Brea 8K Classic: 2/23/14

I haven't seen a PR in a while so it was nice to have a guaranteed PR today. I have never ran an 8K before so I knew it was going to be a PR no matter what! Since an 8K is right under 5 miles, I liked the idea of it being right in the middle of a 5K and a 10K!

This was a pretty local race for me which offered same day race bib pick up which is always a plus! The real reason why I wanted to run this race was because of the food sponsors at the finish line. I know..that's kind of a wrong reason to run a race, right? 

 AND

Packet pick up started at 6:30am so I headed out early to pick up my packet and still had some time to prepare for the race which started at 8:00 am. Packet pick up was well organized and there was no wait at all. There were plenty of porta-potties and the wait was just a few minutes until it got closer to the start of the race. Parking was free and super close to the Start. This race did it all right!

The course was not flat and had a few hills that really challenged me. I started out conservatively since starting out to quickly is a mistake that I always avoid. I had to take it easy on the hills because of the lingering pains that I have been dealing with due to my major shoe problems. Mile 3 was the toughest and is known as "Heartrate Hill." I was okay with my pace because I am keeping my eye on my long term goals and did not want to risk an injury with two marathons coming up in the next few months.

I finished in 38:24 (7:42 pace) and that was good enough for 5th out of 174 in my Age Group. I felt strong the entire time and just kept telling myself to relax and let my legs carry me to the finish line. Here are my splits for those who are interested.

I loved the race and it was well organized. I will definitely be back next year and not just because of all of the awesome food sponsors (hehe!).

Have you ever ran an 8K?

I think this is my new favorite for a short distance!

5/26/13: Mountains 2 Beach Marathon (Part Two)

As most of you already know, I wanted to break 4 hours so badly this time around. I was nervous, scared and felt like I was running my very first marathon because it had been so long. I was frustrated with the distance and stayed away from it for a while. I did not want to take it on again until I was physically and mentally prepared and improved my times in some shorter distances. I needed to be ready before I would attempt it again. I backed out of the Surf City Marathon this past February and ran the half because I knew I was not ready.

A few months ago I decided to run the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon but only gave myself about 12 weeks to train for it due to the date of the race. I came up with a 12 week training plan and stuck with it. I blogged about my weekly training and held myself accountable. I ran all my long runs and I ran some of them with 110% effort to track my progress and endurance. I was lacking a lot of confidence and needed to convince myself that I still had a chance to move closer to my ultimate goal of running the Boston Marathon. This was it, I was going for that sub-four! I threw my goal out there and the pressure was on. In fact the pressure was overwhelming for the past week that I wanted to back out so many times and just run the half marathon. I am glad I didn't!

I knew that I had to run this marathon differently. I knew all of my weaknesses from my past two marathons and if I did not change those things then I knew the result would be another 4:05 or maybe even worse. I know that we cannot control every aspect of a race since some things are simply out of our control like the weather and our health on race day. I knew that if I worked on the things that I was in control of then everything else would fall into place. What did I do differently that worked for me?

1. I trusted my training. After three, strong long runs of hitting a consistent 8:35-8:40 pace (without dying) I knew it was possible to run faster than a 9:22 pace (4:05 finish). If I could do it on a training run why could I not execute it during a race? The next big question question was how confident was I going to be on race day without blowing it?

2. I fought HARD through those last 6.2 miles. That is when the race starts! The plan was to listen to my music but I didn't do that. I ended up doing something totally different. I talked out loud to myself like a crazy woman and refused to let myself throw this race away! I told myself that the wall did not exist! I told myself that I was not going to throw this race away and have to come back to this blog with my tail between my legs! I kept my thoughts all positive and convinced myself that "I can do this!" It worked for me and I found strength during those tough moments. I am sure the other runners around me were looking at me like I was crazy but I didn't care. I was on a mission to break four hours! 

3. I broke the race up differently in my head based on the course elevation. Miles 1-3, Miles 4-5, Miles 6-10, Miles 11-21 and Miles 22-26.2. Mile 20 was not included in the final breakdown. I used Mile 22 instead since Mile 2o which is where I hit the non-existent wall in my last two marathons. Mile 2o did not exist in this race!

4. I did not go out aggressively and I stayed focused! I was patient with the pace! I started out slowly and picked it up when the time was right. I also promised myself that I would not push myself to the point where I knew that the race was going to go south. Patience was key and I followed through with it. If I wasn't feeling strong, then the plan was to back off and just run the race and finish without dying in the end even if the result was not a 3:59:59 finish. Everything has to align and when it's not happening, us runners know it.

