Lawrence Half Marathon Race Report

Sorry, but this will be fairly long as it is my first half marathon race report since I started my blog!

On April 17th, I ran my first half marathon of the year and it was a perfect day! The race was held in Lawrence, KS. I got there early, got parked and got to the port-a-potty line. It wasn’t too bad of a wait, then I headed to the start to stretch and wait for the gun to go off. This is only my 3rd half marathon. I did a walking one quite a few years back and then did my first running one in San Francisco in Oct of 2008. I have done a full marathon since then (Oct 2009), but this was my first half since Oct '08.

We were really lucky on the weather that day. There wasn’t much wind at the start, no rain, and it was the perfect temp (around 45 – I can’t remember exactly). The sun was out and I was ready! I wasn’t doing this with any friends, it was just me, myself and I. I didn’t necessarily have any specific time goal, I just knew I wanted to PR. And that shouldn’t be hard considering my last half I completed in just under 3 hours, and I took advantage in that race of the photo ops (Golden Gate bridge, the ocean, San Francisco, etc). I stopped a lot to take pictures and I walked a lot with the knee issues I was having, so it wasn’t a fast race by any means!

I haven’t run with a pace group in any of my other races. This is mainly because I had no confidence in myself. I didn’t think I could keep up with them, and I didn’t want to feel bad when I thought I needed to rest, stretch, or walk a little bit. I am very competitive and I felt like running with a pace group would be setting myself up to fail (in my mind anyway). But, I was standing close to the 2:40 pace group while waiting for the race to start. At that moment, I made the decision to start out with that group and keep up with them as long as I could and to not beat myself up if I couldn’t do it. 2:40 would be a PR for me by about 20 minutes, so I knew I had some wiggle room in case I couldn’t keep up with them. I would have 20 minutes to work with to still get my PR. Well, in the commotion of the start and getting through the crowd and settling into a comfortable pace, I looked up and realized I was next to the 2:20 pace group. Okay, that’s fine, I will hang out with them and when I fall back off their pace, that’s fine. Well, it turns out that their pace felt very comfortable to me, so I went with it. The 2 pacers were guys and were very entertaining and encouraging, and the group was chatting (aside from me). I’m not a great chatter while I’m running, so I listened to their conversations and settled into the race.

Just about 1.5 miles in, I needed to pee. I kept telling myself it was just nerves and the feeling would go away. After all, I went right before the race. Well, around mile 5, I was still needing to and I saw a port-a-potty up ahead (never thought one of those gross things could look so welcoming)! So, I sped up a little to get ahead of the group and stopped at the port-a-potty. I had to wait on one person to finish up, I rushed in there and rushed out in pretty good time. I was so sad to have to leave the pace group because I was enjoying running with them, but I couldn’t ignore Mother Nature any more. I decided to see if I could catch up with them at some point (without killing myself of course). I could see them up in the distance (the course at that point was pretty straight and flat), and at about mile 8, I was back with the group! Wow, did that give me a boost of confidence or what? I didn’t know if I had made a mistake catching up with them: would I run out of steam a few miles after that? I had no idea, but knew I’d find out soon enough.

The course was fairly flat, with a few small hills. Hills are challenging no matter what, but they weren’t the hills we would have had if the course had went on the University of Kansas campus like it was originally scheduled to. The race started out at Haskell University and stayed on the eastern part of Lawrence. We ran down Mass Street, but that was as far west as we got. As the miles passed, the group got smaller. There were probably 10 of us who started out running with the 2:20 pace group. After some people slowed down, and others had to take late bathroom breaks, it was just me, another girl and the 2 pace guys. 1 of the pacers dropped back to see if he could help some others catch up, so then there were 3. Then about mile 9.5, the other girl dropped back. It was just me and 1 of the pacers.

