Derby Festival Minimarathon or Race 1 of 2

This was a really great race!  The course was beautiful and had very little elevation changes.  I highly recommend adding this race to your list of races to run.  There was pretty good crowd support at the beginning, middle and end.  The temperature outside was cool when we started and warmed up, but it never felt too hot (there was a nice, light breeze most of the race).

The very best part of the race was running through Churchill Downs.  It was amazing to get to run through there.  We stayed on pavement and not the horse track, but it was awesome.  Horses were running and were beautiful.  There were also lots of available bathrooms, which couldn't have come at a better time! Mark (who didn't get to run due to an injury) was waiting on us as we exited Churchill downs. It was a great time to him and motivated me for a couple miles.

Gail, Chrystyna, Victoria and I ran together the whole race.  We probably started off just a little too fast.  But we felt really good most of the race. Hopefully, we didn't jinx tomorrow's run. 

As we were running today, I kept thinking about how far we've come in the last year.  I felt really good today.  It never really felt like I was going to die (extreme, I know, but I really felt that way a couple times last year) or that I wouldn't be able to finish.  Feeling so good today, makes me really excited to see where I'll be as a runner this time next year.

The finish of the race was really well done.  They kept the festival theme going and had carnival rides and some food stands where you could purchase carnival food.  They also gave out lots and a variety of snacks to finishers.  The best part of the finish was the small cartons of chocolate milk (yes, I had 2, don't judge).

Though overall the race was really fabulous, there are a few places I think they could really improve.  The first is the water stops.  They were laid out well, but the majority of them gave out small bottles of water, which in theory sounds like a good idea, but didn't work out too well.  First you had to open them.  And it created twice as much work for the clean up crew as most people tossed the lids and bottle separately.  Second, they didn't offer a sports drink until around mile 10.  I could have used it much sooner.

The race (and company of course) was really good.  I'm a little sad I didn't get to see my training group finish the Country Music Half, but I'm sure they were all outstanding!  Now it's time for an ice (or maybe just cold water) soak and to head to Cincinnati for tomorrow's race!

Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon

*originally posted on nashvilleandbeyond.com

Can you feel the energy in the air in Nashville? Extra excitement is buzzing around town. In case you’ve been living under a rock – I mean in case you didn’t already know – this Saturday is the Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon.

Even if you aren’t a runner, you can find a reason to be excited about the race. It’s easily one of the top 10 road races in the country based on attendance. Over 35,000 of your closest friends will lace up their shoes to run. Many of those people will come in from out of state, which gives us a great opportunity to showcase our fabulous city.

If you are running the race – best of luck to you! It’s a great race and an awesome experience. Running a race is one of my favorite ways to see a city. If you aren’t running the race consider volunteering or cheering the runners on. Having participated in the half last year, I can say it makes a huge difference to those of us running to have people cheering along the route. If you are feeling creative make a sign, most runners welcome the distraction and enjoy reading your sign!

For the last 4 months I’ve been pacing a group of runners for Fleet Feet Nashville’s training program for this race. Every Saturday morning instead of sleeping in, we’ve been up early to train. This is going to be the first half marathon most of them will complete. It’s been a truly amazing experience to watch each of them grow and prepare for a goal as big as running 13.1 miles.


If you want to feel inspired or encouraged, find yourself a place near LP Field (the finish line) and watch thousands of people meet their goals on Saturday morning. Each of those finishers has been training for months. They’ve gotten up extra early in the morning or stayed up late at night to get in their miles. They’ve been training in both freezing and hot temperatures, the rain, the snow and the sun. No matter how hard or easy the race has been for them, you will see each of them break into a huge smile as they cross the finish line. The feeling in the air will be joy, exhaustion, elation, but most of all, accomplishment.


For more information on the race, road closures, volunteering, being a spectator and much more check out http://nashville.competitor.com/.

Double, Double, Toil and 2 Fabulous Races

First things first, good luck to all the runners I've trained with for the Country Music Half. You all are more than ready. You will rock the race. I can't wait to hear all the details about how fantastic you did. I'm so proud of all of you! I wish I could be there to run with you or cheer you on, but I'll be there in spirit!

I'm not sure who thought it would be fun to run back to back half marathons, but I know I eagerly agreed. Today, I'm a little more apprehensive...it must be nerves. Tomorrow, is the Derby Festival Minimarathon (I don't actually think of 13.1 miles as a "mini") in Louisville. Sundy is the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati. There are about 10 people from our running group doing Louisville, and 4 of us will be going on to Cincinnati.


