Welcome to 2011, it's time to set some new goals! But first, let's not mistake these as resolutions for the new year ... I don't believe in those :) A resolution is something that a person makes at the beginning of the year and falls off the boat after a short attempt at follow-through. Although, I DID pick the New Year's Day Half as my goal race because I wanted to start the new year off on a better foot ... so what the heck. Call them whatever you want, Resolutions, Goals ... either way, I'm not falling off ;-p
Race Goals:
Rock N Roll Dallas half marathon - 2:10 finish (March 27, 2011)
Rock N Roll San Antonio FULL marathon - my first!! (Nov 13, 2011)
Fitness Goals:
19% body fat (down from 23%) by June 1st
20 "real" push-ups
The Breakdown
Race Goals:
When I decided that I wanted to challenge myself and shave some time off my half marathon, I went to my friend Michelle Blackard. Michelle and I knew each other at UNT ... well, I should say we knew "of" each other. Last February, a special someone from my days at UNT was brought back into my life. And although things with him didn't work out the way I wanted, Michelle happened to be married to his best friend! Lucky me ;). I haven't seen her in something like 10 years, and the first conversation we ever had was last year ... and it was about running.
I told her what I wanted to do, but wasn't sure how to do it. A couple days later, she emailed my new training program. I named it the "Incredibly Uncomfortable, I'm Going to Puke and Curse Michelle" training program. Track workouts, tempo runs, pace awareness, the works. But it did just that. It worked!! I wanted to finish the New Year's Day half in 2:30, and I finished in 2:25:33. My previous best on the half was 2:56 ... I cut 31 minutes off my time and went from a 13:30ish mile to an 11ish mile in 10 weeks. Not only did I surpass my own expectations, but in Michelle I have gained a client, a coach, a source of inspiration, and most importantly, a friend. She tells me that speed is mostly mental; that my body is ready and able; that I just need to allow my mind to let me run faster. Well, here I go again - "Incredibly Uncomfortable, I'm Going to Puke and Curse Michelle Part II" 10 week training program. BRING IT.
I'm not giving myself a time goal for the full marathon, just want to finish it. Under 5:00 would be awesome, but I just want to get the miles in and see if it's something I want to do again!
Fitness Goals:
Working at LifeTime Fitness has been a wonderful thing for me. I've never been a terribly active person, as much as I may have tried in the past. (Does 8 years of marching band count?) I started running pretty close to the time I made the move from the wellness center to LifeTime, and surrounding myself in the lifestyle of other active people has definitely helped me stay in the mind-frame. In July of '09, one of the most intimidating trainers in the building approached me with a question ... "so when are we gonna start working out?" yeah right!! This dude is scary. Anthony Blue. He's the man with a plan. And his plan was to kick my ass up and down that gym floor twice a week. I stuck with it for 3 months almost, and I went down a pant size and was stronger than I've probably ever been.
At the end of that three months I fell off the wagon entirely. Stopped training, stopped running, nothing. Last July when I got back on it, I focused strictly on running. But I knew Blue was just around the corner, watching me, waiting to torture me. So I agreed AGAIN! We did a reassesment and it turns out that in spite of my 6 months of inactivity, I was down 5% body fat. Not too shabby. (I'm sure all those track workouts helped slim me down). So now I'm sitting at 23% ... and we all know that one of the best ways to pick up speed is to slim down. So that's our new plan. Well, that's MY new plan. His motivations are different than mine. When he uses phrases like "tell your friends to lock up their husbands," it makes me laugh. OK, he didn't say that exactly, but that's the gist of it. And I must admit the vanity factor DEFINITELY plays a part. I think he enjoys seeing the transformation. That, and my payment for his time comes in the form of a trade; training sessions for massages. Lucky him. Oh, and did I mention that I can't do a push-up to save my life? Yep, that's right. I'm a massage therapist that specializes in deep tissue and I can't do a real push-up. Girl push-ups are the best I can get. Embarrassing much?
Sunday, January 9, 2011
In The Beginning ...