After mile 10, I thought I hit the wall. My legs started feeling hollow and heavy, my knees started aching some and as much as I didn’t want to, I took a few short walk breaks the last 3 miles or so. It might not have been a wall that I hit, but just a barbed wire fence, because my times didn’t reflect me slowing down as much as I thought I had. But I was hurting, but I pressed on. I fell back from the pacer, so I was alone for the first time. I also turned my music on for the first time and there were some good songs that gave me some momentum. I kept pushing, I hydrated at the water station, and I kept running. I saw the last turn that led to the finish and even though I was so close, I felt like I was so far away. The other pacer who had dropped back had caught back up, passed me and the 2 pacers were together again. I could see them and I saw them walk a while (probably because their pace had been a little fast in the last couple miles). The last stretch was on the Haskell University track – you had to run probably 220 meters on the track to the finish line. That was the LONGEST 220 in my life, but I was inspired by the people cheering, the big finish line, and I was really close to the 2 pacers. I kicked in as much as I could (it wasn’t much) and the clock above me said 2:19:39 when I crossed the finish! WHAT? I made it under 2:20? The 2 pace guys were there congratulating me since I had told them earlier what a huge PR it would be for me if I finished in 2:20. It was the best feeling! That I was done and had gotten a time that I never thought I could. It’s not fast for most people by any means, but for me, it was, and I felt amazing that I had done it!

I got me some food and drinks and then headed home to tell my husband about it. Some of you might be wondering why he wasn’t there cheering me on? Well, he had committed to going turkey hunting with his friend and his friend's 9 year old son. It was the boy’s first time turkey hunting and my husband was taping his hunt for him. We both have our individual activities and we support each other in those, it just so happened we both had stuff going on that morning. But he will be there cheering me on in Seattle in June!

I learned a lot from this race and hopefully can continue to learn more and improve in the future. Don’t think it didn’t cross my mind to sand bag this race a little so that I can continue to get PR’s! But I gave it my all and I will just have to train harder to get some PR’s in the future. The main thing I took away from this race and the training that went along with it was how important it is to train outside! This was the first training season where the majority of runs I did were outside. I never minded the treadmill before and did most training runs at the gym. This season was different in that I ran outside when the weather allowed it. During the winter when there was ice and snow on the ground, I ran on the treadmill, but the majority was outside and it makes a HUGE difference. On a treadmill, your pace is controlled, there are no hills, no pace changes, nothing. Totally different from an actual race. It’s not rocket science to figure out if you train in the same conditions as race day (you just can’t control the weather), you will be more prepared. But, I guess I just never thought about that before. After running outside so much, I kind of despise the treadmill. But, it is needed when you just can’t get outside to run.

Here are the official race results:
Time: 2:19:39
Pace: 10:40
Overall place: 510 (not sure how many people total ran in the half)
Division Place: 46/62 (Female 30-34)
Female Place: 228/350

Garmin: 13.35 miles at 2:19:40
Mile 1: 11:00
Mile 2: 10:36
Mile 3: 10:42
Mile 4: 10:22
Mile 5: 11:45 (potty break)
Mile 6: 9:35 (playing catch up)
Mile 7: 10:06 (playing catch up)
Mile 8: 10:28
Mile 9: 10:09
Mile 10: 9:50
Mile 11: 9:59 (I thought I hit the wall, but this doesn't show it)
Mile 12: 11:06 (I slowed here and walked some)
Mile 13: 10:21 (Starting to push to the finish)
Last .35 miles: 03:35

I still haven’t seen any official race pictures, so the ones my husband took of me when I got home will have to do. The first one is me and Bode with the medal around our necks. He was excited for me even if he doesn't look like he was!

Catch-up Post

I promise I’m still here and I’m still running. I’ve just been busy doing tons of other things as well! After my last post of the race recap back in March, I got a cold and didn’t do much of anything, let alone running, for a couple weeks. I got back into it and have since then done my first half marathon of the year. I have a race recap for you later, but right now, a post of catch-up.

