Race Report: New York City Runs Ice Cream Social 10K

I've been in New York for over a week now, but this is the first chance I've really had to post, as my days have been spent in the archives and my evenings have been spent either catching up with NYC friends or working on a few odds and ends related to a service project. I also didn't have internet access in the apartment where I was staying last week so I am behind on reading and commenting. I'll try to do some catching up in the next few days. Yesterday I ran a 10K over on Roosevelt Island, which was super quaint. After a week of thunderstorms and deluges, we had a day of blue skies and relatively low humidity, so the conditions were pretty much perfect for a day in late May.

View from the tram

A friend and I had both signed up for this race so we met on the Upper East Side and took the tram over to the island together. Due to being a failure at being organized, I had to pick up my packet before the race, and my one complaint about the race and/or its organization was the packet pick-up line was probably the slowest moving line I've ever been in, and, since the 5K started 30 minutes before the 10K race, about 20 minutes before the start of the 5K, the organizer let all the 5K runners jump to the front of the line. Eventually I got my bib. My friend and I headed over to use the portapotties and then to the race start, where we agreed to run our own races and meet at the end.

Before the start

The course was a no-frills double loop around the island and was the flattest course I've run in a while. I didn't really have any goals going into this race. I hadn't done any speed work for the past five weeks, as I had tapered for Vancouver, taken a zero week, and had gently eased back into running over the past couple of weeks. I thought that it might be possible for me to break 62 minutes if everything went perfectly, and for awhile I thought I might have it. Unfortunately, my lack of conditioning and the relative heat of the day (I have only run in temperatures above 40F four times since March) caught up to me in the final couple of miles. My splits were 9:31, 9:43, 10:13, 10:17, 11:02, 11:23, and 1:40. After a couple of cups of water and a popsicle and cheering for the award winners, including a 9 year old who had torn the course up, we made our way back to the tram and then headed back to our respective sides of the park.

It was my friend's first 10K and she smoked it. Her goal was to finish in under an hour, and she finished in under 56 minutes. I was impressed! I might even be a little jealous, as just last summer I ran at a faster pace than she typically did. Have you ever been envious of a friend's running improvement? U.S. friends, did you race on Memorial Day?

Race Report: BMO Vancouver Half-Marathon

Yesterday I ran a half-marathon, and it was one of those lessons in respecting distance, respecting hills, and respecting the need for rest. The BMO Vancouver Half-Marathon race course was beautiful, but I was so exhausted and running was such a struggle for me that hardly any of the stunning scenery seemed to register with me and much of the race is a blur.

Friday afternoon Mark picked me up from campus and we headed to the airport. We hopped on a plane to Seattle (the 3+ hour flight passed quickly as I spent most of it grading final exams) and then a puddle jumper over to Vancouver. Fortunately, all our flights were on time and we didn't have to wait too long for transit; unfortunately, we still didn't arrive at our hotel until after 1:30am, and I didn't sleep very well that night. Saturday we did some walking around, met the lovely Materfamilias and her partner for lunch (more on that later), picked up my bib, did a bit of exploring and window shopping, and had dinner at a sports bar so that Mark could watch playoff hockey. I thought it only fair that I watch the Leafs game with him since he was getting up early and coming down to the race start with me. Saturday night I slept fitfully again, and I was feeling groggy and crampy and was suffering from some indigestion when the alarm went off a little after 5:00 am. I downed a cup of coffee, a couple of glasses of water, and some oatmeal, dressed, and we headed out the door just after 6:00 to catch public transit to the race start. I looked for Amber as I made my way to my corral, but I didn't see her. (I was able to meet up with her for a post-race drink later in the day, though!) I lined up just a bit behind the 2:20 pacers and then waited. The race started at 7:00, but I think it was close to 7:20 before my corral began to cross the starting line.

Before the race started my stomach was really bothering me, and I had a feeling that this race was not going to be a good one for me, but I wanted to put myself in a position in the first couple of miles to try to have a strong race if my insides calmed down. Unfortunately, I was never able to settle into a groove and felt miserably and embarrassingly tired by 3 miles into this race. I kept thinking that it was a mercy that I had decided to downgrade to the half because there was no way I could have finished a full marathon yesterday. I was struggling. My chest hurt, I had menstrual cramps, my stomach felt off (though luckily I never actually got sick), the downhills were killing my quads, and in the final few miles my right hip was starting to cramp in the way that led to injury a couple of years ago. Even so, I was hoping to pull off something in the 2:26-2:27 range. I think it might have been doable, but I had to stop to use a porta-john around mile 8 and lost a couple of minutes there and another minute or so to stop at a water fountain in Stanley Park, as 4 of the last 5 water stops didn't have water or cups by the time I got to them (not cool, race organizers, not cool). By the time I rounded the last corner, I had nothing left to give and was just urging myself not to walk through the finish line. My official time was 2:30:18.

Between this race experience (which I could see easily could have been wonderful if I had been more rested coming into this) and the one I had at the Capital City Half last May, I have decided that it's just really stupid for me to schedule a race right at the end of the academic year. Last year I thought I was so exhausted at the Capital City half from oral surgery a couple of weeks before, and I'm sure that was part of it, but I think it was also the burn out and fatigue that accompanies the end of the academic year for me. I seriously underestimated how physically, mentally, and emotionally tired I would be for this race. I feel bad that I was hardly able to concentrate on the lovely scenery, the awesome spectators, and the numerous bands and entertainers. Yesterday was one of those days when it was all I could do to just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

I don't want to be a total whinger, though. I finished a half marathon, and it wasn't even my slowest one. Also I got a nice little vacation with my spouse in a beautiful city. Have you ever felt like you were too tired to enjoy a beautiful race course? Is there a time of year that you have discovered to not be conducive to strong race performances?

Race Report: San Diego Half Marathon

On Sunday I ran the San Diego Half Marathon. After a quick breakfast and a cup of coffee, I donned my running gear, pinned on my bib, and walked the few blocks from my hotel down to the start of the race in the Gas Lamp District. It was a beautiful sunny day and in spite of the time changes (hour difference from Alaska and the beginning of daylight savings time) I felt pretty well rested. My only real concern going into the race - aside from whether or not it would feel a bit warm after running in mostly teens and 20s over the past few weeks - was the fact that wearing flats around the city the previous couple of days had given me a minor case of shin splints.

Miles 1-3
I was in corral 9, and I wondered if it would be a lengthy delay between the start of the race and when those of us in the later corrals would finally get across the start line. However, the race organization was excellent and each wave started less than 2 minutes apart. Before too long my corral was off and I was on my way. I had hoped to line up with the 2:25 pace group, but there was only a 2:20 pace group in my particular corral, so I let them get up ahead of me a bit but worked to keep them in sight and to find a pace that seemed a tad challenging but maintainable. The miles clicked by in 10:18, 10:23, and 10:31.

