LVTC Holiday Half Marathon 2014 Edition

I'm really grateful that I got to scratch that itch over the weekend.  It wasn't my fastest half but, I'm really glad that I showed up to race on Saturday Morning.  This really was a last minute thing...

They had the same shirt from last year, but for a
$40.00 half marathon I'm not complaining

Nothing is more fun to me,than toeing the line and seeing what you are made of, Yes we race against the clock, but I have a ton of fun racing and hopefully out kicking my peers.

Before the race
On Friday morning I got a quick workout in before work.  I ran two miles at tempo pace, with some form drills thrown in (A-Skips and butt kicks).  I was trying to prepare for speed work in the upcoming weeks.  I also did some weight training.  The day before I  received an invitation to a birthday party for my son's BFF.  The party was the same day as the upcoming LVTC Championship series 10K, and the party started at 10am, early but not super early...

I went to the packet pick-up for the Holiday Half Marathon on my lunch break. It was at the local running store that is really close to my work,  I found out that the upcoming 10k starts at 9am and is on the opposite end of town, and even if I hurried home after the race, my son would end up missing about half of the party...

I talked to the president of the track club and I started to think,"maybe I can swing this one".  My husband is pretty patient with me and my running.  But, I would hate for him to feel like I'm taking advantage of him as a babysitter on the weekends, when we have pretty limited time and resources for races compared to before we had children...

That night while I was making dinner, I casually brought up the race, and I surprised at how easily I got the green light...

Signing up for races at the last minute has one huge advantage.... No pre-race freak outs!!!!  It is so hard when I have a big race looming on the calendar for two months, then six weeks, or one month out.  I tend to obsess over performing to my best.  After I tucked the kids into bed, I laid out my clothes for the morning, watched TV, and tried not to stay up too late.

Morning of the race

I woke up at 5am and I made pancakes, bacon, and coffee.  While the breakfast was cooking, I wrote a short blog post.  After breakfast I got dressed and left the house at 7am.  I was trying to remember last year's race, and I remember the course being a doozy...

1100 feet of decent, and 1100 feet of climbing! Yay!!

When I got to the race site, I ran into fellow members of the Las Vegas Track Club,  I only get to see my runner friends a few times a year, so I really enjoyed chit-chatting and catching up.

I was really excited to race, and I was just happy to be there.

Can you tell how excited I am?

My strategy was to hold back during the first two miles, and try not to fly down the downhill section of the race.... 

Mile 1-8:10

Mile 2-8:07

This didn't go quite how I planned.  I brought my phone with me because I really like the Slacker music app.  I paid for the subscription service when I was training for the RNRLV Marathon.   I normally race half's with my ipod nano circa 2010. (same ipod and music since 2010).  During the 3rd mile of the race, I started screwing around with my phone and I lost any signal that I had (Goodbye Slacker Radio)...  Derp... I ended up going with my old play list on my phone (circa 2011), and then later on in the race I tried to pick up a signal again with no luck...  The moral of the story is to leave the phone in your car if you are racing in the boonies.

The 1st place female was way ahead of me and I knew that I wouldn't catch her.  She is way faster, and it is what it is. However, the 2nd place female came right up on me while I was dicking around with my phone.  I'm a competitve jerk, if you pass me during a race you better mean it.  Don't hang on to my shoulder or try to run with me....  I felt like that was happening so I  threw it into another gear to create another gap between us.  This probably wasn't the best idea.

Mile 3-7:03

Mile 4-6:50 

The straight downhill turned into a series of rolling downhill climbs, we were still running down the hill, but you also had to run up a few steep inclines,

This picture is from last year's race, courtesy of the LVTC

Around this time I pulled out my Gatorade energy chews (Blue Crush) and I ate a few.

Mile 5-7:46

Mile 6-7:29

We were heading back down a steep decline, and the 2nd place female passed me like she meant it this time.  I was impressed with her speed going down the hill.  I didn't recognize her as a local runner and I think I underestimated her.     We were nearing the bottom of the trail head and I told myself to be patient, there is still the second half of the race.  I began to head back up the steep decent/rolling downhills in reverse.

Mile 7-7:53

Mile 8-9:48

I had been playing hopscotch with two male runners, and another runner went flying by all three of us. It was James Alejandro.  He is notorious for holding back and killing the second half of races. Around this time I also ate a few more Gatorade chews.  

Mile 9-8:39

I was able to shake the two guys that I was running with, and then I was in no man's land.  The second place female was no longer in my sights. After the rolling climbs were over, we were treated to a straight uphill climb for the next two miles. I didn't event want to look at my Garmin because I knew that  I was slowing down.  Not much you can do at this point- Just endure the pain and try to look forward to the last two miles that are downhill.

