Billy Bowlegs 5K race report

Saturday night was the Billy Bowlegs 5K.  It starts at 10:30pm.  That’s LATE for me!  I honestly like to be in bed by 9:30pm! :)  Yet this is a big local race and is a lot of fun.  Thankfully my training partner, Lisa, ran with me.

I definitely felt pressure going into it being the defending champ.  The local running store keeps a HUGE trophy in the store and every year the overall male and female winners’ names are engraved on it.  Pretty cool.

Between Lisa and another local girl, Cindy, I knew it’d need to be a good race.  Then right as the gun goes off, Lisa points out another girl – “the air force girl” – who beat me Monday at the Gate to Gate race.  I have to admit – I cussed loud when I saw her.  And also quickly made the decision to go for it and try to go with her.

I hit mile 1 in 5:53.  She was about 5 steps ahead of me.  I pulled right on her in the 2nd mile, but she surged and opened up her lead a bit.  Mile 2 was 6:08.  I knew if I ran an awesome last mile I could PR.  I can honestly say I fought with everything in me, but I just didn’t have it.  Cindy blew by me with about 2/10′s to go in the race.  Mile 3 was 6:22 and 18:24.  All I could think about at that point was finishing on my own 2 feet.  As I neared the finish, it was definitely a let down to see 18:59-19:00.  I finished in 19:06.

When I think about 19:06, I know it’s a good time and I should be happy.  When I ran my PR in April, the weather was perfect.  It was really hot and really humid Saturday night.  I guess I just walked away from that race thinking I could have won.  Cindy was 18:50 and “the air force girl” was 18:55.

I keep thinking I’ve got to try a 5K where I start out more like 6:10 and then speed up.  I just get too dang competitive and go out too hard.  EVERY.SINGLE.RACE.

Gate to Gate 4.4 mile race report

Gate to Gate is a big local race – it’s on the air force base and is always on Memorial Day.  This is the first year that I’ve been able to run it.   I’ve heard lots of horror stories – mostly about the HEAT as you run on the road beside the runway and how it traps heat from the jets and also about the big hill around mile 4.1-4.3 of the race.  Needless to say I wasn’t too optimistic!  Yet luck was on my side because it was 1 of the coolest races on record (still warm but nothing like it could have been!).  My plan was to start out 6:20-6:30 and then hopefully drop down, feeling strong on the hill.

Well, typical me, I hit mile 1 in 6:05.  The crazy thing is I felt good and was honestly surprised I was that fast.  Probably because I’ve been training for 5Ks.  2 women pulled away from me.

Mile 2 was 6:16.  2 more women caught me and start to pull away.

Mile 3 was 6:25. Are you kidding me?! 10 seconds every mile?!

I tried to throw in some surges to keep it somewhat respectable.  Mile 4 was still 6:36. Damn.  I do feel I stayed pretty solid up the hill.  You then turn a corner and can see the finish.  I kicked it with all I had left.

28:01 – 6:23 average pace.  5 woman overall.  1st woman for my team (I ran as part of our local track club – top 4 including at least 1 woman score).

Overall I’d say I could have run harder.  I could have fought harder in the middle miles.  Not that I’ve raced many 4 mile races but I did hit an unofficial PR for 4 miles (25:23).   But I felt way too good later that day and have had 2 solid runs the past 2 days … yep definitely didn’t run hard enough.

Up next is the Billy Bowlegs 5K on Saturday night.  This is a tricky one because it’s at 10:30pm. I’m used to running early and going to bed early!!  And I have a target on my back as the defending champ.  Yep, got some internal pressure!!

King of the Mountain 4 mile race

We’re back home on Lookout Mountain for a quick weekend trip, and who I am to pass up on a race?!  The King of the Mountain has always been a favorite.  And with the Gate to Gate 4.4 miler coming up on Memorial Day, I knew this would be a good one for me to do.

I hate making excuses and never want to be that one who crosses the finish line with an array of reasons … so the short answer is I just wasn’t feelin it today.  The honest/making excuses answer is we travelled up yesterday and I didn’t get much sleep last night, I’ve been fighting a head cold all week, in spite of the head cold I still got in a tough week of training. Ah yes, making excuses.

I felt sluggish/dead legged from the beginning.  The 1st mile is gradual up hill.  Mile 2 has some rolling hills, and mile 3 and 4 are mostly down hill with 1 hill at the end.