Miles 3-7
Much of the first half of the race was really quite beautiful with views of the harbor and city. I loved running with thousands of other people and seeing the ocean and palm trees. I might have stopped to take photos, but I had a feeling that I could surpass my goals, so I wanted to focus on running instead of stopping and starting to snap shots. Then there were a few less scenic patches, like the airport, where the exhaust from the rental car buses did not make for the most pleasant running conditions. I was feeling pretty good. At around mile 6 I took a GU at a water stop and just as I was tearing into it I spotted my friend from grad school, who had come with her 2 year old son to cheer me out on the course. I got high fives from them, walked for about a minute to let the GU settle and was off again. My splits were 10:21, 10:31, 10:43, and 11:09.

Miles 7-10
The GU and support out on the course gave me some energy, but I was starting to need to pee. The next couple of miles were some of my slower ones as I did stop to use a biffy and then there was the one serious hill out on the course. This hill was long and one that had the potential to crush the soul and shred the calves. I opted to walk up the steeper parts of it and run the flatter portions of it. It was also not as scenic as somewhere around here we also passed a glass recycling center. I finished these miles in 10:31, 12:10, and 12:42.

Miles 10-13.1
After I crested the hill, I had my second GU at the next water stop and felt reenergized. I looked at my watch and realized that the sub 2:20 that I thought I might be able to pull out a couple of miles before was probably out of reach, but I was going to be damned if I didn't achieve my goal of finishing in 2:25 or less. I told myself to pick the pace back up. The last mile or so of the course was down hill and I let that do some of the work for me. My splits were 11:00, 10:18, 9:23, and 2:11 (my cuts and weaving around other runners had added about .20 to my total distance). My official race time was 2:22:07.

Reflections
In general, I am really pleased with my performance at this half marathon. I'm still working back to PR-level speed, but I did run this half 8 minutes faster than my fastest half marathon in 2012. And that gives me a fair bit of confidence moving forward. I know that working more consistently on speed work helped me in my final miles of the race. I know the downhill was a big part of it, but pulling out 9:23 and 8:28 paces at the end of a half marathon is definitely a marked improvement for me. This race and this trip was good for me mentally and emotionally. I would definitely consider doing this one again, as it was incredibly well-organized, the volunteers were great, and the atmosphere and scenery were truly excellent.

It was also really great to reconnect with my friend. She very generously had me out to her home for dinner twice. We spent some time doing a bit of hiking out at Point Loma, had a girls' night out that ended with post-drinks visit to Extraordinary Desserts in Little Italy, and spent part of Saturday afternoon out with her son exploring at Balboa Park.

"Race" Report: Running of the Reindeer

The past week Anchorage has been bustling with lots of events connected to Fur Rondy, which has been rightly called the best winter carnival in the world. Fur Rondy's origins are in the even-more-frontier days of Alaska and the swap meets of trappers, but now it is an almost-two week long festival that includes such activities as yukigassen tournaments, outhouse races, hockey games, snow sculpture contests, a Miners and Trappers Ball that glorifies facial hair, and of course the start of the Iditarod and the Running of the Reindeer.

Mark's work gave him passes to the Exxon hospitality suite, so we were able to watch the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday morning while keeping toasty warm and stuffing our faces with pastries, mini quiches, salmon canapes and, in my case, drinking copious amounts of coffee. We watched a number of teams begin their epic trek toward Nome.

Pastries and Cake

Jamaican Musher Newton Marshall

Musher DeeDee Jonrowe and her team

I have to say eating on an oil company's dime and watching the dogs and mushers made me feel slightly like a real Alaskan. Standing outside in the cold for an hour waiting for the start of the Running of the Reindeer, however, proved to me that I have a long way to go. The Running of the Reindeer has been billed as Anchorage's take on Pamplona's Running of the Bulls. It is a super festive and fun event. Most runners don costumes -- some of them very elaborate. Since I was unprepared my costume barely counts as one. I wore my peacock tights and put a few feather clips in my hair.

The runners get a head start to run a snowy couple of blocks in downtown Anchorage before reindeer are released to join the runners. Since the runners and then the reindeer are released in herds, it meant a lot of standing in the cold. However, an impromptu snowball fight broke out which provided some entertainment and distraction from the fact that my skin was turning the color of my tights. The race is a great fundraiser for Toys for Tots and I got to stop in the middle of my short run to pet a reindeer. How awesome is that?

Petting a reindeer! I'm in the blue top. 

I can definitely tell you next year I will be wearing a warmer costume, though. Maybe Mark and I will go as Han Solo and Chewbacca. I'm calling dibs on the Chewy Costume.

New Year's Resolution Run Virtual 5K

I started 2013 off as I'm sure many other runners did by getting in a run. Since (to my knowledge) there was no local race for me to run here, I signed up to run a virtual 5K as part of the 5 by the 5th series that the awesome Laura of Mommy Run Fast has created. In case you haven't heard about this yet, this is a challenge to run a race of either 5K or 5 miles by the fifth of each month into June of this year. I plan to run all of them except for May when I'll be running the Vancouver Marathon the first weekend of that month instead.

Having not run much in December due to a nasty sinus infection, finals, and then traveling over the holidays, my only real goals for the first 5K of this series were to run continuously and to give a steady but hard effort. I was also hoping to negatively split so I tried to reign myself in a bit and run the first mile conservatively. My splits were 10:18, 9:55, 9:54, and 1:12. The last 1.12 mile was really hard so it was a challenge to keep up the pace, but I managed to power through and keep putting one foot in front of the other. Since I ran this on the treadmill I did also throw in a few inclines for part of each mile.

My longer term goal with these virtual races is to use them as a benchmark for my 5K pace for my marathon training speedwork and tempo sessions. My current 5K PR is too fast for me to use to establish the pace for repeats, but I'm hoping that I will be close to that 5K time or even faster by the time the series wraps up in June. I'm also hoping that logging a 5K once a month will keep me motivated to consistently work on speed during my upcoming marathon training cycle and take me to a solid marathon PR in Vancouver in May.

Did you start the new year with a run or other workout?

Race Report: Anchorage Running Club Zombie Half Marathon

Yesterday morning I got up at the luxurious hour of 7:30, had a cup of coffee, drank some water, ate some toast, got dressed, drank another cup of coffee, put on some zombie make up, glued on a flesh wound, peed about 15 times, and then headed down to the starting point of the ARC Zombie Half Marathon at Goose Lake. I picked up my bib, lined up to pee again, and spent a few minutes freezing while chatting with another runner. Before too long we were directed to line up in an open field where it was even colder. Thankfully, soon it was 10:00; they directed us to start; and we were off and running.

