Holiday Half Marathon Race Recap- A lesson in uneven pacing

1134 elevation loss, and 1134 elevation gain

I ran the Holiday Half Marathon last week. I had a really fun time and I got my tail kicked by the hilly course.  I ended up being the overall women's winner (it was a small race).

The course was along the river mountain trail loop. It's a pretty scenic course that is closed to traffic. There was a regular half marathon and there was also a relay option for runners not wanting to race the half.


I was feeling a little nervous the morning of the race. For my breakfast I had scrambled eggs, a banana, and a slice of buttered toast.  On my way to the race site I ate a caffeinated orange Gu.  I got to the race site 15 minutes before the gun time. I had just enough time for a short warm up jog and quick trip to the bathrooms.


When I signed up for this race I figured that I would be able to run a sub 1:40. I was actually kind of cocky about it.  I told several people that I would run this time or faster.  I like telling people my race goals before hand. I do this for accountability. When I run a race, I try to give it my all.  I don't want to fake the funk and pretend that I just run races for fun.




Right before the start

The gun went off and I felt good. I knew that to run a sub 1:40 half marathon I would need to average 7:38 per mile. I figured that with the climbs and the descents my pace would be all over the place.   I did some rough estimates and I wanted to aim for 8:10 miles for the uphills and 7:10 miles for the downhill stretches. I figured I would be able to adjust my pace if I needed to. 

My original estimates were way off.

Mile 1- 7:52

The course started on an uphill grade.  I may have gone out a little too fast.  The relay runners and half marathoners all started at the same time, and I have a habit of going out with the crowd.

Mile 2- 7:44
 I felt like I was pushing the pace going up this uphill stretch.  My stomach was a little crampy because of the caffeinated Gu.  I just tried to focus on my breathing  and I told myself to relax and wait for the downhill

Mile 3- 7:05
Oh glorious sweet downhill running.  I looked down at my Garmin and I saw 6:50 pace. It was a steep downhill and I slowed it down

I don't take pictures while I race, these photos are courtesy
of the Las Vegas Track Club

Mile 4-7:11
More wonderful downhill running.   The view of the Las Vegas Valley was gorgeous.

Mile 5-7:44
The downhill stretch came to an end and we were treated to a series of rolling downhill climbs. It was kind of scary.  I couldn't really go any faster without risking a face plant into the asphalt. After the three climbs the course went rocketing back down. 

Mile 6-7:33
I knew the turn around point was coming pretty soon since we were heading down to the bottom of the trail head.  When I reached the turn around point I knew for sure that I was the lead female.  I had probably a 400 meter lead on the 2nd place female.  I started to get a little weak in the knees emotionally. I was getting scared of the ride back to the start line.  I was also worried about being picked off by the 2nd place female.  I told the negative voice in my head to STFU and to just keep running.  "Don't think about, it just run".  I started to climb back up the trail head.

Mile 7- 7:31
I went through the same three hilly climbs but, in reverse.  The climbs were much steeper going in the other direction.  I was also playing hop scotch with a couple of male runners. The climbs were brutal.

Mile 8-9:13

A fellow runner who had out kicked me a few weeks ago during the turkey trot 5k went cruising by me.  He started out slower and smarter than I did. I pulled out another Gu to eat. It was a lemon lime Gu without caffeine.  I nursed it over the next couple of miles. I didn't want to eat the whole thing and have my stomach cramp up again.

Mile 9-8:28
The rolling hills were done and now it is just a straight uphill climb for the next three miles.  I did something that I never do during a race.  I looked over my shoulder to see who was behind me.   The reason I never do this, is because it lets the runners behind you know that you are afraid and that you are falling apart. I kept expecting the 2nd place runner to  blow right by me.

Mile 10-8:56
I told myself to just survive and get through the next two miles.  Focus on the runners in front of you.

Mile 11-9:15

This mile sucked!! But, I was in good company. I passed about three runners on this stretch and only one guy caught me.  The camaraderie was really great. We were all suffering together.  I just kept telling myself to keep it together. There is more downhill on the way.

Mile 12-7:29


Once the downhill began I was aware that we only had about two miles left to the finish. I decided to just run as hard as I could without blowing up.

