Sunday, October 21, 2012

Iron Horse Half Marathon




Such a great group of friends & Runners!

Last Sunday was half #5 for me this year, the Iron Horse Half Marathon at the beautiful Midway, KY. This is the second year that I have ran this half. I really enjoy this half even though it is hilly, it is VERY BEAUTIFUL going by several horse farms. This year Jeff Galloway was there but I never saw him:(
Me in the background & Jenna waving she is so stinking cute:)
Miles 1 - 4  9:19,  8:48, 8:43, 8:47
This was my friend Jenna's first half. We have been running together in the mornings for a couple of months now but she is way faster than me on 5k's (and she's 10yrs younger than me!!). She had a time goal of under 2hrs and honestly I just wanted to be able to stay with her as long as I could. Her cousin was also running with her, he is kinda like a running expert and was awesome to have along as well as his friend, they talked alot which helped me just listening to pass the miles along. We lined up fairly close to the front but it was still pretty packed for the first few miles. They also reversed the course this year, last year I remember the second half being harder than the first so I liked the thought of them reversing it. I took a Power Bar gel before the race started and brought another one with me. Around the 2nd mile we passed a horse farm where a heard of horses were stampeding up and down the fence line, very cool! I felt really good these miles!

Still feeling good!

Miles 5 - 8  9:06, 9:01, 8:54, 8:51
The course is very rolling but pretty much for every uphill you went back downhill. I knew we was a little fast during the first 4mi but I liked "banking" some time. Cody told us we was a little fast and should probably slow it down a little. I was thankful my knee was starting to hurt (it had been hurting a little off and on for a couple of weeks) but I was still keeping up! Cody was great asking me questions about where my knee was hurting, if anything else was hurting and giving suggestions on what to do, except after I told him all my symptoms of my left knee hurting I realized "I lied its my right knee!" oops! He laugh and said he thought it was my right one all along! The course sorta makes a figure 8, you go out about 3.25mi turn and go back then got out the other direction doing the same. So we looped back through town and this was the only time until the finish there was crowd support. For a small race and small crowd they was loud and very cheerful:) When we reached mile 8 I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep up much longer.

Around half way point, can you tell the look of my knee hurting? UGGHH!

Miles 9 - 12  10:24, 9:18, 10:10, 10:24
Yep I fell behind and fast! Half way through mile 8 I stopped to stretch my knee of a fence, I knew there was no way I was going to catch back up or keep up so I told everyone to go on. Mile 9 seemed like it was uphill the entire mile and I started walking~ dang it! I don't remember that long uphill mile last year. I wish I never stopped to stretch, I wish I would have just pushed through it maybe I would have never started walking! Mile 10 was around the turn around and mostly downhill so I picked up a little time and speed, 11 & 12 was pretty much a run/walk running as much and as fast as I could and trying to keep the walking to a minimum. I saw Jenna after she made the turn around and I was closer than I thought but I got really far behind in miles 11 & 12.

The look of Determination! Less than half a mile to go!
Miles 13 - .04  9:56, 8:09
I told myself to run the entire last mile through the finish but that didn't happen:( My dang knee just wouldn't quit throbbing! I think I like the course the other way better.  I even walked with only a half mile to go! But from that point on I pushed it to the end!
Oh yea the finish line!
Although I didn't make it under 2hrs and I was 2mins slower than last year I am still happy with my finish time of 2:02:01!! Considering the way I felt and that I didn't train on any hills I feel like I did a good job:)
Look at that HUGE medal!






The coolest medal EVER! The light actuallys lights up!

Monday, October 8, 2012

I Need Help/Suggestions

I am having a terrible problem with long distance runs. Any run over 6miles I am getting terrible AWFUL blisters on the inside of my big toes, not just one but both of them! It started only on the right side then I think I favored my left side to compensate so now its on both. I have had the same shoes since February/March and am just now having this problem? I feel like I have tried everything and nothing seems to be helping! It bothers me at first when I start to run but then I think I go numb to it until sometime towards the end then they start to hurt again. Just everyday walking seems to hurt the most. Is it better to "pop" them or not? I have been doing that but that seems to make them sore and when I don't "pop" them it seems like they get bigger and bigger and could explode at any moment! UGGHHH!

