Nike Women's Half Marathon Weekend

I'll have a race report up later this week. I'll give you a hint how I did though. I PR'd in a big way!

This entire weekend was absolutely amazing. On Friday my mom and I headed down to DC to go to the expo and pick up my packet. We met at my apartment and then drove down to the New Carrolltown metro station. Once we made it to DC we walked over to Georgetown to go to the expo. It was an absolutely beautiful day, which made walking around so much nicer.

The expo consisted of three tents. One where you picked up my packet, one which was where the "expotique" was, and one selling race day gear such as Nuun, foam rollers, and gels. I had heard really good things about the expo for the San Francisco race but was pretty disappointed with the expo this weekend. The Nuun bar was awesome but besides that there wasn't much to do or buy. I did finally get my hands on the new Nuun flavors and bought the last watermelon they had!

After doing a pretty quick walk-through of the expo, we headed up the street to Nike Georgetown where they were selling the official race gear. We looked around for a bit but everything just seemed way overpriced and I didn't love any of it anyway. Why spend so much money on something you aren't crazy about? Somewhat frustrated, we left Niketown.

My mom wanted to go to the DC Cupcakes store so we walked over there and stopped in a few shops on the way. For the first time ever I went into a Lululemon store but I wasn't very impressed either. I'm really picky with my running clothes and a lot of their fabrics seemed stiff and scratchy. It did seem like they had more yoga stuff than running clothes though. Sadly, we struck out again.

On Saturday I returned to DC with both of my parents this time since we were staying over night before the race. Once we got to out hotel we got a quick lunch and then hung out outside before I headed over to an Ellie Goulding concert that Nike invited me to. Although the club was in a somewhat sketchy area, the concert was great. There were only a few hundred people there and it was only for Nike runners.

I cannot say enough good things about Ellie Goulding's performance. She was incredible. After the concert was over, along with 9 other extremely lucky girls, got to go backstage and meet Ellie Goulding. Since she was also running the race the meet & greet was pretty quick but it was still so awesome. She is the sweetest girl and my obsession with her is only continuing to grow.

After the concert it was back to the hotel for a quick dinner and then to bed. I can honestly not remember the last time I was in bed before 10 pm! Before I knew it it was race morning. I took the metro and got to the start of the race around 6 am. I was lucky enough to receive a VIP bracelet that granted me access to the VIP tent both before and after the race.

I've never had access to the VIP tent before so I had no idea how AWESOME it is! Both before and after the race the tent was stocked with water bottles, food, coffee and there were even private bathrooms with at most a 2 person wait. This was the same VIP tent that Ellie Goulding, Shalane Flanagan, and Joan Benoit Samuelson went to after they were finished the race. I was only able to get a picture with Joan but I did get a few minutes to chat with both Shalane and Ellie.

Race aside (the race went better than I could have imagined!), the entire weekend was incredible. I felt like I was treated like royalty by Nike.

Nike Women's Half Marathon Goals

When I signed up for this race my only goal was to break two hours. Over the next month or two my goal became to train hard and see what I could do. Now, 15 weeks since starting training, I can say that my goal remains the same. On one side this excites me. On the other side it scares me. After only a few weeks of training I was certain I would break two hours. My PR is 2:03 so that shouldn't be a problem. I haven't had another time goal in mind throughout my training though. I've just trained hard with the intent of getting as fast as possible.

I could be way out of line here but I based my goal times based on my paces for my long runs and the 10 miler I did a few weeks ago.

A Goal: Sub 1:52
B Goal: Sub 1:55
C Goal: Sub 2:00

I am expecting my time to be somewhere between 1:50-1:55 depending on how I feel on Sunday. Two weekends ago I ran a little over 13 miles with my half marathon split coming in somewhere around 1:52-1:53. While this run was not terribly hard I did push the pace and did this as an interval sort of run. I also stopped 3 (?) times to go to the bathroom and stretch when my hip started tightening up. I also know the race course is always longer.