I've had the idea to start a blog that is centered around my running and training for a couple months now. This is not my first, however! My old blog didn't have much to do about anything. It was kind of a pre-myspace/facebook outlet of thought. When I gave in and joined MySpace I again, had a blog about nothing in particular. Now, I have come to notice the trend in the running community to write race reports, brag about good training days, search for support and guidance on bad training days, etc. Well, it seems I fit right in. But what was I doing pre-Facebook & DailyMile?
Three years ago, my friend Tina came to visit me from Houston. She had recently joined a running group and was having a great time being active and making new friends. I, on the other hand, was spending more hours of the day asleep than awake, didn't have to be at work until 2pm most days, and was getting fat. About 6 months prior, I completed my massage therapy program and started working as a therapist in a wellness center. For the most part, I'd never been happier ... except for the not being healthy part. We talked about this for a while and she urged me to find a program in Dallas to join.
I took this idea to work with me. Many of my clients were active people - surely they would know where to find groups like this. Sure enough, there was a running specialty store - Run On - just down the street from the wellness center that was host to one of the largest running programs in the city. Awesome. I checked it out and they had programs for beginners like me - Awesome. They had a Running 101 class that met twice a week and took you through a run/walk interval - Awesome. They met on Tuesdays and Thursdays ... at 5am ... in February. Not so Awesome. The evening class wasn't an option for me because of my work schedule. Not so Awesome. But it must have been time to break out of the mold, because I joined. And I woke my ass up and drove to the Jewish Community Center (JCC) to run in 30 and 40 degree weather. And I blogged about it. It went a little something like this:
Feb 19, 2008
A conversation started last night at Moni's house. Brandon and I were invited over for a good friends, good food, good booze kinda night. At some point in the evening, I mentioned that I wasn't going to drink too much because I was going to wake up around 4:30am the next morning for this walking/running group I joined. Needless to say, the jokes ensued. Not that I can blame them. If you know anything about me, exercise and anything before noon aren't exactly my favorite things.
The biggest joke of that conversation was the fact that I had to pay $90 to join this group . . . and they (Brandon and Monika) were going to meet at the park and walk about 20 feet behind me with a sign that was to read something like "I DIDN'T HAVE TO PAY TO WALK". ha ha. Another peice of humor in this is that the group meets at a center about 3 miles away from Monika's house. . . which lead to teasing about how I could have walked with her for free. On the way home, I get a text message from Brandon saying that he was going to wake up at 5:30am and walk to counteract any teasing and for moral support. Cool.
So when my alarm went off in the morning, I got up and went on my way. Now, I had to look up the directions online, and mapquest had a different set than the center's website. I chose to follow the directions from the center's site thinking that it would probably be more correct. . . oh how naive of me. So to make this long story a little shorter, I couldn't find the center, drove past Monika's neighborhood at least 2 times, paid $90 to walk with a group of people I don't know and I missed the first day. After about 25 minutes of driving around, I said f#%k it, better luck next time. The next meeting is on Thursday; I wonder if Brandon woke up this morning and walked. Sucka!!
Feb 26, 2008
WARNING: The following is a rant and nothing more. Please be advised to see through the bullshit and complaining. This situation was not brought on by force, it was a choice.
I must be friggin' insane.
I made it to my first day of the 5:30am running group (technically the 3rd day of "class" . . . see previous blog for details). It's not the worst idea I've ever had, but it's close. But that's not the point.
When I signed up for this class, I understood that I wasn't signing up for a "leisurely stroll" group. I also knew it was a training class of sorts, not just a "hey, we all like to walk, so let's do it in a group so we'll have more fun". HOWEVER. When they say "training", they mean "TRAINING". And when they say "walk/run", they mean "walk/RUN". This is a class, not just a group, with fitness goals, lifestyle goals, distance goals. . . you get the point. We walk for a minute, run for 2, walk for a minute, run for 2 1/2 - see the pattern? Good. The end result is a local 5K at the end of March. (Yes, I will be waking up ass-early twice a week for the next 5 weeks). Oh, and when I got up this morning, according to weather.com it was 41 degrees, but it "feels like" 32 degrees. (How do they know what it feels like?) But I digress.
