...that I'm signed up for a marathon on March 17th? This one: http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/usa/usa-splash.
I got peer pressured to sign up for this race through the power of Facebook. Way back in the fall, my high school friend Scott (the Ironman) signed up for this marathon, then posted about it on FB. In his post, he tagged a number of friends (including yours truly) who he thought might want to sign up. It worked; people started signing up almost immediately. Soon, a pattern emerged: all of the friends Scott recruited for the race were graduates of our high school from roughly the same time period. Within a couple of days, this race became much more than a race- it became our unofficial high school reunion! I couldn't pass up an opportunity like that.
This race has a half-marathon option (aka: the sensible choice). Why didn't I sign up for that? Its all a little fuzzy now, but I think I wanted to experiment with training for a spring marathon. I formulated a plan in my head that seemed simple: tack 7 extra miles onto the long runs of the Annapolis Striders' spring half-marathon training. I would achieve that by starting the weekly group long runs at my house, running to the meet-up point with my fellow trainees. Under that plan, I would have started with a 13-mile run on December 31st and culminated with a 19-mile run at the end of February (before tapering).
Unfortunately, my "simple" plan ran into some complications. Week 1 (12/31), I fell less than half a mile into my planned 13-mile run and hurt myself badly enough to need a few days off. The next week (1/7), I planned to ease back in with a 9.5-mile run. Then, I came down with a cold which cancelled that run too. The following week (1/14), I finally made it to the Striders' training, but I didn't feel comfortable attempting more than the scheduled 8 miles for that day. The week after that (1/21), our run got cancelled by an ice storm. I should have made up the mileage, but I didn't. This past Saturday (1/28), I intended to join the Striders for 10 miles. At about mile 4, I realized that I had dropped my Iphone at the mile 2.5 water stop. So, I ran back and (thankfully) found my phone. Then, instead of turning back around, I just ran to my car. By the end of the morning, I had 7 miles done and half-hearted plans to finish the additional 3 at the gym. Instead, I went home and took a nap.
These last couple of minor complications point to a major one: my heart just doesn't seem to be in this race. Maybe I have more energy in the summer. Maybe I'm too overwhelmed with all of the recent changes in my life. For whatever reason, I can't get myself to give this training the attention it needs. Fortunately, I have the option of down-grading to the half-marathon right up until the day of the race. But there's a complication with that plan too: I hate feeling like a quitter. Yes, I understand that nobody who runs 13.1 miles is a quitter. Still, you don't get into schools like Bryn Mawr and Yale by being an underachiever or just a regular achiever. My overachieving self has difficulty saying things like "I need to downgrade from the marathon to the half."
So, I'm giving myself the month of February to figure it out. I'll train as much and as well as I can in February. Then, if March 1 rolls around and I'm not where I need to be, I will silence by inner overachiever and "settle" for the half.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Resolutions and routine.
Hello, readers! It has been far, far too long. I have been mentally drafting a post about my New Year's resolution for nearly 3 weeks now, and the fact that I'm just getting to it now shows just how much that resolution is needed. So, without further ado, my New Year's resolution for 2012 is...
Establish a routine.
I do my best in pretty much every aspect of life when I have routines. When life is semi-predictable, I eat better, exercise more, get more work done, and experience a lot less stress. When my routines get disrupted, or I go a long time without a routine, things start to fall apart. Classic example: In 2002, I took a job as a home-based counselor for children in a very intensive program. I saw clients at home, went to tons of meetings all over a very wide geographic area, and fielded endless crisis calls. For most of my time at that job, I had no set office and worked anywhere I could find space. Whenever I tried to establish a routine, something would change. The result? I gained weight, didn't exercise, and got myself into a string of less-than-healthy relationships.
Toward the end of my time at that job, I started ADHD treatment. In addition to taking medication, I also started working on getting organized and making my life more predictable. Since then, I have gotten better and better at establishing good routines for myself and life has become exponentially more manageable. Last year, I worked some of my best routines ever and a ton of great things happened for me: a marathon, a triathlon, weight loss, graduating from school, finding an amazing boyfriend, and- finally- getting a great new job.
