I got up early, 4 a.m., race morning and checked the weather first thing. Temp was 70 degrees and high humidity. Yuck! I had a cup of coffee, got ready and then hit the road.
The drive up was uneventful and very foggy. Got a call from my friend just as I pulled into a parking spot. We met up near packet pick up, got my shirt and bag and then hit the port-a-potty line. :) We had about 45 minutes to hang out and get ourselves ready before the race started.
The walkers got started a little after 7 am, which pushed our start back a bit to. I ended up a bit farther back then I normally start, but this was a smaller race, so it didn’t take too long to get to where I could run comfortably without weaving in and out of other runners. The first few miles were very foggy. I kept a pretty even pace, which was a bit slower than normal for the early miles of a race for me, but I didn’t want to bonk out like I did during the last race that had similar conditions.
Mile 1: 9:33
mile 2: 9:27
mile 3: 10:01
Just before mile 4 we ran over a bridge with a decent incline. We were now street running in a neighborhood, heading east towards the Pinellas Trail. I noticed another runner next to me holding her sunglasses and realized I’d forgotten mine! I hoped that the fog would stick around to keep the sun out of my eyes for the rest of the race. Thankfully, it did.
At mile 4 I had my first 2 luna moons with a little bit of water. My strategy for this race was to not over drink. I didn’t want to have the sloshing in my stomach again.
At around mile 6, we connected with the Pinellas Trail. I had 2 more luna moons here with water. We had a pretty steep bridge to run over, but I ran up it and then really enjoyed running down the other side. I was still feeling pretty good, just very sweaty! People around me were just drenched, so it wasn’t just me. :) I got water at the next water station, close to mile 8, but forgot to eat more moons.
Mile 4: 9:59
Mile 5: 9:51
Mile 6: 10:07
Mile 7: 10:27
Mile 8: 10:13
Just before getting to mile 10 I started feeling like I could really use a walking break. I told myself I would wait until I got to the next water station and then walk a bit then. I figured it would be at mile 10 or soon after. Wrong!! It was nowhere to be found. Also at this point, I looked down at my garmin and discovered it wasn’t on any more! I turned it back on, but it shut down again within minutes. I guess the battery was dead. Bummer. I ran until I got to mile 11, then took a short walking break.
Mile 9: 10:11
No garmin breakdown for the last miles. :(
Finally just before mile 12, we entered the park that the finish line was located in. The last water station was much needed. I got half a cup of water and then managed to spill half of that while trying to get the last 2 moons out of the bag. I drank my little bit of water and just kept going. The last mile was tough. It was a pretty area, around a large lake, but I was just tired. I took 2 walking breaks. I managed to run the last quarter mile of the race with a strong, fast pace. Clock time finish was 2:15:44! Better than the race 3 weeks ago. I think I’ve figured out the way to run these races in the heat/humidity. :)
Over all I am happy with the race. I wonder if I’d had my garmin working, if I would have pushed myself a bit more at the end in order to finish sooner. My course record from 2002 is 2:13. But I did beat results from 2006, which was 2:21. Official results posted give me a time of 2:15:44. What? It took me at least 30 seconds to cross the starting line! It should have been less than the clock time. We had timing chips.
Stats : 2:15:47; Jennifer O'Horan, 39; 52 out of 100 in age group; 10:22 (pace)
Monday, December 14, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Women's Half Marathon race report
I got to my friend Karen’s house at 5:45 am. We drove up with her husband and son who were going to ride their bikes on the course to cheer us on.
I was feeling pretty good this morning, but worried about the heat. We had a light sprinkle before the race started, which I wouldn’t have minded at all if it stayed around the whole race. I had on my new waist pack, which fit great. Didn’t really notice it at all. I had my ipod, drivers license, credit card and some cash in there just in case.
The race got going at 7:30 am. There were a lot of runners, but didn’t have to much trouble with having to weave in and out. The first few miles felt great. I thought my pace was ok, not to fast, so I figured I’d keep at it as long as I could. It didn’t last long. After 4 miles the top of my right thigh was very tight and hurting.
Mile 1: 9:19
Mile 2: 9:25
Mile 3: 9:38
Mile 4: 9: 38
I slowed down my pace in hopes that it would help my leg feel better. No such luck. At the mile 6 water station I walked a bit, then pulled to the side to stretch and use my fist to massage the muscle. It helped for a bit, and I was able to run a mile without much problem. After that it started hurting again. So at mile 8 I stopped and stretched and massaged my leg.
Mile5: 10:04
Mile 6: 10:08
Mile 7: 10:58
Mile 8: 10:51
Mile 9: 11:13
After drinking water at mile 10, I realized that I was having an issue with drinking too much water and it not really helping at all. It was starting to slosh around in my stomach. Not a good feeling. This happens with me on hot days. I need to figure out a better solution. I probably needed something more than just water. I had tried one hammer pill at mile 6. I don’t think the one did much good.
Just as we got to mile 11, we ran through the parking lot of the Tampa Bay Rays stadium. We ran into the stadium and did a lap around the field. It was pretty cool. It would have been great if they let spectators in there to cheer us on. It just felt great to be out of the sun. Oh yeah, the full cloud coverage had been missing for a few miles, which didn’t help the heat factor. At this point I had been taking a walking break every mile. I took my last walking break a bit after mile 12. I had also noticed that the garmin distance was not the same as the signs on the road. I was hitting the miles before the signs.
The last mile felt very long. I couldn’t wait for the finish line to come. At least the last mile had lots of cheering people, which helped me a lot. Just as I got to the mile 13 sign, I noticed I was at 2:19. I had wanted to finish in under 2:20, so I started to push it. I crossed the finish line in 2:20:07. Garmin said I’d run 13.29 miles, so in my book, I finished a half in under 2:20.
