Throwing Caution To The Wind (Beaumont Half Marathon Race Summary)

Saturday was RACE DAY!!

From the moment I started packing my case on Friday I was a big bundle of nervous energy! I didn't know if I was excited, afraid, nervous or just plain scared of getting injured again (my last venture into a half marathon race ended up in serious injury and a lot of hopping). I also had no idea what time I was going to aim for and was feeling a bit lost. Even though I didn't want to put time pressure on myself I still thought I should have a rough idea of pace as a target.

I LOVE the marathon/half marathon in Beaumont, TX. It's small enough so that it's not a crowded race and they don't have to start you in corals but it's exceptionally well organised with an abundance of water stations along the way. I set off tucked in behind the 2 hour pacer as I knew that was a pace I'm usually comfortable with - not too fast, not too slow. Conditions were good (except for the mean head wind in the second half!) so I figured I could run with them for a while and see how I felt and could always drop back if I didn't feel good.

As it happened the pace felt great. However the group fell slightly off pace a few miles in and about the same time that they picked up the pace to catch up, I had to stop due to pain in the knee that I have IT band problems with. Luckily just adjusting my knee brace and doing a few stretches was enough to make me feel like I could carry on without discomfort. From that point on I mostly ran alone with a couple of stops to stretch out my knee when it started to ache. I had no idea how I was doing other than that I could see the 2 hour group not too far in the distance and wasn't caught up by the 2.10 group.

Source

Somehow I still had a sprint in me at the end and my final Garmin time was 2 hours and 3 minutes. I'm really happy with how the race went. I'm a bit like the tin man today (left knee pain and right hip pain are not a good combination!) but I'm feeling pretty proud of myself! I raised over $2000 for MND/ALS charities, got over my fear of half marathon related injury and proved to myself that I've bounced back after the illness and operations I had at the end of 2013.

If anything it's got me thinking... if I can do a 2.03 untrained.... what time can I get if I can keep healthy for a full training plan??!! Watch this space: I have a feeling I'm going to feel the need to find out!

Race Worries

I've been running for a few years and have run several half marathons and a full marathon. I usually train according to my plan and stand at the start line feeling quietly confident that my training will get me through the race comfortably and in the time I'd prepared for, if not a little quicker.

This is not the case for Saturday! I know that I can do the distance but I have no idea how to pace myself. I usually run with a Garmin and a virtual partner set to my target race time but if I don't know my target how do I approach the race? So I'd like your opinion....

Do I run with my Garmin and virtual partner? If I do, how can I determine my VP time if I'm not even sure myself?!

Do I run with a pace group and no Garmin, with the option to drop back to a slower group if I'm having a tough time?

Do I run with no Garmin at all and just enjoy the race whatever the pace?

Please leave any comments below... I need your help!!

A Change Of Plan (Twice)

When I got the all clear from my surgeon that I could run again, I immediately decided that I wanted to run the Beaumont half marathon on 8th March. I really wanted to do it not just because it would be a good sign that I was all better, but also because I LOVE that race! I did the half marathon in 2011 and full marathon there in 2012. I would've run it last year but I wasn't in the USA at the time.

I launched into a half marathon training plan, being careful to increase mileage carefully to avoid injury. However I'm a bit all or nothing and if I was going to race, I wanted to do the best I could. Unfortunately it seemed to be too much too soon as I kept getting run down and suffering from cold after cold. I comfortably ran 10.5 miles about 3 weeks ago but decided after that run that I wasn't going to race in March and that I should go back to just running two or three times a week without the pressure of performance and keeping up to a plan.

Last week I received some very sad news. My Godmother who has been fighting Motor Neurone Disease (Lou Gehrig's Disease) passed away. She was the reason that I was inspired to run 2011 in 2011, my first half marathon and full marathon for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and York Against MND. With news or her passing my heart told me I should run again in her memory and try to raise money for the charities that are trying to find a cure for this terrible disease.

So watch this space.. I'm signing up and will appreciate any support you can give. I don't plan on going back into the full training plan, I'm just focussing on staying healthy and running shorter runs. I'm looking forward to running a race without the usual pressures that I put on myself to perform :)

At Least Two Halves Crazy!

