As I sit here basking in a solid case of DOMS (delayed-onset-muscle-soreness) by the fire, I am contemplating yesterday's event. I have uploaded my race stats from my garmin, unpacked and started washing my gear, and wondering what to do next... oh wait, I think it's time for a beer... :)
We drove to Sheboygan WI on Saturday for Sunday's race in nearby Greenbush. I picked a Super 8 hotel that allowed dogs and was the bargain of the century... Let's just say for $50/night, we got exactly what we paid for!! The only redeeming quality was the fact that they had recently re-done the rooms and I found the beds extremely comfy. We weren't there to spend much time in the hotel anyway, and we wanted to have our pups with us, so in the end it was a win-win.
Saturday it rained. Saturday night it rained. Woke up at 3:45 am to more rain, and an 80% chance of rain for the day. It was not looking good. Driving there we could barely see out the windshield. Gratefully, the start/finish area was at the Greenbush Fire Dept/Community Center. A warm/dry place with plenty of room and real bathrooms!! I would come to look forward to this near the end of the race!
The race started directly outside and headed out for about a 1/2 mile on blacktop and then a short connector trail to the main Ice Age Trail. From there is was this trail to the 25 mile turnaround. So if you were paying attention, you wouldn't get lost. My trail buddy, Steph, and I ran together, and had no trouble finding our way. The 6am start was in the dark, so headlamps were necessary until the 7 mile aid station. The connector trail was mostly flat, and not technical and offered a good place for people to find their spot. Once on the main trail, it got pretty rocky/rooty pretty fast. It took a lot of concentration in the dark to not catch a toe and face plant early on. I was focused on the the shoes in front of me and my little circle of light past my feet. Pretty soon though, we were spread out and it felt like we were the only ones out there.
The course was gently rolling, and not too technical - lots of rocks to be aware of - little toe catchers that could make for a tough day. But the rain - that was the biggest issue of the day. Temps at the start were probably in the 50's - warm enough for shorts, but needed long sleeves. I opted for a base layer, a smartwool long sleeve zip top, and a North Face windbreaker shirt - that was promptly soaked. Being in the trees allowed some protection from the wind, and as long as we were moving, I was staying comfortable.
The first 25 miles we were really strong - 5:13 - to the turn around. A stretch goal was to break 11 hours. We were feeling confident.
It was 4 or so miles to the next aid station - and it started to pour. It was really getting to me here - we had turned around, and were now directly into the wind. My hands were cold, and the wind was biting. You could feel the temp start to drop. The conversations between Steph and I dropped off here - I was inside my own head, concentrating on moving forward, and staying warm. That was about all I could manage. The trail was getting really slippery, so not falling was becoming a priority.
When we arrived at the aid station about 13 or so miles from the finish, we were really cold. I added a pair of gloves, and sipped on some hot soup. That certainly helped. The trail was really getting mucky now that we were on the section where all the 50k runners and passed through. Concentrating on moving forward, and not allowing a bad attitude creep in - I called it "Weenie Mode" - when I was feeling tired, feeling the miles, but had no real reason to be cranky - not painful, not hungry, just feeling whimpy. Eventually that passed - along with more miles, at 7 miles to go, Matt had more hot broth for us, ahh, that tasted so good!
And it was the final push to the finish. Our pace had dropped off more than I wanted to admit... But we were still moving forward. When we hit the blacktop, ouch, that was quite the shock to my legs, after all the soft mud - it felt so hard! But luckily, it didn't take long to get back to the community center.
After finishing and hosing down my legs and shoes, it was time to change. Thank goodness for warm water and a warm dry place to change! Even with a change of clothes, and some hot soup, it was like the entire day's worth of cold had seeped into my bones, and I could barely get the soup in while shaking! It was time to hop in the Subaru with heated seats and make a bee-line to a hot shower!
Matt and the dogs were great company - although I rarely saw the dogs, since Matt said they wouldn't leave the car in the rain!! They may be smarter than I! :) Matt was at every aid station with anything we might need. My #1 fan!
Some final thoughts -
*need to do strength training - my arms should not hurt as much as my legs after 50 miles!!!
* incorporate some 30+ mile training runs to stay strong the last 1/2.
*always have broth ready for cold runs - it's amazing!
Happy trails!!!
Monday, October 15, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Voyager 50 mile trail race
Wow, I'm not sure even where to begin. Yesterday was such an amazing day. I think I may need to backtrack a little to share how this race morphed into something unexpected.
Matt and I wanted to continue to push our limits this year by exploring the world of ultra trail running. We started with the Trail Mix 50k, which was a good day for me, but not so much for Matt when he pulled out due to an injury after the 3rd loop. We then had our sights set on the Afton 50k trail run as a final tune up before the Voyager 50 mile trail race, our "A" race of the season.
Two days prior to Afton, Matt suffered a significant back injury and elected to not run Afton, but also took Voyager off his calendar. I ran Afton solo (see previous post), and met some new friends along the way. Steph, who I met during Afton, took a leap of faith and agreed to run Voyager with me - this was her 1st 50 miler as well, and only her 2nd trail run ever!
As many of you may have heard, Duluth suffered a terrible flood the end of June. This destroyed much of the original Voyager race course. The amazing race directors still managed to put the race on with some changes. From what I understand, these changes made the course even harder, and the R.D gave us an extra hour for the time allowed - 14 hrs this year. The only goal Steph & I had for the race was to finish within the time allowed.
Matt, along with our friends Jennifer & Jonathon would be our crew and meet us along the way.
Race morning came, and Steph and I were ready. The 6am start gave us until 8pm to finish with in the time allowed. The course was 2 big loops, but there were loops with in the big loop. We needed to finish the first loop in under 6.5 hours to not get pulled at the turn around.
The first mile was nice, some gentle climbing and lots of energy all around us. Soon enough we were climbing the face of Spirit Mountain, which felt like (and was!) straight up. The course was pretty well marked with pink ribbons. You had to be on the constant look out for the ribbons - at one point we nearly missed a turn. Luckily somebody behind us was paying attention, and called it out! Who knows where we would have ended up??!
The next major spot on the course was Jarrow's Beach - a nearly mile long section of boulders surrounded by rock walls on either side. This was mentally challenging. Having to go slow and pick your way through the rocks. We did see a snake in there, and screamed like little girls! But it slithered out of the way quickly. Whew.
After Jarrow's beach, we had an aid station before a 5 mile loop including the infamous power line section. 350 feet of climbing, over and over, and over, with no break from the sun. It was plenty hot out there, especially on the second time around. After the power lines, there were 3 creek crossings, and if you were talented, you could likely make it without getting your feet wet.... ha! I'm not that talented. But the cold water did feel good. And luckily I had dry socks waiting for me. :)
The final 10 miles of the main loop was relatively runnable. That was important on the 2nd loop. During the first loop, we picked up another runner named, Joli, and she hung with us most of the day. At the end of the first loop we picked up another woman, Dawn, who needed some friendly faces to help her along. So now we were 4. It was so fun to chat, and run, and enjoy each other's company.
The miles clicked along, and soon we were at 35 miles. Farther than I had ever run before! I was so excited to see my friends, Ann & Charles, there. What a great boost. Our crew was always spot on helping us get food and water and what ever we needed at the aid stations. We headed out to the power lines for the 2nd and last time. It was at this point that we started to get a little spread out. Steph and I pulled ahead, and returned to the aid station at 40 miles. We had 3 hours to go 10 miles. We knew we needed to boogie. 3 miles to the next aid station - 45 min. 3 miles to the final aid station - 50 min. This was the final aid station before the last 4 mile push to the finish. Our crew was there and I was feeling a little glassy-eyed for the first time - I guess I can feel a little off at 46 miles! Some potato chips a hug from Matt and we were off to the finish, with time to spare!! Our energy was waning, so I carried my phone with music playing for us both to hear - a little "Eye of the Tiger" and Nelly's "Heart of a Champion" helped carry us in.
I would have had a very different day if I had been facing this challenge alone. Having Steph with me every step of the way made for a great experience. Plus meeting Joli and Dawn on the course added to the enjoyment of 50 miles.
I am disappointed that Matt couldn't run with me, but he was there with me every step of the way, none the less. Next week is Matt's big event, as he unfortunately faces his 3rd back surgery :( I'm sure this is just a road bump in the highway of life's adventures. We'll get through it together and come back stronger than ever.
Until next time.
Jarrow's beach...
Top of the power lines...
FINISH LINE!!! :)
Matt and I wanted to continue to push our limits this year by exploring the world of ultra trail running. We started with the Trail Mix 50k, which was a good day for me, but not so much for Matt when he pulled out due to an injury after the 3rd loop. We then had our sights set on the Afton 50k trail run as a final tune up before the Voyager 50 mile trail race, our "A" race of the season.
Two days prior to Afton, Matt suffered a significant back injury and elected to not run Afton, but also took Voyager off his calendar. I ran Afton solo (see previous post), and met some new friends along the way. Steph, who I met during Afton, took a leap of faith and agreed to run Voyager with me - this was her 1st 50 miler as well, and only her 2nd trail run ever!
As many of you may have heard, Duluth suffered a terrible flood the end of June. This destroyed much of the original Voyager race course. The amazing race directors still managed to put the race on with some changes. From what I understand, these changes made the course even harder, and the R.D gave us an extra hour for the time allowed - 14 hrs this year. The only goal Steph & I had for the race was to finish within the time allowed.
Matt, along with our friends Jennifer & Jonathon would be our crew and meet us along the way.
Race morning came, and Steph and I were ready. The 6am start gave us until 8pm to finish with in the time allowed. The course was 2 big loops, but there were loops with in the big loop. We needed to finish the first loop in under 6.5 hours to not get pulled at the turn around.