DC in November for an event with the Russian embassy

And then there is the issue of water stops. During every race I have done so far I have stopped at the aid stations. I think stopping for a few seconds helps me feel better throughout the race. During my 10 miler I noticed that I added 15-25 seconds at each water stop. I think there are 5+ water stops during the race this weekend, which could add up to more than a minute wasted. I didn't want to carry water with me in case I want to toss my bottle (I am really picky about my water being cold when I run so I will only run with an insulated bottle). As you can probably tell, I'm still trying to figure out what to do about this.

Sunset on my way home. Picture doesn't do it justice

While I love having a time goal to shoot for, I don't think it's healthy to only focus on your time. I like to have some non-time goals so that if I don't reach that goal I can still call my race a success.

Stay calm when something goes wrong, because it inevitably will. Minutes before the start of the Capital 10 Miler I found out that one of the earbuds on my headphones had fallen off. I freaked out since I had been doing all of my long or hard workouts with music. I started to panic and ended up spending the time I should have spent stretching rigging my headphones so they would stay in my ears. I showed up to the race start with about a minute to spare.

I am trying to be as prepared as possible going into this weekend but inevitably something will go wrong. My guess is it will have something to do with navigating DC. At that point I won't be able to make any changes so I need to roll with the punches and move on. Quickly.

Ignore negative thoughts. Another thing that I have learned is inevitable is negative self-talk. Even during my best races a few negative thoughts have creeped in here or there. I want to recognize that it's going to happen and just ignore them.When you start to listen to your negative thoughts is when you will blow your race.

Leave everything out on the course. Although I do have some time goals, my biggest goal is to go as hard as I can. If I finish in a time slower than I thought but I pushed myself to the end I will be happy. I don't want to finish the race and be able to run around later that day with my dog. I want to be tired. I want to give everything I have and see where that puts me.

I have one run left tomorrow and am off to the expo now. Good luck everyone racing this weekend!

Capital 10 Miler Race Report

First race of the year-done! It wasn't the race I was expecting but every race is a learning experience in my book. Race morning started with a 6:30 wake up call. I got dressed, ate my pre-run breakfast, and was on my way to Harrisburg. We got there a little more than an hour before the 9:00 race start, which left me enough time to pickup my bib and go to the bathroom before doing a quick warm up.

 I'd been debating whether to wear shorts or capris but ultimately decided to go with shorts after how warm it felt during my warm up. With about 10 minutes til race time I got all my stuff ready and noticed that one of the earbuds on my headphones had fallen off. Cue minor freak out. Panicked I put one headphone in and stuffed the other in my sports bra so it wasn't flying all over the place. With about two minutes to spare I made it to the start line.

Despite the race only having around 500 runners the first mile was pretty congested. Instead of getting frustrated and weaving I treated this as a way to not go out too fast. I wasn't sure how I wanted to run this race (negative splits, steady pace, etc) so I decided to mimic how I normally run my half marathons (first five, middle five, last 5K). I was hoping to keep miles 1-4 around 8:30, 4-8 around 8:10-8:20 and the last two sub 8:00. When the first mile clocked in the 8:40's I started to get nervous. Time to pick it up!

Mile 1: 8:46
Mile 2: 8:15
Mile 3: 8:29 <- water stop
Mile 4: 8:13

 It was during the second and third miles that I realized this was not going to be the race I was hoping for. Despite my best efforts to do all the little things right, my legs just felt heavy and tight. I really didn't like the first ~5 miles of the course either so at this point I had to make a decision. Years ago as a swimmer if a race wasn't going the way I wanted it to I would just give up. Why bother, right? On Sunday when I knew this wasn't going to be one of those OMG I love running and racing so much days I didn't quit. I thought for maybe 30 seconds about how much I just wanted to walk but those thoughts were chased away. Instead my mind was filled with thoughts like "looks like I'm going to suffer for the next 6-7 miles." 

Mile 5: 8:28 <- water stop
Mile 6: 8:02

When mile 4 came I tried to drop my pace but I just didn't have the energy to go harder. Instead I just ran hard. I remember thinking around mile 6 "how can I be this tired and it's only mile 6? I don't think I can hold this pace for the rest of the race, I'm really hurting. I guess I'll just keep running until I can't run anymore. If I crash and burn I'll deal with that later. Just go hard right now."