Mile 13 7:19
I'm starting to close in on the guy that passed me a few minutes ago, but I'm running out of real estate.  During the home stretch in my head I am chanting, "everything, everything, everything...."

Mile 13.1-:054- 7:05 pace

Finish Time 1:44:17



I look like a dork with my arms outstretched over my head.
I was really excited to win that day.

After the race I walked around for a few minutes to cool off. I wasn't able to stick around for the awards.  The race director was really nice and he let me take my trophy home early.

This race was a lot of fun. I'm a little disappointed with how I ran.  I should have taken the first two miles easier.  I also shouldn't have underestimated how hard this half marathon would be.  I'm not running high enough mileage to be able to just crank out a sub  140 half marathon on a whim.

I don't plan on racing another half marathon until the spring time.  I hope that I can increase my mileage base before I attempt to race another half.

***Thank you LVTC for hosting a really kick ass half marathon, and thank you for the photos!!***

10 months postpartum. My final weight loss update

I've been dragging my feet on writing this post because I have mixed feelings about it.



I don't normally take selfies.

My current weight is 122 pounds  I've been at this weight for almost two months with a one pound over or under fluctuation.

My goal weight was 120 and when I started getting close to 120 a little voice in my head said "lets aim for 115". 

In my head I would like to get down to 115 but, I don't want to have to resort to things like diet pills, skipping meals, or just not eating to get down to this magical number.

I've always been what you consider "top heavy" I gain weight in my waist and midsection first and it is the last place I lose it from.  I also came into my adult body pretty early. I was about 14 years old when I went on my first diet.  I was in the eighth grade and I was 116 pounds.   I got down to 112 before I started high school and by the time I was a senior in high school my weight was around 122 .

I used to have serious complex about my height (5 feet even) and weight.  Most short women I knew were petite and small framed and weighed 95lbs.  I always felt stocky and chubby.  I thought that maybe I was doing something wrong.

When I was 18 I enlisted into the US ARMY and I had to have my body fat measured because I did not meet the height and weight standards. I weighed 123 and I was so embarrassed.  I  had  two months before I left for boot camp and the weight standard for my height was 120.  I managed to  diet down to 116 so I wouldn't have to have my body fat measured.

Throughout my 20's and early 30's my weight bounced between 116-124.  Any time my weight went above 124 I would begin to panic a little bit and I would restrict a bit in order to get down to where I needed to be.

I'm not exactly sure when I had my "aha" moment.  But, a lot of different things contributed to me accepting that there are some things that I just won't be able to change about my body. The first one is pretty obvious, I'm always going to be 5 feet tall.  The second thing that I can't change is my body frame.  I actually have what you would consider a "large frame".   Even though I have small hips, my wrists and rib cage measure much larger than someone with a small bone structure.  I found a chart where I finally had proof that I'm not really small boned.  This helped me not be so obsessed about a goal weight that's not really attainable.

Female Wrist Measurements
	Height less than 5' 2" (Less than 155cms)	Height 5' 2" - 5' 5" (155cms - 163cms)	Height more than 5' 5" (More than 163cms)
Small	Less than 5.5" (140mm)	Less than 6.0" (152mm)	Less than 6.25" (159mm)
Medium	5.5" - 5.75" (140 - 146mm)	6" - 6.25" (152 - 159mms)	6.25" - 6.5" (159 - 165mm)
Large	More than 5.75" (146mm)	More than 6.25" (159mm)	More than 6.5" (165mm)

I'm quite happy with how I look and feel.  My body isn't perfect. But, it's mine and I can either love it or hate it. I choose to love my body and all the things it can do for me, even though I will never have the elasticity back in my skin that I had when I was in my twenties. 

When I say that I love my body, please don't take it to mean that I am so happy and satisfied with how I look and I'm perfect, blah, blah, blah,  or that I'm tiger that earned her stripes.  I'd like to think of it more as of  I'm so grateful that I was able to use this body to create two children and nurse them. I also use this body to run miles that make me feel invincible.

I think having the mentality of hating your body is pretty self indulgent.  If I'm mopey about not having a thigh gap or if my jeans are tight, how fair is that to the people that are around me?  Having a bad day is one thing, but when you constantly beat yourself up that becomes the standard.

If you have read my blog from the beginning you will know that I was still trying to lose the baby weight from my first pregnancy.  I had plenty of I hate my body days.  I think I was really overwhelmed with being a new mom.  I found comfort in food and in alcohol.

