Look what I found! Cowtown Half Marathon Race Report

I set my current PR at this race!  Enjoy the race report I wrote after the race!

Cowtown Half-Marathon Race Report

2-24-13

Run fast, take chances

Pre-Race

Well, let me just start off by saying that for some reason I was dreading this race.  My previous half marathon PR was 1:55:36 and my goal for this race was 1:45 – 1:50.  The week before the race my hamstrings felt tight and I just felt tired.  I also had felt very nauseous on the days leading up to the race.  But overall I felt like my training had went very well.  I especially loved the speed sessions with long intervals. 

I got an email for the Cowtown organizers that included my bib # and Corral #.  I really had no clue what the Corral #1 meant and I didn’t give it another thought.  When we went to eat dinner the night before the race everyone started commenting about Corral #1 and about me being, “the fast one.”  Even though I wanted to break my PR I hadn’t been nervous.  However, after dinner I was super nervous and I was actually dreading the race.  To run 13 miles at a 8:20 – 8:30 min/mile pace seemed daunting.

So we live in the country where it is peaceful and quiet at night.  Well, downtown Fort Worth on a Saturday night is anything but quiet and peaceful.  There was traffic noise, sirens going off multiple times, people talking in the hall, and people screaming outside at all times of the night!  The alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. and I felt like I had just gone to bed.  Luckily, I had gotten everything organized the night before.  All I had to do was get up and go, no thinking.  So my husband and I left the hotel room at 5:20 a.m. with coffee and a granola bar in hand to head for the shuttle.  We only had to walk about a block and had to wait about 5 minutes.  

Thankfully, we got to wait for the race to start inside, it was only around 34 degrees outside! We chatted and I sipped on Gatorade.  I tried not to think about the race.  My motto is, “Autopilot.”  I was prepared to race, just go do it, no thinking.  Finally, at 6:45 a.m. we headed for the Starting Line and the infamous Corral #1.  It seemed like a blur, but I was on Autopilot. 

The Race

It takes me a long time to warm up so miles 1 and 2 seemed a little difficult but not too taxing.  Somewhere during the 2^nd mile I found the 1:50 pacer, he was a short guy from the Fort Worth Running Club.  Bingo, I decided to stay with him or if I felt good to try to get ahead of him.  On mile 3 my hair came down!  I have really long hair and I wear it in a bun but I got it back up without stopping and I almost forgot to eat a few Honeystinger Chews.  Between mile 3 and 4 my ankle stared to hurt and it never hurts.  This didn’t really worry me at the time, I was on Autopilot.  I checked my mile split and overall time every mile on my trusty Garmin (which has totally changed my life, thanks honey!).  To keep my mind occupied I did mental calculations to try to figure out if I was ahead or behind pace.

At mile 7 I got more Honeystinger Chews.  I was preparing for the huge mile 9 hill.  Around mile 7 my legs, especially my quads, started to get tired.  In training I had been able to run about 7 miles in 1 hour, during the race I ran about 7.5 miles in 1 hour.  I was really excited, but didn’t dwell on this, Autopilot.  Then, I could see it looming in the distance, the HILL!  Yes, a hill that was a mile long.  Autopilot, no thinking, just run up the hill.  However, about ¾  the way up the hill one strange thought popped into my head, “Man, I wish I was swimming!”  Now I’m certainly not a swimmer and it’s not my favorite or even in my top 10 favorite things to do.  So, it had to be THE HILL, I couldn’t wait to tell Becky!

So after the huge hill the spectators kept yelling, “It’s all downhill from here!”  Well, that was a lie.  There were several more hills and at the top of each one I heard, “Good job, it’s all downhill from now.”  I finally stopped believing them; I needed to get back on Autopilot.

In some races in the past I have felt like I have had too much left in the tank.  I can honestly say that I was totally done when I finished this race.  Even by husband, who is my toughest critic, said that I looked tired when I crossed the finish line with a time of 1:46:22.  I was 31st out of 628 in my age group (top 5%) and 666th out of 6870 overall (top 10%). 

My Race Strategy

Put it on Autopilot, run fast, take chances.  This strategy might seem gutsy but it works for me.  I adopted the strategy back in the summer.  My new strategy along with Becky’s fabulous training (Nacogdoches Endurance Training) has helped me break my PR in the 5K by over 1 minute, the 10K by over 5 minutes, and the half-marathon by over 9 minutes in just 9 months and I took 1 month off after my Dec. 1, 2012 marathon!

A big “Thank you” is in order for my supportive husband, Becky (Nacogdoches Endurance Training), and Andrea (my patient workout partner)!