Mile 10: 11:12
Mile11: 11:31
Mile 12: 12:06
Mile 13: 11:23
Mile .29: 8:45
I got the coolest medal. It is round with a small charm in the center that can come off and be attached to a chain. They had a booth at the finish were people would help you take off the charm to add to the chain (which they sold at the expo). They had plenty of water and Gatorade. I don’t like the lemon-lime, so didn’t have any. Drank 3 16oz waters very quickly. Then I drank an IMix drink. It’s a protein recovery drink that is pretty good. They also had a cookie station. I had a couple of those two.
I think this was a great race. The course was very pretty, most of it along the waterfront. Great medals and gift items. I plan on running it again next year, just hope for cooler weather.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Meeting Kathrine Switzer at Women's Half expo
Drove up to St. Pete late Friday afternoon for the expo. It was held in this really cool old hotel building called the Vinoy. Picked up the bib, which came in a really nice reusable bag. Lots of sample goodies inside. There was a new timing system attached to the back of the bib. Race morning you peel it back and wrap it around your shoe laces.
Next I went to the other room to pick up my shirt and free pink Crocs. This is the room with all the different vendors. It was small, but they all had things geared to women. I got a new waist pack that I was told is waterproof. It is like the Spi belt, has an elastic waist and sits low on the hips.
On my way out I spotted Kathrine Switzers booth. She was there signing and selling her book “Marathon Woman” I got up the nerve to talk to her. Told her I had her book at home, so she signed her business card for me and told me to put it inside my book. I had my photo taken with her and then she gave me a hug and wished me luck. I left feeling pretty good and pumped up for the race!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Siesta Key Sprint Duathlon
I think I’ve found a new sporting addiction!
Sunday morning I got up at 4:50 am, got a cup of coffee and got dressed. It takes me a while to get going in the morning, so I didn’t get out the door until 6:10 am.
The drive over to Siesta Key was pretty quick at that time of the morning, so I got there about 6:20. Pulled out everything I wanted to leave with my bike, unloaded the bike and then went to find my staging spot. I learned that I had to get my number marked on my body first, so had to wheel my bike through the large crowd to find that area. Got my number marked on my arms and leg, picked up my timing chip and headed over to my bike spot.
Right after setting up my bike, my friend Melissa showed up and I discovered she was in the same area as me. A good thing, it would have been hard finding her in this crowd!
I made a bathroom stop, then headed to the beach were the starting line was. The run started at the same time as the first wave of swimmers, so we got going right at 7:30 am. The weather was pretty good. Low 70s and low humidity.
I started out a bit fast. It’s so hard to pull myself back when the group is smallish and everyone is pretty fast. I was amazed to see my first mile was 8:19! I couldn’t believe it was a mile, I wasn’t wearing my Garmin, but found out later that it was! The run back over the dry sand to the transition was tough, but I kept up with those around me. I think I made good time in the transition area. Just pulled on my helmet and grabbed my bike and headed out.
Now the bike race part is all new to me. I was bummed to have so many people zooming past me. But the only ones doing that were those on the nice road bikes. My bike is a mountain bike with smooth tires. The tires are at least twice as wide. Anyway, I did manage to pass 4 other riders while on the course. This is when I wished I had my Garmin on. I had no idea about my speed or how far along I was. I felt like I was keeping a pretty good pace though. When I got off my bike just before entering the transition area, my right quad was very tight and I was happy to have a bit of walking before getting to the run. I got my bike on the rack, traded my helmet for a visor, stretched my legs quick, then headed out for the run.
The trip over the loose sand to the waterfront was once again tough. Again, I have no idea on my pace, but I was passing people, so must not have been going to slow. I know I slowed down in the last mile, but kept on going and when I headed back over the dry sand towards the finish, I was still feeling strong. We ran over a small wooden bridge, took a hard right and the finish was just ahead. I tried passing the woman in front of me, but she held me off. However we both passed a guy, before running over the finish line!
Finish time 1:38:22
Splits: 2 mile run: 18:31; transition 1: 1:19; 13 mile Bike: 46:45; transition 2: 1:34; 5k run: 30:14. Much faster on the bike during the race then I was in training.
The food set up was awesome. Lots of different types of food: Pasta, breads, yogurt, fruit, sodas, water, juice. After having a snack, I checked out the race results. Discovered I was first place in the 39 and under Athena division! Woot! There were 5 total women in the age bracket. I looked at the 35-39 women’s age group and discovered with my time, I would have been first place in that group too!
I had a great time. Wish I could do another one soon. Probably won’t until next summer though. Maybe by then I can talk my dear hubby into getting me a new road bike. ;)
Sunday morning I got up at 4:50 am, got a cup of coffee and got dressed. It takes me a while to get going in the morning, so I didn’t get out the door until 6:10 am.
The drive over to Siesta Key was pretty quick at that time of the morning, so I got there about 6:20. Pulled out everything I wanted to leave with my bike, unloaded the bike and then went to find my staging spot. I learned that I had to get my number marked on my body first, so had to wheel my bike through the large crowd to find that area. Got my number marked on my arms and leg, picked up my timing chip and headed over to my bike spot.
Right after setting up my bike, my friend Melissa showed up and I discovered she was in the same area as me. A good thing, it would have been hard finding her in this crowd!
I made a bathroom stop, then headed to the beach were the starting line was. The run started at the same time as the first wave of swimmers, so we got going right at 7:30 am. The weather was pretty good. Low 70s and low humidity.
I started out a bit fast. It’s so hard to pull myself back when the group is smallish and everyone is pretty fast. I was amazed to see my first mile was 8:19! I couldn’t believe it was a mile, I wasn’t wearing my Garmin, but found out later that it was! The run back over the dry sand to the transition was tough, but I kept up with those around me. I think I made good time in the transition area. Just pulled on my helmet and grabbed my bike and headed out.
Now the bike race part is all new to me. I was bummed to have so many people zooming past me. But the only ones doing that were those on the nice road bikes. My bike is a mountain bike with smooth tires. The tires are at least twice as wide. Anyway, I did manage to pass 4 other riders while on the course. This is when I wished I had my Garmin on. I had no idea about my speed or how far along I was. I felt like I was keeping a pretty good pace though. When I got off my bike just before entering the transition area, my right quad was very tight and I was happy to have a bit of walking before getting to the run. I got my bike on the rack, traded my helmet for a visor, stretched my legs quick, then headed out for the run.