Will race for brains....

Lining up to start

Miles 1-4
The course followed the Chester Creek Trail from Goose Lake Park to the Westchester Lagoon and then followed the Coastal Trail to Kincaid Park. It was initially hard to get into a rhythm and find a steady pace. I probably started out a tad too fast, running the first couple of miles at around a 10:30 average pace. I was feeling pretty good apart from a little bit of lung discomfort from the cold air and a bit of a runny nose. Within a couple of miles, I was warmed up, so I took off my gloves and partially unzipped my running jacket. When I hit the first aid station at mile 4, I had hoped to use the biffies, but there was a long line for the two port-a-potties so I decided I could hold it and just drank a bit of gatorade. I walked for a minute to let the drink settle before I was off again.

Miles 4-8
The next couple of miles were really beautiful and provided some stunning views. However, they were also the coldest and windiest of the race as parts of the trail were not as sheltered. Running into the freezing wind was decidedly unpleasant. I put my gloves back on and trundled onward. Between miles 6 and 8 there were quite a few inclines, and my left calf was feeling tight and on the verge of cramping, so I walked up most of the hills. At the aid station at mile 8, there was no line for the biffies so I relieved my bladder and then spent another minute or so taking a GU and washing it down before I got started again.

Beautiful views along the coastal trail

Miles 8-13.1
I think because I was trying to adjust my gait to prevent my left calf from camping, by mile 10 my right calf was feeling tight and on the edge of a cramp and my right hip flexor was starting to hurt a bit, too. I walked a minute here and there up inclines, but I kept just chanting to myself to run one mile at a time, to keep moving forward, and to beat 2:30. This strategy was working pretty well. I was hurting, but it was manageable. Then around mile 12.3 the beastly hill into Kincaid Park began. I decided that I would walk up most of it and run the flatter sections of it. Frankly, this was a pretty good idea because doing this I managed to pass a hardcore woman who was steadily running up that whole damn thing. It was a bit demoralizing to need to walk at 12.94 of a half-marathon, but I felt like my right foot and calf might fall off if I didn't. I sucked it up and ran the last .1 up the incline. I finished in 2:30:07.

So ready to be done with the damn hill

Reflections
I was very glad to be done, as my entire right leg was aching and throbbing. In general, I was pretty pleased with my performance. Even though I was a little bit off my goal and this was not anywhere close to a PR, this was my best performance at a half in 2012. There were very few spectators at any point, including the finish. However, the course was beautiful and the atmosphere among the runners was festive and fun. The first part of the race was relatively easy with just a few rolling hills. The second half was definitely a challenge with all of those inclines. Because it was such a cold day (temps were in the 30s and it snowed later in the day) I wasn't all that thirsty during the race itself. I wish, though, that they had provided water at the start and had one more aid station on the course. Nonetheless, it was a fun event, and, if I don't run Chicago next fall, I look forward to running this race again next year and beating my time.

How do you feel about running a race in a costume or makeup? What are your feelings about races that end with a hill?

Race Report: Run For Beans 10K

This week's regular training Monday post schedule has been interrupted to bring you a race report. On Saturday I ran the Run For Beans 10K. I went into this local race with modest goals; they were to run the entire race without walking and to beat my most recent 10K time (1:04:27). I figured that beating this time would help to give me some confidence, as that 10K time was what I posted last fall in Mankato when I was in better cardiovascular shape than I am now but ran conservatively due to an ITB injury.

When I got up on Saturday morning, I almost just turned around and went back to bed. Followers of my 365 blog might guess that the reason for this was that it was snowing. I was a little bit concerned about the trails being slick and uncertain about going forward because I haven't run in wintry conditions  since last February. I ultimately decided, though, that I really wanted to do the race. M. dropped me off at the race location headquarters, and I picked up my bib, drank a little coffee, chatted with a couple of other runners, and snapped a couple of pictures with my phone.

Before long, it was time to head down to the trail and race. The start was a bit chaotic and it was hard to hear the announcement to start and for a little bit I wasn't sure if I had started with the other 10K runners or with the 5K. Fortunately, I started at the right time. The snow flurries had more or less stopped and the ground was warm enough that the trail was clear with the exception of some puddles and some slippery muck on the bridges. My plan was to try to maintain about a 10:00/mile for the first 3 miles and then evaluate. I hoped that I might be able to negative split, but I didn't quite get there. The course was an out and back on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, which I've run on a couple of times. It was absolutely beautiful with all of the colorful foliage and the occasional vistas of the estuaries that were especially nice as the sky started to clear up. I wish I had photos, but I didn't want to stop running in order to take them. There were a few gradual hills, but only one at the end that was really annoying.

View from the Coastal Trail at a Different Spot on a Different Day

I settled more or less into a groove, where I felt like I was pushing myself but not so hard that I wouldn't be able to maintain the effort. I passed a number of people and got passed by some others. I felt strong and in the zone for almost the entire race. I ran the entire time. I allowed myself to take in the views and appreciate running my first local race here on a somewhat bizarre but beautiful September morning. Near the finish, I heard Bailey barking behind me and realized that M. and Bailey were running up behind me. M. tried to pass me so that he could get to the finish ahead of me to take pictures, but then a hill happened and he gave up on that plan. After I crested the last (and only incredibly annoying) hill, I tried to turn the speed on and finish strong, and I did pass another runner right at the finish. My chip time was 1:03:02 -- almost 90 seconds faster than my last 10K and only about 20 seconds over my 10K PR! According to my Garmin, my splits for 6.3 miles were: 9:49, 10:02, 10:01, 10:16, 10:07, 10:02, and 2:47.

M. and Bailey met back up with me at the finish. I went back into the local restaurant where registration had been held to pick up my jacket and my swag and grabbed a couple of pastries for later. The hard effort had made me feel like food might not be a good idea right away, so I didn't take advantage of the wider spread of foodstuffs. About an hour later, though, I was ravenous and ate a multi-course lunch.

Accomplishing my race goals for this local 10K gave me something good to say here -so huzzah for that! - and the race was a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to the Zombie half-marathon that's on the same trail here in a couple of weeks.

My plan for this next week is:

Monday - scheduled yoga.

Tuesday - scheduled 4 miles hills.

Wednesday - scheduled 5 miles easy

Thursday - scheduled 3 miles easy.

Friday - scheduled rest.

Saturday - scheduled 11 miles LSD.

Sunday - scheduled yoga.

What are your thoughts on racing in ice and snow? How do you feel about 10Ks?

Race Report: Miles for Hope 5K

A month or so ago, I started poking around on the internets to see if I could find a local race to run while I was in NYC. My dates were, a bit constrained, but I found a 5K in Riverside Park that was part of Miles for Hope's fundraising efforts and registered for it.