The first mile was nice, some gentle climbing and lots of energy all around us. Soon enough we were climbing the face of Spirit Mountain, which felt like (and was!) straight up. The course was pretty well marked with pink ribbons. You had to be on the constant look out for the ribbons - at one point we nearly missed a turn. Luckily somebody behind us was paying attention, and called it out! Who knows where we would have ended up??!
The next major spot on the course was Jarrow's Beach - a nearly mile long section of boulders surrounded by rock walls on either side. This was mentally challenging. Having to go slow and pick your way through the rocks. We did see a snake in there, and screamed like little girls! But it slithered out of the way quickly. Whew.
After Jarrow's beach, we had an aid station before a 5 mile loop including the infamous power line section. 350 feet of climbing, over and over, and over, with no break from the sun. It was plenty hot out there, especially on the second time around. After the power lines, there were 3 creek crossings, and if you were talented, you could likely make it without getting your feet wet.... ha! I'm not that talented. But the cold water did feel good. And luckily I had dry socks waiting for me. :)
The final 10 miles of the main loop was relatively runnable. That was important on the 2nd loop. During the first loop, we picked up another runner named, Joli, and she hung with us most of the day. At the end of the first loop we picked up another woman, Dawn, who needed some friendly faces to help her along. So now we were 4. It was so fun to chat, and run, and enjoy each other's company.
The miles clicked along, and soon we were at 35 miles. Farther than I had ever run before! I was so excited to see my friends, Ann & Charles, there. What a great boost. Our crew was always spot on helping us get food and water and what ever we needed at the aid stations. We headed out to the power lines for the 2nd and last time. It was at this point that we started to get a little spread out. Steph and I pulled ahead, and returned to the aid station at 40 miles. We had 3 hours to go 10 miles. We knew we needed to boogie. 3 miles to the next aid station - 45 min. 3 miles to the final aid station - 50 min. This was the final aid station before the last 4 mile push to the finish. Our crew was there and I was feeling a little glassy-eyed for the first time - I guess I can feel a little off at 46 miles! Some potato chips a hug from Matt and we were off to the finish, with time to spare!! Our energy was waning, so I carried my phone with music playing for us both to hear - a little "Eye of the Tiger" and Nelly's "Heart of a Champion" helped carry us in.
I would have had a very different day if I had been facing this challenge alone. Having Steph with me every step of the way made for a great experience. Plus meeting Joli and Dawn on the course added to the enjoyment of 50 miles.
I am disappointed that Matt couldn't run with me, but he was there with me every step of the way, none the less. Next week is Matt's big event, as he unfortunately faces his 3rd back surgery :( I'm sure this is just a road bump in the highway of life's adventures. We'll get through it together and come back stronger than ever.
Until next time.
Jarrow's beach...
Sunday, July 08, 2012
Afton Trail Race 50k
Summer is truly here, and Mother Nature hasn't taken any sympathy on us and jacked up the temps and humidity for the last couple weeks. I guess that is good news for those of us preparing for July races, in that we are able to test out hydrating and fueling on the run while sweating buckets!
Last weekend, Matt and I did back to back long runs at Hyland Park. 18 miles Saturday, 20 miles Sunday. It was unbelievably hot and humid, and running may be too strong of a word - there was lots of walking and power hiking, and short bursts of running (mostly in the shade when were being tormented by bugs!) It was the most milage I've put in on foot in one weekend in my entire running career. And I enjoyed every minute of it! We did a lot of hill repeats straight up the ski hills at Hyland. The thermometer at the top read 86 in the shade, and not a breeze to be found.
On our way home from Saturday's run, we stopped at the hardware store and picked up a plastic kiddy pool - we filled it with water from the hose and, Wa-laa! The poor man's ice bath! It felt so good to sit in the cold water.
This week was still hot, and I didn't get much running in, but I think that set me up for a good run yesterday at Afton State Park. Luckily, we had a small storm blow through and broke the temps for Saturday morning. The biggest downer was that Matt was not going to be toeing the line with me. As he is nursing a back injury and not taking any chances.
So at 6:30am Saturday, we were off, to enjoy 2 - 15+ mile loops of Afton Park. It starts with a significant downhill, a short section of very runnable flat, and then a long uphill. I knew most of the course, and the plan was to run the sections that I could, and walk the uphills. A few miles in to the first loop, I joined up with some new friends, Steph & Joe, and we got to know each other over the next miles. Chatting about a million different things really made the miles click by quickly. Occasionally we would get spread out, and I was able to run some on my own, but by the time I got bored, I would have reeled them in again at a aid station or big hill, and the chatting would pick up where it left off.
Part way into the second loop Steph and Joe took off on flat section along the river. I wasn't able to reel them in after that. But it was ok, I was feeling good and had my own race to run. I wasn't fast, but I easily put one foot in front of the other, and soon enough I was beyond 26.2 miles and on my way to my second 50 kilometer finish.
My biggest goal for this race was to use it as a long training day for the Voyager 50 mile trail race coming up on July 28. I'm feeling much more confident that my training is preparing me to run 50 miles in the coming weeks. I know it's not going to be easy - because like I always say - "If it was easy, everybody would be doing it!" But I'm ready to take on the challenge and meet the demons along the way.
Until next time...
Last weekend, Matt and I did back to back long runs at Hyland Park. 18 miles Saturday, 20 miles Sunday. It was unbelievably hot and humid, and running may be too strong of a word - there was lots of walking and power hiking, and short bursts of running (mostly in the shade when were being tormented by bugs!) It was the most milage I've put in on foot in one weekend in my entire running career. And I enjoyed every minute of it! We did a lot of hill repeats straight up the ski hills at Hyland. The thermometer at the top read 86 in the shade, and not a breeze to be found.
On our way home from Saturday's run, we stopped at the hardware store and picked up a plastic kiddy pool - we filled it with water from the hose and, Wa-laa! The poor man's ice bath! It felt so good to sit in the cold water.
This week was still hot, and I didn't get much running in, but I think that set me up for a good run yesterday at Afton State Park. Luckily, we had a small storm blow through and broke the temps for Saturday morning. The biggest downer was that Matt was not going to be toeing the line with me. As he is nursing a back injury and not taking any chances.
So at 6:30am Saturday, we were off, to enjoy 2 - 15+ mile loops of Afton Park. It starts with a significant downhill, a short section of very runnable flat, and then a long uphill. I knew most of the course, and the plan was to run the sections that I could, and walk the uphills. A few miles in to the first loop, I joined up with some new friends, Steph & Joe, and we got to know each other over the next miles. Chatting about a million different things really made the miles click by quickly. Occasionally we would get spread out, and I was able to run some on my own, but by the time I got bored, I would have reeled them in again at a aid station or big hill, and the chatting would pick up where it left off.
Part way into the second loop Steph and Joe took off on flat section along the river. I wasn't able to reel them in after that. But it was ok, I was feeling good and had my own race to run. I wasn't fast, but I easily put one foot in front of the other, and soon enough I was beyond 26.2 miles and on my way to my second 50 kilometer finish.
My biggest goal for this race was to use it as a long training day for the Voyager 50 mile trail race coming up on July 28. I'm feeling much more confident that my training is preparing me to run 50 miles in the coming weeks. I know it's not going to be easy - because like I always say - "If it was easy, everybody would be doing it!" But I'm ready to take on the challenge and meet the demons along the way.
Until next time...
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Hello Summer
Yes! The temperature is continuing to rise and it is really starting to feel like summer. My legs are feeling like they are completely recovered from Trail Mix, I've been enjoying some time on my road bike, and I even took a dip in the the lake this last Friday. I am well on my way to my distinctive multi-sport tan - red neck, racer back tan lines, and clear cut short lines on my legs. Oh yeah!
Last weekend, Matt and I got invited to run the Maple Grove half marathon. That was a fun diversion. The race directors always put on a first class race and it's an enjoyable, rolling course. We certainly try to support them when we can, and I'm usually a walking advertisement for their race since their race t-shirts are my favorites. Doing a road event was a good way to test my legs and see if they had any speed left in them - plenty of long, slow, miles put in on the trails. For the most part, I was able to maintain 8:45 pace pretty easily. I didn't PR, but felt like it was a reasonable effort for having not done any specific speed training. The miles clicked by quickly, and it was great having a quality workout in, in less than 2 hours!
I am chomping at the bit to get into more ultra marathon training and racing. Next weekend we have a 21 mile trail run on the schedule, and I'm really hoping to get to Afton State Park, spend some time on the trails and get some good hill work in. We are registered for the Afton 50k, in early July. The final tune-up before Voyager 50 mile. I am just so excited for both of those events. I know my psyche is working over time because I'm already having "nightmares" about DNF-ing at Voyager. Leading up to both Ironman races, I had similar dreams of not finishing. I'm fairly certain I will need another long race come fall, so I'm eyeing the Fall Superior Races, with my sights set on the 50 miler.
One of things I got to thinking about during the 1/2 marathon last weekend was the lack of crowds during trail races. There's nobody standing on the trail saying "You Can Do IT!" Maybe at the aid stations, but that's different. You look forward to those aid stations, and at that point that encouragement is probably needed! But each mile, each turn, to have complete strangers cheering you on... I dunno, it's not really my thing anymore. Some people really need that, but I want to dig deep, and meet my inner demons face to face. I want to look around and hear the breezes in the tree tops, listen to the birds and critters along the way. Occasionally tune into my music or catch a conversation with another runner. And know that the only way, I'm going to get to the finish, is to motivate myself. I've always said that running for me is like meditating. I can calm my mind, get in my zone and go for hours. I think having the trees, and trails as my back drop is going to be just fine for me right now.