Mile 10-9:07

Mile 11-9:25

I look like I'm having the time of my life here (sarcasm)

I was so happy to finally be running back downhill.  I knew there were only two miles left until the finish. My legs were toast, but I wanted to finish hard.

Mile 12-7:38
Mile 13-7:38
        .1-1:05 (7:12 pace)

Official Time 1:46:37
Garmin Time  1:46:38 (13.15 miles)

I'm happy that I ran the tangents pretty close.  I'm also happy that I didn't get picked off during the last 4 miles.

After the race I hung out for a few minutes, but I didn't stick around for the awards.  I had so much fun, but I knew that I had to hurry home.

Me, Toshie (she was right on my heels), Christina  (She got there late, so I got lucky lol)
Debbie, and 1st woman overall Erica S. She smoked that course with a 1:35!!

This morning I went for a short two mile run, to get some of the stiffness out of my legs, I'm not as sore as I thought I would be.  I have to take the next two weeks easy.. I want to give my legs a chance to recover.  Then I have about four weeks of training with some speed work in the mix. My next race is the Big Game 10k.  This race will have some pretty good swag to attract the local runners.  I'm looking forward to racing hard again. :)

Thank you to the LVTC for the photos and for hosting a great event!

As always thanks for reading.

Rock n Roll Las Vegas Marathon 2014 Race Report

I didn't even come close to my expected finish time.  I will try to keep this from turning into a whine fest.  I'm still really happy that I finished a marathon.

I can't seem to flip this picture over.

From the get go, 8:00 minute miles were harder than I expected them to be.  I stayed positive throughout the race.  I went into this race knowing that I would hit a low point or two  and that I should push through them because they will eventually pass. This ended up becoming the theme of the day....

Before the Race

I was driving myself nuts during the week trying  to decide what to wear.  I ended up wearing a tank top (base layer), a long sleeve top, a vest, shorts and calf compression sleeves.  The starting temp was 50 degrees and when we finished temps were in the high 30's I had been worried about the cold. I ran the Las Vegas Marathon in 2007 and I under dressed and I froze my butt off.  I didn't want that to happen again.

Vegas 2007-Windy and Cold that day.

Nutrition
I didn't have any trouble eating or fueling before the race.  Here's what I ate that day.


Breakfast (5:30 AM)- One small slice of pizza two eggs over medium, and a banana 30 minutes later

Lunch- (10:30 AM) Burrito bowl-Spanish rice,  a little shredded chicken, a little cheddar cheese, and a flour tortilla

Snack (2:00 PM)- One slice white toast  with peanut butter, 1/2 of a banana.  I also had a few bites of a cliff bar.

I also drank a bottle of Powerade Zero, 2 liters of water, a diet coke, and 16oz of Fruit Punch Gatorade throughout the day of the race.


I really liked how organized the race was, from the starting village, but I had to walk almost two miles to get from the monorail station to my starting corral.


The Race
I lined up in corral 5,  I think I should have asked to be moved to corral 3-4 because  it seemed like I got stuck behind a few half marathoners during the early miles.  The first mile was really clogged, and I had to run around several walkers.

During the 2nd mile of the race. Meb Keflezighi ran by me.  I realized that it was the pace group for the 1:45's  I thought of trying to hold on them, but, I didn't feel warmed up yet, and I wanted to ease into faster miles, later in the race.

I got really pissed off when I saw a runner run right up on Meb to take a freakin selfie... Who does that?!  If you want a picture with Meb, you should have taken one with him at the expo.  I think it was really dangerous move, and what would have happened if they would have tripped him?

I opened up my first gel between miles 3-4 and I nursed it over the next mile.Running along the strip was pretty neat, but after 4 miles my feet and legs were still feeling sluggish and at mile 5 I decided to turn on my music (I had wanted to hold off until mile 10).
Mile 1-8:54
Mile 2-8:08
Mile 3-8:04
Mile 4-8:16
Mile 5-8:00

The music was a welcome distraction.  I began to hit my goal marathon pace and  I told myself to be patient.  I was confident that I would be able to pick it up on the way back. I had a few Gatorade Energy Chews and some water around mile 7. We kept on running on Las Vegas Blvd. and we were headed towards the Fremont Street experience and the older downtown section of Las Vegas.  At mile 9 I pulled out another energy gel.  I wasn't feeling the greatest and when we passed the turn around point for the half marathoners to split off, I toyed with the idea of running just the half....
Mile 6-8:02
Mile 7-8:06
Mile 8-8:02
Mile 9-8:03
Mile 10-8:26

It was actually a welcome relief to split off from the half marathoners, the course was a lot less crowded and I felt like I finally found my rhythm We were now headed up MLK blvd.  I was already trying to divide the race up into chunks.  I kept telling myself that I would feel stronger and open up on the way back in.  My calves were starting to burn, and my feet were hurting too.  But, I still had wild fantasies of catching the 3:30 pace group during the final miles.  They weren't too far ahead of me at this point.