Miles 8-9 consisted of an out an back and an annoyingly long bridge which was both in direct sunlight and open to the wind we were getting. I was already SO hot during this race despite being one of the only people wearing shorts so running with no shade was destroying what little motivation I had. Something happened on that bridge though. I have never wanted to be done running more than when I was on that bridge (okay maybe during miles 18-20 during the Harrisburg Marathon) but instead of easing up I pushed harder. I picked off each person in front of me one by one, grimacing in pain with each step I took.

Mile 7: 8:33
Mile 8: 8:36

It was on the way back on the bridge that I realized how close I was to finishing. Less than twenty minutes til I'm done? I can do this! Run for your life! And so I did. The winds were so strong that I was being blown diagonally as I ran but I kept going. I have given up so many times before that I surprised myself by how strong I was mentally. I was not happy by any means but by continuing to push myself so hard the entire time I proved to myself that I can run strong even when I feel like shit.

Mile 9: 7:58
Mile 10: 8:16

The last mile of this race was a sufferfest. I'm pretty sure I ran the majority of this mile with my eyes closed, just visualizing myself crossing the finish line. With maybe a half mile to go you run across another bridge that is a bit shorter than the bridge previously crossed. At the Harrisburg Marathon the finish line is right after you cross the finish line so when I was nearing the end of the bridge and there was no finish line in sight I started to get angry. Then we ran past the finish line around City Island for the final quarter mile.

You're lucky I didn't zoom in. This is a rough picture

I tried to run until I had no more in me and when I finally crossed the finish line I stumbled around, practically falling over. For a few minutes I didn't have the energy to walk over to the table with water and Gatorade. I tried to stretch my legs out since I could feel my calves tightening up even more.

Time: 1:23:46
Avg pace: 8:22

Two days post race day I'm torn about how I feel about this race. I really didn't like the majority of the course and was deterred by how rough I felt physically. At the same time I proved to myself how strong I can be both mentally and physically. It was not the confidence boosting race I was hoping for in these last few weeks before my half marathon but it could have gone much worse. I taught myself how to push through pain that I normally would not have, and not to mention ran this race more than one minute per mile faster than the half marathon I ran last March.

Question, do you race with music?
I've been doing most of my long runs and hard runs with music and was planning on listening to music during this race before my headphones broke. In the past I haven't raced with music but am now considering it since I like it so much during hard runs.

I'm Running A Race This Weekend

First off, how the heck is it April?! This year has been flying by. April welcomed us with warmer temps and plenty of sunshine, which must mean that spring decided to show up. Don't get me wrong, I loved having off last week for snow but I'm ready for shorts weather.

In order to celebrate spring's late arrival I will be running a race this weekend. Last year I did my first race in the middle of March so it feels a little weird to have not donned a bib yet. Part of me wishes I had raced either the B&A Trail Half Marathon or Rock N' Roll USA but another part of me is glad I didn't worry about doing a race too soon. I was insanely jealous of all the people sporting shiny new PR's after St. Patty's Day weekend but I actually enjoyed relaxing and just focusing on training. Can you tell I'm a very indecisive person?

The course goes right along the river

I'm really glad that it is finally my time to show up at a starting line ready to run fast. I've had some ups and downs with my training for the overall consensus is that things are going great. I've never raced a 10 miler before so I have nothing to compare it to but regardless I'm excited to see what I can do with all of that training under my belt.

I'm also using this race as a dress rehearsal for my upcoming half marathon later in April. I know the temperature will be slightly different and the start times are a bit different but I want to practice everything so I know what works and what doesn't. I've been using my long runs each week to also do this but I think actually practicing in a race setting is just different.

Harrisburg Marathon

Even though I'm not the fastest runner, I absolutely love racing. I know that all of the race excitement will carry through to my training in these last few weeks before the Nike Women's Half Marathon. This race is also at the same place that I ran my first marathon at and will run along the same course. Although my first marathon was not the experience I wanted it to be I am actually really excited to be returning to the scene of the crime for a little redemption.

Who else is racing this weekend? 