Of course, the problem with all of the great things that happened to me last year is that they completely threw off my routines. Having a boyfriend takes up time that I used to spend on things like the gym and managing my house. It also means eating away from home more, which often results in unhealthier food choices. (I'm much better at just not going to restaurants than I am at going to a restaurant and not ordering a steak!) At my old job, I worked a pretty normal 9-5 schedule. At my new job, I often work until 7 or 8pm and my hours change from week to week. Also, while I really do love my new job, it is way more challenging than my old job. For me, challenging= stress= temptation to eat junk food or drink wine when I get home at 9pm.
I met my boyfriend in late August and I started my job-changing process in October. By the end of December, my average weekly time at the gym had plummeted and my weight had reached a number I haven't seen since 2003. I was also struggling to manage my house, keep up with friends and family, and (obviously) keep up with this blog. Thus, the resolution. January 1, I began work on making a new routine.
I am happy to report that I am making progress. To begin with, I thought seriously about my schedule and figured out when I am able to work out. The answer? Early in the morning and (sometimes) in the middle of the day. Early in the morning means that I have to be diligent about getting to my 6am classes and I also need to mix in some extra running and biking after those classes from time to time. I've been doing great with the first half and I'm still working on the second. Working out in the middle of the day means finding somewhere to exercise near my work. I have a couple of leads to investigate on that front.
I also talked to my boyfriend about my exercise and eating going downhill. He's awesome, so he immediately got with the program and began supporting/encouraging me in my habits. So, we've been eating at home more and he's started going to the gym with me whenever he's around. Yay supportive loved ones- they make such a difference!
Finally, some outside events came together and helped me with my goal:
My office: I spent 6 or 7 weeks of my new job in office limbo- I'm in a new site for my agency and my office was still under construction when I started. Finally, the week of 1/9, the construction ended and I got to move in:
A corrallary of my "I need a routine" rule is "I need designated spaces for things." I am way more productive when I have set places for things like work, paying bills, exercise, etc. So, having my office together has really helped me feel settled and more on top of things.
Winter trainings: With the new year came new sessions in both the Annapolis Striders' race training and the Wonder Women tri group. So, now I have at least two tough workouts scheduled each week and two groups of training buddies to motivate me on the days in between. This has been a big boost to my exercise goals.
So, I'm not there yet, but my New Year's resolution is off to a good start. If it continues to go well, you will hear from me more often in the coming weeks!
Establish a routine.
I do my best in pretty much every aspect of life when I have routines. When life is semi-predictable, I eat better, exercise more, get more work done, and experience a lot less stress. When my routines get disrupted, or I go a long time without a routine, things start to fall apart. Classic example: In 2002, I took a job as a home-based counselor for children in a very intensive program. I saw clients at home, went to tons of meetings all over a very wide geographic area, and fielded endless crisis calls. For most of my time at that job, I had no set office and worked anywhere I could find space. Whenever I tried to establish a routine, something would change. The result? I gained weight, didn't exercise, and got myself into a string of less-than-healthy relationships.
Toward the end of my time at that job, I started ADHD treatment. In addition to taking medication, I also started working on getting organized and making my life more predictable. Since then, I have gotten better and better at establishing good routines for myself and life has become exponentially more manageable. Last year, I worked some of my best routines ever and a ton of great things happened for me: a marathon, a triathlon, weight loss, graduating from school, finding an amazing boyfriend, and- finally- getting a great new job.
Of course, the problem with all of the great things that happened to me last year is that they completely threw off my routines. Having a boyfriend takes up time that I used to spend on things like the gym and managing my house. It also means eating away from home more, which often results in unhealthier food choices. (I'm much better at just not going to restaurants than I am at going to a restaurant and not ordering a steak!) At my old job, I worked a pretty normal 9-5 schedule. At my new job, I often work until 7 or 8pm and my hours change from week to week. Also, while I really do love my new job, it is way more challenging than my old job. For me, challenging= stress= temptation to eat junk food or drink wine when I get home at 9pm.
I met my boyfriend in late August and I started my job-changing process in October. By the end of December, my average weekly time at the gym had plummeted and my weight had reached a number I haven't seen since 2003. I was also struggling to manage my house, keep up with friends and family, and (obviously) keep up with this blog. Thus, the resolution. January 1, I began work on making a new routine.