Bib pick up and race day registration started at 8:00 and the race was set to start at 9:00 yesterday morning. I got up early, drank some water, got dressed, and then went to my local Starbucks to have a small coffee and a small breakfast. At about 7:45 I started heading down to the race start location. I picked up my bib without incident and walked around a little bit in the park. I used the port-a-pots and grabbed some extra tissue to blow my nose about a hundred times. The day was nice and cool - more like an early May morning than a day in late July - and I was hoping that my sinuses (which have been completely jacked since Wednesday) would miraculously clear up and that I might be able to PR or at least hit a time under 30 minutes. My only real goal for the race, though, was to give a hard effort so that I could get a sense of exactly where my conditioning (or lack thereof) is right now after a summer of low mileage and lots of disruptions.

 Soon we were lining up, only to be told we had lined up in the wrong direction. After a few minutes of introductions and instructions, we were off! The course started and ended in the same location, but it wasn't a straightforward loop. Riverside Park is terraced with three levels, and we were almost immediately faced with a steep hill up to the second terrace. It was a little frustrating because I don't think most of us runners had found our flow yet - the faster runners were still trying to pass people and a number of people started walking on that hill, which caused a bit of a slow down and a bottleneck situation. I remembered my goal of a hard effort and took the hill steady but strong and vaguely wondered how many more steep inclines there would be, as before the race I had overheard another runner telling his friend that there were a few hills in this race. I tried to keep myself running at a pace that was hard but sustainable and finished the first mile in 9:50.

For part of the second mile we were running along the river. I kept my eyes trained on some runners just ahead of me and tried to slowly close the gap between them. I was having some trouble regulating my breathing as I couldn't fully breathe through my nose and drainage was causing me to have trouble breathing through my mouth. I finished the second mile in 9:38.

We looped back into the park and I lost a few seconds hacking up some crud. I kept challenging myself to put forth a hard effort. The finish line was in sight and it seemed like a flat straight shot to, or so I thought, until one of the course marshals directed us back up one of the terraces. This is where I blew up. It was the fourth or fifth hill in the course and I just was not getting enough air to sustain my effort. I walked up the hill. I started running again, but had to hack up some more crud before descending down the terrace and giving it my all the last .12. My last mile split was 10:41.

I finished with a chip time of 31:21. I was a little disappointed in the last mile, but the first two miles have given me some hope that my conditioning isn't as bad as I thought it was. If I can shave two minutes off my 5K time, I can have a new PR. It was a beautiful day to run a race and a beautiful place to do it. The Miles for Hope volunteers were friendly and cheerful. There was one water stop during the race and plenty of water, sports drink, fruit, bagels, and coffee at the finish. I just had a few grapes and water, though, because I had brunch plans for a bit later.

Now if I can just get any runs in at all over the next week with the moving and cross-Canada drive, I will be satisfied.

Race Report: Capital City Half-Marathon

On Saturday I ran the Capital City Half Marathon. The night before - while eating delicious sweet potato gnocchi with two lovely friends - I was telling them that I was excited to run on a flat course but that I wished that I were better trained (and had not had oral surgery two weeks ago). I didn't want to have any goals other than to finish, but part of me hoped that I could somehow pull off a faster time than I had on my birthday at the Get Lucky Half in Minneapolis.

I really like this motto. For running and for life. 

On the morning of the race, my friend who we will call AUH and I got up early, had a quick breakfast, got on our race gear and headed out. It was humid, but thankfully not as hot as I had anticipated it being. We got near the race site, found parking, and snapped a couple of photos before we headed toward the start line to get into our respective corrals.

While I was waiting in Corral C for the race to start, I ran into a former student who I knew was running the race and chatted with her for a couple of minutes before getting into the zone. I decided to line up with the 2:20 pace group and see how things went.

Before long the gun went off and soon we were across the start line. I kept pace with the 2:20 group until mile 4 and then I dropped back a bit. The humidity was bothering me a bit and my lack of real conditioning was starting to make itself felt. I did manage to stay in front of the 2:25 pace group for the next few miles, until around mile 7 I walked for a few minutes to take a GU and to let it settle. The GU revived me and I had a solid next couple of miles. During mile 10-11 I realized that I was feeling uncomfortably water-logged and that I really needed to urinate. I stopped for a quick biffy break at mile 11 and lost a couple of minutes. I then settled into a 4:1 run-walk routine until about a half mile out from the finish line. I crossed with an official time of 2:33:19.

My friend rocked her first half and finished in 2:30:42. I'm really proud of her and, even though we didn't actually run the race together, I'm so glad that I got to watch her finish (she was in a later corral so she finished after me even though she had a faster time) and that I got to be a part of her first half-marathon experience. After we made our way through the finish line, we went back to my friend's place to clean up and get on with our day, which included a trip to Pattycake Bakery to have some delicious post-race treats.

So, although I was not thrilled with my performance and struggled physically during this race, it was a fun event. The water stops were plentiful - there was essentially one every mile. The route was scenic and a fun way to experience a city where I used to live. The volunteers were friendly and the bands and deejays along the course were lively and entertaining. There was a lot of food at the finish line, including bagels, bananas, oranges, and chocolate. It was a sold out event with 13,000 participants between the half, quarter, and 5K, and it was a pretty great way to spend a morning.

Race Report: Get Lucky 21K

On Friday M. and I headed to the Cities for a weekend of half-marathon and birthday fun. We also had a an expensive meeting with an attorney because we have to file a petition for his continued permanent residency. After our meeting, we headed to the Mall of America to scout some tops that aren't covered in stains for me to wear this summer and to have dinner with my running and blogging friend Lisa and an academic friend in the area, who brought a friend of hers who was visiting from Boston. We ate at Tucci Bennuch in the MoA. I was actually quite impressed with the food. I had a delicious risotto and between that and the bread I felt sufficiently carbed up for my race the next day.

Lisa and Me

After a night of relatively fitful sleep, I woke up a little after 6am, downed some water, coffee, and toast, got dressed, brushed my teeth, got the plumbing going, pinned on my bib, checked the FB birthday greetings that were starting to come in, and woke up my wonderful spouse who drove me down to the race start sight. Once we arrived, I got in line for the port-a-potties. By the time I came out, the race was just about to start. I gave M. my hoodie and joined the crowd funneling into the start line.

At the start

I ran the first few miles with the 2:25 pace group. The pacer was a great guy named Tom who said he was pacing 36 events this year and had run something like 212 marathons. Incredible. I always love chatting with the pacers. At a water stop around mile 5 I lost the group. I was struggling a little bit with the humidity and my lack of conditioning. 65F felt hot after months of running in temps in the teens and 20s. I slowed my pace down a little bit and tried to find a comfortable zone. This and the fact that a lot of the faster runners had reached the turn around point and there was a lot of cheering on both sides kept me pepped up until I had reached the turnaround myself just after mile 6.5.