The trip over the loose sand to the waterfront was once again tough. Again, I have no idea on my pace, but I was passing people, so must not have been going to slow. I know I slowed down in the last mile, but kept on going and when I headed back over the dry sand towards the finish, I was still feeling strong. We ran over a small wooden bridge, took a hard right and the finish was just ahead. I tried passing the woman in front of me, but she held me off. However we both passed a guy, before running over the finish line!
Finish time 1:38:22
Splits: 2 mile run: 18:31; transition 1: 1:19; 13 mile Bike: 46:45; transition 2: 1:34; 5k run: 30:14. Much faster on the bike during the race then I was in training.
The food set up was awesome. Lots of different types of food: Pasta, breads, yogurt, fruit, sodas, water, juice. After having a snack, I checked out the race results. Discovered I was first place in the 39 and under Athena division! Woot! There were 5 total women in the age bracket. I looked at the 35-39 women’s age group and discovered with my time, I would have been first place in that group too!
I had a great time. Wish I could do another one soon. Probably won’t until next summer though. Maybe by then I can talk my dear hubby into getting me a new road bike. ;)
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Fit2run 4 mile cross country race
The race was at a country club and the run was on the golf course, with a little paved road in there.
I got to the event about 45 minutes early, so sat in my car for a little while and read. The race started at 7:30, so at 7 I fugured I'd go find the bathroom. I lucked out and got to use a real bathroom, no line! Went over to the packet pickup area (I got mine yesterday) and discovered that I needed to pick up my timing chip! Since I had time, and wasn't getting a long run in today, I decided to run an easy half mile warm up, then headed to the start. We started on an uphill! The course was very congested for most of the race, even though it wasn't a very big race. Lots of rolling hills and wet grass. This cross country running is tough! It really slowed me down. Anyway, the last quarter mile I tried to pick up the pace. I could see the finish line ahead, when this blond haired woman passed by me, but didn't seem to be trying very hard. I ended up blazing past her and another woman a few feet from the finish! Ha, I don't hold back! :) So, I finished in 38:53. Not what I could do when in good shape, but I beat the time I wanted, which was 40 minutes.
I got to the event about 45 minutes early, so sat in my car for a little while and read. The race started at 7:30, so at 7 I fugured I'd go find the bathroom. I lucked out and got to use a real bathroom, no line! Went over to the packet pickup area (I got mine yesterday) and discovered that I needed to pick up my timing chip! Since I had time, and wasn't getting a long run in today, I decided to run an easy half mile warm up, then headed to the start. We started on an uphill! The course was very congested for most of the race, even though it wasn't a very big race. Lots of rolling hills and wet grass. This cross country running is tough! It really slowed me down. Anyway, the last quarter mile I tried to pick up the pace. I could see the finish line ahead, when this blond haired woman passed by me, but didn't seem to be trying very hard. I ended up blazing past her and another woman a few feet from the finish! Ha, I don't hold back! :) So, I finished in 38:53. Not what I could do when in good shape, but I beat the time I wanted, which was 40 minutes.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
What's new
Since I returned home from California, I've had to take another break from running, visit a few different doctors to get an answer about my bad back and I had a return to running again! :)
I am in my third week of training for a Duathlon. It will be at Siesta beach in early October. It's a 2 mile run, 13 mile bike and then a 5k run. Almost all of the running is on the beach!
Other races I have planned are Bill's Beer run at the end of october and the Women's Half Marathon in November.
I am in my third week of training for a Duathlon. It will be at Siesta beach in early October. It's a 2 mile run, 13 mile bike and then a 5k run. Almost all of the running is on the beach!
Other races I have planned are Bill's Beer run at the end of october and the Women's Half Marathon in November.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
California running.
Just back from a very hilly women's 5 mile race. The race took place in Nisene Marks State park in Aptos. Very small crowd, but friendly people. The weather was perfect. High 50s with a cool fog cover.
The first mile was tough. Right off the bat there was a very steep hill. We ran a bit of flat road for a while then a nice down hill. But at the bottom of the hill I discovered a very steep climb back up! All this in the first mile. I was worried about the rest of the run. I asked a women that I had been running next to if there were many more hills. I may have grown up in this area, but it's been 14 years since I've lived here. This Florida gal is not used to hills! The woman told me there was one more steep trail climb in addition to the one hill that we cover in the last mile.
The second and third miles went pretty well, just a few rolling hills. The water stop was just before the 2.5 mile turn around. At the bottom of two hills. Not steep, but I didn't really want to slow to drink, then have to start a climb. So I got water on the flipside, it wasn't to hard to get going again. Just at mile 3 we went off the road and onto a single file trail. My garmin wasn't working to great with all the tall redwood trees around, but based on time, I guess the trail part of the race was about half a mile. The first half was all up hill and the last .25 was down. Had to watch out for rocks and tree roots.
The last mile started off with a great down hill, then a steep uphill. I was very happy to have the last uphill behind me. :) A bit of flat road and then downhill to the finish. I tried to pick up my pace at the end to push past the woman who had been in front of me the last half mile, but she was thinking like me, didn't happen. Finished in 50:15. Not my best 5 mile time, but considering the hills, I am pretty happy with it.
The woman that I had asked about the hills came up to me after the race and said she had used me to pace her and that I helped her finish. Another woman came up to me after the race and said she kept my bright pink shirt in her vision and tried catching up to me. :) Happy to help.
Over all I have a great time running in California's cooler temps. Had a pretty good 8 mile run Friday along the cliffs in westside of Santa Cruz and ran 3 miles yesterday along the beach in Seacliff. Hope to get in one more run tomorrow evening before flying back to steamy, hot Florida Tuesday. :)
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Me and Joan :)
It's been awhile since I have checked in. Had to take a break from running because of back pain. Still getting that worked on by a chiro, but back to running. Managed to get a 29:05 in a 5K a couple of weekends ago, which I was happy about.
Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson gave a talk at New College the other night. I went and it was pretty cool. She is so tiny! She brought a bunch of her personal photos and went through and talked about them all. She had one of her and Lance Armstrong. Nike wanted her to pace him for the NYC marathon. She had an event the sat night and told them she couldn't do it unless they flew her down from Maine. So of course, they did. She couldn't believe Nike chartered a Jet to pick her up at 11 pm sat night and fly her down to NY.
I went out for her "fun run" the next morning. I got up early and ran 5 miles at 6 am, came home and changed into dry clothes, took Aidan to school, then headed over to New College. There were about 15 people, so a small group. I got my photo taken with her. :) They said we would do about 4 miles, which was a bit long for me right now. My long run has been 8, so added to the 5 already would have been 9. We started out slow, which was good. Well slow for most of them and Joan. It was about a 10 min pace, which for me is a bit faster then I have been running.
The college girl who had arranged for her to speak was running with us. After about 1.5 miles, she fell back to a walk. Joan slowed down the ran slowly with her the rest of the way. I took a pic of them and then when they caught up (about 1.5 miles out) I said I needed to go back. Thanked her for coming down and that it was nice meeting her. She shook my hand and said it was nice meeting me too. :) So I ended up getting in 2.75 on that second morning run.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Max Bayne race report
What a race!
The morning started off rainy with thunder and lightning. We were not sure if they would cancel the race, but decided to drive up anyway. The race was at Fort Desoto park, an island out in the Tampa bay. Not a lot of protection out there, but on a good day, it’s very pretty. Got there about 7 am, picked up our shirt, bib, chip and headed back to the dry car. I was glad I had my flip flops on, because when we got out of the car, both of us put our feet in deep puddles! I decided to wear the Garmin, but leave the Ipod and waist pack in the car. We headed to the race start at about 5 minutes before 8 am. There was a light rain, so we had on our garbage bags, to try and keep dry. Both of our shoes were already full of water with just the walk across the parking lot.
Everyone was in groups on dry patches of the road. But when the race started we all merged and splashed through ankle deep water until we got out of the parking lot. Of course just as we started, the rain came down harder. The first 2 miles we ran in the rain. I kept up a good pace.
The rains stopped for about a mile, but started up very strong as the 5k runners headed home and we split from them. Then the thunder and lightning started. One strike was very near to us off to the left, which was pretty scary. But thankfully that was the only close one, it was a light rain for the next few miles. I started having my usual stomach/breathing issues by mile 6. What a drag. I wasn’t planning on a fast race because of the conditions, but I didn’t want to have to walk. Ended up taking short walking breaks during the last 4 miles. The only plus side here was that it was no longer raining.
This race had a lot of fast runners. I only had 4 runners behind me at the turn around! I was just happy to not come in last.
Time – 1:49:00. About 9 minutes slower than I had hoped. Not more racing for me until I figure out what is going on with my back pain that prevents me from breathing deeply.
The morning started off rainy with thunder and lightning. We were not sure if they would cancel the race, but decided to drive up anyway. The race was at Fort Desoto park, an island out in the Tampa bay. Not a lot of protection out there, but on a good day, it’s very pretty. Got there about 7 am, picked up our shirt, bib, chip and headed back to the dry car. I was glad I had my flip flops on, because when we got out of the car, both of us put our feet in deep puddles! I decided to wear the Garmin, but leave the Ipod and waist pack in the car. We headed to the race start at about 5 minutes before 8 am. There was a light rain, so we had on our garbage bags, to try and keep dry. Both of our shoes were already full of water with just the walk across the parking lot.
Everyone was in groups on dry patches of the road. But when the race started we all merged and splashed through ankle deep water until we got out of the parking lot. Of course just as we started, the rain came down harder. The first 2 miles we ran in the rain. I kept up a good pace.
The rains stopped for about a mile, but started up very strong as the 5k runners headed home and we split from them. Then the thunder and lightning started. One strike was very near to us off to the left, which was pretty scary. But thankfully that was the only close one, it was a light rain for the next few miles. I started having my usual stomach/breathing issues by mile 6. What a drag. I wasn’t planning on a fast race because of the conditions, but I didn’t want to have to walk. Ended up taking short walking breaks during the last 4 miles. The only plus side here was that it was no longer raining.
This race had a lot of fast runners. I only had 4 runners behind me at the turn around! I was just happy to not come in last.
Time – 1:49:00. About 9 minutes slower than I had hoped. Not more racing for me until I figure out what is going on with my back pain that prevents me from breathing deeply.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
St. Patty's 8k in Tempe, AZ
I ran the st patty's 8k this morning in Tempe, AZ. We are in Scottsdale for a week, so thought, why not! :) I did make the mistake of eating to much mexican food last night, ug. I was feeling it this morning.
Nice and cool this morning. Low 50s and very low humidity!!
This was a small race, a great change after last week's big race. I started out good. Keeping a mid 9 min. pace. Right off the bat there were some hills. At about .6 of a mile we went off road and ran on a dirt/rocky road. That lasted almost a mile. The course took us through and around this large park with a lake in the middle. Very pretty, but lots of rolling hills, which are tough for this florida gal! We had one more short section on that dirt path in the last mile. And just before the finish there was one last tough hill. Finished in 48:49. garmin showed 4.98 miles, though I thought an 8k was 4.8 oh well. :) No PR for me. Just had fun and enjoyed a new course. Loved the no humidity!
Time: 48:49, Pace: 9:50, 135 out of 203 total runners.
Nice and cool this morning. Low 50s and very low humidity!!