First and foremost, here is an update on our lab Maverick. He had ACL surgery 4 months ago (you can check out the post-surgery post HERE). We had 8 weeks of basically no activity at all (aside from walking outside to do his business). He had to stay on our main level in our house. He couldn’t go upstairs, nor could he go down to the basement. There is a door to our basement, so that was easy keeping him off those stairs. We used a baby gate for the stairs going to our 3rd level. This was a baby gate I used when my Shih-Tzu was a puppy to keep him corralled in the kitchen. This is also the same baby gate my husband said we should get rid of when we moved because we wouldn’t need it for anything. Yet another situation where I was right! Just kidding! If we weren’t home or weren’t able to watch him, he stayed in his kennel. Otherwise, he chilled on his massive pillow on the floor.

After 8 weeks was finished, we started physical therapy. The first 3 weeks was walking him slowly short distances and increasing the distance when we felt he was comfortable enough to go more. He couldn’t jog or run, and was on a tight leash right beside us. It made him jealous that his brother, Bode, could run ahead of us, but Maverick did exceptional. The next 3 weeks, we kept walking him, but he could jog or go as far as the leash would let him. This helped him get front, back and sideways movements in helping his knee to heal and gain strength. The next 2 weeks, we still went on walks, just longer ones, and he also got to spend time running around in the yard off the leash.

I took him to his final appt last Friday and the vet was amazed at how well he had progressed. For one thing, the major accomplishment was getting him to lose 15 pounds! He is now 74 pounds and the vet is pleased at where he’s at. Being smaller will give his joints relief, so that he doesn’t injure that knee (or the others) again! He said his range of motion is good, his knee feels secure and all around, he is healing great! He can resume normal activity and can use the stairs again. No more of us stepping over the tall baby gate to go up or down the stairs!

2nd major thing is that my cousin, Matt, and his wife, Jessica, had their first little baby on April 4th. A little girl named Kinzley Scott, and she is a doll! I have enjoyed all the time I’ve had to love on her so far and I can’t wait to watch her grow up through the years! Isn't she just precious?
Last weekend was Easter, along with many other activities. I got to see some wonderful friends from high school and their kids. Sara and her daughter, Allison, were in town from Houston, so it was great to see them and see how big Allison is getting! I know it looks like Allison is scared slightly, but she really likes me, I promise!

My 4-year-old nieces had their first ever gymnastics clinic and I can’t even describe to you how much I enjoyed watching them. I started gymnastics when I was 9 and I did it until I went off to college. I did dance and all kinds of sports growing up. Aside from basketball (I loved the team aspect of that sport), gymnastics was my favorite and something I absolutely loved! I loved how strong I felt doing it, how accomplished it made me feel when I learned a new trick, and how much it helped me in the other sports I played. So, even though they are 4 and aren’t doing massive huge tricks, it made my heart very happy watching them do gymnastics. And I hope they continue to have fun and love it as much as I did! This picture below is V in the pink shirt and blue tights. You can see T in her pink shirt toward the right of the picture.

This next picture is T (pink shirt and green tights) doing a somersault.

We also had a dinner celebration for my grandparents. It was their 60th wedding anniversary on April 14th, and this past Saturday we celebrated with their friends and family, and everyone had a great time! Below is me and my brother with my grandparents.

These pretty ladies are my nieces!

Between seeing old friends, watching gymnastics, celebrating anniversaries, hunting Easter eggs, going to a wonderful Easter church service, celebrating Easter and eating lots of good food with family, I am worn out!

But, there will be a race recap of my half marathon coming soon. I have to get it done because I have another race coming up this weekend. 5 of us are going to Oklahoma City to do the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Relay and I’m so excited as it’ll be a lot of fun! I’ll recap that race after we get back.