The mile or so after I turned around went well. I was feeling pretty good. At the next water stop, I walked for a couple of minutes to take a GU and drink some water with it so that it would settle. I felt pretty good for the next mile or so. The GU had given me some calories and was helping me to deal with the fatigue that was starting to set in. However, at mile 10 I could definitely feel the difference between my current conditioning and my conditioning this past autumn even as I was dealing with injury. My chest was hurting a little bit and part of me just wanted to lay down and take a nap. I pressed on, though, mostly running and occasionally walking. At the last water stop, I noticed that the 2:30 pacer wasn't behind me anymore. I was irritated with myself about that a little bit. I had wanted to stay ahead of that group, but I hadn't even noticed them passing me. Clearly, that was a sign that I was just focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.

I was really happy when I hit the last mile. I knew I was a little bit off my time goal, but I was glad to be out there on a beautiful day with lots of other runners. I thought a little bit about some of the other races I'd run and how much I love running. I finished with a time of 2:31:25.

Finishing. Yay!

All in all, I'm glad that I did the race. It was a festive atmosphere among the runners at least. For the most part things like crowd support and music on the course were pretty minimal. I do think Team Ortho could have put a couple more water stops along the course. It seemed like other than at the start/finish line, there were only a couple of biffies at each of the water stops. The course itself was an out and back and consisted of mostly sort of gently rolling hills. There was a nice view of the skyline for a couple of miles. However, it wasn't the most scenic of races. The St. Paddy's day madness was pretty much what carried this off as an event.

After the race, M. met me, while I stretched and downed a bottle of water. I ran into a couple of running friends and chatted with them for a few minutes. Then I was off to shower, have a birthday brunch, and enjoy a day in the Cities which included a stroll around Lake Calhoun and a delicious Coo Coo for Coconut birthday cupcake from Sweet Retreat.

Cupcake Porn

I have 7 weeks between now and the time that I toe the line at the Capital City Half-Marathon in Columbus. This week will be a low mileage week, as I'm recovering and headed to Boston for a conference and other academic activities. Post-recovery, though, I'm looking forward to some speed work outs and some more double digit long runs. I aim to be in better shape that first weekend in May and to run a faster race than I did on Saturday.

Race Report: Mankato 10K

Yesterday morning I ran a 10K in Mankato. Because I haven't run much in the past few weeks and because I was sick earlier in the week, I really didn't have any expectations for this race. I just wanted to have a good time and make it across the finish line. While I didn't PR (or even really come that close to doing so), I had an amazing time, ran a progressive run with no hip pain, and felt my love for running rekindle during the second half of the race.

The 10K was one of several races put on in Mankato this weekend. The Mankato Marathon was in its second year and, having run the half-marathon last year, I could tell that a number of improvements had been made to the race, and the number of participants had at least doubled. On Friday there was a 5K and a Kids' 1K run that around 250 children participated in. The Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 10K races all started at the Minnesota State University parking lots. Last year all three events started at the same time and the field was pretty crowded at the start. This year the 10K started a half hour earlier. The good thing about that was that opened up the field for running. The bad thing about it was that I didn't get to see many of my 13.1 and 26.2 peeps before the race started.

The weather was perfect for running - chilly and clear without any wind to speak of. I was freezing as I lined up and waited for the race to start, but fortunately I had timed it well and only had to wait for a few minutes. Before long the gun fired and we were off. My plan was to start out slowly and walk if I needed to. I hadn't run for a week because of illness, and I didn't want to overdo it and end up with a reinjured IT Band.  I was enjoying myself, smiling and thanking volunteers and occasionally chatting with other runners. This part of the course went from the university through some residential neighborhoods and there were some spectators out cheering. There were a few challenging inclines, but nothing as hilly as I know the marathoners faced.  Around mile 3 or so the course went downhill for about half a mile. I coasted down hill and chatted with a runner from Iowa who was running her first 10K for a few minutes.

Right before the mile 4 marker, a family in an SUV drove by twice, honking and cheering. This definitely put some pep into my step. I had already sped up a bit, but I realized then that my hip felt fine. My lungs felt pretty good, too. I decided to speed it up and see if I couldn't pick off some other runners. (This was less about being competitive with them than giving me little goals to shoot for.) Even though I was Garminless and watchless, I could tell by feel that I had dropped my pace from something close to an 11 min/mile to something closer to a 9 min/mile for the last two miles. The 10K, half, and full all ended in downtown Mankato and rather than rounding a corner into the finish this year, it was a straight shot. Runners could see the finish from quite a distance away. I thought this was an excellent change to the course because I could gauge exactly when I should gun it for my final kick. I finished in 1:04:27 -- like I said, not a PR, but a fun race and a progressive run for me. 

After making my way through the finishers' chute and getting some water and some post-race snacks, I met up with M. and Bailey (who had made some friends). I did some stretching, used a washroom, and got a cup of coffee.  Then I made my way back to the last stretch before the finish to wait for the half-marathoners to start finishing. I missed the first place male half-marathoner, but I got to see the second finisher and the first female half-marathoner speeding her way toward the finish. There were also some 10K runners still coming in, including a shampoo bottle. Happily, I got to see several of my half-marathon running friends. After about an hour, though, I decided I was getting too cold, and that we should get headed toward home.  I wish I had been able to stay for the marathoners to finish, as three of my friends finished their first marathons yesterday, but I am traveling this week and I need to try to stay healthy.

It was a fun time and a great event. The volunteers were plentiful and friendly. The swag was pretty good, and it seems like some of the first-time kinds of organizational kinks were worked out from last year. I'm not sure where my next fall marathon will be, but Mankato is a possibility.

How was your weekend? Any races? PRs? Autumn camping or hiking trips?

Race Report: Women Run the Cities 10 Mile

This weekend M. and I headed to the Twin Cities for dinner, a night at the opera to see Cosi Fan Tutti, and so that I could participate in the Women Run the Cities 10 Miler. I had registered for this race several months ago and had envisioned it as a fun way to do a taper run heading into the countdown for Chicago. Regular readers know that due to the issues with my IT band, though, I won't be running the Chicago Marathon. The past week or so I've been struggling to come to terms with the fact that this 10 mile race was going to be my last of the fall and have been bouncing back and forth between acceptance and frustrated negativity. I have to admit that part of me secretly hoped that I would line up on race day and nail 10 pain-free miles and that I would be able to put Chicago back on the table. However, that was not the case.