This was a small race, a great change after last week's big race. I started out good. Keeping a mid 9 min. pace. Right off the bat there were some hills. At about .6 of a mile we went off road and ran on a dirt/rocky road. That lasted almost a mile. The course took us through and around this large park with a lake in the middle. Very pretty, but lots of rolling hills, which are tough for this florida gal! We had one more short section on that dirt path in the last mile. And just before the finish there was one last tough hill. Finished in 48:49. garmin showed 4.98 miles, though I thought an 8k was 4.8 oh well. :) No PR for me. Just had fun and enjoyed a new course. Loved the no humidity!
Time: 48:49, Pace: 9:50, 135 out of 203 total runners.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Princess Half Marathon
I drove over to Orlando Saturday, arriving at the expo place at 2pm. Got my bib and then went to get my t-shirt. I got a large, tried it on and it was tight! So I tried to exchange it, but all they had were smalls and mediums. So I walked around and ended up buying a shirt that says "I need my beauty sleep." and on the back has the race name and date. I also got a 13.1 charm and a couple of water bottles. Headed to the hotel next, checked in, then went to the outlet mall just down the road. Went to the Nike store and got a new top and light weight dry tech running pants to wear the next day.
That night I didn't get a whole lot of sleep. Once I got to sleep, around 10ish, I just kept waking up every half hour or so. Got up at 4:15, but because we lost an hour due to the time change, it felt like 3:30. I was out of there by 4:40 and made it to the parking lot at Epcot just before 5 a.m. I gave Brenda a call. She had just pulled into the parking lot too. We planned on hanging in our cars for a little bit then meeting up. Around 5:15 we met by my car, found someone to take a photo of us, then headed over to the porta potties. Got in pretty quick. I decided not to check a bag, so we walked back to my car, which wasn't far, to drop it off. We saw that people were walking to the start already, so started heading in that direction with them. It was a bit of a walk, I don't know, a quarter to half a mile. Stopped at the porta potties again then headed to our corral. We were both surprised that we were in the first one, but it was great to be so close to the start. There were 3 corrals. Any men running in the race were placed in the 2nd or 3rd area.
It was really great to have someone with me to talk to while waiting there for the hour before the race. The temps were in the mid 50s and it was dark and foggy.
The race had a very quiet start. I was surprised there were no fireworks like they have for the January race. I wished Brenda a good race, then we parted ways.
I started out good. There were a couple of hills early in the first mile, made it through those just fine. I was keeping a good pace through mile 5, but then started to feel the slow down. At this point we started running through the Magic Kingdom. That was fun. Lots of crowd support. I ran through the castle, noticed lots of photographers, but it was pretty crowded, so not sure they got a shot of me. When we got to the front of the Castle, there were a couple of photographers taking photos if you wanted to stop. So I ran over, stood for 2 seconds while they got the shot, then ran on. :)
splits, mile 1 to 5: 9:23, 9:36, 9:51, 9:53, 9:55
At this point I really wanted my sport beans and water. I didn't carry a bottle of water with me this race, so had to wait til I got to the water stop. Just after mile 6 I got there. I ate half a bag of sport beans and drank water while walking through the stop.
Splits, miles 6 to 9: 10:25, 11:30, 10:26, 11:06
I was slowing down alot, but just wanted to keep going. My toe that had a major blister on it from the marathon really hurt. At the next water stop just past mile 8, I walked for a bit and then again at mile 10. The last 2 hills were tough, and had to walk those two. At the 12 mile water stop, I looked behind me and saw Brenda not to far back. That motivated me to keep going! :)
Splits, miles 10 to 13: 11:29, 11:30, 11:59, 10:50
The last mile was the longest ever! I felt like I was going to throw up! But I made it to the finish line. Finished in 2:20:12. This is not a great time for me, but not my worst and at 3 weeks post marathon, I'll take it.
Got my very pretty finishers medal, a banana, water and poweraide, then headed on out of there. I just wanted to get back to the hotel for a shower. I was very sweaty!
I would love to run this race again next year. The water stops were great. They had about 3 different kinds of fuels at the mile 8 stop. Lots of food and drink at the finish. At the most of the water stops after mile 5 there were volunteers with vaseline and Biofreeze. The only downside was the shirt. But now I know they run very small.
That night I didn't get a whole lot of sleep. Once I got to sleep, around 10ish, I just kept waking up every half hour or so. Got up at 4:15, but because we lost an hour due to the time change, it felt like 3:30. I was out of there by 4:40 and made it to the parking lot at Epcot just before 5 a.m. I gave Brenda a call. She had just pulled into the parking lot too. We planned on hanging in our cars for a little bit then meeting up. Around 5:15 we met by my car, found someone to take a photo of us, then headed over to the porta potties. Got in pretty quick. I decided not to check a bag, so we walked back to my car, which wasn't far, to drop it off. We saw that people were walking to the start already, so started heading in that direction with them. It was a bit of a walk, I don't know, a quarter to half a mile. Stopped at the porta potties again then headed to our corral. We were both surprised that we were in the first one, but it was great to be so close to the start. There were 3 corrals. Any men running in the race were placed in the 2nd or 3rd area.
It was really great to have someone with me to talk to while waiting there for the hour before the race. The temps were in the mid 50s and it was dark and foggy.
The race had a very quiet start. I was surprised there were no fireworks like they have for the January race. I wished Brenda a good race, then we parted ways.
I started out good. There were a couple of hills early in the first mile, made it through those just fine. I was keeping a good pace through mile 5, but then started to feel the slow down. At this point we started running through the Magic Kingdom. That was fun. Lots of crowd support. I ran through the castle, noticed lots of photographers, but it was pretty crowded, so not sure they got a shot of me. When we got to the front of the Castle, there were a couple of photographers taking photos if you wanted to stop. So I ran over, stood for 2 seconds while they got the shot, then ran on. :)
splits, mile 1 to 5: 9:23, 9:36, 9:51, 9:53, 9:55
At this point I really wanted my sport beans and water. I didn't carry a bottle of water with me this race, so had to wait til I got to the water stop. Just after mile 6 I got there. I ate half a bag of sport beans and drank water while walking through the stop.