The goal for both races is survival! I've been giving myself a pep talk and reminding myself this is not the time to set a PR. And the best part is, I will add two states in one weekend.


Look for blog updates after each race!

Ice Bath aka Torture

I've heard all of the benefits of the ice bath, but I tried it once and jumped out after about 15 seconds.  Holy crap, people willing do this?  I'm sure it would be an effective form of torture for our military. 

However, after hurting for nearly a week after the New Orleans half, I decided I would have to give it another try.  I'm proud to say I made it 15 minutes today!  Of course, I'd have gladly spent that 15 minutes running more, but I don't think it would have had the same effect. 

Here is my ice bath survival guide:

- A positive attitude - this is for your own good (definitely didn't have this on my first attempt)

- Warm clothes (t-shirt and my hoodie on top of it)

- Hot hands warming patch - ok this was probably overkill, but the first attempt was a disaster so this helped...it actually did a lot to keep my core warm

- Steaming hot drink - I chose pear tea...YUM

- Ipad and facebook (facebook could easily be substituted for Angry Birds)

I got in the tub with lukewarm water and gradually increased the water to all cold and started adding ice.  There is NO way I could get straight into an icy tub.  I stayed in for 15 minutes.  I've heard if you don't stay in a minimum of 10 minutes it's not doing you any good.  Since my first 2 minutes weren't really cold, I decided to stay 15 minutes. 

Now an hour later my hips, legs and feet are still cold despite being under a blanket for an hour.  I'm taking this as a good sign.  Hopefully, sore muscles are not in my future!

Tom King 2011

Tom King last year was my first ever half marathon.  I remember being so nervous and afraid of not being able to finish.  This year's race was my 8th half marathon.  I finished 5 minutes faster this year.

My goal in the race was just to finish faster than last year.  After setting a personal record in New Orleans less than a month ago, I knew it would be hard to do it again so soon, so I decided just to enjoy the run and beat last year's time. 

I feel like I've come so far since last year.  Last year I struggled, and by mile 10 I was sure I was never running again. This year I was calm and confident. I will probably never say running a half is easy...but it is definitely enjoyable.  I know I smiled ear to ear this race.  Why?  Because I can run.  Because I know I can finish. Because it encourages others.  Because even with the pain it's worth it.

So many of my friends ran this race and it was so good to see them before and during the race.  Two of my friends were even crazy enough to run the half and the 5k that was before it.  Pretty sure if the 5k was after the race no one would be running it.  

Mark at the finish! He had a hard run, but
I'm so proud of him for finishing strong!

The best water stop of the day was, of course the Fleet Feet/East Nasty stop at miles 1 and 12.  It is always so good to see smiling faces of people you know and hear them cheering for you!  

I think Tom King will be the one race I do every year...and hopefully, every year will be faster than the year before! 

Recovery

An alternate title for this blog post was going to be "How I Fell Off the 28 Day Challenge Wagon."  It's disappointing news I know.  And it KILLS me to tell you that I didn't make the 28 day challenge.  I did every day up to the Mardi Gras Half.  I even got in more than a mile walk the next day. 

So what stopped me from doing it the next day?  I was sore.  And not just a little sore. I've been sore lots of times, but never like this before.  I've been trying to figure out why since the race.  In addition to being sore, I was exhausted! 

This was the first race I've ever run that I feel like I treated it as a race.  Every other time, I feel like I've treated it as a training run with a medal at the end.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just wasn't prepared for the toll it would take on my body.  Usually during a race, I do exactly what I do during training runs. 

Not this time. I ran the half a minute faster a mile than I run my training runs.  I also ran a lot more than my intervals.  Frequently I skipped the walk interval or at least cut it short.  I think the additional running and speed (I have to laugh a little when I say speed, because I'm by no means fast!) made me really sore and tired.  Now I understand why you need rest days after a race.  The general rule is one day per mile.  I took about 10 rest days. 

