Tag: Race

A Long Time Coming

I ran my first half marathon two years ago at the RU Unite Half Marathon. Up to that point, I had run three 5k’s and a 4 mile race – that was it. Considering my newbie status, I finished with a respectable (for me) time of 2:02:15. From that point on, I went through a vicious cycle of injuries, keeping me from really “racing,” and touching that PR. I ran the Disney half in 2011 with shin splints in 2:03, had the second RU Unite get cut short to 9.55 miles due to flooding, and my only other half marathon up to this point was this past year’s Disney half which I ran as part of the Goofy Challenge.

So, when I signed up for my third attempt at the RU Unite Half this year, I wanted to PR. With the training cycle I had, I knew it was possible. Most of my runs had been just around the 8 minute/mile pace, and I figured that unless I broke a bone, I was likely able to get in under 2:02 – I mean, that was my FIRST half marathon time!

The race started just as they all do; me whining as I choked down half a peanut butter sandwich and worrying I didn’t spend enough time in the bathroom. Our timing was perfect this year, as we were able to get to the start, check our bag, take a trip to the port-o-potties, and wait only about 5 minutes in the corral before starting. I lined myself up just behind the 8 minute/mile pacers, and waved my husband off who planned to run closer to the 7 minute/mile pacers. The race was rather uneventful – I kept myself between 7:50 and 8:20 paces, varying depending on when I looked at my watch. The temperature was perfect, and the rain was able to hold off despite a menacing forecast.

When we hit the mile 10 marker, I realized that all I needed to do was keep a 10 minute/mile pace, and I’d finish at about 1:50, a solid 12 minute PR. Obviously I didn’t have any intention on slowing down, but a nice side cramp, similar to the one I experienced during the St. Paddys’ 10 miler decided to come out and play, forcing me to walk for a bit. This time, I listened to my body, walked for about 10-15 seconds to make sure I was comfortable, and then started running again. Thankfully the cramp didn’t return, and I was able to slowly pick up my pace over the course of the last 5k.

I crossed the finish with an official time of 1:47:43 – nearly 15 minutes faster than my previous standing PR, from the very first half marathon I ever ran. To say I was overjoyed would be an understatement. I finally feel like I’m at a good place with running, and am no longer in the constant push and pull struggle that I’ve experienced over the last year and a half.

Me & the Hubs!

Per tradition, the hubs and I met up with my parents at Red Robin for lunch, and gorged ourselves on a (veggie) burger and fries – a perfect Sunday if you ask me!

I know my blogging has been a little lackluster this month, but it’s my last week of student teaching, so I’ll be back to regular scheduled programing this week!

Automatic PR

Whenever I run, I’m in competition with myself. Whether I’m out for a jog, doing a tempo workout, or running a race, I’m constantly comparing myself to… myself. I’m the kind of person that internalizes all of my competition, and in moments where I perceive potential failure, I break down. A great example of this would be last Sunday’s St. Paddy’s 10 miler that was hosted by the Freehold Running Club.

One of my dad’s coworkers is a board member of the club, so knowing that both myself and my husband run, she suggested we come run the race free of charge. I couldn’t help but jump at the offer, with all the expensive races we seem to always be signing up for. Plus, both myself and my husband had a 10 mile run on the schedule as our long run, so it worked out perfectly. Since my husband’s knee has been bothering him, he decided to run with me which always makes me happy. Once again, it’s a good thing he did, because I nearly gave up around mile 8.5.

The race conditions were far from perfect – it was chilly and raining on and off. Despite that, we were able to keep around a 7:50-8 pace for the first 8 miles or so. Then it happened. I got one of those side cramps that’s deep within your organs, where the only way it doesn’t hurt is to apply massive amounts of pressure to the area. While I was doing that, it was difficult to run, and apparently I was pressing really hard – I totally have a bruised stomach now. While in pain, I started to doubt myself. I watched people I had strategically picked off earlier in the race run past me, as I was forced to a crawl. Whining about how I couldn’t do it, the husband told me to stop trying to run, walk for a few seconds, and to try again. After trying that 3-4 times for about a mile, I was able to ignore the pain enough to run the last half mile.

Me & the hubs!

Since I slowed down so much the last mile and a half, our sub 8 minute pace crept up to an average of about 8:18, having us finish in 1:23:09. Crossing the finish line I was extremely frustrated, knowing that I could have full well finished under 1:20 if I hadn’t gotten that cramp. By then, the cramp had gone and I felt far from tired – I wanted to go back and re-do that last portion of the race. Since neither myself or my husband ever place high enough in races, we didn’t stick around for the awards ceremony – I grabbed some water, the husband grabbed some chicken noodle soup, and we headed to a nearby dinner for brunch with my parents.

When we were leaving, I remember saying “I wonder how I placed. I think I came in the top 10 probably in my age group,” to which my husband replied “Eh, I don’t know about that.” I didn’t think much about it, but after getting home I decided to check out the results. Even though I wound up finishing at around 100, I came in 3rd in my age group! After seeing the first and second finisher’s times (1:20), I realized if I hadn’t cramped I would have easily came in first, but that’s neither here nor there – I can’t believe I actually placed! Since we left before the award ceremony, my dad’s coworker was kind enough to take the award for me and bring it to work.

Aside from the cramp, I think this race is a good indication that I can easily go under 2 hours at next month’s half marathon. Fingers crossed!

You’re a Firecracker

For the third year in a row, my fiance and I participated in Cranford Jaycee’s Firecracker 4-miler on the fourth of July. Each year, I somehow manage to bring the previous year’s time down by about 2 minutes. This was especially shocking due to my lack of training for most of 2011 thanks to injury, but I certainly can’t complain!

The day started as most race days do – waking up and devouring a half of peanut butter and jelly sandwich and copious amounts of water. I knew ahead of time that if the weather was anything like it was last year (super hot and humid), I was going to need A LOT of water. Thankfully, the temperature was a solid 10 degrees cooler, but it was still humid and sunny.

Because both my fiance and I have been battling injuries, we decided to run the race together. This is the first race that my fiance has run with me in the 2.5 years we’ve been running races. As you can imagine I was really excited, even though I knew it would likely be holding him back a little. We weren’t sure where to line ourselves up, and I’ve decided that when in doubt, seat yourself higher because everyone else does it too. The amount of weaving and elbowing that goes on at the beginning of hometown races is really annoying. I won’t even begin to talk about the rudeness I experienced out there!

At any rate, by the time we hit the first mile marker (just under 8:15 pace), my eyes started to burn like no other, thanks to sweat. This continued for the rest of the race, which was only made marginally better thanks to some people with hoses and sprinklers out on the course. Aside from some cramping at mile 3 where I had to slow down, I think we kept a pretty solid pace.

The race always finishes down a stretch in the park where everyone lines up to cheer – we even had our own cheering section!

Since we ran the whole race together, the fiance and I crossed the finish hand-in-hand (totally lame, I know) and he even paused to let me cross first. My official time was 32:49, which is an 8:12 average pace. I couldn’t be happier considering the current state of my shin (ouch!) and the fact that I haven’t trained much. I know I have the potential to run faster, and I can’t wait to be healthy enough to get the training in to do it!