I am happy to report that I am making progress. To begin with, I thought seriously about my schedule and figured out when I am able to work out. The answer? Early in the morning and (sometimes) in the middle of the day. Early in the morning means that I have to be diligent about getting to my 6am classes and I also need to mix in some extra running and biking after those classes from time to time. I've been doing great with the first half and I'm still working on the second. Working out in the middle of the day means finding somewhere to exercise near my work. I have a couple of leads to investigate on that front.
I also talked to my boyfriend about my exercise and eating going downhill. He's awesome, so he immediately got with the program and began supporting/encouraging me in my habits. So, we've been eating at home more and he's started going to the gym with me whenever he's around. Yay supportive loved ones- they make such a difference!
Finally, some outside events came together and helped me with my goal:
My office: I spent 6 or 7 weeks of my new job in office limbo- I'm in a new site for my agency and my office was still under construction when I started. Finally, the week of 1/9, the construction ended and I got to move in:
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| I'm a real therapist now! |
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| Not having to hunt for a spare computer whenever I need to do paperwork? Priceless. |
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| A lovely table for family activities and lunch. Also, after 11 years of higher ed, a home for my diplomas. |
A corrallary of my "I need a routine" rule is "I need designated spaces for things." I am way more productive when I have set places for things like work, paying bills, exercise, etc. So, having my office together has really helped me feel settled and more on top of things.
Winter trainings: With the new year came new sessions in both the Annapolis Striders' race training and the Wonder Women tri group. So, now I have at least two tough workouts scheduled each week and two groups of training buddies to motivate me on the days in between. This has been a big boost to my exercise goals.
So, I'm not there yet, but my New Year's resolution is off to a good start. If it continues to go well, you will hear from me more often in the coming weeks!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Just in time for 2012: My 2011 Year in Review
So, 2011 ended on a bit of a low note. New Year's Eve morning, I left the house at 6:45AM, intending to run to the first meeting of this year's Annapolis Strider's half-marathon training. I made an early start because I am signed up for a marathon in March (more on that soon!) and need to add extra miles to the half-marathon training runs. Less than 10 minutes into my run, I hit a pothole and fell. Hard. It really hurt, but I was able to get up and walk home, which meant no major injuries (phew!). When I got home, I found a seriously skinned and bruised knee, along with some cuts and imbedded gravel in my hand.
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| Not how I wanted to end my running year! |
January: No races this month, but I did start my 2nd year of the Annapolis Striders' half-marathon training plan. I also started swimming and gathering gear for my first triathlon: IronGirl.
February: On 2/12, I ran the AS Valentine's Day 5K, my first race of the year and the first leg of the 2011 Champ Series. I was trying to come in under 30 minutes, but didn't quite get there. I finished in 30:16.
Also in February, I attended the AS annual banquet where I picked up my first IronMan award!
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| The 2010 Iron-people! |
March: On 3/6, I ran the B&A Trail Half-Marathon for the second time. I finished in 2:18:55, an improvement of 5:10 over my 2010 time!
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| Val, Marie, and I after the 2011 B&A Half. This was Marie's first half! |
April: On 4/4, I ran the AS Cherry Pit 10-miler, which is the 2nd leg of the Champ Series. I finished in 1:47:31, my 2011 10-mile PR and an improvement of 1:23 over 2010.
Also in April, my friend Pat and I competed in the Ridgeway Triathlon as part of the wedding of our ultra-running friends Krista and Ray. The event was run-bike-canoe. I did the run, Pat did the bike, and we both did the canoe. The run was just over 5 miles (5.14) and I ran it in 47:49. When you consider that my 2010 5-mile PR was 52:04, that's pretty awesome.
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| My teammate and I post-race and pre-wedding. |
May: No races in May, but I really got into my tri-training with the Wonder Women.
June: I celebrated my 32nd birthday with what I dubbed "Extreme Sports Weekend." On Saturday, 6/4, my friend Katie and I ran the first-ever VA Wine Country Half-Marathon. I finished in 2:17:16, which was a PR at the time. Then, after a wonderful day of post-race wine tasting, I got up on Sunday and did a practice tri with the Wonder Women. I was pretty impressed with myself until my tri coach Ellen mentioned that she ran a full marathon on Saturday... and won.