Yesterday morning I woke up after a few hours of sleep, dressed, and downed a cup of coffee and some breakfast. M. and I headed down to Minnehaha Park, where I met up with Lisa of Lisa's Yarns and Kyria of Travel Spot. It was so nice to meet both of these awesome ladies. After a photo op, we lined up to start. A few weeks ago, Lisa and I had discussed running the first couple of miles together, but she has been smoking up the pavement lately and I am obviously not in top form. Kyria is also speedy, so we all wished each other luck and took off to run our separate races.

With Kyria and Lisa before the race

Hundreds of awesome women, ready to run

My hip felt tight from the start and had a dull ache going by mile 2. By mile 5, my hip was cramping. Knowing that I could finish the last 5 miles - having finished several long runs with similar hip pain - and knowing that this was my last race of the fall, I gutted this one out. I was mentally in the zone and, while I did do some walking and stretching to try to shake the hip out and reduce the cramping at various points, my conditioning and overall ability to run by feel are definitely positives to take away from this training season. I don't know what my splits were because my Garmin died earlier this week (RIP, old friend.), but I ran with the 10:30 pacer for a couple of miles and stayed ahead of the 11:00 min/mile pacer the entire time. My official time was 1:45:45, averaging out to a 10:34 min/mile.

With my arms raised in victory, but sadly mostly obscured by another runner

The course was beautiful - starting in Minnehaha Park, winding up to the Franklin Avenue Bridge, and coming back down the East River Parkway, before finishing back in the park. The sun was shining, the leaves were just beginning to change colors; it was cool but not too cold; and it was just an amazing experience to run 10 miles with over a thousand other women. The course had a few challenging inclines, but it felt very fast to me.  There was a beautiful view of the Minneapolis skyline from one of the bridges, and I wished that I had been able to snap a picture of it. Maybe it's because it was my first 10 mile race, maybe it was because I wasn't constantly checking my Garmin, but the miles just ticked by even with the hip pain. Probably, though, it was because the energy on the course was awesome. There weren't many spectators, but the volunteers were fantastic (no fingers in cups here!) and there was a lot of camaraderie among the participants, as a number of teams were running and many friends were running together and chatting away the miles. I would love to do this race again next year!

After the race, I felt good about my time but was hurting pretty badly. I spent a few minutes stretching and drank a bottle of water. Then, M. and I headed out to meet back up with Lisa and Kyria at Victor's 1959 Cafe for a delicious brunch. I refueled on the Cuban scramble and split a mango pancake with my husband. We chatted about running, jobs, travel, and languages. Not surprisingly, I failed to take any photos at brunch, but it was a great time. Afterwards, we headed our separate ways, and I came home to do some class prep for the week and some other work that I needed to get done.

How was your weekend? Any races? Any fantastic meals?

Race Report: Urban Wildland Half-Marathon

Sadly I did not really accomplish most of my goals for this race. I did not PR. I did not run continuously. I did not finish strong with a negative split. I did, however, believe in myself and finish a race in which I suffered dizziness and lightheadedness in the last two miles.

Pre-Race
I woke up at 5 and had some water,  a cup of coffee and a couple of mini bagels with nothing on them.  Then I got dressed, pinned my bib on, and woke up M. so we could head to the start. Before the race I was able to meet up with a couple of other bloggers/DMers Courtenay and Clarinda. It was great to meet them in real life and to chat for a minute. Courtenay has been coming back from an injury so she was running the 5K and Clarinda and her sister were doing the half. (How fun to have a sibling who also runs!) After some conversation and obligatory photos, it was time for us half-marathoners to line up for the 7am start.  I headed toward the back of the pack and waited for the gun, going through my strategy and plans for the race again.

Courtenay, Clarinda, her sister, and me - because a person was directly behind me in the shot it kind of looks like I'm wearing a small blonde toupee

Miles 0-3

Crossing the Start

When the race started, I did my best not to get too caught up in the race day excitement and bolt out of the gate as I have at a couple of other races. I remembered my strategy and tried to just settle into a nice pace of around a 10:30 min/mile. My plan was to run the first three miles at this pace and then to pick things up just a tad every 2-3 miles until the finish. The first water stop was at around mile 2.5, but I decided to keep running. It was humid, but I was carrying my own fluids and I had a GU in the pocket of my running skirt that I planned to take around mile 7 or 8. We were looping through residential neighborhoods and park trails. It made for some pretty running, but there was some congestion caused by the narrowness of the paths and the fact that a number of people seemed to be walking together 2-3 abreast.

Splits: 10:26, 10:35, 9:45 (I think this last mile was marked a bit early because my Garmin did not read 3 miles yet)

Miles 3-7
Around the 3rd mile marker we looped around Wood Lake and onto some unpaved trails. They were pretty hard packed, but it did slow my pace down a bit, as did the narrowness of the trails and the congestion of race traffic. I pissed a couple of walkers off by suggesting to them that they should really be walking single file and to the right on the narrow trail. They acted as if I were a puppy killer. I know I am not the fastest of runners, but I don't try to make it difficult for faster people to pass me.  I expect the same basic courtesy from others out on the race course. I knew I was slowing down on the dirt path (I haven't trained on it really at all), but I figured that I could make up the time in later miles since I knew from the route that the rest of the race would be on pavement. Around mile 5 I was starting to feel a bit tired and sticky, but I just told myself to make it to the next water stop and then I could take a walk break and pour some water over my head. At the water stop I walked for 60 seconds and got a piece of fresh gum out of my pocket. I had pulled both a stick of gum out of my pocket and my GU as well.  I didn't want to take my GU yet, so I put it back into my pocket -- or atleast I thought that I did. In reality, I must have put my GU in between my skirt and my compression shorts because about a mile later I realized I no longer felt my GU against my lower back. When I checked later it was indeed gone.

Splits: 12:14, 9:38, 10:48, 10:31

Miles 7-11
At the water stop just after mile 7, I walked through and planned to take my GU. It was then that I realized that I didn't have my GU and what must have happened. I also knew that I was a bit off track for a PR. However, I was still optimistic that I could finish strong and run a negative split and put myself in a position where a PR still might be possible. Even though I almost always take a GU on any training run longer than 8 miles, I hadn't taken one on an 10-11 miler a few weeks back and had felt fine.  I told myself to focus on enjoying the experience and to start picking up the pace. Around mile 9 I began to start trying to push my pace to 10:20 and planned to run a 10 minute mile or under for the rest of the race.  As you can see from my splits, that did not happen.