Splits, miles 6 to 9: 10:25, 11:30, 10:26, 11:06
I was slowing down alot, but just wanted to keep going. My toe that had a major blister on it from the marathon really hurt. At the next water stop just past mile 8, I walked for a bit and then again at mile 10. The last 2 hills were tough, and had to walk those two. At the 12 mile water stop, I looked behind me and saw Brenda not to far back. That motivated me to keep going! :)
Splits, miles 10 to 13: 11:29, 11:30, 11:59, 10:50
The last mile was the longest ever! I felt like I was going to throw up! But I made it to the finish line. Finished in 2:20:12. This is not a great time for me, but not my worst and at 3 weeks post marathon, I'll take it.
Got my very pretty finishers medal, a banana, water and poweraide, then headed on out of there. I just wanted to get back to the hotel for a shower. I was very sweaty!
I would love to run this race again next year. The water stops were great. They had about 3 different kinds of fuels at the mile 8 stop. Lots of food and drink at the finish. At the most of the water stops after mile 5 there were volunteers with vaseline and Biofreeze. The only downside was the shirt. But now I know they run very small.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Feeling good
I'm feeling pretty good right now. No issues with sore legs. Just have a few blisters on my feet that I hope clear up soon.
I plan on trying to run 8 miles Saturday instead of the 3 miles on the recovery plan. I'll just go out and see how I feel.
Since I didn't "race" the marathon, I hope to have a good race for the next half marathon in 2 weeks. Wish it was sooner. I want to get back out there and do better!
I plan on trying to run 8 miles Saturday instead of the 3 miles on the recovery plan. I'll just go out and see how I feel.
Since I didn't "race" the marathon, I hope to have a good race for the next half marathon in 2 weeks. Wish it was sooner. I want to get back out there and do better!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Sarasota Marathon report.
That was the worst race ever!
The morning started out fine. I got up at 4 am, after having a pretty good night's sleep. Had a cup of coffee, then loaded up my gear and headed for the race. Got a parking spot right away, about 2 blocks from the race start. I found my friends right away, talked for a bit, then headed to the porta-potty line. The weather wasn't so great. It was overcast with temps in the low 60s and high humidity (sucks).
I started out with the 4:30 pace group. The 10:30ish per mile pace has been standard for me in long runs. I was doing fine for a while, but noticed the pacer was going much faster than he should have. Sometimes I was at a 9:30 pace! By mile 4 I let them go on and held back a bit. Figured I'd find the 4:45 group.
At mile 5, I was still doing good. I ate my sport beans and within a minute or so, it hit my stomach hard. It just didn't sit well, plus I was pretty hot and sweaty at this point and maybe drinking to much.
By mile 6 I had to take a walk break. That's so early! I was really hurting and thinking of giving up already. Around mile 7 the 4:45 pace group caught up, so I thought I'd try and hang with them. It didn't last all that long. I was walking again by mile 8. Soon enough the 5:00 pace group came up. The guy was really nice, told me to join them. They were running 5 minutes, walking a minute. I thought that would work great. But when they were running, it was at a 10 min pace, and with my tummy issues, this was just to fast. I stayed with them for more than a mile, then let them go.
Pretty much from mile 9 to 15 I was able to run for a half mile or so, then walk for a bit. My husband and son were waiting for me at mile 16. It was great to see them! Wish I could have run stong after that, but no. I was into pretty much walking more than running now. Once I got to 19/20. It was almost all walking with bursts of quarter mile running every once in a long while.
The last 6 miles were bad. The bottom of my feet hurt and I could feel a big blister on a couple of toes on my right foot. My friends husband and son were on their bikes and hung back with me the last few miles. It helped alot, there were not many people left at this point! According to my Garmin, the course was a bit long. I would hit the mile markers about half a mile before their signs. So I got to 26.2 on my Garmin in 5:54, but still had lots to go on the course! ( I talked to a few other runners, they all had the course as to long)
I finished in 6 hours 13 seconds. Bummer! Really wanted to get in under 6 hours at least.
I really don't know what caused the issues with my stomach. I felt over heated most of the race, and due to the cold of the past week, I needed to blow my nose a few times to. So all that phlem was not helping either.
I am back to half marathons. I enjoy them. They are still a challenge, but don't cause as much pain. If I ever run a marathon again, it will be in a cooler area of the country. Florida is not the best place for a marathon. Even in the middle of February, you cannot count on cooler temps.
Top photo: Me, Karen, Daniel and Sheila before the race.
Middle photo: Me about a quarter mile from the finish.
Last photo: After the finish, showing off the medal I earned for making it through the marathon.
The morning started out fine. I got up at 4 am, after having a pretty good night's sleep. Had a cup of coffee, then loaded up my gear and headed for the race. Got a parking spot right away, about 2 blocks from the race start. I found my friends right away, talked for a bit, then headed to the porta-potty line. The weather wasn't so great. It was overcast with temps in the low 60s and high humidity (sucks).
I started out with the 4:30 pace group. The 10:30ish per mile pace has been standard for me in long runs. I was doing fine for a while, but noticed the pacer was going much faster than he should have. Sometimes I was at a 9:30 pace! By mile 4 I let them go on and held back a bit. Figured I'd find the 4:45 group.
At mile 5, I was still doing good. I ate my sport beans and within a minute or so, it hit my stomach hard. It just didn't sit well, plus I was pretty hot and sweaty at this point and maybe drinking to much.
By mile 6 I had to take a walk break. That's so early! I was really hurting and thinking of giving up already. Around mile 7 the 4:45 pace group caught up, so I thought I'd try and hang with them. It didn't last all that long. I was walking again by mile 8. Soon enough the 5:00 pace group came up. The guy was really nice, told me to join them. They were running 5 minutes, walking a minute. I thought that would work great. But when they were running, it was at a 10 min pace, and with my tummy issues, this was just to fast. I stayed with them for more than a mile, then let them go.