So not only have I paid to join a group that forces me to exercise in the cold at insane hours of the morning . . . twice a week. . . I now have to set goals. Oh, and did I mention? There is a training schedule they handed out with extra days of "independent running" outside the Tues/Thurs regimen to help us maintain our work and push us to our goals. Shit. At least I got a free shirt. I think it's too big though.
It's time now for me to eat my banana, drink some more water, set my goals to show my coach on Thurs . . .
March 11, 2008
The alarm on my phone goes off. . . it's 4:15am, Tuesday, time to get up. Three snooze buttons later I get out of bed, throw on my running gear and open the front door. Fog. Lots and lots of thick white fog. The clouds have decided to leave their home in the sky and decided to cover the ground. I'm sitting in my truck.
"Ok, let's just make it out of the parking lot and see how this is gonna go. . . one step at a time." The street by my apartment complex is just as bad, if not worse and I find myself sitting in the middle of the road with my hazards on talking myself out of today's run. This is no small amount of fog. It's the creepy kind where you can't see the other cars until they are right up next to you. The kind where you have to drive 10mph just to be sure you are following the white and yellow lines on the street.
"If it's this bad here, it's GOT to be more dangerous on the highways, right?"
Sounds good. I turn the truck around and make it back to my parking spot; but before I get out and call it a loss, I hesitate. I remember last Tuesday when I threw in the towel because it was snowing; everyone knows you can't run in the snow.
"Turn the truck back on. I know you're tired, you've got a long day of work today, didn't get much sleep last night, drank too much, shouldn't have had those cigs, it's probably gonna hurt a little. . . but how are you gonna feel if you go back inside?"
All of a sudden, the engine of my truck is back on and I'm making my way back out of the fog-filled parking lot, through the clouds on the highways, making it to the meeting place right on time. So to answer the "how's the running class going" question some of you keep asking? My response is simply "fuckin' groovy."
May 31, 2008
When I joined the "Run On!" run/walk class about 3 months ago, it's safe to say I didn't know what I was getting myself in to. Little did I know that a "running group" and a "training class" are two extremely different things. . . turns out I joined a "training group".
The first two 6wk sessions were a good challenge, but I became acclimated to running for about 25-35 minutes at 5:30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. (Oh, and when I say run, let me assure you that I mean run/walk - run for 4-6 min, walk for 1). Mid-May saw the end of this series, and naturally you move up. Well let me tell you something. . .
I ran my first 5K this morning - the Just For The Heck Of It, Race Against Misogyny (RAM) in Ft. Worth along the Trinity River. (Proceeds go to women's shelters in Ft. Worth.) NOT exactly the best experience of my life, but I managed to finish in about 42:35. My coach says that's a pretty good for my first time running in the heat, but it was a little emabarrassing I must say.
And you'll be glad to know that my insanity is progressing nicely, as I have joined the 301 Base Marathon Training class. At the end of this 8 wk training, I should be able to run the Too Hot To Handle 15K around White Rock Lake here in Dallas. Then I get to decide if I will join the Half Marathon/Marathon class. My next 5K is in a couple weeks, wish me luck? NO, wish me sanity!
Today is January 8, 2011. I have run 9 long distance runs (6 half marathons, two 20k's and a 25k) with 2 more half marathons by the end of March. I have cut 31 minutes off my half marathon time in 10 weeks, and will begin full marathon training in May. Hello, my name is Erin and I am a runner!
Three years ago, my friend Tina came to visit me from Houston. She had recently joined a running group and was having a great time being active and making new friends. I, on the other hand, was spending more hours of the day asleep than awake, didn't have to be at work until 2pm most days, and was getting fat. About 6 months prior, I completed my massage therapy program and started working as a therapist in a wellness center. For the most part, I'd never been happier ... except for the not being healthy part. We talked about this for a while and she urged me to find a program in Dallas to join.