 

Back to Swimming and Ahead of the Game!

I’ve taken over a month off from swimming.  I have a 45 minute drive one-way to the pool and I’ve been focusing on running.  I decided to start swimming again because Ironman Texas scares me!  Last year we got extremely lucky and the swim was wet suite legal (wetsuits make the swim much easier because of added buoyancy).  I’m not counting on the fickle Texas weather to allow another wetsuit legal swim, so back to the pool I go.

My first real swim workout was an 1800 yard swim.  I felt strong the entire time and I was bragging to my Dad about the fact that I couldn’t even swim one 25 yard length down the pool when I started.  He replied, “But yeah, look how long you’ve been swimming.  Hasn’t it been 2.5 years!”  Yes, that’s my point exactly! 

When I first started triathlon I HATED swimming, sorta liked cycling, and LOVED running.  But I stuck with the swimming.  I’ve endured swimming next to the children’s swim team and having them zoom past me, finishing at the back of my age group multiple times, and sputtering and gasping for air more times than I can count.  I HATED swimming, it was only a means to an end.  But I didn’t quit, even though I was extremely frustrated at times.  Now, I like all parts of triathlon equally and I’ve been looking forward to swimming!  Swimming 2.4 miles in a lake and 1.2 miles in the ocean with huge swells and wind are some of my biggest accomplishments.  I still may not be the fastest swimmer but I’m still improving.  I’m starting ahead of the where I was last year, so Ironman Texas here I come!

Having an official NET swim cap with my last name makes me feel like a fantastic swimmer!

Back to the Basics: One Foot in Front of the Other

Because I’m running the East Texas Half Marathon on Nov. 16 I’ve been focusing more on the run and I started to notice that my right knee has been hurting (it’s usually the left that hurts) especially when I’m pushing off.  On one hill workout I couldn’t even accelerate up the hill but I felt fine when running on the track.  I was starting to get a little worried; I am signed up for Ironman Texas 2015!  Before I could go into full blown panic mode, I noticed that my form was getting sloppy and I sometimes turned my toes slightly outward.  I guess this caused some type of pressure on my knee.  So lately I’ve been really focusing on my form and literally putting one foot in front of the other (toes in) and my knee has felt better.  I’m glad that I noticed before I became injured and stressed!

My 1st Half Marathon

I’m running the East Texas Half Marathon in November and I can’t help but reminisce about my first half- marathon.  I believe I ran my first half marathon in the fall of 2008.  I picked the Louisiana Trials Half-Marathon because it was close to home, I could drive myself and not have to bother my family.  I thought that because I ran on dirt roads that I was ready for the challenge.  Boy, was I shocked about half way through, I could barely run.  I was freaking out, what had I gotten myself into?  I found out the hard way that true trial runs are a different kind of beast.  I hadn’t ever even ran 13.1 miles especially not up and down creeks and through the forest.  Initially my goal was to run the entire time but I quickly realized that there was something more important that running the whole time.  My new goal was to not trip on a tree root and to finish this experience unscathed.  Mission accomplished, I finally finished!  Then, I had to drive home and I was tired and starting to get stiff.  By that night, I couldn’t even walk! 

I vowed to give up long distance running forever!  The next year I ran the same race again and then in the spring of 2010 I ran regular half-marathon.  I ran the Davy Crockett Bear Chase Half Marathon in Groveton, TX and it was a walk in the park compared to my first 2 half marathons.  I believe that having a terribly difficult and shocking first long distance running experience helped make me tough.  I have gone back to those trails a few times to run shorter distances and I do enjoy it but it is still a shock to the system.  Overall, my trail running experience has been a success; I’ve only tripped and fallen once.  Luckily, it was cold and I had on pants and I came out unharmed. 

Here’s a pic from my first half marathon.  Needless to say it was taken at the beginning of the race, I still look fresh.  Trust me, I did not look like at the finish.  The fall foliage was beautiful!

Do you need a coach?

Do you need a running or triathlon coach?  Well, that depends on your goals.  I needed more and thus I have done well with a coach.  I have run for years and completed several half-marathons on my own.  But I couldn’t get to the next step, the marathon.  Several times I had started training for a marathon but decided to run the half-marathon instead.  I had also toyed with the idea of completing a triathlon for years.  I had bought books and attempted to train on my own.  I was just overwhelmed and couldn’t do it by myself.  Then in the spring of 2012 I kept seeing a friend’s posts on Facebook (thanks Andrea!).  She was posting about training for a triathlon, I was instantly JEALOUS (in a good way).  Then I found out that she trained with Nacogdoches Endurance Training (NET) and they were going to hold a speed series training in Center.  The rest is history, I’ve been training with NET ever since.  After borrowing a road bike and taking swimming lessons at the age of 30, I finally completed my first triathlon in Sept. 2012.  Although I was a somewhat successful runner before training with NET, I have accomplished more that I could ever imagine possible since I began with NET. 