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| Katie and I post-race in VA Wine Country! |
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| With the Wonder Women on my 32nd birthday. |
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| Dreaded Druid Hills. This is at the start, which is why I don't look like I'm in agony. |
July: This was a crazy month, including the most intense training for IronGirl and the start of my 2011 marathon training. Somehow, I also squeezed in two races:
On 7/9, I ran the AS Women's Distance Festival 5K. In 2010, I twisted my ankle on a trail run the night before this race and had to drop out. This year, I finished in 27:30.
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| Still smiling: must be lap 1! |
On 7/16, I ran the AS Wall Mile, which is the 4th leg of the Champ Series. I was trying to finish under 8 minutes, having clocked a 7:44 mile during training with the Wonder Women. Unfortunately, I shot myself in the foot by showing up early to put in some extra mileage for the day. A 5-mile warmup meant that I had to fight for every second of my 8:11 finishing time. Still, that's an official 1-mile PR and a 16-second improvement over 2010. Also, the AS photographer took a great picture of me crossing the finish line:
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| Look at me go! |
August: This was probably the biggest month of my athletic year: the month of my first real triathlon! Before the tri, though, I ran the AS Dog Days 8K on 8/7, which was the 5th leg of the Champ Series. Marie and I did a tough bike ride beforehand, so this race was a struggle. I finished in 52:52, an improvement of 2:18 over 2010.
Then, 8/21 was the big day: IronGirl! This was my first triathlon and it was both harder and more fun than I ever imagined. I finished in about 2:45 and I am looking forward to cutting that time in 2012!
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| My training buddy Marie- I would not have survived without her! |
On August 28th, I had a big disappointment: for the 2nd year in a row, I didn't get to run the A10. In 2010 it was my appendix; in 2011, it was Hurricane Irene. On the bright side, I used the extra time to go on a first date with the guy who is now my amazing boyfriend. So, I guess that all worked out!
September: After August, I shifted gears from focusing on IronGirl to focusing on November's NYC marathon. I also ran two races:
On 9/11, I ran the Parks Half-Marathon for the 2nd time. I was hoping to finish in 2:15, but that dream ended early in the race when I waited in a bathroom line for 7 minutes. Instead, I finished in 2:22:02. I was a little bummed, but that's still an improvement of over 11 minutes from the previous year. Even better, Parks was my worst half of 2011, but I ran it faster than my best half of 2010 (which was 2:24:05). Woot!
On 9/24, I ran 2 laps of a 40-mile ultra trail race with my friends Krista and Ray. The full race was 5 laps. I did a total of 16 miles, Krista did 24, and Ray did the whole 40! This was a serious trail race and I did not want to get injured, so Krista and I took it easy and enjoyed the sights. As a result, our shared 16 miles took about 4 hours. Not fast, but fun!
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| This trail was MUDDY! It's a miracle I didn't fall. |
October: Two big races this month! The first was the AS Metric Marathon on 10/2. I went out way too fast in this race and the last few miles were AWFUL. Still I managed to knock almost 10 minutes off my 2010 time, finishing in 2:55:31. This was the 6th leg of the Champ Series.
On 10/15, I ran the Baltimore Half Marathon in 2:16:31. I could not have been happier. Baltimore is a tough race and I managed a PR and a 10:01 improvement from 2010!
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| I was very proud of this medal! |
November: This was the 2nd-biggest month of my athletic year: marathon month! The first weekend of the month was Extreme Sports Weekend 2 of 2011:
On Saturday, 11/5, I did the worker run for the AS Down's Park 5-miler, which is the 7th leg of the Champ Series. My time for this race is unofficial, but I clocked myself at 48:35, which is 3:21 faster than 2010.
On Sunday, 11/6, I ran my 2nd marathon: NYC! Despite some intestinal issues, I had an amazing day and finished in 5:31:05. That's over 38 minutes faster than my 2010 marathon time! Even better, I got to spend time with great friends and support a great cause: St. Lydia's church in Brooklyn. I even got a Christmas card:
The marathon wasn't the end of my racing month. On 11/19, I ran the inaugural Annapolis Half Marathon. Both the race directors and I had some issues, but I enjoyed seeing many local friends and finished in 2:19:25.
