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 :)

Challenge Yourself

RACES!!!

If there's one thing I've learned in the last two years it's that I LOVE TO RACE! I'm never going to be a world beater but I love to challenge myself and to have the opportunity to run with others. However as you will probably know from my rantings on here, between the injury I picked up early in the year and the surgery I had a couple of months ago, training and racing has been impossible.

If I'm honest I really wanted to run the Bridlington half marathon again. Unfortunately it's on the 21st October which is less than 4 weeks away and I'm just not on form for the distance. However much I'd love to run it, I'm worried that I could injure myself by pushing up the distance training too quickly.

I was feeling a bit down about the whole thing until I looked online and found that there are LOADS of races in Yorkshire over the next couple of months

Here are some that I get to chose from....

Sutton Park 10k

Bramham Park 10k

Pickering and Moors 10k

Wistow 10k

Boroughbridge 10 mile

Harewood Trail 10mile

Guy Fawkes 10mile

Dalby Dash 10k

Leeds Abbey 10k

So with all those options in mind, I've decided that this should be my season of 10k-ers and 10 milers including some mixed terrain races. Several of them have the option to register on the day which is great, though I do plan to sign up for a couple in advance just to make sure I have the focus that an impending race gives me. For some reason I fancy the Dolby Dash even though I've heard it's a monster with a HUGE hill to start off. I think I should give that one a bit more consideration before signing up :D

oh yeah... and how could I forget the Skipton Santa run to finish them all off :)

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!

The Gusher Marathon

I can't believe how quickly this week is flying!... the race was on Saturday and it's now Tuesday, but between travelling, recovery, day to day life and not feeling well, somehow time has got away with me.

I set off on Friday afternoon, packed up with all my essentials (several clothing options, sport beans, forgoodness shakes, puppies and Paul) and headed to Beaumont. 

It couldn't have been a worse evening to travel, the rain was pouring like crazy. Once we got to Beaumont we had to go to the supermarket to pick up some things I needed for dinner and breakfast, and we also needed to go to packet pickup in the city centre for my race number and timing chip. 

I have never got so wet running in and out of buildings and I was starting to get nervous about the forecast for Saturday morning.  I had been checking weather underground all week and storms had been forecast until the last minute.

Somehow, despite this forecast, a little miracle happened and Saturday was clear all day 

As expected I got a rubbish night sleep on Friday as I was full of nerves, excitement and anticipation. I got up at 5 to get some breakfast and we got there just in enough time for a photo of me looking nervous and to get to the start.

The first loop was great as there were plenty of people to run and pace with and lots of supporters along the route. I finished the first half in 2.03.31 then started on the loneliest 13.1 miles of my running life so far! 

Initially I was feeling strong after the first half as I headed out onto the MLK freeway. It's such a long stretch and the wind was picking up which started making life a little more difficult. When I got into the town centre it was so much quieter than the first loop. Many of the supporters had called it a day as it wasn't worth hanging around for the more occasional marathon runners. Local businesses were closed because the roads were closed so it was dead as a dodo! I had a few guys behind me and a couple up ahead but there were definitely not crowds of runners encouraging you to push along. That's where the mind games began. The urge to walk was overwhelming sometimes and the pain in my quads started to wear me down.

Running back up the long stretch of MLK (somehow into the wind again!) was the hardest part for me. I had never run over 20 miles so this stretch was pushing me physically and mentally. On the positive side, running down the middle of 6 lanes of motorway all to yourself is pretty awesome!

The run up to this marathon had been far from perfect. I had been sick for the 2 weeks prior to the race, worst of all that I was so ill I didn't eat a thing on Monday or Tuesday. I spent the rest of the week trying to get some food in me and make an attempt at carb loading. I was still struggling with pain on the day of the race and had to make a couple of stops but I was determined not to give in... I had trained for too long to not finish the race!
Somehow I surprised myself and finished in a gun time of 4.26.09 and chip time of 4.25.40. I was 4th in my age group which I'm so pleased with considering it was my first marathon... then I realised if I had been just a couple of months older I would have been 1st in my age group... FIRST!!!! HOW AWESOME IS THAT??!!

