Twin Cities Marathon race recap

The big question going into this race was: would all my hot and sweaty summer miles pay off? 

I flew in Saturday afternoon and picked my packet up on the way to my brother's house. Visiting him and his family was a major reason for running this race, but I'll share trip details later: the race recap will be long enough! Packet pick-up was as smooth as can be. I had pasta and chicken for early dinner the night before, with an evening piece of toast and a midnight Cliff bar. 

Sunday morning I woke up to weather much colder than when I had packed. Instead of the 50's and 60's predicted, it was 37F! I was in a quandary about what to wear; I'd only packed shorts and a singlet, but my sister in law offered to let me borrow tights. I ended up going with my original outfit rather than risk chafing in something new. I ate my oatmeal and my brother drove me to the race. I got to the start around 7 am and, wrapped in a trash bag, waited for the 8 am start. It was the easiest start ever: impeccably organized with an apparent 1:1 ratio of port-a-potties to people (no lines!). I dropped my bag and opted to keep my hat on. It was race swag, and if I had to throw it away it was no big deal, as I rarely wear winter hats in NOLA! 

This was as long as the lines got, and that's only because no one wanted to go to the further-away lines!

I got into the first corral and was about 45 seconds off the gun. I was freezing when we started, but the crowds of runners kept me shielded from the wind. Unfortunately, right away I ran into a problem: my Garmin lost its mind. Maybe it was the early tunnel we ran through, but my pace was showing as 6:40! Then it beeped way early - like 0.75 - for mile one. I was annoyed: it would be off the whole race now. We were a big crowd at this point, and I was taking it easy. My race plan was to run "race pace" at the start, faster on the flattish middle, then add a good extra minute per mile for the three mile hill at the end. But not knowing my average pace was a pain. Finally I started keeping an eye on lap pace instead. Miles 1-3:6:44, 7:24, 7:06. Except that was not actually 3 miles at all! 

I was right behind the 3:15 pace group at the start, and stayed behind them for awhile, especially as the course narrowed. During mile 6 I got annoyed: this watch beeping way early was the worst! So I slowed down and reconfigured my Garmin to manual lap. Mile 6 reflects the adjustment. Miles 4, 5, and 6: 7:15, 7:07, 8:25. , the course was just beautiful. It winds around lakes and the trees were turning - stunning course! I warmed up enough to take off my hat (and I realized later that I had major hat hair the whole time). I stuck it in my singlet, where it stayed for the duration of the race. At this point I had bottled up against the 3:15 pace group. They're a big, wide group, and I was doing math in my head: I could beat 3:15. I was struggling to get around them, but it was well-nigh impossible. Miles 7, 8, 9 and 10 (starting to forget to hit lap!): 7:13,7:07,14:19. 

Finally I scooted around the 3:15 group! I wondered briefly if they'd come catch me later. Hopefully not! The first half of this race is way easier than the second, and I was running by feel. My average pace meant nothing, and even the lap pace isn't very reliable on this Garmin until you actually complete the lap, but it felt like race pace to me. My slow miles were the uphills or more winding roads. Miles 11-13: 7:04,7:15,7:11.

I'd started taking gels earlier in this race than usual. Hanson's has this calorie calculator that indicated I'd need five gels, not my usual four, so I started taking half-gels all the way back at mile 6. I brought a mix of Huma and Gu. I was also taking Powerade - just a sip - at nearly every station. Maybe it helped my caloric intake, but I don't think my stomach loves this plan! It was definitely upset for the majority of the race. Miles 14,15,16: 7:20,7:02,7:06.

I knew that mile 17 would be mentally and physically hard for me. My longest long run had been 16 miles, and sure enough, I kind of sort of gave up a little after I hit that point. I slowed down, but I didn't need to, and the next three miles were rather wasted. I turned my music on, but the crowds are so large and loud for this race that I honestly couldn't even hear it. The course support is incredible. Miles 17, 18, 19: 7:16,7:14,7:17.