RNR Philadelphia Half Marathon Race Goals

I haven't mentioned too much that I am racing the Rock N' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon this weekend, probably because I am training primarily for the New York City Marathon in November. I signed up to run Philly back in November when Competitor had some really good deal going on but haven't thought about it too much since then. But now that the race is 3 (!!!) days away it is time to start getting into race mode and thinking about my goals for this race.

Since I haven't been specifically training for this race I am not exactly sure where I will be time wise. The 15K I ran a month ago predicted that I should run a a 2:11 half. The course for the 15K was really hilly, though, while the course in Philadelphia is notoriously flat and fast. My long runs have been between 9:47-10:07 pace which according to the McMillan calculator means I could run anywhere from a 2:05-1:53. While I doubt I could run a 1:53 I have been doing runs that include a few miles at a half marathon goal pace of 9:00, which would equal a sub-2:00 half. During my 12 mile run the other week I did the middle 6 miles between 9:05-8:36 and was pleasantly surprised that that pace didn't feel too terribly hard. A challenge, yes, unrealistic, no way.

A Goal Sub 2:00
I think an A goal should be your reach goal if everything goes right on race day. I have been having some issues with my right quad/groin/hip flexor that could potentially screw some things up for me come race day. If I am feeling good though, I think I have a sub-2:00 in me. I'm not going to get all upset if this doesn't happen, though, because I realize that it is a reach goal.

B Goal 2:05-2:10
This is more where I think I will finish. This time doesn't scare the shit out of me like running sub-2 does. Again, a lot will have to go right for this to happen, but primarily my leg. If my leg is hurting I am not going to push it and just see what happens.

C Goal 2:15
I didn't even want to include a C goal but only did because of my leg. I know I am capable of running much faster than a 2:15 but anything can happen on race day.

D Goal PR
I should be able to easily smash my PR even with a bum leg. This might sound stuck up but I think I have a right to be upset if I run slower than a 2:21 given how hard I have trained and how little I trained to run that 2:21.

Truly enjoy the race & soak up every moment
Besides time goals, I want to focus on really enjoying this race and setting goals that I can control. Even though races may take a few hours it is easy for the race to be over before you know it. It is even easier to stop paying attention to things when the race gets tough & your body gets tired. I want to look back at this race and remember how much I enjoyed myself throughout the whole thing.

Practice fueling
I have really not done that many long runs where I needed to take a gel, and even fewer hard long runs that require a gel. I have never taken a gel during a half marathon so I want to see how my stomach handles it. I took one on the bike leg of the Keystone State Sprint Triathlon a few weeks ago and had no trouble on the run though.

Leg permitting, walk only at aid stations
Walking during races is fine for some people but not for me. If I allow myself to start walking because things get hard then I will always allow myself to quit when the going gets tough. I do walk aid stations though to give my legs a quick break and because I have not mastered drinking out of a cup and running.

It's Race Week Again

Despite all of the training I have been doing it is hard to believe that I have a race this weekend. I am still unsure if I am doing the Olympic or sprint distance so I have been training for both. I would definitely prefer to do the sprint though because the bike course is insanely hilly. Regardless of the hills I am much less anxious about this triathlon. Going into my first one I didn't know what to expect and wanted to see all my hours of training pay off. This time though I am also training for a marathon which is my A race for the year.

This week is shaping up to be perhaps my busiest so I am glad that this is not a super important race for me. My goal for both this week and my race is to have fun and celebrate the end of summer. I don't want to put a lot of pressure on myself and take away from everything I have going on this week.

The beautiful race site

That doesn't mean I am not transitioning into race mode though. I am increasing my sleep, especially in the beginning of the week before everything starts, eating extra carefully, and making sure every workout has a purpose. I am not tapering for this race but I am going to take the end of the week easy so my legs feel fresh come race day.

I am hoping to use this race to gain experience and learn more about the sport of triathlon. I still know so little and want to take advantage of this race so I can enter next season stronger and wiser. Hopefully it won't be as hot and I can put up some decent times too.

