'Tis the Season

The holiday season is upon us. For most, the holidays mean holiday parties, lots of over indulging and gaining an extra 5 lbs. For those of us training for a January race, it means excusing ourselves early from the holiday parties and not over indulging...after all, we have a long run the next day and we want to avoid putting on that 5 lbs!

Last year, I had a lofty weight loss goal for the months of November and December. Lighter = Faster, I thought. I actually did lose weight during the holidays! This year, my goal isn't quite as ambitious - I just want to maintain during the holidays. No weight gain! Of course, the ever increasing mileage is certainly helping with that.

This past week was a tough one. The hubby was out of town, which meant no 4 am morning runs. And since the treadmill is officially dead, that meant no runs after the kiddos were in bed. I did manage to get in 4 miles on Monday morning before the hubby left town. But the lunchtime runs I was hoping for never happened. Well, except for a mediocre 2-miler I squeezed in between meetings one day. I also did one day of P90X and one day with Ab Ripper X.

Fortunately, the hubby was back in time for me to run my long run on Saturday. 12-miles. My last 12-miler was a few weeks ago...the day after one of those holiday parties. For that run, I was really proud of myself - I managed a 10:23 pace for the distance, which is faster than my January 1/2 marathon "race" pace of 10:34. And, that pace felt fan-freaking-tastic. So maybe that speed work is actually working? Hmmmm, imagine that! This week, my pace hovered around10:20. I wanted a negative split, so at mile 7 I picked up the pace a tiny bit. My final pace was 10:16....however, I will say that the last two miles were rough. I felt great until I hit mile 10 - that's when my legs were done. Bonk. Toast. I even took a short walk break at mile 10. Miles 11 and 12 were done at 9:59 and 10:22 respectively...not terrible, but I can usually really pick up the pace in my final few miles. That was just not the case on this run.

I'm not sure what might have happened. Maybe a 10:20-something pace is all my legs can take right now. I hope not. Maybe I should have planned my nutrition better - I only had gel one at mile 6 and about 16 oz of Gatorade. The temps were perfect (high 30s), so that wasn't it. My nutrition all week had been right on target, so that wasn't it either. I didn't eat a real dinner the night before, but that's not unusual.

What I do know is that my quads were super sore for the rest of the day. What I know is that the 1st 9 miles of that run felt great. What I also know is that if the temps are nice and cool, the planets align, and the running gods are smiling down on me on race day....I might just have a nice little PR in January. What I do know is that I would love that! Maybe eventually I won't feel like such a slow runner...heck middle of the pack is better than back of the pack, so I'll take it.

After the race...

Sooo, after running the 1/2, I still had work to do! The plan was to eat and rest for about 30-45 minutes, then drive back out to he course to cheer some friends on and then run a bit with my peeps who were running the full. I won't go into why, but it was actually more like 2 hours later when I finally got back out to the course...and, I was afraid I'd miss my friends if I tried to navigate my way through the possibly closed streets in my car.

What'd I do?

I walked / jogged the course backward to mile 24, of course. Somehow, I missed 2 of my friends despite my efforts to not miss anyone...I was probably looking down at my Blackberry for status updates, lol! But, I did catch two of my peeps and got to run with them for a bit. I didn't realize that I had missed two friends, so I kept waiting.....and waiting. No biggie, because I also got to cheer for runners. The race officials were about to close the course when I saw my friend, Pam, heading my way. I trained for Houston and Chicago with Pam in '06 and only had the chance to see her a few times since then...now we had 2 miles to catch up a bit!

I estimated that over the course of the day, I had easily walked/run over 20 miles! I was sore as heck...much worse than anything I've experienced after a 1/2 marathon. I think all that walking/jogging after cooling down did me in, but it was a lot of fun and totally worth it!

Here are just a few images after the 1/2...


This is me with friends Amy and Edwin....this was Amy's 1st 1/2 after having a baby and Edwin's 1st 1/2 ever!


Celebrating the 1/2 and my birthday with the family...lots of chips, salsa, fajitas and margaritas (for me, not the hubby - he was driving) and yes, the Munchkin was ready to go home!