Other contributing factors to my overly soreness:
- rough terrain - the last 2ish miles had lots of gravel on the road, essentially making it a run and a core workout
- lack of hydration - I was plenty hydrated before and during the race, my mistake was not hydrating properly after the race
- walking lots for 3 days before the race - I have no idea how much we walked but I would guess it was at least an equal distance to the race

After being so sore, I'm slightly worried about the back to back races I have planned (and already registered for) on April 30th and May 1st.  Hopefully, I've learned from my last race.  I won't be trying to set a PR at either race, so I'll have to tell myself to take it easy.  I'm also planning to try the feared ice bath and hope it helps. 

My next race is Tom King this Saturday.  I'm hoping I can stick to my plan and not be sore the next day.  I really need it to build my confidence for my back to back races.

I'm so proud of everyone who started the 28 day challenge and everyone who stuck with it and completed it, especially my little sister! 

Best. Day. Ever.

Wow!  I'm not quite sure where to start.  I'm sure you all really want to know about how Mark popped the question.  But I'm going to make you listen (well, read really) all about the race first.  In yesterday's blog, I rambled about my deep affection for New Orleans, so I'll spare you that - except to say now I love it even more.

The weather couldn't have been special ordered any better.  I didn't look, but I'm guessing it was 50ish when we started. A little chilly, but it felt good once we got going.  I stayed pretty close to Erin, Gail and Mark at the beginning.  At about mile 1.5, Mark told me I was going too fast for him.  I offered to slow down but he told me to keep going.  Not essential to the story - but it's good to know for later.

I wasn't sure I could PR much less hit my goal time of 2:30.  But after some encouraging words from Joe a couple days ago and several pep talks to myself, I decided to try. Before leaving the hotel this morning I looked at the chart for what pace I needed to keep to hit 2:30.  11:26 per mile.  Wow, that's almost a minute faster than I normally go, and faster than I've ever run any race, including a 5k.  It seemed hard but not impossible.  I've always read your long runs should be a minute slower than your race pace.  I thought I could reverse the logic and try to run a minute faster than my long run pace.

I felt great nearly the whole race.  I finally found the elusive runner's high.  I think I floated from mile 6 to mile 8.  I ran longer than the 3/1 intervals my watch was programmed for.  I couldn't have ask for it to have gone much better.  At mile 11, I started to feel tired and achy...and had to continue my pep talk to myself.  It was great to see Lou and Byron near the end.  The course was very flat.  But it was also uneven and full of holes and cracks.  Let's all be glad that I managed to stay upright and not fall during the race.

I rarely keep track of my average pace or total time during a race.  Usually it depresses me.  Today I watched it like a hawk.  I did great through mile 10 but slowed down a few seconds per mile the last 3 miles.  The end result.  2:30:49!!!  I was on top of the world!  Or so I thought.  I went to where I had seen Lou and Byron to see if anyone else had finished and hopefully to see Mark come in. 

Mark set a new personal record too - 2:45.  When I saw him about to cross the finish line, he asked me to meet him at the end.  If you ever done a Rock n Roll race you know it's nearly impossible to get back into the finisher's area after you leave.  If you haven't done one, once you leave it's guarded and there's no getting back in.  I'm not usually much of a rule follower, but I also don't like conflict, so I wasn't terribly excited to argue with the guard to get back to the area. 

I stretched the truth just a little to get back inside.  The lady was not letting me in, so I said my boyfriend might be in the medical tent, and I needed to check.  I mean, he could have been there, I didn't know for absolutely sure he wasn't.  She was still telling me no and lecturing me when I just walked on in. When I found Mark, he wanted to get our picture made in front of the Rock n Roll backdrop - something I ususally skip.  But I thought it sounded sweet.  At this point there's a huge line of finishers waiting to get their picture made.  Luckily, Mark had already talked to the photographer and asked if he would make our picture - I'm sure he'd told the photographer what his real plan was.

As we move in front of the background, Mark drops down to one knee and pulls out a ring.  I'm shocked!  I'm pretty sure he asked me 3 times before I could say something besides "oh my gosh!"  Of course, I did say yes.  Luckily, Chrystyna and Nicole finished soon after Mark and were able to take pictures of us.  Something else you should know about this race series...the pictures are ridiculously expensive.  But I'm sure I'll be buying the one from today! 

Mark told me he wanted to ask me at mile 5, but I was too fast.  Which is not something I hear very often!  Mile 5 was to signify the 5 years we've been together.  Yes, I am a very patient person.  I hate that I messed up his sweet plan.  But now I'm engaged and I have a stellar new PR plus there were camera's there to catch our happy moment.  Now I'm really on top of the world.  Best day ever!