I'm so pleased to have run a full 26.2 miles and feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment. I trained hard for this and know that it paid off. My legs hate me right now... I couldn't get up the steps to the house which was just silly... followed by cuddling the dog on the floor and getting stuck down there, which was even sillier!

However today I'm starting to move a little better and I don't regret it for a moment... it was totally worth the aches and pains!

Between you and me I'm already planning my next one....

The Key

People often talk about 'THE KEY' ... 

...the key to success

the key to happiness.... 

Well.... this is my key.....

 We found this in a quirky little shop yesterday and I knew it was just what I'd been looking for...

For some time I've been wondering what to do with my race medals

I don't feel like I need them on show to everyone (they're not Olympic medals or anything flashy like that!) but I wanted them somewhere I would see them

Amongst other things, race medals remind me of the achievements and great memories of each race I've run

This key and the medals it holds signify many things that running has unlocked in my life...

my ability to overcome challenges and my determination and commitment to training.

Running has opened doors for me and introduced new friendships.

These little mementos inspire me in many aspects of my day to day life as well as in training and races

This will be a daily reminder of what I'm capable of and how strong I can be

Battling my Brain

Running hasn't always been easy for me. I only started a couple of years ago and the initial difficulties were in the physical pain, from injured knees to general fitness issues that manifested in aching limbs and fiery lungs. However I persevered and grew stronger physically and since then my regular training runs have been (fairly) easy... until now.

For a long time running was the thing that helped me deal with challenges and gave me time to think. But right now everything is going my way in life and I'm happy....
....and for some reason this seems to be making my running more difficult. I have nothing to fight though, nothing is making me so angry that I need to sprint through it and conquer my mind with burning lungs and heavy legs. On long runs I used to plan things and think through conversations and strategies. I'd think about friendships that were in turmoil and go through my options of saving them or letting them go. Basically the reason I started running was that I had a lot to think about.

I'm thankful that my life has settled down a lot since then, but it left my head with a lot less to contemplate. During that time the 2011 challenge became part of my mentality, something to strive towards and focus on. As a result my weekly running target was always a set total but I could regularly do more, and that in itself was a positive influence on my life.
This year however I'm in marathon training and I've never done anything like it. The requirements of the plan I chose are steep to say the least and, although I don't think I chose a particularly difficult plan, the km/week requirement makes my 2011 challenge seem like a walk in the park! Not being able to keep up with the plan in itself is having a negative affect on my mindset.
Then there's the 'Long Slow Run'..... Oh my word!!!

The long slow run has increased through the course of my training, however as it turns out, it's not the distance that's doing me in right now. I started off my LSRs in the company of the Sweatshop running club on a Sunday morning by running to them, with them, and then back home to make up the distance I needed. Then I started running with Lou who is a great running partner! She runs long distance, naturally on a negative split (which is awesome), and is great company all the way. But now, here I am in hilly Texas which feels like a million miles away from Lou and our random adventures along the flat city streets, muddy riverside trails and the York-Selby cycle path.

The long run is becoming a nemesis that has started to get the better me. Without the company of fellow runners it is becoming increasingly difficult, especially as (in order to stay safe) my route is either 2 or 3 loops of the same road, and the same big hills again and again. I seem to be talking myself out of everything and losing confidence, often within the first few miles and it's as if the foundations I've built aren't even there right now.
However part of me understands that these runs are supposed to challenge me, and no-one ever said this was going to be easy! On the day I'm hoping that the race environment will keep me going and that I'll be distracted by other runners and spectators, but I need to be ready to run the distance alone. These training runs are designed to prepare me. They will challenge me to be strong both physically and mentally, and to be able to do the distance without encouragement from spectators, friends or family.
The challenge now is both to be strong, and to grow stronger...

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!

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!