The gorgeous sunset...the end of an awesome day!

Random Post Race Thoughts

It's so funny what goes through your mind while you're running a race. Here are a few things I was thinking along the way:

Things you don't want to encounter during a race:

1. Smelly perfume. Seriously, I was on my way to the start when I got knocked upside the head by a really bad smelling perfume. Can't imagine what that would smell like after a few sweaty miles. Yuck!


2. Walkers at mile .08. Come on people...if you are walking from the get-go, get in the BACK OF YOUR CORRAL! At the very least, stay to the side of the road and do not stop suddenly! Shame on me for not getting to the start earlier and towards the front of the wave.


3. The smell of donuts. Don't get me wrong, I normally love the smell of donuts. I love eating them even more. But for some reason, smelling donuts at the 7 mile marker made me want to vomit.


4. Speaking of vomit...having a sign with the word vomit on it is not motivational. I saw a man in the Heights with a sign that said "blah, blah, blah VOMIT blah blah". Okay, so if really didn't say "blah blah", in fact I couldn't really read the writing...but even if I could read it, the word VOMIT stood out at me and would have kept me from reading more. Maybe it's an inside joke?

The things I LOVE about the Houston Marathon & 1/2 Marathon

1. The spectators! A HUGE thank you to everyone who came out to watch and cheer! There were intersections on Montrose where the crowds were several people thick. Amazing


2. The music! I ran the inaugural San Antonio Rock & Rock 1/2 marathon in 2008 and was excited because I thought there would be soooo much music on the course. I was disappointed. I can only speak for the 1st 1/2 of the race...but holy cow, Houston had so many bands and people DJing and singing along those miles, it was awesome!


3. The GRB. I've run marathons and 1/2 in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Chicago, NYC, and even Bastrop...none have the awesomeness before and after the race like the GRB and everything it contains. At most races you get fruit, a bagel, some yogurt and in Austin, soup. Yes, soup. But in Houston, you have warm/dry accomodations before and after the race and you get a nice, hot full breakfast - eggs, biscuits, sausage, potatoes, various pastries, chocolate milk and even Girl Scout Cookies! Not that I ever feel like eating all that, but it's there if you want it. :-)


4. Flatness. Sure there are some overpasses and "hills", but Houston really is a flat course.


5. Friendliness. For some reason I really noticed how friendly the volunteers were this year. From packet pickup to pre-race to the water stations to the people who give you the medals...I've never seen such a smiling, cheerful group of people! Thank you volunteers!


6. Awesome shirts and medals. I have to admit that I did like last years shirt better...all that screen printing on the back might get a bit warm during a run. However, to have a men's and women's shirt...one that actually fits well...that's awesome!

I'm sure I'll think of more later, but that's it for now.

2010 Houston Half Marathon Race Report

I arrived with my peeps downtown at dark thirty…it was chilly, but not the freezing cold we’ve been having over the past few weeks. I’ll be honest, I was liking that freezing cold for my runs…temps warming into the 60s is not my idea of good running weather, but at least it wasn’t raining. :-)

Here I am with the peeps - Dawn, Erica, Katie, me, Kelly and Lacy - they are the best!

I got to see some of my other running buds all over the GRB…some from previous jobs, some from previous running groups, even a few people from high school. Crazy. I checked my bag, ate my oranges and made one last visit to the porta-pottie. Since my friends were all doing the full for the 1st time, they had already headed out. I made my way out to the starting corrals alone and quickly realized I was in the very back of my wave. I did manage to get more to the middle of the pack, but I was not where I wanted to be…more on that later.

This is my good friend and former co-worker, Donyail, who was running her 1st 1/2...she did great! I'm so proud of her!

Before I knew it, the gun sounded. My wave still had another 10 minutes before starting. When we were finally on our way, I was ANNOYED to find people walking all around me….seriously people – if you’re going to walk right from the start, get in the BACK of your corral!!!