Mile 11-8:12
Mile 12-8:09
Mile 13-8:18
Mile 14-8:32
Mile 15-8:19

We were heading up Carey and that road has a slight incline (105 feet over two miles). I thought this was going to be NBD and where I would be able to let my calves relax a little because my stride would change a little running up the grade.  I kept feeling like I had to pee, I was looking along the road for bushes but, I didn't want to get arrested for flashing my butt, so I used a port-a-potty at mile 16.  When I went inside the porta-a-potty I noticed that my upper body was soaked in sweat and peeing was very difficult.  I realized that I was dehydrated and I started drinking a lot more fluids...

My Friend Pam, who I met at the Saints and Sinners Half marathon in September went flying by me with her brother along this stretch of road.  She looked so strong...

I tried to eat another Gel around  mile 18, but the texture and the sugar was making me gag.  I stopped to walk through the aid stations starting at mile 18...   We were headed back down the grade and I told myself to just hang on, at mile 20 we will try to pick up the pace.
Mile 16-9:39
Mile 17-8:59
Mile 18-8:40
Mile 19-8:58
Mile 20-9:01

Around mile 19 we were back on MLK Blvd and I could see the downtown area.. I was getting excited because I could finally try to hustle and make up some time.  Well right around that time my left calve seized up on me.  It hurt so bad that I stopped to stretch and I told myself,  "Just make it to the next aid station and you can walk through it while you drink some water and Gatorade".
Rinse and Repeat.  I had that strategy for the last 6-7 miles just survive and run your ass off to the next aid station.  I was actually grateful that it was dark and I couldn't obsess over slow Garmin data.
Mile 21-9:05
Mile 22-9:12
Mile 23-9:23

Where the hell are the mile markers?  We were running through the downtown arts district with a whole bunch of 90 degree turns. I kept turning the corner hoping for a fresh mile marker.  But, I didn't see any mile markers except Mile 21 and mile 25.  During this point of the marathon.  I appreciate every last mile marker and this really messed with my head.

I felt like I was picking up the pace,  I was back on the Las Vegas strip, I had started passing people but, I kept having to stop to stretch my stupid calves.  The marathon ended in front of the Mirage hotel and casino, and it seemed like an optical illusion, I could see the hotel from two miles away and it never seemed to get any closer.
Mile 24-9:48
Mile 25-9:45
Mile 26- 9:44

It's crazy how bad I imploded those last three miles.... They didn't seem like they were that slow.  I felt like I was working hard, and I was passing people...  My calves were just so knotted up.

Garmin Time 3:49:13
Official Time 3:49:06 avg 8:45 pace
103rd woman overall (out of 1265)
19th in my age group (out of 229)
507th finisher (out of 3208)

I crossed the finish line and I was in a world of hurt.  I was honestly close to tears, my calves hurt so bad.  I'm guessing that I became dehydrated from sweating so much during the race.  I never felt cold, which is good. But now that it's Monday afternoon. I'm wondering about all of  the things I could have done differently or executed better.

There will not be a redemption race for me.  I'm looking forward to not training for a marathon for awhile.  I don't have the extra money or time in my budget to try to find another race.  I'm almost second guessing if I want to run another marathon.  I can kick some ass at the half marathon distance and it doesn't seem to be as emotionally draining/taxing on myself or family.

I know that's crazy post marathon talk.  But I know that I don't want to run another marathon anytime soon....

Thank you for reading.

Saints and Sinners Race Report 2014

The bling

The after party!

I had a great time racing over the weekend.  I ran a really hard fought race.  I hope I don't go off on too many tangents.  My apologies in advance for this being long winded and or melodramatic.

Before the Race

On Monday the week of the race I ran three miles easy and later on that day I had a slight tickle in my throat.  By Tuesday evening I was downing NyQuil in the hopes of sleeping really soundly for the rest of the week. Wednesday morning I did my last speed work/shake out workout, and I was able to run fine. 

I had a cold with some chest congestion but, by Thursday it was only in my sinuses and by Friday I felt a lot better (NyQuil & Ricola Cough drops are the best).

The weather was also quite strange.  It had been hot all week long with a big storm in the forecast for Friday evening/Saturday morning.  Friday night did not disappoint.

Photo from the Las Vegas Sun

There were huge lighting strikes across the sky, gusty winds, and scattered showers.  I was worried that they might cancel the race if there is lighting over Lake Mead in the morning.

The Morning of the Race

I woke up at 4:00AM.  For breakfast I ate a  peanut butter and banana sandwich and I drank some Gatorade.   Then I got dressed... Earlier in the week I couldn't decide what shirt to wear to race.  I had planned on a tank top if it was going to be hot.  In the end I decided to go the sentimental route.   I wore my LVTC holiday half marathon shirt.  

