A weekend of football and a half marathon PR!

Friday consisted of my legal research & writing class followed by LOTS of studying & writing a draft of my first legal memo, so by Saturday I was ready to have a little fun. Our friends Marc & Jessica are big fans of the Michigan Wolverines (usually they come over and watch the game or we’ll go over there and watch… hubs is also a superfan). They had some extra tickets to the game on Saturday and invited us!

pretty good seats

these crazy kids 😉

the only one not wearing a Michigan shirt- like a true fan (in fairness, I had a Michigan hoodie on but got hot)

I kept thinking how amazing the weather was and how I hoped it would carry over into Sunday for my half marathon. Football games are great and all that, but let’s be serious, the races are where the real fun’s at!

I won an entry to the Capital City River Run held in Lansing from Refuel With Chocolate Milk . Michigan friends, if you aren’t a fan of them on FB give them a quick ‘like’- they hold monthly contests for really cool races!

Anyways, what is really cool about this is that I also won an entry from them last year for the very same race, which became my first half marathon.

finish picture from last year

I was in a very different state of mind at that time last year- I was using running as a coping mechanism for my father’s death. The first time I crossed the official line at 13.1 (actually 13.3) miles was not just signifying a personal best for me- but it was in honor and dedication of him, for always teaching me to go after my dreams. This was a very personal moment for me because I actually felt like I could feel his presence, encouraging me when I struggled, and sharing my joy when I succeeded. It was truly an amazing day.

I was also in a different place because I was still relatively new to racing. I didn’t know what my limits were (not to say I totally do now, by any means), but I took ‘newbie’ precautions- that is, I stopped at every porta-potty and walked through every rest station. The course is always long (pet peeve of mine, but it’s not like I’m BQ’ing so I adjust purely for my records), so I ran 13.33 in 2:07:58,  which equated 13.1 around 2:05:58, and I was immensely happy with that at the time.

But as I started racing more, things started to change. Running became less of how I cope and more of who I am. I learned about conditioning myself to not have to hit every aid station, or not even use the bathroom at all during a race. I relished in the feeling of pushing myself to the absolute limit…. and watching it stretch me just a teensy bit farther. I knocked 17 minutes off of that very time at my second half marathon in DC. So as I approached this race, I felt more prepared but still uncertain in what I wanted my expectations to be. I wanted to do better than my first time…. but did I have it in me to pull of a PR? I wasn’t so sure.

My speed work has been shoddy at best, and this is half marathon #2 of 3 I have this month, so I was concerned about overdoing it and risking injury. I decided to just go by how I feel, and make my main goal be beating that 2:05:58 time. Ideally I wanted to be sub 2.

(I apologize that this will be wordy with limited pictures. apparently when you are really trying hard in a race it is difficult to stop and take pictures. at least for me)

I lined up in between the 9 minute & 8:30 pacers and the race took off. I knew for a fact I started out way too fast, but for some reason I just couldn’t slow down. I think in my mind I rationalized that I would push hard now, so if I had to slow down or take a break later, it would compensate. I have no idea but I ran the first 5k at a 7:36 average and I knew it was too fast. Whoops. But I kept going.

Everything was actually going really well. I was worried, because my average pace was hovering just around or under 8 flat, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hold that for 13.1 miles. I started to feel hungry just before 5 miles, which is very early for me, and I found it odd. There was nothing I could do about it, so I took my first GU.  This is when the first nightmare happened- I couldn’t figure out which volunteer was giving out water! I understand the school of thought to have an every-other system (every other volunteer had water, Gatorade, etc)… but when you are just trying to pass through an aid station and have to ask 3 people who has water, that takes time away! I then stopped and took my GU, and saw the 8:30 group pass me. Well no way was I letting that happening! A couple quick jaunts and I was caught back up & slightly ahead of them again. Everything was still going good, and I crossed the 10k mark just a few seconds shy of 50 minutes even. Holy canolli, I thought to myself….. this is crazy, even for me! 

And just about the 7.5 mile mark is when I crashed. I don’t know what caused me to stop, fear, low energy, something… but I actually stopped and started walking. I watched the 8:30 group come and go. I texted Nate that I was walking and didn’t feel so great, and wasn’t sure how things were going to go. He told me to take my time and just do what I needed. I probably only stopped about 20 seconds and I picked up again. I ran next to a girl and we chatted a bit about how we both had probably gone out too fast. She looked at me and said ‘you’re doing great though! keep it up!”, I shouted some encouragement back to her, and found my stride again. I wasn’t looking at my time at all at this point, but in my head I knew I didn’t want to give up all the hard work and effort I’d put in the first half, so I kept going. I did stop at an aid station and drank water because I was sooooo thirsty (another odd thing for me because I was pretty hydrated).

The course usually winds through MSU but because the race director couldn’t get an agreement established with them, we had to take some long, boring residential streets instead. This. Was. Brutal. There were hardly any spectators out, no aid stations, just so boring. And LONG. I just kept plugging away, as best as I could. I also took another GU because my stomach was actually growling at that point. SO weird for me.

