) Marathon.  THe worst part of having to slow down was I still had the energy and my breathing was awesome.  My sister and that group were just prior to mile 25 and my sister could tell since I was walking something was not right.  I told her I am fine just pray for my knee!  So she walked a half to 3/4 mile with me.  We talked about what was happening, where my head was, and she parted to her car and I headed on.  I am thinking how am I not going to be able to run from mile 25 in.  So pretty well from Mile 18-26.2  I walked or jogged at best.  I just needed to keep my pace under 15:00 miles.  Then I saw my husband run out with the camera as I made the turn jogging at 26.  I told him "no" I did not want a picture.  Well, I find out later he was coming to run the .2 with me.  I felt horrible for telling him NO.  I just knew I would lose it if he snapped a picture.  I was mentally done.  I was sooooooooooooo thrilled to be done and kind of still walking.

Now, I wake up this morning and my knee feels totally fine, praise the Lord!  My quads are tight and I am so thrilled with my weekend.  I loved having my family at the race.  It was hard not having one of my buddies in the race with me.  The crowds were wonderful and YES I would do it all over again.  I am thinking the pounding on the trail is sooooooooo much more fun than the road though.

Oct 2-Betsie Valley Half Marathon

Well it was the first cold race of the year.  I had Jen take a picture of me sitting on  a lift chair and my butt defrosted it.  This was before the race.  It was a beautiful run with about 7 miles on a two-track.  I would rather be off road running than anything else anyway.  I was hoping to run 9:30 miles.  My goal was to have a half marathon PR.  You never know until the run starts how everything is going to work out. 

Jen planned on walking this race and I planned on running like the wind.  So I found two ladies who were running about the pace I had wanted to keep for the entire race.  We ran together till about the port-a-pot at mile 4 where one of them had to stop.  Usually it is mean having to take advantage of these things but not today.

On the two-track I ran mostly by myself because people were either too far in front or behind me.  I did catch some people and then pass.  The volunteers along the way were great at cheering us on.

The entire race felt great until I hit a 1/4 mile up hill at about mile 12.  What the heck were they thinking.  I have learned to enjoy hills but I was not prepared for this one at this point in the race.  So my pace slowed considerably.  I made it up and tried to gain my pace once again.  It took until the end.

I ended with a PR of 2:00:34.  My fastest half marathon prior to this was 2:12.  So now what would be in-store for my full marathon in 2 weeks?!

We inquired as to where The best place was to grab some lunch.  We were at Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville, MI.  In the middle of nowhere.  There was a cute little diner called Rosie's Cafe.  We sat at the bar.  They were packed but had awesome food.

Another race in the books.

Air Force Marathon weekend

Well, I have run the Air Force half 2 times before this year. This year, I decided it would be fun to throw in the 5K on Friday night. I looked at previous years finish times and saw that the third place female in my age group (40-44) ran a 26:03 in 2010. So my goal, although I though it a little beyond my means, was to run a 26:00 and hope that would get me a third place finish. I have never placed at a race before. So I felt great and took off with gusto. I looked at my Garmin at the 1/2 mile and saw I was running around 6:34/mile pace. I am not sure I have ever run that fast. Oh no! I thought what does this mean. I was scared I would fizzle out before I saw the finish line. Well at the mile mark I was a little over 7:00/mile. I have never seen that on a clock before. So I felt good and decided to keep running at a pace that made me know I was working but not dying. At the 2 Mile mark the clock said 15:00. What?! Unbelievable! I was so excited and knew at that point with only 1.1 to go I would be finishing well. I tried to find people to run beside to keep me on pace. Well, I was thrilled to see the finish clock read 24:34. My fastest ever 5K. Happy, overwhelmed, etc. etc.--there are not really words to explain what I was going through at this point. As tears rolled down my cheeks I looked like I was hurt I guess because a few people asked me if I was alright. I am wonderful!

At mile 1, I told God if I am suppose to have a fast time then let US do it. If not, slow me down so that I finish where I need to. I still need to finish a half marathon run the next morning.

So my goal this weekend was to PR at the 5K and just enjoy a training run for the half marathon. This is what I did.

So then it was I wonder what I can do at my last two races of the year. I had a half marathon and a full marathon left to complete. Hmmmmm! God is in control.

Snowstorm Can't Stop Me

So today is Sunday, Feb 20, 2011 and this morning the grass was all showing although a little soggy. The snow had left us. Well the weather prediction was for snow but who would have thought that it would be so. I know it is February and I do live in Michigan. So I should not have been surprised.

Well, every other Sunday is trail running day. I so look forward to run with friends and the challenge of the trail. We may even be fast one day. Today was just not meant to be. The snow started somewhere around 1:30pm and has still at almost 10 pm not stopped. So we went from no snow to lots of snow once again.