The back of my shirt. LVTC represent!!

The front of my shirt after the race

The Las Vegas Track Club has been really supportive to local runners and I was chosen as their most improved runner earlier this year.  

For shoes I still couldn't decide between the Brooks Pure Flows and my ASICS GT-2000's I brought both pairs with me to the race and in the end, I'm so glad I chose the ASICS.  The race course ended up being much more of technical/trail course this year. 

I got to the race site at 5:50AM.  I picked up my race packet, and then I met up with my  very good friend Jenn. We hung out, warmed up by jogging back and forth to our cars and to the port-a-johns. It was nice to have a friend with me to make the time go by faster.  I also drank about 3/4 of a can of diet coke, had a few bites of a Cliff bar (Blue berry Crisp),  and I ate a Ricola cough drop right before the start.. 10 minutes before the race, we walked up the hill to the start line.

The Race

The weather was cooler than it had been last year.  There had been lighting early in the morning but it was letting up.  It was still cloudy and windy.  

I walked up to the front part of the corral and I noticed that there weren't as many people in the corrals. The start seemed a little more low key than the previous year.  

I recognized a runner from online and I introduced myself to her.  She is s speedy runner named Pam. I hoped that I wold be able to hang on to her during the race and at least keep her in my sights.   She was very friendly and nice.

Before you knew it the announcer said 5,4,3,2,1 and blew an air horn.  It almost happened too fast.

Photo Courtesy of  Saints and Sinners Instagram

Down the hill we  went...I had a much more aggressive  race plan in my mind.  I wanted to run a 1:33 half marathon and my goal was to hit 6:55'-7:00's for the first 6 miles........

Mile 1-6:55

The runners took off and I found my groove.  I felt like I was holding back, but the downhill is pretty steep

Mile 2-6:52

We were on a stretch of downhill that was concrete but, it was also a drainage area for the storm that happened the night before.  There was a lot of rocks, dirt, and debris on the road.  You had to be very diligent with your footing.

Mile 3-6:54

We hit a stretch of uphill and the runners had become a bit spread out.  I knew there were a few females ahead of me but, I didn't know what place I was overall.  I was able to catch two guys going through this hilly section.  I was also treated to some neat views of Lake Mead....

this picture is from last year's race.

Mile 4-7:08

The course continued on down the hill.   I decided to turn on my music.. I had been hoping to wait until the halfway point to turn it on.   My left quad was starting to burn, and I thought to myself.  "You are going to have to work for this, if you want to run a 1:33".

Mile 5- 7:03  

I passed an aid station and I grabbed a cup of Gatorade..  I went through the first two aid stations without taking anything in... I also caught sight of a female runner  (It was Pam the runner I talked to before the race) about 200 meters ahead of me.  I made it a point to try to slowly reel her in.

Mile 6- 7:06

I knew the downhill stretch was coming to an end soon.  I tried to ease off the pace a little bit because I knew the trail section  was going to be tough....  I grabbed another cup of Gatorade and took a quick drink.

Mile 7- 7:40

 I caught up to Pam when we were running through the canyons before the tunnels. She answered right back by speeding up and creating another gap between us.    I remember it being really windy during this stretch.

*****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 12.83 miles but, I know my Garmin cut out a few times because my stats were really funky.  

Mile 8- 7:52

The lead runners are starting to come back through the turn around point.  I'm trying to close the gap again between Pam and I.  The train tunnels were really freaky and cool at the same time.  It was hard to see.  

Also not from Saturday's race, but I wanted to show you
how cool these tunnels look.

Mile 9-8:28

I got to the turn around point/aid station. and I was right on Pam's heels.  I just wanted to hang on to her for as long as I could.   At the turnaround point I should have stopped to grab a cup of fluid but, instead I turned around,  and tried to grab a cup of Gatorade at the same time, and then I fell.......  It happened so fast...It wasn't quite a face plant, more like a slide into home plate....

I sprang right back up and forgot about the Gatorade (big mistake) and I took off running.  I also dropped the "F" bomb.  I knew if I stopped or started to freak out, that it would be all over....

A lot of stuff ran through my head.  "4 miles!!! 4 miles!!! You can run 4 miles!! Just survive and get through the trail section.  No pitty party until later.  Just RUN!!!  Close the gap, don't let this race get away from you."

Adrenaline is a strange thing...  

Mile 10- 8:09

I looked down at my hands to assess the damage and they were a little dirty/bloody.  Around mile 10 I started doing math in my head... I hit the 10 mile marker at around 1:12:XXX I was still ahead of my pacing from last year, so I just told myself to fight...

Mile 11- 7:39

I was so happy to finally get out of the trail section and back on to the pavement.  I passed the last aid station.  I thought I grabbed a cup of Gatorade.... Nope... It was only water..... I wanted to cry.....