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| The race wasn't perfect, but the medal was beautiful! |
December: In December, I hit a racing milestone: I ran a race for the 3rd year in a row. The race was the AS Anniversary 15K, which is the 8th and final leg of the Champ Series. I had a great race, finishing in 1:37:44. That's nearly 7 minutes faster than 2010 and over 16 minutes faster than 2009! This race also sealed my 2011 IronMan award.
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| IronMan award, here I come! |
I finished my 2011 racing season on 12/17, with my first running of the Celtic Solstice 5-miler. I was not feeling it in this race, but I was determined to set an official 5-mile PR and I did it: 49:28!
All in all, an amazing year. Counting my two tri's (Ridgway and IronGirl), I completed 22 races and set PR's in every distance. For every race I ran in both 2010 and 2011, I finished faster in 2011. According to my calendar, I worked out 253 out of 365 days in 2011 (an average of 4.9 times/week) and ran a total of 568 miles.
I could not have done any of this without the amazing love and support of you: my family, friends, and readers! I can't wait to share 2012 with you!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Channeling my inner grocery cashier.
A belated happy holidays, readers! I know that you are all eagerly anticipating my "2011: year in review" post. One of the bigger events of my 2011- starting a new job- has taken a major chunk of out my blogging time. Fear not, though- I promise to get it done before 2012!
In the meantime, I want to take a minute to tell you about a cool new app from Weight Watchers: the "WW Scanner" app. This app is free and available for Android and Iphone (and maybe some other smartphones too), but you have to be a WW online or E-tools subscriber in order to use it. It turns your phone into a barcode scanner for grocery items. You pick up something in your grocery store or pantry, use your phone's camera to scan the barcode, and then the app calculates the WW points for that item. Then, you can save the item to a list of favorites, or zap the points total right into your daily tracker (on the website or the WW Mobile app). Amazing!
I downloaded this app a couple nights ago and then spent a good half-hour going through my refrigerator and pantry zapping things. The app did not recognize about 25% of the items I scanned, but I imagine that it will get better over time. Even with a 25% failure rate, this app still has the potential to save serious time. Calculating the Points for a new food can happen in a second, and the process of putting that food in your tracker is faster too. Just one or two clicks and you're done. (Of course, you still have to pay attention to the serving size of the food to avoid low-or-highballing the points.)
I am excited about this app because tracking has always been the key to my success or failure on Weight Watchers. When I track, I lose or maintain. When I don't track, I gain. Case in point: I tracked religiously last winter and lost close to 15 pounds. Then, over the summer, I stopped tracking and gained it all back. My reasons for not tracking are always the same: I'm busy and it feels like too much work. Fortunately, the combo of the old WW Mobile app and the new WW Scanner app elminate a lot of the effort involved in tracking. So long, excuses!
In the meantime, I want to take a minute to tell you about a cool new app from Weight Watchers: the "WW Scanner" app. This app is free and available for Android and Iphone (and maybe some other smartphones too), but you have to be a WW online or E-tools subscriber in order to use it. It turns your phone into a barcode scanner for grocery items. You pick up something in your grocery store or pantry, use your phone's camera to scan the barcode, and then the app calculates the WW points for that item. Then, you can save the item to a list of favorites, or zap the points total right into your daily tracker (on the website or the WW Mobile app). Amazing!
I downloaded this app a couple nights ago and then spent a good half-hour going through my refrigerator and pantry zapping things. The app did not recognize about 25% of the items I scanned, but I imagine that it will get better over time. Even with a 25% failure rate, this app still has the potential to save serious time. Calculating the Points for a new food can happen in a second, and the process of putting that food in your tracker is faster too. Just one or two clicks and you're done. (Of course, you still have to pay attention to the serving size of the food to avoid low-or-highballing the points.)
I am excited about this app because tracking has always been the key to my success or failure on Weight Watchers. When I track, I lose or maintain. When I don't track, I gain. Case in point: I tracked religiously last winter and lost close to 15 pounds. Then, over the summer, I stopped tracking and gained it all back. My reasons for not tracking are always the same: I'm busy and it feels like too much work. Fortunately, the combo of the old WW Mobile app and the new WW Scanner app elminate a lot of the effort involved in tracking. So long, excuses!