I took this idea to work with me. Many of my clients were active people - surely they would know where to find groups like this. Sure enough, there was a running specialty store - Run On - just down the street from the wellness center that was host to one of the largest running programs in the city. Awesome. I checked it out and they had programs for beginners like me - Awesome. They had a Running 101 class that met twice a week and took you through a run/walk interval - Awesome. They met on Tuesdays and Thursdays ... at 5am ... in February. Not so Awesome. The evening class wasn't an option for me because of my work schedule. Not so Awesome. But it must have been time to break out of the mold, because I joined. And I woke my ass up and drove to the Jewish Community Center (JCC) to run in 30 and 40 degree weather. And I blogged about it. It went a little something like this:
Feb 19, 2008
A conversation started last night at Moni's house. Brandon and I were invited over for a good friends, good food, good booze kinda night. At some point in the evening, I mentioned that I wasn't going to drink too much because I was going to wake up around 4:30am the next morning for this walking/running group I joined. Needless to say, the jokes ensued. Not that I can blame them. If you know anything about me, exercise and anything before noon aren't exactly my favorite things.
The biggest joke of that conversation was the fact that I had to pay $90 to join this group . . . and they (Brandon and Monika) were going to meet at the park and walk about 20 feet behind me with a sign that was to read something like "I DIDN'T HAVE TO PAY TO WALK". ha ha. Another peice of humor in this is that the group meets at a center about 3 miles away from Monika's house. . . which lead to teasing about how I could have walked with her for free. On the way home, I get a text message from Brandon saying that he was going to wake up at 5:30am and walk to counteract any teasing and for moral support. Cool.
So when my alarm went off in the morning, I got up and went on my way. Now, I had to look up the directions online, and mapquest had a different set than the center's website. I chose to follow the directions from the center's site thinking that it would probably be more correct. . . oh how naive of me. So to make this long story a little shorter, I couldn't find the center, drove past Monika's neighborhood at least 2 times, paid $90 to walk with a group of people I don't know and I missed the first day. After about 25 minutes of driving around, I said f#%k it, better luck next time. The next meeting is on Thursday; I wonder if Brandon woke up this morning and walked. Sucka!!
Feb 26, 2008
WARNING: The following is a rant and nothing more. Please be advised to see through the bullshit and complaining. This situation was not brought on by force, it was a choice.
I must be friggin' insane.
I made it to my first day of the 5:30am running group (technically the 3rd day of "class" . . . see previous blog for details). It's not the worst idea I've ever had, but it's close. But that's not the point.
When I signed up for this class, I understood that I wasn't signing up for a "leisurely stroll" group. I also knew it was a training class of sorts, not just a "hey, we all like to walk, so let's do it in a group so we'll have more fun". HOWEVER. When they say "training", they mean "TRAINING". And when they say "walk/run", they mean "walk/RUN". This is a class, not just a group, with fitness goals, lifestyle goals, distance goals. . . you get the point. We walk for a minute, run for 2, walk for a minute, run for 2 1/2 - see the pattern? Good. The end result is a local 5K at the end of March. (Yes, I will be waking up ass-early twice a week for the next 5 weeks). Oh, and when I got up this morning, according to weather.com it was 41 degrees, but it "feels like" 32 degrees. (How do they know what it feels like?) But I digress.
So not only have I paid to join a group that forces me to exercise in the cold at insane hours of the morning . . . twice a week. . . I now have to set goals. Oh, and did I mention? There is a training schedule they handed out with extra days of "independent running" outside the Tues/Thurs regimen to help us maintain our work and push us to our goals. Shit. At least I got a free shirt. I think it's too big though.
It's time now for me to eat my banana, drink some more water, set my goals to show my coach on Thurs . . .
March 11, 2008
The alarm on my phone goes off. . . it's 4:15am, Tuesday, time to get up. Three snooze buttons later I get out of bed, throw on my running gear and open the front door. Fog. Lots and lots of thick white fog. The clouds have decided to leave their home in the sky and decided to cover the ground. I'm sitting in my truck.