Miles 1 & 2:

These were the most frustrating miles ever. I knew they’d be slow, but the best I could do in the crowd was keep an 11-minute pace. Grrrr…. As I expected, I warmed up really fast and before I hit the 2nd mile marker had already thrown away the arm sleeve thingies and my gloves. I actually dropped one of the sleeves on accident, but it was too crowded to pick it up…I said “screw it” and tossed the other one.

Miles 3 – 6:

These miles were GREAT! There were great spectators and bands that really helped keep motivation high. There was the Beatles-type band, the trio in beehives doing a 50’s tune, a heavy metal band and a dude playing a guitar and singing….seriously, it was better than the San Antonio RnR that touts tons of bands on the course. I didn’t seem to look around much, but hearing the different music was fun. My only complaints here were the small “hills” and the slanted street. (Yes, I need hill training!) Lots of people still and my pace was very inconsistent…I’d be running a 10 minute pace, then look at my watch and be running a 10:40 pace. Ack! The entire time, my watch was showing an average pace of 10:38 and I felt like I was trying to make up for lost time.

Miles 7 – 9:

Again, great crowds. It seemed like the crowds grew thicker at every intersection and they were loud. This area is nice and flat, but the streets were congested at some of the water stops which made for some weaving. I did talk to a guy with a Texas A&M Corp of Cadets shirt on…hey, it’s my alma matter and I recruit from the school for work. I thought maybe, just maybe, he was a Construction Science major….

The one person who stood out in this area was a dude who had music playing and was singing “keep runnin’, runnin’…keep runnin’, runnin’….keep runnin’, runnin’…” over and over. This part of the course was also where the ½ marathon folks turn around and the full marathon folks keep going, so I got to hear that little tune twice. The 1st time, I thought it was a recorded song, only when I passed the guy again did I realize he was actually singing it…I wondered if he’d been doing that from the start and if that was the only thing he was going to sing, lol! I had every intention of looking for my friends on the other side of the road when I turned around, but I couldn’t. It felt like it was taking too much effort to turn my head – I wanted to look forward only and focus on the task at hand. Weird…I am usually all about looking at the other people on the course. I was down to a 10:37 average pace.

Mile 10 – 12:

At mile 10, I got out my ipod shuffle, put the ear buds in and listened to one song. That was it. The music was too distracting. Maybe I really am a “zen runner”, because at that point in time, I only wanted to hear the sounds of the music on the course and the crowds.

This is also where we made the turn onto Allen Parkway – the lonely stretch that takes you into downtown. I wasn’t too far along when I saw the male marathon leader run past with the media cars in front of him and police motorcycles escorting him. AMAZING! Nothing like seeing someone run so well to make you wanna speed up a little. There were a few other guys who followed not too far behind. Before I knew it, the female leader was coming. Again, AMAZING! I looked at my watch – 10:36 pace. Ugh!

The final mile + .1:

After looking at my watched again, I realized I was not going to make my goal. At first I was pissed at myself, but then I decided that it was what it was...I had to at least get in before 2:20. I turned the corner onto Rusk (the final turn) and there was a DJ playing the Black Eyed Peas “I got a feeling”, which was exactly what I needed to put a little pep in my step. I could finally see the balloon arch of the finish line, but it looked so freaking far!!! But, I kicked it up a little…which wasn’t much, but it was something. I must have been really focused on those freaking balloons, because my friend’s husband was calling my name and I didn’t even hear it at first…I didn’t realize it until I had already passed him. I looked back and gave a quick wave and kept on going. I felt like I sped up a little more in those final couple of blocks, but who knows. I finally made it to the finish! I looked up at the clock, raised up my hands for a second and then stopped the Garmin – I had come in right under 2:20! Yay!

More post race thoughts to come...

The "Plan"

Well tomorrow's the big day! Houston's largest annual sports event is here - the Chevron Houston Marathon/Aramco Half-Marathon/EP 5k!!! Just me and 21,999 of my closest friends. :0) I've been careful with what I've been eating - lots of lean protein and some carbs (but not too many!) and I've been hydrating well.