I crossed the 10mile mark around or just before 1:20, and I realized I could still possibly pull a 1:55, which would be a respectable time for me. I put a little pep in my step and convinced myself it was just another 5k. WRONG. The course was actually 13.54 long! I texted Nate that I had 5k to go and promised myself I wouldn’t stop or walk for the last 5k. Well I saw the distance register 13.06 at 1:47XX and I looked up to see no finish line in site. Expletives ensued out of my mouth and my body actually stopped and started walking. I made it about 3 steps before a guy ran up next to me and said ‘come on iron woman!! just a little extra to go!” and winked, so I knew he understood my frustration with the course length. That pushed me to keep going and I ran as fast as I could while simultaneously telling myself ‘please don’t die’ in my brain, until I finally saw that finish line. I pushed as hard as I could and finally crossed, total 13.54 at 1:51:22,  actual 13.10 at 1:48:04, average pace 8:15.

VERY glad to be finished

After I have had some time to contemplate, I realize now that I haven’t been eating enough food and that is why my body was so hungry during the race. I also noticed a direct correlation with my shoddy speed work since the time frame that my food intake has gone down. Time to focus on fueling myself so that I can not only make the distance but continue incorporating speed without depleting all of my energy sources at the same time.

This race was definitely bittersweet. It wasn’t just like I ran along the whole time like ‘la la la I love running… 8:15’s are no big deal”. I honestly can’t believe I still managed a PR with all the issues I had. I can’t believe I ran 13.54 miles at an 8:15 pace, including when I stopped and walked. I also am not thrilled the course was so long, but I guess I’d rather it be too long than too short.

Looking back to almost a year ago, it is almost crazy to think that I’m still that same person toeing the start line of her very first half. Since then, I’ve ran a handfuls of 5/10’k’s, a FULL marathon, and 2 other half marathons, in addition to a relay and 1 miler.  Even after all this time and mileage of running, I’m still learning about myself; still struggling with those fears of the unknown, challenging my limits and finding out what works. It’s a continual process. But still one that I’m forever grateful to be on!

Run Woodstock half marathon race review

Today I ran my first trail half marathon! a few months back my running girls and I had decided to do Run Woodstock for a variety of reasons- the trail aspect, heard lots of good reviews and, let’s be honest, the medal was super cute! so we registered and hit the trails for a good couple months before and at 5:30am this morning, Sherri and I drove out to Hell Creek Ranch in Pinckney to meet Dee & Dawn!

We took a little longer than hoped to get there ( I accidentally got on 23 N instead of S and had to wait 8 miles to turn around….. woops). But luckily race car driving no traffic got us there with about 20 minutes before the race started.

waiting in line at packet pickup

Because we had barely enough time to get our packets, we weren’t able to run back to the my car to drop our shirts off. Luckily, Dawn asked some campers to hold them for us which they gladly did, and we are able to pick them back up after the race.

Then, we realized the race had already started… this was kinda weird, considering we were right next to the start. I don’t know if there was any official sound of starting, but I sure didn’t hear it…. thankfully our chips count the time, not the clock! haha.

Since I have 3 half marathons planned for September, my plan was NOT to try and race this. Being my first trail race, I wanted to enjoy it and feel challenged. I was also a little nervous, since I had never run this trail before and had no idea what to experience.

I decided to be all fancy like Detroit Runner and take pictures while running:

the start of the race

Dee smiling away!

Sherri and Dawn looking good!

The first 1.5- 2 miles were literally uphill- a real welcome to the trails! Haha. Then it kinda flattened out and looked like this for awhile:

Pretty impressed with my ability to take photos while running, aren’t you? I know. 😉

We started off together, but Dee was on fire and sped ahead. While speedy gonzales took off, I ran with Dawn & Sherri for a bit.

stopping for a quick bathroom break & pic

After around 3.5 miles I got into a nice groove and took off on my own, at a pretty good pace. We ran on that flat trail for awhile.. it was just around 5 miles when I started to wonder if that was all the ‘trail’ was going to be. I was going to feel super disappointed a. because it wasn’t very challenging and b. I had been conserving energy and could’ve been much faster! (I still feel like I probably held back too much in the first half, but oh well).

Then we turned around.

This was weird to me…. it was just like all of a sudden, in the middle of the path we turned around. There was a little sign, but no chip mat (or volunteers directing), so anyone (and a lot of people did) could have turned around early even if they hadn’t ran the full distance. This kinda bothers me because it deters from the goal of racing, and I guess from a type A moral standpoint view, is just wrong. I learned that Woodstock was a fan of those turn arounds in the trail later on, but I definitely didn’t like it.

I stopped and took a GU (but this picture is way later after the fact, lol). Sherri got me the newest flavor- salted caramel. YUM!!!!

Around 6 miles we turned into the woods and the trails began! WOW. There were some steep inclines and declines (similar to Pontiac Lake) and at times the path was very narrow. There was no way to pass people if you wanted to. I was feeling really good at this point, so when it was available, I passed people.