Race Report - Leaping Leprechauns 15K

Last weekend, I went down to Dallas to visit some friends. I had a 10 mile training run on the schedule and knew that I would be more likely to get that training run in if I registered for a race. There was a Leaping Leprechauns race in McKinney, TX, the town I used to live in and they had a 1K kids run, a 5K and a 15K. I thought that would be perfect, so I registered and showed up Saturday morning, March 12th. I didn't get all dressed up in green or anything (I know, I should have been more festive). And I didn't get any pictures of myself at the race, but I promise I was there!

The course was more hilly than I thought it would be, but it was a nice challenge. No killer hills, just quite a few smaller ones. The weather down in Texas was obviously a little warmer than what I was used to, but I couldn't complain because the sun felt great! The race was small. It was put on by the Stonebridge Racers, a great community of runners there in McKinney. They raffled off some prizes after the race, so that was neat. I won a coupon to Road ID that I can't wait to use!

I finished the 9.3 miles in 1 hour 33 minutes and 9 seconds. That was an average pace of 10:01 minutes/mile. I guess you could call it a PR for me since this was the first 15K I'd ever competed in. I was 110/169 overall and 7/21 in my F 30-34 Age Division. I was proud of how I raced it and I walked through the 2 water stations, but other than that, I ran the whole thing.

I had a great rest of the weekend with my friends and then headed back to Kansas on Monday. I started feeling sick Monday night and just got progressively worse on Tuesday. I still feel sick almsot a week later, but I finally did get out and run 2.5 miles this afternoon. I didn't feel great doing it and it might not have been the best thing to do, but I needed to run for my mental sake! I think I'll head to the dr tomorrow to see if they can help me because I really need to feel better so I can get my running schedule back to normal!

My Run is coming to the Big Screen!

I have been an athlete all my life and a true runner (who enjoys running) in just the last few years. We all know there are tons of sports movies out there! The majority of them are about football, basketball or baseball. I love sports movies of any kind, but I'm extremely excited about seeing My Run! And it's not a running movie that I'll have to rent, I can actually go watch it in the theater on the big screen! And this isn't just a regular ol' movie, this is an inspiring documentary that will be in theaters only one night: March 31st.

I could write what it is about in this post, but I really encourage you to visit the website HERE and watch the trailer. And you can also check to see if it will be playing in a theater near you. I am lucky that it is playing where I live and can't wait to see it!

Also, you could win a pair of tickets to the movie by heading over to Sara's blog: "Words to Run By" HERE to enter the giveaway. But hurry, you only have until midnight on Thursday the 10th to enter!

Dear Ol' Man Winter: GO AWAY!

Yesterday afternoon, I ran 6.25 miles outside in shorts and a t-shirt. It was somewhere around 60 degrees and it was amazing!

And this is what it was like tonight when I got home from work:

Seriously? Snow again? Don't get me wrong, I love the snow for a very big reason: snow skiing! But if I'm not skiing, I don't really want it here. A couple snow storms during winter is fine, but I've had enough of it this winter! And I think it's even worse because we've had some really amazing and beautiful days. I feel like Spring is teasing me with nice days here and there where I can run outside. And then it is taken away! But, there's nothing I can do about it, so I'll just make the best of it.

A couple days ago, it was a little colder, but I was still able to run outside. I had some new gear that I wanted to try out, so the colder weather was perfect. Here I am after my run:

Yes, I realize that nothing about my outfit matches (even my husband pointed that out to me)! The bright orange Vizipro jacket, the black and yellow Livestrong shorts, the black and blue Amp Pro2 tights and even though you can't see it, I do have a bright pink Sweaty Band on. But, it wasn't about matching. It was about trying out my new jacket and my new tights. The company I work for is owned by the same company that owns Saucony. The fitness center at my office is appropriately named the Saucony Center. And at Saucony, they run! And they have great shoes and great gear!