"Ok, let's just make it out of the parking lot and see how this is gonna go. . . one step at a time." The street by my apartment complex is just as bad, if not worse and I find myself sitting in the middle of the road with my hazards on talking myself out of today's run. This is no small amount of fog. It's the creepy kind where you can't see the other cars until they are right up next to you. The kind where you have to drive 10mph just to be sure you are following the white and yellow lines on the street.
"If it's this bad here, it's GOT to be more dangerous on the highways, right?"
Sounds good. I turn the truck around and make it back to my parking spot; but before I get out and call it a loss, I hesitate. I remember last Tuesday when I threw in the towel because it was snowing; everyone knows you can't run in the snow.
"Turn the truck back on. I know you're tired, you've got a long day of work today, didn't get much sleep last night, drank too much, shouldn't have had those cigs, it's probably gonna hurt a little. . . but how are you gonna feel if you go back inside?"
All of a sudden, the engine of my truck is back on and I'm making my way back out of the fog-filled parking lot, through the clouds on the highways, making it to the meeting place right on time. So to answer the "how's the running class going" question some of you keep asking? My response is simply "fuckin' groovy."
May 31, 2008
When I joined the "Run On!" run/walk class about 3 months ago, it's safe to say I didn't know what I was getting myself in to. Little did I know that a "running group" and a "training class" are two extremely different things. . . turns out I joined a "training group".
The first two 6wk sessions were a good challenge, but I became acclimated to running for about 25-35 minutes at 5:30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. (Oh, and when I say run, let me assure you that I mean run/walk - run for 4-6 min, walk for 1). Mid-May saw the end of this series, and naturally you move up. Well let me tell you something. . .
I ran my first 5K this morning - the Just For The Heck Of It, Race Against Misogyny (RAM) in Ft. Worth along the Trinity River. (Proceeds go to women's shelters in Ft. Worth.) NOT exactly the best experience of my life, but I managed to finish in about 42:35. My coach says that's a pretty good for my first time running in the heat, but it was a little emabarrassing I must say.
And you'll be glad to know that my insanity is progressing nicely, as I have joined the 301 Base Marathon Training class. At the end of this 8 wk training, I should be able to run the Too Hot To Handle 15K around White Rock Lake here in Dallas. Then I get to decide if I will join the Half Marathon/Marathon class. My next 5K is in a couple weeks, wish me luck? NO, wish me sanity!
Today is January 8, 2011. I have run 9 long distance runs (6 half marathons, two 20k's and a 25k) with 2 more half marathons by the end of March. I have cut 31 minutes off my half marathon time in 10 weeks, and will begin full marathon training in May. Hello, my name is Erin and I am a runner!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
New Year's Day Half Marathon - Race Report
December 31, 2010 - New Year's Eve!!
Time to get ready! I decided a couple weeks ago that I was going to stay at Kelly's house the night before the race. My apartment complex is home to people that like to go out on the weekends, stay out late, and make noise after midnight ... imagine that. I figured NYE had the potential to be exponentially louder, and Kelly has become somewhat of a comfort zone when it comes to preparing for race day :). She wasn't running with me this time, but was volunteering at a water stop so we decided to drive over together just like normal. There's nothing like calming down your pre-race nerves by eating moon pies and playing with the different photo apps on your phone ...