11:04, 10:49, 10:22, 10:43,

Miles 11-13.1
As I passed the 11 mile marker, I started to feel weird. My head was feeling taut. I told myself just two miles left, I repeated a mantra to myself a few times. I started to try to pick up the pace, but then a couple of minutes later, I felt as though I was spinning. I thought to myself, "Holy shit! I am going to faint." I started walking. As soon as I started walking I felt a bit better, still a little lightheaded, but not so bad.  After a couple of minutes of walking, I tried to run again, but the same thing happened. So for the last mile and a half of the race I essentially walked a minute, ran a minute. My spirit wanted to run, but my body was not cooperating. All I could think was: just get to the finish, so that I can take in some calories, make it to the finish, try to stay upright. I was worried that I might DNF. I finally got to within sight of the finish line and put on a smile - so grateful to be finishing!- and ran across.

Splits: 13:36, 14:02, 1:42

Official race time: 2:25:35.

Post-Race
I walked to a stop, and knew that I could not bend over to untie my shoe and take of my timing chip without toppling over. Fortunately, a volunteer untied my shoe and removed the chip. Then, I managed to walk over and say good job to Clarinda, find M. and then get to the food before sinking onto the grass. I put my head between my knees and breathed and then ate some bread and a cookie and drank some water and Powerade. Then I felt stable enough to make it to the car.

Racing Reflections
I have to admit that I spent some time yesterday feeling disappointed and sulking a little bit. It didn't help that I wasn't feeling very well - low grade headache all day and some queasiness. However, all in all, I think that I learned from this race. Even though it didn't go according to plan, I know that under different circumstances I would have finished strong. I could have run a negative split. I ran the second half just about 8 minutes slower than the first half and that was largely due to the walking that I did during the last two miles when walking was really the smart thing to do. I did enjoy myself during the first 11 miles. There will be other half-marathons in my future, and I will continue to become a stronger, better, and more confident runner. My PR is out there, and I will run it down. So I will leave this race in my past, taking away from it things that worked well - carrying my own fluids during a hot and humid summer race (I'm really glad that I did this because the first two water stops were quite far apart) and things that did not - only taking one GU and not being careful about storing it properly.

I would consider doing this race again - the swag was awesome - a reusable bag and a t-shirt - no paper crap that I don't give a shit about and have to recycle. I love the idea and the execution of a green race - everything is recycled, reused or composted. I loved that they had bins for old shoes to be recycled and for unwanted race medals to be donated. The volunteers were plentiful and friendly.

So am I a total asshole for wishing that walkers would get to the right and/or start at the back? I know that some people use walk breaks as part of their racing strategy, doing 10:1 or 9:1, but the number of people that I saw walking 2-3-4 side by side during this race seemed ridiculous to me. I'm glad that so many people were out there participating, but it seems like there was a disregard for basic race etiquette.

Race Report: Boston Athletic Association 10K

This past weekend I was in Boston visiting friends.  When I had been researching things to do in Boston before we left for our trip, I came across this race.  It was the inaugural B.A.A. 10K and runners would be sharing the field with elite runners like Geoffrey Mutai (he won in 27:19) and Kim Smith.  Even though I didn't really feel in race shape so soon after my marathon, I just had to register.  The B.A.A. was going to mail my race packet, but, since M. and I were leaving for vacation before they mailed my packet out, I called the B.A.A. and asked them to hold it so that I could pick it up the morning of the race.

After a day of adventures in Salem and an amazing meal cooked by a friend on Saturday, I woke up early Sunday morning.  It was humid but still pretty cool out-- not bad for running.  I ate a banana, drank some water, got dressed, and put my contacts in.  M. and I traveled down to the race start on the T.  Probably at least half of the people on our train were other 10k runners.  When we got to the race start, I found the information booth and picked up my packet without any difficulties.  I pinned on my bib, had M. snap a couple of pictures and then made my way toward the back of the pack of about 4,000 participants.  

Pre-race

The race started in the Back Bay on Charles St. between the Public Gardens and Boston Common.  We turned onto Beacon Street and then essentially ran an out and back along Commonwealth Ave through the campus of Boston University and Kenmore Square before lapping the Public Garden in the opposite direction and finishing near the start.  I had planned to stop and take photos here and there of the race course, but once I got to running that sort of slipped my mind.  I also don't have any photos of me finishing because M. missed it -- he had gone to a nearby Starbucks and had miscalculated the time.*

Elite Start

M. snapped a number of photos from the start and I'm actually in this one

While it took me a bit longer than I hoped to finish this 10K (1:05:40), it was good to be out there.  My feet were hurting a little bit, which was probably due the fact that I had walked around Salem the day before in a pair of beloved but worn out flats.  I did push myself to have a faster last quarter of a mile, and doing that made me realize that I should really be doing more speedwork and pushing myself to work through more discomfort than I have been lately.

The only weird incident during the race was that somewhere around mile 2, when we had briefly split off of Commonwealth Ave. and were running in a residential area, a guy tried to drive down the street we were running on.  Several runners gave him a piece of their mind and he started honking and was still trying to drive behind us.  A block or so up we ran by a police officer at a traffic barricade, and I saw another runner go up to the officer to tell him what had happened and the officer started heading in that direction.  I don't know what the end result was. I guess I had to encounter at least one stereotypical Masshole during my trip, and the award goes to the guy who tried to drive his car through a major road race.  

Stretching post-race at the Civil War Memorial in Boston Common

The B.A.A. knows how to organize a race.  The volunteers were the best I've seen at a race - enthusiastic and professional.  They had handing out water cups honed to a precise art.  It was great to be participating in such a well-organized event on a gorgeous course in a city with such a rich running culture!  

*Note: "miscalculated the time" is a euphemism for being in the washroom.

Race Report: Team Ortho Minneapolis Marathon

Yesterday I completed my second marathon.

Pre-Race
On Saturday M. dropped Bailey off to be boarded for the night and then we headed to the Twin Cities for the rest of the weekend.  We got to Minneapolis, ran a quick errand at The Container Store for my mother-in-law and then checked into the Residence Inn near the start/finish.  We went over to the connected Renaissance Hotel, where I picked up my race packet and checked out the expo.  It was a pretty small expo, so it didn't take long to explore.  Then we headed down to pick up a few things at Target and hung out a bookstore for awhile.  Normally, we would have checked out a museum or done more exploring, but I was trying not to do too much walking around.  Before long it was dinner time.  On Lisa's recommendation, we went to Zelo and had a yummy and leisurely dinner there.  I had a salad and ravioli and M. had the fettucini alfredo, and we split a piece of lemon cake for dessert.  After dinner we headed back to the hotel.  M. caught the end of the hockey game, and I had a cup of herbal tea and read my book for a little bit.  I headed to bed and slept relatively well.