Rock N' Roll USA Half Marathon Race Report

First off I just want to say how amazing yesterday was. It was a tough day but also a great one. I woke up at 5:15, which is pretty early for a college student who start class at 10 every morning. I was pretty tired when I woke up but I was also really excited. I made two frozen waffles and a small bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and had a little bit of water to wash it all down. After eating I got dressed, grabbed all of my gear, and hit the road with my dad. We left my apartment around 5:50 and made it to the metro station by 6:30. We bought our metro tickets Friday when we went down to the expo and I have to say that was such a good move. The lines to buy tickets were all so long. I stopped at the bathroom at the metro and by 6:40 we were on the metro heading into DC.

There was so many people at the metro stop in DC that it took us about 15 minutes to just leave the building. Luckily the DC Armory is right next to the metro stop so that didn't slow us down too much. Friday night I was reading race reports from people who ran the race last year ans saw that the Armory was open on Saturday morning so I headed straight for the Armory to get in line for the bathroom and warm up a little bit. The line for the bathroom was pretty long, definitely longer than the lines for the porta-potties, but I will take a longer line and clean bathroom any day. While I was waiting in line I put my bib on when I discovered that I only had three safety pins. I started freaking out but luckily gear check had a bunch of extra pins. After that debacle I headed over to my corral right around 7:50. Little did I know that I wouldn't end up even crossing the start line until 8:45.

While I was waiting in my corral I realized I had to go to the bathroom again but I didn't think I would have enough time so I decided to just hope it would go away. Bad decision, I know. After waiting around for 40 minutes it was finally time for my corral to start. Before I knew it I was crossing the finish line and starting half marathon number two! I didn't really have a goal or plan for the race but in general I wanted to take it out pretty slowly and then try to pick it up later in the race. My first mile ended up being my slowest! I was happy to be running but those first few miles felt terrible. I just felt tired, heavy, and slow. I was a little worried about what this meant for the rest of the race but I kept telling myself to only focus on now.

this was my favorite view throughout the race

Even though I live in Baltimore, I have never been to DC so I was really enjoying the sights and just exploring a new city. Running is definitely my favorite way to check out new places. Around mile four, though, my stomach started hurting so badly I couldn't focus on anything except for where the nearest bathroom was. Around mile 5.5 I saw a runner dart into a Subway to use their bathroom so I did the same thing. I hated passing the on-course bathroom in the early miles and seeing such long lines. I needed to go to the bathroom but I didn't want 10-15 minutes added to my time because of waiting in line. Luckily I only added two minutes and five seconds to my time by stopping at Subway. Even though the stop added time, it was so worth it. I felt a million times better afterwards and I ran the entire rest of the race quicker because of it.

Not long after I stopped the hills began. There was one rather long climb but I was feeling so great from stopping that I powered up the entire hill! I felt so strong and ready to take on the rest of the race. But after that hill was more hills. I don't mind running hills but I was worried that the downhills would anger my IT Band like in Baltimore. Although I had a little bit of pain here or there it was nothing too bad. I saw my dad around mile 6.5 (I think) and I couldn't have been happier to see him. I wasn't expecting to see him along the course so that was a nice surprise that put a little pep in my step.

A few times during the last 5 miles of the race my legs would start to feel like dead weight. I was hoping to break 2:20 but with the bathroom stop I knew it would be close. I ended up giving my legs multiple pep talks throughout the race which actually seemed to really help. I am not sure why but the phrase summon the will to fight came to mind. I ended up repeating this phrase over and over in my head during the last few miles. I have always thought of myself as mentally weak when it comes to sports and pushing through pain but I proved to myself yesterday that I am a fighter.

During the last few miles of the race it started getting a lot warmer outside. I was looking for water everywhere and drinking 1-2 cups at each station. I had brought a water bottle with nuun in it as a backup but by this point it was pretty warm also. The last few miles are kind of a blur to me now honestly. I just remember my legs getting more and more tired and me pleading with them over and over to finish. We are almost done. I decided to try to pick up the pace as much as I could over the last mile and mile twelve was actually my fastest mile of the day! Once I only had about a quarter of a mile left I tried to sprint to the finish but this part was uphill and my legs wanted nothing to do with it. Once I could see the finish line I sprinted as best I could and raised my arms as I crossed the finish line.