Pretty much from mile 9 to 15 I was able to run for a half mile or so, then walk for a bit. My husband and son were waiting for me at mile 16. It was great to see them! Wish I could have run stong after that, but no. I was into pretty much walking more than running now. Once I got to 19/20. It was almost all walking with bursts of quarter mile running every once in a long while.
The last 6 miles were bad. The bottom of my feet hurt and I could feel a big blister on a couple of toes on my right foot. My friends husband and son were on their bikes and hung back with me the last few miles. It helped alot, there were not many people left at this point! According to my Garmin, the course was a bit long. I would hit the mile markers about half a mile before their signs. So I got to 26.2 on my Garmin in 5:54, but still had lots to go on the course! ( I talked to a few other runners, they all had the course as to long)
I finished in 6 hours 13 seconds. Bummer! Really wanted to get in under 6 hours at least.
I really don't know what caused the issues with my stomach. I felt over heated most of the race, and due to the cold of the past week, I needed to blow my nose a few times to. So all that phlem was not helping either.
I am back to half marathons. I enjoy them. They are still a challenge, but don't cause as much pain. If I ever run a marathon again, it will be in a cooler area of the country. Florida is not the best place for a marathon. Even in the middle of February, you cannot count on cooler temps.
Top photo: Me, Karen, Daniel and Sheila before the race.
Middle photo: Me about a quarter mile from the finish.
Last photo: After the finish, showing off the medal I earned for making it through the marathon.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Marathon is tomorrow!!
I am so nervous! Hope I can sleep tonight.
I've got all my gear set out and ready for the morning.
I signed up at the expo to run with the 4:45 pace group. It's a 10:53 pace, so should be pretty easy for me. I am still thinking about starting off with the 4:30 group, then falling back if need be. not sure. 10:53 is slow for me during faster runs, but then don't want to push to much early on.
Goals:
1. to finish!!
2. I'd really like to finish in under 5 hours.
3. The best would be to finish in 4:45.
I've got all my gear set out and ready for the morning.
I signed up at the expo to run with the 4:45 pace group. It's a 10:53 pace, so should be pretty easy for me. I am still thinking about starting off with the 4:30 group, then falling back if need be. not sure. 10:53 is slow for me during faster runs, but then don't want to push to much early on.
Goals:
1. to finish!!
2. I'd really like to finish in under 5 hours.
3. The best would be to finish in 4:45.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
I made it through the 20 miler.
Friday night was rough. Both my hips were hurting. :( The advil wasn't even helping the left side. I had to sleep on my back because laying on my side hurt to much. So, I didn't get a very good nights sleep prior to the big run. I wasn't even sure I could run in the morning, but when I woke up, I was able to walk with out much pain, so figured I would try the run.
Got up at 4 am so that I could get an early start and run a good chunk before the sun came up. Took me a while to get moving though, so I didn't get started until almost 5:30 am. Temps were mid 40s, so I wore my long sleeved tech shirt and running pants. I am glad I did because just before sunrise the temps were close to 40 degrees and I was cold! Once the sun came up I warmed up quite a bit.
This was the slowest run ever! Even in the early miles I was moving slower than I normally do. Oh well, just happy to have finished! I had to take some walking breaks every mile once I hit 12 miles. 20 miles in 4:11.
I think my fueling plan worked well. I had 4 bottles of half water/half G2 and 3 packs of sport beans. Beans every 5 miles. I refilled the 2 bottles with water at the bathroom at mile 14.
The rest of the day was rough. Everytime I got up from the chair was painful.I had to shuffle not being able to lift up my legs much. Today is much better, but still stiff. The massage I have scheduled for Tuesday should feel good.
I am wondering if I am in shape for this run, but now that I have passed the 20 mile run, it's down hill until the race. So, I'll get some time to heal and hope to be ready for the race in 3 weeks!
Got up at 4 am so that I could get an early start and run a good chunk before the sun came up. Took me a while to get moving though, so I didn't get started until almost 5:30 am. Temps were mid 40s, so I wore my long sleeved tech shirt and running pants. I am glad I did because just before sunrise the temps were close to 40 degrees and I was cold! Once the sun came up I warmed up quite a bit.
This was the slowest run ever! Even in the early miles I was moving slower than I normally do. Oh well, just happy to have finished! I had to take some walking breaks every mile once I hit 12 miles. 20 miles in 4:11.
I think my fueling plan worked well. I had 4 bottles of half water/half G2 and 3 packs of sport beans. Beans every 5 miles. I refilled the 2 bottles with water at the bathroom at mile 14.
The rest of the day was rough. Everytime I got up from the chair was painful.I had to shuffle not being able to lift up my legs much. Today is much better, but still stiff. The massage I have scheduled for Tuesday should feel good.
I am wondering if I am in shape for this run, but now that I have passed the 20 mile run, it's down hill until the race. So, I'll get some time to heal and hope to be ready for the race in 3 weeks!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Clearwater Halfathon race report
I am so happy that I was able to run this half marathon!
I got up at 4 am this morning. Had a little coffee and a banana. Got out the door just before 5 am. It takes a little over an hour to get to Clearwater. Needed to be early for packet pickup.
I managed to find the place without getting lost! :) Got my bib and t-shirt (no goodie bags here) and headed back to the car to keep warm. Took 3 advils with water, with hopes it would keep the pain away. Temps were in the mid 40s. I wore my running pants, long sleeved wicking shirt and a vest that I got at the thrift store as a toss away if I needed to. I brought a short sleeved top to change into if I needed it, but it was still so cold at the start, I left on the long sleeved.
About 25 min. before the start I made a portapotty break. The race start was on the waterfront, so thought I would go take a photo with my little camera I planned on running with. That's when I discovered the battery was not charged! :( So I pulled out my cell phone that has a camera, took a photo of the big bridge we will run over twice, then went back to the car to drop off the camera. Got back to the starting line about 10 min before the race started. Tried to turn on my Garmin, but it wouldn't turn on! I had charged it all night, and had this problem before where it gets locked up. You use two buttons at once then turn it on. But of course I couldn't remember which two. As I walked back to my car again (good thing it was close) I tried a bunch of combos, but couldn't get it on. :( So, no camera and no watch to check my pace.
