Marshall University Half Marathon - Delayed Recap

Finish line at the Marshall University Half Marathon

The Marshall University Half Marathon was last Sunday.  What a whirlwind it has been since then.  I sit here writing this recap now, with fresh pain in my legs from my most recent half this morning - that's two half marathons in 6 days.  That is a new record.

 

Fun with leaves, just because

Jim and I headed for Huntington, WV on Friday, Nov 9 for our respective Sunday races.  Jim would be doing the full and I would be doing the half.  Huntington is a small rural town in WV and is actually only about 40 minutes from where I went to High School in KY.  It is best known for the true story and movie "We Are Marshall" starring Matthew McConaughey that took place during the 70s when their football team was killed in an airplane wreck.   It was kind of nice to drive through all the familiar locations.  I had high hopes that I would see some of my family, but I didn't.  I was really disappointed by this, and even had a little breakdown/cry on Saturday in the hotel.  I'm not sure why I got so emotional, but it was just so weird to be so close to "home" yet so far away.  I always use "home" loosely when I talk about KY because I only spent 12 years there, but it is where my major formative years were I suppose since I was there from 8th grade through college.  Anyway, although I was only about 40 minutes from home, the majority of my family that is still in the area lives much farther away.

Outside of the football stadium

We stopped at packet pick-up on Saturday which was on the University campus.  It was a small pick-up area and we were in and out in just a few minutes.  There was no expo, but there was a local running company there.  Jim of course picked up a shirt, but I didn't get anything.  Then we walked across the street to have some Giovanni's pizza for lunch.  This was a staple in my small town and I was so excited when I saw it. They have DELICIOUS pizza and sandwiches.  Jim ordered an entire pizza, but I just opted for a pizza bread.  So good. 

Kissing the Bison for good luck.

Notice Jim's whole pizza to himself.
 

After lunch we walked around the beautiful university campus and took some photos, and then it was back to our hotel room for a much needed nap.  Later that night we had dinner at another little local place Decades Italian.  It was kind of cool because each area of the restaurant was decorated in a different decade.  We had the 1950s.  I tried to be funny and told the waiter there was no way we could eat our dinner in the 50s he was going to have to seat us somewhere else....but apparently no one thought this was funny.  After dinner we headed back to the room and got ready to race the next morning!

Jim sporting his new Brooks jacket - great race swag!

We woke up bright and early on Sunday.  It was cool, but not cold.  It was in the mid 40s with no wind, and the temperatures were supposed to rise into the 50s during the race.  I opted for capri tights and a short sleeve shirt and gloves.  After Jim's disastrous race in Wichita, we have re-instituted the pre-race dance pics.  So we did our pre-race party and then headed to the start.  I was super excited to catch up with my wonderful friend Coy Martinez of First in Philly.  We had  hoped to have dinner together the night before, but she had to work late and didn't get into Huntington until late.  We got a couple of photos and chatted.  Coy was running the full marathon with her friend Tami - it was Tami's first!  Coy was also with a smaller group of people, and it was the first marathon for several of them.  They were all excited and ready to get moving.

pre-race dance channeling my inner bison

It was finally almost time to start.  We walked the 10 feet to the start line.  That's the great thing about a smaller race like this.  You can practically part on the start line.  The gun went off and I started out by walking, waiting to cross the timing mat.  Finally after I had walked a minute or so I realized there would be no timing mat at the start!  HUH???  Anyway, I turned on my Garmin and started running.  The sun was coming up and I felt great.  I tried to tell my self to start slow, but in typical fashion I probably started out a little too fast.  This course is flat, flat, flat which is awesome.  I found myself running comfortably for the first several miles.  From miles 6-9 you run on a gravel path along the river.  It's a really beautiful area to run and I didn't feel like I was struggling, but apparently the change in surface had some kind of impact on me because I felt like I was running faster, but as each mile ticked away each mile was slower than the next.  Miles 6-10 were my slowest of the race.  Finally around mile 10 or 11 I saw Jim pass by me.  I gave him a high five.  He looked great.  It's always fun to see people you know in a race.  During those last three miles I felt like I still had something left and I picked up the pace.  It was so nice not to crash at mile 9 in this race like I had in Wichita.  I felt strong throughout the race - really in spite of many miles lately.  My Garmin hit 13 miles and I knew I was close, but when I reached the Marshall University football stadium I was a little unsure of where to go.  The course ran on the sidewalk around the stadium...and there were spectators and visitors everywhere all over the sidewalk.  You had to weave in and out of people and I wasn't sure if I was even going the right way.  I must have had a very confused look on my face because another runner who had already finished told me to keep running and make my first right!  Thank goodness.

