At the conclusion of my 2011 triathlon season, I decided to focus my 'off-season' on a Half Marathon and Marathon PR. I've run 2 other Marathons in the past, but have little pride in my finish times. Since I consider myself to be in the best shape of my life and I'm not getting any younger, now seemed like a good time to take care of that problem.
The past month has been a challenging, yet fun, running focus. I felt ready for the Half and hoped to break 1:25. If I could do that, I would feel more confident about a sub 3:00 Marathon in December.
In the 5 days leading up to the race, I followed my usual protocol of no sweets or caffeine. I kept hydrated and slept well. The 2 days prior, I focused most of my calories on easily digested carbs, lean meats and limited roughage the day prior. My Saturday dinner was at a perfect time of 5:30pm and consisted of pasta with sauce, grilled chicken and a sourdough roll. Thanks to my early work hours this month, I was able to fall asleep by 8:30pm and got a full 8 hours sleep the night before the race. I woke naturally at 4:30am and was eating breakfast at 5, exactly 3 hours prior to race start. Breakfast was the usual whole grain bagel with peanut butter and honey, a banana and green tea. After several successful trips to bathroom, we were out the door and on our way to the race. So far, everything was going according to plan.
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| Me and mom- race sherpa/photographer/master spectator! |
On the drive, I was talking to my mom about the lack of anxiety I had for this race. It is so much less stressful than a triathlon- less to pack, less to worry about. I was really looking forward to just going out and running! The weather was almost ideal. Temperature was perfect at about 50 degrees. It was a little windy, but coming from a good direction. It's a two-loop course and you start into the wind which, in my opinion, is good.
I started my warm up about 40 minutes prior to the start: 15 minutes easy + 5min build + 3min easy + 3x30sec strides. I finished up the warm up right before the national anthem and then found a spot a couple rows behind the start line.
When the gun went off, I went out solid. I glanced at my GPS quite a bit to make sure I wasn't going too fast. It's easy to get carried away at the start with the adrenaline and excitement. I tried to stay between 6:20 and 6:30 pace until I was able to find a good rhythm and feel. Since we were headed into the wind for the 1st few miles, I tried to stay tucked in a pack but with little success. There was a solid group about 1 minute ahead of me and scattered people around that I was either passing or being passed by. I ran the first 3 miles right around 6:25 into the wind. I felt settled into a rhythm at this point and as a guy passed me, I tucked in behind. I stayed with him and ran the next 4 miles in 6:10-6:20 pace with a slight tailwind. Starting the 2nd loop, I was feeling good. I knew to expect the headwind and some slight inclines. That's what I love about multiple loop courses- you know what to expect and can mentally prepare for it. I stayed focused and mentally strong. I kept repeating to myself, "you're strong- you got this". The spectatorship was great! I heard from multiple people that I was the 3rd woman and 2nd place was about 1 minute ahead. I knew throughout the race that I wasn't gaining ground, but I was just happy with how I felt and that I was exceeding my expectations. I just wanted to hang on and finish strong. With about a mile to go, the 4th place female came up alongside me. Nobody warned me about her- I thought I had 3rd in the bag! As she pulled up to me, I asked her if she was on her 1st or 2nd loop. She said 2nd and I said, "OK" and took off! I had no idea I had this extra gear and didn't know if she had one too. The final mile was into the wind and I was digging deep to find whatever I had left. My final 1.1 miles was at 5:54 pace. I finished in 1:23:27 (6:22 average) and secured my 3rd place overall finish.
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| 2nd, 4th and 3rd Place Women! |
I was ecstatic with my race. All the pieces fell into place, which is rare. I ran a 5 minute PR and beat my goal by over 1.5 minutes. It was nice chatting with the 2nd and 4th place girls at the finish line. They were both preparing for the Philadelphia Marathon next month.
I held my glow for the remainder of the day as I focused on recovery and preparing for even tougher training to come. Hopefully, I can replicate this performance in 7 weeks at the California International Marathon!
A huge thank you goes to my Mom for all your support during the race weekend! You're the Best!!!