I think I am in a much better place now that I have given up alcohol completely.  I'm currently just trying to maintain my weight loss through the holidays. I still track my food points and I weigh in with a friend once a week for accountability.

Starting Weight: 150lbs
Current Weight: 122lbs.

I'm done talking about weight loss. Let's talk about running!!!


I'm racing a half marathon this weekend. I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a much smaller race than I ran in October and with all of the holiday hustle and bustle I haven't had any time to freak out about it. Normally I am bouncing off of the walls from the taper.

The course is also way harder this time around.  Check out the elevation profile:

I am a pretty decent hill runner and I hope I can use this to my advantage.  My goal is to run a smart race and to hold back during the first half.  The second half of the race is mostly uphill with two miles of downhill to the finish.  I really hope I can go under 1:40 and I would also like to place in the top 3 women overall.  



Holiday half marathon later on this month and my latest workouts

I'm feeling pretty excited about a half marathon coming up in two weeks.  Our local track club is hosting a low key half marathon to give local runners a chance to run a half marathon without breaking the bank.  The entry fee is only $20.00 for track club members and race day registration tops out at $40.00. 

I'll admit that I was a little bummed that I couldn't participate in this year's Rock n Roll Las Vegas Marathon.  The price was just way over what I'm able to pay for a race.  It turns out that a lot of my local Las Vegas running friends couldn't afford to run the race either.

The Holiday Half won't have a whole lot of bells and whistles.  They are going to provide, aid stations, a cotton T-shirt, and gun timing only.  The course is going to be more challenging than the last half I ran.

Since my last half I have kind of been scaling back my running/working out in the mornings before work. It's been really cold lately and I feel guilty making my kids get in the freezing car extra early.  I'm aiming for 3 days a week instead of all 5 days. 

Workouts Since my Last Post

11/26   Tuesday - 3 miles before work (8:13, 8:00, 7:21)

11/27 Wednesday- Rest (grocery shopping and cooking don't count)

11/28  Thursday (Thanksgiving) 9 miles. My mother in law was in town visiting.  I didn't have to worry about hurrying back.  It was a pretty cold morning.  I picked one of the hilliest routes in my neighborhood. I climbed about 530 feet and I had such a good time running that day.
Mile 1-8:49
Mile 2-8:24
Mile 3-8:30
Mile 4-8:41

I stopped my watch halfway through my run to take a bad picture
of the snow on the mountains.

Mile 5-9:11
Mile 6-7:59
Mile 7-7:54
Mile 8-8:04
Mile 9-8:04

11/29  Black Friday- I ran 3 shake out miles. (9:44, 9:02, 8:51) My legs were beat up from the hills.

11/30 Saturday- Rest

12/1 Sunday  Somewhere between 9 and 10 miles.  My mother in law was still in town. My Garmin was running out of juice so I stopped it at 8 miles.  I ran approximately another mile and half to my house.
Mile 1-8:33
Mile 2-8:13
Mile 3-8:07
Mile 4-8:07
Mile 5-8:16
Mile 6-8:40
Mile 7-8:38
Mile 8-7:51

12/2 Monday-Rest 
My daughter caught her first cold and it really knocked her out. She had a croupy cough and an ear infection. I took her to the doctor and she is doing much better this week.

12/3 Tuesday-Rest

12/4 Wednesday a little over 4 miles before work ( 8:34, 7:54, 8:11, 7:29)

12/5 Thursday a little over 5 miles. I discovered a new route near my work. A cold front moved in and the temps dropped down to 28 degrees that morning.
Mile 1-8:20
Mile 2-7:52
Mile 3-7:47
Mile 4-7:20
Mile 5-7:23

12/6 Friday- It was a rest day and I signed up for the half marathon.


12/7  Saturday- 4 miles  I decided to scrap trying to get a long run in over the weekend. A cold front with possible chance of snow was moving in to the Las Vegas Valley and I didn't want risk running on icy roads. (8:05, 7:47, 7:50, 7:37)

12/8 Sunday  A little over 5 miles.  It was really cold out and I didn't have any specific plans for my run I ran 3 miles at a comfortable pace, then I ran 1 mile up a hill and, then I ran the last mile as fast as I could. 
Mile 1-8:02
Mile 2-8:00
Mile 3-7:59
Mile 4-8:05 ( I'm happy about this uphill mile)
Mile 5-6:45
Mile .28- 1:49 (6:28 pace!!)