Mile 12- 7:21 

The course is downhill and I can see two females ahead of me.  Pam caught another runner ahead of us and I was trying to close the gap to the other runner.  The course was downhill switchbacks.

In my head  I'm counting the distance down.  "C'mon a mile and some change to go..You can do this!!! Fight. You are almost done with this!!"..My legs hurt so bad.. I had a few good songs come on my Ipod, so the music was a welcome distraction.

Mile 12.83- 5:52 (7:07 pace) With a mile ago, I tried to run this as hard as I could....  I was really grateful that  there were mile markers at each mile.  The race organizers even placed a 1/2 mile to go sign.  I love these for reference.  I had horrible cotton mouth and when I was running down the final stretch I could feel my breakfast coming up....

Garmin Time 1:34:59- 12.87 miles ***

Official Time: 1:34:51

5th woman overall

4th woman in my age group.

20th overall finisher out of 607 finishers.

I crossed the finish line and I made it a few steps past, and then I threw up all over the ground.  I heaved a second time and then I was okay...  A race volunteer was very nice and she handed me a bottle of water and wanted to make sure that I was okay.   I think I was more embarrassed about throwing up and I didn't want anyone to make a fuss over me.  I did walk over to medical tent to get me knee, elbow, and hands cleaned up.

After I got my bearings back, I went to talk to some of the other finishers, and to congratulate Pam on her 3rd place overall finish.

So neat to meet runners that you already
know online!!! Pam you are a Rock Star

I waited for my friend Jen to come in, and then we took a picture on the bus back to the start line.

Love this girl!!

I ended up being so flustered after the race, that I totally forgot I checked a gear bag with my friend.  We ended up riding the bus back to start line, only to have to go back to get the car keys still inside the gear bag at the finish line.....  

I can't say enough positive things about this race and the race organizers.    I felt horrible after I dropped the "f" bomb when I fell because the aid station had volunteers and their children handing out drinks.  It wasn't their fault I fell.  And I hope I didn't offend any of the kiddos.....

Thank you Saints and Sinners for providing a great event and I so hope to be back next year!!!

The Pity Party

I'm trying really hard not to think about the "what if's?".    I'm a little bummed that my time wasn't in the 1:33's but, I do take comfort in the fact that I ran the last four miles of that race on pure adrenaline and I was still able to go under 1:35.  Here's some pictures of my road rash...

I'm hoping to go for a short shake out run tomorrow, and then we will slowly ease back into training. Thanks for reading!

Legends of Cross Country 5k Race Report 2014

I have so many things to say about this race, and this post has a ton of pictures.  I hope I don't go off on too many tangents.


This race has  always been so much fun for me.  In the past I have raced this event in 2003, and again in 2009.  This event brings out many high school runners, and local running club teams.

When I ran this race in 2003 I didn't have any running friends out here in Las Vegas,  and I was just getting back into racing.  I ran a 21:15 that day.

In 2009 I ended up being the Women's Open race winner and I set my 5k PR (20:29) there. It was a different course I think ran a smart race, by holding back during the first mile, and then reeling runners in over the next two miles.

Going into this race I hadn't really been doing much speed work since my 1600 meter race.  I spent the month of July base building and running for fun.  The week of the race I scaled back my mileage and threw in an extra rest day.  My goal for this race was to go sub 21 minutes.  I wanted to average about 6:40 per mile.

Morning of the Race

I got up early and I made my breakfast of two eggs over medium cooked in cooking spray, a banana, and a slice of white toast with butter.  I decided to wear a tank top and some booty shorts (It's been a long time since I squeezed into them, I almost chickened out).

I arrived at Sunset Park at 630am.  I wanted to warm up, do some strides, stretch, watch the first Open race, and catch up with running friends.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Sylvia Mosqueda.  I can't say enough about her!  She is a former NCAA cross country and track champion. She is also a highly decorated athlete who qualified for the Olympic Trials five different times for the 10,000 meters!! To say I'm a fan girl is an understatement.

Winning the Carlsbad 5000
Women's Master Race in 2009 

She has a local running club and she coaches several athletes in our area.  Unfortunately her running club meets and trains on the other side of the valley.  At this  I just can't squeeze workouts with her group into my weekly training. I hope in the future I will  have the opportunity to train with her club.

Las Vegas Running Project

My strategy for this race was to go out hard, but try to reign it in during the first mile, so that each mile gets progressively faster.  With Cross Country races there are plenty of "rabbits" people that go out really fast and then crash and burn later.  It was a common theme for my high school cross country running.  I used the "hold back" strategy in 2009 and it worked out great.

I don't know if high school running has evolved since 2009 but, it was a much different race, and I totally underestimated some of these high schoolers....These girls had on compression calve sleeves and they were wearing Garmins just like me.