Jim, me and Coy

I turned and entered the Marshall University stadium. This part was really cool.  You were running on the AstroTurf and there were a few people in the stands and around the stadium.  Just a few feet from the finish line they throw you a football - if you want to carry one with you to the finish line.  This was fun. I felt great at the finish and I rolled right through there with my football.  I crossed the finish line in 2:32:16 on my Garmin...although my official race time would be 2:33:05.  With no timing mat, those at the back of the race got gun time and not chip time, which kind of sucked.  It certainly wasn't my best or fastest race, but honestly I was super happy with it and felt like I had a good race.

Overall this is a great small town race.  It's super flat, and you get a nice technical tee and medal.  If you do the marathon you also get an awesome Brooks jacket!  And it is awesome!

 

I waited for Jim to cross the finish line.  He came across strong and had a great race too!  Then we headed back to the hotel for showers and check out.  We came back to Marshall just in time to see Coy one last time.  They were done with their race and had done so well!!  She decided to grab lunch with us before we headed on our way back home.....back to Giovanni's.  I think Jim could live on pizza. 

Jim finishing strong!

We got home Monday afternoon - just in time for me to pack and head to DC for work the next morning...like I said at the beginning - whirlwind.  I would come home from DC Thursday night, go back to work on Friday and then do another half marathon on Saturday...but that race recap is coming soon!

"Exercise" Your Right to Vote!!

So this morning I literally ran to the polls to vote during my morning run.  Puts a whole new meaning to the term "exercise" your right to vote!

On a serious note, it is truly a privilege to live in a Country where you can vote without fear.  Where you can cast your vote for a person and not a party without retaliation.  It doesn't matter if you are Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or something else....just go vote!

Nairn's Oat Cookies Review

I was recently contacted by Nairn's, a Scottish company that makes oat based cookies and crackers, to review their product.  They sent me two boxes of their oat cookies.  I received two flavors: Stem Ginger and Mixed Berries.

Nairn's cookies come packed in 4 individual packets, which make them easy to throw in your lunch or take with you on the go, and it keeps the cookies fresher.  Nairn's cookies make for a slightly sweet, but healthy alternative to a traditional cookie.  They are wheat (but not gluten) free, are made with 100% pure wholegrain oats, and have no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.  A serving size is 2 cookies and they are roughly 90 calories per serving.  The cookies are about $4.00 a box on the Nairn's website, but I also found them on Amazon for about the same price.

Individual packages

The Stem Ginger cookies have a very strong ginger taste and are almost spicy.  If you love ginger you will love these.  For me, the taste was a bit too strong.  I liked the Mixed Berries flavor more.  It was mild and not overly sweet.  The cookie is thin and crispy. They also have a dark chocolate chip flavor.  I really wish they would have sent these.  I love chocolate, and think I would have really enjoyed these and I really liked the idea of them being a bit healthier choice. 

As I already mentioned they also have oat based crackers in a variety of flavors, but they didn't send any of these for review.

Overall, I would try these again, but I think I would opt for the chocolate chip.

Disclaimer:  I was sent two boxes of cookies for free for this review however, I was not paid to review this product or asked to provide a positive review.  The opinions contained in this post are my own.

Double the Halloween Racing Fun!

On Saturday, I did something I have never done before.  I did two races.  One race in the morning and one race in the evening.  Now, the total distance was still less than I would do in a half marathon, so it wasn't necessary a huge challenge or anything, I just thought it would be fun.  My morning race was a 10K, and the evening race was a 5K.

Both of the races were Halloween themed, and I had planned to wear a costume at each of them.  However, we got our first hard freeze and super cold temperatures (mid 20s) on Saturday morning.  Since I'm a slower runner I knew I'd be out there for more than an hour for a 10K, so I thought I would be too cold in my ballerina costume.  I opted to just wear the costume to the evening race, which would still be cold, but likely be in the 40s vs. the 20s.  Plus, I figured with an evening race there would be more people in costume anyway.

Me & Jim pre-race

The first race was the Halloween Hustle in our home city of Lee's Summit, MO.  Jim and I did this race last year.  It's a fairly small race, but it's put on by Bodies By Brad and Jenn - a local personal training studio where I have actually trained.  Also, our good friend and running buddy is the massage therapist there.  So we are happy to race and support this local business.  They have a great set-up with a 5K and a 10K.  You get an awesome medal and technical tee - and PANCAKES at the end.  It's really a great event.  There's also a costume contest which I didn't compete in since I decided against the costume.  I decided to just go with black and orange attire....Halloweenish.