I also fell. Twice. Just goes with the territory. The first fall wasn’t too bad, the second I definitely landed on my knee, but all is good and I bounced right back up. Runners around were super sympathetic (several people wiped out either right in front of me or a couple runners ahead and many, including me, stopped to make sure they were ok). I didn’t have my app on so I had no concept of where we were (that’s another thing I didn’t like- no mile markers!), but someone told me we were almost at 10, when I looked up and saw a familiar face- Dee! I’d caught back up with her. We ran together for a bit when we noticed yet another turn around.

This one was more confusing, and the way the turnaround was set up (a huge loop before you turned back), people could’ve jumped in and saved at least 1 mile without anyone noticing- and they were! Dee and I figured it out and went the right way, but man, that really erks me with people do that.

There were a lot of fallen trees- I read on Facebook that someone said as many as 20, so we had some hopping to do. I joked to Dee that they saved the hurdles for the end, lol. Actually all the hopping gave me a little energy boost and when someone said we were over 11, that was all I needed to hear. I took off on my own again, in a nice little pace.

was kinda slacking on the pictures once in the woods….lol didn’t wanna fall again! but this was really pretty.

I got into a really nice groove and kept pushing it a little until I heard the crowd and then I really pushed it for a strong finish.

                                              I did it!!

My finish time was 2:28:35, slowest time for me EVER. but considering the difficulty of the trail, the fact that I did spend some time walking/using the bathroom and that I planned to go slow because of my other races… I feel pretty darn good about it. Next summer I hope to crush that time at my next trail half 🙂

Right after I finished, I heard someone call my name- it was Nate! Sneaky guy totally acted like he was sleeping in all morning, and secretly got up after I left to meet me at the finish with our dogs. What a nice surprise 🙂

A few after me came Dee, then Sherri & then Dawn- we totally needed our group picture now!

we wore the custom shirts we made for Bayshore 🙂

And I stole Dee’s pic because it’s very cute of the shirt and medal:

Woo hoo! My first trail half marathon in the books! By the time we got home I could tell I was gonna be sore, so I’ve stretched, foam rolled, compression socked and prayed to the running gods that it’ll pass quickly 🙂

I loved the atmosphere of the race… volunteers and runners were awesome! They had an amazing after party (I didn’t stay long because I wanted to get home and shower) and it was just a really great environment. The trail was tough, technical and beautiful.

But there were many things I didn’t like… those turn arounds are not for me. I don’t like watching people cheat when I and many others put their all into it. Just doesn’t seem right. Also there were only 2 aid stations for the half… that seemed wayyyyy to few. They had water and gatorade, no gu or anything else. and NO bathrooms . I get it, we are in the woods, but still…. a porta-potty here or there would’ve been nice. And mile markers!

I’ve read a few complaints about the trails not being maintained enough, but since this was my first trail race I can’t comment on that. I’m not sure how much control one can have over that anyway?

Trail running is a whole new animal of running. While I don’t see myself becoming a strict trail runner, I’d definitely like to keep it in my running regime to make me stronger.

Have you ever ran a trail race? Love it or hate it?

How was your run this weekend?

Any tips to get better at trails (aside from do them more, LOL)?

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just keep swimming!

I made it through my first week!

It’s been intense, to say the least! Pretty much I’ve had class, read, had another class, then came home and read….. for hours. Repeat M-TH, then Friday I had class and went to work right after. I did manage to get some runs and biking in, but other than that….. not much. Which I’m not complaining about, especially after having a week of feeling burned out. I still feel slightly burned out, but running has helped me release some of the tension from school so I’m feeling grateful for it in my life.

Speaking of running, check out my finish pic from the Michigan Mile:

I feel like I look like the terminator here, lol. Talk about determination!

I also went to a mixer for the law school on Thursday, which consisted of most of us saying to each other “omg you’re freaking out too?! reading is consuming your life?! you’re dreaming about law school also?! ok…. I’m normal”. haha. Fun times.

Law school (or any graduate, professional school I suppose really) is a whole different ball game, compared to undergrad. I guess it’s because you have to learn what almost seems like a different language. They also engage in the act of cold calling (that is, randomly calling on you in class and your participation counts towards your grade), so you have to be prepared and ready to speak each class. Not nerve wracking at all.

ha, who are we kidding? there are no reading breaks in 1L

I’ve already been called on in 2 classes. One, my professor was trying to be fair and shuffled our name cards, hands them to me to ‘cut’ the deck. He calls me first. Future career in blackjack? Either way…. mildly terrifying!

September is going to be a crazy month. I’ll be in full swing of law school and I’m taking on a new challenge…. 3 half marathons in 3 weeks! This wasn’t intentional- I’d signed up for a trail half and then another one 2 weeks later. Then I won a registration to the race that was my first half marathon last year (smack dab in between the other 2). So I’m not going into these with any goals, other than to finish, have fun and be able to say “I ran 3 halfs in 3 weeks!”. Pretty stoked.

September also marks when I make my official return to the pool and I am so excited! I started to despise swimming in high school (competitive swimming where you practice twice a day will do that to you), but I’m ready to be back and incorporate it into my fitness again.

so, to start off a busy month, I’m reminded of the movie ‘finding nemo’ and will just keep swimming….. 😉