Then I realized that I didn't feel that bad. I was tired, sure. And the hills were killing my legs, since I don't run hills and they were late, on already-exhausted muscles. But I remembered that Hanson talks a lot about running on tired legs, so I tried to tough it out. When I hit mile 20, we were heading over a bridge, and I remember seeing a 7:16 and thinking, "I'll definitely be under 3:15. Even if I run 8 minute miles all the way."

Mile 20: 7:16. 

This wasn't fun.

Uh. Then the REAL hills started. Straight uphill for three miles. My pace quickly climbed, as well! Luckily, along this hill I saw Lisa: she came out to spectate and it was a huge lift to see her, especially since I was running a race in a far-away city. Plus, looking out for her gave me a boost for most of the race! Really, though, the long hill was tough for me. My muscles were screaming. But somehow, I was passing people! By mile 23, I had slowed to a crawl, and some people were catching up to me, but I still stayed steady. Miles 21, 22, 23: 7:24,7:48,7:52. 

Three miles to go, and some blessed downhill! But I couldn't speed up. My legs and feet hurt so badly that the downhill was jarringly painful. I don't think I hit the wall, but the stumbling, limping mile 24 came close. Then, the course levels out (with the exception of one short, steep uphill), and then tips sharply downhill. Miles 24 and 25/26 (I missed hitting lap): 

7:30,15:07. 

I could see the finish and tried to take advantage of the downhill, running 6:13 pace for last .2. 

3:12:02 - just missed squeaking under 3:12! 

Considering the hills, I finished this pretty strong. I hit the half in 1:35:04, running a 2-minute positive split - not terrible considering the elevation profile. I kind of had hoped to pull out some miraculously fast time, but I hit my goal of between 3:10 and 3:15, and I enjoyed most of the race. I also feel like it's possible to keep improving, although races like these remind me how very far away I am from my years-old PR. But I'm happy with what I can do today. More on my thoughts about Hanson's marathon method later! 

Hay's in the barn, cold's in the head

I can't believe I came down with a cold this week! It's not a bad cold, and might even just be allergies, especially since it's accompanied by a rash or hives of some sort (ON MY FACE. Between that and the hack job I did on my bangs, the pictures with my niece and nephew this weekend should be just adorable).
Regardless, I have a race this weekend, and I'm as ready to go as I'll ever be. I'm finishing up a paper in between charging my Garmin, picking out gels, and packing for weather colder than I've experienced in many months (it should be a beautiful weekend, especially for the race - 50's and 60's).

Hope I'm ready! And here, for your viewing pleasure, a picture of me with my award from last weekend. That's my friend Lauren, president of the NOTC. Awards were late, so I went home, changed, picked up David and my brother, and stopped to grab the award on the way to dinner...hence the outfit instead of sweaty running clothes!

Typical taper cold

As I am wont to do, I came down with a cold yesterday. Great. I am still in the "Will it become a full-blown cold? Or just sniffles?" stage, so I am drinking tons of water, taking vitamin C, and drinking the kombucha I made and never posted about (because I've been spending about 35 hours a week on school, bleah).
Contributing factor: our temperatures, after a respite in the 70s, swung suddenly back to high 80s; meanwhile, our AC in the bedroom broke and we spent a sweaty night with damp, warm air being blown in our faces by a fan before David fixed the window unit (one week after fixing our vacuum. This white-collar lawyer dude is quite the handyman, even if his fixing technique seems to consist of turning things off, taking them apart, putting them back together, and turning them back on again.).
Other contributing factor: extremely limited sleep during this last real week of stupid school.

Pray this one goes away fast. No one wants to run a marathon with a cold!

Chicago

In mid-September, David and I took advantage of some cheap Southwest tickets and flew to Chicago. I didn't take many pictures, but you know how everyone takes pictures of the Bean? It's because it's the most awesome thing ever. 