I was able to enter the seeded race by meeting the qualifying standards earlier this year.  The standard was a sub 22 minute 5k and I did this at the LVTC poker run earlier in February.  I registered as an unattached runner.

Me photo bombing the LVRP group photo.

I was really nervous that morning but, it was so nice to see old friends and catch up.  Before I knew it, it was time to get on the line, and then the gun went off.

The course was all dirt and grass.  I wore my racing flats and I just kind of tucked myself into the pack and I hoped I wasn't going out too fast... About 200 meters into the race I looked down at my Garmin and saw 6:10 pace (gulp) I knew this was way too fast and tried to ease up a little bit.

I was slightly behind this first wave of girls

Lead men after the first turn around

Mile 1- 6:42

I started to make ground on some of the people ahead of me.

I'm tucked into the pack and you can't really see me.

There I am.

Mile 2 6:55-  I'm starting to slow down. I don't even hear my Garmin beeping.

This picture is misleading, I passed that pack of girls behind me
and about half of them caught right back up to me.

Mile 3 7:05-

 I'm am hurting and I'm trying to decide when to start my final kick... It's a gamble, if you start your kick too soon, you can crash and burn.  You start your kick too late, then you run out of real estate to catch more runners.... I think I started my kick too early.... I had seen two yellow jerseys (Las Vegas Running Project) runners ahead of me, and during the final 600 meters I started to go for it.  I passed one of the yellow jerseys.  With 300 meters to go, and with Coach Mosqueda cheering her runner on, I got dusted.

It was surreal to hear a coach yelling at their runner to
out kick me. Much less a  famous athlete...

Mile 3.24  1 :32 (because I ran on the outside most of the race.)  6:34 pace.

Here's the finish

Final Time 22:10  3.22  6:53 per mile average.  I ended up placing 14th overall out of 52 runners. I also snagged third in my age group.

When I finished I was disappointed with my time, and  from getting out kicked. But, I had an absolute blast that day.  When the results were posted I noticed that no one set any course records. It was a pretty slow course with all of the turning loops. I also ran cautiously because of the younger runners.  I didn't want to elbow anyone or trip someone on the heel.    This was a really fun day.

Photo Credits:  Cesar Mata, Roma Cachito, and the Las Vegas Track Club.  You guys took some amazing pictures.  Many Thanks!!

Nothing Stings Quite Like The Feeling of Disappointment. 1600 Meter Race Recap

I ran my 1600 meter race last night, and I'm feeling pretty disappointed with myself.  I don't want to turn this post into a whine fest, but I do want to be honest about how I feel this race went.  I'm also a little disappointed with how the track club organized the race heats.

The weather conditions were not ideal

It is what it is. Everyone raced in the same weather conditions,
so I can't really use that as an excuse.

Before the Race

Last Saturday the LVTC was hosting a low key 8k at the Sunrise Picnic Area.  I always want to show my support whenever they host an event there.  If the turn out becomes too low, they may choose to hold less events there.

No Pictures were available from last Saturday., this one is from last May

I ended up running this race as a Tempo progression run.  I accidentally left my Garmin in my desk at work over the weekend, so I got to run this event by feel.... I'm also a complete dork and I erased the time off of my regular sports watch as soon as the race was over... derp...

Here's the splits that I remember.

Mile 1- 7:30

I ran into a fellow track club member/runner friend  and we talked about Tuesday's 1600 meter race. More on that below....

Mile 2- 7:15  I picked up the pace a bit

Mile 3-?
Mile 4-?
Mile 5-?

Finish Time- 35:59  (average 7:15 pace per mile)

I ran into a fellow track club member James Alejandro, whom I always finish just behind or ahead of depending on the day.   He's a great competitor and we don't take things too seriously.

LVTC Members from Left to Right (Toshie, Evan, James, and Me)
James Alejandro gave me his extra Turkey after there was
a mix-up over race results during a low key Turkey trot
last November.

During the first mile of the 8k we were discussing future races that we were training for. I was really hoping that he would run the mile, I told him how I was aiming for low six minute range and he said he would try to help me.

Day of the Race

I went to work and had a typical work day.  I wore my running sneakers to work  because I wanted to keep my feet as comfortable as possible.  I also ate a really big lunch knowing that I wouldn't be eating dinner before the race. My lunch was pita bread with hummus, falafel, and green salad.

I left work a little early to pick up my kids, feed them dinner, and get bath time started early.  I left my house at 6:30pm.  I had about 15 minutes to warm up, stretch and do some strides...  I ran into my LVTC friends Toshie and James.

During the registration process James and I both wrote down that we were going to run a 6:20 mile. With the heat it was a conservative estimate that I thought I would easily  come in under.

There ended up being three different heats for the mile.  The track club split the race up into two men's heats and one women's heat....  I should have asked to run in one of the later heats...  I'm kind of bummed about this.....