The race start was at 7:05, but I think it got going a little late. Anyway, no gun went off, the crowd just started moving. I placed myself in the middle, thinking I would keep a slower pace that way. Had a small hill right away as we ran away from the waterfront. Ran through the downtown area, then turned toward the bridge. That was a tall bridge! It was just about mile one when we got there and that's where they had the first photographer. Right in the middle of the huge crowd! Bad planning there. She must have missed 75% of the people.
At the bottom of the bridge I ran next to this guy who had a garmin. I asked him his pace, 10:15, so decided to stay with him for a while. It must have been around mile two (missed the sign) that I tossed the vest to the side of the road. I was warm already and wishing I had changed shirts.
At about mile 3, we got to the beach, ran next to that for a while. The perfect spot for a race photographer to snap our photos, but none there.
Hit the top of the second large bridge at mile 4. For some reason I thought it was mile 5, so when I got to the bottom and looked at the race clock that had 45:30, I couldn't believe it! I had my first full pack of sport beans as we turned into the waterfront park. We did a big loop through here. Soon enough I saw the 5 mile sign and knew I wasn't going to fast.
Just before leaving the park we ran past the 6 mile sign. The clock here had 1:01:43. Got a water here and walked through while drinking. I was feeling ok, but did start having some pain in the backside and leg. I got worried, because I didn't have any advil with me and I was only half through the race! But I put it out of my mind and the pain went away.
We had the turn around after mile 7, maybe 7.5? And started heading back. Hit the bridge again around mile 9 I guess. No sign. When I got to mile 10 I opened my second bag of sport beans. This is when I noticed that I had lemon lime! I don't like that flavor of Gatorade, so was worried, but they were good. Got water at the next waterstop and walked through it again. Still no clocks. I don't like not knowing my pace and time! Feeling much better than in previous half marathons, I guess because I was taking it easy and not "racing."
Hit the last water stop just before mile 12 and again walked through that. No clock. The tough part of the race was just ahead. The last big bridge starts around mile 12. I made it most of the way up, before taking a walk break. There were two other women walking near me, so I kept pace with them. Near the top I notice the race photographer ahead snapping photos. What! Taking photos of us as we struggle up the bridge! I started running. I wanted a nice photo! :) So I pulled ahead of the two women, so the photographer just had me to take photos of for quite a while as I ran towards her. :)
The best part of the race was this last half mile or so. Down hill! Down the bridge, then a ramp down to the waterfront, then a bit of flat, straight to the finish line. Since I didn't have my garmin to turn off as I ran across the finish line, I looked right at the photographer and raised up my arms and smiled. :) The clock time was 2:18:??. I was kinda surprised It wasn't a little faster, but happy with it. That is about my time on an average long run. Maybe my chip time will show about 30 seconds less.
After the race I got a banana and two bottles of water, then found a place to stretch.
Overall this was a good race. Nice course, but tough with the "hills." I'd run it again.
Results:
Chip time: 2:18:22; age: 38; Pace:10:34; age group: 25 out of 39; over all place: 363 out of 495
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Still dealing with the pain
My running has come to an end the past few days. I had a massage on Wednesday that I hoped would help with the pinched nerve in my left leg. But it didn't seem to help much. Thursday evening I was in a lot of pain. Friday I got up and it felt much better. Went to the gym and did upper body weights and a lot of stretching. Came home and used the Wii Fit and did some yoga moves. By the afternoon it hurt alot again. I actually think I know what is making it worse. Yesterday while sitting in the car, waiting for my son to get out of school, I was sitting with the bad leg bent and up on the dash board for about half an hour. When I got out of the car it hurt like crazy. Sometimes I sit in my chair at home with my leg bent like that and the same thing happens when I get up. So I'll try not to do that with my leg today and see how it goes. I really don't want to miss the Half Marathon tomorrow, but I know it's more important to get better and be able to run the Marathon next month.
Friday, January 9, 2009
18 miler
The run today was hard! The weather was great. Sunny and mid 50s when I started. Low 70s when I finished. I didn't get started until almost 9 am. I don't normally run so late. I went to run in this area that is usually pretty shady, but the city had gone through and clipped back alot of the trees over the sidewalk. bummer! I used some of the chi running principles today. It felt really good and the first few miles were easy. I had to slow myself down! stopped to get water at the CVS just before mile 11. Filled up all my bottles then poured some on top of my head. yowza! by mile 12 I decided to take a short walking break while eating sport beans. by mile 14 I needed to take a .25 mile break every mile. but even with that my miles where around 13 mins. so not to bad. If I can keep that up in the marathon I should be able to finish just under 5 hours. The other issue I was having was that the water wasn't giving me enough to help the thirst. I need to look into taking in salt maybe?
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Training update
My marathon training is going along great. I ran 16 miles last Saturday. The first time I have run more than 14 miles in many years. The only issue I had was not having enough water. Need to take all 4 water bottles with me on my waist pack and carry money just in case I need to run into a store to buy more. I think I have the fuel figured out. Half a bag of sport beans every 4 miles.
I did wake up Sunday morning with a pain in my sciatic nerve. It was pretty painful for a few days, but I used the roller on it last night and that seemed to ease the pressure in that area.
I've got an 18 miler planned for Friday morning. Will not get started until after I drop my son off at school, so it will be lunch time before I am done! But by running on Friday, I can go home after the run, shower, eat and then take a nice long nap. :)
I did wake up Sunday morning with a pain in my sciatic nerve. It was pretty painful for a few days, but I used the roller on it last night and that seemed to ease the pressure in that area.
I've got an 18 miler planned for Friday morning. Will not get started until after I drop my son off at school, so it will be lunch time before I am done! But by running on Friday, I can go home after the run, shower, eat and then take a nice long nap. :)
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