Bean and buildings

We went on an architecture tour by boat our fist afternoon. The weather was beautiful! 

Please notice the heart on the lower left...more Bean!

I really like this bean.

So I made David hold it. 

Lake Michigan. So strange to be on the other end of it: we lived on Lake Michigan when I was a kid, at the northwest end.

Sear's tower (I mean, Willis or whatever) - David refused to step any closer to the edge and, in fact, his hands were clammy! 

Views from the Sears Tower

My favorite picture from the whole trip: the other tourists taking selfies over the city!

I always try to visit the library in every city we visit. Chicago has a lovely one.

Besides running in less-than-nine-million-degrees, I also wrote an entire marketing analysis, which kind of sucked. David went to a meet-up with a bunch of Saints fans at a bar, and I had to sit in the hotel and read hotel industry statistics. Boo.

Marathon training, week 13

Monday: 10 total. This was 6 x 1 mile in the park with a quarter mile jog between. As usual, my pace slowed drastically after it got dark. 6:37, 6:34, 6:40, 6:42, 6:46, 6:44. You want to know how to have the park COMPLETELY to yourself? Run at night, in the dark, in 99% humidity with oppressive heat lightening all around you, during a Saints game. That's how.
Tuesday: Off.
Wednesday: 11 total: my last tempo! Unfortunately, I was running on 6% Garmin charge, and it didn't make it to the end. Too bad, because for my last tempo I wanted to purposefully hammer mile one, then recover and still manage a good overall tempo pace. This was just in case I screwed up the start of the marathon. Now I'm not sure if I did, but I do know the distance (I had the route perfectly calculated so I could ensure I'd make it to work on time), and I tried to maintain the same pace by feel. Hopefully I did. 6:55, 7:09, 7:12, 7:15, 7:07. 7:08,7:12, 7:08, ?, ?. By the way, if you noticed my tempo paces getting faster toward the end of this training cycle, it's not better fitness. It's just a function of this Garmin 620 compared to the Garmin 305. The lap pace showing as you run doesn't update as often due to how the data smoothing is executed, so when the mile actually beeps, sometimes I'm surprised. 
Speaking of Garmins, this tempo run was how I messed up my pace in Saturday's race: I didn't realize that my Garmin wouldn't turn on because it had a dead battery because I thought I charged it. So I thought I needed to reset it. Then I saw that, actually, it had no battery. Once I reset the data screens, i messed it all up. Drama. 
Thursday: 8 oh-so-easy.
Friday: 8 easy. 
Saturday: 6+ total. Blue Doo 2-mile race. I warmed up to the race, grabbed my shirt, ran home and dropped it off, and ran back. Then I ran the 2-mile race (I just realized I forgot to do pre-race strides! Darn!). I ran a lovely 6:11 followed by a terrible 6:25. Woot. Then I ran home. 
Sunday: 4 easy on soft surfaces. This was intended to be 8, but you know what? My legs were tired, and running over 50 miles the week before a marathon sounds like a terrible idea. I've tried to stick very closely to the Hanson's plan, but I called it a day at the halfway point because my legs felt like they weighed a million pounds. 
Total: 47 miles.

That's more than my maximum weekly mileage for some training build-ups! And it's right before the marathon! So here I am, ready for this race I suppose. I'm very glad I ran the two-miler. Not just because I won, since that's largely a function of who didn't run that day, but also because even totally inappropriate tune-up races like a 2-miler before a marathon can still boost confidence. For me, it was mostly that I was positive I'd end up hurt before or at the marathon. Were my hips ok? Did my knee bother me? Why is my foot bruised? Then I ran the little race, and everything was totally fine. So I think Sunday will be fine, too. Now it just remains for me to see how long I can actually hold race pace on race day! 