5. I found that comfortable pace and stuck with it. I wanted that comfortable pace to be 9:00 but I had previously mentioned that an 8:35-8:40 pace seemed to be feeling a little easier during my training runs and the same held true on race day. The "easier pace" felt comfortable but I played it smart and I backed it off even though I felt strong. An 8:35 pace was not in the plans nor had I planned or trained to run an 8:35 pace for 26.2 miles!  It was not worth the chance on this day so there was no temptation to start setting unrealistic goals at the last minute.

How I ran this marathon Mile by Mile:

Miles 1-3 (8:50, 8:48, 8:48)

At first I decided to line up behind the 3:55 pacer (a little too fast for me but figured I would back off when it I needed to) since the next fastest pacer was 4:10 (not within my goal time.) I asked the pacer what his pacing strategy was and he said he was going to be running an even pace. I studied the course and knew that two miles were uphill and I wasn't sure if I wanted to run an even pace to allow for some slack on those two miles. The second wave of runners started two minutes after the first and the 3:55 pacer took off pretty quickly. The start was a bit crowded so I ended up falling pretty far behind the pacer. The pacer's group was quite large in the beginning. I could see them ahead of me but decided that I did not want to burn too much energy trying to catch them. I knew the pacer was going out way too fast so I decided to just run my own race and not let the pacer determine my race for me. I settled into an 8:50ish pace which seemed to be very comfortable with minimal effort so I stayed with it until Mile 4.

Miles 4-5 (9:01, 8:56) Gradual Uphill Climb

These two miles were the only miles that were slightly uphill so I took them easy. They were not bad but I knew that I needed to ease off for a bit to save my energy. I think my pace fell into a 10 minute pace at some point but towards the end of each mile I was able to make up for the time and finish closer to 9 minute miles.

Miles 6-10 (8:42, 8:40, 8:47, 8:46, 8:45)

These miles were when the gradual downhill started so I went picked it back up to an 8:50ish pace and it still felt good. I was not babysitting the Garmin so there were times when I may have gone a little fast but not by much. When I realized I was off pace, I brought it back down. I told myself that if I still felt strong the time would come to pick up the pace. I actually passed the 3:55 pacer right about Mile 7 and I never saw the group again. The original pacer was a man and at Mile 7 it was a woman so I am not sure what happened to the first guy.

Miles 11-21 (8:35, 8:34, 8:37, 8:37, 8:39, 8:37, 8:34, 8:33, 8:36, 8:36,8:29)
It was at this point in the race that I decided to pick up the pace. I was feeling really good. I was not tired at all and everything seemed to be right. I hit all of these miles under 8:40 and was still feeling good. I promised myself that if I started to feel tired that I would back off. I did not want to die in the end. In fact I refused to let it happen again. I got a little anxious at Mile 19 because I knew my worst enemy (Mile 20/The Wall) was coming. I saw my friend Mariam right before Mile 20 and talking to her was a great distraction. It was perfect timing!

At Mile 21, another one of my friends was waiting for me and she ran with me for a bit until we passed the point where you had to view the finish line. I never saw it because she distracted me. I also saw my other half at Mile 21 and I think he was a  bit surprised that I made it to this point so soon. This is the text he sent to me right before the race started at 6:00 am. He always believes in me but still thinks that running marathons is kind of crazy! 

Miles 22 to the Finish (8:40, 8:43, 8:51, 9:02, 8:51, and 8:09 for the final .29)

Miles 23 and 24 were the toughest due to the out and back to get back onto the bike path to head to the finish! The shade was gone, it was starting to warm up a little bit and watching the other runners head to the finish was not helping. My pace started to drop and I wanted to give up but I fought through it. That uncomfortable feeling started to really kick in at Mile 25. I never hit the wall but I started to feel my energy decreasing which is probably normal at this stage in the race. I was not going to walk so I scolded myself out loud and rode it to the finish. It was not easy but I had come too far to throw it all away. I refused. My legs were tired. I wanted to walk with the others who were walking. I wanted to stop for a quick break. I wanted any excuse to stop but once I spotted that finish line those thoughts left my mind. I knew I was going to come in under fours. I didn't know by how much but I knew that if I kept running I had a very good chance. My ability to calculate splits becomes impossible after Mile 20! I didn't want to babysit the Garmin but instead I emptied the tank for whatever it was worth and then saw the clock at the finish and it read 3:51:29.

I thought that was my time and I was excited! Once I stopped my Garmin and saw 3:49:10, I was confused and I thought my watch was off but then I remembered that the second wave started about two minutes after the gun. I was in shock. How did this happen? Who was I out there today? Is this really happening to me? Yes, it was an incredible day but it was never easy!