January 1, 2011
It took me a long time to find a comfort zone during this race. I'm always afraid to go out too fast, afraid that I'll be too concerned about my time goal and start so quick that I'll totally blow it in the end. I didn't have too many good long runs during this training cycle and that had me pretty worried. I kept White Rock in the back of my head. I PR'd that half just 4 weeks before, and I felt strong when I finished .. so I KNEW that I had to at least cross the finish in 2:32. The first 3ish miles were just miserable. I was fidgeting with my iPod shuffle, trying to get warmed up, trying to get "in the zone". I think it took me almost 36 or 37 minutes to run the first few ... this was heartbreaking. If I kept this pace up, I would finish slower than WR. I skipped over my intervals for a couple repetitions (I was doing a walk/run ration of 3/1) to make up some time. Here's what the first few looked like - I'm putting down the run pace as well as the walk pace (run/walk alternating):
10:46, 14:56, 11:18, 14:37, 10:39, 12:34, 11:06, 17:05, 13:04, 17:18, 10:49,14:52, 11:36, 10:35, 11:03, 15:04. As you can see, I'm all over the place!
 |
| Kelly |
January 1, 2011
So it turns out I remembered to take everything I needed to Kelly's house except for the throw away sweatshirt I bought at Wal-Mart and my bagel with peanut butter ... neither of which are irreplaceable! We make the drive, bundle up to walk down for packet pick-up, and hide in my car until we absolutely HAVE to go back out in the cold. But finally it's time - I have to say, this is my least favorite part of race day. Waiting in the cold for the gun. *UGH* My second-least favorite part? The first 3 miles.
It took me a long time to find a comfort zone during this race. I'm always afraid to go out too fast, afraid that I'll be too concerned about my time goal and start so quick that I'll totally blow it in the end. I didn't have too many good long runs during this training cycle and that had me pretty worried. I kept White Rock in the back of my head. I PR'd that half just 4 weeks before, and I felt strong when I finished .. so I KNEW that I had to at least cross the finish in 2:32. The first 3ish miles were just miserable. I was fidgeting with my iPod shuffle, trying to get warmed up, trying to get "in the zone". I think it took me almost 36 or 37 minutes to run the first few ... this was heartbreaking. If I kept this pace up, I would finish slower than WR. I skipped over my intervals for a couple repetitions (I was doing a walk/run ration of 3/1) to make up some time. Here's what the first few looked like - I'm putting down the run pace as well as the walk pace (run/walk alternating):
10:46, 14:56, 11:18, 14:37, 10:39, 12:34, 11:06, 17:05, 13:04, 17:18, 10:49,14:52, 11:36, 10:35, 11:03, 15:04. As you can see, I'm all over the place!
After a while, I found my groove. Kelly was at the halfway point, the mile 7 water stop. When I got to her, I needed to be no more than an hour and 15 min into it. It's hard not to stare at the Garmin every second when I'm going for a time goal, but I looked down around mile 5, hoping that I was under 60min ... and I was sitting right around 55min. That gave me a HUGE boost. I was back on track. I passed Kelly at the mile 7 stop and was able to tell her my time so far - 1:15 (I think). So far, so good. I kept saying to myself, "can't slow down, can't slow down."
10:45, 14:16, 10:15, 14:27, 10:29, 13:57, 10:05, 13:53, 10:34, 14:45, 10:21, 14:33, 10:14, 14:11, 10:29, 15:40, 10:55, 14:18, 10:21, 15:07, 10:26, 14:07, 10:26, 13:30, 10:12, 13:57, 10:27, 14:03, 9:57, 13:30, 10:00, 14:35, 10:11, 14:12, 10:20, 13:54, 10:18, 13:54, 10:11, 13:43, 10:03, 15:17, 10:25, 14:57, 10:55 ... (It's a lot of numbers, I know!)
There was a woman (in front of me, I should say) that was walking the race ... power walking. During the first few miles, she was ahead of me and my struggle to keep a 12min pace. As far as walking was concerned, she was booking it! I passed her (thank goodness!), but I wanted to find her at the end and thank her. I've never thought too much about my walking pace until recently. According to Jeff Galloway and his interval plan, if you keep a fast walk, you should only lose around 15-30sec off your mile pace. I'd been losing somewhere around/above 1min. But when I saw her walk, everything that I've been reading about came to life. My walk is just as important as my run. It's not a "rest", but a recovery. It's not a time to wipe the sweat off my brow and enjoy the scenery, it's a moment that saves my body from tiring too quickly. (More on this later in a blog entry I will dedicate to Jeff Galloway and his intervals). So I copied her. I was able to keep my walk pace much quicker than I have tried to during training runs, which I have NO DOUBT helped me hit my PR.