12/9 Rest

12/10- Four miles before work (8:19, 7:36, 7:37, 7:29)

I'm hoping I can get one more longish (8-10) miles in before the half marathon.  I'm glad that I  can piggy back this race off of my current running base.  I don't believe I have lost much fitness since the Saints and Sinners half marathon. I think if anything I am trying to run some faster miles when  I do my shorter runs. 

Racing for Turkeys No Garmins Allowed?!

I ran a low key 5k race over the weekend.  The premise of the race was to see how accurate you could guess your 5k time.  The  runners with the closest guesses to their actual time got to bring home the turkeys.


The race was held at the Old Silver Bowl Park.  This is located behind the Sam Boyd UNLV Football stadium and isn't too far from where I live.  The race didn't get started until 8am. That's kind of a late start for me, but it gave me time to eat breakfast and play with my kids for a little bit before the run.

For the race we were not allowed to wear any watches, Garmins, or wear any headphones.  Also the finish clock wouldn't be on display. 

I guessed that I would be able to run 21:30 for the 5k. I lined up near the front (it was a pretty small race).   I started out pretty quickly for the first 800 meters and then I eased off the pace a little bit.  I didn't feel like I was running all out but, the pace did feel pretty hard. 

When we got to the turn around point I realized that I was the first female overall.  My friend Toshie was also running that day.  She is a fast 5k runner, however she ran the Rock n Roll Marathon the week before so I knew she was still in recovery mode.

After the turn around point the runners had spread out and I think I may have eased off the pace because no one was around me.

I got picked off by two male runners with about a half mile to go.  I tried to finish strong and stay with them but, they had faster finishing kicks than I did.

After the race we had to wait for the official results and then the turkeys were awarded.


Me waiting with Toshie for the results.

There was a slight mix up with the race results and they had initially written my finish time down wrong.


Not very happy to receive a can of green beans.

 

My official time was 21:38.  I was only eight seconds off of my original guess.  After the mix up was corrected I was awarded my turkey.

I am very pleased with how I ran.  I think I could have ran this a little bit faster. I'm not really sore today. 

Thank you to the Las Vegas Track Club for hosting the race, the photos, and the turkeys!!

My glass is always half full

 

I am a pretty optimistic person. The glass is always half full in my world.  I haven't been feeling super cheery and positive lately so the urge to post has left me sitting on my hands because I don't want to whine about incidental problems.  I'm still running, not as often as I'd like but it's better than nothing. I'm averaging about 3 runs a week.

I blame this  feeling on my post race "hangover". After a big race there is always a recovery/cooling off period for me.  I also have post race blues because, there isn't a race to look forward to and I have to give my legs time to heal before I can run fast on them again.

Last weeks workouts:

Monday-Rest


Tuesday- 3 miles easy.  I thought it was neat how even my splits were:

Mile 1-8:22
Mile 2 8:23
Mile 3 8:23


Wednesday-Rest

Thursday- Rest (My baby girl had her 9 month check up in the morning so no run for me.)


Friday- 5 miles (up the hill and back down the hill). For the last mile I ran this all out and  I wanted to see how fast I could run that final mile.

Mile 1 8:40
Mile 2 8:54
Mile 3 7:36
Mile 4 7:31
Mile 5 6:57

On Friday afternoon I treated myself to a new pair of running shoes.  I purchased the Brooks Adrenaline 13.


I got them for 20% from the local running store.  I usually buy my shoes at the end of the season right before the newest model comes out.  The Adrenaline 14 comes out in December, so I will end up buying them next June.  I'm pretty loyal to my Adrenalines.  They last a long time and they feel good straight out of the box.  I still have a few miles left in my old  Adrenalines, I will probably break out the new shoes in a few weeks.


Saturday-Rest


Sunday:  7 miles  (six miles tempo with one cool down mile)  I left the house itching to run fast.  I almost believe I have a pressure release valve inside of me.  When I don't get to run every day I feel the tension build. When I finally get to run it's a wonderful feeling of freedom and release.   The more anxiety I feel leading up the run the faster I want to go.  It's not always like this, it has just felt that way this last week, or two, or three.