It was about 28 degrees at race start - COLD!  On my Thursday morning run it was 73 degrees, quite a temperature shift!  Jim and I did this race last year and we had both done the 5K.  The 5K had been 2 loops, and the 10K 4 loops.  I was expecting the same thing, and had this thought in my head.  This would turn out to be a HUGE MISTAKE!  I did the first two loops (3.1 miles) and I was struggling a bit more than I would have liked.  I was feeling really tight from the cold and just couldn't seem to get into much of a rhythm.  I started my third loop and literally was the only one out there for as far as I could see.  I thought man, am I seriously like the only one doing the 10K.  I figured the faster runners were ahead of me and I just couldn't see them, but wasn't ANYONE about my same speed or behind me.  I even said something to one of the volunteers - "Am I the only one doing the 10K"?  He said "I don't know, I'm just managing traffic".  I finally finish loop 3 all by my lonesome and start to do loop for when another volunteer asks "Are you doing the 5K or the 10K"?  Duh, the 10K.  He said, "you have to make a left and finish the 10K down there"?  "Huh???"  "But I've already done 3 loops and ran 5 miles - is it another out and back where I can just do 1 loop to get in the 6.2".  Yes, he replies, everyone does 2 loops.  I start running that direction when Jim runs up to me - "Have you already ran 3 loops" he asks, "yes" I reply.  He said "well then don't go that way, that's another 3 mile loop and it's hilly as heck".  I decided to just do my 3rd loop.  I knew I'd still get in my 10K even if it wasn't the route I was supposed to be on.  If I had done the other one I would have ended up with about 8 miles. 

It was a total bummer though because I ran the last 3 miles all by myself.  Where had that guy been when I completed loop 2????  I found out after the race there was some chalk on the ground to show that the 2 races split off, but I hadn't seen it.  That is my major complaint.  You either needed multiple volunteers there shouting - or you needed really good signage to show the course split!  It was frustrating to say the least.  In the end, I still finished the race with just over 6.4 miles on my Garmin.  It wasn't a great race but I finished in 1:13:11 - which was an 11:47 pace (officially).  According to my Garmin I did and 11:23 since it was just over 6.4 miles.  Not bad for me. 

After the race I met back up with Jim.  He had a great race and finished first in his age group.  We got some pancakes and waited for the awards.  It was absolutely FREEZING.  I had been fine while running, but as soon as I stopped it was cold.  By the time we got home I was chilled to the bone and it took several hours to warm back up.

*********************************************
The 2nd race was the Monster Dash 5K.  It's in the River Market area of Kansas City.  It's a great little shopping area near downtown.  The race didn't start until 7pm.  It was still cold, but at least it was in the low 40s.  I was doing this race with 2 girlfriends so that would be fun!

Yes, the pink tennis shoes really make this costume work...hahhaha!

For this one I went all out with my costume.  The Black Swan!  I had decided on this costume at least a month ago and I had working on putting it together for weeks.  Yes, I am a total dork but I LOVE HALLOWEEN!  My girlfriends didn't quite share my enthusiasm.  My friend Jocelyn did have a cute little mask, and my friend Cindy went all out in her trick or treat gloves.  There were lots of people in costume though, which is always fun.

I was planning to run this race fairly slow.  I was in costume and I had already done a 10k...so I wasn't expecting much.  I ended up running with my friend Jocelyn.  We passed the first mile pretty easily at a 10:11 pace - yikes, I told her, we are going "fast".  Mile 2 was a 10:12, but then mile 3 was pretty much up hill with a few pretty decent inclines and I started to fade.  Oh well, overall I finished in 31:47 (a 10:13 pace) - my PR is 31:40.  I had really run pretty comfortably and honestly could have pushed myself a bit harder in mile 3 - I had no idea I was so close to my PR or I would have pushed a little harder!  This was a pretty small race, but I finished 17th out of 57 in my age group, which is awesome for me!  I'm always towards the bottom half of finishers, this time I was toward the top.  That felt pretty good, even if it was a race that didn't bring out all the fast runners.

Close up

After the race we headed out for pizza.  Great way to end a fun racing day!

Finish line!