Monday, December 19, 2011
#20 of 2011!
Sometime between now and the end of the year, I will write up my 2011 running year in review. In the meantime, I offer a quick recap of my 20th and final race of this year: the Celtic Solstice 5-miler.
I'll admit, I ran this race for the shirt. Every winter, I see a ton of local runners in great running jackets or vests or half-zip shirts, all featuring a cool Celtic Solstice logo (see below), and I wish I had one.
The Celtic Solstice race is put on by Falls Road Running Store in Baltimore, which is known for great race premiums. They were the sponsors of the Dreaded Druid Hills 10K, which I ran in June. That race lived up to its name in terms of difficulty, but it was worth it for this awesome shirt that I wore for the rest of the summer:
In addition to the promise of the great shirt, I also heard from tons of local runners that Celtic Solstice is a great race and a nice way to end the running year. So, I had high hopes all around.
I'm sorry to say that I was a bit disappointed. For starters, this year's shirt is nothing special. The logo is cool, but (based on previous premiums) I was expecting a jacket or half-zip and got just a plain long-sleeve shirt. So, the premium was just okay, and I think I would say the same about the race itself. The atmosphere was fun and festive, but the course was nothing exciting. It was just a basic loop around the park. In several places, it was too narrow to accommodate the 3,000+ runners, leading to frustrating bottlenecks. As masochistic as it sounds, I preferred the Dreaded Druid Hills course. Those hills were intense, but at least they kept things interesting and took us through the most scenic areas of the park.
My final motivation for doing this race was the opportunity to attempt an official 5-mile PR. I ran this year's Down's Park 5-miler in 48:35, but I ran that race as a worker's run, so my time is unofficial. Prior to Saturday's race, my fastest official 5-mile time was about 52 minutes. I was sure I could beat that official time, and I hoped I might be able to beat the unofficial time too.
As it turned out, I underestimated the Baltimore hills, the crowded course, and the accumulated fatigue of 19 previous races. This was a tough race. I ran mile 1 in about 10:29, which was well off my goal of sub 10-minute miles. I made up a little time in mile 2, coming in about 10:15. So, an improvement, but still off my goal pace. At that point, I started to doubt that I could beat even my 52-minute time. In mile 3, I really picked up the pace and finished in about 9:30. Going into mile 4, I knew that I could not beat 48:35, but that I could come in under 50 minutes if I really pushed it. The last two miles were painful, but I ran them in just over 9 minutes each and finished the race in 49:28. So, not my fastest 5-miler ever, but still an official PR.
In all fairness to the Celtic Solstice organizers, I should mention that the post-race food was excellent, including hot mulled wine and some delicious Christmas cookies. Those treats were made even sweeter when I thought over my race year and realized that I set official PRs in every race distance I ran in 2011!
I look forward to sharing my victorious year-end review soon!
I'll admit, I ran this race for the shirt. Every winter, I see a ton of local runners in great running jackets or vests or half-zip shirts, all featuring a cool Celtic Solstice logo (see below), and I wish I had one.
The Celtic Solstice race is put on by Falls Road Running Store in Baltimore, which is known for great race premiums. They were the sponsors of the Dreaded Druid Hills 10K, which I ran in June. That race lived up to its name in terms of difficulty, but it was worth it for this awesome shirt that I wore for the rest of the summer:
In addition to the promise of the great shirt, I also heard from tons of local runners that Celtic Solstice is a great race and a nice way to end the running year. So, I had high hopes all around.
I'm sorry to say that I was a bit disappointed. For starters, this year's shirt is nothing special. The logo is cool, but (based on previous premiums) I was expecting a jacket or half-zip and got just a plain long-sleeve shirt. So, the premium was just okay, and I think I would say the same about the race itself. The atmosphere was fun and festive, but the course was nothing exciting. It was just a basic loop around the park. In several places, it was too narrow to accommodate the 3,000+ runners, leading to frustrating bottlenecks. As masochistic as it sounds, I preferred the Dreaded Druid Hills course. Those hills were intense, but at least they kept things interesting and took us through the most scenic areas of the park.