I totally surprised myself last weekend and somehow ended up on another 13.1 mile run to add to my half crazy challenge to run 13 half marathons in 2013.

I was surprised mainly because I headed over to Lou's for a trail run that she estimated would be 'about 10 miles'. I should've known better because the two of us rarely manage a run without some sort of adventure. This week's 'adventure' included gale force winds, big hills, flooded roads (bbrrr snow melt water = cold toes) and getting (very) lost.
Our 'about 10 mile' run turned out to be 14.5 (ouch!)

Don't get me wrong, we get a bit lost quite often but it rarely takes us 4 AND A HALF MILES away from our intended route! Believe it or not we weren't actually lost in the photo above... we were just having a look at the trail we were going to run which unfortunately had disappeared under several feet of flood water!

This shows you what we were up against on a fairly regular basis....  Just as your feet were warming up from the last paddle, you'd be faced with another one! Then there was the wind; rough does not even come close to explaining the two steps forward three steps back feeling we had. And how is it never behind you??

I can't believe after the fairly challenging runs I've been encountering recently that I'd have another hard one so soon. I'm happy that I kept with it though (not that I had much choice.. I had to get back to my car) ;). Surely I must be due an easy one soon, but if not, I hope all these experiences might prepare me well for races in the future!

At Least One Half Crazy!

It's taken my almost a week to post this update but I've got here finally! Last Sunday I did my first 13.1 mile run of the year as part of my Half Crazy challenge to run 13 half marathons in 2013.

I hadn't originally planned to go that far for two reasons: Firstly it's been snowing making conditions a bit tricky and secondly I was wearing my Cascadias for the first time so thought a shorter run might be wise while I get used to them. But it's hard to stop me and Lou from getting giddy so 13.1 it was! We set off on the trails to make the most of the pretty scenery. It was a great route over open fields, through woods, over little bridges, past frozen lakes and by rushing water. Thank goodness for my trail shoes as I have no doubt I'd have fallen on my arse in my adrenalines!

Despite the gorgeous and varied scenery, it was by far the hardest 13 miles I've run in a long time! I think the churned up mud that had frozen and then been covered in snow made such an unstable footing that I was constantly fighting to keep my balance and not go over on my ankles. Add into that a few hills and hey presto... ouch!

It was totally worth the effort though and I'm happy that Lou and I could keep each other going and encourage each other to do the full 13.1, especially when there was a short cut that would have got us home in 10!

We made sure we rewarded our efforts with a hot cup of tea and some cake afterwards along with cuddles from all of these sweet puppies!! And who can resist puppy cuddles?!

Especially 5 week old puppies... 

All in all it can't have been that terrible as I've arranged to run with her again in the morning! Wish me luck!!

I'm Only Half Crazy...

Thanks to Heather at Diary Of A Running Mom I've signed up to another challenge!

To be honest I really wanted to do something like 12 half marathons in 2012 but I never signed up because I wanted to go without any pressure to run for a bit after doing the 2011 in 2011 challenge. (It's a good job I didn't as between my ITBand injury and (unrelated) surgeries I wouldn't have been able to do it).

However it's a New Year and I'm feeling pretty good again. There are two reasons that I didn't announce that I'd run 13 races on the 1st January...

1. I wasn't sure that I could afford 13 half marathons in a year. 
2. I don't know if I could sign up for 13 races because I don't know when I'm going to be in England or Texas so making plans and signing up for races is difficult

This challenge sounds great to me as Heather is keeping it pretty informal and more achievable. The only deal is that you must run 13 half marathons in the year. Here are her rules:

• You must run 13 half marathons in the year 2013. They don't all have to be official races. These could be training runs too (that can be an run 13.1 or over). We know that races get expensive
• Keep track of your races/runs and times. Email Heather them at the 1st of each month (heather.m.winkler@gmail.com). She'll post them along and link to your blog/race recap. If you don't have a blog that's fine too!
• Post a link to her blog on your blog. She'll post links to bloggers who are participating
• Have fun and at the end of the year you'll get some type of award - or at least bragging rights!