I went to pick up my packet yesterday and here's the swag that was handed out:




Here are some of the things that I bought...



Yes, you read that shirt right....there were so many cute ones, it was really hard to choose one:


So here's my raceday plan...

5:15 - Arrive at Luke's to meet up with the running girls...we'll carpool to the GRB

5:45 - Arrive at the GRB - parking can be a pain, so it might take awhile

5:45 - 6:30 - Hang out with the girls and see if I can find any other running peeps and wish everyone luck! Oh and eat a couple of Clementine's (oranges) and hit the porta-potties

6:30 - Start stretching, eat a few Honey Bee Stingers

6:45 - Head out to the start (may do this a little earlier)

7:00 - Race starts!

7:10 - My wave starts! WHOOT!

My goal is to run a consistent pace the entire time. I know for sure that the 1st few miles will be very slow due to the vast number of runners. I'm not too worried about this, because there are lots of nice flat areas with lots of enthusiastic spectators where I am sure I will manage to make up for any lost time...the key here is to not get too excited and go too fast.

Between miles 4 & 5 - eat 1/2 packet of Honey Bee Stinger gels. I'll do this again around mile 9...it may not help that late in the game, but it's what I did in my training runs. It's a mental thing. :-)


Mile 10 - 13 are mostly on Allen Parkway and downtown...not too many spectators there. I'll have my ipod with me if I need it, but I don't usually run with it, so I doubt I'll use it. This is the area I tried to visualize on my longer runs. If there's a place I'd want to stop and walk, it would be here. I will not walk. end of story. My goal is to kick it up a bit in the last mile and as they say on beginngertriathlete.com - just HTFU!


So that's it...the "plan". After the race, I am going to head back out on the course and cheer for some of my friends, especially for those who are doing the full for the 1st time ever....you know who you are! :-)


If you're running tomorrow - good luck and have fun!!!

T minus 1 week

Wow, it seems like I just posted something about the 1/2 marathon being 8 weeks away. Holy crap, where does the time go?

This is the time when I start the "stinkin' thinkin' ". Fortunately, since I'm doing the 1/2, it's not too bad. If I was doing the full marathon next weekend, things would be much worse - I'd be obsessing. But still, this is the time I start to question things:

- Can I do the distance?
Of course! It's a 1/2, even on a bad day I can usually get through 13.1 miles.

- What's the weather going to be like?
Well, I don't like the rain on tap for Thursday and Friday, but it's supposed to clear out for race day. Let's face it - it's 2 - 2 1/2 hours - can handle pretty much anything you throw at me weather-wise for that amount of time. Of course temps in the 30s-40s and no rain would be ideal and much appreciated. :-)

- What should I wear on race day?
I've had issues adjusting to the cold this year and I normally love running in the cold. Then again this year has been an unusually cold year for those of us in South TX...I had to break out my full tights for the 1st time in 3 years! Also, for some reason this year I can't get my clothing right. I tend to over dress and then have a jacket tied around my waist for my entire run.

Really, these issues are minor and I'm not stressing about them all that much. The biggest question I have going through my mind for Sunday is:

Can I meet my pace goal?

I know I can do it (especially in good weather conditions), but still...there are those doubts. Those little thoughts in my head that nag at me.

Honestly, this is probably the 1st time I've made a true goal for my finish time. I've had races where I've said "I'll be happy if I finished in x:xx time", but I'd follow up with "yeah, I'd still be fine as long as I'm under x:xx" and even worse, "okay, just finish strong." Last year's training season goal was to just get into shape post baby and get my mileage up. I did that, but my performance at all 3 1/2 marathons I did was pretty much what I'd call lackluster.

This past training year was different - I decided early on that if I was going to keep running the 1/2 and not train for the full that I would have to set some goals - stop being complacent, push myself harder, run more miles, be more consistent in my training and work to improve my pace at that distance.

I think I've done that. Could I have trained harder some weeks? Sure, nobody's perfect. But, I think this has been the best training season I've ever had...let's hope the payoff comes in the form of a nice, big PR!