So Jen and I waited seeing what the weather was going to do and when we saw it was only getting worse made the decision to not drive to the trail. Boo Hoo! What a bummer! The roads were horrible and it really was the best decision but it does not mean I have to like it. HAHA!

So after pouting a little bit, I decided it was better to get dressed and head out to one of my routes close by my house. What a treat it was!

I left and the snow was coming down. The temps were actually very mild and so it was not the blistering wind and snow. I originally thought I would do an easy 3-4 miler and come home. Well once I started I knew that I was in for some fun! I ran on the sidewalks most of the time. There were times that I misjudged where the sidewalk was and would be in the grass. I also decided I should have put my headlamp on so that I was visible to others out on the roads. There were two small sections of my route that I actually had to be in the road.

So I was running on the sidewalk on a busier street. SO yes whatever I was doing people would see. Well, I misjudged the sidewalk and went off into a little bit of drift the plows had left behind. Guess what happened next. . . . I fell flat on my face. The snow cushioned the fall and I jumped up, brushed off, and continued on. I hope no one I know saw me. I am sure I humored someone or added to the list of people question my sanity.

The run was great! The snow was great! The adventure of running in near white-out conditions was awesome! It felt freeing and what a relief to get out for a great run!

Then I arrived home to shovel (snow blower is broke at the present time) which took me 1 1/2 hours. I really racked up some exercise time today.

Nutrition 2011

Well, I came across a website after a friend had sent an article out that was linked to it. I read the article liked what it had to say and started searching through the website. It is the website for No-Meat Athlete. It is full of a wealth of information. It is focused on a vegetarian to vegan diet for endurance athletes.

Well as I have read and even signed up for a free e-course, I am loving what I am learning. I am finding new yummy recipes. I am finding out new ways to get protein. I am feeling better about what I eat. It is an amazing website. There are tons of recipes posted. I have tried quite a few. And no, not all the recipes have "strange" ingredients. Most have some very basic items. There have been a few things that I have had to look a little harder for.

I also learned alternatives to my soymilk. In addition to rice and almond milk there is something called hemp milk. Also for smoothies you can pack some protein in with hemp powder. I actually see that my local Meijer carries it so I will not have to make any special trips to find it. I tend to use soy for my protein but since there is conflicting information on the effects of soy I am looking at switching.

If you have a chance check out the website: www.nomeatathlete.com

I even have a new tech shirt that I ordered from no meat athlete. I love it!

Trail Running

So I tried last year running on a trail with the Dirty Herd group from Gazelle Sports. The first time I went out I thought I was going to die. It was the hardest run I had ever done. The ups and downs and the weird footing on the trail made it a very strenuous workout. I shared with my Du Tri group about the trail run. Susan and Andrea had run with me. We all realized what a great workout it was. It was a much harder cardio workout than running on the road.

Well now this year Jen and I have started running with this group every other week when I am off. We are loving it. We have so far only been running at Robinette's orchard. It is a beautiful 4.5-5.25 mile course. It could be cut a little shorter if need be. We have even started doing our Saturday morning runs there. We need the trail training so we are prepared for our first ever trail race in August.

If you have never given it a try. I highly suggest it! It is fun and adventurous; you feel safer out of the way of cars that do not notice you. It is really a peaceful time in the woods.

2011 Schedule and the such

So I am loving my new Vibram Bikilas. The make for an awesome run. I hope to be wearing these exclusively for my races this year. I am hopeful this will happen since I have been able to do some snow running in them. I did however go and buy a new pair on lightweight minimal shoes-Brooks Green Silence. They will allow me to run on the slippery trail with my YakTrax. I will wear my Bikilas on all runs off the trail.

My goals for this year are to enjoy the trail run with the Dirty Herd every other Sunday. I cannot go every Sunday due to work schedule. The trail is so much fun. It is so different from running on the road. It is almost freeing as you do not have cars to worry about. It is just you and the beauty of the woods. Thank you God for your beautiful scenery! I have a new hydration pack just for those long runs without a place to stop for fluids. I cannot wait to use it.

This year's racing schedule is shaping up as I type (most of which my great friend Jen planned out):

Mar--Irish Jig 5K (hopefully with my husband)
May--Fifth Third Riverbank 25K (hope Jim will do at least the 5K but maybe the 10K)
Jul--Warrior Dash in Mt. Morris, MI (mud and adventure); Holland 100
Aug--North Country Trail Run Half Marathon (in the Manistee National Forest)
Sep--US Air Force 5K/Half Marathon (Jen, Kristen, and I will be there-yahooooo!)
Oct-??GRand Rapids Marathon (still trying to convince Jen; we have run the half before and I
figured after a half marathon on the trail--what the heck!)
Colorburst ??
Well what will this year bring. How to fit in training, family, friends, work, etc. My, oh my! I am so excited. Now I have to get back to building up the miles.

So the training schedule starts the 3rd week in February.