How do you enter?

Leave a comment on Heather's post with a link to your blog. That's it! Happy halves everyone!!

Musical Memories

While I was writing my last blog I was reading though it to make sure it all made sense but the news was on in the background stopping me from concentrating. I used to always listen to music when studying as it helps me focus on what I'm doing, so I plugged in my ipod.
The first song to come on was the one I listened to at the start of Sunday's race and it brought back such strong emotions and vivid images to mind
I love how music can hold such powerful memories and make you feel emotion days, months and even years after an event. There are a couple of Cranberries songs that I can't hear without seeing Swiss mountains from a holiday I went on with my family as a teenager. But I don't just see a mountain, I can see the exact car we were in and everything around me (including my old CD player.. if only we had iPods back then!) and I'm gazing out of the windows at the beautiful towering mountains around us. I remember how overwhelmed I was by the beauty of what I was seeing and still feel that emotion when I listen to those songs.

There are a lot of songs that remind me of running and training as I ran with my ipod on for much of my 2011 challenge. However this year I started picking a new song out for each race. I've chosen songs that I don't really listen to before the event and then play it at the start of the race. Now, I'm a big rock girl and poppy-pop songs usually drive me crazy, which is why I'm really surprised when I look at my choice of songs for the 3 races so far this year as they're all quite girly!!

Galveston: Set Fire to the Rain by Adele Like I said, not usually my style but it's a really powerful energising song and makes me feel like I can tackle anything!

Gusher Marathon: Who You Are by Jessie J Now, seriously Shona... Jessie J? Really? I can honestly say I can't cope with one other thing she's sung. But this song about being true to who you are just fitted with how I've learned to be happy in myself in the last couple of years and how I was following my dreams to run a marathon

Rock N Roll Dallas: Shake It Out by Florence & The Machine This is another great energising song. It is one of those that makes me feel strong (This is the song that came on when I was writing my last blog post and reminded me of the race). All I can see in my head is the clear blue sky from Sunday morning and the beautiful skyline of Dallas as I started the race with thousands of people around me.

I think that all three songs have always stirred positive emotions in me even before I associated my races to them. As far as running goes, none of them are too quick and that reminded me to set off with a steady pace and grow through my race. Also they're not the sort of thing I listen to day to day, which is perfect as I'm more likely to put them on when I'm wanting to relax and now they make me think really positive thoughts. When I listen to them great images pop into my mind and remind me of some of my biggest achievements, and if my Swiss memories are anything to go by they will do for many years to come....

Rock 'N' Roll Dallas Half Marathon

Despite it only being 2 weeks since the marathon, I had another race yesterday! I've not been able to put in a lot of training as my muscles were fatigued but I did get a few 4-5k runs in just to loosen up. I knew that I had trained hard for the marathon so was not too worried about cramming in miles and focussed more on recovery. By the end of last week I was feeling good and was confident I'd be ok to run the race. I really wanted to run one of the Rock n Roll series and it was a good excuse to go to Dallas for a long weekend so I was excited about the trip
We set off on Friday with a car full of puppies, bikes and supplies... again! Luckily Paul's sister lives in Dallas and was kind enough to let us stay at her house for the weekend

On Saturday we went to race expo to pick up my packet and number. It was great to get to look around the exhibition with all the gadgets, clothes, nutrition and latest in running technology... a dream for a running geek like me plus lots of freebies! We spent a while at the expo before spending the rest of the day sightseeing and relaxing.

It was only when we were getting a map of the city and advice on where to park that it hit me how early we were going to have to be up for the race. It didn't start until 8am (which isn't early compared to some) but unlike every other race I've been in, the start line wasn't at the same place as the finish. We would have to make our way to the finish line at Fair Park, which is about 40 minutes drive from Josie's house, then get a shuttle bus to the start line in downtown Dallas. 'No problem' you might think... until you add another 14000 people who plan to do exactly the same thing! We were advised to arrive at Fair Park at about 6am as they reckoned after that traffic would be really bad and there'd be queues for the shuttle. I got up at 4am. 4AM!!! so that I could eat and be ready to leave at 5. The traffic wasn't as bad as we'd expected and we got there a little before 6... but even then there was a steady stream of people making their way to the bus. I was thankful we'd been early as by the time I got on the bus at about 6.15 we set off to see that the roads into the fairground were ridiculously busy and the queues were huge.