My alarm went off at 5:45, which was good, because the wake-up call I requested never happened.  I drank a couple glasses of water, ate some breakfast, put on my clothes, lathered on the sunblock, pulled my hair back into two very unprofessorial pigtails and brushed my teeth.  This is probably more than you wanted to know, but I was unable to have a bm before the race.  I was feeling a little bit uncomfortable, so I took a couple of Tums and hoped for the best.

M. and I headed down to the start.  It was kind of chaotic because of the placement of the p-pots.  They were alongside the starting corral and the lines were really long so it was hard to tell who was in line and who was just milling around.  M. snapped a couple of pre-race pictures of me and then wished me luck.  I found the 4:45 pacer and introduced myself.  I was hoping that I would be able to stick with her the whole way or at least stay ahead of the 5:00 pacer.  Before too much longer we were off.

Miles 1-10

The first few miles of this race are a blur to me.  There were some hills and it was already pretty hot and sunny.  The water stops were pretty congested and I was trying to do the pinch the cup and drink on the run thing to stay with my pace group.  I managed to do so with relative success - about half a cup of powerade ended up on my face and neck, but not bad for a klutz like me.  Around mile 5 I felt a little rumble in my tummy and I was doing some sporadic burping, but I just ignored it and chatted with people in my pace group.  At this point the race was very energetic.  There were spectators on the course and we were sharing the route up to mile 9 with the half-marathoners.  Distracted from my intestinal distress, I was having a good time and running pretty strong.  Around mile 9, I spotted M. up on the Lake Street Bridge.  He snapped some photos.  I waved and blew him a kiss.  

I missed the Hammer Gels at the aid station just before mile 10, but my pacer had grabbed an extra and gave it to me.  When I ripped into it, I didn't tear it all the way across.  I didn't realize it, but about half of the gel ended up on my shirt and only about half in my mouth.  Unfortunately, the gel that I got into my mouth did not settle well in my already rumbly stomach.  My issues were probably exacerbated by the heat.  The temperature was probably already in the high 70s, which I know is not all that hot (I'm from Texas for crying out loud), but it was definitely hotter than any day that I had trained.  The areas without shade were feeling brutal, and my stomach started revolting.  I soon said goodbye to my pace group and stopped to use a biffy.

Miles 10-17
After my rest stop, I felt a bit better.  As long as I kept the pace really slow (11min/mile or slower) I felt physically alright.  Mentally the race was getting much tougher though.  The half-marathoners had turned back as we continued forward, and crowd support was minimal.  I talked with another runner for a little while before she speeded up a bit.  I dug out my ipod and pressed on.  Around mile 12 we headed onto a paved trail and then on to an unpaved one.  I'm not sure if this was because of the change they had to make to the course due to flooding or not, but we were on the unpaved and narrow trail for a couple of miles.  This part of the race was brutal and annoying.  The trail was killing my quads, and those fluffy cottony pieces of pollen were floating in the air everywhere and aggravating my breathing.  I was walking more than I wanted to be, and I was oh so hot.  My stomach started feeling a little queasy again.

Miles 17-26
Around mile 17 there was a very steep hill going up to Fort Snelling.  I walked up it.  At that point the 5:00 pacer overtook me.  I kept him in my sights for the next mile, but then I had to stop to use the p-pots again.  When I emerged from the biffy, I made a decision.  I decided that I would run/walk the rest of the way, and that my time did not matter.  I adjusted my expectations and my goals.  Instead of sulking or having an emotional blow out, I decided to just focus on completing the race.  Some days finishing is a victory, and yesterday was one of those days for me.  Once I was no longer concerned about time, I was able to spend the next several miles focusing on the things in my life that I am grateful for.  I put away my ipod and focused on a litany of gratitudes:  being able to train for a marathon, my mom's back improving after her injection treatment, my mother-in-law responding well to cancer treatments, my sister getting to become a mom, my marriage and my husband who is my biggest supporter, having a job that I love.  I plodded along, smiling at volunteers and thanking them for being out there for us (though I do wish aid station volunteers would hold water cups from the bottom and not stick their fingers in them).  I talked to some other runners for a few minutes here and there until either they or I sped up or slowed down.  I was tired and my quads hurt but my stomach was no longer bothering me.

Miles 26-26.2
I headed toward the finish line, and I picked up the pace.  Just as I was crossing the finish line, with my arms raised in celebration and a big-ass grin on my face, one of those damn fluffy cotton pollen things flew into my mouth.  After the finish, I got my medal and then I hacked for a couple of minutes until my throat was clear.  Then, I downed some more water.  M. met me at the finish with a smile and a kiss.  

My official time was 5:28:30.

Post-Race
We headed back to the hotel, and I took an ice bath and then a quick shower.  I ate a banana and had a cup of coffee and a lot more water.  Then, M. and I headed out for a late lunch, stopped at Trader Joe's and then headed home.  My quads felt trashed and I had a little bit of a fever, but I was happy.

Racing Reflections
This course was really pretty.  It also had some very challenging hills.  My first marathon (Columbus 2009) was on a much, much flatter course, and, while I am better at running hills than I was when I moved here last August, I still need to do more hill work.  (Seriously, before the move, when I saw a tiny hill, I would curse up a storm.)  Hill repeats will be in my future.  It was bad luck that this past week has really been the first one that has been anything approaching hot.  I didn't have a chance to get acclimated to running in warmer temps.

Team Ortho puts on a good race.  The p-pots had toilet paper and hand sanitizer.  The volunteers were numerous and friendly.  Again, my biggest complaint is that aid station workers should keep their fingers out of the drinking cups and could probably stand to wear gloves.  (Also, why did Team Ortho delete my comment to that effect from their Facebook page wall?)

As in the Mankato Half, I found the lower energy of a smaller racing event to be a challenge.  Before the half-marathon turn around and after the turn around were like two completely different events.  The first was high energy and like a party, the second was much quieter and often quite solitary going.  I'm glad that I did a fair amount of my training on my own, as the lack of spectators and decrease in energy during those middle miles of the marathon were pretty tough.  There were points in the last few miles where I could only see around 2-3 other participants up ahead in the distance.

Am I disappointed for not meeting the time goal that I set the day before the race?  Maybe a little.  But I think on another day and maybe on a different course I would have had that sub-5 marathon.  I realize that's a slow pace for many of you, but someone has to bring in the rear.  To be honest, I was proud of myself for finishing under adverse conditions.  I got a 5 minute PR on a (comparatively) hot day, on a hilly course, with two biffy stops for stomach problems.  More importantly, though, I crossed the finish line of a freaking marathon!  I survived.  I endured.  And you know what?  I actually enjoyed myself during those last few miles!  I'm looking forward to running again soon, but probably not for a few more days.  I will run a faster marathon in Chicago in October.

What do you do when you're not having the race you hoped?  How do you deal with adverse conditions?  Any advice or reading recommendations for hill training?