Prairie Fire Half Marathon Recap

On Sunday, Jim and I ran the Prairie Fire Marathon/Half Marathon.  Jim ran the marathon and I ran the half.   I had eyeballed this race since the previous year due to the medal with the blazing rabbit logo.  I freaking loved the medal, plus Wichita is only about 3 hours from home.  This was Jim's "A" race for the season, but I had no real goal other than to finish.

AWESOME Medal

As I  mentioned in my previous post, injuries have kept me from running or training much lately.  To make matters worse, I had been sick for over a week going into the race.  The previous Sunday I started getting a sore throat, which turned into severe head and chest congestion.  I finally broke down and went to the Dr. Friday night before we left town and found out I had a sinus infection and bronchitis.  I got an antibiotic, but I knew it would still be a few days before I felt better.

Jim and I headed to Wichita on Saturday and went straight to the expo.  We met up with Jon from 2SlowforBoston and chatted awhile.  Well, Jim chatted, I had almost no voice and had to talk in a whisper or sound like a 14 year old boy going through puberty with my voice cracking every other syllable.  But, it was still nice to get to meet him.  Hopefully he didn't think I was rude for not talking more :)

Jon, Me & Jim

Race morning came and I still felt pretty bad.  I hadn't slept much the night before (or really for the past 4 or 5 days) due to the hacking cough, but I was up early and ready to give it whatever I had.  I could tell Jim was nervous and I tried to say motivating and encouraging things.  It was going to be his day, not mine.  Luckily our hotel was super close to the start, so we stayed in until almost 7:30 before we headed down to the starting line.  The race started at 8am.

Me & Jim pre-race

The weather was pretty nice...temperature wise at least  It was about 55 degrees, cool, but not cold.  Temps would likely be in the upper 60s or low 70s by the time I finished the race so I knew it would get warm fast.  The major issue was going to be the wind.  It was about 20 mph at the race start and was only supposed to increase during the day. 

Me & my friend Christa (Jim in background)

My friend Christa was also in town for the half marathon, so we met up before the race started.  She is MUCH faster than me and I hadn't planned to run with her at all as I knew I needed to start slow and take it easy.  But when the gun went off I found myself running with her and talking.  I was feeling pretty winded already.  When we crossed mile 1, I was doing a 10:46 pace.  I know this is slow for most people, but for me, especially recently, it was fast. I told Christa I was going to have to slow down if I was going to make it through the race.  I was already feeling pretty exhausted.  Christa said goodbye and headed off.  I slowed down into a more comfortable pace....or so I thought.  Somehow mile 2 was actually a little faster than mile 1, but yet I was feeling pretty good.  In spite of my cold and lack of running I did a 10:38 2nd mile.  I somehow start thinking I'm Super Woman.  UM, maybe I'm running faster because there is a 20 mph tail wind and I'm going down a slightly downhill stretch......but no, suddenly I start thinking, wow maybe I'm stronger than I realize and I can run this pretty fast today.  I'm an IDIOT.

From miles 3-8 I still managed to maintain a pretty consistent pace of about 11:20, not bad really.  But then at mile 9, it HIT me.  All of a sudden I was running straight into the wind, and climbing a small, but gradual uphill.  The lack of mileage and the sickness really start to take their toll.  I totally crash.  I started wishing this was a 10 mile race like my last one.  13 miles was going to be HARD!  Miles 9-11 were in the mid 12s.  I started run/walking every 5 minutes or so.  I continued to get more tired.  Miles 12-13 were just hard.  I was walking more than running and averaged 13:30s.  I finally saw the finish line and couldn't have been happier.  I finished in 2:37 an 11:59 pace overall. 

I found Madi and Nate (my step-daughter and son-in law) at the finish line and waited for Jim to finish.  In the end, unfortunately the day wouldn't turn out as planned for Jim (you can read his race report here).  I was so disappointed for him.  I knew how hard he had trained and how much this race meant to him and I could feel his pain.

Overall, the weekend was just kind of downer...but that was just due to personal experiences.  The race is great, and I would recommend it to anyone.  They give an awesome medal and a nice technical finisher shirt at the end.  The course is flat and runs through some beautiful neighborhoods and downtown areas.  But sometimes, it doesn't matter how great the race is, it's just not your race.  But we still had a good time in our own way.  It's always great to spend time together doing the thing we love.


Cool Technical Tee finisher shirt



Will I ever really know my true athletic potential???

I’m laying it all out here.  I’m frustrated to say the least.

I’m going to try not to complain….a lot.  I have accomplished some amazing things this year – my first marathon in January, my first Half Ironman in July, and a 5K and half marathon PR.  These are not things that come easily.  I know this.