Downtown Dallas before the start was beautiful. I sat on a step watching the sun rise at 7am as the crowds built around me. I wish I had my phone with me to take some photos as it was so pretty but I didn't want to run with it so hadn't taken it with me to the start line. As soon as the sun come up the chill was out of the air and I could tell it was going to be another great day (I was really thankful at that point that I'd remembered to put sun block on before I left the house!)

The start line was right by a beautiful area called Pioneer Plaza where I'd visited while sightseeing on Saturday. Unfortunately watching the world go by on a step near a line of bright blue portaloos was probably the highlight of my morning... well almost. I got off to a great start... there's nothing quite like being in the middle of a crowd full of people racing to make you feel good. I was feeling comfortable and relaxed even though I was running at a decent pace, reaching the 10k mark in 54 minutes. If I'd been able to carry on at that pace I would have been close to a personal best.
So far so good eh? However just as I was reaching 10k something started to go wrong with my left knee. Soon after that the pain was getting worse and I had to do something I've never done in a half marathon... I had to walk. Not only did I have to walk, I was having to stop, so when I saw the medic tent at around 13k I asked them for help. They taped above and below my knee pretty tight and I hopped along for a while longer. I was still struggling and kept having to stop because of the pain from moving but that would just make it hurt more. I was offered a lift to the finish line from police officers who could see I was hurt but I was determined not to quit. I stopped at another medic tent and got my knee fully bandaged to see if that worked better. I also iced it for a few minutes before setting off again.
I was finding the race incredibly difficult but people are awesome! Spectators and other racers made me smile so much with their encouragement and support. Also a couple of runners stopped or slowed to check on me which was so thoughtful when I know they had their own goals to focus on. Having a band every mile around the course didn't have as much of an affect on the race as I thought it would as you can only hear them for a minute or two before you pass but it was still great to hear some live music! It was also great to see some more of Dallas, although I think I would have taken more in if I'd not been so focussed on my knee.
Somehow my stubborness prevailed (I knew it would be a good thing one of these days!!)... I was not going to give up however much my knee hurt so I managed to get a bit of a walk/hop going and got myself through the last few miles and over the finish line! The medics once again grabbed hold of me and took me in to wrap ice around my knee before I could collect my medal and find Paul.

There was live music at the finish line and just thousands of runners and supporters just enjoying the day which was awesome. I was so disappointed with how my race had gone, I had to take some time and console myself with a free beer and ice-cream before feeling well enough for a photo.
I'm not going to lie, this race sucked for me. I have never felt like crying during a race before but yesterday I really could have! Not even at my lowest part of the marathon did I feel anywhere near that bad.
My ambitious side felt like I'd really let myself and others down but now I'm getting over the initial disappointment I'm realising that perhaps I haven't. The difference is that instead of being proud of an awesome finish time, I should be proud that, despite everything, I didn't quit!

I always thought my marathon medal would be the one to remind me that I'm stronger and tougher than I give myself credit for... but in reality I think it's going to be this one!

Galveston Half Marathon

Sunday was the day of my first race of 2012.... the Galveston Mardi Gras Marathon and Half Marathon. I ran the half in preparation for my marathon next month, although I'd seriously considered signing up for the marathon as I knew it would be a really flat course and quite scenic along the beach front.... I'm so glad I didn't as it couldn't have been a worse day for it! I've never been in Galveston in the winter and hadn't expected such English weather!

Cold, wet and windy does not even begin to describe the weather on Sunday. Sheltering in the truck before the race Paul pointed out that the palm trees looked as though a hurricane was coming! This is the weather map that I looked at in the morning... if you look very closely you can see Galveston Island and this whole weather system (green being rain, yellow being bad rain and red being torrential rain) was moving slowly in a North Easterly direction fighting against a windy cool front moving down from the North... therefore staying over the island the whole morning and on into the afternoon. The one thing I am thankful for is that it didn't start to thunder and lightning like the day before. I don't know what I'd have done if it did because lightning scares me silly plus it was so open, especially at the most northerly part of the course. 