Until next time, Happy Running!!
Last weekend, Matt and I got invited to run the Maple Grove half marathon. That was a fun diversion. The race directors always put on a first class race and it's an enjoyable, rolling course. We certainly try to support them when we can, and I'm usually a walking advertisement for their race since their race t-shirts are my favorites. Doing a road event was a good way to test my legs and see if they had any speed left in them - plenty of long, slow, miles put in on the trails. For the most part, I was able to maintain 8:45 pace pretty easily. I didn't PR, but felt like it was a reasonable effort for having not done any specific speed training. The miles clicked by quickly, and it was great having a quality workout in, in less than 2 hours!
I am chomping at the bit to get into more ultra marathon training and racing. Next weekend we have a 21 mile trail run on the schedule, and I'm really hoping to get to Afton State Park, spend some time on the trails and get some good hill work in. We are registered for the Afton 50k, in early July. The final tune-up before Voyager 50 mile. I am just so excited for both of those events. I know my psyche is working over time because I'm already having "nightmares" about DNF-ing at Voyager. Leading up to both Ironman races, I had similar dreams of not finishing. I'm fairly certain I will need another long race come fall, so I'm eyeing the Fall Superior Races, with my sights set on the 50 miler.
One of things I got to thinking about during the 1/2 marathon last weekend was the lack of crowds during trail races. There's nobody standing on the trail saying "You Can Do IT!" Maybe at the aid stations, but that's different. You look forward to those aid stations, and at that point that encouragement is probably needed! But each mile, each turn, to have complete strangers cheering you on... I dunno, it's not really my thing anymore. Some people really need that, but I want to dig deep, and meet my inner demons face to face. I want to look around and hear the breezes in the tree tops, listen to the birds and critters along the way. Occasionally tune into my music or catch a conversation with another runner. And know that the only way, I'm going to get to the finish, is to motivate myself. I've always said that running for me is like meditating. I can calm my mind, get in my zone and go for hours. I think having the trees, and trails as my back drop is going to be just fine for me right now.
Until next time, Happy Running!!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Face plant at the start line
Ok, so here is my Trail Mix 50k race report... It was quite a day!
Saturday morning the alarm is set for 4:45 am - but I am lying awake at 4am... The birds aren't even up yet - they didn't start chirping until at least 4:15! So I just try to lay quietly and rest, since I know it's going to be a long day. What seems like forever, and the alarm goes off. Up and at 'em I go - clicking on the coffee pot, and making the day's peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Pretty soon we are on the road - a few minutes ahead of schedule actually. That never happens!
We get the race with plenty of time for packet pick up and porta potty stops. As we begin to gather at the starting line, our wonderful friends, and fellow "Team Junkyard" members are there to see us off - Jennifer and Jonathon. What a great surprise!
Soon the announcer is calling 1 minute to the start, and we make our way into the group. POP! the gun goes off, I start my watch, and BOOM! I'm face first on the ground!!! Oh my, it was really comical!! I'm just glad that it was a small race, and nobody stepped on me. It happened so fast, one second I'm ready to go, the next I'm face first on the ground! Call me Grace! Anyway I picked myself up and got dusted off. No blood. Ok, I'm ready to continue. I am now literally at the back of the pack. Oh well, I've got all day to make my way to the middle of the pack where I belong :)
As I start into the first of 4 loops, I realize my left pinkie finger is really quite sore, and I'm finding it very distracting. So I stop 3 or so miles in and ask a First Aid volunteer to tape my pinkie and ring finger together. Ahh, my fingers are much happier now.
I think the 1st loop was mentally the longest. Loops 2 and 3 went by ok. Listening to music, meeting some new people. Finally loop #4. I think it's getting colder. It was high 40's at the start and very comfortable. The forecast is for rain as the day goes on. If only that rain would hold off for an another hour and a half...
No such luck. A couple miles in to the last loop it starts to rain, and blow. All race I had been walking the uphills. Now I am walking the ups and the downs... but now it's colder and I'd dumped my long sleeve shirt after loop #1. Well if nothing else, being cold certainly forces you to keep moving! Probably faster than I would have otherwise. So I keep plugging along. Some dull pain is now taking up residence in my right leg, I think my tendons and ligaments have been replaced with steel rods. One step at a time, one hill at a time, one new friend at a time. And then, there it is, the last few feet to the finish line - and it's all up hill!! I guess I better run this one!
And there it is, 30+ miles and 5:45 later, I have run farther than I have ever before. I slayed a few demons out there, and simply kept moving forward. Another experience of putting your mind to it, and putting one foot in front of another.
Saturday morning the alarm is set for 4:45 am - but I am lying awake at 4am... The birds aren't even up yet - they didn't start chirping until at least 4:15! So I just try to lay quietly and rest, since I know it's going to be a long day. What seems like forever, and the alarm goes off. Up and at 'em I go - clicking on the coffee pot, and making the day's peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Pretty soon we are on the road - a few minutes ahead of schedule actually. That never happens!
We get the race with plenty of time for packet pick up and porta potty stops. As we begin to gather at the starting line, our wonderful friends, and fellow "Team Junkyard" members are there to see us off - Jennifer and Jonathon. What a great surprise!
Soon the announcer is calling 1 minute to the start, and we make our way into the group. POP! the gun goes off, I start my watch, and BOOM! I'm face first on the ground!!! Oh my, it was really comical!! I'm just glad that it was a small race, and nobody stepped on me. It happened so fast, one second I'm ready to go, the next I'm face first on the ground! Call me Grace! Anyway I picked myself up and got dusted off. No blood. Ok, I'm ready to continue. I am now literally at the back of the pack. Oh well, I've got all day to make my way to the middle of the pack where I belong :)
As I start into the first of 4 loops, I realize my left pinkie finger is really quite sore, and I'm finding it very distracting. So I stop 3 or so miles in and ask a First Aid volunteer to tape my pinkie and ring finger together. Ahh, my fingers are much happier now.
I think the 1st loop was mentally the longest. Loops 2 and 3 went by ok. Listening to music, meeting some new people. Finally loop #4. I think it's getting colder. It was high 40's at the start and very comfortable. The forecast is for rain as the day goes on. If only that rain would hold off for an another hour and a half...
No such luck. A couple miles in to the last loop it starts to rain, and blow. All race I had been walking the uphills. Now I am walking the ups and the downs... but now it's colder and I'd dumped my long sleeve shirt after loop #1. Well if nothing else, being cold certainly forces you to keep moving! Probably faster than I would have otherwise. So I keep plugging along. Some dull pain is now taking up residence in my right leg, I think my tendons and ligaments have been replaced with steel rods. One step at a time, one hill at a time, one new friend at a time. And then, there it is, the last few feet to the finish line - and it's all up hill!! I guess I better run this one!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
A mix of nerves and excitement
One week until the Trail Mix 50k. I'm certainly excited, but that is coupled with butterflies in my stomach as well. This last week of training hasn't been as flawless as I would have hoped. For whatever reason I have been struggling with headaches. I'm looking at what conditions might be causing them - tight muscles, dehydration, alcohol. So far getting some bodywork done has had the best results. I guess riding multiple horses 5 days a week coupled with running long, my body needed a little TLC.... I think I earned it! Anyway, since I'm in taper-mode, I haven't felt too bad about taking an extra day off here and there. I'm sure my legs will thank me come race day.
Yesterday, Matt and I headed out for one last loop around Lake Rebecca. It was a sunny, warm day. A nice change from the damp, cold, windy runs from the last 2 weeks. Things have really started to green up as well. So refreshing to watch Mother Nature blossom into Spring.
This is really my favorite time of year.
Our goal for this year is to run a 50 mile trail race. Early on, we had our sights on the Voyager Trail Race that starts and finishes in Carlton, MN - it runs from Carlton to Duluth and back. It's easy to talk about signing up for something like this, but as I'd check it out online, the website wasn't updated for 2012. So up until now, it was all talk...
Not any more!!! Last night we bit the bullet and put our money where our mouth is. We are officially registered for our first 50 MILE trail race!!! Talk about being scared and excited at the same time! I feel like I should go out and start running hill repeats right now!
http://voyageurtrailrun.blogspot.com/
Until next time, happy running!!
Yesterday, Matt and I headed out for one last loop around Lake Rebecca. It was a sunny, warm day. A nice change from the damp, cold, windy runs from the last 2 weeks. Things have really started to green up as well. So refreshing to watch Mother Nature blossom into Spring.
Our goal for this year is to run a 50 mile trail race. Early on, we had our sights on the Voyager Trail Race that starts and finishes in Carlton, MN - it runs from Carlton to Duluth and back. It's easy to talk about signing up for something like this, but as I'd check it out online, the website wasn't updated for 2012. So up until now, it was all talk...
Not any more!!! Last night we bit the bullet and put our money where our mouth is. We are officially registered for our first 50 MILE trail race!!! Talk about being scared and excited at the same time! I feel like I should go out and start running hill repeats right now!
http://voyageurtrailrun.blogspot.com/
Until next time, happy running!!
Sunday, April 01, 2012
Back on track
Well here's another shot at getting my training blog up and running. It's been a long time - 3 years actually, since I worked on it.
This year, Matt and I have decided to take on the challenge of running ultra trail marathons. An ultra marathon is a loosely defined as anything beyond the marathon distance (26.2 miles.) Typical ultras are 50k (31 miles), 50 miles, 100k (60 miles), and 100 miles. They are usually held on trails of varying types.
Our first race of the season is coming up in a few weeks - Trail Mix, held at Hyland Park in Bloomington. We are registered for the 50k - our introduction to the world of ultra running. We've done the 25k there 3 times in the last few years. The weather & trail conditions can be good or bad... It is April in Minnesota after all!!