Mile 1 8:01
Mile 2 7:39
Mile 3 7:38
Mile 4 7:30
Mile 5 7:38
Mile 6 7:51
Mile 7 8:06

This morning I lifted weights for the first time in over a month.  I sometimes forget how much I enjoy lifting weights.  This cooler running weather is the best and I could have honestly gone for a short run this morning.   I will try not to  forget about the weight room though, because this helps keep me healthy and my core less wobbly.

I haven't posted a weight loss update in awhile.  I think I will save that for the next blog post.

Saints and Sinners Half Marathon Race Report

I had a really great race and I hope I remember to write down everything...

I slept pretty good the night before the race. The baby only woke up once to eat and then she went right back to sleep.  I got out of bed at 5:15am to make coffee and eat breakfast.

For breakfast I ate a peanut butter sandwich (peanut butter, white toast with a little bit of regular butter), and a banana. I also drank a cup of coffee. I was glad that I wasn't feeling super nervous. Sometimes if I am really nervous eating before a big race is difficult. 

I left my house around 6:15am and I arrived at the race site at 7:00am. I'm glad parking was free and I'm glad I arrived early. I hung out in my car and listened to music on my phone.  I had about 1/2 of a Cliff mojo bar while I was waiting in the car.About twenty minutes before the start I went for a quick jog to the port-a-potties and then I headed to the start line.  The temperatures were nice and mild so I ditched my gloves and beanie hat at the last minute.

I lined up a few rows back from the front. My strategy was to hold back in the early miles and try to run a negative split race. The gun went off and we were treated to a screaming downhill. I felt like I was holding back but my Garmin was reading 7:00 pace.  I was supposed to hit 7:45 for the first mile....

Mile 1- 7:08

I tried to slow down some and I also tried to not pay attention to all of the people that went flying by me in the early miles. I kept telling myself to not worry about everyone else.  The real race happens later.

Mile 2- 7:20

The downhill continued and we were going over a long stretch of pavement that was concrete, more runners kept flying by.

Mile 3-7:15

I kind of gave up on reigning myself in.  I just tried to stay as "in-control" as possible while flying downhill. Two girls in tutu's passed me, and I got kinda irritated.


Mile 4-  7:17
We hit a stretch of uphill and I threw it into another gear and flew up the hilly climb. I passed a bunch of the runners that flew by me during the early miles.  I felt like a badass here.  I was also treated to some sweet views of Lake Mead

Mile 5- 7:06
After the hilly climb we went rocketing back down the hill. The runners had become more spread out, I kept looking for female runners to spot on and to try to reel them in. I had no idea what place I was overall.  I was able to pick off a few runners here.

Mile 6-7:11
While passing an aid station I took in a cup of Gatorade. I began to worry because I didn't see any fruit or food on the course as promised on the website.  I didn't bring any gels with me because I didn't have any pockets and I didn't want to carry anything in my hands while running.

Mile 7- 7:35
My calves were starting to burn quite a bit, and I was grateful  to get off of the pavement onto some soft dirt trail. I felt like I was running strong.  I started to freak out a little bit when I saw my pace drop down to 7:50 per mile.  I told myself to just run by feel and to keep my composure.

*****Miles 8-10***** These miles are a bit off because we had to run through 5 train tunnels and then there was a turn around point where we went through the 5 tunnels again.  My Garmin messured the half as only 12.87 miles but, I know my Garmin cut out a few times becuause my stats were really funky. 

 

Mile 8-7:53

I stopped looking at my Garmin because I didn't want it to mess with my head.  I knew my pace was dropping but, I just tried to focus on catching runners ahead of me.  By this time the lead male runners were coming back from the turn around point.

Mile 9-7:58

The train tunnels are amazing!! It's a surreal feeling to head into the tunnel and be in pitch black and then come out through the other side.  There are a total of 5 tunnels and there is a turn around point and you run back through the tunnels.  The female lead runners started coming back from the turn around point.  I realised that I was probably in the top 15 women overall. When I got to the turn around point I felt good and I told myself.  "Everyone in front of you has a target on their back, Go GET THEM NOW!!!"  I passed several runners going back through the tunnels.