I left everything I had out on that course! I gave it 110%! I did not give up this time! Anything is possible when you are patient, when you listen to your body and you run a smart race. I have never ran a race like this before and it made such a difference. I am now only 4 minutes away from a BQ but I don't want to get overly confident. I know that every race will not be as great as this one so I will continue to be patient and chip away at my marathon time until I get that BQ. What's next? I don't really know. I am still living in this moment! I don't want it to go away just yet. 

For anyone who is looking to improve their marathon time, you can do it! I am not a great or fast runner. I do not run high mileage. I do not have any natural talent to run like so many of you do. All you have to do is set your mind to it, be patient, commit to the training and make every mile count. Step out of your comfort zone and push yourself during your training to see what you are capable of. What worked for me may not work for everyone but I just wanted to share what made a difference for me. I found that a lot of it is mental! If you can think it, you can do it! If you tell yourself that you can't, then you probably won't!

This week will be my break from running to let my body rest and properly recover. I will start to slowly get back into it again when I am 100%. I am actually looking forward to taking a small break so I can come back rested and motivated to keep reaching for my goals! I know that I have lots more work to do but I will not give up!

Thank you so, so much to everyone who supported me for the past 12 weeks. During those tough times out on the course, I thought about all of the words of encouragement and advice that everyone sent to me. Your words carried me through so many tough moments!

5/26/13: Mountains 2 Beach Marathon Recap (Part One)

Marathon #3-DONE! I seriously forgot what 26.2 miles feels like! I don't think this distance will ever be something that gets easier for me but with proper execution and patience it can be a better experience. I was feeling a bit more confident after three consecutive long runs that went better than expected but never really felt 100% ready!  I had a lot of doubts and I was extremely nervous up until the day before race day. I am going to break this recap into two posts since I have so much to say about the race itself and then the details of how I ran it.

The expo was held at Ventura High School and is a pretty small event. There were very few vendors present so most people were just in and out of there picking up their race bibs. Parking was adequate and bib pick up was very easy and organized. The race also offers bib pick up the morning of the race at the Start which is a huge plus for those who do not want to spend the money on a hotel room.

This is a small race and the marathon is capped at 1500 marathon participants which I love!. The half marathon starts in a different location but eventually merges with the marathon but you don't even notice it. I believe this was the third year that this race was held and it is growing by the year. It is well organized but lacks a lot of things the fancy extras that the bigger races offer. I don't need all of the fancy stuff since that just means higher registration fees. There was some security but anybody could jump onto the course to run with someone and nobody would have said anything. I liked it that way since some people need that extra support during those tough miles. I did not see a lot of photographers on the course and medical tents were spread out along the course. Water stops were adequate but I brought my own water along with me and refilled my bottle as needed. I loved the course and the race in general. I would love to add this race to my Race Schedule for 2014.

The traffic was horrible getting to Ventura! We quickly checked into our hotel and then headed to dinner. My dinner consisted of pasta from California Pizza Kitchen which has always been good to me so I figured it was safe. I did skip dessert since it was probably not the best idea. After dinner we walked to the finish line which was really close to our hotel and right near the ocean.

The marathon was a point to point race so the runners were shuttled from Downtown Ventura up to the start in Ojai. The shuttle pick up was a 15 minute walk from our hotel which was really nice and convenient. My shuttle time was at 4:00 a.m. which meant a 3:00 am wake up time! I am so glad that I took the 4:00 am shuttle because those who took the 5:00 am shuttle had a serious wait to use the potty. When we first arrived at the Start, which was at a high school in Ojai, it was a dark parking lot with minimal lighting! There were tons of runners there hanging out but nothing was setup yet and it was pretty much runners and porta potties! I had a lot of time to think, eat my breakfast, hydrate and stretch while waiting for the race to start.

The porta potty lines were really long by 5:30 am!! I usually wait to go right before the start of the race but due to the long lines, I had to relieve myself in the bushes. The long lines also resulted in a 10 minute start time delay. This was the first time that I ever used the bushes but I had to! Sorry..I know that is probably a BIG no no!

The weather was perfect so I knew I had a good chance to beat the warmer temperatures if I finished as close to four hours as possible. The finish was by the beach so I hoped that it would be cooler when I approached the finish.

The race had two corrals at the start: those who planned to finish under 3:45 and then "everyone else."  I lined up with the "everyone else" group and then found the pacer that I felt comfortable with.