This weekend's training consisted of a long trail run on Saturday. We headed over to Lake Rebecca Park and ran the horse trails for a total of 21.5 miles. It was a cloudy, damp day, but really good for running. The ground was damp, but not muddy, so my feet got soaked fairly quickly. Luckily I came home without any blisters... I'm not sure how running long distances with wet feet is going to work... I think I'll be inquiring to some veteran ultra runners for advice in that department.
Today we headed out on the road bikes - first outdoor ride of the season. It was good to get the legs moving and spinning out some of the soreness from yesterday's run. We waited until the sun broke through the clouds to head out - but the downside to waiting until late afternoon to ride is that the wind is usually stronger... and stronger it was! Heading out I averaged 12 mph... what a grind... but coming home, that was much more fun!! We saw a lot of folks we knew while we were out, so that added to the enjoyment. An hour and 45 minutes on the bike was just enough for today. I can certainly tell that I have lost all my climbing strength on the bike. On more than one occasion I ran out of gears... But overall a nice ride for the first time out this season.
It's been a good weekend of training and I'm excited for our race in a few weeks. Some events we have coming up include:
Trail Mix 50k
Buffalo Olympic distance triathlon
Afton Trail 50k
Voyager Trail 50 miler
Dairyland Dare 100k bike ride.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Catching Up
I just realized that it had been a few weeks since I had updated my blog. So much for keeping everyone informed... Sorry gang. I'll try to do better. But workouts are not very exciting this time of year. Especially since all but 2 rides have been on the bike trainer, and only a handful of runs have been outside. I'm hoping with April right around the corner, we'll at least get another day or two a week where we can get outside. Or maybe I'll just have to get tougher.
This last weekend we joined up with MN RED running club. RED stands for Running, Eating, Drinking. My kind of people!! We ran with them a couple weeks ago, and really enjoyed it. This week we started at Lake Harriet and ran down the Minnehaha Parkway to Lake Nakomis and back. Then Matt and I added a little extra on to make it 15 miles. We ran a solid 9:30 pace the entire way, and I felt great. Notice I said "felt" great. Not, "feel" great. In fact my legs are still barking from that workout, and I'm totally tired today.
We got up to swim this morning, and it wasn't an overly challenging workout, but I sure had a tough time keeping up with the group. I'm sure Wednesday's workout will be better. I really need to add another swim a week, but it's hard to squeeze that one in with the pool hours and life. Usually Monday's I follow the swim with a nice hour spin, but today that didn't happen. I was just beat.
I'm saving my spin for Tuesday morning, and then a run and weights Tuesday afternoon. I've been good about my running -- averaging 20-25 miles a week right now, and I'm pleased with that. That's 3 good runs.
I purchased a new road bike a week ago, and have only taken it outside for a quick 30 min ride to make sure I liked it. Otherwise I've been on the trainer, and so far so good. The first ride was just getting used to the new position, and then the next 2 workouts felt much better. I think I'm going to need to put my old seat on the new bike, because after about an hour or so, my seat bones were aching. I can't wait to get 'Ruby' outside to see how she handles the hills. Since hills and comfort were the 2 things I liked least about my old bike.
Well, it's getting late -- late for me at least, when I have to be on the bike at 5:30am. To get all the workouts in.
Until next time!
This last weekend we joined up with MN RED running club. RED stands for Running, Eating, Drinking. My kind of people!! We ran with them a couple weeks ago, and really enjoyed it. This week we started at Lake Harriet and ran down the Minnehaha Parkway to Lake Nakomis and back. Then Matt and I added a little extra on to make it 15 miles. We ran a solid 9:30 pace the entire way, and I felt great. Notice I said "felt" great. Not, "feel" great. In fact my legs are still barking from that workout, and I'm totally tired today.
We got up to swim this morning, and it wasn't an overly challenging workout, but I sure had a tough time keeping up with the group. I'm sure Wednesday's workout will be better. I really need to add another swim a week, but it's hard to squeeze that one in with the pool hours and life. Usually Monday's I follow the swim with a nice hour spin, but today that didn't happen. I was just beat.
I'm saving my spin for Tuesday morning, and then a run and weights Tuesday afternoon. I've been good about my running -- averaging 20-25 miles a week right now, and I'm pleased with that. That's 3 good runs.
I purchased a new road bike a week ago, and have only taken it outside for a quick 30 min ride to make sure I liked it. Otherwise I've been on the trainer, and so far so good. The first ride was just getting used to the new position, and then the next 2 workouts felt much better. I think I'm going to need to put my old seat on the new bike, because after about an hour or so, my seat bones were aching. I can't wait to get 'Ruby' outside to see how she handles the hills. Since hills and comfort were the 2 things I liked least about my old bike.
Well, it's getting late -- late for me at least, when I have to be on the bike at 5:30am. To get all the workouts in.
Until next time!
Monday, March 09, 2009
Slip and Slide
Sunday Matt and I headed out for our weekly "long" run. This week was an easy 10 miles around town. It was warm enough to run outside. Yeah! The last few days have been above freezing so the snow has started to melt, and then overnight the wet spots freeze to ice. Well, we were less than a mile from home enjoying easy conversation and skipping over ice patches, when *WHOOPS* down I go. The sidewalk was on a pretty good angle, and I hit an ice patch just right and my feet went out from under me. Faster than a speeding bullet, I was on the ground. I was actually grateful for all my layers of clothing, as that prevented me from a good dose of road rash. I did manage to put a hole in my favorite Mt. Hardware running gloves, but better than a hole in my hand! I dusted myself off, and onward we continued. It didn't take long for the sting to go away, and otherwise the rest of the run was quite nice. 10 miles felt easy, and we maintained an under 10 min/mile pace, so I was really happy with that. Right now it's just about building the base, and I don't feel like I've run much lately, so the mental strength is just as important as the physical strength. It really takes awhile to get your mind to slow down enough and enjoy the long workouts. That's really what I enjoy about them. It's almost like meditating to me. (I know, I know, you all think I'm crazy!!)
Saturday was supposed to be a long bike. But I just didn't have it in me. It was that "mental" strength that I couldn't find. And after 40 minutes on the bike trainer, I was losing my mind. I just wasn't in a good place. I needed fresh air! So I ended up taking the dogs for a walk, and even though it was a little brisk and chilly out, the fresh air helped significantly!
Today was bike and swim day. Our coach, Lisa, is having a rough time with her shoulder, so we were swimming on our own again. She gave us a workout that was 2300 yards. It wasn't too hard, but we got a bit of a late start, so I ended up having to cut my cool down short, and finish with 2250. Oh well. I can make up that 50 another day.
An hour on the bike this morning wasn't bad. It was mentally easier than the 40 minutes Saturday. It's amazing how the mind plays such a powerful role in our lives. I remember that quote "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." How true it is!
Until next time!
Saturday was supposed to be a long bike. But I just didn't have it in me. It was that "mental" strength that I couldn't find. And after 40 minutes on the bike trainer, I was losing my mind. I just wasn't in a good place. I needed fresh air! So I ended up taking the dogs for a walk, and even though it was a little brisk and chilly out, the fresh air helped significantly!
Today was bike and swim day. Our coach, Lisa, is having a rough time with her shoulder, so we were swimming on our own again. She gave us a workout that was 2300 yards. It wasn't too hard, but we got a bit of a late start, so I ended up having to cut my cool down short, and finish with 2250. Oh well. I can make up that 50 another day.
An hour on the bike this morning wasn't bad. It was mentally easier than the 40 minutes Saturday. It's amazing how the mind plays such a powerful role in our lives. I remember that quote "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." How true it is!
Until next time!
Friday, March 06, 2009
Easy Friday
Today it actually smells like spring, and I'm loving it! The temps this week have started to rise, and we're hitting the mid-40's. Feels like a heat wave compared to earlier this year. But I can't let my hopes get too high, with 6 inches of snow forecasted for this weekend. At least it won't last more than a day or so, and then we'll be back to 40's. There really is light at the end of the winter tunnel!
I've been pleased with the fact that I've gotten in my workouts this week as planned. Or as planned as possible. Life really does get in the way sometimes, and you can't let it get you down.
Tuesday I slept in, and then hit the gym after work. It is ALWAYS harder to workout on the backside of the day. My legs felt like lead, and I suffered through 4 miles on the treadmill. I did do a strength workout too, and I'm glad I did. My goal is to lift twice a week, to keep building muscle. I'd like to lift 3 times a week, but I just don't think that's feesable. Then I'd be doing 9 workouts each week, and as the swimming, biking, and running distances get longer, adding in another strength workout would be too much. It's all about balance.
Wednesday morning I was up and off to the pool fully expecting Lisa to kick our butts, after having swam on our own earlier in the week. Unfortunately, she was unable to make it, and we had to suffer on our own. I've decided that I swim much harder when she's standing up there than I do when I'm on my own. I still got in a good quality 2350 yards, but it wasn't nearly as intense as it might have been with her there. But that's how it goes, and I'm still pleased with my effort.
Thursday was looking like a light day on the farm, and I was very excited at the idea of being able to get in both workouts. Typically Thursday's are busy, and I only get in my 5am bike ride. This week I was up and got in a really good 45 min on the trainer before my networking meeting, and then I was off to the farm. I didn't have many horses to ride, and it looked like I was going to have a good break between riding and teaching afternoon lessons to get in a run and strength workout. Well, as many of you know, life on the farm, rarely goes as planned. I needed the vet to come out to do some health papers, and of course they called to say they were on their way when I was in the middle of my run. Luckily I was only at the Snap in Watertown, a few minutes away, so I could go back to the farm. But it was still very frustrating to get interrupted in the middle of my workout. After meeting with the vet I didn't have enough time to finish my 3 miles, so I went and got a latte instead. You've just got to roll with it, right?