The women's race ended up being the first heat.  I ended up being the overall Women's winner.  My finish time was 6:24... Womp. Womp.....

Here are my lap splits
Lap 1-87 seconds
Lap 2 98 seconds
Lap 3 100  seconds (WTF happened here)?
Lap 4 98 seconds

I took the lead before the end of the first lap;  the first lap felt easy, the second lap a little harder, the last two laps were a death march, and I started lapping people during the fourth lap.  I lost my focus after I took the lead. It was really hard to push the pace without knowing how fast I was going.  I used my Garmin to time this race and of course my trusty Garmin measured this mile long......  For shits and giggles here's an overhead view of how off I ran the tangents.

I tried to stay on the inside lane as best as possible.

Even sweeter  is the bullshit my Garmin is trying to sell me.

I ran 4 laps around the track and it took me 6:24
but, if I hadn't wasted any energy passing on the outside
then I could have come closer to 6:00?!
My head hurts trying to make sense of this..

After my race I stuck around to watch the guys race.  My friend James ended up killing his mile race!  He ran a 5:42.  He ran the first half almost identical to what I ran, but then he held on and ran a much faster 2nd half.

I really wish that I would have had the nerve to speak up about racing in a later heat. It was hard not having a rabbit in front of me during my race.  The Las Vegas Track club hosts free track meets so I really don't feel right complaining about an event that was free.  

I don't really know when I will have the opportunity to race a mile again.  I almost want to go out to the track on Saturday by myself for a do over.   

Who knew I would have so much to say about such a short race...

Mustang 50th Half Marathon Race Report

I really wanted to write this race report last week while the details were still fresh... But, I didn't get a chance to.   I hope I remember to include all of the important stuff.


My goal for this race was a sub 1:35 half marathon.  I came really close to my time goal.  I studied this course in my head.  I knew that there would be a lot of turns and loops, I also checked out the elevation profile using USATF.org.  I like to be as prepared as possible going into a race.  Here's a picture of the course map

Before the race

I signed up for this race a few months ago and I had the opportunity to submit my time to be placed in a seeded corral.  I submitted my time and I was told that I would be in corral "B".  I was satisfied because I knew I didn't belong in corral "A".

When  I arrived at the expo I picked up my race packet and I noticed that I was number "17". I went over to talk to one of the race officials and I asked about the seeded corrals.  I was told that the top 50 were going to be right up front.  I went home thinking, "maybe I have a chance at placing in the top 3".

I had been looking forward to this race for awhile and my race nerves/jitters were in full swing.  I started carb loading earlier in the week.  By Friday afternoon I was ready to jump out of my own skin, and eating was kind of hard.

Morning of the race

I went to bed at 1030pm on Friday night and I woke up at 430am.  I wanted to make my kids home made waffles before I left.  I ate a banana and drank some coffee while the waffles were cooking. I ate half of a waffle plain and then I smeared peanut butter and strawberry jelly on the other half and ate it in the car on the way to the race.  I had to choke down that waffle sandwich.  I was so nervous.

I left my house at 6am and  I got to the race site with 45 minutes to spare. It was just enough time to jog two miles, do some strides, use the port-a-johns, and make my way to my corral.  I wore throw away pajama pants and a throw away shirt to stay warm.  I didn't really need the throw away clothes,  it was a really nice warm morning.  I got to my corral and I felt like the guys and gals were kind of sizing each other up.  I felt like some of the guys were giving me the side eye, and the, "what's she doing up here" look.  I chatted with a few runners I recognized.  It made the time go by quickly.



The gun went off and I found my groove.   I looked down at my Garmin and saw 6:30 pace,  I backed off and tried to take in my surroundings. It was pretty surreal to be running around a NASCAR race track.

Mile 1-7:19

I kept telling myself to stay focused and run your own race. Don't make any big surges to catch anyone.  The real race happens in the later miles.

Mile 2 -7:16

The course left the race track and we were going up a slight incline the runners were becoming more spread out.  I grabbed a cup of Powerade and I dumped a cup of water on my head.

Mile 3- 7:35

Mile 4- 7:25

The incline was now a decline and I tried really hard not to fly down the decline.  I started to pass a few runners along this stretch

Mile 5- 6:57
Some men do not like being passed by a female runner.  They will fight you to the death even though there are still 8 more miles of a half marathon to run.  I had been running behind a tall man and when I would get close to him he would speed up.  Eventually there was a hill and I used this opportunity to shake him.

Mile 6- 7:06
We were along a stretch of road with zig-zagging loops that let you see the other runners ahead of you.  I noticed two female runners about 400 meters ahead of me.  I had no idea what place I was overall.