The course starts out with a 10K loop which takes you around and back to the start. After the first 6.2 miles you head onto a paved bike trail for the majority of the race. The bike trail is shaded for most of the race and since it was not a huge race it never felt crowded. The course lacks big crowd support and entertainment for the most part but I did see people waiting along the course for their friends and family to pass. They even took the time to say encouraging words and to cheer on the other runners. I pretty much zone out when I run so I never really appreciate the crowd support or entertainment anyway. Shame on me, I know! The runners spot the ocean around Mile 21 but have to pass the Finish Line which can be mentally tough. I know it was for me even though I knew it was going to happen so I was prepared for it. My family and friends were right there waiting for me to distract me so I never actually saw it. I think the hardest part of the course is the out and back from Miles 22-24 since the runners can see all of the runners heading back to the finish. After those tough miles you head back onto the bike path right along the ocean for the final 2.2 miles to the finish. Isn't the Finish Line incredibly beautiful?

Although the course is downhill for the most part, you cannot see the drop nor can you feel it. I had no pain in my knees or quads during the race which I was a little worried about. You know the elevation drop is happening because you can feel yourself moving quicker with less effort. I highly recommend this race to anybody who is looking to BQ or PR! It is a fast course!

Next... Part Two: "How I ran this race and what I did differently to finally get that sub four finish!"

The Day I Finally Broke Four Hours!

I am still pinching myself this morning because I am disbelief that I finally broke four hours in the marathon. 3:49:10! I had no idea that this race would result in a 16 minutes and 6 second PR! I had no idea what my time was until I was crossing that Finish Line! I did a lot of things different this time around which resulted in a much better race. I will share those things in my race recap. I have a little bit of soreness in my quads which is the least amount of pain that I have ever felt from a marathon. 

I followed everything in my race plan that I had for this marathon with the exception of one. I did not turn on my music because I didn't feel like fumbling around to find my iPhone and earphones. Thank you for all of the encouragement that you sent me and most of all for believing in me when I doubted myself! Full Race Recap to come...

Disneyland Half Marathon: 9/2/12

The Disneyland Half Marathon is my favorite half marathon and this was my third time running this race. I think it is the whole Disney thing that keeps bringing me back. I am also familiar with the area and the hotel that I stay at is within walking distance of the Expo and the Start so that takes away a lot of the race day stress for me. I checked into my hotel around noon on Saturday and then walked on over to the Expo at the Disneyland Hotel.  

The Expo is always super organized and is a pretty decent sized event. I really wanted to get taped up at the KT Tape booth but it was way too crowded. I stayed in the line for about 15 minutes and the line did not move at all so I had to tape myself up.

After the Expo we headed over to Olive Garden to get some carbs. They have the never ending pasta bowl going on right now so I loaded up and the took my leftovers from my second serving with me for later.

This year I was super nervous about this race. For the past two years that I have ran this race I have always had a goal and have met it. This year I did not want to push for a goal but who can get the thought of a PR out of their mind? I was also super worried about the weather since it has been in the mid to high 90's here in California for the past few months with no break.  Thank goodness this race started at 5:45am and the weather was great!

Anyway, onto the details of my half.  The weather was better than what I expected. It was 64 degrees at the start. Thank God the weather man had it wrong! I was in Corral A so I enjoyed watching the pre-race events with Mickey and Minnie.  

The fireworks are always a plus and Disney never fails to put on a good show. Another plus of being in Corral A is that they do not allow anyone into the area if they do not have a bib marked Corral A. I like that because some people just don't respect the Corral designations and make it hard for others. I also love that I didn't have to spend a lot of time weaving and finding a comfy spot on the course. I pretty much let all of the super speedy runners through and then it was time to see what I had for the day.

The course was pretty much the same as it was the past two years but this year the new Cars Land was added into the course which was exciting! I started out way faster than I should have but the adrenaline was flowing so I went with it for a few miles.

Mile 1: 8:00

Mile 2: 7:50

Mile 3: 7:54
Mile 4: 7:48

Once I exited Disneyland and headed out onto the streets of Anaheim, I decided to bring my pace down to a more comfortable zone because I knew I could not hold a sub 8 pace for 13 miles. I simply didn't train for that and didn't want to get injured again.

Mile 5: 8:11 (GU)

Mile 6: 8:11

Mile 7: 8:11

I was feeling really strong but very nervous. I kept wondering if I should slow down but I felt good and just let my body decide the comfortable pace for me.

Mile 8: 8:09

Mile 9: 8:11

Mile 10: 8:10 (GU)

Mile 9 of the course takes the runners through Angels Stadium where everyone loves catching a glimpse of themselves on the jumbo tron. The Disney crowds are just amazing. They keep you going and I love races that have great support from the crowds and volunteers.