I'm not sure that the rain was the worst of it! I don't ever run with a hat on but the race organisers luckily gave us a cap in our pre-race goodybag.... I decided to wear it to shelter my face from the driving rain and was glad I did as I hate having rain wash out my contact lenses. The worst thing I had to deal with was the wind which was blowing directly at us for what felt like 80% of the race

The race itself was awesome. I have no doubt that it's one of the flattest courses I will ever run, it was also one of the straightest, right along the Seawall Boulevard from one end to the other (hence the problem having to fight that headwind all the way along the front).

Click here to see video of the start of the race (I'm about 1 minute 41)
I had my Garmin Virtual Partner set on my watch to 5.25/km. This is basically the pace at which I ran my last half marathon, so if I wanted to beat my personal best I would need to run at that pace or quicker throughout the race. I had a plan to run a steady first half and strong, fast second half though the wind was making that pretty impossible. I felt like I was spending twice as much energy along the straight than I would usually spend running along a flat length of road. I wasn't sure I'd benefit from a tail wind at any point as the return length was shorter and sheltered in the main streets so I was determined not to drop my pace.

Here's my lap times and, despite my struggles, I think I just about managed to stick with my pace plan and speed up over the last few km. It wasn't the 'start steady, finish strong' that I'd imagined but wasn't bad considering the conditions

km 1: 5.22

km 2: 5.23

km 3: 5.17

km 4: 5.21

km 5: 5.25

km 6: 5.27

km 7: 5.28

km 8: 5.24

km 9: 5.22

km 10: 5.26

km 11: 5.24

km 12: 5.22

km 13: 5.31

km 14: 5.24

km 15: 5.16

km 16: 5.19

km 17: 5.14

km 18: 5.08

km 19: 5.07

km 20: 5.08

km 21: 4.51

click here to see video of my big finish!

Race Results

I finished 6th in my age group

147th out of 1014 half marathon runners

in a personal best time of 1:52:12 

Overall I had a great race and fantastic time in Galveston with Paul and the puppies. This experience just reminds me why I love to travel and love to race. I'm excited about the marathon next month so after a couple of rest days I'll be right back into my training plan. Wish me luck!

A very quick Galveston update...

It looks like it could be a very wet & stormy ferry ride over to Galveston Island on Saturday....

 Followed by a soggy race on Sunday morning!

I've never run a race in the rain before. I'm hoping the forecast is wrong but guess I'm going to have to be prepared for rain!

Why I run...

'When people ask me why I run, I tell them, 

there's not really a reason, 

it's just the adrenalin when you start, 

and the feeling when you cross that finish line, 

and to know that you are a winner no matter what place you got.'

Courtney Parsons

Galveston Mardi Gras Half Marathon

I'm REALLY excited about this weekend! My first half-marathon of the year is on Sunday in Galveston, Texas.
I'm starting to get that pre-race giddyness where I'm constantly thinking about what I'll need and what time I'm going to be able to run. I'm a little anxious though as my marathon training has really slowed down my pace so that I'm able to run 20 miles or more on a regular basis.
SOMEHOW (I really don't know how!) I managed to run my last half in Bridlington in 1:54:24 which is a 5.25/km (8.44/mile) pace. (EEK!!!!) I plan to set my Garmin Virtual Partner to that pace so that I'd know if I was heading anywhere near a PB, but I know that's a pretty tricky target for me right now.
Basically above all else I'm going to have fun and enjoy the race. My focus this year is the marathon on 10th March and I'd rather run this slower and be ready for it rather than going into the marathon unprepared.
Here's a copy of the race route, running right along Galveston beach front is going to be amazing as it's one of my favourite places to be!

We've had a little change of plan this evening as puppy-sitting was proving a bit tricky. We've changed our hotel reservations to a place that accepts dogs and we're going to take them with us!..YEY PUPPY ROAD TRIP!!
Plus that's going to free us up to attend a Super Bowl party on Sunday night... when in Rome and all that!