Blue Doo 2 mile race recap

Obviously, marathon training translates into two-mile training, right? Especially Hanson's, where the fastest I've run in months is like 6:47 pace...
But this was a race I was going to run, no matter what. The race supports the Tulane cancer center prostate cancer research fund, and since I am at Tulane and many of my patients come from the cancer center, it's definitely a cause I wanted to support.
The race was held at 5pm on a Saturday, which was a kind of unusual time, but since it was only 2 mies I didn't have to try to think about eating before, etc. I just had a normal lunch and a snack of butter with toast (just being honest about ratios) at some point. The race is on Tulane's campus, so close that I jogged over to get my packet, jogged back to put my T-shirt away, and jogged back to the start. I also started to feel a little hungry, so I grabbed a peppermint to take at the starting line. But instead of eating candy, I decided to lose my shirt, so I spent the last few minutes at the start stashing my T-shirt and re-pinning my number on my jog bra. It was a nice day, but it was 85F at the start, and I was sweating. I had worn my Tulane running team shirt, but the last time I wore that for a hot race I was SO SORRY so I opted for jog bra instead.
Then we were off! I dashed out, and was about fourth female off the bat. Some of the girls were obviously overextended themselves, but one of them is usually about my speed, so I kept an eye on her. The course runs through the campus with about a hundred sharp turns. It's kind of crazy, especially since most of the turns are right at the beginning, when it's still crowded. I was surprised to be in such a crowd, even as I picked off all the women but one, and I kept glancing at my Garmin when I could. I was SO SLOW. I kept seeing 6:55, 6:40...what the heck?! Then, right as I passed the first woman, at 0.65 miles, I took a good look at my wrist and realized that I was looking at the wrong Garmin pace (I miss my 305's huge font!). I was looking at instant pace. My overall average pace was 5:55. HA. My goal heading in was 6:15 to 6:30 pace, so no, that was not a good start.
I groaned, slowed down, and waited for the fatigue to hit. The problem with marathon training is I've lost touch with faster paces. I did feel like it was more effort than I should be putting out, but I was way off the pace. This isn't the first time I've made this mistake, by the way, but in my defense I'd just reconfigured the data screens.
So anyway. No time to give in just because I started way too fast. I slowed down and twenty or more guys rushed past, but no women. I was in the lead, but I knew my friends Lauren and Kim were both behind me and I expected Lauren to pass me at some point. We're usually close in pace, and I knew I was going to be fried later. We hit mile one in 6:11, which means that mile was far too fast and I was toast. There is a turn-around a little after mile one, and I had about six seconds on Lauren. By then I was just hanging on and trying not to totally fall apart, but I slowed considerably. I was also tossing that stupid peppermint back and forth the whole time. Far be it from me to litter! The whole second mile was a struggle, and the few glances at my watch were rather grim. But as we turned the last corner, the course biker called out, "First female!". I just hoped I was alone.
I was: I headed for the finish line and slapped awkwardly into the finishing tape. 12:40, not pretty, but my first overall win in years!

And that's a good omen for next week's marathon, right?

It's taper time!

Here we go, a week of taper. This reduced running is excellent timing, as I also have to start wrapping up my semester. I have two tests, one final, one paper, one team video, two team projects (one is a "final project"), and one term paper left for the next two weeks. All of it is for one class except one test and one final: I already finished my final project in that class, and I historically do very well on cumulative exams, so I am pretty nearly done with that class.

A long time ago, I painted a bunch of my binders. David took these pictures while I had a lull in studying. 

I started the term paper last night (with the brilliant technique of writing the abstract first...perhaps it will serve as an outline) and, if I hammer away at that briskly, could finish that even this weekend. I don't expect to, though, as my little brother is in town visiting and I would like to spend some time with him.
What's left for running:
Well, I signed up for a two mile race tonight. That is hardly brilliant timing, but it supports a Tulane cause, so I felt obligated. But instead of the 8 miles I was scheduled today, I'll just do that race and the accompanying warmup/cool down, trading distance for effort.
Then it's all reduced mileage: 8, 6, 5, 6, and 3. Then this marathon that I don't feel ready for. Hurray for positive attitudes!