Mile 7- 6:57
At times I looked down at my Garmin and I saw 6:45 pace and I would get freaked out.  I told myself to trust my training  and just run by feel.  I dumped more water on my head and drank a little more powerade.

Mile 8- 6:57

The course was now headed back up the incline that we ran during  miles 3-4.

Mile 9-7:41

There was another dude that didn't want to get picked off by a girl runner.  He was a bit more obnoxious because I felt like he was weaving in front of me so I couldn't pass him.   I had a few  choice words with him when we almost tripped over each other going around a barricade.

Mile 10-7:31
I knew that we only had a 5k left and I really wanted to finish hard.   This mile had a slight decline

Mile 11- 6:58
We were entering the stadium and heading back towards the track, I could see the 2nd place female in my sights.

Mile 12-7:12
I passed the last aid station and I made my move to catch the 2nd place female.  I went around her and tried to open up.

Mile 13- 7:09
The 2nd place female came right up on my heels and I fought hard. But, in the end she had a much faster finishing kick than I did.

Mile .28- 1:57 (7:01 pace)

Final Finishing Time 1:36:04 (chip time)
Garmin Time 1:36:08  (13.28 miles at 7:14 pace)
3rd woman overall
31st out of 1703 finishers.



I've had a week to analyze and reanalyze this race. I definitely have some mixed feelings about my race.  I didn't meet my goal time but, I do take comfort in the fact that I did run a negative split race.

I'm bummed because the overall women's winner finished 42 seconds ahead of me.  It was a very close race between the top three ladies.  I wonder if I could have done anything earlier in the race that would have made a difference.

This may not have been the best race for a PR because of all of the twists and turns.  I didn't hit the tangents efficiently and I ended up running a long course.  I needed to average 7:15 per mile to go sub 1:35.  I ended up running 7:14 per mile but, I ran a long course so that doesn't matter.

Overall I'm very happy with how I performed on race day.

LVTC Low Key Poker 5k & Switching up my Routine

Over the weekend I ran a low key 5k.  The premise of the run was to collect 3 poker cards during the run, and after the race their would be a Texas Hold'em game with a flop, turn, and river card. The runners with the best poker had would have their pick of the prizes. The race was intended to raise money for scholarships for local high school runners.

When I arrived at the race location I noticed that their weren't a lot of participants ready to race.  January is a popular month for road races in the Las Vegas Valley, and there were several different events that same morning. Because of this the track club workout had a small turnout.  I wasn't feeling very motivated to do a proper warm up.  In fact I didn't even really warm up. I figured I would try to negative split the 5k.  I also had lofty goals of running a sub 21:00 5k.

I lined up front and when the horn went off, we took off and I found my groove. Two high school boys went flying by me.  I knew I wouldn't be able to hang with them.  I was running with two other male runners and after about 800 meters I looked down at my watch and noticed 7:05 pace. (My goal was 6:45's per mile). I knew that I needed to pick up the pace, I dropped it into another gear and I went around the two guys I was running with.  I also picked up my first poker card.

Mile 1 7:03 (Meh)


One of the guys that I passed just hung on to me.  I was running hard, but I couldn't shake him.  We hit the turn around point and I knew he was still on my heels.

Mile 2 7:06 (D'oh)

Once we passed the 2nd mile marker I decided to put some distance between me and the guy on my heels.  I really tried to open up.  I grabbed the 2nd poker card halfway through this mile

Mile 3 6:36 (Right on!)
During the final 400 meters I got my ass out kicked.

I'm the pink dot in the rear.

Final Time 21:32 (6:53 average)

I'm not disappointed with my time.  I know that I could have ran this a bit faster, if I had done a proper warm-up.   It was a small race and I felt like I was in "no man's land"  for most of the race. I do better at bigger events because there is motivation to catch runners ahead of you.

After all the runners finished the poker hand was dealt.  I didn't have a very good hand, so I went home empty handed.   Overall I'm happy that I got a good workout in.

**Thank you to the Las Vegas Track Club for hosting the event and for the photos!!**

For the past few months I have been working out in the mornings before work and on my lunch breaks I would drive over to my daughter's daycare to nurse and or play with her.  At this stage of her development she is moving from two naps a day down to one long mid day nap.   This is great because her development is progressing right along where it should be, however I am a bit sad because I look forward to seeing my little one and getting some extra cuddle time in with her.

At first I was actually considering trying to work out twice a day because I love to run in the morning.. But, that just sounded like a dumb idea. My workouts before work always felt rushed and hurried.  I would usually try to bang out a 3-5 mile tempo run or do some frenzied circuit training.   Instead I'm going to focus on lunch time workouts.  

I plan on running three days a week, doing circuit training one day, and one day of complete rest.   My weekends will still consist of one long run and one rest day.   I will definitely be upping my mileage and slowing down my pace on some of my runs.   I will be probably switching it up again when the Las Vegas summer heat arrives.