 Here’s what I’ve accomplished:

·        Completed the following triathlon distances:  sprint, Olympic, Half Ironman, Ironman

·        Completed marathon

·        Set PRs in 5K, 10K, and half marathon

Yes, I know that I always had the potential, my Coach unlocked the door.  I needed a coach to help push me over the edge.  I needed someone to bounce ideas off of, I needed a shoulder to cry on, and I needed reassurance that I was doing great and to keep pushing. 

Itis an extra expense but worth it.  We try to budget by not eating out and not buying stuff we don’t need.  But I did need coaching and looking back it was worth every penny.  I feel like I have made a physical and mental investment in myself, and that’s priceless!

 

It's Dreaming Season (Training Peaks Blog Post)

I couldn’t help but repost this!  I love it!  Big dreams + hard work = sweet rewards

It's Dreaming Season

Wednesday, October 15, 2014 | By TrainingPeaks61

 

 

Tweet

The smile at the end of the finish line- the one of satisfaction, the reward of a job well done. That smile doesn’t just happen. The athlete shining that smile has set a plan in place, followed that plan, worked hard, and achieved their goal. But before that, before the planning and work began there was something else. A dream.

Dreams are where the journey starts. They set you down the path towards achieving something you may not have believed you could accomplish. They are what drive you to fit workouts into hectic schedules and push you when you want to quit. They put you on a journey towards something greater than the reward itself. Following through on your dreams takes commitment and sacrifice, which only add to the sweetness of the reward. The best part about dreams is that they never have to stop. When one dream is realized it simply inspires you to dream again. And dream bigger.
As the Dreaming Season begins for 2015, we encourage you to dream bigger than ever. Believe in your true potential and set a goal for this year that will challenge you in new ways. It may be to go faster, it may be to try a new event, but whatever your dream is, now is the time to start taking action. Plan your season now by putting your events on the calendar. Look for a training plan to keep you fit through the winter. Find a coach that will dial in your workouts to your exact needs. All of these steps can help turn that big dream into the result of a lifetime.

Take all that you accomplished this year and build on it. Don’t be afraid to take that next step, put it all out there and see just how far you really can go.

Nacogdoches Endurance Training Coach

Yeah!  I have been hired by NET to be a coach!  I was hired along with Kelly Davis.  I’m excited that NET is growing!  Here’s the link to our website:  http://nacendurance.com/. 

 

Here’s the link to New Athlete Registration:  http://nacendurance.com/triathlon-training/2014-triathlon-training-registration/

 

 

Get Over It, Go Run!

I was tired yesterday; I did NOT want to run.  Even though I was off work last week I was just plain tired.  I cleaned out closets and my cousin and I had a garage sale on Friday and Saturday.  We had a late night at the football game Friday and Saturday night at the deer camp.  Then I got up early to provide support for my run group.  I was so tired that I feel asleep after lunch while reading (I never nap).  For some reason my feet and legs ached.  Finally, I thought, “ENOUGH, no more excuses!  Just go run!”  That’s exactly what I did.  I hopped up, changed clothes, got water and nutrition together, and ran.  Yes, I felt sluggish but I pushed on.  I was tired after the run but my legs weren’t achy and I was in a much better mood.  Lesson:  You don’t have to feel good or ready to run.  If it’s on your schedule and you are not deathly ill, just go run!

Me before the run.  I agreed to carry water and nutrition for my husband too, the things we do for love! J

New Horizons

I have been off from work this week, yeah!  I’ve been hired for an additional job that I’m going to love (more details to come).  This required me to get internet at home, yes this Rustic Runner broke down and got WiFi at home!  I also decided to finish my Ironman shadow box and spiff up my desk area to help provide me with extra motivation and inspiration.  I’m loving the results, here’s to new opportunities on the horizon!

The Poultry Festival Run Race Report

My goals for the early fall included breaking my PR at the Spirit of Hope 5K and winning the Poultry Festival Run.  Well, I didn't accomplish the PR but I did win the Poultry Festival Run.  This race was only 2.81 miles and my pace was slow for me.  My legs were heavy and I was tired.  It did seem like a lot of the faster runners didn't show up but you can only race those who showed up!  It feels good to accomplish my goal, now time to focus on the East Texas Half Marathon!