The last 6 miles were somewhat boring. I hate to say it, but the course wasn't exactly thrilling. There were so many little loop-de-loops - I felt like I had run 7 miles in place and wasn't gaining ground. I think I crossed the same bridge 4 times!! Then it happened. Mile 10. I looked at my watch and realized that even if I walked the last 3 miles at 14min pace, I would at least finish in 2:30. I could feel the emotion creep up my throat and I had to force myself to not cry! It wasn't over just yet!! Man, that last mile is the worst!! You know you're SOOO close - that's when the tired sets in for me. I had already grasped that I was about to PR, and walking the last mile wouldn't effect that too much, but I wanted to run!! I came around the corner at the last stretch and there was Michelle. That was it, the tears were coming. She tried to talk to me as she was running me in, but I had to *shush* her - if I opened my mouth the tears would flow and that might slow me down. Then I looked up and saw my mom, dad and sister. Nothing but emotion after that.
14:52, 10:25, 15:12, 10:46, 15:07, 10:46, 14:48, run through to the finish 11:38, 10:46 10:39, 9:57, last .15 @ 8:54 ...
10:45, 14:16, 10:15, 14:27, 10:29, 13:57, 10:05, 13:53, 10:34, 14:45, 10:21, 14:33, 10:14, 14:11, 10:29, 15:40, 10:55, 14:18, 10:21, 15:07, 10:26, 14:07, 10:26, 13:30, 10:12, 13:57, 10:27, 14:03, 9:57, 13:30, 10:00, 14:35, 10:11, 14:12, 10:20, 13:54, 10:18, 13:54, 10:11, 13:43, 10:03, 15:17, 10:25, 14:57, 10:55 ... (It's a lot of numbers, I know!)
There was a woman (in front of me, I should say) that was walking the race ... power walking. During the first few miles, she was ahead of me and my struggle to keep a 12min pace. As far as walking was concerned, she was booking it! I passed her (thank goodness!), but I wanted to find her at the end and thank her. I've never thought too much about my walking pace until recently. According to Jeff Galloway and his interval plan, if you keep a fast walk, you should only lose around 15-30sec off your mile pace. I'd been losing somewhere around/above 1min. But when I saw her walk, everything that I've been reading about came to life. My walk is just as important as my run. It's not a "rest", but a recovery. It's not a time to wipe the sweat off my brow and enjoy the scenery, it's a moment that saves my body from tiring too quickly. (More on this later in a blog entry I will dedicate to Jeff Galloway and his intervals). So I copied her. I was able to keep my walk pace much quicker than I have tried to during training runs, which I have NO DOUBT helped me hit my PR.
The last 6 miles were somewhat boring. I hate to say it, but the course wasn't exactly thrilling. There were so many little loop-de-loops - I felt like I had run 7 miles in place and wasn't gaining ground. I think I crossed the same bridge 4 times!! Then it happened. Mile 10. I looked at my watch and realized that even if I walked the last 3 miles at 14min pace, I would at least finish in 2:30. I could feel the emotion creep up my throat and I had to force myself to not cry! It wasn't over just yet!! Man, that last mile is the worst!! You know you're SOOO close - that's when the tired sets in for me. I had already grasped that I was about to PR, and walking the last mile wouldn't effect that too much, but I wanted to run!! I came around the corner at the last stretch and there was Michelle. That was it, the tears were coming. She tried to talk to me as she was running me in, but I had to *shush* her - if I opened my mouth the tears would flow and that might slow me down. Then I looked up and saw my mom, dad and sister. Nothing but emotion after that. 14:52, 10:25, 15:12, 10:46, 15:07, 10:46, 14:48, run through to the finish 11:38, 10:46 10:39, 9:57, last .15 @ 8:54 ...
Official time and Personal Record! 2:25:33
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