Now it's finally Friday, and I'm enjoying a day of "rest." No workouts scheduled before the weekend. It's nice to have the extra time to catch up on things like this.
Until next time!
I've been pleased with the fact that I've gotten in my workouts this week as planned. Or as planned as possible. Life really does get in the way sometimes, and you can't let it get you down.
Tuesday I slept in, and then hit the gym after work. It is ALWAYS harder to workout on the backside of the day. My legs felt like lead, and I suffered through 4 miles on the treadmill. I did do a strength workout too, and I'm glad I did. My goal is to lift twice a week, to keep building muscle. I'd like to lift 3 times a week, but I just don't think that's feesable. Then I'd be doing 9 workouts each week, and as the swimming, biking, and running distances get longer, adding in another strength workout would be too much. It's all about balance.
Wednesday morning I was up and off to the pool fully expecting Lisa to kick our butts, after having swam on our own earlier in the week. Unfortunately, she was unable to make it, and we had to suffer on our own. I've decided that I swim much harder when she's standing up there than I do when I'm on my own. I still got in a good quality 2350 yards, but it wasn't nearly as intense as it might have been with her there. But that's how it goes, and I'm still pleased with my effort.
Thursday was looking like a light day on the farm, and I was very excited at the idea of being able to get in both workouts. Typically Thursday's are busy, and I only get in my 5am bike ride. This week I was up and got in a really good 45 min on the trainer before my networking meeting, and then I was off to the farm. I didn't have many horses to ride, and it looked like I was going to have a good break between riding and teaching afternoon lessons to get in a run and strength workout. Well, as many of you know, life on the farm, rarely goes as planned. I needed the vet to come out to do some health papers, and of course they called to say they were on their way when I was in the middle of my run. Luckily I was only at the Snap in Watertown, a few minutes away, so I could go back to the farm. But it was still very frustrating to get interrupted in the middle of my workout. After meeting with the vet I didn't have enough time to finish my 3 miles, so I went and got a latte instead. You've just got to roll with it, right?
Now it's finally Friday, and I'm enjoying a day of "rest." No workouts scheduled before the weekend. It's nice to have the extra time to catch up on things like this.
Until next time!
Monday, March 02, 2009
More Training
The last few days I've been disappointed by the fact that it just plain cold out again. I'm longing for the days when I don't have to wear my Mt Everest-down jacket. It doesn't even have to be summer just yet, simply warm enough to only need to throw on a fleece, and I'd be happy.
But that is not the case just yet, so I continue to train indoors.
Friday I lost all motivation, and elected to take the day off from training. Saturday morning I got up and did an hour and 20 on the bike trainer. Ugh. It is SO boring, but I try to change it up by doing some big-gear intervals and that does help the time go by a little faster. Sunday was a "long" run. We woke up to the windchill being -17. If that doesn't take the motivation out of your sails, I don't know what would. After putzing around for part of the morning, Matt and I finally decided that it was time to go hit the treadmill at Snap Fitness. I find the treadmill to be as boring as the bike trainer, so I was less than thrilled. At least at Snap you can watch TV -- you have to read the subtitles if you don't have a FM tuner, so you can get plenty of stimulation -- run, read the TV, listen to your iPod. 8 Miles later, I got off the treadmill. My left leg gets sore from that much running on the treadmill so I must have some kind of an imbalance. I don't have that one-sidedness outside. I think there's enough terrain changes outside that I don't have that overuse problem that I get on the treadmill.
I currently enjoy Monday's since I haven't been going to the farm. It allows me to get in some quality training right away at the start of the week. Today unfortunately, Coach Lisa wasn't able to make it to the pool, so we had to swim on our own. I was worried at what I'd be able to do after pizza and a little too much alcohol last night (I don't typically drink Martini's and 1 martini, and I was over the edge, whew! That hasn't happened in a LONG time!!) Anyway, I still managed a good quality 2250 yards in 1 hour. I was pleased with that effort. Then I came home and immediately hit the bike trainer. 1 hour of easy spinning, and I felt like I had a good start to the day. I spent a lot of time in front of my computer today, and do feel a little stiff. I'm used to much more light activity, and that really helps the muscles from feeling to sore and tight. I should probably spend some time stretching, but I have a hunch at this hour I'm simply going to go straight to bed!
Until next time, happy training!! :)
But that is not the case just yet, so I continue to train indoors.
Friday I lost all motivation, and elected to take the day off from training. Saturday morning I got up and did an hour and 20 on the bike trainer. Ugh. It is SO boring, but I try to change it up by doing some big-gear intervals and that does help the time go by a little faster. Sunday was a "long" run. We woke up to the windchill being -17. If that doesn't take the motivation out of your sails, I don't know what would. After putzing around for part of the morning, Matt and I finally decided that it was time to go hit the treadmill at Snap Fitness. I find the treadmill to be as boring as the bike trainer, so I was less than thrilled. At least at Snap you can watch TV -- you have to read the subtitles if you don't have a FM tuner, so you can get plenty of stimulation -- run, read the TV, listen to your iPod. 8 Miles later, I got off the treadmill. My left leg gets sore from that much running on the treadmill so I must have some kind of an imbalance. I don't have that one-sidedness outside. I think there's enough terrain changes outside that I don't have that overuse problem that I get on the treadmill.
I currently enjoy Monday's since I haven't been going to the farm. It allows me to get in some quality training right away at the start of the week. Today unfortunately, Coach Lisa wasn't able to make it to the pool, so we had to swim on our own. I was worried at what I'd be able to do after pizza and a little too much alcohol last night (I don't typically drink Martini's and 1 martini, and I was over the edge, whew! That hasn't happened in a LONG time!!) Anyway, I still managed a good quality 2250 yards in 1 hour. I was pleased with that effort. Then I came home and immediately hit the bike trainer. 1 hour of easy spinning, and I felt like I had a good start to the day. I spent a lot of time in front of my computer today, and do feel a little stiff. I'm used to much more light activity, and that really helps the muscles from feeling to sore and tight. I should probably spend some time stretching, but I have a hunch at this hour I'm simply going to go straight to bed!
Until next time, happy training!! :)
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Winter's Back
Today Mother Nature reminded us that spring is not here yet, by dumping a big 'ole load of snow on the Twin Cities Metro area. I was actually hoping to get snowed in, but I don't think that's really going to happen. Oh well.
As far as training goes, Tuesday was a run and weights day. The morning was beautiful, and I was kicking myself for not running outside. I elected to run at Snap Fitness on the treadmill because I wanted to get a strength training workout in, too. That morning it was of course, temperate and clear, and simply beautiful. It made you think that spring is just around the corner. But I trudged along on the treadmill instead, and watched the sun rise outside the gym. I ended up doing 5 miles. It felt harder than it needed to be, but I think that was because I didn't have enough pre-workout calories on board. The same thing happened with the strength workout, I just felt tired and out of energy. I think it was truly because I'd only had a gel before I left, instead of a couple scoops of Sustained Energy (a liquid, protein & carb training supplement.) Sustained energy works really well for me, and for some reason I figured a gel was enough. Guess now I know! :)
Wednesday was a swim day. Our coach, Lisa, wasn't available to be there that morning, so she texted me a workout -- long, straight swim. 1000 without fins, 1500 with fins. I felt pretty good overall. The first 1000 went by quickly, and I was pleased with how I felt. The 1500 with fins, seemed like it took a long time, but it wasn't "hard." Just mentally long. After I finished the 2500, doing flip turns at almost every deepend turn around, I still had time to get in a 300 cool down, so that makes it my longest pool workout yet in an hour. I felt really good about what I had accomplished.
Thursday's are busy days for me. I have a networking group meeting at 7:30 - 9am every week, and then it's off to the farm. And since I get to the farm later than usual, I'm typically there later than usual. So by the time I get home, I don't have the energy or the willpower to workout. I could take Thursdays as a "rest" day, but I like to do that on Fridays before the long weekend workouts. So that means I need to get my workout in before my 7:30am meeting -- and well that puts me getting up at 4:45 to workout, shower, eat, etc. I've been good about getting up and hitting the bike trainer. That's the easiest to do. No travel, no hassle. Get up, throw on a T and bike shorts and head to the basement. I did an easy 40 min. spin today.
Well, that's all for now. I may end up going for a run tomorrow, to get that 2nd run workout in this week.
As far as training goes, Tuesday was a run and weights day. The morning was beautiful, and I was kicking myself for not running outside. I elected to run at Snap Fitness on the treadmill because I wanted to get a strength training workout in, too. That morning it was of course, temperate and clear, and simply beautiful. It made you think that spring is just around the corner. But I trudged along on the treadmill instead, and watched the sun rise outside the gym. I ended up doing 5 miles. It felt harder than it needed to be, but I think that was because I didn't have enough pre-workout calories on board. The same thing happened with the strength workout, I just felt tired and out of energy. I think it was truly because I'd only had a gel before I left, instead of a couple scoops of Sustained Energy (a liquid, protein & carb training supplement.) Sustained energy works really well for me, and for some reason I figured a gel was enough. Guess now I know! :)
Wednesday was a swim day. Our coach, Lisa, wasn't available to be there that morning, so she texted me a workout -- long, straight swim. 1000 without fins, 1500 with fins. I felt pretty good overall. The first 1000 went by quickly, and I was pleased with how I felt. The 1500 with fins, seemed like it took a long time, but it wasn't "hard." Just mentally long. After I finished the 2500, doing flip turns at almost every deepend turn around, I still had time to get in a 300 cool down, so that makes it my longest pool workout yet in an hour. I felt really good about what I had accomplished.