This photo is not from the race. 
I just wanted to show you
the tunnels

Mile 10-7:45 

I remember looking down at my watch and seeing it read 1:13:XX and I tried to do math in my head to figure out what my finish time would be.   I gave up and just tried to run by feel.  We passed the final aid station and I called out for fruit or gel.  There wasn't any fruit or gels but, I snagged a few gummy bears and a cup of Gatorade.

Mile 11-7:40

We were back on the pavement now and the runners had spread out and I only had two guys in front of me.  The wheels were starting to come off of the wagon and I just wanted to finish the race.   I was able to pick off the last two guys in front of me.

Mile 12-7:29

The course continued on a downhill and my legs are dead. Everything hurts!!

Mile 12.87- 6:28 (7:25 average pace)

With a mile to go. I tried to run this as fast as possible.  I was so drained and I knew that I had depleted my glycogen stores.  I turned the final corner and I sprinted to the finish. I remember yelling out loud. I don't know if they were cries of pain or happiness or both.

Final Time 1:36:01

I finished 8th woman overall and 5th in my age group (30-39).  I was also the 30th overall finisher out of a total of 424 finishers.

I'm really pleased with how I ran. If I could have done anything different, I would have carried a gel in my shorts or hat. I also wouldn't have charged up the hilly climb.  I think I wasted some energy there.  But, overall this was an A++ day for me.  I definitely want to do this race again next year.


*** The photos from the race were complimentary!!***

Saints and Sinners Half Marathon is this Weekend- My Race Strategy and Goals

As I sit here writing this post, I am feeling so many different emotions.  I am so excited that the half marathon is actually going to happen and I feel like I am ready to run a really solid race. This will be my first half marathon in over 18 months and I feel like everything has fallen into place with my training.  I also feel super jittery and anxious because of the taper. I'm worried that I will get sick or stub a toe in the next 72 hours.  I couldn't imagine trying to do a one month marathon taper right now.


The Saints and Sinner course is a down hill course that is very PR friendly.

I don't think I will be able to break my old PR  but, I know that I am in better shape than I was when I ran my last half. I have lost almost all of my baby weight from both pregnancies and I worked a lot on my upper body and core strength during this training cycle. 



This will be my first half marathon that I will be racing with a Garmin.  In the past I would use a regular running watch and I would wear a pace band with split times written on it to check to see if I was on pace or not.

 

1	0:07:45	0:07:45
2	0:07:30	0:15:15
3	0:07:30	0:22:45
4	0:07:30	0:30:15
5	0:07:30	0:37:45
6	0:07:30	0:45:15
7	0:07:25	0:52:40
8	0:07:30	1:00:10
9	0:07:25	1:07:35
10	0:07:25	1:15:00
11	0:07:25	1:22:25
12	0:07:25	1:29:50
13	0:07:15	1:37:05
0.1	0:00:54	1:37:59

Having a Garmin has really helped me keep my paces in check during low key track club workouts and has also helped me keep on pace during tempo workouts.

 My Race Strategy and Goals

I plan on doing a very minimal warm up, maybe a mile of  jogging to stay warm. For  the first mile I plan on running around 7:45 pace to warm up and then I hope to drop down to 7:30 for the next few miles (2-6). Then I want to drop down to 7:15 pace for miles 7-10.  For the last 5k of the course I want to run in the low 7 minute range. 

C goal- Run a true progression half marathon where each mile  is faster than the last.  If I take off too fast, I will blow up during the last few miles.  There is no such thing as banking time during a full or half marathon. That strategy will always result in me crashing and burning during the final miles.

B goal -is to run a sub 1:40 half.  I think with the downhill course I should be able to accomplish this. I will be very disappointed if I don't break 1:40

A goal- is to get as close to 1:35 as possible.

1	0:07:45	0:07:45
2	0:07:30	0:15:15
3	0:07:30	0:22:45
4	0:07:30	0:30:15
5	0:07:30	0:37:45
6	0:07:30	0:45:15
7	0:07:15	0:52:30
8	0:07:15	0:59:45
9	0:07:15	1:07:00
10	0:07:15	1:14:15
11	0:07:00	1:21:15
12	0:07:00	1:28:15
13	0:07:00	1:35:15
0.01	0:00:50	1:36:05

I really need to remember my C goal during the whole race.