My splits were 6:45 - 6:31 - 6:31 - 6:24.  I ended up as the 2nd place woman in 26:12.  I had a 3 tiered goal – to run sub 25, sub 26 or PR.  I did PR (in 2009 I ran 26:32).  SO at least I got 1  :)

It is frustrating when I’ve been training HARD and nailing my speed workouts, for it not to pay off in a race.  I have 2 more chances before things shut down for the summer and I take a much needed down time in my training.  As I mentioned at the start, the Gate to Gate 4.4 miler and Billy Bowlegs 5K on June 1.

Heritage Museum 5K

Several friends and I ran a small local 5K on Saturday.  Several of our kids did the 1 mile run as well.  It was fun to share a race with friends!

This was my first 5K since June of last year, and this spring I have been training much more focused on 5Ks, so I knew a PR was possible.   My speed workout has been specifically geared towards 5K paces – I’ve been doing it at 6 min pace, which would be 18:38 5K.

Going out, we were running into a nasty wind coming in off the water.  My legs were feeling heavy and I was beginning to think it wouldn’t happen.  There were 3 guys in front of me.  I hit mile 1 in 5:53 – no wonder my legs felt heavy!  That was exactly where I wanted to be.  Just before the turnaround, I pass a guy and am closing on the next guy.  The leader is enough out in front that I know I’ll never see him.  I pull even with the guy in 2nd and we run together.  Mile 2 is 6:05 – a bit slower than I wanted but still in good shape.  I love having someone to work with!  I pull ahead probably around 2.75 miles.  I was pretty sure he’d have a good kick.  Sure enough, when we round the corner for the final stretch, he bolts past me.

I hit the line in 18:39!  Exactly the pace I’ve been training for – and a 15 second PR!!

I felt really good, and honestly felt like I had a bit left that I could have used in that last mile.   Normally I finish a 5K and think “Ugh I hated that! I hate 5Ks! Never again!”  But this time it was “Wow, when’s the next?!”  I guess the speed workouts are working!! :)

And I guess I need to start doing speed workouts at a 5:55 pace (18:22 5K).

Spring plan

The Seaside Half Marathon was a serious HIGH for me.  I floated on cloud 9 for several days.  Actually, until the throw up bug knocked me and the kids out.  My body was whipped.  Every part of my body was sore – even my arms!  And then being sick, I had ZERO energy, and was forced to rest a few more days than I wanted or planned.  Which was good!

My loose plan has been to do some local 5Ks (had hoped for a 10K this weekend but based on recent runs and lack there of, it isn’t worth it), ending with the Billy Bowlegs on June 1 where I hope to defend my title from last year!

I’ll then back off for the summer.  Fall is undecided.  Partly because my body is tired and I don’t know if I’ll be ready to train for a Fall marathon.  I wonder if it makes more sense to spend the Fall building, and then train for a Spring marathon (hopefully Boston!!!).  Yet also, I’m not even sure where we’ll be living this Fall – could be still here in FL, or could be anywhere.  So it’s a bit hard to plan.  So back to focusing on the present – hopefully a 5K PR this Spring!!!!

Seaside Half Marathon

Last Sunday, I ran the Seaside Half Marathon for the 2nd year in a row.  And I was 2nd again.  Yet this year could not have been more different! Last year I was sick and still managed to run 1:31:53 – only 18 seconds off my PR from 2010.

So this year … It was COLD!  Temps in the 30s and windy!  After getting warm in the Pensacola race a month ago, I bought arm sleeves to wear with my tank, and wore compression socks with shorts.

Lisa and I start off tucked in with a pack of 3 women and 3 men.  The 3 men are “pacing” 1 of the women with a sub-1:30 goal.  That was our goal too, and given the WIND, we were content to tuck in with them.

Mile 1 = 6:45. Perfect.

Mile 2 = 6:55.  I got nervous about slowing too much.  2 girls had pulled away.  We pulled ahead of the girl with her 3 guys pacing.

Mile 3 = 6:50.  Right where I wanted to be.  Lisa was hoping to be closer to 7 min miles and I could tell she was a bit nervous by the pace.

Mile 4 = 6:48.  I was feeling great and new I needed to go for it.  I pulled away from Lisa and started closing on the 2 lead women over the next 2 miles.  Mile 5 & 6 were 6:45 and 6:41.  I was steadily closing.  I pulled even with them as we approached the turn around.  Being an out and back, I knew they’d see me as we turned so wanted to be even with them rather than them ahead, see me closing, and get energized to pull away.  It worked – they were surprised.