Thursday's are busy days for me. I have a networking group meeting at 7:30 - 9am every week, and then it's off to the farm. And since I get to the farm later than usual, I'm typically there later than usual. So by the time I get home, I don't have the energy or the willpower to workout. I could take Thursdays as a "rest" day, but I like to do that on Fridays before the long weekend workouts. So that means I need to get my workout in before my 7:30am meeting -- and well that puts me getting up at 4:45 to workout, shower, eat, etc. I've been good about getting up and hitting the bike trainer. That's the easiest to do. No travel, no hassle. Get up, throw on a T and bike shorts and head to the basement. I did an easy 40 min. spin today.
Well, that's all for now. I may end up going for a run tomorrow, to get that 2nd run workout in this week.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday Workouts
Monday's are typically a good training day for me. We start the day with a coached swim workout at the local pool, then my day allows for a second workout, too.
To get 3 workouts in all 3 sports done in one week, twice a day workouts become a regular habit. It's definitely not always easy to figure out when you're going to get the 2nd workout in between work, and life, but it is important.
Today we hit the pool for our coached swim this morning. Getting out of bed at 5:40 am is definitely the hardest part of the workout! Especially to head out into the cold after being all cozy in your bed. We swam 2300 yards today, and it felt fairly good. I finally was able to do all of the cycle 4 intervals on the 30 seconds, so that was a break through for me. Breaking up the workout into various intervals and sets helps the distance go by faster. It's all a mental game!
After the swim I try to get in a bike workout as well. It seems to working if I simply do them back to back. Otherwise if I wait until later in the day, the likelihood that I skip a workout is much greater!!
I came home and had a bite to eat, and then hit the bike trainer. I was hoping to get in an hour workout, but my legs were tired. Especially after yesterday's run and today's swim. But I found the 'Ellen Degeneres" show to be highly entertaining this morning, and survived an hour spin on the bike. She plays upbeat music, and there's not too many commercial breaks, so that helps the time pass as well. I don't watch any daytime television, so it's kind of refreshing when I do. I couldn't watch those shows regularly, because I do find them somewhat annoying.
Well, that's all I have to report for today. Tomorrow will be a run and strength workout, so I'll keep ya' posted.
To get 3 workouts in all 3 sports done in one week, twice a day workouts become a regular habit. It's definitely not always easy to figure out when you're going to get the 2nd workout in between work, and life, but it is important.
Today we hit the pool for our coached swim this morning. Getting out of bed at 5:40 am is definitely the hardest part of the workout! Especially to head out into the cold after being all cozy in your bed. We swam 2300 yards today, and it felt fairly good. I finally was able to do all of the cycle 4 intervals on the 30 seconds, so that was a break through for me. Breaking up the workout into various intervals and sets helps the distance go by faster. It's all a mental game!
After the swim I try to get in a bike workout as well. It seems to working if I simply do them back to back. Otherwise if I wait until later in the day, the likelihood that I skip a workout is much greater!!
I came home and had a bite to eat, and then hit the bike trainer. I was hoping to get in an hour workout, but my legs were tired. Especially after yesterday's run and today's swim. But I found the 'Ellen Degeneres" show to be highly entertaining this morning, and survived an hour spin on the bike. She plays upbeat music, and there's not too many commercial breaks, so that helps the time pass as well. I don't watch any daytime television, so it's kind of refreshing when I do. I couldn't watch those shows regularly, because I do find them somewhat annoying.
Well, that's all I have to report for today. Tomorrow will be a run and strength workout, so I'll keep ya' posted.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Running outside again!
It's been a long time since I posted to this blog, but I hope to be back on here more frequently since my 2009 goal race is a short 29 weeks away. But who's counting?? :)
I've been working on getting in 3 workouts a week in all 3 sports (swimming, biking and running) each week along with a session or two of strength training. That is seeming to be more challenging that I had anticipated. Even now with workouts being about an hour or so long. So I'm learning how to manage my time better and figure it out before the training volume begins to increase.
Today Matt and I organized a small group of training buddies to run the Lakes in Minneapolis. I think we were both anticipating a warmer day, but it was about 2-3 degrees when we left the house this morning. At least the sun was shining, and it wasn't terribly windy. But having not run outside this winter, it sure felt cold. We met up with our friend Brad, and headed out for a nice 10 miles around the Lakes. We met up with Jennifer and Jonathon who were doing a shorter run. Then we all headed to YUM for breakfast. Oh, it's so good. I couldn't help myself, and the dessert counter was calling so Matt and I split a double chocolate cookie sandwich. That washed down with a cup of coffee was simply sinful!
Today was one of those mornings that I really enjoy -- a good workout, good friends, followed by some good food. Ahh, life IS good. (And winter IS nearly over!)
Until next time!
I've been working on getting in 3 workouts a week in all 3 sports (swimming, biking and running) each week along with a session or two of strength training. That is seeming to be more challenging that I had anticipated. Even now with workouts being about an hour or so long. So I'm learning how to manage my time better and figure it out before the training volume begins to increase.
Today Matt and I organized a small group of training buddies to run the Lakes in Minneapolis. I think we were both anticipating a warmer day, but it was about 2-3 degrees when we left the house this morning. At least the sun was shining, and it wasn't terribly windy. But having not run outside this winter, it sure felt cold. We met up with our friend Brad, and headed out for a nice 10 miles around the Lakes. We met up with Jennifer and Jonathon who were doing a shorter run. Then we all headed to YUM for breakfast. Oh, it's so good. I couldn't help myself, and the dessert counter was calling so Matt and I split a double chocolate cookie sandwich. That washed down with a cup of coffee was simply sinful!
Today was one of those mornings that I really enjoy -- a good workout, good friends, followed by some good food. Ahh, life IS good. (And winter IS nearly over!)
Until next time!
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Twin Cities Marathon
Today was the 25th running of the Twin Cities Marathon. This was my 2nd TCM, and I was out to battle the "gremlins" that slowed me down the first time up Summit Avenue. "Gremlins" or simply bad nutrition and poor race plan, call it what you want. But I bonked big time in the final 6 miles of my previous TCM.
This year I wanted to stay smart, and run strong those last, long 6 miles up Summit. I had also hoped to beat my PR (set at TCM that year) of 4:09. Initially, that was secondary, but I knew deep down as I toed the line this morning, coming in as close to 4 hours as I could would really be the main goal.
The horn blew at 8am outside the metrodome, and on a clear, sunny morning we were off. Myself and 10,000 others. It took me awhile to get across the line, nearly 7 minutes, but thankfully what really counts is chip time.
The crowds are pretty thick those first couple miles, so I just allowed my legs to warm up and monitored my breathing. I felt good. I tried to use the downhill stretches as much as I could to help build a bit of a pace cushion. It worked. I logged multiple sub-9 min miles (9 out of the first 13 miles), but by then I could tell that I had probably gone out too fast... At 8 miles my legs thought that a 10 mile run would have been ok, then by 10 miles, a half marathon would've been perfect, and by 13, it was time to play mind games. It's not that I was in any real trouble yet, I just knew from experience how bad it was going to hurt. And I wasn't sure how soon before it was going to hurt 'really bad.' I kept thinking back to Grand Island, and how much those last couple miles hurt, and that was on trail! My feet were already starting to bark from all the pavement. But I kept on moving.
My pace stayed in the mid 9min pace range until I passed mile 20 and the ALARC wall. I knew that Matt would be there and a bunch of others, so I put on my game face and kept on moving. The motivation from that kept me going into mile 21. By mile 22 I was starting to slow me down. I managed to keep running, but I knew it was still 4 more miles. And even though I'd done many mulitples of 4 today, those last 4 miles felt like a long way! I allowed myself to walk more than I had earlier in the race at the aid stations, up to a full minute. Then it was back to running, because as much as I wanted to stop, it hurt just as bad to walk as it did to run, so I'd better buck up and run it in!
Nutitionally I was fine this race. The longer distance triathlons and having 4 marathons behind me has really helped get that in order. I knew exactly what to do, and when to do it, and I never felt funny. That is so important. Especially as I watched the ambulances come screaming up to the race course to load fallen runners.
It was a warm day for a fall marathon, with temps hitting 80 by mid-afternoon. It felt warmer than that after having the previous 3 weeks with below average temps. I don't think anyone was ready for the warmer day!
Today was a good race for me. I managed to bring home a 4+ minute PR with a finishing chip time of 4:05:13. This was a great way to wrap up a season of fun events. I do think it'll take me awhile to recover from this one, so I'd better take it easy for awhile. Until next time, as a fellow runner used to say, "Run fast, take chances."
You might be amazed what you can do.
Kate
This year I wanted to stay smart, and run strong those last, long 6 miles up Summit. I had also hoped to beat my PR (set at TCM that year) of 4:09. Initially, that was secondary, but I knew deep down as I toed the line this morning, coming in as close to 4 hours as I could would really be the main goal.
The horn blew at 8am outside the metrodome, and on a clear, sunny morning we were off. Myself and 10,000 others. It took me awhile to get across the line, nearly 7 minutes, but thankfully what really counts is chip time.
The crowds are pretty thick those first couple miles, so I just allowed my legs to warm up and monitored my breathing. I felt good. I tried to use the downhill stretches as much as I could to help build a bit of a pace cushion. It worked. I logged multiple sub-9 min miles (9 out of the first 13 miles), but by then I could tell that I had probably gone out too fast... At 8 miles my legs thought that a 10 mile run would have been ok, then by 10 miles, a half marathon would've been perfect, and by 13, it was time to play mind games. It's not that I was in any real trouble yet, I just knew from experience how bad it was going to hurt. And I wasn't sure how soon before it was going to hurt 'really bad.' I kept thinking back to Grand Island, and how much those last couple miles hurt, and that was on trail! My feet were already starting to bark from all the pavement. But I kept on moving.