But here’s where my pain point is.  I don’t know if I will ever know my true potential as an athlete and that’s frustrating.  In April I set my half marathon PR with a 10:58 per mile pace.  At that time I was easily running my shorter runs in the low 10s and could even eek out a 9 something pace during my speed sessions.  I knew, just knew that with continued training I would get my times down even farther and finally inch my way from bottom of the pack to middle of the pack…maybe, just maybe.

But here we are in October and I’m running my slowest times all year.  Yesterday I did a 4 mile run and averaged a 13:10 pace.  I wasn’t pushing it, and I have a cold, but still it’s tough to see that kind of pace on the Garmin.  I have a half marathon Sunday, one I have been looking forward to.  It is a super FLAT course, a great one to set a PR on.  This is the race my husband Jim has been training for all year (the full marathon of course), and while I can’t say I’ve been training specifically for this race, my plan was to start training pretty intently for it in late July.  I totally expected to be able to set a new PR at this race, and now I’ll be lucky to do it in under 2:35.

OBSTACLES have kept me from doing much over the past few months.  I am literally a walking injury.  If I’m not injured I’m sick.  Jim told me that if he didn’t live with me, and see that all my issues are legit he would totally think I was a hypochondriac.  I know I have become the “What’s wrong with Michael now” girl, and that’s just downright embarrassing. 

So what’s the problem??  It’s multiple things.  As many of you know I injured my back several years ago and this really is the central issue for me.  I do not have strong core and I know this.  I know that to do what I want to do I need a strong core.  But, I had been so focused on endurance for my marathon and half ironman I hadn’t had much time to focus on strength.  Therefore, my plan post-half ironman was to focus on BETTER, FASTER, STRONGER….that was my new motto!  But then, out of nowhere I develop Veritgo….that last for weeks, I can barely walk, much less train.  I finally get through that and I sign up for personal training sessions and get ready for improvement.  Only one issue, within 2 weeks I had completely wrecked my back.  One day after a long run I was reaching across the bathroom tub and threw my back out. I was in bed for 4 days!  I spent the next 10 days recovering – stretching, ART therapy, etc.  I finally recovered, but have continued to just have a list of minor nagging issues, and 2 colds in the past two months on top of everything else. 

So it’s not surprising that I am where I am today.  Not really surprising at all, just frustrating.  I am ready to push myself to the next level.  I have the dedication and mental focus to move forward, but sometimes my body will not let me.  Every time I push, it pushes back.

But here I am again.  I am signed up for a core/leg strengthening class for cyclists (I’m sure it’s good for runners too).  I’m hopeful it will give me what I need, but I am worried that I will injure myself yet again.  I know to be careful, and I am…but sometimes it still just happens.  So there it is, all my woes.  If anyone has thoughts or suggestions I would LOVE to hear them.

KC Blues & Brews 10 Miler!

Finisher medal - guitar/bottle opener


A few months ago Jim and I (and a few friends) decided to do the KC Blues & Brews 10 Miler.  It sounded like a fun race that included an awesome medal and a post-race concert by the Blues Travelers.  It was held in downtown KC and was routed through many KCs hot spots including the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District & KC Power & Light District. 

I have to admit, ever since my Half Ironman in July....I've not done alot.  It really hasn't been intentional, but in typical Michael fashion, I've had more than my share of injuries and set backs.....including vertigo, throwing my back out, and dealing with peroneal tendonitis.  Throw in a nasty cold in there and yeah, like I said, I haven't been doing much training. 

Me and my tri-girl friends!

My running times lately have been SLOW to say the least.  While earlier in the spring and summer I was running comfortably in the 10s, my recent training runs had been in the 12s and even 13s!!  No fun.  So, I knew this wasn't going to be PR setting race, but I wanted to just go out and have fun.

We didn't do a pre-race dance for this one, but we do one heck of a post race air band!

I actually felt pretty good on race morning, and managed to finish the 10 miles at an 11:14 pace...I felt GREAT about this!  It was no where close to the half marathon pace I had set in April, but considering how little I'd been running lately I was pretty happy with it.

Jim had a good race too, which was basically just a recovery run for him after his 20+ miler the day before.  Had he been racing this one he could have easily placed.

After the race we enjoyed some tunes from the Blues Travelers!  I have to say that they were totally awesome!  Jim and I of course acted like a couple of idiots for awhile and then headed home with another race in the books!

We play a mean air guitar

Blues Travelers