My final motivation for doing this race was the opportunity to attempt an official 5-mile PR. I ran this year's Down's Park 5-miler in 48:35, but I ran that race as a worker's run, so my time is unofficial. Prior to Saturday's race, my fastest official 5-mile time was about 52 minutes. I was sure I could beat that official time, and I hoped I might be able to beat the unofficial time too.
As it turned out, I underestimated the Baltimore hills, the crowded course, and the accumulated fatigue of 19 previous races. This was a tough race. I ran mile 1 in about 10:29, which was well off my goal of sub 10-minute miles. I made up a little time in mile 2, coming in about 10:15. So, an improvement, but still off my goal pace. At that point, I started to doubt that I could beat even my 52-minute time. In mile 3, I really picked up the pace and finished in about 9:30. Going into mile 4, I knew that I could not beat 48:35, but that I could come in under 50 minutes if I really pushed it. The last two miles were painful, but I ran them in just over 9 minutes each and finished the race in 49:28. So, not my fastest 5-miler ever, but still an official PR.
In all fairness to the Celtic Solstice organizers, I should mention that the post-race food was excellent, including hot mulled wine and some delicious Christmas cookies. Those treats were made even sweeter when I thought over my race year and realized that I set official PRs in every race distance I ran in 2011!
I look forward to sharing my victorious year-end review soon!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
The 3rd time for the 1st time.
Today was a first for me: I ran a race for the third time. I ran the Annapolis Striders' Anniversary 15K in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Going into this morning's race, my expectations were fairly low, as I'm still recovering from some pain in my upper right quad. Had this race not been part of the Champ Series, I probably would not have run at all. To my surprise though, it went pretty well.
My first stroke of good fortune was the weather. I expected it to be brutally cold, but the temps were a bit higher than the forecast predicted and there was a lot of sun to warm things up. My second stroke of good fortune was falling into pace with a very friendly fellow runner. She introduced herself early in the race and kept me entertained and on-pace for almost 6 miles.
My new friend and I separated in mile 6, when I had only 5K to go. My quad was hurting a little, but I remembered to bring some Advil, which kept most of the pain at bay. I definitely had to push myself for the final three miles (and especially for the hilly final mile), but I kept up the pace and finished in 1:37. That's 7 minutes faster than 2010 (1:44) and a full 16 minutes faster than 2009 (1:53)! Even better, I finished 218 of 277 runners. They doesn't sound all that great, until you consider that I finished 240/246 in 2009. So, 2009: 6 people behind me. 2011: 59 people behind me.
Speaking of improvements, I can now officially say that I improved in every single race of the Champ Series compared to 2010. I'll tally exactly how much after my last race of the year (next weekend) when I write my 2011 year in review. Today's race also earned me my second Ironman award! At least when it comes to this race, the third time is the charm!
My first stroke of good fortune was the weather. I expected it to be brutally cold, but the temps were a bit higher than the forecast predicted and there was a lot of sun to warm things up. My second stroke of good fortune was falling into pace with a very friendly fellow runner. She introduced herself early in the race and kept me entertained and on-pace for almost 6 miles.
My new friend and I separated in mile 6, when I had only 5K to go. My quad was hurting a little, but I remembered to bring some Advil, which kept most of the pain at bay. I definitely had to push myself for the final three miles (and especially for the hilly final mile), but I kept up the pace and finished in 1:37. That's 7 minutes faster than 2010 (1:44) and a full 16 minutes faster than 2009 (1:53)! Even better, I finished 218 of 277 runners. They doesn't sound all that great, until you consider that I finished 240/246 in 2009. So, 2009: 6 people behind me. 2011: 59 people behind me.
Speaking of improvements, I can now officially say that I improved in every single race of the Champ Series compared to 2010. I'll tally exactly how much after my last race of the year (next weekend) when I write my 2011 year in review. Today's race also earned me my second Ironman award! At least when it comes to this race, the third time is the charm!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Its that time of year...
I am not great at sending Christmas cards. Much like the Olympics, it tends to happen once every four years. This year, though, I had a photo opportunity too good to pass up:
Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays!
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