Mile 11: 8:14 (shin starting hurting...got a little distracted)

Mile 12: 8:20 

Mile 13: 8:05
the last .22 (7:35) My Garmin picked up the course at 13.22.  I guess I need to stay closer to the corners!

These are my final results. I had a mini PR of 45 seconds which is not much but I feel like I am starting to get back into my running again and that gives me the confidence I need to keep pushing for Boston! 

I also met my Running Goal of running a half marathon in under 1:47! I am not sure if I should count this or not because I barely skated in under 1:47.

Me and my biggest fan and some finish photos!

Claremont Sunrise Rotary Turkey Trot 5K: 11/24/11

Instead of waking up early to cook a Thanksgiving feast, I was up early to run a 5K with Shawna and her sister Kristy.  I took Wednesday off so I decided to pick up my bib and timing chip the day before so I could sleep in.  The race was located about 20 minutes from my house so it was not a far drive at all.

It was a bit chilly out there but we warmed up pretty quickly once the race started.  I drove the course a few days before just to see if it was something that I should even attempt with the sore leg problem.  It was not a flat course but most of the first two miles were at a gradual incline.  Prior to this race, I had done absolutely nothing in the exercise department since last Sunday when my leg starting hurting. I was feeling bummed all week just hoping that I would be able to run.  I was feeling much better on race day and most of the pain was gone but still a little sensitive to the touch.

I started out pretty slow and the plan was to pick it up in the end if my leg was able to tolerate it.  The last mile was pretty much downhill so I figured that I could catch up in the end and finish strong.

This Turkey Trot went exactly as planned as you can tell by my splits:

My official time was 23:17 which is a 59 second PR for me!!  I placed fourth in my age group but no medal this time since I did not place in the top three. I will take my PR and be very happy with just that. The pain in the back of my right leg has kind of reappeared again so I am not sure how well my second Turkey Trot will go tomorrow.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!  Was anybody brave enough to battle the Black Friday crowds? 

Mission Inn Run 10K: 11/13/11 (My First 10K)

 

Yes, I finally ran a 10K!  I went into this race without any real goal but simply to see where I stood with this distance.  I planned to run at a comfortable pace and use my time to predict times other predicted times at various distances.  Earlier this week, I squeezed a 20 mile run in (a day after my speed workout) so I really pushed my legs to the limit. They were not very happy with me this week.

I am a big time weather watcher if you haven't noticed by now.  I was worried that it was going to rain and I wasn't looking forward to running in the rain but I guess there is a first time for everything.  I was in no matter what.

This was a very small race but it offered a 5K, 10K, Half Marathon and a Kids Run too. The 10K started at 8:30am and the weather turned out to be much better than I expected.  It was a little on the cold side at the start (48 degrees) but the sun was out so I found a spot in the sun and waited for the race to start.

The course seemed pretty hilly to me. The minute I went up a hill it seemed like I was turning a corner and heading up another.  Although I had no real goal in mind, my goal of running a 10K in under 50 minutes kept playing in the back of my mind.  I started out a little faster than I anticipated because the very first part of the course was downhill but after the first mile I slowed myself way down and tried to maintain an 8:00 minute pace.  If I was unable to hold that pace, I didn't have a problem with slowing down and sticking to a pace that was comfortable for me. I slowed myself down on all of the hilly parts of the course because the last thing I wanted to do was kill myself and run out of gas early on.

The last couple of miles were on a bike trail and even that darn thing wasn't flat.  I was starting to feel a little tired at Mile 5 but I told myself that I had one more mile to go and convinced myself to stay strong.  I gave it all that I had the last mile, and pumped out a 7:30 pace until I saw the finish.  I was really excited to see the clock since I knew that I had a chance to finish in under 50 minutes.  I finished in 49:39 and accomplished another one of my Running Goals!  I also earned an automatic PR since this was my first 10K!!

My husband and I hung around until they posted the official results and then another surprise.  He told me that I finished second in my age group which meant that I earned a second medal!  The medals are about as cute as the hilly course that they make you run but they are taking up more space on my empty medal hanger so it is starting to look better already! I love these small races since they are the only races that I am probably ever going to place in!

I felt much stronger in this 10K than I did in my 5K last month and I think it has something to do with those crazy speed workouts that I have been doing for the past few weeks! Thank you speed work but I am still not in love...

The race ended at the Mission Inn so we wandered over to take a few pictures and use the ladies room.  They use fresh hand towels, not paper towels, in their restrooms, so I took full advantage and washed my nasty, sticky, salty face.  Kinda of tacky..I know, but that cold towel on my face sure felt good!