The 3 of us girls ran even for a bit and then 1 of the girls fell back.  The other girl pulled right on my shoulder.  Yes, she drafted. Big time. And I got mad. I tried to slow to let her take the lead, but she slowed.  I surged and she matched it.  She was seriously driving me insane.  Yet I didn’t want to slow too much and sacrifice my time.  So I kept telling myself to run my race and not worry about her. Easier said than done!!!

Miles 7-11 were  6:34 - 6:37 - 6:37 - 6:34 - 6:44.

I kept thinking I needed to pull away but just couldn’t.  I was also internally beginning to freak out about my time!

Mile 11 – 6:21. She was still right with me.

Mile 12 – 6:21. We were killing it!

We’re coming through Watercolor, I see the 1/2 mile to go sign, and I think I am pulling away ever so slightly.  This is my day I think!  HOLY FREAKING COW.  She turned on rockets and dropped me like no body’s business!  And honestly, at that point, I didn’t even care. I had NOTHING left and simply fought to get to the finish line.  Apparently I looked right at my family but I have no recollection of seeing them.

1:27:22!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For real, I could NOT believe it!  I had gotten 2nd by a mere 13 seconds – but I had run a 4+ minute PR!!!  3 years and baby #3 later – I SMASHED my PR from 2010!

Leading up to the race, all I could think about was sub-1:30.  Looking at the McMillian calculator from my 15K time, it predicted a 1:28:40 and I thought oh that’s not possible!!

So to run 1:27:22 – a 6:40 pace – I was over the moon!  Yes, wining would have been awesome and it getting 2nd 2 years in a row is a bit of a dud, but I’ll take it!  I know I gave it every single ounce in me and had absolutely nothing left.

This race is probably tied with Boston for my favorite race ever :)

Pensacola Double Bridge 15K

For the 3 years we’ve lived here for this race, I’ve always had a reason an excuse not to run it.  So over Christmas, I didn’t want to wait and decide not to, so I went ahead and registered.

Race time was 7am.  It starts in downtown Pensacola, and you run over 2 bridges, ending in Pensacola Beach.  Being a point to point race, you park near the finish line, and take a shuttle to the start.  Shuttles ran 5am-6am.  So I had to leave the house by 4am to be safe.  So I was up at 3:30am to eat my standard pre-race oatmeal and banana with peanut butter.

Thank goodness they have a bag check at the start because it was a cold morning (mid 30′s and windy).  I went back and forth about what to race in, but ended up going with shorts, compression socks, and a long sleeve shirt.  By mid race, I was really wishing for a short sleeve shirt!

I had a long shot goal of being under an hour, but between the wind and the hills of the bridge, new it was a LOOOOONG shot.

I (in my typically not always so smart tendency) went out hard.  Apart from the 3 elites gunning for the price money, there was only 1 girl ahead of me.   I caught her early on the 1st bridge (which is 3+ miles long).  I had slowed a bit, but was running a strong pace.

Coming off bridge 1, I didn’t realize how much ground was covered before bridge 2.  The only silver lining of that stretch was TONS of crowd support.  That’s always a huge boost for me!

BUT … mid way across that stretch I hear a pack of people closing on me and dang it, a girl is with them.  They pull away a bit.  A guy comes up on my shoulder and starts (in a great way) encouraging me that she is mine, I can get her, use the hills, etc … I’d close on her a bit, and then she’d pull away a bit.

I never could get her. She ended up beating me by 21 seconds. But I will say, that guy encouraging me was huge. It kept me in the fight.

I finished in 1:01:37 – so I was very happy with the race!  That’s a 6:37 pace.  So only 8 seconds per mile slower than my 10K and under my goal half marathon pace for Seaside coming up a month later.

I was the 5th woman overall – and 2nd of the non “invited elites” – so in my book, that’s kind of like 2nd overall :)

And I must say, the Double Bridge run is a top-notch road race – they do things right and do things well.  If we’re still living here next year, I definitely want to do it again!

NWF Ballet 10K

I ran a local 10K on January 19th. I felt I needed a “kick start” to my training and help getting back in my racing mind.  A year ago I was coming off a rough patch of training and did a 10K in 42:15.  I knew I was a lot stronger then than, so was hoping for at least under 41, with a major long shot goal of sub-40.