I wanted to try some of their compression tights, so I chose these HERE. It was only a 4 mile run, but my legs did feel great and the fit is really great as well. And then I got this jacket HERE that I have been eyeing for quite some time! It is really lightweight and it is water resistant, so it would be great if it is raining. It does come with a USB_LED light, but I didn't take it with me this run. The ViZiPRO line is so visible and is just an extra safety measure for running outside. I do run on the sidewalk when I can, but sometimes I can't avoid running in the street, so the better cars can see me, the safer I am! And the reflective strips work great, as you can see in the picture!

So even though my outfit didn't match, I ran at a faster pace than normal. So "Yay" for the new gear! And I can't wait for the weather to get nice so that I can hit the pavement again!

Home Base Raffle!

Stephanie, over at Running to Health, is going to be running a 9K at Fenway Park on May 22nd! She is committed to raising at least $1000, which will go toward treating veterans of war, specifically with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). In working to raise the money, she has set up a raffle with some pretty amazing prizes that you could win! Go over to her blogpost HERE to check it out! And below is a paragraph about Run to Home Base:

From the Run to Home Base website:

"In New England, an estimated 50,000 veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan are affected by TBI and/or combat stress. These invisible wounds of war are extremely complex, highly individualized and extraordinarily difficult for all those affected. Families of veterans suffering from combat stress and/or traumatic brain injury often need support and guidance as they seek ways to better understand and support their loved veteran. Many veterans struggle with the stigma associated with these injuries and the so called "invisible wounds" caused by battlefield experiences. While anxiety and distress may not be as obvious as the physical wounds of war, the scars are just as painful and deep. Such injuries require attention and treatment by a team of providers who are familiar with and experienced in the complexities of combat stress and traumatic brain injury."

You can find out more about the program HERE on their website.

Run over to Stephanie's blog to check out the raffle and help her raise money for a great cause!

Back on campus!

No, I'm not back in college, but I did go back to the campus of the University of Kansas because it was an amazing 75 degrees this afternoon! I don't live in Lawrence, but I really wanted a change of scenery, so I thought running on campus would be perfect!

This was the view out of my sunroof (when I was parked of course) and it was so beautiful outside!

Here is a view of the Campanile. The following pictures are from my cell phone, so they aren't the greatest quality. And I did stop running for a few seconds while taking these, but I wanted to at least capture this run with a few pictures and share them with you! I enjoyed being out in the nice weather and being on campus again.

I walked these sidewalks more times than I could ever remember while in college and it was so great to be back on them again running. It was around 5:30, so there were still lots of people out and about and I had to be careful when crossing the streets with all the traffic. But people driving on campus are used to always yielding to pedestrians, so it was no trouble.

Below is Fraser Hall. If you go to the top of this building, you are at the highest place (in a building) in Kansas. I am not quite sure if that is still the case after they built the Oread Hotel on campus, but at least while I was in school it was. And I had a few classes in Fraser and went to the very top floor to look out the windows a couple times. It was pretty neat!

And below is something new that I hadn't seen before. I did stop to read the plaque in front of it. I can't remember all the details because I skimmed over it, but some artist creates these all over the country. It should be there about 2 years before the tree branches decay and they have to haul it off. It was too neat not to take a picture of it!

And I had to capture one of the many STEEP hills leading to campus. This picture doesn't even really catch how steep it is. I didn't make it running all the way up and even while walking (hiking) up it, I was breathing harder than I do when I run! I had already went down this exact hill and was coming back up when I took this picture. While going down, I couldn't even run fast (make up some time) because I thought I was going to slip from it being so steep and there being sand all over the sidewalk from all the snow we had! Challenging, but different scenery and route for me today!

University of Kansas sign by the Student Union as you're entering campus.

And below, the best place on campus - ALLEN FIELDHOUSE, home of the KANSAS JAYHAWKS! After some challenging hills, some awesome weather, seeing many people, and having time to think back on the time I spent here, I had the most fun 6 miles I've had in a long time! I thoroughly enjoyed this run with it being a change of scenery and the scenery being a place that I hold very dear to my heart! ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!