My pace stayed in the mid 9min pace range until I passed mile 20 and the ALARC wall. I knew that Matt would be there and a bunch of others, so I put on my game face and kept on moving. The motivation from that kept me going into mile 21. By mile 22 I was starting to slow me down. I managed to keep running, but I knew it was still 4 more miles. And even though I'd done many mulitples of 4 today, those last 4 miles felt like a long way! I allowed myself to walk more than I had earlier in the race at the aid stations, up to a full minute. Then it was back to running, because as much as I wanted to stop, it hurt just as bad to walk as it did to run, so I'd better buck up and run it in!
Nutitionally I was fine this race. The longer distance triathlons and having 4 marathons behind me has really helped get that in order. I knew exactly what to do, and when to do it, and I never felt funny. That is so important. Especially as I watched the ambulances come screaming up to the race course to load fallen runners.
It was a warm day for a fall marathon, with temps hitting 80 by mid-afternoon. It felt warmer than that after having the previous 3 weeks with below average temps. I don't think anyone was ready for the warmer day!
Today was a good race for me. I managed to bring home a 4+ minute PR with a finishing chip time of 4:05:13. This was a great way to wrap up a season of fun events. I do think it'll take me awhile to recover from this one, so I'd better take it easy for awhile. Until next time, as a fellow runner used to say, "Run fast, take chances."
You might be amazed what you can do.
Kate
Monday, September 25, 2006
Fall Weather Part 2
So after a number of consecutive rainy days, the sun finally broke through the clouds. And yucky fall weather became inspiring fall weather. What a difference a day makes.
Sunday morning broke cool and clear and sunny. I headed out to join the group run held at Start Line. It was a beautiful morning, one of those days where you can't "run easy." It just isn't possible. I ran with my friend, Patrick, who I hadn't seen all summer. It was fun to catch up and on the summer's events. One week to Twin Cities Marathon, so we're all gearing up for a fun-filled weekend.
Today was another beautiful day. Sunny, clear and cool. The trees are nearly at their peak color, so Matt and I headed out for a leasurely bike ride around Lake Rebecca. It was a nice hour ride on our mountain bikes. It's fun to be able to exercize, but not necessarly have to "train."
The forecast isn't as inspiring for the remainder of the week, but the forecast has improved for sunday - less of a chance of rain and 60's. Not a bad forecast for a marathon. A repeat of this past sunday would be ideal! Keep your fingers crossed.
Until next time!
Kate
Sunday morning broke cool and clear and sunny. I headed out to join the group run held at Start Line. It was a beautiful morning, one of those days where you can't "run easy." It just isn't possible. I ran with my friend, Patrick, who I hadn't seen all summer. It was fun to catch up and on the summer's events. One week to Twin Cities Marathon, so we're all gearing up for a fun-filled weekend.
Today was another beautiful day. Sunny, clear and cool. The trees are nearly at their peak color, so Matt and I headed out for a leasurely bike ride around Lake Rebecca. It was a nice hour ride on our mountain bikes. It's fun to be able to exercize, but not necessarly have to "train."
The forecast isn't as inspiring for the remainder of the week, but the forecast has improved for sunday - less of a chance of rain and 60's. Not a bad forecast for a marathon. A repeat of this past sunday would be ideal! Keep your fingers crossed.
Until next time!
Kate
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Fall Weather
This has been less than an inspiring week for working out. Apparently Minnesota has gone directly from august to november in the weather department. After a cool start to the week, it didn't warm up much. And then it started to rain... and rain... and rain.
I'm not sure which of my (numerous) excuses will work to rationalize missing 3 days of workouts. Call it tapering, slacking, too busy, or just plain unmotivated. It was probably a combination of all of those. But I think I'm back on the wagon.
Friday I dragged myself out of the house between rain showers for an easy evening run around town. Matt's new house is less than a 20 min run from Lake Rebecca - yay - more running and biking options. If I run from Matt's house, I don't have to battle traffic on the county roads, I can stick to sidewalks and walking trails, and even add in a 6+ mile loop around Lake Rebecca. So that should be nice.
I only had to work a half day today, but it was a busy day 'at the office.' After running around all morning to get the work done, I was still in "moving mode" when I got home. It wasn't raining and the pavement had dried, so I took the opportunity to get back on the bike. When I got home I sucked down an energy gel, pumped up my tires, and hit the road. It was nice to be back on the bike again. A little chilly, but not bad.
I had thought I might try to ride 20 miles, but decided to head for home as the thunderheads and rain clouds moved in across the sky. I got home just in time. A nice 12 mile, 45 min ride to add to the training log.
Tomorrow I think I might get up early (as much as I'd like to sleep in) and join a group for a 10 mile run. I haven't done a morning group long run in months, so it'll be nice to get out there and see what everyone has been up to.
Well, until next time.
Kate
I'm not sure which of my (numerous) excuses will work to rationalize missing 3 days of workouts. Call it tapering, slacking, too busy, or just plain unmotivated. It was probably a combination of all of those. But I think I'm back on the wagon.
Friday I dragged myself out of the house between rain showers for an easy evening run around town. Matt's new house is less than a 20 min run from Lake Rebecca - yay - more running and biking options. If I run from Matt's house, I don't have to battle traffic on the county roads, I can stick to sidewalks and walking trails, and even add in a 6+ mile loop around Lake Rebecca. So that should be nice.
I only had to work a half day today, but it was a busy day 'at the office.' After running around all morning to get the work done, I was still in "moving mode" when I got home. It wasn't raining and the pavement had dried, so I took the opportunity to get back on the bike. When I got home I sucked down an energy gel, pumped up my tires, and hit the road. It was nice to be back on the bike again. A little chilly, but not bad.
I had thought I might try to ride 20 miles, but decided to head for home as the thunderheads and rain clouds moved in across the sky. I got home just in time. A nice 12 mile, 45 min ride to add to the training log.
Tomorrow I think I might get up early (as much as I'd like to sleep in) and join a group for a 10 mile run. I haven't done a morning group long run in months, so it'll be nice to get out there and see what everyone has been up to.
Well, until next time.
Kate
Monday, September 18, 2006
Run in Tights
Ugh, I can't believe it. I had to drag out my 'winter' running gear today. With wind and rain and barely 50 degrees, I figured it might be a little chilly for shorts and a singlet. I wasn't thrilled.
Oh well. So I donned my tights, long sleeve running top and a lightweight jacket and headed out the door this evening. I haven't done any serious running since the tri. And even then, the week or so leading up to it I was tapering, so it's been awhile since I pounded the pavement for any length of time. It sure felt good.
Running is one of the few things that helps to restore my 'balance.' Swimming and biking keep me fit, running keeps me balanced. Going for a long run, is really good for my head, and I always come back in a better mood than when I left. Sometimes I don't even realize how much I need a run until I'm out there running. Today was definitely one of those days.
This weekend was full of changes as Matt moved into his house here in Delano, and the days were filled with people and moving boxes. It was a good weekend overall, but I now know that I was a little short on some quality time by myself!
So spending the day alone at the barn, and then a good quality run this evening really helped get my head screwed on straight! Sometimes you just gotta' run!
Well, now it's off to the shower and then some dinner before I bonk!
Until next time.
Kate
Oh well. So I donned my tights, long sleeve running top and a lightweight jacket and headed out the door this evening. I haven't done any serious running since the tri. And even then, the week or so leading up to it I was tapering, so it's been awhile since I pounded the pavement for any length of time. It sure felt good.
Running is one of the few things that helps to restore my 'balance.' Swimming and biking keep me fit, running keeps me balanced. Going for a long run, is really good for my head, and I always come back in a better mood than when I left. Sometimes I don't even realize how much I need a run until I'm out there running. Today was definitely one of those days.
This weekend was full of changes as Matt moved into his house here in Delano, and the days were filled with people and moving boxes. It was a good weekend overall, but I now know that I was a little short on some quality time by myself!
So spending the day alone at the barn, and then a good quality run this evening really helped get my head screwed on straight! Sometimes you just gotta' run!
Well, now it's off to the shower and then some dinner before I bonk!
Until next time.
Kate
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Rest. Recovery. Taper.
A beautiful day in Minnesota provided some inspiration to get back into the workout routine. Fall is a perfect time to run, and today was about as nice as it can get. I decided I'd head out for a few easy miles to see how my legs are doing after 2 full days of rest post-race. I wasn't motivated to tackle the hills on the main roads from my subdivision, so I simply ran laps around the sub. Bor-ing! But easy. 4 miles at a 10 min pace felt fairly good. And soon enough I was back at my door. Just enough to burn a few calories, keep the legs loose, and work up a sweat. Tomorrow is forecasted to be another nice day, maybe I'll see if my butt is recovered enough to get back on the bike.
The next couple weeks are going to be a balancing act of recovering and maintaining my fitness for Twin Cities Marathon.
That's all for now. Until next time.
-Kate
The next couple weeks are going to be a balancing act of recovering and maintaining my fitness for Twin Cities Marathon.
That's all for now. Until next time.
-Kate
Monday, September 11, 2006
Lake Geneva
This weekend I did my 2nd Half-iron distance triathlon in Lake Geneva, Wi. I had been working towards this race all season, so I was excited to get out there and see how much I had improved from last year.