Sorry I know this is getting into TMI territory but I need some suggestions on things to try, I am getting desperate as my Marathon is less than a month away and I would LOVE to find a cure before then.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Train Hard, Push Your Limits &.....

Results WILL happen!!

On Sunday, September 23 I ran the Big Hit 1/2 Marathon in Louisville, Ky.

Sarah, Me, Angela & Jason

It was a nice cool morning around 40*, I told my friends that it felt like perfect weather for some PR's! The course is advertised as flat and fast and I have been searching for a half marathon PR since I got one in the Spring (1:58:30) and this course was pretty much the same course so I felt confident I could pull off a 1:57:something.

Miles 1 - 4
I know the magic pace for 1:59 is 9:09 and I know that I am TERRIBLE for going out too fast and wearing down towards the end which ends in me bombing out for my goal time. So I decided to run with the 2hr pace group and hopefully be able to pick it up at the end. Choosing to run with the pace group was one of the BEST decision EVER and the pacer was super nice! The first few miles are usually a struggle for me not sure why but usually by mile 2.5 I begin to have doubts and tell myself "Why are you doing this?" I didn't feel quite that bad this time and actually felt comfortable. As promised the course was flat there was a little steep uphill that was only about 50 steps. By mile 3 I was warm enough to take my jacket off and still feeling strong!

Miles 5 - 8
I wore a pace band for a 1:57 finish and tried not to get too concerned that I wasn't meeting the marks for it but wasn't a long way off. I told the pacer of my goal time and he said that he would make sure I reached it~ SWEET! I did get a little concerned that every time I looked at my Garmin I was off pace, it would say 9:20 but I don't watch it all the time and told myself to just trust the pacer he KNOWS what he is doing! Another lady in the group heard me say my goal time and she said that it was about her goal time as well so maybe more towards the end we could pace each other, except that she took off around mile 7.5 and I knew that was still too early for me so I stayed with the group. I was still feeling comfortable and strong and actually feeling great!

Miles 9 - 12
I ate one Peanut Butter GU before the race started and had another one in my jacket pocket to take around the half way point but my jacket was tied around my waist I didn't really feel like I needed the GU and didn't feel like fumbling around with my jacket to try and get it out. The race was handing out GU's around mile 8.5 so I took one but never ate it. At this point the pacer also said we was about a minute or so ahead of the 2hr pace and how great we was doing (there was only about 5 people in the group). They slowed down and drank water at every water stop but because of the cooler temps I only got water at every other stop but slowed down through the stops with the group. Around mile 9.5 I saw my friend Sarah (the course looped back around) and she asked me if I was on track, I answered "I think so!!!" Around mile 10 I started to pull ahead from the group, the pacer came up beside me and told me what I needed to do, start increasing my pace keeping it comfortable and when I reached the downtown area with a mile to go make a game with it run hard for a block or so and back down for a block or so.

Me in the last half mile,

The Last Mile
In the first few miles we went under an underpass and my Garmin lost some distance, in this last mile we went under it again and my Garmin lost more distance. This was playing with my mind because I really had no idea how much distance was lost or about how much distance was left. I picked up my pace maybe a little too much during miles 10-11 and was feeling it a little in the last mile. Then I reminded myself run hard for a block and ease off for a block. At one point I almost felt like walking but I then remembered what I overheard the pacer telling someone else "Never let someone tell you you can't do something. You can do anything you set your mind to do". So I told myself "No your NOT going to walk, the pacer believes in you better yet my Mom believes in me and still better than that I BELIEVE IN ME. I CAN DO THIS!!!" And do it I DID!! I crossed the finish line in 1:55:18!!!! Two minutes better than I wanted and three minutes better than my last half PR:) Talk about feeling excited, that was the best feeling I have had in a long time a true "Runners High"!


My stats!
Sorry it has taken me so long to compose this post but I'm sorta glad it did, now I am reliving that feeling again and of course it makes me smile & very happy all over again!! And not only did I get a PR but all of my friends did as well:) I tried telling them at the start that day felt like it was a day for PR's!!


Sarah & I with our "Bling"!