The 5K and 10K started together and a girl TOOK off.  I was definitely happy when she turned around at the 5K turnaround :)  From basically 1 mile in, I was running alone.

I finished in 40:15.  6:28 pace.  So not only was it 2 while minutes faster than a year ago – I ran it alone almost the whole way!  As much as sub 40 would have been GREAT, I was super happy!

The best part of the day was when I got my award – and saw that it included 2 FREE nights at a local high end beach front resort!! I seriously almost cried!  They block it out during the tourist season (March-August) so we’re booked for a weekend in late September :)

Pensacola Marathon race report

The facts:  3:25:32 (4 min 26 sec PR), 23rd overall, 4th female, 2nd in my age group (30-34)

Overall, a 7:50 pace.  BUT …
1st half average pace = 7:30
2nd half average pace = 8:12

While I am happy with my PR and am hopeful it will get me into Boston 2014, overall it was a hard and frustrating race.  I’ll list my splits below, but I started off too fast and paid for it in the end.  I was also running alone for most of the race, and the last 2-3 miles, we ran into a MAJOR headwind. It was brutal.  The 2 marathons I ran in 2008 (Breast Cancer Marathon in Jacksonville Beach and Boston) both had much more crowd support, and I was running with people the entire time.   That makes a big difference!

So all that to say, it was hard.  My goal had been 3:19 and I honestly think I could have nailed it if I’d run a smarter race.  So I do feel the need for redemption.  Yet I don’t know when it’ll come.  Maybe next Fall. Maybe Boston 2014.  This Spring I am signed up for a half in early March. I guess there is also the possibility of carrying my half marathon training into a full, but I doubt it.

Here are my splits:
missed mile 1 marker which sure didn’t help as I was 2 miles in before I had a clue as to how fast I was going)
mile 2 – 13:55
mile 3 – 7:16
mile 4 – 7:18
mile 5 – 7:28
mile 6 – 7:22
mile 7 – 7:20
mile 8 – 7:36
mile 9 – 7:33
mile 10 – 7:32
mile 11 – 7:30
mile 12 – 7:34
mile 13 & 14 – 14:44
mile 15 & 16 – 15:45
mile 17 – 7:46
mile 18 – 8:00
mile 19 – 7:54
mile 20 – 8:07
mile 21 – 8:45 (walked a tinny bit)
mile 22 – 8:21
mile 23 – 9:16 (walked more)
mile 24 – 8:32
mile 25 – 9:46 (yes I walked even more)
mile 26 – 8:31

So yes, the wheels came off towards to end.  I knew by mile 16 that I was in trouble.   I was the 2nd woman for most the race.  A girl charged by me around mile 20. She finished strong and got my goal – a 3:19.  Closer to mile 23, another girl passed me. She remained in site and only finished 20 seconds or so ahead of me. But for the life of me I could not catch her.  I was hanging on for dear life.

On a happier note, my parents, husband, and kids were AMAZING – they drove all over Pensacola cheering me on.  Hearing my 19 month old son yell “GO MAMA!” was seriously the high light of the day.  As hard as it got, I kept thinking about those 3 precious kids and how I wanted to be able to say “It was so hard but Mama did it!” – thinking of them carried me.

So there is my hodge-podge race recap!  I ran this morning for the 1st time since the race.  My legs felt a bit tired, but it felt good to run :)

65 hours

In just over 65 hours, the gun will fire for the start of the Pensacola Marathon.  It’s amazing to look back at my training log and know that I have done everything in my power to be ready.  While yes there have been runs I have cut short and goal times I haven’t met, overall, I have stuck to my plan pretty darn well.

In my previous 2 marathons (Feb and April 2008), I trained with other people for a lot of it.  This time, it’s all been on my own.  That is a pretty cool feeling.  Yet don’t get me wrong – I’d prefer to have people to run with – but the 1 person I’ve found to run with in this small town (who is an amazing training partner) - had knee surgery this Fall.

So I’m resting my legs as much as possible, stretching, staying hydrated, and seeking to make every calorie I eat to be a calorie my body can use for good (which is HARD with our bucket full of Halloween candy!!!)

As for my time on Sunday – I’ll be happy with a PR (3:29:58), but I REALLY want to break 3:20. That’s my high goal.  Training’s done.  All that’s left is to run a SMART race!