Friday morning Matt and I headed towards south east Wisconsin. With maps in hand, and only one sorta' wrong turn, we found our way to Fontana and Reid Park, the race start. A block up the street was packet pickup, and we had arrived a few minutes before it opened. The line was already stretched down the block. I got in line, and an hour later received my packet and body marking. This was new, I'd never been marked the day before a race. Usually just race morning. But I figured one less thing to do in the a.m.
We found our hotel and checked in. Not the Ritz, but it would do. We feasted on my homemade spaghetti, and called it a day.
4 a.m. came early, and the alarm woke me from a sound sleep. I chugged my race-morning breakfast shake and headed out the door into the darkness. At 5am this time of year, the sun is not up yet, and setting up transistion in the dark is a new kind of challenge. The wind was blowing and it was chilly - low 50's. You could hear the waves lapping up onto the beach, but because of the darkness, you couldn't see the bouys or how big the waves were.
The race was slotted to start at 6:15am, and all the half-iron distance racers were going off together. Nearly 200 of us. There were 3 other races that day from an olympic to a super-sprint, so there were lots of people around. At 6:15, the race was delayed because we still couldn't see the bouys. At 6:45, after 30 min of shivering in my wetsuit, we were off.
The swim portion was an out and back into the lake, and consequently, into the waves. A mass start of 200 people into choppy water provided a bit of a challenge. My goal was to "swim smart." Keep my heart rate down, and swim with my head - I know myself well enough that if I start getting anxious, my stroke goes down the tubes. So I just tried to fall into a rhythm and keep an eye out for other people's legs and arms. Luckily the waves were fairly consistant, so finding a rhythm wasn't too hard. One stroke at a time, I picked off the bouys and finally I was at the turn around. I checked my watch, 24 min. Slower than I had liked, but I was ready to take it to shore. I figured that the swim in would be easier. Only sort of. It wasn't much easier, but I swam in a minute faster, so the waves did help some. Then it was out of the water, and on to the bike.
Undressing from my wetsuit as I jogged up the beach, I found my bike, and struggled out of the legs of my wetsuit. 2+ minutes later I was on the bike and headed towards the open road.
I knew from driving in and out of the race site, that there was a fairly sizable hill within the first mile. I put it into a low gear, and kept my legs spinning, and the hill actually wasn't too bad (for my Castaway tri friends - half that big hill there). And the good part was it got me on my way to getting warm. The bike is great when it's hot out, you're wet and you create a breeze to keep you cool. Now when it's cold, it's another story... Shortly before the 10 mile mark, I was changing gears too quickly and dropped my chain. I should know better. But I hopped off got it back on, and kept an eye on my greasy fingers the remainder of the ride to make sure I shifted smartly. The bike was tough. It was a windy day on hilly roads through WI farm country. The tall corn provided some protection from the wind, but when it was coming head on, there wasn't much you could do. I'm not sure if my mind was playing tricks on me or if it was mostly into the wind on the second half of the course, but it certainly felt like it. The first half went fast, and I maintained a 17+mph average. The second half, not so well, but I coasted into transistion with a 16.9 average, which for me is quite good. 3:12 after getting out of the water, I was finally off the bike!
Now it's onto the run. I didn't rush T2 (bike to run transistion). 13.1 miles is a long way to go if your shoes and socks aren't right or if you don't have enough nutrition to get you there. I double checked myself, re-tied my hair, threw on my visor, and off I went.
The run was also quite challenging, with the infamous "killer hill," (now you can think Castaway bike hill!) Knowing that this was a double out and back, and I'd have to make it up the hill a second time, I went out conservatively and walked the toughest up hill climbs. I checked my pace every mile, and found that I was holding on to a sub-10min mile pace. Right where I wanted to be. I had really wanted to run a 2 hour half marathon. So I head back towards the finish line, only to have to turn back for a second loop. I say to the crowd, "that was so much fun, I'm going to do it again!" And the crowd laughed. It was actually a fun time. I headed back out for my second loop. Again walking the worst of the up hills. Still watching my sub-10 min pace. And I'm feeling strong. I turn to head home for the last 5k or so, and I'm still feeling great. Well, now I don't have any excuses, I feel good, and I'm heading to the finish, so I keep plugging along and run the up hills now. No need to save myself. I see Matt a curve or so up from the finish line, and say "Look at the time! Look at the time!" I was so excited, and sprinted it in to the finish line. My official time was 6:07:04. I ran exactly a 2 hour half marathon.
Going into this race, I had primarily hoped to beat my previous time of 6:48 from a year ago. On a good day, I hoped for 6:30, and if I was feeling really big for my britches, I thought maybe a 6:15. I had no idea I had 6:07 in my legs! This is going to be very tough to beat next time!
So now it's recovery/taper time. 3 weeks until Twin Cities Marathon. TCM I'm doing simply "because I can." I doubt I'll P.R. with it being so close to the half ironman. But it should still be a very fun day.
I'll keep you posted. Until next time!
Kate
Friday morning Matt and I headed towards south east Wisconsin. With maps in hand, and only one sorta' wrong turn, we found our way to Fontana and Reid Park, the race start. A block up the street was packet pickup, and we had arrived a few minutes before it opened. The line was already stretched down the block. I got in line, and an hour later received my packet and body marking. This was new, I'd never been marked the day before a race. Usually just race morning. But I figured one less thing to do in the a.m.
We found our hotel and checked in. Not the Ritz, but it would do. We feasted on my homemade spaghetti, and called it a day.
4 a.m. came early, and the alarm woke me from a sound sleep. I chugged my race-morning breakfast shake and headed out the door into the darkness. At 5am this time of year, the sun is not up yet, and setting up transistion in the dark is a new kind of challenge. The wind was blowing and it was chilly - low 50's. You could hear the waves lapping up onto the beach, but because of the darkness, you couldn't see the bouys or how big the waves were.
The race was slotted to start at 6:15am, and all the half-iron distance racers were going off together. Nearly 200 of us. There were 3 other races that day from an olympic to a super-sprint, so there were lots of people around. At 6:15, the race was delayed because we still couldn't see the bouys. At 6:45, after 30 min of shivering in my wetsuit, we were off.
The swim portion was an out and back into the lake, and consequently, into the waves. A mass start of 200 people into choppy water provided a bit of a challenge. My goal was to "swim smart." Keep my heart rate down, and swim with my head - I know myself well enough that if I start getting anxious, my stroke goes down the tubes. So I just tried to fall into a rhythm and keep an eye out for other people's legs and arms. Luckily the waves were fairly consistant, so finding a rhythm wasn't too hard. One stroke at a time, I picked off the bouys and finally I was at the turn around. I checked my watch, 24 min. Slower than I had liked, but I was ready to take it to shore. I figured that the swim in would be easier. Only sort of. It wasn't much easier, but I swam in a minute faster, so the waves did help some. Then it was out of the water, and on to the bike.
Undressing from my wetsuit as I jogged up the beach, I found my bike, and struggled out of the legs of my wetsuit. 2+ minutes later I was on the bike and headed towards the open road.
I knew from driving in and out of the race site, that there was a fairly sizable hill within the first mile. I put it into a low gear, and kept my legs spinning, and the hill actually wasn't too bad (for my Castaway tri friends - half that big hill there). And the good part was it got me on my way to getting warm. The bike is great when it's hot out, you're wet and you create a breeze to keep you cool. Now when it's cold, it's another story... Shortly before the 10 mile mark, I was changing gears too quickly and dropped my chain. I should know better. But I hopped off got it back on, and kept an eye on my greasy fingers the remainder of the ride to make sure I shifted smartly. The bike was tough. It was a windy day on hilly roads through WI farm country. The tall corn provided some protection from the wind, but when it was coming head on, there wasn't much you could do. I'm not sure if my mind was playing tricks on me or if it was mostly into the wind on the second half of the course, but it certainly felt like it. The first half went fast, and I maintained a 17+mph average. The second half, not so well, but I coasted into transistion with a 16.9 average, which for me is quite good. 3:12 after getting out of the water, I was finally off the bike!
Now it's onto the run. I didn't rush T2 (bike to run transistion). 13.1 miles is a long way to go if your shoes and socks aren't right or if you don't have enough nutrition to get you there. I double checked myself, re-tied my hair, threw on my visor, and off I went.
The run was also quite challenging, with the infamous "killer hill," (now you can think Castaway bike hill!) Knowing that this was a double out and back, and I'd have to make it up the hill a second time, I went out conservatively and walked the toughest up hill climbs. I checked my pace every mile, and found that I was holding on to a sub-10min mile pace. Right where I wanted to be. I had really wanted to run a 2 hour half marathon. So I head back towards the finish line, only to have to turn back for a second loop. I say to the crowd, "that was so much fun, I'm going to do it again!" And the crowd laughed. It was actually a fun time. I headed back out for my second loop. Again walking the worst of the up hills. Still watching my sub-10 min pace. And I'm feeling strong. I turn to head home for the last 5k or so, and I'm still feeling great. Well, now I don't have any excuses, I feel good, and I'm heading to the finish, so I keep plugging along and run the up hills now. No need to save myself. I see Matt a curve or so up from the finish line, and say "Look at the time! Look at the time!" I was so excited, and sprinted it in to the finish line. My official time was 6:07:04. I ran exactly a 2 hour half marathon.
Going into this race, I had primarily hoped to beat my previous time of 6:48 from a year ago. On a good day, I hoped for 6:30, and if I was feeling really big for my britches, I thought maybe a 6:15. I had no idea I had 6:07 in my legs! This is going to be very tough to beat next time!
So now it's recovery/taper time. 3 weeks until Twin Cities Marathon. TCM I'm doing simply "because I can." I doubt I'll P.R. with it being so close to the half ironman. But it should still be a very fun day.
I'll keep you posted. Until next time!
Kate
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