My official time is 2:21:53. I was so happy to have set a PR, but I would have broken 2:20 if I didn't stop to go to the bathroom. My argument, though, is that if I hadn't stopped I would have run slower in general from the discomfort so it is nothing to get worked up about. After the race I grabbed all of the food that I could, found my dad and sat down and relaxed. I was surprised with how much better my legs felt compared to Baltimore. We stayed for a little after the race to watch Switchfoot perform and then headed back home. I am on spring break this week so he drove me back to our house in Pennsylvania. And because I was pretty tired last night, my boyfriend and I are celebrating St. Patty's day tonight!

Let's Do This!

Number 2!

Sleep, Sleep, Sleep

This has been such a rough week but thankfully all of my exams are finally over. I had my last two exams this morning and of course they were my two hardest ones also. I was up late last night and up early this morning studying so all I wanted to do when I came home was crash on the couch and take a nap.

Before I took my nap (which I did take!) I wanted to do some cleaning and get in a quick run. I knew if I was going to get anything productive done this afternoon it had to be done as soon as I got home.

After I finished cleaning I set out for a 2 mile super easy run. I wanted to do something short to loosen up my legs and that didn't require much effort or energy. The run felt pretty good and there were even times when my legs wanted to pick up the pace but I resisted. I want to save allll of my energy for the big day.

After my run I was planning on spending the afternoon relaxing and getting things ready for race day. Instead I ended up just falling asleep after taking a shower. I was pretty frustrated about sleeping all evening but I clearly needed to catch up on all of the sleep that I lost throughout the week.

The plan for the rest of the night is to just chill and go to sleep early. My nap earlier gave me a nice taste of sleep and now I can't wait for more. I have an early morning of classes tomorrow so getting to bed early tonight is crucial.

On tap for tomorrow:
-trekking into DC for the expo
-carb loading
-hydration, hydration, hydration
-foam rolling
-stretching
-laying everything out for race day

Race Week Is Here!

Saturday March 17 is the Rock N' Roll USA Half Marathon, which means it is race week! I always get so nervous in the week leading up to a race but it is the good kind of nervous. Everything that I have been thinking about lately is related to this race. And even though my training really got derailed when I got sick, I can't stop smiling to myself because I am so excited.

The one thing that I am not so excited for is the weather. I am used to running in the 40's and 50's, not the 70's. I love this warmer weather we have been having but the forecast is calling for warmer temps than the Baltimore Half Marathon back in October.

DETAILS

TonightMar 11	Mon12	Tue13	Wed14	Thu15	Fri16	Sat17	Sun18	Mon19	Tue20

Partly Cloudy	Mostly Cloudy	Isolated T-Storms	Sunny	Mostly Sunny	Partly Cloudy	Few Showers	Few Showers	Mostly Sunny	AM Clouds / PM Sun
--High	70°	79°	75°	77°	74°	74°	72°	71°	75°
44°Low	55°	53°	51°	55°	59°	57°	54°	53°	51°

EXPAND GRAPH

With temps so warm a little rain might be nice! I have been checking the weather approximately 30 times a day and have seen the forecast change 3-4 times already since yesterday. Hopefully it will cool down a little for race day.

This is going to be one heck of a week since it is also midterm week at UMBC. Thank goodness I don't have any exams on Friday, but I still have some major studying to do through Thursday. I have been trying to get as much done in advance as I can so that this week will be as stress free as possible.

On the agenda:

• picking out a race outfit
• grocery shopping for some healthy eats
• cleaning my apartment
• going to the expo
• studying my butt off

The week before a race is always difficult for me because I always worry that I didn't do enough. The problem is, I KNOW I didn't do enough for this race. My training for this race has been very similar to my training for Baltimore so I know I can finish the race, I just wish I was more prepared. At the same time though, I am really excited. I love race week! This anxious feeling I get the week before a big race is one that I will always cherish.

My goal for this week is to enjoy this excitement and try to do the little things right. Go to sleep early, eat healthy foods, stretch, foam roll, and hydrate like a beast. Even if I am not as prepared as I should be, I can do everything else right. It counts for something.

How do you prepare for a race? What does the week before a race look like for you? Any tips?